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Handmade icon pillows given as gifts for Christmas
We've seen Apple app icon pillows before, but these are pretty excellent -- TUAW reader Dan G's girlfriend hand-sewed them for him for Christmas. That's the brand new iTunes icon on the right there (though I expected it to be a little more blue), and on the left is the Firefox icon. We won't tell her she got the fox backwards if you won't, Dan. And of course that's the Finder in the middle. Great set of pillows -- I definitely would have been thrilled to see them under the tree last Saturday.
Garrus Plushie turns Mass Effect's ugliest dude into an adorable doll
If we were given the choice of turn any character from the Mass Effect universe into an adorable plush doll, we'd probably lean towards the Elcor, or one of the Krogan -- you know, one of the cuddlier species. Prickly protagonist Garrus Vakarian? Way, way down on the list.
World of WarCrafts: Guild banner ornaments by Pacheco
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page. Happy holidays, everyone! Today, we have a festive crafting project submitted by Pacheco from <The Zug Initiative> of Kael'thas (US-H). This isn't the first time we've seen crafts from The Zug Initiative; Pacheco made Horde-themed cupcakes that were featured in a Guildwatch last year. The guild banner ornament pictured above is simple to make and perfect for giving your tree a little WoW flair. "As a followup to the Horde jingle bell ornaments I sent out last year, I wanted to make an ornament that featured our guild tabard," Pachecho says. "After a bit of trial and error, I came up with the idea of a banner that was easy and would look cute on a tree." "Our guild, <The Zug Initiative> on Kael'Thas, was started by my husband and two of his friends in 2007. It has since grown into a group of family, friends, husbands and wives, boyfriends and girlfriends and is an excellent way for all of us to keep in touch with one another as we are spread across Canada, the U.S. and New Zealand," Pacheco continues. "While we are very much a social guild and take a casual attitude to most things, we still do manage to raid. We made it to 11/12 in ICC during Wrath and some day we'll go back to take Arthas down; but right now we're all having fun in Cataclysm with our mains and alts!" "We'd like to wish all the WoW players out there a very happy Winter Veil and the happiest of holidays!" If you'd like to create a guild banner ornament for yourself or your guildies, check out the gallery below for step-by-step instructions. Thank you for your submission, Pacheco -- we hope to see more of your crafts soon! %Gallery-111677% World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including arts and crafts, fan art, WoW-themed recipes, comics, cosplay, music and fan fiction. Show us how you express yourself by emailing anne@wow.com with your not-for-profit, WoW-inspired creations.
TUAW's Holiday Gift Guide: Crafts with the kids
Welcome to the TUAW Holiday Gift Guide! We've sorted the treasure from the junk and are serving up suggestions to make your holiday gift-giving a little easier. The best holiday helpers are often the ones you already have right at home. Here are some ideas for last minute creations that are fun to put together with your kids. Whether they involve putting together an iPad Moose costume (made out of felt, popsicle sticks, and rubber bands) or building a holder for iAccessories, child-made gifts don't have to be perfect or usable in the long term. They just have to be made with love. Here's a gallery to give you some ideas as a jumping-off point. But don't feel limited by what you see here. Macaroni, glitter glue, pipe cleaners and felt offer a range of expression unlimited except by imagination. %Gallery-111882%
World of WarCrafts: Making music for guildies and friends
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page. What do you get when you mix highly creative musicians with WoW? Why, WoW-themed musical creations, of course! Meet The Efts, a husband-wife geek-pop music team who just happen to play World of Warcraft and have penned several tunes about their favorite video game. Shannon and Loretta Fike, the husband and wife who make up the duo, have written everything from guild themes like the one shown above to songs for fellow guildies and love songs for each other. Shannon was kind enough to give us a few minutes and answer a few questions about his work and how the group's unique sounds are created.
Create your very own Sonic the Sackboy
Ever wonder what it'd be like if Sackboy and Sonic had a kid? Well, let your imagination take a break and check out the real deal past the jump -- complete with instructions on how to make one of your own!.
World of WarCrafts: A feast of cakes
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page. It's the holiday season, which means it's time for sweet treats! Today, we've got a host of World of Warcraft-themed cakes, including the delicious-looking Fish Feast cake pictured above baked by Chef Gyft of Aman'thul (US-A). With Cataclysm's release, the Fish Feast has sadly become obsolete for new level 85s, but this confectionery version -- created for a friend's birthday -- is suitable no matter what level you happen to be. Delicious!
