Shibori is a traditional Japanese technique somewhat similar to tie-dyeing: You clamp, twist, sew, or otherwise bind fabric and then dye it, resulting in interesting patterns. If you choose fabric that tends to shrink (such as wool), the same binding techniques can be used to “mold” three-dimensional surfaces.
Scarves are an easy (and, given the price of wool, reasonably inexpensive) way to show off this technique. Here’s how to use shibori to make a scarf with a subtle skull design.
I mentally checked out of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise after the first one, but I may have to watch the latest sequel; Kermit’s enthusiasm is contagious.
I love that all of the actors just sort of roll with the fact that they’re being interviewed by a green felt frog.
(via Topless Robot, from whom I also shamelessly cribbed the post title)
Someone has scanned a 1977 guide to “looking punk,” and it’s just the most wonderfully slick marketing-industry guide to carbon copy punk fashion that you’re ever likely to encounter.
Written by someone named “Marliz” who was, according to the author’s notes, “internationally known in the industry for her marketing ability in current-trend perception and ‘how to’ help it explode on the scene,” the very first paragraph says that the punk statement is, “do your own thing!” And the entire rest of the guide, with no trace of irony, shows you how not to do that.
(Plus all of the nitty-gritty punk rockers featured in the photos are so adorably clean-cut, I just want to pinch their cheeks.)
This is the most wonderful little time capsule of hilarity. And also you can learn to do The Pogo.
Guns and Gardens – Series of instructional YouTube videos on how to DIY your way through the zombie apocalypse.
Skull Teapot – I’m trying to decide if I love this or not (although with an $800 price tag the point is sort of moot). I love the idea of a skull-shaped teapot, but the placement of the spout is so amusingly elephantine that it throws off the creepy vibe a little. (Hat tip to WitchArachne)
Steampunk Goggles – A roundup of goggles made of recycled materials. Some really lovely stuff.
Game of Thrones: Metal – White Noise Lab did a metal cover of the Game of Thrones theme music, and another YouTube user merged it with the opening credits.
I’m veering into science-fair territory a little bit here, but bear with me.
I recently ran across this article on BoingBoing which discusses a chicken mummification currently in progress at the Science Museum of Minnesota. I was struck by several things: 1) The comments on the article which indicated that this is a common elementary school science project (and also that it shouldn’t stink); 2) The comments which discussed other animals that could be given the same treatment. 3) The fact that they named the mummified chicken Nefertweety.
I did a bit of research and found that there are a bazillion pages devoted to mummifying chickens,* and no two of them seem to agree on a method. So here’s an amalgam of instructions from a number of sites, with notes about differences in technique. In addition to being an interesting educational project to do with kids, you could also use mummified bits as jewelry or art. It might also be possible–perhaps by practicing on chickens until you’re sure of your technique–to send a beloved pet into the afterlife this way.
You will need:
A small animal to mummify. A chicken or game hen seems to be the standard, but I’ve also seen projects that use fish, squid, and mice/rats. All but the last are available at the grocery store. Frozen mice and rats are available at many pet stores and via mail order; they’re used as reptile food.** Note that animals can’t be mummified with their internal organs in place, so if you’re squeamish about the idea of gutting an animal you should probably stick with a grocery-store chicken.
A drying agent. You can use salt, a mixture of salt and baking soda (a ratio of 2 parts salt to 1 part soda seems to be the standard), or sodium carbonate. The latter is natron, which is what was traditionally used for Egyptian mummies. It’s available at grocery stores (look for “washing soda” or “soda ash”) or at swimming pool supply stores.
Disposable plastic or rubber gloves.
Several resealable plastic bags, large enough to contain both your mummy and plenty of drying agent.
Lots of paper towels.
Rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol. This is an optional component, but it appears that using it will reduce the odor significantly. Its use also jibes with the Egyptian practice of washing the body in wine.
Spices such as cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice (whole rather than ground) and/or dried rose petals. These are optional, but can be mixed into the drying agent to help perfume the mummy. They can also be used to scent anointing oil.
