Fave Instructables January 28, 2010
Posted by Sindy in Uncategorized.Tags: alton brown, Beatles, bike, clothing, custom, DIY, fashion, fleece, hat, heated, how-to, Instructables, meat, meat smoker, pattern, pillow, quillow, quilt, rack, recipe, Sewing, ski, ski bike, smoker, Snuggie, thread, Tutorials, warm, warmth
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This week, it’s all about keeping warm (and a few other things). I often tell people I’m related to the Abominable Snowman cause I just can’t keep warm. Maaaaaybe some of these will help.
It’s not just warm stuff though. There’s a thread rack which I’m going to put high on my projects list, and a mini meat smoker.
Ski Bike
Ha ha. This reminds me of one winter I was at a camp lodge with some friends and one of the guys brought a VCR and an old, portable, 3″ TV. On that small, and unusual setup we watch the Beatles movie Help. I thought it was strange, but I always did like the ski bike. What a way to go down the slopes – while sitting down – without getting your backside frozen.
Custom Fleece Hats
My brother learned how to sew by making his own fleece hats several years ago, but these designs cut the cake. 😀 They’re so fun! I love the roman helmet! With this you could do just about anything! (Hmmm, a knight’s helmet, a dragon, funky hair, or perhaps an egghead – looks like an egg frying on your head ;))
Electric Heated Clothes
All right! Finally! I was thinking of making some clothes by just taking an electric blanket and cutting it up (it probably wouldn’t work though – too much electrical troubles), but this is such a superior way to do it that there just isn’t a comparison. Hmmm, perhaps I could make an electric business suit. Maybe then I’d finally stay warm in the office.
Warning: Be careful when heating with electricity. The heat is made by purposely creating a short. That, and since it is combined with flammable fabric, this can easily cause a fire. Never leave clothing unattended while it is on, and NEVER SLEEP IN THESE CLOTHES!!!!!
Make Your Own Snuggie
Another great Instructable for staying warm, and saving money. Just as I thought, this is really easy to make – it’s just a blanket with sleeves. I personally would make it out of an acrylic blanket (or better yet, an acrylic/wool blend) though since polyester fleece is one of the coldest fabrics on Earth.
Part Pillow, Part Quilt – It’s a Quillow!
I used to have one of these! (Can’t remember where it is now.) We called it a quillow. Sometimes we’d fold out the blanket, stuff the pocket with something like a couple t-shirts, and then use it like a light-weight sleeping bag (but of course it wasn’t really a bag). Fun times. 😀 Basically it’s just a blanket with a pocket for folding the blanket into for storage. It works best if you size the pocket mathematically (something like 1/3 of the width of the blanket and 1/4 the height) to make it easier to fold the blanket into it.
Thread Rack
All Right! The perfect Instructable for any sewer! I so need one of these! It’s basically a board with dowels sticking out at an angle to hold the thread. This person covered the board with fabric so they can store their needles on there too. Since I’m just starting out in the sewing arena, making my own thread rack would let me make a smaller one for my smaller collection. Plus I’m constantly loosing my needles. This is also great for needles with some thread still on them.
DIY Mini Meat Smoker
“Sorry sir, I don’t smoke.” “Then what’s that hickory scent.” “Oh, that? That’s my new mini meat smoker that I just made this morning. I’m cooking some hickory smoked ribs right now.” Oh yeah, this sounds way too good. XD (And my brother thought his jerky was good. Just you wait bro…)
Favorite Instructables of the Week January 21, 2010
Posted by Sindy in Cooking, Favorite Instructables.Tags: cold, copyright, cough, cough drops, DIY, flu, h1n1, health, how-to, Instructables, instructions, landscaping, patch, Sewing, solar, stepping stones, Tutorials, walkway
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Solar Powered Walkway Tiles
Wow! There are so many great Instructables on how to make your house super awesome! My family has been wanting to add stepping stones in our lawn for eons now (and the word eons isn’t too far from the truth). These solar powered ones would be perfect! (The question is if the yard gets enough solar. Hmmm.)
Make Your Own Cough Drops!
Sweet! With my allergy to red food coloring, I can’t eat some of the cough drops in the store. In fact, just the other week I was looking at some supplement drops, but the only one with more than just C had red food coloring in it. Now I can make my own! I just love DIY.