LEGO art pays homage to some of gaming's best
You don't know flickr user Encaja en Camon, but rest assured that the account in question has some pretty awesome and simple LEGO adaptations of famous games and their characters. Above, you can check out Sonic's blocky noggin, while just past the break we've included a couple of our other favorites.
World of WarCrafts: CAT DURIDS IS 4 CUDDELS
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page. Welcome to Monday! To help stave off the Monday blues, today we've got a collection of adorable druid kittens created by Serthida of Bloodhoof (US-H). Astute readers may recognize the name -- Serthida was also responsible for some spectacular flickpainting as well as a couple of moonkins, one conventionally colored and one in a bright shade of pink for Raid for the Cure. Needless to say, all this crafting is old hat to Serthida. Tauren, troll, night elf and worgen -- there's a cuddly kitten for every race here! Check through the gallery below for a close-up look at each of the druid kittens in the litter, and continue on for a short chat with Serthida about the little beasts! %Gallery-107940%
World of WarCrafts: Make your own amigurumi baby murloc for charity
This article has been brought to you by Seed, the Aol guest writer program that brings your words to WoW Insider's pages. Editor's note: Elizabeth Harac, creator of this amigurumi murloc, makes these adorable critters for a charity she established, Hands of Hope, which designed to help inspire and empower children in third-world countries. Read more about Hands of Hope, and join us after the break as Elizabeth shares the pattern along with a step-by-step photo guide on how to make your own amigurumi baby murloc. I have been doing various needlework since I was a child and Mother was trying to keep me still for more than five minutes. Last October, I had the idea that since needlework taught me a lot of things -- like self-confidence, purpose, planning, and relaxation -- it might be helpful as a skill or hobby to other people. I had seen a TV segment about a sewing program in the projects somewhere and how the confidence the girls had gained was flowing into schoolwork and other areas. My original idea was just to find ways to teach needlework to girls in third-world countries where they could use the skills to also raise money for themselves. I needed to make money to make embroidery teaching kits, so I started making amigurumi and selling them. Then I met Betty Makoni. She was a CNN Hero 2009. She runs the Girl Child Network Worldwide. She rescues girls in Africa who have been raped, abused, sold into slavery, forced to be child brides and worse. She loved the idea of the embroidery. In May 2010, we sent 52 kits to Zimbawbwe, and we have requests now for hundreds more. The girl are teaching each other; they are making clubs and using the time to talk about dreams, planning how to reach them, and working through the trauma of abuse. As a victim of rape and abuse myself, my heart went out to these girls.
World of WarCrafts: Vedrim's latest mix
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page. I'm in a music kind of mood it seems -- and today's offering weaves one of the most compelling pieces of the Wrath of the Lich King with hypnotic beats in a trance remix that has been in the works for a long, long time. Back in March of this year, World of WarCrafts got in touch with Vedrim, creator of the "Bound by Bone" mix and chatted with him about music and the creation of his unique mixes. This week, Vedrim returns to the scene with his long-awaited remix of "O Thanagor," more commonly known as "Arthas' Theme" from the Wrath of the Lich King opening cinematic. Did I say long-awaited? I meant it -- this mix has been an astonishing seven months in the making. We got a chance to get caught up with Vedrim and ask him about his latest work; keep reading for more after the break.
World of WarCrafts: The musical stylings of Evan Freeman
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page. It's Monday and instead of a feast for the eyes or taste buds, this week, we've got a feast for the ears! When people hear the word "crafts," they generally assume something involving pen and paper, possibly tiny scissors or glue. But sometimes a picture or a story can't really properly convey just what it is the crafter is trying to say. Take Evan Freeman, who creates songs both Warcraft- and StarCraft-inspired, for example. While others craft artwork and stories, Evan crafts tunes inspired by his favorite games, including the above video -- a love song and lament for the loss of the beloved druid tree form. Evan was kind enough to sit down with us to talk about writing and playing music, and of course, trees. Keep reading for more info and another of Evan's game-inspired tunes, after the break.
More information on crafting in Final Fantasy XIV
Final Fantasy XIV's crafting system is rich with detail, requiring a fair bit of knowledge from players in order to successfully craft items. Not everything is explained in the game from the start, however, giving players the chance to experiment and learn what works best for themselves. There was a prior developer dispatch regarding the crafting system, but the team at Square-Enix has just released a new FAQ detailing some of the more subtle variants of crafting. While it's not full of formulae to let players make the optimal crafting build, it certainly does shed a great deal of light on the previous unknowns for the system. Most players had noticed sparks produced from their synthesis on more than one occasion, but up until now it wasn't clear what the sparks represented. Apparently, the aetherial sparks (as they are referred to in the dispatch) come from straining the materials, either by trying to work too fast or attempting to craft something outside of your skill range. The FAQ also covers elemental destabilization and the effects of various craft-related attributes, such as Control helping to avoid both destabilization and sparking. Final Fantasy XIV's burgeoning crafter population should take a look at the news, as it might mean the difference between a fresh suit of armor and a fresh set of botched crafts.
