Chapstick Ring

"Malena, did you remember your chapstick?" says me on numerous occasions.

"Crap." says she on numerous occasions.

We have every boutique-y brand in every flavor - I have even made 100 tubes of my own, so organic you can just eat the stuff if you find yourself in "one of those circumstances".

But damned if one ever ends up in one of those pockets in that one coat you have just walked out the door in.

: )

I am hoping this little hack changes the answer to that initial question. Well, it will certainly change the question.

Get a lip balm that you like, and one that you don't.

1. The white tube is one I made, the red cap is from a Blistex one that had crap-nasty ingredients in it. I certainly didn't buy it, but I sure do like that cap cover. (I accidentally destroyed the rest of it while I was experimenting)

2. Twist, twist, twist that dial until you can pull the lip balm cylinder out.

3. I cut the top part off of the white tube, about 1/4 below where the lip starts, then sanded a good bit off. You want to minimize the height somewhat.

1. Now cut the dial off. You can't pry it off as it is locked from the other side with an attached disc. Sand any roughness off.

2. Flip dial over so that it is bowl side up. You will glue this to the top of the tube that you just cut off.

3. Apply a strong adhesive to both surfaces, as shown. Wait a few minutes then press them together. Let set for amount of time as instructed on the glue, give or take. : D

Shorten height of cap a bit. Sawing may be a bit risky, much better and easier to sand it. Take a good 1/8 of an inch off. Using a multi-tool grip made sanding safe and easy.

I wanted to use a very narrow strip of leather. It's comfortable and easy to work with. Most people can get their hands on a small bit of leather, and it'll make for easy attachment to the tube.

1. Size around finger, so that edges just meet, and don't overlap. Cut.

2. Sew ends together with strong thread, making multiple passes in various patterns. The smooth surface will touch your finger so finish off the knots on the suede side. Tie off.

If you ended up with an ugly white tube like I did, you may want to paint it. Hopefully you can just use the original that matches the cap, and not ruin it like I did before.

1. I painted a base coat, 2 coats of color and a top armor coat.

2. Dab some strong adhesive on the suede part of the leather band where the knot is, and on the bottom of the newly-made container. Let dry the recommended time. Really.

1. Take lip balm cylinder and dab some glue on the plastic housing at its base, also dabbing some at the bottom of your newly-made container. Wait a few minutes then push cylinder in all the way.

2. Lay your cap next to the tube, resting on the lip, to simulate where the cap would stop if it were on. Mark just below that.

3. Cut at that line, nice and level, removing the bulk of the lip balm. Save in a baggie for when you need to replenish your ring supply.

1. The final piece!

2. Looks interesting...eh? : D

The Girl likes it!

Easy, easy project. Unique. Just make sure to let the glue dry completely throughout all of the stages... : D