Copyright and Copyleft Gloves
Hehe. I just thought this joke was funny. I probably won’t be making these though. However, it’s also a tutorial on how to make your own custom patch. I desperately need this kind of thing on my new laptop case. It’s a gorgeous, professional case,… except for the flaming skull on the back. Certainly don’t want a potential employer to see that.
Favorite Instructables of the Week January 14, 2010
Posted by Sindy in Favorite Instructables, Weekend Project(s).Tags: book, book binding, boots, Burning Man, camera, cheap, classroom, clothing, costume, EL wire, fashion, glow stick, glow-in-the-dark, Harry Potter, home theater, Instructables, kayak, LED, old book, passport, projector, projects, recycle, safety, school, security, sensor, squirrels, stolen passport, sweater boots, toys, trash, upcycle, Weekend Project(s)
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Whoaweeze! Last week was slim pickings, but this week is a gailstorm of awesome Instructables! We have everything from a homemade projector to a squirrel next camera and even a 100ft glow stick! This has been one of the best weeks for Instructables ever!
Multimedia LED Projector
Wow! Of all the projector Instructables I’ve seen (including one where they just used an iPod and they simply enlarged and projected the picture – certainly not home-theatre quality), this one is the most professional. I’ve been wanting a projector for a long time now, and maybe this Instructable will do the job. Now the question is where to get some of these parts.
Harry Potter Spell Book
First of all, a disclaimer: I am NOT a Harry Potter fan! I just think some of these projects are really cool. I mean, come on, what fantasy loving creature such as myself wouldn’t like a lovely old spell book? Except, I personally would print and bind my own book (here’s a great Instructable for book binding) instead of using a great old book. Besides, I certainly don’t want to pick up a great book of spells and find out it’s only an old psychology textbook.
Squirrel Nest Camera
This would be awesome for a classroom! In fact, it would be great for all kinds of groups of kids: cub scouts, neighbors, nieces and nephews (hehe, that would be one way to become the favorite aunt ;)), grandkids, etc. It’s great for adults too. So Cute! >.< You can watch other animals too.
Water Bottle Kayak
Hey, there’s already a floating island made of junk. Why not just grab a paddle and go to town? In case you can’t see the picture very well, they gathered up a bunch of empty plastic bottles into a clear garbage bag, tied some branches to it and to some empty jugs and voila – the cheapest kayak ever. Fun idea, but I’d make it look a little better. At least enough so no one tries to throw it away. 😉
Upcycled Sweater Boots
These are really pretty (loving the embroidery embellishment on them), and they ought to be comfy too, but I certainly wouldn’t wear them outside the house (they’d be stained so fast it would make your head spin). This would be a great project for an old pair of shoes (or slippers) that are peeling themselves off their soles.
What to Do If Your Passport is Stolen
In case you did not know, Instructables isn’t just for building and craft projects. I’m printing this one up and putting it right next to my saving-for-my-dream-vacation jar. This author also made an Instructable on how to get a passport in the first place, another great printout to include with my jar.
Light Up Costume
Again with the EL Wire. This time they made a cool robot looking costume. I wonder what kind of looks I’d get if I walked down the street in this. 😉
A 100ft Glow Stick
Okay, this would be awesome in some giant glow-in-the-dark party. You could have one of these, some LED throwies, LED floaties, LED freezes (in the cooler), EL Wire costumes, LED jewelry, glow-in-the-dark hair gel (yes, there’s an Instructable for that too), and anything else anyone can come up with. That would be awesome fun!
Stroke Sensor
Another incredible sensor. These guys are so inventive. Just last year I would have never thought that a normal dooby like myself could buy, much less make, my own sensor like this. This has so many useful applications: toys (can tell if the child is petting the toy vs. crushing it – great for a toy teaching a child how to be kind to animals), wind sensors (automatically close the window if the wind is blowing too strong), and even security (put this on your purse and you might be able to catch even those brush-by thieves).
Favorite Instructables of the Week December 31, 2009
Posted by Sindy in Cooking, Favorite Instructables.Tags: cookies, costume, creature, DIY, dolls, fridge, hoodie, Instructables, magnetic dolls, mexican wedding cookies, monster, recipe, recycle, screen printing, stickers
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Instructables.com listed their absolute best Instructables of 2009 this week. I’ve been browsing them all day. Sadly I’ve already blogged most of the good ones 😦 but I did find these awesome ones:
Mexican Wedding Cookies
These are some of the best cookies ever! So soft, and loaded with nuts! 😀
Make Your Own Stickers!