Handmade Plants vs Zombies figurines are just so precious
Etsy user AnUnclesMonkey recently homebrewed a quartet of Plants vs. Zombies figurines -- all based on living species from the game. Act quickly, and you could even purchase one, including the Torchwood, Kernel Pult, Hypnoshroom or Peashooter (seen here).
World of WarCrafts: Moser's Magnificent Muffins
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page. Do you know the muffin man? I'm talking about Muffin Man Moser down in Shattrath. Since Wrath of the Lich King, business has been woefully slow for poor Moser, who sells the usual bread and pie alongside his specialty, the Magnificent Muffin. Hardly anybody travels to Shattrath these days, and it's not looking like Cataclysm's going to really change that since those handy portals are possibly disappearing, which means you'd really have to go out of your way for Moser's Magnificent Muffins. Well, why travel to Shattrath when you can whip these puppies up at home in no time at all? I must warn you, however -- these muffins are so magnificent that you may swear off those plain old Conjured Muffins for good. We'll see you in the kitchen, after the break.
Cartroid: Samus built from old Nintendo cartridges
We've all got old, crummy games laying around. You could either throw those away or you could make a nice piece of folk art, like this sculpture of Samus created by JJ Hendricks. To check out more shots of the Plastic Varia Suit version of Samus, hit up the link below.
Console controllers meet iPhone, but not in the way you'd think
Etsy artisans GeekUnique have found a unique use for old console controllers: iPhone/iPod docks. The husband and wife team guts the old pads and retrofits them with official Apple sync cables. On offer: NES, PS1, N64 -- even a Zapper! They also mod game carts and ... 8-track tapes?
World of WarCrafts: The dark art of Christopher Bennett
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on WoW Insider's Arts and Crafts in WoW page. Is it Monday already? Fear not -- we've got some incredible art to shake up the start of the work week! In a game populated with cuddly critters and pretty scenery, we sometimes forget that the world of Warcraft is a dark, dark place. Not so for artist Christopher Bennett, whose fan art twists the world of Azeroth into a dark mirror of itself. Christopher runs a Forsaken-only RP guild on Wyrmrest Accord (US-H) called <Scythe of Sylvanas> and has done more than a few pieces inspired by his undead characters and companions. %Gallery-104913% Continue on for a chat with Christopher and his unique approach to the Warcraft universe, after the break.
The Mog Log: World of Craft-craft
Crafting is optional in Final Fantasy XIV, but that word doesn't mean what it usually means in games. You don't have to take any local levequests or take part in crafting to level up, but you'll find yourself far more constrained and advancing your physical level far more slowly if you ignore the crafting side of things. It should be obvious, really -- combining local and regional guildleves gives you plenty of content, but just doing one or the other might leave you feeling a bit spare, and a full half of the classes are crafting classes to begin with. Of course, the problem quickly turns from "should I bother crafting" to "where do I start?" And that's not even touching on issues of inventory, crafts that work well with others, and which crafts support which classes. So this week, I'm going to take a look at crafting as I've seen it thus far and offer some tips on keeping yourself balanced and sane. Or at least minimizing the enraged outburst when you botch the synthesis at 99%.
World of WarCrafts: The Helvetica Venture
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page. Recipes, action figures, art -- the fans of Warcraft are a creative bunch, and Kyt Dotson is no exception. Rather than artwork or crafts, however, Kyt creates vivid worlds with the written word. Kyt's latest work, The Helvetica Venture, can be found on Vox Ex Machina. The story involves a starting blood elf character named Helvetica and her adventures in Azeroth, but it takes a humorous twist to the usual form of narrative storytelling. On the table nearby, taking up the only clear space in the entire room, is a green box. Imagine a box, an ordinary 5¼"x 7½" video game box sporting fold-out inserts for the cover and a preternatural lightness to its heft that belies the contents stored within. Emblazoned over the surface-above the oh-so-handsome staring face of a blonde elf with vorpal eyebrows and nuclear green eyes-display the words: World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade. "You haven't played one of these games before, have you?" asked the screen that comes up after she installs the game. Take a look after the break for more information about Helvetica and her creator.
