I found my dream desk that will provide me with ample flat surface for working as well as storage!

Enter the Pottery Barn Bedford Craft Table...no... im not going to spend over $1,000 to buy this beauty.

My handy hubby will be making it for me!

He has this garage full of tools and he is always itching for a project... consider that itch scratched!

I am hoping tomorrow we will be heading to Home Depot to pick up supplies.

I will post pics of the DIY project later.

In addition I will be making my own linen pin board {also from pottery barn inspiration} that I will also show as a DIY.

Now I just need to figure out the rest of that room... any suggestions for my craft room?  Ways to inspire my creativity?!  I'd love to hear your ideas.

Before we start I'm going to give you a warning.  I have no power tools.  You don't need real tools to do this.  If you have power tools, it could be a lot easier.  But if you own power tools you probably don't need my help making this thing anyway.

Ready? Here we go.

Materials:
--1 Photo with part of it leaving the page (I took a picture of my hands holding an NES controller. I made sure in Photoshop that the size of the controller was roughly the size of a real controller... width= 12.2 cm height= 5.25 cm)

--Picture Frame: for this project you want a frame that is thing and metal/plastic.  You also want to make sure that the frame itself is thicker than the part that holds the picture.  Hopefully this picture explains it.  If you're confused, read all the instructions first so you see why its necessary.

--1 NES Controller

Tools:

--1 hammer

--1 nail

--1 Screw

--1 Screwdriver

--1 pair of scissors

--1 Sharpie

Instructions

1. Put the photo into the frame and see where the controller cord leaves the frame. Mark that area on the side of the frame.  This is where your real NES controller cord will be inserted into the frame.

2. Pull the photo and the glass out of the frame.  Put the nail over the mark that you just made and start to hammer the nail in. It's not easy. Keep nailing.  You are trying to make a little hole that you will then make bigger by screwing the screw in.

3. After you have started to get a tiny hole going, put the screw in and start screwing. Once it's screwed in all the way, you should have a good sized hole. (no, that's not what she said.)

4. Next, you will cut the cord for the NES controller.  Measure out how much you want sticking out of the frame, and then add 3 inches.  It will be hidden behind the frame anyway, so don't worry.  Better to have more cord than less.  There are two things to do here.  If you're screw hole (stop laughing) is big enough, you can put the entire wire through the hole.  Hopefully it's a snug fit and the cord won't come out. Otherwise you can use superglue or epoxy to seal it in.   Otherwise you can strip off the outer rubber of the cord, and just thread the bare wires through the frame.  Then you can tie them off or glue them.

5.  Put the photo and the glass back in and then stand back and admire your work.  Sweet. If you want a copy of the photo that I took of my hands and the controller, feel free to email me and I'll send you a copy.

6. Have fun!  Do this again with something else.  Do more video game things, use kitchen utensils, musical instruments, or whatever you want.  Post any links to your own projects here.

Michel Gondry’s film Be Kind Rewind (2008) is like being in someone else’s dream: you can spot symbols but haven’t a clue what they mean. There are lives being lived upstairs and conversations going on off-stage but you aren’t privy to them.

Be Kind Rewind doesn’t quite draw you in to that off-kilter world the way that Man on the Moon (1999) or The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) does. It’s a little too self-conscious. Mos Def and Jack Black know you’re there, peering through the camera lens, and they’re trying not to break character and look you in the eye.

It’s only when they step behind their own hand-held camera to remake twenty-minute versions of films (what they call ‘Sweding’) that it becomes believable (1). Suddenly you’re right there beside them, dressed in aluminum foil and duct tape protection suits, carrying ray guns made of tinsel and fishing rod, chasing a flashlight in a green plastic bag while singing the Ghostbusters (1984) theme song and hollering “Are you the Gatekeeper or the Key Master?”

Mr Fletcher’s fascination with jazz pianist Fats Waller is the sticky tape that just about holds Be Kind Rewind together. Facing the closure of Mr Fletcher’s video rental thrift shop on charges of copyright infringement, the good people of Passaic, New Jersey, decide to create their own video: a fictional documentary called Fats Waller Was Born ‘Here’. (Now, Fats was actually born in Harlem, New York, but when you don’t have your own local heroes you need to get a little creative.)

