Man Made DIY

Quick! Your co-workers are approaching with hand constructed miniature bamboo firing crossbows that shoot bamboo skewers. What do you do?

Why, duck behind your desk and quickly assemble this catapult, of course.

Some bloggers and stylists have called out chalkboard paint as being a fad that's overdone and now out-of-date. But we think the objection here isn't a re-writable surface, but big gray walls in interiors where they don't really work.

So, it's totally awesome to find this tutorial, which allows you to make DIY chalkboard paint in any color you wish.    … read more

French electro-pop duo Daft Punk always perform live in space helmets, a nod to the playfulness and the electronic nature of their music.

Atlanta-based prop designer Harrison Krix decided he needed one for himself, and so created an amazing replica over a period of seventeen months!

And, he's created this killer video demonstrating the process that appease music and making-things fans alike.    … read more

Any urban cyclist can tell you - even the smallest, two-door coupes can seem monstrous while they're three inches from your handlebars and whizzing past you at forty-five mph.

So, the possibility of this 600-pound, four-person-powered bicycle (quadcycle?) that can roll over a car is certainly...interesting.

The Big Dog is "a wonderfully impractical assemblage of bicycle, go-cart, and golf-cart pieces and parts, drainage pipe, steel tubing, and patio chairs. This four-wheel vehicle allows four passengers to travel in minor discomfort at speeds approaching a brisk walk, for relatively short distances, on completely flat terrain."

Sarah received a challenge at her local design/craft swap - "old toy" as a material, and "steampunk" as a theme. So, she snagged a used, old-school Mr. Potato Head and created Spudnik using found materials from around her house.

Then, Sarah created an attached 'telescope' to house a series of clever, original documents that tell the story of Comrade Spudnik.   … read more