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Archive: Gadgets
November 19, 2009
CRAFT Holiday Gift Guide 2009: For the Foodie
I'm a big fan of homemade food gifts, which in my mind include alcoholic items, condiments, spices, etc. In fact, my mom recently told me that one of her favorite gifts in years past was a jar of Bronzed Chicken Spices that I mixed together in a big batch and doled out to family members along with the recipe. Mom said it took the hard part out of making a yummy dinner, and it was a thoughtful and helpful gift. Bonus!
That conversation greatly influenced my selections when I sat down to choose the items in this year's Foodie Gift Guide. It can take just pennies to make a gift that's likely to end up as someone's favorites list this year, so why pick products that cost a fortune, no matter how cool they are? Sure, we'd all like to have a fancy mixer or espresso machine, but in today's economy, a nice whisk or a pound of good coffee are just as welcome.
So here's a baker's dozen of food and kitchen items that you can either make as gifts this holiday season, or pick up without emptying your larder, er, pocketbook. (Puns definitely intended!) I'd love to hear about other gifts you plan on making or buying for the foodie in your life. Please tell us about them in the Comments! Merry merry, happy happy!
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Homemade Coffee Liqueur
A few years ago we made two different versions of coffee liqueur, dutifully marking them brew #1 and brew #2. Some recipes call for instant coffee and some call for a pot of brewed java. The bad news was that we forgot which recipe went with which number. The good news was that both batches were tasty, and our friends and family really appreciated the gift, especially when certain name brands can be quite pricey. This also needs to sit for a month, so factor in the time this needs to sit on the shelf aging to perfection.
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Posted by Shawn Connally |
Nov 19, 2009 11:00 AM
Food, Gadgets, Holiday Gift Guide 2009, Holiday projects, Homemade |
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November 16, 2009
iPhone Home Button Earrings
Adam @ MAKE writes:
Symbology befitting a Dan Brown novel exudes from these handcrafted iPhone home button earrings. Do they imbibe the wearer with mystical iPhone powers? Does wearing two buttons break Apple's Human Interface Guidelines? You'll just have to acquire a pair to find out.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Nov 16, 2009 04:00 PM
Gadgets, Jewelry |
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November 11, 2009
Alex Rider Book Giveaway: Scorpia and Ark Angel
As a special preview for MAKE's upcoming Alex Rider Dream Gadget Contest, we're giving away two copies of Scorpia and Ark Angel by Anthony Horowitz, the fourth and fifth books in the Alex Rider series. Just leave a comment in this post and tell us why you or your kid(s) needs one of these books. Please make sure you include your email address in the comment form field (it won't be published). All eligible comments will be closed by Noon PST on Sunday, November 14th. The winners will be announced next week on the site. Good luck!
More:
- Alex Rider's Radio Mouth Brace
- Alex Rider's Smokescreen Bike Pump
- Alex Rider's Geiger Counter Game Console
- Alex Rider's High Tensile Yo-Yo
Posted by Becky Stern |
Nov 11, 2009 04:00 PM
Books and Magazines, Gadgets |
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September 27, 2009
Live at the Handcar Regatta
Today the Craft and Make teams held it down at the Great Santa Rosa Hand Car Regatta. The scene along the tracks was controlled chaos, with equal parts corsets and mustaches. Hand built mechanical wonders flew down the tracks, drag race style, and my team and car, the Bumpin' Contraption finished 4th!
Les Claypool announced the races. Children ran rampant on the rail road tracks. Costumes were SO inspiring. Musicians and magicians roamed around. It was like traveling through time to the past and the future simultaneously.
I'm off to pack up the Make Firetruck. Phew! If you were there, share your images in the Craft Flickr pool!
Posted by Brookelynn |
Sep 27, 2009 06:00 PM
Events, Fashion, Gadgets |
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July 2, 2009
Circuit Board Candy
Here's some circuit board candy Collin @ MAKE found in the MAKE Flickr pool. It's based off of the iPhone circuit board and has some innovations I haven't seen before including a sour straw ribbon cable. Nice!
Posted by Becky Stern |
Jul 2, 2009 04:00 PM
Food, Gadgets |
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May 29, 2009
How-To: Monster Speakers
Instructables is having a sound contest, and these speakers are one of the prizes. You can find out how to make a pattern for your own fuzzy monster speakers and give your sound system a little personality.
Posted by Becky Stern |
May 29, 2009 09:00 AM
Contests, Gadgets, Toys |
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May 27, 2009
Finger Painting with the iPhone
Take a look at this June 1, 2009 cover of The New Yorker and you'd never know that the artwork was created digitally on an iPhone. Artist Jorge Colombo created this piece with nothing but his fingers and the Brushes app on his iPhone.