“My grandfather used to watch him play Bach every night in church”, the reverend claims. Others chime in with their fabricated memories. As the town becomes a film set, with cardboard cut-out cars and piano keys made of fingers, the citizens of Passaic pull together as a community and go from renting videos to creating their own stories.

When the end credits roll, I’m left with that dream feeling again: as the details fade, I’m not really sure what any of it means, or even if it is supposed to mean anything. Be Kind Rewind isn’t a tight film. Like the magnetic tape of an old VHS cassette (2), it’s a bit laggy and warbled around the edges. Why is Jerry (Jack Black) living beside power lines? What was Mr Fletcher (Danny Glover) getting up to on that train? How did Mike (Mos Def) end up living above the video rental? What exactly is going on between Miss Falewicz (Mia Farrow) and Mr Fletcher? You’re forced to fill in the gaps with nothing but a shovel and your own imagination. I would have done something with all those leftover stories.

Maybe that’s the beauty of the film, though, and explains why weeks later I’m still grinning about that Ghostbusters remake. Talking about how to Swede, Gondry says, “it doesn’t have to be good. It’s not a competition. It’s for people to make the movie and watch it. It just needs to reflect who you are. And if it works, then people can watch a new movie every month, and have a party.”

YouTubers have taken up the challenge. A quick search will find you hundreds of Sweded films, from the Blues Brothers to Blade Runner. As Star Wars (Sweded): A Cardboard Hope proves, you don’t need CGI when you have egg cartons, cardboard toilet rolls, and hubcaps. If nothing else, Be Kind Rewind reminds you that you, too, can (re)make that movie and (re)write that story.

Notes:

(1) At this junction I should probably disclose that my brother and I used to make homemade films when we were kids. Our greatest achievements included a travel guide to our backyard, a Sweded Wayne’s World, and a commercial for face cream. So this kind of carry-on all seems very normal and believable to me.

(2) VHS (Video Home System) cassettes are what came before DVDs. (Ok, technically laserdiscs came before DVDs, but no one remembers those. Do you?)

And while surfing, I discovered this great website: Instructables!

On this site, you can find tons of manuals of how to make thing and DIY. Just look around and I'm sure you will find at least one thing you absolutely want to make. And if you have made something yourself and you want the world to know it, you can put your manual on the site.

I want to make this one: an iPod nano card case!

It looks so simple (although I already know that there is going to be glue all over the place) and it is really original. And I guess it protects your iPod too.

Anyway, visit the site: you won't regret it.

Möbel fallen aus, sonst wäre meine Wahl selbst verständlich auf mein Bett gefallen... Fernseher und Kühlschrank erschienen mir zu profan. Dann fiel mein Blick auf das hier, das zuletzt erworbene Objekt eines überzogenen Spontankaufes:

Das ist ein Bosch Ixo, seines Zeichens ein schicker, handlicher und leider auch nicht ganz billiger Akkuschrauber... JA WAS?!

Bei dieser Gelegenheit fiel mir auf, dass meine kranke Faszination für Werkzeug eigentlich mal einen Blogeintrag, wenn nicht gar einen Film wert wäre. Denn, es ist tatsächlich so: Da wo andere Frauen Schuhe kaufen, da kaufe ich Werkzeug. Was aber leider nicht heißen soll, dass ich handwerklich übermäßig begabt wäre. Ich mag einfach die Vorstellung, theoretisch alles selber reparieren zu können, wenn mal die Hütte über mir zusammenfällt. Oder so.

Und ihr so? Lieblingsgegenstand?

an approximation

I've grown to appreciate empty space, a clear counter, an uncluttered coffee table or desk, a cleaned out fridge, a tidy yard. To me, empty space epitomizes cleanliness - less dust catchers to catch dust, lest dust catchers to have to shuffle around on cleaning day. Less things to break, less things to go bad, less things to be attached to emotionally, less things to own you. Less = more freedom, more time, less anxiety, less work.

