RedNeckOreo writes -

I originally made this as a craft for my 2 nephews and my niece, then I made another to use in my 5th grade school project on the Great Barrier Reef. Not only is this a great project for your little ones or as a good touch in a marine school project, even as an aquatic addition to your cubicle! It’s pretty simple, and customizable. Hope you have fun with it!

CD ROM Fish CraftLink.

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Rackbron writes -

This video shows some of the basic functions of my project The Rackbox. It does not do much of value, except fun:) Everything inside is monitored. So any faults and the system knows.

The project consists of 7 AVR driven modules, each with it’s own tasks. Signals are sent between the modules to exchange information.

All fuses, power supplies and modules is monitored for faults. The temperature and lights inside the box is also controlled. Thanks David!

AVR Projects - Link.

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Bryan Mumford has a few really interesting projects, I like “The Automatic Puny Tune Player”, he writes -

The Automatic Puny Tune Player is a computerized Puny Tune “robot” that plays songs on an actual wooden Puny Tune by blowing air into the mouthpiece and opening and closing the finger holes with mechanical levers. For those who don’t know, the Puny Tune is a 4-holed flute that can play a chromatic octave by fingering the four holes in different combinations.

The Puny Tune Player is made from wood, brass, rubber, and acrylic. The mechanical components are mounted on top of a clear plastic sheet which covers the computer and electronic components.

To operate the machine, you turn the hand crank seen at the right side of the cabinet. This drives an oak and brass crankshaft which in turn operates three pistons in the clear acrylic cylinders. These pistons pump air into an oak reservoir chamber at the back of the cabinet. Two tall rubber bellows absorb this air and inflate as the air is delivered. When the two bellows are fully inflated, they close a switch which activates the computer, a Z80 single board controller.

Bryan Mumford - Link.

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Seattle based artist Casey Curran makes these intricate hand crank assemblages out of twine, bass wood, books, and handbent wire… Here’s a video of a crank fly - Link.

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This week’s CRAFT Pattern Podcast from Burda Style is the final piece to create your own signature pant suit. Pair these pants up with the Steffi Jacket and the Franzi Vest, and you’ve got a complete look you’ve made yourself! For additional info on the entire outfit, visit the Steffi, Franzi, and Ellen pant suit page on Burda Style.

• Download this week’s CRAFT pattern PDF - Link.

Subscribe to the CRAFT podcast and get this pattern and other CRAFT content delivered automatically via iTunes - Link

There’s also still time to enter Burda Style’s Design and Pattern Competition! The deadline has been extended to July 15th. There are 2 categories: Design-based competiton and Pattern-based competition, both with cash prizes. Plus there’s nothing to lose! Interesting and creative submissions that didn’t win will still be featured on the site! See which category you fit best by visiting Burda Style for more info. - Link.

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Troy writes -

How to build a TV Lift cabinet using an off-the-shelf dresser drawers and an off-the-shelf TV Lift Kit from Firgelli Automations. You could easily spend many thousands of dollars on a custom built cabinet with TV Lift, but for about $500. You could spend more, depending on the ready-to-build furnature you buy, but ours was quite inexpensive.

TV Lift Cabinet in under three hours - Link.

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Rich Willis put a Mac Mini in an abandoned Macintosh cube acrylic enclosure, nice mod. Bonus points for the laser keyboard - Link.

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This fellow is building an Arp 2600ish modular using Music From Outer Space modules, wow! He writes -

So, 17 years ago I made a huge, HUGE mistake… I sold my dearly beloved ARP 2600 in order to buy an Atari STFM (remember those?)

I always regretted doing this, and recently thought about getting another 2600. The problem is that second hand prices are ridiculously high - one went on ebay recently for over £2,500! and the Macbeth M5 at £3,000 is way beyond my reach.

What to do, what to do??… Build my own!

The BroadWave synthesizer. Thanks Kaden! - Link.

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Here’s a nice PIC controlled LED lamp…

The original RGB PWM driver application that I wrote in 2004 had a few shortcomings. Probably the biggest was that it was not easy to add to or change the sequences. This new version addresses that problem, is more flexible and now includes the ability to put the PIC to ’sleep’ and ‘wake’ it again using the sequence select switch, eliminating the need for an on/off switch in battery powered applications.

The circuit uses (RGB) Red, Green and Blue high brightness LEDs that are pulse width modulated (PWM) to vary the intensity of each colour LED. This allows effectively any colour to be generated with rapid changing strobe effects, fast and slow colour fades as well as static colours. The data used to set and change the colours is held in an easy to edit file so if you don’t like the sequences provided with it, you can modify the sequence data include file yourself and reprogram with your own sequences.

The code can be assembled for use with the following PICs: 12F629, 12F675, 12F683. Just select the correct processor in the MPLAB IDE before assembling.

RGB LED controller - Link.

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Teresa Levy of Sewing Stars
Site - Link.
Blog - Link.
Flickr - Link.

Last holiday season I took a trip over to Rhode Island for Craftland and one of the great crafty ladies I got to meet there was Teresa Levy of Sewing Stars. Teresa makes the cutest plush dolls and animals from her signature bunny to her recent ice cream heads and apple dolls. She also makes a handful of other cool things such as 2 pattern booklets so far on small toys, bags, paper goods, and even paintings. This gal never stops so I got a chance to talk to Teresa more to find out more about the ins and outs of a crafty business and what’s in store for her in the crafty future.

And a quick note for all you Southern California crafters, Teresa will be at Felt Club this Sunday in LA.

Nat: How do you manage your craft business while working a full time job?

Teresa: Oops! Does it still say that on my website? I need to update that full-time crafty lady! I left my job last fall to pursue Sewing Stars full time, and I have been supplementing here and there with temp jobs. It has been great so far, and although I do have my days where I wonder what next, I am a million times happier than I used to be.

Nat: Do you have any tips for crafters on business?

Teresa: Stay as organized as you can. That is something I need to work on for myself, actually!

I also find that my blog is an excellent marketing tool along with Flickr. Because I am small it is hard to know what will be big sellers and what won’t, so getting feedback from the blog readers is an excellent barometer as to where to go with a new idea.

Nat: What kinds of crafts do you enjoy to do most?

Teresa: Well, my crafting actually really runs the gamut. My favorite items to make are the plush dolls and mohair bears. For me they are more challenging work and keep my interest going. I also like doing the more mundane types of tasks like paper punching all the circles for buttons sets. There are moments when I need to do something totally different and I will clear off my sewing table and sit & draw for a while. Part of the reason I do so many different crafts is to keep me on my toes, and not get myself stuck any ruts.

Nat: If you had time to learn a new craft, what would you like to learn and why?

Teresa: Ceramics! I have always wanted to learn how to use a potter wheel. It seems like such a fun and interesting way to use material. It also incorporates painting and sculpture all in one which seems like so much fun. Someday I will learn how!

Nat: What are some of your favorite recent projects?

Teresa: Well, the ice cream dolls are my current favorite. That is always the way, though. The items I am most currently developing are always my favorites…I also am still quite happy with the giant squid & sperm whale plush too.

Nat: What are you currently working on this summer?

Teresa: Well, aside from getting ready for the holiday season, I am also developing a third pattern booklet, and a stuffed toy kit that I hope to debut on the site in September.

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