Show and Tell

I’m not much of an artist, but I have had some modicum of success as a copy-crafter. I learned to make felt little toys. I used this book: Woolbuddies. The critters are not my design, but I was able to recreate the designs from the book.

For the record, cats can tear one of these suckers apart in about 10 minutes.

34 Likes

Your work goes a bit deeper than a dabble!
Very nice design work. What is the text translation on your haunted Samurai? That bike (8bit camo?) Turned out great!
That holiday window dressing shines too. Cool idea! That tree in the corner looks like a marketable idea, make a cool night light!
Build and produce festivals not count?? That has to be a great opportunity for you to explore and express yourself in several of the directions you are capable of. Wide skill set there!
Thanks for sharing!

Thank you @rebecca! Dark Designs has it goin’ on, just sayin’.

@marmak3261 you make me hungry!
Cooking/baking is a creative skill I never picked up, but my Wife shines at it!
The art you make doesn’t last long does it? Working with materials produces items you can look at and enjoy, but the kitchen skill produces gifts to consume. Gifts to the body. There is a kind of magic in that. (especially baking)
Killer ravioli! What did you fill it with?
Make your own tools, make your own food. Just add a laser and watch what happens!
Thank you for sharing with us!

@mpipes - Wow!
I’d need another 20 years added to my lifespan to do a project like that!
I dismantled, restored and reassembled a '66 Mustang, but I didn’t design and manufacture it! That chassis looks to be composite? Lithium ion storage?
Yes, many little trials and assemblies that will culminate into a one-of-a-kind. Man, the ambition needed to tackle that kind of project…
Many restoration projects begin with the best of intentions, but end up being sold in boxes. Very few could even attempt such an ambitious project… you still married?:stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: If so, you got a good woman! If not, try not to hold it against her - it’s not easy living with a possesed gearhead… or artist, and you appear to be both.:sunglasses:

@ian, as a skilled illustrator - Glowforge was meant for you! It’s almost a fantasy for me to have the ability to just drop my artwork into a laser and have it duplicated on my choice of leather or wood or… or…!
All, excellent work - but the Mother and child… that is exemplary of you skill. Outstanding!
Thanks for sharing yourself!

Hahaha @rebecca! I’ll bet the cats know when you are engaged making another one! They are as cute as can be, I see why you were drawn to the idea.
Just the fact that you are compelled to craft says there is an artist in there looking for expression. A big box is going to enter your world soon, and that urge is going to bust loose!
Give it free reign, you’ll be pleased where it takes you.
Thank you for sharing with us!

6 Likes

I love these!

2 Likes

Those are really cute. Any chance of you able to adapt that style and apply it to the design of the owls I use in my tree project? The Tree was a gift to a friend and her kid is loving it as a nightlight. Would be a nice followup gift to her and her son. If you are interested please shoot me a PM and we can discuss the details.

1 Like

The Samurai/ Kendo armor has the kanji for ‘hebi’ (Snake) on one side and this side it reads ‘bu syo’ (Military commander). The armor is part of my friends cosplay costume supposed to portrait Cobra Commander from GI.Joe as he would be in the Edo period in Japan.

The bike is digital snow camouflage as used ingame by a plethora of developers. I’ve never seen in real life used by the military though…

I share your love with SCUBA too. Although I limit myself to the hot places. So Caribbean and Thailand. I’ve stumbled upon my share of octopi but only once in the open. Very special.

3 Likes

I dabble in a lot of creative areas. These samples show the diversity.


Lighthouse Cribbage Board - started out as a winter project for myself made with basic shop tools. Ended up getting 100 cut & drilled on someone else’s CNC router (that’s when I learned about CNC) that I painted and sold.


Cut this sign on my CNC router for friends’ rental house.


One of my “Woodworker Wisdoms” shirts that I expect will be available in a woodworking store soon.


Ski coat rack made for my new office/studio using skis I picked up at the transfer station.


Armoire I built to hide the laser printer in my wife’s office.


Last weekend, I took a class on designing and carving canoe paddles (that shirt is one of my designs, too).


Wooden hand mirror made on my CNC router. This was a custom request for a Christmas gift. The next year, the buyer ordered another for Lara’s sister.


Guide to Understanding New Hampshire Expressions postcard (aka feelings faces postcard).


My best selling t-shirt design.


Water pitcher stand for my wife’s office.

26 Likes

I need that coping T! Great idea.
Nice woodwork there Sir! The water pitcher stand is qute elegant, the hand mirror as well.
Looks to be a proving ground for your paddle behind you, motivation for the class? Beautiful grounds.
That coat race would be a big hit here in Colorado! It occurs to me, a mod to the bracing would allow storage in the center for umbrellas, canoe paddles and such. :thumbsup:

I know like me, you lie in bed at night thinking of all the ways you are going to employ your 'forge!
Thanks for your share!