Some people would find this incredibly boring and I'm not saying I don't enjoy a pop of color or have a touch of sentimentality, it's just that by keeping things to the bare minimun, I get to keep my sanity. My father makes reproduction Chippendale furniture and while it is indeed beautiful and intricate and takes much talent and patience to make... seeing all those tiny grooves in the carving for dust to settle in, and the delicate laquer finish I can't place a coffee mug on just unnerves me to no end. I much rather prefer a Parsons style table - sharp edges and flat surfaces - cleaning is a breeze. Wow! I sound like I have OCD. Truly, I don't.

To some people, empty spaces cause anxiety. These open areas are just begging to be filled. They become an excuse to go shopping. There MUST be something in that corner! I have watched my neighbors do this over the past few months. They cordoned off an area in their front yard for their two small dogs to safely play outside. The fenced-in grassy area soon acquired an ironic fake fire hydrant, a bird bath, a sundial (dogs need to tell time too!), a concrete bench that they will never use, and a few rabbit lawn ornaments. There is something in each corner and it looks less attractive than it did when it was just simple lovely grass. I'm sure the dogs appreciate the effort though.

The fire hydrant will lose its paint, the bird bath will have to be maintained for mosquitoes and algea, the sundail will tarnish and is just as useless as the bench and the rabbits. Yes, I'm sure these little decorations have given the owners some joy but what I'm trying to point out is that true joy should not be coming from filling voids in your surroundings. All of this... well... crap will end up filling a landfill one day.

Is it just a matter of taste? Maybe. Indeed, I may be a snob. I do find some nic nacs and decorating ideas adorable. This ingenious use of vintage flashcards as a wall decoration is just beyond brave to me. I supose the clean, sparse, modern surrounds don't hurt either. (So much storage space to keep things tidy!)

Apartment Therapy

 This article from Apartment Therapy (a fantastic website) addresses maintaining a balance between cluttered traditional and cold modern environments. I also thought this article of 18 ways to declutter your surroundings is gentle with its baby steps - it eases you into making changes. Once you start to see how much stuff you have in your box to give to charity, you will become more aware of your wasteful spending habits. (For me, it was a ton of skirts that I compulsively bought but never wore.) It's a little frightening at first to confront your bad habits but it's so good for you in the long run.

Other part of a story is that I'm not a patient guy and I want to take some pictures with my new equipment right now. So... again... I google it a bit and on Flickr discussions I found a solution for the problem I have. In short... it is necessary to find a 22nF/400V capacitor and solder it somewhere in a cable circuit. I took a Vivitar connector on one end (original cable that comes with strobe) and solder a capacitor on 3.5 mm jack socket and that's it (many thanks to my friend Vlado Ličanin who did it for me). It is not pretty but it works. Now I can be cool while waiting FlashZebra cables.

Here is an quick testing of everything. Model is my great friend Doni who has been patient to pose to me afer a tennis match.

One of my addictions is getting my nails done, especially french manicures. While not completely revolutionary, I love the way it makes my nails look clean and perfectly polished. But for this recessionista, there's no way I'm getting that weekly mani (even if my cuticles are practically BEGGING me to!) and my hands are so shaky that any DIY attempt make my tips look like they've been dipped in paint. 

I was in a total digital dilemma, so when I saw Nailene's Hard & Healthy French Pen Kit I had to give it a second glance. The kit includes a neutral nail colour and a top coat, but the star of the pack is the little white pen. The pen acts as a goof-proof way to get the unattainable white line without the mess or the worry. The kit even includes little guiding stickers so you can get the look you want every time. Of course I couldn't believe it could be that easy so I had to try it out. Guess what, It worked! My nails were frenching in no time and I haven't looked back since. Tres magnifique!

What are your favorite beauty shortcuts?

xx

There's nothing more satisfying than building your own stuff. It's not always easy, but it's always fun to do so, even when it's a challenge. The rewards always outweigh the effort. Dan McGrath has put together a tutorial to make your own subwoofer. Why do we need subwoofers? Read on to find the answer.

This build is long and complete. The end product is a premium sounding subwoofer, which when bought in stores would sell over $1000. Parts and tool will cost you about $200, so this is really something that you could try out in order to end up with something that sounds really good. The assembling of the casing takes up quite some time and you need to be precise. Afterward, there is some welding and you need to set up the wiring, which requires an experience and familiarity with electrical wiring. The building of the casing is more complex than the wiring, so if you are comfortable working with wood, then you should try this build out.

