Gizmodo: crafts

Regretsy: For Anyone Who Didn't See the Creepy Side to Making and Selling Your Own Crafts

Wilson Rothman — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 23:30:00 EDT

As much as I admire people who believe enough in their artistic output to foist it on others for money, I knew Etsy had a dark side. Well, someone with the no-nonsense pseudonym Helen Killer just showed it to me:

Here are a few choice excerpts from Regretsy (NSFW); just a taste, mind you, no substitute for a visit. Be careful, though, because the amazing site is not always safe for work. Looking over the entries makes me wish it were as fictitious as Kasper Hauser's brilliant—but mercifully fake—SkyMaul.

Regarding the lovely lady and her cheese-grater clock, Regretsy says: Oh sure, it's not perfect, but you try cleaning a cheese grater with a cigarette.

Regretsy says: Whenever I hear "Michael Jackson", I immediately think "baseball". Well technically, I think "Little League", but you know what I'm saying. [Link]

Regretsy says: Usually I just use the guest towels when we're out of toilet paper. [Link]

Regretsy says: You know what goats like? They like grass. They don't like having leopard outfits strapped to their sagging haunches like Kim Cattrall. [Link]

Regretsy says: Santo trompas de Falopio! Who wouldn't want to curl up with the stuffed reproductive organs of Mexico's most famous bisexual surrealist? [Link]

It goes without saying "Santo trompas de Falopio!" is my new favorite expression of surprise. Hit the site for way more where this came from. [Regretsy (NSFW)]

DIY Xbox 360 RROD Coasters: Housewares for the Ten-Year-Old Inside You

Adrian Covert — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 22:00:00 EDT

These RROD coasters are clever, sure. But anything with Perler beads is about as classy as black velvet Elvis paintings or those creepy ceramic dolls your grandma collects. Translation: save these for D&D games in the basement. [GamerGrrlz via Technabob]

Dismembered Doll Limbs Hold Your Keys

Mark Wilson — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:00:00 EDT

Some find baby dolls cute. Others realize their potential for holding your stuff—if they're chopped to bits and fastened to wood.

Glued and screwed to a vintage mahogany tray, these doll limbs have transcended from merely looking adorable to the highest role a toy stolen from your sister can hold: a barbaric craft project. The Hooktastic Holdall, available for $50, is tough enough to hold your coat, innocent enough to avoid the trashcan and repulsive enough to keep neighbors at bay. Run, don't walk, for the one unit in stock. [Etsy via 7Gadgets]

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]