Okay this isn't the most impressive project to start the site out with but I had to post something!  We've all seen those little yellow antenna smiley balls from Wal-Mart and others people stick on the end of their antenna.  Nowadays car makers are cleverly hiding the antenna so your car may not even have one.  My van's antenna is a series of wires on one of the back windows similar to the way the rear defroster wires are put on.  Anyway that's a rabbit trail.  My little Yaris does have an antenna and since it's just oh-so-cute I had to stick something cute on the end of that stubby little antenna.

Yes there are all sorts of antenna thingies you can buy at most of the big box stores and even more crazy stuff online (yes there is a site - probably several but one was enough for me - that specializes in antenna balls, go figure), but where is the fun in that?  So enough monologuing and on to the quick 5-minute project (actually it was more than that because I was watching TV at the same time).

To the left we have what we started out with - a plain yellow smilie antenna ball I bought at Wal-Mart for two or three bucks.  I was lucky to find one with sunglasses already since I was going to make them so if you want a smilie with sunglasses and your Wal-Mart doesn't have them, get creative with some black felt or something.

I haven't seen any antenna balls with a mohawk so that was my big idea.  The trick was to put a strip of something approximating hair along the large "bald spot" on top of its head but still be reasonably weatherproof.  Epoxy to the rescue.  You can do anything with epoxy.  Okay step two, buy yourself a cheap black (or orange or whatever you want) washcloth, the fuzzier the better, and a pair of sharp scissors.

Start from the fringe and cut about an inch and a half strip about half an inch wide out of the cloth.  Be careful not to fray the edges while you're cutting.

I use the old school epoxy that takes forever (at least 8 hours) to dry, the kind that comes in two tubes, one resin and the other hardener.  Squish out two fairly large equal size blobs of both and mix them together.  You'll need the epoxy for both sticking the "hair" onto your smilie as well as plasticizing it towards the end.

Using a toothpick or something similar (something you don't mind throwing away) spread a thick coat of epoxy onto one side of the cloth and let it soak in for a few minutes.  Then put another coat on really thick, as much as you can without it dripping off the sides, then let it sit again for five or ten minutes.  This will allow the epoxy to stiffen a little before you stick it on your little guy.

 Try to find center of your smilie's bald spot (I guess everywhere is a bald spot but you know what I mean) with the fringe part towards the back.  This was actually a fluke but it does look much more like a mohawk haircut if you leave the fringe intact.  Press the glued hairpiece onto your smilie being careful not to let too much epoxy ooze out the edges.  Again, let it sit for several minutes just to stiffen as you don't want it to move around on you for the next step.  And it can be as frustrating as h. e. double hockey sticks to get the thing to stand still without rolling everywhere.  If you're patient just let it dry overnight.

Okay you're refreshed, it's a new day, and time to plasticize your smilie's hair to keep it from getting all gross in the wind, rain and muck nature has to offer.  Use an even bigger glob of epoxy this time and in thin layers, again with a toothpick, brush the epoxy onto the top side of the cloth being careful not to push down too much or you'll end up with the greaser look.  You'll also need to gently coat the edges (which is probably more important as they would fray in no time) and push any untoward "hairs" back in place.

Once the epoxy hardens, and definitely give it a day this time if you're using the good stuff, the hair should be slightly shiny and hard as a rock.  That's it, snap your smilie back on your antenna and wait for everyone to ask where you got your crazy antenna ball.  You know everyone is going to want one once you've got the only antenna ball with a mohawk in town.  Okay not really but it adds some pinache to an otherwise boring pointy black thingy sticking out the back of your car.  Enjoy!

Before "Plasticizing"	After "Plasticizing"

 And finally, the finished product sitting proudly atop my car's antenna, just chillin', somewhat smugly proud of his bad self.  Sorry about the crappy picture.  If I remember I'll take a better one tomorrow.  Eventually I'll make the red tongue similar to the site's logo but I haven't gotten that far yet.  I have an old red felt piano keyboard cover I never use that should do nicely...