Flying Cup / Sea in a Cup

I'm from a city near the sea, and now, i live far from it. So sometimes , i miss it, the sun, the lovely songs of the gulls, the sound of the waves crashing on the beach.

so i decided to make a sea in a cup doubling as a phone holder, so i can play the sound and have the colors i miss.

Supplies

You need:

a cup and a saucer (not heavy, but seriously, not a plastic cup ... you know ... hot glue and thermoplastic don't make a happy mix),
transparent hot glue,
wire, transparent duct tape,
sea sand from your favorite beach,
pebbles,
seashells (don't forget, each time you take a sea shell, you make a hermit crab homeless),
acrylic paints,
brushes,
varnish,
2 toothpicks,
a piece of plastic,
scissors,
a knife.

Step 1: Painting the Cup

Draw a seascape inside the cup: sea, sky, sun, seagulls (did i tell you i miss their beautifull voice ?).

Since you will cover the sea with hot glue, if your layer of glue is going to be thick, don't bother with details.

don't forget : a blue sky => a blue sea
a gray, cloudy sky => a gray sea.

Step 2: Joining the Cup and the Saucer

Bend the wire in half, then bend the edges.

The edges will be attached to the saucer, the middle will be attached to the cup. Extend the wire to fit the width of the cup. Bend the wire so it stands on the saucer. Paint the wire blue (everybody know the sea is blue ... but if you painted the sky gray in step one, the sea should be grayish, not blue... ).

Glue the middle of the wire to the cup using hot glue. Fill the cup with hot glue, but do not cross the drawn horizon.

Glue the curved edges of the wire to the saucer with hot glue.

Glue the strips of duct tape to the edge of the cup and to the saucer. This will help you shape the waterfall.

Step 3: Making the Waterfall

To balance the cup, glue several pebbles to the saucer with hot glue. Fill the space between the pebbles with hot glue and glue the sand (sprinkle and squeeze).

On the strips of duct tape, release streams of hot glue from the cup to the saucer. Add new streams of hot glue until you get a waterfall with the width of the cup.
Paint the streams blue (or gray !).

Step 4: Decorating

Glue pebbles and shells around the edges of the saucer using hot glue. Glue sand in the middle.

Glue sand to the outer surface of the cup using hot glue (make a strip of hot glue, sprinkle it with sand, press). If the glue protrudes beyond the edges of the cup, then cut it with a knife. Decorate the cup with shells (glue with hot glue).

Paint details on the waterfall. When the waterfall is completely painted, add a few streams of hot glue without painting them. While the glue has not hardened, form a splashes at the bottom of the waterfall - stick a toothpick into the hot glue and stretch it. Paint the splashes white.

Varnish everything.

Step 5: Making the Coral and the Miniature Yacht

Making the Coral:

Twist a few pieces of wire and bend them.

Cover the wire with hot glue. Let the glue harden. Paint red. Paint the details in orange. Let the paint dry well. Varnish.

Glue the coral to the saucer with hot glue.

Making the Miniature Yacht:

using hot glue, form the shape of the yacht's hull (squeeze some hot glue in the shape of a yacht hull). The size of the yacht must fit the size of your cup. Cut off the excess of hot glue with a knife (a sharp knife, the best friend of the sailor).

Cut out plastic sails.

Break off a piece of toothpick.

Paint the sails and hull of the yacht white, the toothpick black.

Insert a toothpick into the hull of the yacht and glue the sails. Varnish.

Glue the miniature yacht to the edge of the waterfall (in the cup).

Step 6: Here It Is !

you now have your own source of fresh sea water, along with a nice boat and some local wildlife.

put your phone in there, find a video with the sound of the waves and enjoy the result.
don't you hear those seagulls ?
oh, no, that's just the cat requesting food, sorry.

anyway. well done !