Etsy artisan BaconFactory creates the most stunning word burned art portraits I’ve ever seen – and I absolutely love how many of the subjects are decidedly geeky in nature.
Hang the Joker portrait from The Dark Knight and ask your guests, “why so serious?” Or perhaps an iconic pose from the Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter films would make a perfect nod to your fandom of their respective series. Star Wars and World of Warcraft are also duly represented (the pyrography portrait of a Night Elf is especially breathtaking). And for those wanting to pay homage to silver screen Hollywood ingénues, Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn are yours for the wood burned bliss.
Insert obligatory joke about how they already give you “wood” here. ;)
Like sands down a picture frame … this is my productivity sliding down the tubes.
Will these desktop sand windows back up my hard drive? No. Help me take better pictures, make better meatloaf, or woo my dream woman? No. Can this thing even find lost car keys? No. But it will briefly help you forget that you lost them!
Just let the flowing sands cased within a black beech-wood or walnut picture frame slide over one another. While the sand windows’ speeds and directions change to form their own perfect landscapes before your eyes, it’s like watching the creation of an utterly unique work of art, right before your eyes – and right by your side at your desk or on your end-table.
It’s instant, customizable, interactive art at your fingertips. It’s unusual we wax philosophical about these products, but it really reaffirms the miracle of something being created from nothing to watch something so simple as moving sands create a seemingly random (yet undeniably beautiful) landscape before one’s own eyes. Each sand window also includes a small syringe for removing water and air, the regulation of which will alter the way the sand flows and thus, what majesty it creates with each turn.
Sure, some great creations take intricate planning before moving toward a finished product that one can appreciate. Other times, simply the creative process of watching something appear from veritable nothing by one’s hand is more than enough.
The water painting Buddha Board will take you away from the normally sensible practice of beginning with an end in mind, and teach the lesson of living in the moment and appreciating it for what it is, exactly because it’s gone quickly like drying water.
Every stroke of the bamboo brush against the 12″x9.5″ white board will reveal a vision seemingly in black ink. Paint whatever your spirit shows you, paying no mind to an ultimate, masterpiece vision – for as the water dries, your vision gently fades away. Ideally, it is only putting brush to board that should matter. For results that last a prolonged moment longer, use more water with more intense brush strokes, so that evaporation takes more time. But whether painting with fine, thin strokes that disappear within 5-10 seconds, or thick, intense strokes that endure for 5-15 minutes at a time, the Buddha Board will never wear out, but will instead always stand ready for you to enjoy an inspiring, creative moment.
However, if you’d like to capture your final image for posterity … take a picture. It’ll last longer.
I firmly believe that harming a good book in any way should be punishable by law. Ripping the pages, ruining the binding, drawing pictures of ninjas fighting dragons inside the covers and other such actions are the most heinous of crimes. Unless of course you commit these crimes and make something totally awesome with the remains. That is exactly what exempts these hollowed book safes from being such an offense.
Hardcover copies of various books – from classics including Gone With the Wind to contemporary tomes like The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – are bound together and then pages are carved out, creating a nifty little hiding place for whatever can fit into the given space. You could hide cash, a stash, a flask, or some more intimate items in these hollowed out books without worrying about anyone other than a fellow bookworm stumbling across them. As a packrat and book lover, this just screams useful. These also make perfect gifts and wrapping; imagine the surprise on a person’s face when they open their new hollow book safe and find a gifted trinket (or sneaky flask) inside!
I think it’s so much fun when classic video game characters are given a new twist, and this Princess Peach art – done in a classic, vintage pin-up style (something I also adore) – is equally sassy and sweet. It’s a one of a kind painting done in acrylics on an old framed print – so not only is it completely original, but the piece is upcycled as well. Love it!
BaconFactory Pyrography Art ($44.90)