From The New Yorker site:
"I got a phone in the beginning of February, and I immediately got the program so I could entertain myself," says Colombo, who first published his drawings in The New Yorker in 1994. Colombo has been drawing since he was seven, but he discovered an advantage of digital drawing on a nighttime drive to Vermont. "Before, unless I had a flashlight or a miner's hat, I could not draw in the dark." (When the sun is up, it's a bit harder, "because of the glare on the phone," he says.) It also allows him to draw without being noticed; most pedestrians assume he's checking his e-mail.
Watch this video below to see how he composed the cover.
[ via iPhone J.D. ]
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
May 27, 2009 08:00 AM
Design, Gadgets, Technology |
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April 1, 2009
Hitchhiker's Inspired Kindle Case
CRAFT reader Miranda writes:
I just got an Amazon Kindle 2, and my husband pointed out that the Kindle is not dissimilar to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (the Guide itself, I mean -- the book within the books). Hence, my case with large, friendly letters that say "don't panic". It's my own design, and I didn't even have to buy any fabric -- this was a scrap project. It's also well-padded; the inner pocket as well as the cover and back are all lined with batting to protect the precious Kindle.
Did you get a Kindle 2 and mod a case for it? If so, leave us a comment!
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Apr 1, 2009 08:00 AM
Gadgets, Sewing |
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March 26, 2009
Digital Soaps
Etsy seller Digitalsoaps makes realistic replicas of game controllers in soap. I wonder if this will encourage epic gamers to bathe more often. Available in Xbox, Playstation, NES, and more. Via Geekologie.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Mar 26, 2009 04:00 PM
Gadgets, Home Decor, Technology |
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March 24, 2009
Behind the Scenes of Fashion Geek: The Fashion Show Night
(Photos by: Doug Eng and Shane O'Neill)
On March 19th, I had my book release party for Fashion Geek: Clothes, Accessories, Tech at Pop Lounge. It included a fashion presentation of all of the DIY electronic fashions in the book. Here's a look behinds the scenes of making the DIY projects into a fashion presentation.
Jen Parker and Elizabeth Owusu were the hair stylists armed with headbands to give the models' hair Gossip Girl style. About an hour before the show an EL wire driver breaks! Edith Kollath steps in and helped hand sew a replacement EL wire driver on the back of a model's skirt, just 15 minutes before the show's start time.
Finally, the models are in place on Fashion Geek platforms. Fashion Indie did a fantastic job running the event. They helped find the location Pop Lounge, managed the guest list, told the models when to smile, and the DJ's where to stand. As the guests begin pouring in, someone noted that the nerds tended to congregate towards the back of the room, while the fashion designers stood in the front near the models. Everyone munched on bacon toffee and chocolate covered Pop Rocks from Danielle Bilton. We listened to digital music from Eric Skiff. Then DJ Joey Mariano played digital music live from his hacked guitar and hacked Game Boy. In the end, I think everyone all had a good time.
You can watch a video of the fashion presentation by Bre Pettis here:
Thanks to CRAFT for letting me share my behind the scenes with you. I'll be back here later next month with a fashion project. Until then, catch up with me on my blog Fashionnerd.com.
Here's all the Behind the Scenes posts:
- Behind the Scenes of Fashion Geek: Designing Fashion with Electronics
- Behind the Scenes of Fashion Geek: DIY Fashion Show
- Behind the Scenes of Fashion Geek: Quick Update
Posted by Diana Eng |
Mar 24, 2009 09:00 AM
Events, Fashion, Fashion Tech, Gadgets, Parties, Soft Circuits, Tech Accessories, Technology, Video |
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March 3, 2009
Felt Kokeshi-Doll Speakers
The fabulous Lisa Katayama points to these adorable felt speakers on her equally fabulous TokyoMango blog. Whether they're Russian stacking dolls or Kokeshi, they definitely seem like something you crafty, techno-savvy readers could easily re-create at home. Send us some photos if you do, or post them in the Craft Flickr pool.
Posted by Shawn Connally |
Mar 3, 2009 04:30 PM
Fashion Tech, Felting, Gadgets, Japanese Crafts, Soft Circuits, Tech Accessories |
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February 25, 2009
Flashback: Rock 'N' Roll Speakers
Got an iPod or laptop that needs a portable sound system to go with it? One of CRAFT Volume 07's awesome offerings is Syuzi Pakhchyan's Rock 'n' Roll Speakers project. Using this clearly photographed and laid out step-by-step, you can make your own pair of low-fi travel speakers. Here's an image of what you'll need:
The coolest part is that since they're driven by a simple power amplifier circuit and a tilt switch, you turn them on and off by tilting them. When both little white speakers are visible, they're on, and when only one is visible, they're off! As the intro says, "Whether you're in a hostel in Bangkok or backpacking in Goa, you can rock out to your favorite tunes with the portable Rock 'n' Roll Speakers."
