Airjitzu

Hands up this might be one of the more juvenile products I rave about but it is definitely one of the most fun too, providing endless hours of entertainment to adults and children alike.

 

Okay, so picture this; you're walking through your local shopping centre when movement in the Lego store catches your eyes (as it does). You approach the window only to find a squad of young children playing with rip cord Lego toys and battling it out mid air with old school Beyblade style spin tops that appear to have been meshed with Lego, only instead of hitting the ground, these things fly!!! You're beyond mind blown so it's only natural that you storm in there, pick up an Airjitzu of your own and load as many mod's on to the structure as possible to make your Airjitzu the Airjitzu to beat all others.

 

On a serious note the Lego Ninjago Airjitzu's are probably some of the best toys you're going to find for under £10; making them great filler presents as well as the perfect toy for kids to save up their pocket money to get. There are six different 'types' of Airjitzu ninja's, which are basically different colour schemes and Lego characters for you to collect. And what people are loving about the Airjitzu's is that because they're made of Lego, they're a really solid toy that can survive a kid's constant abuse/play.

 

Impeccable quality, impressive flight capabilities and easy assembly make this an awesome toy for all ages. I was astounded by the flight these things get and the way that you don't care when your Airjitzu gets completely destroyed by it's opponent because it just means you can reinforce your Airjitzu defences better next time with an assortment of your Lego pieces.

 

 

One a Penny

Skateboard fanatics and designers alike will be glad to know that you can very easily make your own personalized version of the penny board now thanks to these free downloadable files from MyMiniFactory courtesy of designer Simone Fontana, who shows a perfect tutorial of how to print and assemble you're very own replica Penny Board. 

Of course because of the limited printing capacity of the 3D printer, this means that Fontana's download comes in five pieces that need to be put together using steel bars to give the board a bit of stability, but other than that it's pretty much a simple process that's a lot cheaper and more original than you going out and buying yourself a brand new board.

You can mix and match your Penny Board by picking your own wheels and printing each section in different colours etc; go mad with it because this is an awesome free download for the creative boarders out there. And whilst you're over at MMF don't forget to tip the designer, give back to the amazing creators out there. 

Crazy Arms

Ever wish your Lego characters could do more than just lift their arms up and down at their sides? (Yeah, I know it might not be the most prevalent thing on your mind but it's damn important to a plastic figure enthusiast let me tell you.)

Well a set of Crazy Arms will let your favourite brick based figure do out of the box things such as carrying a sword and a bow in their arms, finally you can let your little Lego man salsa!!!

Crazy Arms is a crazily genius invention that takes the pose ability of the plastic mini figures to a whole new dimension. Crazy Arms are removable, letting you modify at your own pace without tampering or damaging your figures. The plastic Crazy Arms parts snugly fit in to the inner holes on the figures hips and provide a loop support for the arms to fit in to which then allow you to pose your figure however you like. 

Crazy Arms are amazing for letting children and adults alike unlike modelling and playing potential by interchanging their figures limbs and they come in a variety of initial colours; white, black, tan, dark tan and dark grey with more colours to unlock as the Kickstarter campaign gains pledges.

And for $20 you can get your hands on three pairs of Crazy Arms in whatever colour you long for.

Feathered Heroes

Sick of seeing the next generation stuck behind their gadgets? Well take them away from their tech and bring their favourite feather based destructive app in to real life using your 3D printer and these free (yes! Free!) download files from MyMiniFactory.

Designers Marco Autilio and Lloyd Roberts are the brains who have collaborated Angry birds with the 3D printer, allowing you to download the files and print your own Angry Birds town to destroy with your fully working slingshot. 

You can design your own fortress with various blocks of ice, wood and stone and you can paint your pigs and birds whatever colour you desire. This is a great way to get kids interacting with the 3D printer, and to extend the fun by letting them paint their own piggies before they knock 'em down. You can play with all your favorites so if you're an angry birds fan you won't want to miss out on this game; so head on over to MyMiniFactory to download the file ready for printing. 

Lego be gone! Pinblock's are upon us!!!

Now I know this'll be hard to come to terms with but sadly Lego isn't the 'It' thing any longer. You know all those times you got a chunky yellow brick stuck in your foot? And you got aggravated with the basic 90 degree joints on all your models? Well with Pinblock's your feet are safe and you can now make your models around six rotation points!!! There's nothing better than rotation points. 

