Different Time Zone Birthday Reminder

Do you also have that friend who moved far away and keeps forgetting everyone's birthdays because of different time zones? We have the perfect gift for them. Let's begin.

Supplies

Breadboard

Huzzah Board

Wires

Yellow LED

Button

Resistor

Felt Fabric

Small Chipboard Cylinder

Circle with a Larger Diameter

Masking Tape

Polyfill

Brown Paper

Sewing Kit

Sewing Machine

Hemming Pins

Hot Glue Gun

Scissors

Yellow Gel Sheet

Cylindrical Thin White Acrylic Tube

Tacky Glue

Step 1: Setting Up the Circuit

Following Becky Stern's Lesson 5, set up your circuit, Adafruit command feed and IFTTT account. - https://www.instructables.com/Circuit-Displays-Internet-Data/

Step 2: Setting Up the IFTTT

Search for Google Calendar Applets on IFTTT

Click Create

Click If This and Search for Google Calendar triggers

Select Event from Search Starts

Select your preferred calendar

Type in the Keyword - Happy

Click Than That and select AdaFruit

Choose Action - Send Data to Adafruit IO

Select the command feed and enter 1 as Data to Save

Review and Finish your applet

Step 3:

Tally and test run the code by using the Add Data feature on Adafruit command feed.

Step 4: Setting Up Google Calendar Reminders

Create an event on your chosen google calendar and choose your preferred time zone by tapping on the globe icon. Set the event start time as 12 AM, so that you can wish your friend as soon as the clock strikes 12 in their time zone! Please name the event starting with "Happy" so that IFTTT applet can search for that automatically and send data to the command feed, and in turn, light up the candle.

Step 5: Making the Structure

Take a small cylindrical chipboard piece, the size of a large cupcake and a stiff circular piece slighter larger in diameter. Place it on top on the cylinder.

Step 6:

Take white acrylic tube and cut out a circle in slighter larger than the tube

Step 7:

Use masking tape to secure the structure in place and make sure to maintain the tapered shape of the objects together

Step 8:

Use polyfill to stuff inside the cavity created between the masking tape and the chipboard cylinder

Step 9:

Tuck in the polyfill and use more masking tape to further secure the structure. It should feel plushy and curved cupcake based on touch.

Step 10:

Take the felt fabric and cut three pairs of circles with decreasing sizes with a tiny circle at the centre. Take the two identical pieces and sew them together around the larger perimeter using either a sewing machine or by hand.

Step 11:

Take the three pairs of circular felt fabric pieces and stuff them up with polyfill and assemble on top on the cupcake base. Do not stick them together just yet.

Step 12:

Covering up a curved and tapered base is not easy and need to use principles of pattern making to achieve this task. Take a brown strip of paper, approximately the same height and length (perimeter) as the cupcake base. Divide and cut it into tiny triangles as shown above and transfer onto a long strip of masking tape. You this to measure out the exact amount of fabric required to cover the base.

Step 13:

Once you have finalised on the ideal pattern, transfer that onto the piece of fabric. Make sure you cut the pieces 1/4th of an inch larger than the exact measurements to leave some scope for overlap

Step 14:

Use glue gun to secure the pieces together and wrap them around the base of the cupcake.

Step 15:

Make tiny slits at the bottom of the pattern and fold it inside the cupcake bottom and secure with some glue gun. Cut another circular piece with the exact same measurements as the top of the cupcake base, with a tiny hole on the centre.

Step 16:

Assemble all the elements and stick them together using glue gun. Be careful to not use extra as the hot glue hardens over time and make the fabric stiff and also stains it darker.

Step 17:

In order to give a more natural and droopy look to your cupcake, place it under a large heavy surface overnight, to push down the fluff.

Step 18:

To achieve the look of a birthday candle, we need to place the LED at the top of our acrylic tube candle. In order to do so, we will extend it by soldering it to two long wires. Since we are using breadboard for the circuit, make sure to attach jumper wires to the LEDs ends.

Step 19:

Cut tiny flame shapes on the yellow gel sheet and stick it to the LED bulb using tacky glue.

Step 20:

Take lots of colourful hemming pins to add sprinkles to your cupcake.

Step 21:

Use YouTuber and Baker Iconicake's How To Make Easy Cupcake Liners With Parchment Paper video instructions to make a wrapper for your cupcake.

Step 22:

And your birthday reminder cupcake is ready! The candle will light up every time it's your friends birthday in another time zone, making sure that the distance does not come between friendship.