Wednesday Paper Cuts

Rob from the Mollt blog, turned me on to this post over at the Lipstick Diaries about paper artists. Some I have posted about here in the past, some are new to me. Check out the intricacy! To my mind, Aoyama Hina is like the Tiger Woods of paper cutting. These butterflies are ridiculous, right? I have to lie down now.

Daily Drop Cap Rocks the Blogosphere

aily Drop Cap is a super cool site where designer, Jessica Hische is doing her part to prettify the blogosphere. This from Swiss Miss: :"Each day (or at least each WORK day), a new hand-crafted decorative initial cap will be posted for your enjoyment and for the beautification of blog posts everywhere. To use a Daily Drop Cap on your site or blog, follow the instructions in each post and read about the usage limitations. Enjoy!"

link

Puma Team Builds a Ferrari F1 Out of Clothes

Sweet idea for a retail display and a really fun time lapse to watch. via Toxel

Multidimensional - The Work of Seb Zar

I discovered the work of Seb Zar on an unlikely internet detour. Like finding a great restaurant off a crappy looking exit on the Interstate, I was pleasantly surprised. The other surprising thing is that this guy didn't even take up sculpture until 2005. Wha? A-maze-ing. See all of Seb's work here.

Recycling Awareness Ribbons

I'm totally digging on these recycling awareness ribbons made from old beverage containers. Want to make your own? Lucky for you, there's a how-to video over at Swiss Miss.

Man Makes Music from Sand

 
Diego Stocco - Music From Sand from Diego Stocco on Vimeo.
Diego Stocco, the man behing the awesome Music From a Tree video is at it again. This time, sand is his "instrument" of choice. Something totally mesmerizing about watching him work.

Up On The Roof - The Paintings of Marcia Alscher

Don't know what it is, but something about the paintings of Marcia Alscher makes me giddy. Portfolio here.

Cassettes as Canvas

I'm loving the creative re-use, not to mention the dope paintings of Sami Havi. Check out the gallery over at TrendHunter. via Cassette is Not Dead.

Man Makes Pen and Pencil Set Out of Old Copier Parts

Amazingly, not boring. Pretty damned thrilling, uh, if you're me. Super cool that these are made from copier parts. Nice bit of re-use. link Thanks Pip!

Corked - The Work of Anthony Roussel

Design Milk gave me my first taste of Jewelry designer, Anthony Roussel's work today. Made out of wood and cork, I am totally digging on the organic aspects as well as the incredible intricacy of his designs. Practical? I don't know. Beautiful? Without a doubt. link

Ferrofluid - Science as Art

Found a post over at Gizmodo this morning on Ferrofluid, which is basically iron particles suspended in oil, sort of. The magic ingredient is a surfactant (a soapy kind of binder) that keeps the particles from separating from the oil like they normally would when exposed to a strong magnet. The result? A cool, spiky, dancey liquid that I could spend endless hours playing with. Check out the Giz post for an explanatory video and DIY instructions for making your own. link

Yes, please. I Would Like a Dolphin/Submarine/Boat/Jet Ski

How cool is the Sea Breacher? Swims like a dolphin, goes 40 mph on top of the water, 20 MPH under water. Sign me up. via Design Boom

Skateboard Tetris

Like the LED sheep herding a few months back, you know this took a ton of planning and there was obviously some major problem solving that needed to happen in order to execute this. Fantastic!

via NotCot

Amazing Crayon Carving

I discovered the work of Diem Chau while I was wandering around the ever entertaining, Badassical Blog. I love the blocky style. Reminds me slightly of the crucifixion/resurrection side of La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. link

Migration - 4011 Matchbook Camels on the Move

Artist, Doug Rhodehamel made over 4000 matchbook camels and arranged them in this amazing piece called Migration from 2007. See all the photos here. Thanks to the always awesome Ann Wood for passing this on.

Food for Thought - The Photographs of David Sykes

I'm loving the humor, scale and out-of-box thinking of David Sykes' food series. The "cheese" in this picture is sweat socks and towels. Delicious. link via SwissMiss.

Space Invaders Life Magazine Shoot

These photos made me laugh harder than they should have. from BeHance

Dodge Deora

Straight from the Gugazine blog comes the 1965 Dodge Deora concept car, which makes me drool uncontrollably for a future that never was. Unfortunately, the only production that this model ever saw was as a Hot Wheels car. I think that if they brought this thing back and made it a hybrid, they wouldn't be able to keep them in stock. Of course, doors would be nice. See the rest of the pics here.