Pinblock started as a Kickstarter project aiming to re-imagine the building block, to bring these tiny, flexible pieces of plastic to market so that every creator and dreamer out there can surpass the limitation of conventional construction.

These bad boys are amazing in that you no longer have to search through the box for the right piece; because all the pieces are the same size, dimension, width; what I'm basically saying is that every brick is identical! And no longer are your models stiff and lifeless, they're flexible and able to curve; no more restrictions in your buildings and creations.

Pinblock's aren't just for creators, they're also for designers, they provide the perfect, slim material to create pixelated images with. These Pinblock's are so clever yet so uncomplicated! There's really no end to what you can do with them; build watches, make portraits, construct the Empire State Building!!! Whatever you want to do you can do it.

I happened to make a loose interpretation of Mickey Mouse in my first go at Pinblock's, proving that even the simplest of minds can get carried away with this awesome new toy.

What's even better is the variety of boxes available. Pinblock offer a choice of freestyle colour schemes, as well as kit boxes which give you a step by step guide to building rockets, ships and jets. The genius minds behind Pinblock's - great mates Vlad and Jun who decided to change engineering for the better - are really on to something here and I hope to see Pinblock's go global; encouraging kids and adults alike to get their build on.

At the end of Pinblock's Kickstarter campaign they launched The Manual Challenge, which was a race among pledgers to share pages and collect all fifty two pages of the Silver Falcon Model Manual for the chance to win a box of each of the Pinblock sets (seven boxes in total) for absolutely nothing! Pinblock's sent different pages out to each person and it was a battle on Facebook, Twitter and Kickstarter to send pages to each other and share their own in order to gather all the pages of the manual. Of course by sheer determination and brazen annoyance, yours truly managed to wrangle together all 52 pages first and nabbed herself the awesome prize.

And this week the box turned up all large and full of tinkling brick noise and I practically wet myself in excitement, eager to get my build on. And build I did; cathedral's, characters and other cute critters! I did my best to test the durability and flexibility of these Pinblock bricks and am utterly astounded by the versatility in one tiny 1 cm wide brick!

Well done Pinblock; live long and prosper.

Wave after wave

There's something almost tranquil about looking out to the ocean or staring down at your reflection in the water of a lake, and artist Gaetano Pesce seems to have captured the movement and beauty of the water in his aqua inspired table series. 

Using a range of plastic materials; like rigid Polyurethane foam, PVC, epoxy resin and soft urethane resin; Gaetano Pesce creates these beautifully artistic tables with blue and green hues so true to life that you'll have to look twice to make sure the table isn't liquid. He seems to get the surface of the water - with its ripples, flows and reflections - just right, also giving the pool of water a neighbor in the form of shrubbery and sea defense walls. 

These tables would make amazing statement pieces be it either for decorative use or for functionality as an actual table; they're true to life and deep blue, with natural forms and landscapes to make them appear more tangible. In the collection there is the; Lagoon Table, Lake Table, Ocean Table, Pond Table, Puddle Table and the River Table, all offering unique coloring's and styles that'll make you wonder and want to wander. 

Tiko

It seems to be the case that 3D printers just aren't practical in size. They're bulky, and loud and give off god awful fumes, and don't even start on all those cables sticking out of the back. You see how I haven't even mentioned price yet? But what if someone made a 3D printer that's silent, compact, tidy and costs just $179? Well thank heavens for Tiko. 

Tiko is the unibody 3D printer that does it all and more; despite it's compact size of 39 cm tall, it has a relatively large printing space, with the electronics and mechanics behind all the hard work being shrunk in to a tiny compartment that looks both attractive and clean. It supports all the usual 3D printing materials; PLA, ABS, Nylon, Hips etc... With a spool chamber in the top that easily fits the average one kg roll of plastic. 

Rather than having tons of runners that control the movement of the printing head, Tiko consists of three sets of arms that move easily and freely without the shaking movements of many 3D printers, that lets you get high precision and accuracy with your printing. 

And because Tiko is enclosed, the wind and a slight breeze won't blow the arms about and mess up your design, and in corporation with Tiko's wireless function this means that you can take Tiko anywhere. Great for printing on the go and ace for repairs when you're miles from civilization, as Tiko can connect straight from your laptop to the device without any internet connection!