Oil to anoint the finished mummy (optional). You can use food-grade oil like canola oil or olive oil, mineral oil, or even baby oil. To perfume unscented oil with spices or rose petals, fill a small lidded jar with whole spices or dried petals and then pour in enough oil to cover. Close the lid tightly and place in a sunny location for a week. Give the jar a good shake a couple of times a day. Strain and discard the spices/petals. If you prefer, you can also perfume the oil with essential oils: Just add them until the desired scent is achieved.
Strips of gauze, cheesecloth, plain cotton, or linen, if you wish to wrap your finished product.
It’s probably somewhat telling that the very first thing you encounter when hitting this site is a popup that says, “To answer your first question – yes, we’re TOTALLY serious!”
The Church of Ed Wood* is an internet church which practices “Woodism.”
Woodism is a pop-culture-based religion created in 1996 by Reverend Steve Galindo. We follow the late cult director Edward D. Wood Jr., and we look to him as a savior. We at The Church of Ed Wood use Ed and his films to inject spirituality into those who get little fulfillment from more mainstream religions like Christianity. By looking at his films and his life, we learn to lead happy, positive lives. We strive for acceptance of others and of the self.
The basic tenets of the religion seem to boil down to “follow your dreams,” “don’t be ashamed of who you are,” and “be accepting of others,” and frankly a lot of more mainstream religions could do worse than to preach those views. The site goes into these in great detail with The Lessons of Wood, and once you have accepted Woodism into your heart you can be baptized right online.
Or if you’re feeling a little more secular you can just buy a T-shirt.
(Hat tip to Emily)
*Note to the seizure-prone: This site is really fond of flashy blinky things.
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Every so often I run across a site and immediately regret it, because I can easily envision it sucking all of the money out of my bank account. The latest entry on that list is Alpha Stamps.
ShellHawk’s Nest recently pointed to their Halloween Stamps page, noting that they’d be excellent motivation to start scrapbooking. They would indeed, and it turns out that Alpha has many more items than just stamps to spend money on enhance your creativity.
One thing I particularly like about the layout is their use of “inspirational” thumbnails throughout the catalog, suggesting interesting uses for various items. The sugar skull stamp, for instance, is accompanied by a beaded, embroidered patch featuring the design. They also have an entire gallery of items made with their products, which is a fantastic source of design ideas.
If you’re looking for the perfect little detail piece for a craft project, check this site out. They have all sorts of lovely things.
Princess Ghibli – “Extreme metal” covers of songs from various Studio Ghibli films. If you’ve ever yearned to hear music from Princess Mononoke as performed by Living Corpse, now’s your chance.
Backlit Bathtub – This is just ridiculously atmospheric. I like the matching sink, too.
The Steampunk Bible – Illustrated compendium which covers the history of the movement and explores its modern-day incarnation. There’s also a companion blog.
Late Bloomer – Odd short film (Sundance Festival entry) which combines high school sex-ed and the writings of H.P. Lovecraft.
Frankentoys – Etsy seller which “repurposes” rescued toys by taking them apart and reassembling various bits. I think Raggedy Tapeworm is my favorite.
Builder’s, Crafter’s Maker’s Rules – The Wondermark Webcomic has been running a series of parody “tinkerer’s handbook” pages. The final one in the series, however, actually has some pretty good rules to Make by.
Shibori is a traditional Japanese technique somewhat similar to tie-dyeing: You clamp, twist, sew, or otherwise bind fabric and then dye it, resulting in interesting patterns. If you choose fabric that tends to shrink (such as wool), the same binding techniques can be used to “mold” three-dimensional surfaces.
Oh my lands, this is comedy gold.
I’m veering into science-fair territory a little bit here, but bear with me.
It’s probably somewhat telling that the very first thing you encounter when hitting this site is a popup that says, “To answer your first question – yes, we’re TOTALLY serious!”
Every so often I run across a site and immediately regret it, because I can easily envision it sucking all of the money out of my bank account. The latest entry on that list is 