Posts tagged: alternative
Alternative Gift Wrap: Free Printable Pillow Box.
By ChrisjobJulie from UpUp Creative is celebrating the one-year anniversary of her excellent Etsy shop UpUp.
And to celebrate? Why, this free, printable pillow gift box in a delightful Etsy orange. Just in time for the holidays, it looks as if it would add a little handcrafted touch to those not as personal gifts, like gift cards or that rolled twenty bones.
How To: Create an Art Easel from a Pair of Recycled Crutches.
By ChrisjobI know this is weird, but when I was a kid, I longed to break my ankle or a foot so I could walk around on crutches. I know, I know, but the kids always got to leave class early, and everyone did all these nice things like carry their lunch tray....
Had I broken something, and were there a pair of 12-year-old crutches in my parents' basment, I'd probably make one of these: an easel. And even though I don't have a pair, the technique could stil » READ MORE
How To: Print With Bubble Wrap.
By ChrisjobThe repeated circular pattern with the inconsistencies of air makes bubble wrap a fascinating stamp for inking and printing. DaisyYellow has a great tutorial here.
(Honestly, I find the photo of the material as attractive as the results.)
Energy Seed generates street light from old batteries
By Doug Aamoth
What a smart solution to the problem of improper disposal of alkaline batteries! The "Energy Seed" concept comes from designers Sungwoo Park and Sunhee Kim. It's basically a receptacle for old batteries that collectively harnesses the leftover juice from all the batteries that are placed inside and uses it to power an LED street light.
This is a great idea for just about any environmentally-conscious neighborhood, but I'd actually like one o » READ MORE
Talk and Live Like a Pirate!
By lilybeeIn honour of International Talk Like A Pirate Day here's a few ways you could cease to be a landlubber and move your ah, booty onto the open seas.
Starting with a real Pirate Ship.
This 47' Ketch by Vagabond looks the part, it sleeps 6 and has 2, 'heads'. (I think that means loos). It's berthed in Spain and can be yours for only 139,000 euro... or possibly some gold doubloons.
Don't know how to sail? How about a 56' motor yacht?
DIY Solar cooker
By intouchoz
This was made back in the late 60's as an experiment by the author's late father. The drawings have been embellished slightly, but essentially they remain close to the original concept.
According to the author, the solar cooker worked extremely well, even on a slightly overcast day. It managed to cook a large range of food items and even baked a loaf of bread, so don't limit your imagination with this brilliant DIY concept.
Over the years, » READ MORE
How to Make Crafty Fridge Magnets.
By Chrisjob "Food comes in all kinds of shapes, sizes, and packages. Your kitchen cabinets, pantry drawers, and refrigerator shelves are already filled with marvelous little boxes and baggies of goodies. Some of these are cultural icons, others are silly modern wonders of neo-retro design.You may even have your own little collection of interesting little containers in the form of left-over little boxes of candy from Halloween. What can you do with all th » READ MORE
Are Wind Farms an Eyesore?
By DIY Maven
Yesterday, while traveling through southwestern Minnesota, we came upon several clusters of wind generators nestled in among red barns and stands of maple and pine. The scene reminded me of Jason Jones’s report last month on The Daily Show in which he investigated the brouhaha over the proposed wind farm off the shore of Cape Cod. (Opponents claim it would ruin their view of the cape; although, if I remember correctly, in an artist rendering of » READ MORE
Corn Fed Furnaces
By DIY Maven
Sometimes, in exploring alternative energies, one must look back to look forward. Case in point: The biomass stove. It all started with Ben Franklin, who invented the iron furnace stove. Then, in 1973, Mike Haefner tweaked Ben’s baby and created the first certified biomass fuel stove. The improvement lay in the fact that Mike’s creation burned biomass.
Question #1
What’s biomass? Biomass itself is the process of turning trees and plant materia » READ MORE