Conquer Your Fear of Zippers

I do a good bit of sewing these days, but I gotta say, I avoid patterns with zippers like the plague. It's just one of those unnatural sewing fears that I've always had. Know what made me feel a lot better about it? This awesome article by Nicole Vasbinder.

AT-AT's Afternoon

AT-AT day afternoon from Patrick Boivin on Vimeo.

Watch it. Just watch it.

Cardboard City

I'm digging this ever growing cardboard construction named Housing Estate Number N. More details and pics here.

The VW Camper

If there's one thing we need to bring back, it's the Frankenstein camper. Check out this spread over at WebUrbanist, featuring the unholy marriages of vehicles and camper shells that were never meant to be.

Ant Death, Folic Acid, and Family Portraiture

What does a guy do with 200,000 dead ants? Shame to toss them away, right? Well, if you're Chris Trueman, you make a portrait of your little brother with them. Destined to sell at auction for thousands of dollars 80 years from now, certainly.

via neatorama

CD Sea

Artist Bruce Munro is shooting to get a million CDs into this installation of his. Current total? 600,000. Still, darned impressive I'd say. Andy Goldsworthy would be proud. More over at neatorama.

A Monk's Patience

Kate sent me a link to this great time lapse piece, featuring Buddhist monks creating this sand mandala. Check out the video here. Fascinating process.

My New Saying for the Week

via

Birds of Paradise

Jolene sent me a link to Laurel Roth's work yesterday and I just about fell out of my chair. Beautiful stuff, all made out of cosmetic supplies. Press on nails, false eyelashes, barrettes, all combine to make these stunning birds. You can view the rest of Laurel's work here.

Thanks Jolene!

Happycentro is Making Me Happy

I'm loving this self-initiated project by Italian design firm, Happycentro (plus, I just love the name!). Mixing origami with bold graphics and colors makes for an eye catching campaign, wouldn't you say? Check out the whole series here.

via NotCot

Warning: Some People Are Not Helpful

This poor guy asked for some help removing the red eye from this photograph. Unfortunately, he did so on a forum populated by people who like Photoshop. We all know what happened next.

via The Daily Wh.at

Vintage Scans

Hey, have you guys checked out Vintage Scans lately? It's a site I visit almost daily, comprised of vintage illustration, advertising, and photography, all scanned from books and magazines. Pretty good resource there, and now you know about it too.

warning: this site includes vintage nudes and pin-ups as well. Probably NSFW, depending on your boss.

Kodomo no Kuni

Artist, Amy Crehore points us to a wonderful bit of illustration via the Japanese children's magazine Kodomo no Kuni which ran from 1922 to 1949. You can read about it's history and artists here and view a gallery of images from the magazine here. Beautiful stuff.

Diego Stocco's Bassoforte

Diego Stocco - Bassoforte from Diego Stocco on Vimeo.

Sound artist/musician Diego Stocco is at it again. This time with a piano/bass hybrid made from recycled parts that he calls the Bassoforte.

via neatorama

Paul Nosa's Solar Powered Embroidery

Great little interview with artist, Paul Nosa who does solar-powered freehand embroidery, sewing bits of people's imaginations. Love it.

Big thanks to Cianna for the link!

Fabian's Found Objects

Digging on the structural sculptures of Austrian artist, Fabian Seiz. Reclaimed wood is good! More here.

via Design Boom

Born Ruffians Video

Born Ruffians - What to Say (HD) from Jared Raab on Vimeo.

Check out this bit of retro futuristic technological badassery from the Born Ruffians! Who'd a thunk it, huh? An oscilloscope music video. Cool. This from the site:

"Working with artist/computer programmer Rob Bairos, the video was recorded entirely off of a vintage oscilloscope. Oscilloscopes are used for viewing voltages, primarily in the sciences, medicine, engineering, telecommunications and industry. Though other people have reprogrammed oscilloscopes to display images in the past, the “video to scope” process used in this video is the first of its kind. The images you see are made up of a single point of light, moving quickly across a screen in order to draw shapes – that means the entire Born Ruffians video for “What to Say” displays vector images made from only one continuous line. The footage was shot once on video, edited, converted for use on the oscilloscope (using a live visuals program called TouchDesigner) and then shot again directly off the vintage machine."

via NotCot

Happy Father's Day, Crafty Papas!

