Arts & Crafts – smiling pockets

Category Archives:Arts & Crafts

May. 14.

Origami-Inspired Kayak

By rebecca | Posted in Art & Design, Arts & Crafts |

Enjoy kayaking so much you would want to own your own boat that you could carry with you and go kayaking anytime, anywhere? Oru Kayak makes that possible with its origami-inspired kayak which “unfolds quickly, easily, and almost magically” out of a box. The boat is 12’ long, 25” wide, and 13” high, with reinforced cockpit and padded seat and backrest. It becomes its own carrying case (33″x29″x10″), with space to hold a life vest, paddle, and other accessories.

Know more about this origami kayak at Oru Kayak (via Holy Kaw!)

Tagged: Origami kayak, Oru kayak

Apr. 13.

Recreating the Jaws Scene … in a bottle

By rebecca | Posted in Art & Design, Arts & Crafts, Ships in bottles |

Gabrielle Rogers and Stefan Auer build ships in bottles and were requested to build the boat from the 1975 movie Jaws. They did, with superb craftsmanship, and added the shark! They posted the tedious construction process at their website.

(via Reddit; Neatorama)

Tagged: Jaws scene in bottle

Feb. 06.

Paper anatomy

By rebecca | Posted in Art & Design, Papercraft |

The incredible skill of paper artist Lisa Nilsson made this anatomical cross section look like the real one. Inspect closer; it’s actually made of rolled papers, a tedious process called quilling. The artist’s remarkable artworks are currently on display at Boston Art Gallery.

(via Colossal)

Tagged: Anatomical cross-sections in paper, Paper anatomy by Lisa Nilsson, Quilled anatomy

Dec. 30.

Knitted monster masks/helmets to beat the winter cold

By rebecca | Posted in Arts & Crafts, Knitted Art |

Wearing one of these knitted monster masks/helmets by Tracy Widdess of Brutal Knitting would be a fun way to beat the winter cold, especially if you’re celebrating New Year on the streets of New York to witness the final moments of 2012 and wait for the countdown to 2013. See more of these fantastic designs at the creator’s facebook page; they’re available by commission. (via Obvious Winner)

Tagged: Brutal Knitting, Knitted Monster Mask, Tracy Widdess

Dec. 28.

Reindeer papercraft toy

By rebecca | Posted in Arts & Crafts, Papercraft, Toy |

Isn’t this a really cute reindeer papercraft from Media Molecule? Well, you can actually make this yourself because it’s available for download as a tearaway papercraft, just grab some scissors and glue.

(via Super Punch)

Tagged: Reindeer papercraft

Dec. 20.

Canary, a porcelain sculpture by Kate McDowell

By rebecca | Posted in Art & Design, Arts & Crafts, Sculpture |

A beautifully crafted porcelain sculpture by conceptual artist Kate McDowell. Her works express the often distressing relationship between humans and the environment.

The artist’s statement:

These pieces are in part responses to environmental stressors including climate change, toxic pollution, and gm crops.

[...] I chose porcelain for its luminous and ghostly qualities as well as its strength and ability to show fine texture. It highlights both the impermanence and fragility of natural forms in a dying ecosystem, while paradoxically, being a material that can last for thousands of years and is historically associated with high status and value. I see each piece as a captured and preserved specimen, a painstaking record of endangered natural forms and a commentary on our own culpability.

See more of the artist’s stunning creations at her online portfolio.

(via Colossal)

Tagged: Kate McDowell, Porcelain canary, Porcelain sculpture

Dec. 07.

Make your Igloo Cooler cooler!

By rebecca | Posted in Arts & Crafts |

This is an ordinary looking Igloo cooler:

Now, this is cooler — a pirate chest cooler!

ShutUpLori made this for a boss who, I suspect, is freezing some gold (chocolate!) coins in there. The good news? You can make your Igloo cooler this awesome because the instructions are provided at Imgur.

(via Incredible Things)

Tagged: Pirate chest cooler

Dec. 04.

Pull-tab lampshade

By rebecca | Posted in Art & Design, Arts & Crafts, Lamps and lights |

Gerard Paschke turned an energy drink can and a lot of pull-tabs into this beautiful lampshade. You can see more of his creations at his Etsy shop, License to Craft.

(via Recyclart)

Tagged: Beer can lamps, Pull-tab lampshades, Upcycled pull-tabs

Dec. 02.

Taxidermied Steampunk Bobcat

By rebecca | Posted in Arts & Crafts, Taxidermy |

This awesome bobcat had a badly tanned hide, with fur slipping off half its face. Instead of throwing it away, Phoenix-Cry decided to taxidermy it and voila! It’s one gorgeous looking steampunk bobcat. The bald spots were replaced with leather and metal. The cat was mounted on hollowed out books.

(Phoenix-Cry, via Obvious Winner)

Tagged: Taxidermied steampunk bobcat

Nov. 29.

Solar Cannon Alarm Clock

By rebecca | Posted in Arts & Crafts, Clocks/Watches |

It looks like a cute collectible toy, but it’s actually a working miniature cannon mounted on a sundial that fires up to signal 12 o’clock noon. At solar midday, the magnifying glass concentrates the beam of sunlight on the fuse of gunpowder at the touch hole and fires the cannon. This interesting device was popular in the 17th to 18th century. It was seen to be in use at the Palais Royale in Paris, France in the late 17th century.

Source: littlegun.info, via peashooter85; Neatorama