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Shay McClean

@shaymcclean

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Writer, maker, and erstwhile seller of books! You might remember me from such stores as Third Street Books and Books of Wonder. (she/her)
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I made a thing!! An epoxy resin candleholder, to be precise. It’s not perfect (those bubbles shouldn’t be there), but I’m getting the hang of it. I love how it looks when it’s all lit up. Drying the flowers. Suuuuper important if you don’t want them to rot inside the resin… 😬 #notcute Mixing up and pouring the resin! Annoyingly, a mold this size requires like four different pours, and it needs to fully cure between pourings. The more resin you mix together the hotter the whole thing gets, so if you did the full thing at once it would cook the flower. #alsonotcute by @shaymcclean
6
a month ago
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Sigh. So sad to say goodbye again to @boydsmills (formerly the Highlights Foundation). It’s so hard to describe just how lovely the place is. Of note this trip: adorable chipmunks, a baby bunny that lived by our cabin (Len and I named it Sammy), eating flowers, and starting a painting that now I’ll never finish because I have to go back to Boring Grown Up World. Booooo taken in Boyds Mills by @shaymcclean
6
2 months ago
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Finished the Death Star piñata just in time for kiddo’s party! 🥳 Fully operational. First I used some aquaphor to grease up the ball so the paper mache wouldn’t stick to it. After about four layers of paper mache I painted the whole thing gray. This was the tricky bit - I deflated the ball and cut a circular hole to pull it out. Also added some silver paint and sketched some guidelines. I used a black thread for the trench thing. (Equator? 🤔) Put the candy inside then covered over the hole with paper mache. Conveniently, that made the disc shaped whatever-that-thingy-is. There was no way I could have drawn these lines on the piñata itself, so I cheated. E voila! Almost completed here. And unlike the Empire I didn’t build any thermal exhaust vents in this one, so it’s pretty much indestructible. What could go wrong? by @shaymcclean
9
4 months ago
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A bit late in posting, but my Pride wreath is done! I basically just used twisty ties for this one, in the interest of not having it melt in the sunlight like the hot glue did on the last one. Happy Pride, everyone!! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ by @shaymcclean
2
4 months ago
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Yessss…I was in NYC at the right time this year to catch the Original Art Show @soi128! It was wonderful. Joyful, silly, whimsical, touching, everything children’s book art should be. 💛 by @shaymcclean
0
a year ago
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Class gift for Sammy’s teacher this year! 😊🌺🪏🪴 by @shaymcclean
0
a year ago
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by @shaymcclean
1
2 years ago
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Whoopsie! It occurs to me that I never did post these pics after Halloween. I must have had something else on my mind around then…🙄 Here’s the finished triceratops costume. Happy (quite belated) Halloween! 🦕 by @shaymcclean
1
2 years ago
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The kiddo chose the pumpkin theme this year. 🕸️🎃🕷️ Happy Halloween! by @shaymcclean
0
2 years ago
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Obligatory awkward first day of school photo. (I just started today as an aide at @kns.coop!) I get to work in my kiddos’s class part of the time, and the rest of the time with the three-year-olds.) I’m growing up so fast!! 😭😭😭 by @shaymcclean
3
2 years ago
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Finally getting around to posting these pics! This is the coconut tree I made for the @kns.coop Chicka Chicka Boom Boom float for the Kensington Labor Day Parade. (If you don’t know the book, it’s about a bunch of letters that climb a coconut tree and it bends and they all fall off. It’s adorable.) I used a cardboard construction tube for the base (apparently they’re used to pour concrete?). I wanted the top half of the tree to be super light, so initially I had planned on using pool noodles, but I ended up nixing that idea because they would have been too expensive to use. They’re cheap, but I would have needed a LOT. So I cut a frame from a giant cardboard box that a rug came in. Once I had the skeleton, I wrapped strips of cardboard around it and hot glued it into next Tuesday, then padded the weird dips and such with bunched newspaper and bubble wrap. Then I did a layer of paper mache and painted it with a water resistant exterior spray paint so it would hold up in case it rained during the parade. I didn’t get any pics of this, but to attach the tree to the float I used a utility bucket screwed directly onto a wood pallet. The tube fit so perfectly in there that I didn’t end up needing to use any extra screws or shims or anything to hold it in place. The pallet was heavy enough to anchor it well as the float was roaring along at 3mph. The leaves and coconuts (obviously) were just balloons. Et voilà! One heavily burdened coconut tree. The kids at the school painted letters to go on the float, and we put it all together the morning of the parade. The whole thing was so much fun. The absolute best was walking with it along the route and hearing kids recognize it and get excited. Made my little nerd heart so happy! #paradefloat #parade #maker #marylandmaker #kensingtonmd #mocomaryland #laborday2024 #townofkensington #childrensbook #chickachickaboomboom by @shaymcclean
19
2 years ago
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Sammy’s Super Birthday Bash! I guess four is old enough to be embarrassed by our matching family tees. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ by @shaymcclean
1
2 years ago
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