Thanks @printolaser! The coping T is 1 of 7 designs in that series. My wife’s office decore has a tree theme so I wanted an organic shape. It’s a little hard to see but I designed a pine tree tab and slot to hold the two half-circles of the top base. In the paddle photo, I’m in my parents’ yard where I grew up. That’s now marshland back there. Could have paddled it in the spring when I was a kid. There were several motivations for taking the class. First, it was an excuse to check in on my parents since the class was in their town. Second, the place hosting the class is also the store that is considering carrying the shirts so it was a chance to drop of some mockups. Finally, it was a chance to combine my interest in canoeing with my interest in woodworking. Great mod idea on the coat rack. I ended up putting a circle of plywood over the cross brace to form a shelf. Yes, I have a very long list of Glowforge project ideas forming.

2 Likes

The background scenery of the paddle pic is enchanting. You sure you weren’t in Lothlorien?

2 Likes

If so, then I’m an elf. I always took it for granted growing up until I was a teen and everyone who came to the house said how beautiful the marsh and wooded hills were. That row of pine trees started out as random trees throughout the field that my dad dug up and transplanted into a straight line just for something to do.

4 Likes

I love looking through what you all have made! Inspiring!

As for me, I make so many things already, I really don’t “need” another super awesome tool like a laser cutter…but, I make so many things already, I need a super awesome tool like a laser cutter to see what else I can make! Yep, that’s how my reasoning works! neeed laaaser maaachiiine. * wipes drool off her chin *

I am not a master of anything yet, but know a little about a lot. I melt scrap silver and gold down and make my own wire and sheet, and turn it into jewelry…

I love paper and play with it a lot, from screenprinting, letterpressing, and scrapbooking, to awesome 3d stuff…like this cute, but pretty useless paper camper…

And these (mostly) letterpressed cards…

I have a vinyl cutter and play with that a lot. Besides decals, I make pretty rad signs from old cabinet doors and windows.

I am part hippie and love natural stuff, so I made my own lip balms and skin salves, one salve in particular turned out really good and heals all sorts of skin ailments! My dad said it’s the only stuff he’s found to clear up his psoriasis, and I just had a lady contact me looking for more 'cause it’s been clearing up some follicular cysts that she had, and the doctors told her there was nothing they could do to help. Yay for nature!

The newest obsession I have is fiber. I have been spinning yarn…which includes taking my wheel apart, cleaning and painting it, washing raw wool, dying it, making art batts, and spinning it. Since I got all of this awesome handspun yarn, and no shows to sell it at, I figured I should learn how to make something with it, so I learned how to weave, and I’m learning how to crochet.

When I have the time, I also enjoy woodworking and upcycling all sorts of things.


^^ That was made by three of us, in about 8 hours, for a local fundraiser, called “Spontaneous Construction” for the Home Resource here in Missoula.

If you want to look through more photos of what I’ve made, the best place is on Facebook. I recently opened a shop and now sell on Etsy!

Anyways, hope this didn’t turn out too long, I can’t tell in these little boxes.

And keep the photos coming guys, I love looking through them! If you sell online, post links too…might do a little gift shopping! :wink:
Blessings!

25 Likes

Nice! I love the camper, the signs, and especially the sink!

3 Likes

Thanks! :smiley: The Home Resource auctions off the best items made that day, and our sink was one of them. We can choose to keep what we made, or donate, and we donated…it’s just a fun day of getting creative! It was all plumbed and ready to go, and sold for over $500, to the owners of the Home Resource! :astonished: We were totally surprised by that one!

3 Likes

That sounds like a great fundraiser.

1 Like

Wow lots of neat stuff posted here!

@printolaser I am single, never been married, and no prospects at the moment so I have plenty of time to focus/obsess. :slight_smile: Yes, the chassis and suspension components are all carbon fiber composite. Well, the whole thing, everything you see that’s black except for the wheels and tires are all CF composite. Yes, lithium iron phosphate cells for energy storage, mounted in the chassis tub underneath the floor which has not been built yet - you can see a small section of the pack under the seats in the photo above

2 Likes

Wow! Yes, you do!
Metal - melting, annealing, pulling, rolling / fiber - spinning, textiles / screen printing, letter pressing… The forge is going to provide you with yet another avenue of creativity to venture down!
Being new to lasers I am anxious to join you on that journey with all its lessons - an experience that I would not have the chance at if it weren’t for the price point on the Glowforge.
Besides the entry price, how awesome is it that our own hand drawn art can be dropped into it and exicuted from that?!
Thank you for sharing with us!

2 Likes

Very impressive. Did you lay all of that fiber yourself?
You do have a distinct advantage in that there is no spouse to vie for the time that your project requires, and you can choose to ignore little tasks without being reminded how good you are at spending your time where you shouldn’t.
My wife of 37 years is practiced at helping me “find” that balance!: zipper_mouth: - and helping me avoid places I should not let me go…

3 Likes

Yes, I laid up all the carbon fiber myself. It’s all one-off, moldless style building using carved/shaped foam as the primary form to build around.

1 Like

I was wondering what it was made of. This is amazing.

1 Like

How was the design accomplished?
Man, you have a lot of blood invested in that. See the light at the end yet?