Rauz writes -

This is a instructable describing how to cumbersomely export your existing iTunes album art and arrange all the covers into a huge grid, leaving you with a gigantic, colourful and vibrant mishmash of popular culture ready for printing and, maybe later, your wall!

I decided I wanted to do this a couple of nights ago and now I’ve come up with a method, it’s not really complicated but can be rather time-consuming depending on how large your library is.
I have around 800 albums with attached album art and it took at least an hour, granted most of that time is spent watching your computer doing all the work for you.

The process requires you to download some free applications (links supplied) and you also need a new-ish version of Photoshop (I use CS3) although I’ll show you an alternate way of getting basically the same results with Google’s free digital photo organizer, Picasa2.

Make a huge printable poster from your iTunes album art! - Link.

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I love it when crafters take things in their own hands to make stuff for a good cause. Take Susan of joybucket who is making these reusable grocery bags out of old rice bags.

Susan writes:

The idea is to take empty 50lb rice bags that restaurants use and sew them into reusable grocery bags. 100% of the money earned from each bag is going directly to Phnom Penh Orphan Home in Cambodia through an organization called Asia’s Hope. It looks like our local Chipotle restaurants are on board to save bags for us. Each restaurant averages 20 bags a week that would just become trash. I think the only problem we are going to face is how to keep stocked in bags.

Read more about Susan’s reusable grocery bags and Asia’s Hope on joybucket. - Link.

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Giovanni writes -

Scott Bartlett has put together a fantastic looking tube amplifier. The tube amplifier kit is the popular and inexpensive K-502 tube amp kit.

K-502 Tube Amplifier Kit - Link.

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Eve at Craft Tutorials has a new challenge for you.

Eve writes:

I would like to have a new design for the banner + a button for Craft Tutorials Blog. The size is 770 x 140 pixels and the winner will have his/her design as a banner until the end of the year!

The deadline is August 1st. To find out more, visit the Craft Tutorials blog here. - Link.

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Click To Play

This year of making videos has been awesome! Making something and then making a video about how to make it every week has been an incessant and intense year! Let’s celebrate by making a jam jar jet!

This pulse jet works by igniting a flame, which pushes the gas out of the jar and then bit of a vacuum that it leaves sucks the air back in and the circle is repeated. Watch the video and download the pdf to learn how to make it!

I haven’t done this alone, the guests on the show have brought their expertise to it. Thanks to everyone who’s been a part of this show! Also, thanks to you for watching and commenting!

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Wow, this is some type of kid sequencer of sorts on Etsy… Rarebeasts writes -

This is a unique handmade toy that will fascinate both kids and adults.

I started making this toy as a first birthday present for my daughter, she and every one else had so much fun with it I am now making a few more. This is a very unique toy and I’ve never seen anything like it in the shops.

Press on a shape and it will make a noise, it will put that noise into one of 8 sound slots, the noise will now be made each time that slot is reached. So it is possible to make endless combinations of the 4 sounds. There are 8 LEDs(light emmiting diodes) for each sound slot and 4 four LEDs for each sound. It sounds complicated but its as simple as pressing down on the shapes to activate sounds and let it take off from there.

I think kids from 6 months will enjoy this item, both my daughter(1) and son(3) have had a lots of fun with it. I’ve also seen adults have fun with this one.

All of the components are locked in place or glued down to avoid any choking hazards. The finish on the wood is bees wax which is non toxic and can be given a good old chew by kids.

R-Tronic 8-Bit - Link.

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Treehugger points to these forest friendly colored pencils available at Fred Flare. These pencils are made from sustainably harvested California cedar trees. Perfect for the back to school list this fall. Just $8. [ via ] Link.

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Showering + Tetris - Link.

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This is a neat, a LOMO kit that can be a 35mm camera, slide projector, enlarger & a magnifying glass -

Your days of mindless play and whimsical fancy have come to a close. Now that you have arrived at this important growth stage, your further development requires true inspiration – not the blithe bouncing of a rubber ball or cradling of a lifeless doll. Peel open your assigned LOMO Meccano Erector Set and prepare to greatly advance your powers of critical thought and mechanical prowess. Using this collection of precise modular instruments, you can erect the following five creations…

LOMO Meccano Erector Set, Thanks Kevin - Link.

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I’ve only been to Burningman once and I couldn’t help but look at things as electronics projects and kits - one of projects “playaflies” consisted of LEDs inside ping pong balls and then attached to wires/PVC pipe, at night when attached to a bicycle they take on the movement of the rider as they move about, it’s a neat effect - here’s more about them as well as how to make your own… Link.

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