From traditional crafts to modern crafts, we’re covering news and interesting projects to educate you and keep you inspired. Design trends and pop culture related projects are here to inspire.
Brian from Candyaddict writes “The National Association of Manufacturers has just released this awesome 15:18 minute video of the history of chocolate and how it is made. If you have never seen how chocolate is made, this is a must-see. Most of us take chocolate for granted – this video really makes you appreciate all the work that goes into making chocolate.” Link.
Make vintage papercraft toys. These mechanical paper puppets are from the 20’s and the vintage artwork is simply spectacular. Rob says “Not the fancy new papercraft with .pdf files and colour printers – this is the papercraft your parents or grandparents did. I’ve almost finished making the duck. (read: I had to put it down after an hour or so, realizing I was spending an entire evening making a paper duck) I’ve found that a good substitute for the pins that hold things together together(“Here, kids, here’s a whole box of pins! have fun!”) are small pieces of copper wire stripped out of cat5 network cable. Put them through the holes, fold them over, and secure with tape. Spray adhesive is good for pasting the printouts onto some heavy card stock.” Thanks Rob! Link.
In MAKE 04 we have a great article on circuit bending. You can modify a Casio keyboard (or other electronic audio stuff) and start playing some of the strangest sounds you’ve ever heard. But, there’s also Makers out there selling completed versions too, here’s an excellent circuit bent Speak and Spell for sale with audio samples on eBay. [via] Link.
We love this cute monkey cellphone cozy, even if “My Little Mochi” calls it a protoype (It’s brilliant!). This little friend can hangout on your bag or onto you, ’till you get the next call. We want to make one too! Link.
“In today’s hectic and noisy world, we are all searching for a little peace and quiet. Well, you might not be able to slip off to a tranquil forest for an hour or two, but you can block out background noise with the Noise-Canceling Headphones. The theory behind this project is that by picking up ambient sound with a microphone and reproducing it out of phase, we can actively cancel or “null” out background noise. In fact, several commercially available devices perform the same function. However, by building your own headset, you can add features not otherwise available and have fun while doing it!” Thanks Nyte! Link.
Here’s a bevy of robot quilts. This one entitled “The Robot Visits the Farm” is just one of many of the quilted collage artwork pieces that Kathy Weaver creates. Weaver states, “The robot represents progress, science and technological improvement resulting in change to the status quo.” [