Me and Dad circa 1978

Runaway

Embroidered cell animation? Is this thing awesome or what? See it move here. Big thanks to Pip for turning me on to this.

via Spool Spectrum

Ghost Ads

Ghost signs, those advertisements from bygone days, still clinging to their facades, long after the product that they're advertising has likely ceased to exist. We have a bunch of these hand-painted beauties here in Durham and it's nice to know that other people are turned on enough to want to archive the ones in their area. Check out the History of Advertising Trust for over 600 examples of this kind of advertising archeology.

via neatorama

Storm Trooper

Sarah sent me a great email, letting me know that her husband Zachary was cooking up this little beauty in his screen printing laboratory. You may be asking yourself: "Who needs a storm trooper cowboy print?" Answer: Who doesn't?". This thing is awesome. Oh, and a bit of trivia...you do know, don't you, that Urban Cowboy and The Empire Strikes Back came out the same year, right?

Print run is limited to 50. Get yours here.

OK GO's Time Warp

What will they think of next? The boys from OK Go have once again topped themselves with this bit of stop motion tom foolery. There must be equal parts of endurance and math that went into this thing. Amazing!

via Gizmodo

Decked Out

What's it made out of, you ask? Yup, it's used and broken skateboard decks. Japanese sculptor, Haroshi specializes in taking war torn skateboards and turning them into beautiful 3D objects. Much more over at Design Boom.

DudeCraft's Picks for Father's Day

Hey everyone, I just wrote a little piece for Etsy with all my gift picks for the dads in your lives, so if you're tired of buying neckties and cufflinks, head on over and check out the guide here. Dad will thank you for it!

LEGO Buffet

Oh my goodness! Will the LEGO awesomeness never cease? Check out this recreation of Rietveld's iconic buffet design by Dutch designers (of course) Minale/Maeda. Over 25,000 pieces in this baby and that's not all.

via design boom

Nerd Alert - Another Star Wars Post

John Woo, (no not the director, the other guy) is responsible for these awesome fashion renderings. I'm diggin' it. See them all here.

via Neatorama

Matchless Sculpture

Totally digging on artist, David Mach's matchstick heads. This skull is, of course, my favorite, but I wouldn't return the Buddha if you gave it to me either. Beautiful intricate stuff. More here.

Big thanks to big Steve for tweeting about this!

The Dying Media of Hollis Brown Thorton

Is it pure nostalgia that draws me to these marker drawings by artist, Hollis Brown Thorton? Well, yes AND mad respect because if you've ever tried any form of marker rendering, you know how hard this is to do. More here.

via World Famous Design Junkies

The American Look - 1958

Oh man! Check out this gem about American mid-century design that BoingBoing posted this morning. Sponsored by Chevrolet, of course. Awesome!

LP Coasters for Father's Day

Ever wonder how people make those cool LP coasters that you see in the stores? Wanna make some for Dad for Father's Day? Head over to Naughty Secretary Club for a sweet tutorial on how to do just that.

via Craft

Charles Eames: Tinkerer, Solar Pioneer

As if Charles and Ray Eames didn't do enough for design, it's now revealed that they were early solar energy pioneers. Maybe this is common knowledge to Eames devotees, but I hadn't heard it before. Check out the video below, featuring Charles' solar-powered Do Nothing Machine. Awesome.



via Gizmodo

LEGOs - The Solution to Most Things

So, what do you do if you're digging on one of the tweaky Park Planters over at Science and Sons, but you don't have the 150 clams to lay out for such high class decor? You build your own out of LEGOs, of course.

* WARNING: Some of the park planters on the Science and Sons website contain "adult themed" situations. Sorry for not catching that earlier.

via The Bob Blog

Law and Order

We have a running joke in our house about how Law and Order is on television 24 hours a day, so the minute I saw this needlework piece by Ellen "Left Eye" Schinderman, I knew that all other blog posts would be on hold for the day. I love this thing. (kung, kung!)

