Boing Boing » craft

Bitblox: wooden alphabet blocks inspired by our pixelated nostalgia

Xeni Jardin — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 22:49:32 +0000

BB reader Readblood shares this photo in the Boing Boing Flickr pool and explains,

Bitblox are wooden alphabet blocks inspired by our pixelated nostalgia. While pixels continue shrinking out of sight on our digital screens, they live on in full chromatic and tactile splendor in these one-of-a-kind alphabet blocks.

$45 a set, available at glyfyx.com. Each limited-edition set includes 28 blocks, "featuring a total of 168 letters, numbers, symbols and quirky pictograms." They're "hand-manufactured in the United States from renewable, American grown, kiln-dried basswood," printed with non-toxic, child-safe inks, free of lead.

Insanely labor-intensive Gangnam Style flipbook animation video

Xeni Jardin — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 23:37:52 +0000

An incredibly labor-intensive animated flipbook version of PSY's "Gangnam Style." Such a bummer that Etoilec1, the talented creator of this stunning video, was sound-blocked by YouTube's automated IP enforcement police. Etoilec1's original video is here (and below), in higher rez, but it's stripped of sound. Subscribe to his channel or follow him on Facebook, for more flipbook fun. Above, a lower-rez copycat upload on Vimeo. (Thanks, Joe Sabia!)

TMBG launches iOS app hand-stitched entirely from felt

Xeni Jardin — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 18:45:31 +0000

Spotted in the Boing Boing Flickr Pool: Vancouver, Canada-based Artist Hiné Mizushima, right, stitched this lovely commissioned felt work for They Might Be Giants' new iOS song app.

The app is available now, as a free download.

Like TMBGs original Dial-A-Song, the app has a different song every day. The app holds five of the freshest posted tracks at all times, and all are directly linked to iTunes. It also connects you directly to TMBGs social media and free MP3 club. From Don't Let's Start to Nanobots the app even includes brand new tracks, GRAMMY-winning kids music and TMBGs beloved television themes.

The app was created by TMBG with Drew Westphal, graphic designer Paul Sahre, and Ms. Mizushima's lovely felt work.

The Tweets of Rupert Murdoch, as letterpress greeting cards

Xeni Jardin — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 19:16:47 +0000

Artist Michelle Vaughan's “100 Tweets” is a hand typeset letterpress project printed at The Arm in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

For “100 Tweets”, I spent months combing my Twitter feed in search of 100 comments which fit into the vision of the project as a whole. Because Twitter allows 140 characters, building a template for typesetting was a straight forward procedure. In the beginning, I collected snarky, throw-away tweets mostly centered on banal and mundane comments. This eventually evolved into a more personal project, as I looked for tweets which mirrored my own opinions and thoughts, but were well-executed by the author. “100 Tweets” also records pockets of time and history in short observations.
The process was laborious but satisfying.

Her first series of five 5x7 greeting cards were tweets by Rupert Murdoch from early 2012.

"The typeface is Perpetua and they are printed with various shades of Pantone reds and pinks on Italian Magnani stock."

They'll be available starting in February, 2013. (via @felixsalmon)

Steampunk Dalek

Xeni Jardin — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 19:19:16 +0000

About this spectacular wearable steampunk Dalek, BB reader Mark Dumont writes:

Electronics are contained in box at back waist containing arduino uno, 2 nine volt batteries, and small amp. Speakers are in ends of tube around neck and mic is on an earpiece. Arduino board powers eye stalk and dome lights as well as handles dalek voice modulation. I found the arduino sketch (source and circuit diagrams) can be found here, kudos to Andy Grove for the sketch. Originally created for my wife (the only dalek I will ever love) for the Time Traveler's Ball held at the Redmoor in Cincinnati 11/17/12

Photo Link. (Shared in the BB Flickr Pool)

Hand-crank mills with which to grind one's own flour ($675.95) are the new artisanal mayonnaise

Xeni Jardin — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 14:16:52 +0000

At Acculturated blog, Abby W. Schachter writes about "bobos," short for bourgeois bohemians, and evidence that big consumer brands are now marketing to them with highly mockable DIY gear that re-creates artisanal (or, depending on your point of view, obsolete) food production methods.

