WEAR YOUR SUPPORT

You can now purchase the breast cancer bracelets I designed last summer for Aquabrass on my blog. Breast cancer awareness month is fast approaching, so . . . Wear your support!

Select Type

Hope $5.00 Tri-Life $5.00 Communiity $5.00 Perseverance $5.00 Double Strength $5.00 Set of 5 $25.00

Blogging has been a cinch lately thanks to readers sending me tips for all kinds of art and design to write about. A big THANKS to all those who've been pointing me in interesting directions!

One recommendation I received recently was to check out thinkgeek.com. While browsing nerd inventions (some too nerdy even for this geekette), I came across The Freeloader Portable Solar Charger.

The Freeloader powers up from its solar panels or a charging cable that plugs into a computer USB port. Once charged, the internal Li-Ion battery can power any number of different hand held devices such as an iPod for 18hours, a cell phone for 44 hours . . . etc. Once charged, it can store a battery life for up to 3 months! This awesome gadget can be yours for the very reasonable price of $49.99 USD.

USB MICROWAVE

Meet the Beanzawave. This prototype is the world's smallest microwave measuring 7.4 inches tall by 2.6 inches wide and 5.9 inches deep.

The Beanzawave works by using mobile phone radio frequencies to create heat enough to cook food products in under a minute! (It certainly brings up issues of what phone frequencies must be doing to our brains.)

How did this project all start? Heinz asked microwave expert Gordon Andrews and industrial design authority Stephen Frazer to develop this portable USB powered microwave to promote their Snap Pots. Andrews, the managing director of GAMA Microwave Technology, stated that users can 'tune' the radio-frequencies to provide best results.

'It is possible to heat a pie, a burger, a cup of soup or tea in quick time,' Andrews said.

There is talk of making it usable with lithium batteries, meaning the Beanzawave would become a microwave on the go.

Want one? Hold onto your spoons for now fellow nerds, Heinz hasn't released it yet. They might for around $160 if consumer feedback is positive.

PAPER ART

Some examples of paper art.




















Fall, 2008
210 x 240 x 70 cm
140 gsm acid free paper, and glue
by Peter Callesen



















Afterglow, 2007
12" x 12"hand cut cardstock paper
by Jen Stark




















Rundtreppe und Raum, 2008
100 x 75 cm
by Simon Schubert

Book Autopsies, 2008
by Brian Dettmer

Japanese art director and pop-artist Nagi Noda was the creative mind behind this and other such hair hat animal creations.

Noda has created ads for Nike and Coca-cola,album covers and music videos for artists ranging from Hikaru Utada to the Scissor Sisters. Sadly, she died on September 7, 2008 , at the young age of 35, after surgical complications arose from injuries sustained in a traffic accident the previous year.

CRAFT WITH JACKIE

craftwithjackie.com is a site for DIY craft lovers. Although the site has only been up for a couple of months (I know, because I worked on the design), it's already a great resource for those wanting to update their wardrobe on a budget. Jackie's projects are well documented, not to mention adorable. I'm a big fan of the above "Blair Waldorf" inspired headband.

3D CONCRETE

The above image entitled Crevasse is by 3D street artist Edgar Müller. His creations transform everyday surroundings into fantastical scenes. This pavement art piece was created in Dun Laoghaire, Ireland as part of the Festival of World Culture in August 2008. It's 250-square metres and took five days to paint!


Click here or here to see more of Müller's art.