Arts and Crafts

I'm one of those people who loves to be creative but has zero talent. I can't draw, I have a guitar and a violin that I play poorly, I can knit but never have the patience to finish a project, I can't sew... you get the picture. But every now and then I have an urge to make something.

This week I've been making floggers.

Inspired by a poster on fetlife, I thought I'd give making my own toys a go. We don't really have many toys, because honestly, we've never felt the need. There's usually something lying around the house that can be called into action in a pinch. But I was feeling the creative urge and off I went to poundland.

Someone suggested that a hank of cotton clothes line makes a good base for a gentle flogger, so that's what I was looking for. They didn't have cotton, but they did have a type of clothes line: it's steel wire coated in plastic. Pretty, huh?

A set of wire cutters and an hour or two later, we have this:

(forgive the rubbish photography, I'm a rubbish photographer)

This was my first attempt at making a toy, so go easy on me. There are 36 falls on this, and they are about 18 inches long. They are pretty stiff and heavy and so require a bit of force to get them moving. This flogger doesn't know the meaning of the word 'gentle'.  Husband was only too happy to product test. Verdict: Ouch.  Raised welts from the first touch. As a bonus, a mini-version (from the leftovers) also ouchy.

Next: A rubber one, made from stripped down bungee cords. This one is kind of yummy, and also mini at about 12 inches total length.

My final attempt involved garden twine braided together - no pictures of this because it was abandoned very quickly. Yuck, scratchy and unpleasant.

Now what to make next?