Case in point: William Sonoma's new upscale DIY kitchenware collection, called the Agrarian Guide, where one can purchase "a reclaimed rustic chicken coop for $759.95... a Warre beehive made from “untreated Western Red Cedar” that retails for $399.95, a vinegar pot for $90, an $80 fermentation pot to make “your own sauerkraut,” and a hand crank Burr grinder grain mill retailing for $675.95. The accompanying grain mill clamp will set you back another $105.95."

Read the rest here.

I vacillate between coveting everything in the catalog, and wanting to mock everything in the catalog. Either way, I cannot wait for the Portlandia sketch.

(via Virginia Postrel)

BB readers' DIY Halloween costumes: Narwhal, by Sarah Jones

Xeni Jardin — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 15:00:37 +0000

Brava, Sarah! "Sorry to be a party pooper but it should probably be attached closer to your mouth since it's actually a tooth," wrote one commenter. "Yes, but it would have interfered with my beer drinking," replied Sarah.

More: Share your DIY Halloween costume in our epic 2012 thread!

To do in DC: "40 under 40: Craft Futures" at the Smithsonian

Xeni Jardin — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 18:09:36 +0000

Now through February at the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery, an exhibition of under-40 American craftspeople. Among them, Jenny Hart of Sublime Stitching. Her work "La Llorona" is shown here, and is featured in the "40 under 40: Craft Futures" show.

Candy Corn on the cob

Xeni Jardin — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 16:44:45 +0000

An Instructable exists for this. It must be made. Alaskantomboy writes, in the prelude:

I experimented with fondant first, that was completely unsuccessful. Then I though of gluing it together with caramel (since I had a fresh bag of that around too). Too messy and too hard. Then, another light bulb went off.....cookie dough! Sugar cookie dough works perfectly (don't attempt with chocolate chip dough, the chips just get in the way and jeopardize structural integrity). It only took about 4 minutes to assemble and looked authentic.

Vegans: it can be done vegan.

(Photo: alaskantomboy. Thanks, Tara McGinley!)

Low-poly mask, a papercraft mask for Halloween

Xeni Jardin — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 17:25:29 +0000

"kongrorilla" created this nifty design for a Low-Poly Mask for Halloween 2012. Download it from Thingiverse and make your own.

Here's a blank canvas for the new you. Or your Halloween costume. Or maybe your audition for store mannequin. Or your general purpose anonymity needs.
Sometime in the future I hope to make a full head version, but I wanted to post what I've gotten done so far in case someone could use it for Halloween 2012. The original idea was to make a papercraft alternative for artists who can't afford the "planes of the head" plaster model, so keep your eyes peeled for further developments.
I'm going to make a mask with dark paper, and use glow-in-the-dark tape to highlight the edges - I'll be Wireframe Man!

Homebrew Nintendo laser zapper is powerful, awesome

Xeni Jardin — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 16:31:36 +0000

"The plan was simple. Take a nostalgic NES "duck hunt" Zapper, and retrofit it with a ridiculously powerful laser."

A project from North Street Labs. In case it's not obvious, this is dangerous, and could lead to death or blindness without safety precautions.

Components: "2.1A input buck driver, 2x 750mAh 35-70c Lipo batteries, M140 445nm diode, G2 lens. homemade custom heat-sink, turn key safety switch."

Learn how to build your own, here. But remember, kids, always wear protective safety goggles. And, wear the right kind for the laser you're working with. [Video Link].

Hello, Aleister Crowley, Clockwork Orange, and Ganesha Kitty

Xeni Jardin — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 16:12:42 +0000

Spotted on Dangerous Minds: Etsy seller TheAllSeeingCat's Hello Kitty mods. From L-R: Hello Ganesha Kitty, Hello A Clockwork Orange Alex Kitty, and Hello Aleister Crowley Kitty. $227USD apiece.