Although these are the wet-then-stick kind of stickers, this is still really cool. (For the ready-to-stick kind, just use double stick tape, and store the stickers on a sheet of vinyl.)
Screen Printing for Under $10
Nice! I’ve been wanting to do screen printing for a long time now, but wow is it expensive! Hey Provo Craft – Eat your heart out!
Creature Hood
ALittleStranger is at it again! She makes such super cute stuff! This cute little hood would be perfect for a critter hoodie. Let’s see, add some faux fur around the cuffs, a little tail, even include some cute mittens with pawprints on them!
Magnetic Paper Dolls
What do you know? I didn’t know they made magnet sheets for our printer (can’t imagine that they’d go through very easily though, either that or they’re probably very weak – I guess I’ll have to check them out). Anyway, my Mom is addicted to these things and she would love it if I made her some.
Favorite Instructables of the Week December 17, 2009
Posted by Sindy in Favorite Instructables.Tags: Cooking, furniture, Instructables, lamp, party, restaurant
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There are some awesome ones this week, including one for combining multiple Instructables into one idea – a restaurant.
– Instructables Restaurant – Basically, everything in the restaurant (furniture, decorations, entertainment, food, etc.) can all be made from an Instructable. That sounds like loads of fun to me. I wonder if anyone will actually do it.
– Drunken Drawing Robots – Okay, so I had to look up something mentioned in the Instructables Restaurant – the Drunken Drawing Robots. OM…! I could make these! All it is are some markers in a frame with a vibrating motor! I just bought one of those totally cheap vibrating toothburshes for a buck (I was thinking of making a vibrating gift box). I could totally use the motor on this.
– Sunrise Alarm Clock – I hate waking up to my alarm blaring. My sister and I used to scream at each other to turn it off in the morning. I never thought of a “light alarm,” and this one’s ever better because it simulates a sunrise! Nice! (It better do it gently though!)
– How to Make Your Own Comic Book – This is a nice, simple little Instructable. Well written (except for the spelling mistakes), and even includes some good tips on story writing and character creation.
Favorite Instructables of the Week December 3, 2009
Posted by Sindy in Favorite Instructables, Weekend Project(s).Tags: bookcase, charger, Christmas, furoshiki, games, gaming, gift wrap, Instructables, secret hideout, table, touch screen, USB, Weekend Project(s)
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Looking good this week. There are some great gifts, weekend projects, and some gift-wrapping ideas. Enjoy!
– Expandable Christmas Stocking – All right! A stocking just my size! And it’s great for growing kids. What would be even better is if they could change the decorations on it each year. Just add snaps (or velcro, but I think snaps are better) and then put the other side of the snap on little decorations.
– In-Wall USB Charger – Sweet! This guy is smart! It’s always a pain when I run out of USB ports on my computer, and half of the devices are only there to charge. Plus my blankity-blank phone has issues and won’t charge from a regular USB port. This would be perfect for it. But instead of replacing the outlet, I’d just add the USB charger.
– Gaming Coffee Table – Finally!!! I now have a good reason to have a coffee table! (If you want to prop your feet up get an ottoman, and as a table it’s much too short.) And this looks so much better than those gaming racks.
– Bathroom Status Indicator Light – All right!!! In my office the bathroom is around the corner and you have no idea if it’s available until you’re right up at the door (and everyone knows that you need to go). With this handy-dandy indicator I could see if someone’s in there before even leaving my desk. Nice! And if you put it in your house, perhaps you could add a timer so you know if the kids are hogging the bathroom.
– Bookcase Door! – Sweet! I’ve always wanted one of these! That would be so cool! And I know just the room to put it on…
– Make a Glove Work With a Touch Screen – Wait, you mean these things don’t work with gloves? Hmmm, I never even tried. But now I know how to fix it.
– Gift Wrap Ideas – People are starting to amass their Christmas presents and it’s time to start wrapping (okay, only some people). Here are some great ideas for wrapping including fabric, newspapers, duct tape, and even how to make bags from old maps, and how to make those big fancy ribbon bows. There’s even an Instructable on the Japanese tradition of wrapping gifts in a scarf. They can get pretty fancy with it.
