INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Use the tip of the sock which you previously cut off to make the cap. To color the snowman, you can use pen and chalk. Glue buttons on the snowman using a hot glue gun. Use one type of buttons for the eyes and other buttons for the "shirt" down the front of the snowman. Use a permanent marker to draw a mouth of the snowman or cut out a piece of felt to glue on as a mouth. Try to use holiday-themed fabric if you can. Tie the felt around the bottom rubber band as the snowman's scarf. Place two small sticks in the holes as arms. Try to push the sticks in further so they don't fall out. You may want to secure the sticks with hot glue.  Use more cotton as snow and wrap up sugar cubes or dice with wrapping paper to use as presents.

SUMMARY: Make the cap and color your snowman. Add eyes by using buttons and pearls. Add a mouth. Cut a strip of fabric 3/4 inches to 1 1/4 inches (2-3cm) in width and any desired length. Cut two small holes in the sides of the snowman. Feel free to add more decorations like ribbon, stickers, buttons, and small trinkets or toys. Give your snowman as a gift or set up a winter scene with it.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Combine 1 3/4 cups of cake flour (not self-rising), 1 1/4 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour, 2 cups of sugar, and 1 tsp. of baking powder together in a bowl. Mix the ingredients until they're combined, for about 3 minutes. After 15 minutes, start inserting a toothpick into the cupcakes. Once it comes out clean, the cupcakes are done and should be taken out of the oven. Check back every 2 minutes until they're ready. You can do this while the cupcakes are cooking. To make the frosting, just cream 2 sticks of softened butter, 3 cups of confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup of milk, and 2 tsp. of vanilla extract together. Beat the mixture with a paddle until it's smooth and gradually add the other 3 cups of sugar until it's rich and creamy. Cool them for at least 3-5 minutes so they don't melt the frosting.

SUMMARY: Preheat your oven to 325ºF (162ºC). Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Bake for 17-20 minutes. Make the frosting. Cool the cupcakes.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: You will first need to build or find a structure that simulates the terrain on either side of the bridge. You can build a bridge across two, equally tall tables or build a structure out of wood to place your bridge on. It's usually best to build the structure so that you can hang a container of some type underneath the bridge. Now that the support structure is in place, you need to measure the distance between the two sides of the support structure to determine the length that your bridge will need to span. It's a good idea to start with a short distance when building your first spaghetti bridge. Then, slowly increase the length of your bridges as you learn how to build them successfully. Design your bridge on a sheet of graph paper first. Cover the paper with a clear plastic film, such as plastic wrap, and use it as a template. Lay the spaghetti strands over your drawn design to cut them to the right length and glue them together.  Draw a sketch of your bridge on the graph paper first before laying down the clear film covering. Then lay your spaghetti over the lines you have drawn on the graph paper. Once you have ensured that the spaghetti has been cut to the proper specifications outlined on your graph paper, remove the spaghetti from the clear film covering and carefully glue the pieces together. The type of glue you use will make or break your bridge. Regular craft glue is a poor choice, as it is water based, which causes the pasta to soften when the glue is applied, and it takes a long time to dry. Model airplane glue and hot glue from a glue gun are easy to apply, but are slightly more flexible when they dry. This is not ideal for reinforcing the joints of your bridge. Epoxy, although messy, is the ideal solution for maximizing the strength of your bridge. Epoxy dries up firmly and will provide the best support for your bridge joints. Many brands of epoxy dry in five minutes or less.  You can buy epoxy at a home improvement store or online. When working with very young children, you can use marshmallows or even popcorn to hold the joints together, rather than glue for fun and safety. This obviously makes for a less sturdy bridge, but the same general principles of engineering can be gleaned from the exercise. Trusses are triangle-shaped support beams that attach point-side down to the roadbed of the bridge on either side. Attach the trusses to each other with glue. Trusses distribute the forces of the weight you will add to the bridge.  Rectangular trusses will work, but will drastically decrease the weight or load your bridge can hold. Triangular trusses are ideal for building a spaghetti bridge. You can do this by gluing several layers of spaghetti to each other to make a thick, flat roadbed. You may want to leave the strands unglued in some layers so they will naturally move and help redistribute the weight. Securely attach the trusses you have built to each side of the roadbed and to the trusses on the other side. The finished bridge will have a roadbed on the bottom with trusses rising above on both sides, like walls and a roof. Rather than setting the bridge itself on the scale, set it on something stable like a box and weigh both. Then, subtract the weight of the box. You can also use 2 scales, placing 1 underneath each edge of the bridge, and then add the weights together. Weighing the bridge is optional. This is usually done as an instructive method. It allows a teacher to show the relationship between the bridge's total weight and the weight it can hold.

SUMMARY:
Design a support structure for your bridge. Determine your bridge length. Design a template. Choose your adhesive. Build your trusses. Create the roadbed. Attach the trusses. Weigh your bridge.