Pins

I know I just made a post about my destination, but I wanted to do another post about my pins. It's a Rotary tradition for exchange students to have a blazer, of varying colors depending on where you come from (North American students have navy blue). Now, the cool thing about these blazers. Every exchange student makes/buys a bunch of pins that symbolize their country/state/town, then trades with other students for pins from their area. You put the pins on your blazer, and soon your blazer is encrusted with pins forming a wearable scrapbook of the places you've been and the people you've met. It's a pretty awesome idea.

So when I found out that I would need pins, I started to look online and in shops for Seattle themed pins. After looking around a bit, I came to realize that I wasn't going to be able to find anything like what I wanted for under $2 each. I needed at least 50 pins, hopefully more. I was not going to pay 100+ dollars for pins. So, I called upon the DIY gods for guidance and decided to make them.

I found some pictures online of Washington state symbols, like the state seal and a goldfinch (state bird) and orca whales (state marine mammal) and rhododendrons (state flowers). Then I printed them in color, cut them out in circles, put stuck them in a bottle cap, added a little clear casting resin and a pin back, and voila! Unique, one of a kind pins! I'm very proud. I'll post pics soon!

The goal of the Rotary blazer...you want it to come back several pounds heavier than when you left.