Paintbrush

Elephant Block Puzzle

Elephant Block Puzzle

Anyone who’s ever taken on an ambitious home-improvement project knows what it’s like to have spare wood lying around – and to want nothing more than to get rid of it. This DIY project is a great way to turn scrap 4″x4″ lumber into a kid-friendly puzzle featuring their favorite animal. A single 5′ piece […]

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Green Lantern Lantern and Ring

Green Lantern Lantern and Ring

One of my friends is a fan of the Green Lantern, and he thought it would be cool to have a glowing ring that charges when put inside a lamp. I realized that I already had something similar in my Upgraded Indestructible LED Lantern project, so I decided to build it.

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Lumia Lunchbox Laser

Lumia Lunchbox Laser

Back in the 1970s, my friend Wayne Gillis and I used to do light shows at science fiction conventions. We had the usual panoply of overhead, slide, and custom-made projectors, and a single, very expensive, helium-neon laser from Edmund Scientific. Calling ourselves Light Opera, and later, Illuminatus, we performed at ConFusion conventions in Ann Arbor, […]

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Moss Graffiti

Moss Graffiti

The possibility of growing moss graffiti occurred to me during one of those dull days at work when your thoughts wander. A quick internet search showed me that I wasn’t the first person to ask the question “How does moss grow?” In fact, many genius gardeners had even come up with a recipe for a […]

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Scary Ticket Booth Build

Scary Ticket Booth Build

At the last minute this Halloween we decided to decorate in a creepy carnival theme with the goal of not spending too much money on decorations to save more for candy. One of the many ideas we had was to build a creepy ticket booth to welcome visitors to our house for Trick or Treat. […]

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Sweet Sugar Flowers

Sweet Sugar Flowers

It’s one of those wedding industry secrets: cake decorators charge a lot for sugar dough flowers, but in fact many aren’t that difficult to make. Elaborate, realistic flowers do take skill and practice, but even a novice can elicit “You made that?!” reactions with simple blossoms that will last almost indefinitely if kept cool and […]

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Gory Brain Cap

Gory Brain Cap

If you’ve been brainstorming Halloween DIY costume ideas, no need to bang your head on a brick wall. It’s time to put on your thinking cap. Literally! With just a ball cap, squiggles of caulking (the stuff made for sealing tubs, sinks, and windows), and dabs of paint, this bloody brain is yours to wear […]

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