Weekend Project(s) – Toy Box for Christmas! November 27, 2009
Posted by Sindy in Weekend Project(s), Woodworking.Tags: Instructables, toy box, toybox, toyboxes, Tutorials, Weekend Project(s), wood, wood project
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Okay, I have Christmas presents for all the adults, but what to do for a couple of nephews? One is 1 1/2 and the other is 5 months. I was talking to the mother of the older nephew about what I might get or make for little Mr. inquizitive. She suggested blocks (the big lego kind), long shirts (he’s a tall skinny boy), or better yet – a toy box. Right now his toys are in a cardboard box in the living room. Yep, this boy definitely needs a toy box. Come to think of it, the other nephew is getting to the age of playing with stuff so he’ll be needing one before too long.
Here are some great toy boxes I could make:
– A Castle Toybox Chair – This would be fun! 1 1/2 may be a little too young to care if it’s a castle, but being a chair would be perfect for the living room.
– A Pirate’s Treasure Chest – What’s more classic boy-ish than a pirate’s treasure chest? In fact, I should make one of these for me too (for all this pirate stuff I’m gathering for my book).
– A Nice Big Bench Toy Box – Wow, this thing ought to be big enough. In fact, they could put it under the window for extra seating.
Now if I could find a car toy box. He loves anything with wheels and/or that he can push around.
Favorite Instructables of the Week November 26, 2009
Posted by Sindy in Favorite Instructables, Weekend Project(s).Tags: business, chainmaille, Cooking, Cooking, costume, DIY, Instructables, laser, Star Trek, steampunk, Tutorials
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Hehe. I love this pre-scheduling posts thing. I’m actually nowhere near a computer today, but I decided to post this anyway for your reading pleasure.
There are some pretty cool and geeky Instructables this week. Enjoy:
– Butter! (And Buttermilk) – Mmmm, real butter is so good, and it’s really easy to make. I just have one suggestion though: Do it while your watching TV or socializing (cause it takes forever).
– The Laser Monocle! – Sweet! Borg costume here I come! Or maybe steampunk.
– Sweet Potato Fries! – Oh sweet! I love sweet potato fries, and now I can change up the recipe to be either savory or sweet (just trade the salt for sugar and the pepper for cinnamon, or something to that effect). Plus they’re oven baked which is good cause I don’t like the idea of wasting all that oil.
– Secret Knock Detector – Oh man, talk about uber cool. Whoever came up with this was a genious. And this thing actually works too. Too bad I don’t have a secret hideout – yet. 😉
– A Monster Business Card Holder – Kawaii! So Cute! >.< This fuzzy little business card holder is really cute and perfect for a creative business person. And the girl who made this Instructable has a cute blog (ALittleStranger.com) too including a new Instructable each week. (If only I had time I’d like to do that too.)
– Chainmaille Hacky Sack – I never was very good at hacky sack, but the balls are really fun. (Hmmm, I wonder if I can make one out of pop tabs. My coworkers have been gathering pop tabs to help me make a chainmaille tunic.)
Favorite Instructables of the Week November 19, 2009
Posted by Sindy in Favorite Instructables.Tags: ALS, Cooking, Cooking, DIY, eggplant, eTextile, eye writer, food, Instructables, lawn mower, LEDs, mods, paralysis, physically impaired, R/C, Sewing, usability
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Kind of slim pickings this week, but I did find some good ones including a couple tasty recipes.
– Remote Controlled Lawnmower – Now this is how to make lawnmowing fun! Pimp it out a bit and in no time you’ll have the neighbor kids begging to mow your lawn.
– Write With Your Eyeballs! – All right! This is like the uber device for the physically impaired (or the ultimate lazy). It tracks your eye movements so you can do things on your computer, including drawing and writing. From a store such a system might cost you a few thousand, but this Instructable says you (or a friend) can do it for about $50.
– Eggplant Parmesan – I thought I’d throw a recipe in here. I’m not a vegetarian, but I do enjoy eggplant. I’ll have to try this one out.
– Grilled Eggplant Sandwiches – Speaking of yummy eggplant, here’s another tasty looking recipe, but I think I’ll try it with some bacon or maybe some thin-sliced turkey. Mmm, that’s sounds tasty.
– Flexible LED eTextile Ribbon Array – For those who are confused by the name, here’s the translation: Make glowing clothing with ribbon and LEDs. Make sure to check out the last step for a really awesome dress that they made.
Too Many Talents 