Gizmodo: Crafts

Paper Tank Only Fires Cheap Furniture, Supermarket Coupons

Jesus Diaz — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:30:00 EDT

Being the blind bat that I am, I first got excited when I saw this M1 Abrams tank made out of paper because I thought those were comic-book pages. Is that Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos? Maybe colored Milton Canniff's Steve Canyons? Doug Murray's 'Nam? Then I zoomed in and I realized what it was.

Catalogs schmatalogs and newspapers ads. A good metaphor of the brutality and power of marketing. Maybe the killing nature of consumers markets getting into recession. Or the need for war economy these days. Whatever it is, it looks pretty. [The Contaminated]

Darth Vader Drinks Guinness, Wears a Bonnet

AddyDugdale — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 05:14:24 EDT

Right now it's a bit hot for one of these, but we salute Lady Linoleum, who made this Darth Vader helmet out of eight Guinness cans and some black wool.
[Monster Crochet via Craftzine]

LED Picnic Blanket Classes Up Outdoor Dining

Jason Chen — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 17:15:57 EDT

Why eat in the dark when you can shove a bunch of LEDs on a picnic blanket and call it a day? We can't come up with a reason, so head on over to Instructables to see how you can build your own.

All you need is a string of 64 LEDs, a bunch of PVC sheeting, plastic buckles, 5 AA batteries, a 6 AA battery holder, and...jeez, this list is long. Are they building a picnic blanket or hatching a plot to blow up CTU?

Instructions Page [Instructables via Craftzine]

Fuzzy Gameboy Dice

Jason Chen — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 11:00:20 EDT

Legend of Zelda stickers and a Halo 3 paint job not getting the message through? Try these Fuzzy Game Boy dice. A Kotaku reader crafted them himself, which means you can't buy them, but they look easy enough to make for a fun day of crafting and sewing with your kids. And that message you're putting out there? "Please, nerdy chicks only." Which isn't all that bad, when you think about it.

Your Mirror Needs Fuzzy Game Boys [Kotaku]

Wiimote Plushie Pillow

Jason Chen — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 14:50:30 EDT

In the mood to throw a Wiimote around? Save your $3000 HDTV by chucking this Wiimote plushie pillow instead.

The thing stands 26 inches tall, 5.5 inches wide, and was handmade by some people who really like Wiis. Unfortunately, it's sold out now, but if you bug them enough about it they'll make some more for the low, low price of $20. – Jason Chen

Product Page [Etsy via Kotaku]

Maker Faire 2007 Auditions This Sunday

Charlie White — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 08:03:48 EST

The staff of Make and Craft magazine are calling for anyone who has a do-it-yourself project that might be inspiring or inspirational to audition for the Maker Faire 2007. Check out that example above—hey, what is that, an electric giraffe? Yes, indeed it is. The tryout is this Sunday (February 18), and will be held at the Machine Project in Los Angeles. The winners will be invited to share their accomplishments at Maker Faire 2007, a gathering on May 19-20 at the San Mateo, California Fairgrounds.

We invite proposals for Maker workbench exhibits, workshops, presentations and performances for the Maker Faire. We are interested in proposals from individuals as well as from groups such as hobbyist clubs and schools.

Make and Craft editors Dale Dougherty, Mark Frauenfelder, and Natalie Zee Drieu will be at the audition. Keep in mind, you perverts, that this is a family-friendly event, which last year had 20,000 people attending. Keep it clean.

Maker Faire Auditions [Machine Project, via boing boing]

ColdHeat Freestyle Glue Gun Reviewed (Verdict: DIYtastic)

gizmodo.com — Fri, 28 Apr 2006 10:58:07 EDT

Having spent many a day back in grad school agonizing over our burned fingers because we were too dumb to learn how to hold the soldering tool properly, we thought ColdHeat's quick to heat, quick to cool Soldering Tool was a great idea when it came out, even if it was two years too late to spare us our injuries. OhGizmo's Andrew Liszewski recently took their new Cordless Glue Gun out for a spin and says:

While you may think being battery dependent would hinder the Freestyle's performance that's definitely not the case. In fact ColdHeat has managed to make a cordless glue gun that actually performs better than any of the corded versions I've used in the past. When fully charged I've found the heatup time to be less than a minute and battery life to be more than adequate for any project. The insulated tip and lower voltage of the Freestyle also makes it a lot safer to use than a corded version.

The ColdHeat Freestyle Glue Gun is currently available at the special introductory price of $29.95, ten dollars off the MSRP. If your mom's the crafty sort, this would make a useful and therefore thoughtful Mother's Day present next month.

Review: ColdHeat Freestyle Glue Gun [OhGizmo!]
Freestyle Cordless Glue Gun [ColdHeat]