Ziegfeld Girls

Ran across a treasure trove of gorgeous photos of Ziegfeld Girls over at the Tilted Forum Project. I've seen a few of these before but they are mostly new to me. A beautiful slice of history. Most of the girls are in a state of mild nekkididity (as Radar O'Reilly would say), but depending on your boss, they are probably safe for work.

Monsters v. Hunters

Love the Monsters versus Hunters Chess set that was hand carved by Marching Dog and is now available for purchase in cold-cast marble. No, a board is not included, but girls with chainsaws, werewolves and vampires are. via BoingBoing

Junk - The Paper Work of Amanda Nelson

Check out this huge wall piece comprised of over 40,000 pieces of junk mail by artist, Amanda Nelson. Amazing. Makes me want to go home and start bundling up J.Crew catalogs right now. Check out all the photos over at Rag and Bone. Thanks to @bindery on Twitter for passing this on.

Chadou Yama’s Paper Sculptures

Totally digging on the toilet paper roll sculptures of Chadou Yama. I love the surprising aspect as you turn the roll toward yourself to discover the scene inside. Nice. See the whole gallery over at Spray Blog.

via NotCot

Man Makes Song Out of Flock of Birds

 
Birds on the Wires from Jarbas Agnelli on Vimeo.
Stories like this make me love the internet more than ever. Jarbas Agnelli of São Paulo, after seeing a picture of birds on a wire in the newspaper, decided to make a song using the wires as the lines on the staff and the position of the birds as the notes (no photoshopping). Surprisingly, the song is really great.

Gort - Klaatu Barada Nikto

So, I've been invited to submit to a craft book having to do with "Geek Crafts" and I got the okay to do a project based on the original version of "The Day the Earth Stood Still", one of my favorite movies of all time. Why I chose to put Gort the robot on a toolbox, I still don't know, but I'm diggin' it.

Logan Hicks Time Lapse

Over at Wooster Collective, they've posted this time lapse of one of my favorite stencil artists, Logan Hicks, painting a piece for a new show. I've always been fascinated with Logan's attention to detail and curious about his process. Nice to finally see it.

Abandoned Power Stations now Generate Inspiration

Just found this megapost of cool, old abandoned power stations over at Dark Roasted Blend. I love the fact that even something as mundane and functional as a power station was considered worthy of as much design work as anything else. Beautiful.

Five Things That Move a Conversation Forward

I am always slightly disheartened in reading some of the vehement back-and-forth that goes on in certain corners of the web. I am all for divergent opinions and having a forum where we can discuss them, but I think that, more often than not, these discussions devolve into emotion-driven, tit-for-tat contests that are ultimately unhelpful. I appreciate the fact that when your point of view is being attacked, it can be difficult to consider the attacker's perspective and to respond in a cool and rational way, but if we are truly hoping to move a conversation forward, we need to be better at creating momentum and not "stalling" a conversation with emotion. Here are 5 things that I think about before responding that have helped me to diffuse heated debate and keep a dialogue moving along.


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H20 Stories

What is it about underwater photography? The light? The stillness? Whatever it is, I have always been a big fan, and I think you will be too, when you check out the work of Elena Kalis. Just beautiful stuff.

via NotCot

Hello Antenna - Ukuleles and Papercuts? Yes, please!

Anybody who mixes ukuleles and paper art will always find a fan at DudeCraft. I'm digging on both the animation and the the sweet, plaintive song that goes with it. Nice.

Reclaimed Roof Tiles for the Birds

 

Love these birdhouses from designer, Tomoko Azumi. Growing up in California, I  always  had a weakness for the Spanish style roof and I can think of no better use for the worn remains than these houses for our feathered friends.

via Design Boom

Opening Titles from the TypoPhile Film Festival

Typophile Film Festival 5 Opening Titles from Brent Barson on Vimeo.
Love these opening titles from the Typophile Film Festival. My favorite quote: "Everyone eats and drinks, but few appreciate taste."

via Swiss Miss

Designer Uses Soundwaves to Form Tabletop

Designer Daniel Dendra used the recorded sounds of the streets in Cairo to create the CNC milling patterns for this incredible tabletop. I love the use of technology to create this cool, organic form. Nice. from the BldgBlog via NotCot

Retro Indiana Jones Trailer

So awesome! Over at BoingBoing, they posted this sweet trailer for a retro Raiders of the Lost Ark movie from 1951. Beautiful mash-up!