My latest from Unplggd...

Obviously it's not quite finished yet (what project here ever is?!) but we've restored the old stone pillars, plonked a gorgeous oak beam on top (locally sourced, well-aged and only 50 euros!) and Ian has been my hero once again and rebuilt the top bit with bricks we reclaimed from the fireplace that was knocked down. It's not as deep as the old fireplace, and we've raised the height of the mantelpiece so that we can fit in our 'new' woodburning stove (which has made a dramatic difference to the temperature around here!). It may not be a beautiful stove to many people, but it really chucks out the heat and the way it's built should last another 100 years!

The back of the fireplace behind the stove and the new brickwork has had two coats of lime paint (see recipe). There is talk of it one day having a top-coat of lime-green, but for now I like the soft-white of uncoloured lime paint so I'm holding fire on that decision.

The yellow wall just visible on the right will eventually get knocked down, and I still haven't polished up the hearth stones, but we're about 90% of the way there!

before...

and after...

Laitehyllyn vaatimiin sahaushommiin päästiinkin heti, kun liimapuulevyt kannettiin perille asti. Laitehyllyn korkeus kaavailin kahta metriä, jolloin saisin sahattua kolmen metrin pituisista levyistä kaksi 45cm syvää hyllyä. Ei muuta kuin levyt parvekkeelle (minnekäs muualle?) ja saha käteen.

Sahausten jälkeen piti hieman suoristaa sahauslinjoja ja -jälkiä raspilla. Kun hyllylevyt olivat suurin piirtein saman kokoisia, olikin aika aloittaa pintojen hionta. Ja sehän käy varsin kätevästi tuollaisella tasohiomakoneella. Ensimmäisen hiontakierroksen tein karkealla hiekkapaperilla (180) ja toisen hienolla hiekkapaperilla (80). Jälki oli ainakin omasta mielestäni erittäin hyvä. Ylimääräisten puupölyjen pyyhkimisen jälkeen olikin aika aloittaa hyllyn kasaus.

Aloitin kasauksen hyllyn alaosasta, johon tuli siis etulevy ja pohjalevy. Puutappien reiätkin löysivät oikeaan paikkaansa suhteellisen helposti kiitos hyvän tapitussarjan metallisine vastinkappaleineen. Toisen kiinteän hyllyn paikka oli noin kolmanneskorkeudella, jotta hyllystä tulisi mahdollisimman tukeva. Kattolevyn (jonne tykki kiinnitettäisiin) kiinnitin lepäämään takalevyn reunaan, jotta se ei ainakaan helposti siitä liikkuisi. Tykkiä varten tein kattolevyyn reiät, jotta tykin voisi asettaa roikkumaan siihen ylösalaisin samaan tapaan kuin kattoasennuksessakin (ks. Tykkiteline-artikkeli). Tämä siitä syystä, että ylähyllylle saa muutakin elektroniikkaa ja tykki on paremmassa pölysuojassa. Takalevyyn johtoja varten tehtyjen aukkojen ja paikallisen hionnan jälkeen hylly olikin valmis pintakäsittelyä varten.

Mittauksia

Hyllyt paikoilleen

Hylly ilman vahaa

Takalevyn reiät

Sitten ei muuta kuin puuvahaa pintaan. Levityksen hoidin kumihanskoin varustautuneena jollain vanhalla rievulla, josta ei liiemmin nukkaa lähtenyt sotkemaan vahapintaa. Vahapinnasta tuli yllättävän siisti, varsinkaan kun en ennen ollut tällaista ikinä tehnyt. Vuorokauden pituisen kuivumisen ja vanhalla villasukalla (tm) suoritetun kevythionnan jälkeen olikin toisen vahakerroksen aika. Samojen työvaiheiden jälkeen laitehylly olikin jo viimeistä kasausta vaille valmis.

