Making a Spectacles Case and modifying a cane

[Rimbaum]

I'm not normally a very practical person, by nature, but I was toying with the idea just yesterday of making a case for my spectacles. I had to go to the other side of town this morning for a doctor's appointment, and while I was there I stopped by the local Hobby Lobby. Lo and behold, I find these little beauties. The box is stiff paper mache, just big enough for my spectacles, and shaped like a book. It's also half off. The butterfly is antiqued copper, and came in a set of two - also half off. I left Hobby Lobby with both in tow for a mere $2.35 including sales tax!

Next, I go to Meijer to fill my prescriptions. Because of my bad knee, I've been toying with the idea of a cane for leaning on while at work. One which I can customize and make thoroughly my own, of course. So I browse through such apparatuses in the hopes of finding one that is neither brightly and garishly pink, nor something that looks like an 83-year-old man would use. Such a thing would be entirely unbecoming of a 23-year-old young lady.

I find precisely what I am looking for. Sadly, it has no barcode nor price listed on it, is missing the rubber tip that allows me to lean on it without slipping on slick linoleum floors, and is somewhat scruffed all over. Since I plan on sanding it down and painting it to resemble brass or copper, the latter is not an issue. I find a nearby manager, and after a quick bartering session, walk away with a $5 cane. I invested the mere $1.70 in a rubber tip, and walked off a supremely happy customer.


Now, I have some very general ideas about what to do to customize these finds, but no real specifics, aside from a brass or copper finish for the cane and a brass finish and red velvet lining for the spectacles case. I would appreciate suggestions, and any tips you might have from working with these materials or on similar types of projects. I am on a budget, but am also in no hurry to finish anything. Indeed, the cane might just be a continual work-in-progress, but I would like something rather noticeable (somewhat quickly and easily) to distinguish it as mine, and not just one that might belong to any random person.

[Nikola Tesla]

Aren't those rubber tips on canes produced separately and intended to be replaced every now and again anyway?  A friend of mine actually uses one for walking and typically keeps a small supply at home.

[Rimbaum]

Yes, the rubber tips do eventually wear out, but every other brand new cane at the store had a rubber tip included as a standard - with the proper size listed at the bottom. I had to find the right size through trial and error and a couple of open packages. But, seeing as the other canes were listed for (at the very least) $10 each, and most of them were more along the lines of $20-25, I didn't mind buying a replacement tip for my bargain.


I've also decided how I'm going to decorate the cane. The handle will be painted to resemble some copper piping, while the shaft will be painted a glossy black. I'm also considering some copper leaf, although the practicality of copper leaf in future projects is making me hesitate. Either way, that's probably as far as I'll go with decorations until I find some more junk to decorate it with.