3D-printed "Death's Head Hawkmoth Skeleton" sculptures, inspired by The Silence of the Lambs

Xeni Jardin — Wed, 23 May 2012 19:44:25 +0000

Joaquin Baldwin, whose animated films and 3D-printed sculptures we've featured here before a number of times, has completed a new work. I love these. Joaquin explains:

I created the skeleton of a skeletal Lepidoptera. The Death's Head Hawkmoth (Acherontia atropos), seen in The Silence of the Lambs, has a skull marking on its back. I made a full human-like bone structure for the moth, with the grinning skull protruding from its back. The model is very thin, yet sturdy and flexible. Detail level is fantastic, and the natural texture of the 3d printing process gives it a bone-like appearance that works wonders. Yes, moths don't have endoskeletons, that's the whole point...

You can buy one in white, black, or red, for $15. More photos below, including details that show off the creepy little skull.

Buildings made of books

Xeni Jardin — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 19:58:55 +0000

Flavorwire has published an image gallery of 10 buildings constructed entirely of books. Above: Home, a self-sustained book igloo designed by Colombian artist Miler Lagos (We've featured this one on Boing Boing before). Dig the rest of Flavorpill's picks here.

An inspirational needlepoint for those with cancer

Xeni Jardin — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:02:28 +0000

A wonderful thing, made by Heather Beschizza (web, Twitter, happens to be married to this guy). I've been keeping this on my desk for some time, but wanted to share it with the rest of the world, too.

HOWTO make zombie chocolate bunnies and undead eggs for Easter

Xeni Jardin — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 22:18:42 +0000

At the Criminal Crafts blog, a fun tutorial on "pairing zombies with a fuzzy pastel holiday," through delicious zombie bunny rabbits and haunted eggs. There's a photo gallery here.

(via Boing Boing Flickr Pool)

Fooling facial recognition surveillance cameras with cunning and crocheting

Xeni Jardin — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 02:08:54 +0000

[Video Link]

Canadian yarn-lover and privacy-lover Howie Woo has developed an ingenious system for thwarting surveillance cameras that use face recognition technology. His solution involves crochet and LOLs. Here are more photos (via the Boing Boing Flickr Pool). More about Howie's playful creations here.

Wreath made out of thread-spools

Cory Doctorow — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 14:19:36 +0000

This (already sold) thread-spool wreath was made by Etsy seller Misstitchery -- it's lovely work.

Sale. Thread Spool Wreath (via Craft)

Occupy News Bins: miniature Lego OWS, complete with pepper-spraying cop

Xeni Jardin — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 21:40:25 +0000

"No property was harmed during this installation," DocPop tells us about this hilarious teeny-tiny Lego Occupy. "From what I understand the piece has already been removed though I don't know by whom."

Horrifying crochet from Croshame

Cory Doctorow — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 13:27:31 +0000

Croshame created this fab crocheted Exorcist amigurumi playset. She sells more horrific crochet work in her Etsy store.

Croshame (via The Mary Sue)

HOWTO carve a pumpkin by hammering cookie-cutters into it

Cory Doctorow — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 22:10:32 +0000

Here's a set of instructions for "carving" precise shapes into a pumpkin by knocking them through using a cookie-cutter and a mallet.

Place a cookie cutter on the pumpkin and tap firmly with a rubber mallet until at least half of the cutter has pierced the pumpkin's shell. (If the pumpkin shell is thin, the cutter may be pounded all the way through the shell.)
Remove the cookie cutter, using a needle-nose pliers if needed.
With a small serrated knife (or the serrated saw from a pumpkin carving kit), follow the pattern made from the cookie cutter to cut out the image, making sure to cut all the way through the shell.

(via Super Punch)

Carve Pumpkins with Cookie Cutters [freshhomeideas.com]

Tiny paper people and scenery

Cory Doctorow — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 21:22:16 +0000

TERADA MOKEI, a Japanese company, makes dense sheets of punch-out people, animals and scenery intended for use in architectural models. The sets include sports matches, mass transit, street scenes, construction sites, and an orchestra. Sounds like a fun thing to have around on general principle, for models, art projects, and entertainment value.

TERADA MOKEI (via Core77)

Chunky homemade sweaters galore

Cory Doctorow — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 17:09:55 +0000

Oh, man, this is chunky homemade sweater gold -- just lookit that Angler's Pride number! Pirate! Indian! And what baby's life is complete without 8-bit golf-art on his jumper?

Cuddly Baby Garments