Ei muuta kuin puutapit reikiin ja huonekaluruuveilla kiristys. Päädyin laittamaan toiseksi alimman hyllynkin ruuveilla kiinni pienen kämmin takia. Olin nimittäin epähuomiossa porannut hyllyyn reiät juuri ruuvien kohdalle, enkä puutappien kohdalle... Laitehylly oli nyt viimeistä silausta vaille valmis. Irtohyllyt vain paikoilleen ja elektroniikan lastaus voi alkaa. Johtojen pujottelun jälkeen hylly oli valmis testiajoon. Tykin suuntauksen ja johtojen liittämisten jälkeen homma oli paketissa. Ei siitä nyt mikään silmiä hivelevä luomus tullut, mutta ajaa varmasti asiansa.

Hyllyn kokoamista

Valmis laitehylly

Näin jälkiviisaana voin sanoa, että takalevyn johtovienneistä olisi pitänyt tehdä huomattavasti suuremmat. Nyt ruuhkaisimmissa paikoissa johdotuksille tarkoitettu tila on käytetty täysin loppuun ja yhden laitteen vaihtaminen tarkoittaa hyllyn osittaista purkamista... :p Täytyy tämä epäkohta korjata siinä vaiheessa, kun laitteita joutuu enemmänkin vaihtelemaan. Lisäksi nyt kun hyllyt ovat syyt (ja liimaussaumat) syvyyssuunnassa, niin liimapuulevyn kuivuessa tapahtuva lievä vääntyily johtaa siihen, että osa levyistä pysyy ylläolevan painon takia suhteellisen suorassa, mutta osa on selvästi kuopalla. Toivottavasti nämä hyllyt eivät anna kuitenkaan periksi. Olisi ollut parempi sijoittaa hyllyt niiden syyt leveyssuunnassa, jolloin ongelma olisi ollut paljon pienempi (tai ainakin näkymättömämpi).

This design has sold out, so if you would like a custom remake please contact me :3 thanks!

Finally a smart way to re-use plastic; make a new bag out of it! It entails taking a whole bunch of old plastic bags, ironing them into crazy forms, and sewing it all up into the above finished product. The instructions are all over at Plenty Magazine and I have to say I really feel like I need to make one... check back with me in a couple of weeks (I have to track down an iron first!). And for those in need of something more heavy duty, you can even go all out and make a messenger bag from recycled trash bags. You'll immediately exude "green" and "resourceful" and be able to show-up all of your friends who are toting their old school purchased packs.

The Web is shifting to a DIY [Do It Yourself] model of user experience creation, one where people assemble individual combinations of content gathered form elsewhere for expressive, functional, and (many) other purposes. The rapid growth of widgets, the resurgence of enterprise portals, the spread of identity platforms from social network destinations to blogging services, and the rapid increase in the number of public APIs syndicating functionality and data, are all examples of the DIY shift.

I think this assumption that people will want a DIY web experience can be debated.  Surely, there are some alpha-geeks that are extremely comfortable building and using technology to suit their specific needs.  By virtue of reading this post, you are likely one of these.  I would argue that most people -- your grandma, your mailman, your barber -- don't want to spend the time tailoring environments to fit every need, and don't care enough about information tech to do so.  Most people employ a satisficing strategy, where they go with a solution that's good enough, rather than going after an optimal design solution. Some examples:

• Take hodrod, customized cars in the 50s/60s.  A few people became expert at building sweet hotrod cars.  They wanted to find the right carborator to fit the engine that they custom built.  And a lot of people envied those souped up cars.  But most people just got in their regular old car and went about their business.
• A few people will build their own computer to get the exact configuration they want to maximize performance.  A far greater number of people will go to their local big box store, or Dell, even Apple, and select one of the preconfigured systems that meets most of their needs.
• In the early to mid 90's, dial-up internet service providers provided people with internet access (you remember when you finally got to 56kbps, don't you?).  AOL came along, and sent you a disk with a simple install process.  Millions of people joined AOL, even though you had to use their browser, and could only access services they allowed.
• A few people will host their own blog, photo gallery, etc.  And as Joe suggests, syndication feeds, web services, and widgets are making it easier to mix and mash functionality to make your own site.  But a lot of people are getting a lot of value out of Facebook, MySpace.  Sure, you could build your own site, but Facebook and MySpace hits a lot of the functionality that you want most often.

