Green Y Grim Fun

Welcome readers!

I'll show you a brilliant craft.

completely handmade.

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🗼I love fairs, games, and anything that makes you scream with excitement. Everyone definitely has their favorite spot, but today I'm going to focus on Ferris wheels.🎪✨

"The Ferris Wheel: A Symbol of Highs, Lows, and Courage"

You could say that, like many other rides in the park, it's just an attraction.

Something to relax and enjoy.

But it also symbolizes life itself.

As we rise, we feel excitement, vertigo, even a bit of fear.

But from the top, everything looks different—clearer, bigger, more possible.

Then we come down, and we rise again.

That’s life: a wheel in constant motion.

But what truly matters isn't the position—it's the courage to keep turning.✨🎀

This project is inspired by the essence of the Ferris wheel, captured in a creative, night-themed model made with the simplest materials you can imagine—turning them into a sparkling magic in motion.🪄

It’s a message meant to spark your imagination without limits and showcase your creativity to the fullest.

Carry this inspiration with you everywhere—from the darkest, lowest point to the brightest, highest peak.

Materials:

1. Thick cardboard (from a box)
2. White cardstock
3. Acrylic paints (black, green, brown...)
4. Moldable foam (foam clay)
5. Thick wooden sticks, 15 cm tall (I used 30 cm sticks and cut them down)

Electronics:

1. Green LED lights (approx. 20)
2. Small wires, resistor, and variable 48V power supply

Tools:

1. Fine-tipped fabric scissors
2. Hot glue gun (with glue sticks)
3. Marking tool
4. Ruler
5. Hacksaw to cut wooden sticks (optional)
6. Sandpaper for smoothing the wooden sticks (optional)
7. Drill to make holes for the LED lights

I bought wooden sticks that are 30 cm long and 7 mm thick.

To start, I will mark each wooden stick in half (15 cm) to cut there, since they need to be small for a good final size. With that in mind, now continue cutting them.

With the help of a saw and a bit of force, I will cut 8 sticks in half and set aside 4 sticks of 30 cm. ⬅️ (The 30 cm ones will be used later to hold the wheel.)

In my case, as shown in image 4, I sanded the tips and imperfections of the sticks after cutting them, for a smooth and comfortable surface.

Very well! Now, let’s move on to the next part:

As the title says: Paint, Cut, and Paste.

I’ll grab all the wooden sticks I cut (16 of them), and we’ll start painting them one by one. To finish faster, I dipped them into the paint can and then spread the paint really quickly. You can even do it with your hands!!!

Once they’re dry, we’ll use them for both sides of the Ferris wheel.

Now it’s time to make the central axis of the wheel. On a white poster board, draw the following rectangle. As shown in image 2, the measurements are 10 cm wide by 30.5 cm long. Once you’re done, cut out the rectangle and roll the poster board into a hollow cylinder using hot glue.

1. Now it’s ready! I’ll paint it black, inside and out, and decorate it with a strip of rope. (Figure 3)

To form the outer circle, we considered that the radius of the wheel is 15 cm based on the length of the wooden sticks; we used the formula c = 2π·r

c = Circumference

π = 3.1416...

r = 15 cm

I calculated it: c = 2 x 3.1416 x 15 = 103.62 cm

So, the circumference of my wheel will be approximately 103.62 cm, and I added another 7 cm as a tab to close it, so I cut the cardboard strips to a length of 110 cm and painted them on both sides (Images)

Centered position and close together

To finish, I kept the central axis in place between two blocks using a few drops of temporary silicone. (Make sure to use just a little so you can remove it later.)

And I positioned it leaving half of it sticking out (5 cm), to center the circumference around the painted wooden sticks and glue everything together. First side of the wheel, done. (Images 3 and 4)

1. Once it is completely dry, carefully remove the silicone drops and glue the remaining 8 sticks on the other side.

Let’s continue with the next step: creating the cardboard base or platform and the main structure. These will go together, and they must be as solid and secure as possible to support the weight that will be added later.

Solid Cardboard Platform:

We’ll use cardboard that is firm and thick enough for the following dimensions: three identical rectangles, each 28.5 cm long by 16.5 cm wide. We’ll glue them quickly, since hot glue can take no more than a minute to dry—or it will cool down; also, the glue sticks can take time to fully melt.

Finally, I’ll paint the glued cardboard brown on the top and sides. And that’s it! A solid platform… Done!

Secure Main Structure:

To hold our wheel up in the air, we’ll need more wooden sticks. (We’ll use the four 30 cm sticks.) The two main ones will be 22 cm tall, so I did the same as with the others—I cut, sanded, and painted them. (They’ll all be black.)

I’ll glue the two taller sticks near the edges, centered along the width of the base, and on each side I’ll add four more sticks, each 15 cm long—forming a rectangle with them. (Image 2)

Make sure to use enough hot glue for greater strength and to reduce the risk of anything falling apart.

To finish, insert a 15 cm wooden stick into the central axis (I painted mine green) and glue it to the structure. (Image 5)

Once the wheel is properly positioned to rotate, we will begin the brightest part of the project. Small holes will be drilled along the circumference of the wheel using a 1 mm PCB drill bit. Each LED will require two holes to insert its metal terminals (anode and cathode), which must be centered on the corresponding strip. A total of 16 pairs of holes will be evenly distributed around the wheel.

I used 16 green LEDs, which I soldered using a soldering iron and thin wires, connecting them in series, all with the same polarity, along with a 2000-ohm resistor also in series. They were powered by a variable voltage power supply, which I adjusted from 16V up to 39V (the maximum output of the power supply). The current drawn was approximately 0.45 mA.

This setup produced the light intensity shown in the photos.

Lastly, for a great final touch, decorate with lots of creativity, such as:

Cabins or seats (around 8)

Artificial grass with sawdust and green paint

Balloons

White humanoid figures made from moldable foam

But what matters most is the creativity you show in your own Ferris wheel.