Here's a peek at the project in our Digital Edition. You can still pick up this back issue in the Maker Shed.
If the thought of getting into "smart crafting," or incorporating electronics and smart materials into your crafts is exciting but perhaps a little intimidating, be sure to check out Syuzi's book Fashioning Technology:
This DIY Intro to Smart Crafting is an invaluable resource that walks you through the materials and tools you can use, gives technical primers on everything from LEDs to soldering to troubleshooting, and then offers 12 innovative projects of wearables, home goods, and toys you can make. The book is filled with clear, instructive photos for anyone who wants to expand their crafting horizons. There's really no other book out there like it. You can also check out the Fashioning Technology community site for tutorials, resources, and forum discussions.
Posted by Goli Mohammadi |
Feb 25, 2009 05:00 PM
Fashion Tech, Gadgets, Tech Accessories, Technology |
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January 26, 2009
The Knit Kit
Lime & Violet found this knitter's kit that is due out in March 2009. The Knit Kit includes a crochet hook, scissors, tape measure, stitch counter, thread cutter and a compartment for items like stitch markers. I know I always want more tools, but this seems like the perfect kit for the traveling knitter.
Posted by Michelle Kempner |
Jan 26, 2009 07:00 AM
Gadgets, Knitting |
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December 25, 2008
Motorized Yarn Winder
Craft reader Adrienne tipped us off to this cool motorized yarn winder on Robot Party - if you don't have a small child around to turn the crank on the ball winder, you might want to automate it.
Posted by Patti Schiendelman |
Dec 25, 2008 02:00 PM
Gadgets, Knitting |
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May 1, 2008
Making it Lovely's Top Ten Tools List
Nicole from Making it Lovely provides a helpful list of her top ten must-have tools for DIY home improvement projects.
Posted by Jenny Ryan |
May 1, 2008 12:00 PM
Gadgets, Home Decor |
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March 24, 2008
HOW TO - Make a Charging Station
Cara on Juice took a Martha Stewart ribbon box and transformed it into a charging station for her devices. See how you can do it too in her video.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Mar 24, 2008 02:00 PM
Gadgets, Home Decor, Tech Accessories |
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February 1, 2008
Easy Felt No-Sew Laptop Cozy
Derek and Lauren on design*sponge show you how to easily make a no-sew laptop cozy from felt and good o' velcro. Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Feb 1, 2008 03:00 AM
Gadgets, General, Tech Accessories |
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January 24, 2008
Gocco Prints Galore
A while back, The Wurst Gallery in Portland held a great show called We Heart Gocco, which centered on artwork created with the much-beloved Japanese tabletop screenprinting device. It's so impressive seeing how different artists have utilized the gadget's capabilities. Amazingly enough, you can still nab some of the prints online at the gallery's website--what a great way to grab some fun and affordable artwork from some of today's coolest artists. Here are two examples of the 14 prints available, "Little Love" by Mizna Wada (above) and "Love with a Needle" by Evan B. Harris (below). Link.
Related:
• We Heart Gocco - Link.
• Print Gocco Tutorial - Link.
• Save Gocco - Link.
Posted by Jenny Ryan |
Jan 24, 2008 07:00 PM
Arts & Design, Gadgets, Japanese Crafts, Printing |
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Woodburned Logos
Sarah from The Small Object came up with a great way to put her logo on her wooden creations: this super-handy electric brander. This would be so useful for anyone working with wood! Check out her blog to find out how to get one of your own. Link.
Posted by Jenny Ryan |
Jan 24, 2008 05:00 PM
Craft Business, Gadgets, General |
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January 14, 2008
Vintage Flower Loom Kits
I love Cathy of California's work because it looks like it's straight out of a fabulous '60s-era craft shop. She's just created a new line of craft kits, which she puts together from vintage and "new old stock" materials. As she explains:
If you read my blog you know that I am just nuts about loomed flowers. The thing is that the supplies to make them are super hard to find. In fact most of the stuff is not even made anymore.That's why I have decided to seek out all of the vintage and new old stock flower looms that I can get my hands on. I've made it my mission to spread the word that making loomed flowers is one of the best crafts around and I hope to be teaching classes very soon.
The materials included are in great condition and should provide hours of fun. You can turn the flowers you make into brooches, use them in shadowboxes or attach them to a handbag, or just fill a bowl with them and admire your work. FYI, Cathy's mushroom pincushions are on sale too. Link.
Posted by Jenny Ryan |
Jan 14, 2008 03:00 PM
Bazaar, Gadgets, Vintage |
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