Satisficing means that people don't typically search or work exaustively to find the best solution.  Instead they have some criteria for 'good enough, ' and go with the first solution that meets that criteria.  Its why you don't look through all 1.6M search results Google gives to you; its why you don't compare results between Google, Ask, Yahoo, Live, and every other search engine out there.

Now, one might argue that Gen Y and neomillenials (people born after 1980, often called digital natives) are more active participants in social media, and are more likely to want to create content.  And a few of those natives will likely create a cool framework or mashup that allows his peers to connect in ways we haven't thought of yet.  But based on my limited experience working with these digital natives (3 years in grad school, some mentoring, some TAing an intro programming course), most in this age group almost take the presence and abundance of technology tools for granted.  I don't believe they want to build or tailor an experience; they expect the experience to be there, or will come along soon, and don't care to expend the time/energy to create it.

Given that, I think the future is bright for excellent designers, user experience researchers, ethnographers to understand the wants, needs, and environments that people consume information products, and design solutions that meet those needs.  Yes, we need good frameworks to enable more powerful, effective, and efficient information products.  But people want, and will continue to want, excellent experiences given to them, rather than taking the time and effort to develop their own.

Forget megaplexes and $10 popcorn. A few bucks and a vacant lot let you create your own movie magic. Just ask Oakland, California’s Nonchalance Collective (http://www.nonchalance.org). Each month, the group’s mobile VJs present Liberation Drive-In-indie films screened at a downtown park-n-pay. Moviegoers pull into a spot, tune to an FM broadcast of the soundtrack, and watch flicks projected onto an adjacent building. We cribbed the Collective’s production notes.......... continued click image

Last week I attended Here Comes Trouble, the launch of ST2K, the street art and DIY culture festival being held at the Pine Street Creative Arts Centre in Chippendale Sydney.

The centre was packed to the rafters when I arrived but thankfully I was able to make my way around the exhibition and take in some great artwork from the likes of SMC(3), John Doe, Will Coles and my zinester peeps Miss Helen, The Fetus and Helen Nehill. I also picked up a great writing and comic zine that I hadn’t seen before called Doom from Hobo Press.

The festival continues until 30th October and also includes a street art masterclass, a street art bus tour and the main event, a street art jam on Saturday 18th October with live art demos, free stencil workshops, a zine market and much much more!

For more details check out http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/pinestreet/

We laughed about planning our wedding so early (one year and four months too early!).  It's a good thing we were psyched about planning it because it turns out that weddings are no longer the simple no-fuss events that I imagined. Being the major kuripot that I am, I almost fell off my seat last night when I finally finished laying down our budget. My goodness...magastos talaga!

Joining w@w was a blessing. I've been learning a lot and getting great tips from fellow brides. One thing I love is browsing through all the D.I.Y. (do-it-yourself) stuff posted by the other brides. I'm a little frustrated that I'm not that good in arts and crafts so cutesy souvenirs are out of the question.

H2b (husband-to-be; that's w@w lingo for you :) ) and I are in the media industry. Both of us are "seasoned" video editors.  I also used to make budgets for AVP productions so handling logistics and talking to suppliers aren't new to me (which is why I didn't get a coordinator). The situation being as it is, these are our planned D.I.Y.s: 

1. Photo slideshow during reception. I'll be cheating on this. :) Mac and I are both mac users (yah...I have more than one "mac" in my life) and our apple laptops come with iPhoto which I can use to make slideshows without breaking a sweat.
2. "His" and "Hers" videos. Original plan was that Mac will make a video about me and I'll make a video about him. Hopefully we both have time to push through with this.

Another resource we're looking into is our "connections". Makapal na kung sa makapal ang mukha. :) I hired a friend of mine to be the photographer for our wedding. I opted to get someone I know, it's less risky. The package he gave me was good (includes pre-nup, coverage of the event plus a guestbook). I wanted to do the layout of our wedding album myself so we'd just spend on the printing later on.

As for our video coverage, we'll be "borrowing" two high-end broadcast cameras from friends then we'll hire two cameramen we know to cover the event. I already asked one of my bridesmaids (a video editor as well) to edit our wedding video. She happily said yes na.

So far, those are our planned D.I.Y.'s. Hopefully we can come up with more in the coming months para mas tipid. :)