Bon Bon Gold

For those of us with little more than rudimentary crochet skills, the thought of attempting anything more difficult than a hat or scarf can reduce us to quivering masses of self doubt. But not for some people. Some people just go ahead and crochet furniture. Out of rope! Oh, and then dip it in gold. Show offs.

via Design Boom

Pillow Forts: A Critical Analysis

I love that BUildLLC has taken the time to review the various merits and drawbacks of several pillow fort designs in a very serious tone, placing them firmly in the context of architectural history. This has sort of made my day.

via DorNob

Chicken Cribs

I love chickens, but not nearly as much as I love the fact that this coop maker is calling they're product "chicken cribs". With a name like that, you better buy one badass chicken!

via Cool Hunting

Jack Hall - The Matchstick Man

Got a great email from Tony Hall yesterday, telling me about his dad who built musical instruments from matchsticks. Begun as a way to pass the time aboard ship, Jack went on to build some of the most beautiful and playable instruments that ever were. For the full story, you can check out Tony's tribute to his dad here and be sure and watch this short documentary (including Glen Campbell!!) here. Tony, thanks for sharing. Your dad was a true craftsman!

Carte Blanche

Digging this installation from Jean Shin. What is it about multiples and precarious construction that is so interesting? This from the site:

"In Carte Blanche, masses of blank rolodex cards are composed into precarious structures that are reminiscent of cliff dwellings. In our digital age, rolodex cards hint at obsolescence and outdated systems of communication. The white surface reads as information erased, no longer needed, and inaccessible. Carte Blanche is an elaborate construction where each card is dependent on the next, mirroring the network of social contacts within our fragile existence."

via NotCot

Log On!

I'm digging this sculptural furniture by Korean artist, Jea Hyo Lee. Yeah, now I feel like I need a couch carved from pine logs, don't you?

via Chic Tip

Cycling Caps, done!

I've been prototyping all week in the studio. I found a pattern, but there was some funkiness there and I wasn't real fond of the brim. Six generations later, I think I found the design I'm happy with. I'll post the pattern soon. Anyone want a tutorial to go along with it?

Are You Kidding Me?

That's a Yamaha, folks. But check out what the geniuses over at Metal Head Fabrication have done to her! Just the gas tank alone gives me shivers. Beautiful.

via Design Boom

Monday Morning Food, Fashion, Fun

I'm digging on photographer, Fulvio Bonavia's series called: A Matter of Taste. Fun stuff here. I think this artichoke hat is may favorite.

via World Famous Design Junkies

The Wicked Web We Weave

Projects will often amaze me at first glance, but I don't usually sit here and say, "Damn, I wish I would have worked on that", which is what I said as soon as I saw this gigantic, self supporting packing tape spider web. This thing is just ridiculous! How cool is that?

via Gizmodo

Wind Driven Rickshaw

Sure, rickshaws are a pretty romantic way to get around, unless you're the driver trying to pedal some hefty tourists around town. Then, methinks, the romance is lost on you. Enter, the wind assisted rickshaw. Developed by a professor in a neighboring town in Nepal,this device adds pedal power via a windmill that is attached to a side mounted gear, making it a little easier for the driver to save his energy. Cool! See the video here.

via Notcot

Monster Bike

Besides the fact that it looks like this thing may tip over and crush unwitting pedestrians at any moment, this is pretty cool.

via Gizmodo

Julie's New York

Wow. Just, wow. Julie from Famille Summerbelle is featured here cutting her giant, paper homage to the Big Apple in this little time lapse film. Unbelievable detail. Gorgeous piece. You should watch this.

via Meet Me at Mike's

Art Stars

I'm not a huge fan of megacorporations, unless they're giving artists lots of money to do their thing. That's what Polo/Ralph Lauren did recently with 50 of the hottest, young European artists for a project called Art Stars. Check out the results here.

via NotCot

Stop, Pop, and Roll

Here's a well done little project video from artist, Aakash Nihalani. Try and spot all the other atist's work featured in the video. Fun! I'm thinking all stop signs should get a decorative treatment like this.

via Wooster Collective

Tim Byrne's Industrial Revolution

Oh man, I'm loving these old machine parts that are enjoying new lives as tables. See more over at Design Milk. Way to go, Tim Byrne!

Black, White and Good All Over

Alexandra Zaharova & Ilya Plotnikov may have designed some dresses that get a D minus in wearability, but they get an A plus in wow! Extra points for making them out of paper. Pretty sweet clothes/sculptures you've got there, ladies.

more at  Dornob

Sewn Slides

Lauren DiCioccio's series of hand sewn slides are blowing me away right now. Check out the detail on these tiny masterpieces! Unbelievable. Head over and check out the whole group here.

via World Famous Design Junkies

Theo Jansen's Rhinoceros

I did a post about Theo Jansen's wind-powered walking sculptures way back when, but either I missed this one, or it's new. At any rate, I think it's my favorite. Go Rhinoceros!

via Toxel