Man with Axe Carves Skateboard

 

Ryan, over at the AxHead blog carved this awesome Maple skateboard out of a damned tree branch! With an Axe! Surely, a Dude Craft that will go down in history. Way to go Ryan!

Folded In - The Incredible Paper Work of Polly Verity

My good buddy Geraly from the Mamazilla blog sent me this nice link to the paper work of Polly Verity. I love paper work of all kinds, as you know, but this is the stuff that simultaneously makes my head hurt and also makes me giddy with wonder. Be sure to visit the whole portfolio. It's more than worth it.

More Ingenious Macro Photography Hacks

After reading my post on macro photography using a cell phone and a DVD lens, Stephen sent me his preferred methods for up-close shooting. The image on the left was taken through a regular magnifying glass. The one on the right, incredibly, was taken through a drop of water on his iPhone lens. Genius! Read more about the process over at Stephen's blog.

Twitchie Robot Kit

Halloween is almost here, and that means you're going to need to get started on all of your animatronic, scream-inducing, fright robots to populate your front porch with. Over at the Make blog, they are offering up the Twitchie Robot Kit as the perfect solution for all your creepy-crawly needs. Please send pics to me if you end up making something cool!

Helvetimail

Want a classier, more minimalist look for your Gmail account? Check out Helvetimail by Josef Richter, a skin that makes all of your email show up in the Helvetica typeface. Works for most browsers. I installed it in FireFox in a matter of seconds. Neat.

via SwissMiss

Steve Hoefer's Nine Hole Buttons

Just got an email from maker, Steve Hoefer, who passed on his process for making these super cool, nine-hole buttons. Makes me want to go get some jeweler's wax right now! Amazing job, Steve! See how he did it here.

Yarn Goldmine in Ithaca!

It's been an eventful week here in Ithaca, but one of the highlights has certainly been our visit to Knitting, etc. , a local knit shop with an absolutely ridiculous selection of incredible yarns that are just begging to be taken home.


I knew I was going to dig this place immediately because I was not met with the customary shocked expression that accompanies my entrance into any yarn shop, making me feel like I've accidentally walked into the women's room at a Junior League luncheon. Nope, owner Hickory Lee was nothing but extremely helpful and clearly passionate about the business of knitting.


The store itself dwarfs anything we have in the Bull City, stocked to the rafters with amazing yarn, a gigantic wall full of tools and needles and a book section that would rival Amazon.com. Nice!



So, if you're passing through Ithaca at any point, I would definitely take a side trip and go see Hickory and her crew at the shop. Even if you aren't passing through, Knitting, etc. is getting ready to launch an online store so you can shop from the comfort of your own home. Either way, you should check them out. Your stash will thank you.



Knitting, etc. is located at:
Triphammer Mall
2255 N. Triphammer Rd, Ithaca, NY 14850
(607) 277-1164
http://knittingetcithaca.com/

In bFlat 2.0 - An incredible Music Project

Check this amazing, crowdsourced music project from Darren Solomon. Very cool. This from the site:

"In Bb 2.0 is a collaborative music and spoken word project conceived by Darren Solomon from Science for Girls, and developed with contributions from users. The videos can be played simultaneously -- the soundtracks will work together, and the mix can be adjusted with the individual volume sliders."

link via NotCot

Cranes for Killian - Update and Thank You

Yesterday, on a beautiful upstate NY afternoon, I traveled to West Shokan to attend Killian's memorial service. As you know, there had been a project underway to create as many origami cranes as possible for the celebration of his life. When I got to the church, there were cranes hanging from every window, strung like popcorn, glowing in the early afternoon sun.



After the service, on the walk into the cemetery, cranes could be seen to be hanging from trees all along the path, and after the grave side prayer, when we had descended the hill to the pavilion, we were met with thousands more cranes hanging from every rafter.




The total crane count was over 12,000, a substantial amount of which came from you, dear readers. I did pretty well in holding myself together for most of the day, but when Killian's mom told me how touched she was by the cranes that were sent, I lost it. So, to those of you who put so much love and time into folding and sending cranes, thank you from the bottom of my heart. It was a beautiful thing to do and a fitting celebration of an incredible life. Thank you, really.