Tiko is flexible; which means that you don't have to fight to get your 3D printed item off of the bed, or leave it in a wash to dissolve the excess plastic over night, all it takes is one little bend and you've got your printed item ready to go.

It's so easy to use too with it's super friendly and easy software, meaning you don't have to fiddle around finding the right tools on the creation platform; making it fun and effortless. Tiko is light and strong, and after listing all these awesome features I'm wondering why I haven't headed on over to Kickstarter to get my pledge in?

Spin on Spun

Just looking at Spun Chair you can see what inspired the design; and after extensively researching the process of metal spinning and the creation of circular metal objects such as timpani drums, the Heatherwick studios created this gorgeously symmetrical chair that looks a bit like a large spinning top. 

The bucket shape of the chair provides ergonomic seating from whichever angle it's rotated and seated at, whilst the bottom of the chair is designed with a flat pivot at the bottom which allows for it to be set stable, or stilted on to its axis for spinning purposes. 

Asides from being practical, this chair is just good old fashioned fun, allowing for you to tilt and turn and definitely set to put a smile on your face. Spun is made from rotational moulded polyethylene and is suitable for both indoors and outdoors; as was demonstrated in the many outdoors installations set up in city's to get people spinning.  Spun generally comes in four solid colours; Grey, Purple, Red and White. Though special Amber and Grey polycarbonate models were available, and unique metal Spun Chairs were demonstrated and sold at Haunch of Venison. 

POLAROLL

The toilet selfie might not have taken off just yet but this toilet roll holder is a kitsch accessory for any keen photographer out there who used to love the art of printing out a Polaroid. 

POLAROLL works similarly to a instant picture camera which instead of giving you your developed image, gives you endless streams of toilet roll. How fun?!? 

This retro POLAROLL is cute and tidy, bringing an 80's vibe to your bathroom that allows you to disguise your one ply loo roll in a clever plastic caddy that will have you no doubt filling your guests with liquids just so they have an excuse to use the loo and see this awesome camera buddy. 

And asides from being an ace gift for camera lovers, the POLAROLL comes in two different varieties. You can get your bulk standard retro camera style of black and white, or if you're more into your pastels you can get the pink and blue model. Me thinks I need a POLAROLL in my life.

Lego Clutch

I can't recall how many of these plastic bricks I've had lodged in my feet over the years, but I can recall long day's spent trying to build the most insane towers. And what better way to feel that nostalgia again than with these fun and funky accessories made out of Lego bricks?

Agabag are the company behind these cute items that collaborate fashion with play in a series of clutches, handbags and bracelets that immortalize our favourite Lego building past time. Agabag offer multicolour, outrageous pieces that boast of their Lego heritage whilst on the other end of the spectrum also sell classy clutches that combine 24k gold plated Lego with solid colours to create bags worthy of socialites.

Asides from being attractive and playful, they're also very practical with careful stitches running up the sides to sustain quality and offer a great finish that keeps the bags from looking too bulky. Agabag also make funky lamps that use classic lines and different transparency's of Lego to make an effective looking house accessory.

CDBITS

We're living in a digital age, and with CD's near enough disappearing to make way for mp3, what is there to do but use the plastic discs as ninja stars?!? Well, with CDBITS, you can turn your old and scratched CD's into a construction power house. 

These cleverly designed, 3d printed clips allow you to sandwich your CD's in to series of different shapes and designs, making boxes and sturdy storage mechanisms from something you'll otherwise chuck in the bin. CDBITS turn your old compact disks in to modular units that are both decorative and functional, and what better way to inspire upcycling than to let your child build in a more creative way with disused discs and tiny 3D printed clips. 

CDBITS are the invention of design company Avooq Creations, and can be downloaded from MyMiniFactory to be 3D Printed from home as well as purchased online. They're the cheapest and most readily available new building block on the market, and a great way to re-purpose and hack your stack of hoarded CD's. 

For the Modern Flower Child

Waving goodbye to winter and saying hello to spring, it's time to pull on the garden gloves and stock up on flower bulbs. And what better way to embrace nature than to bring it in to your life through these chic pieces of jewelry.

These resin bangles by Modern Flower Child are lightweight and perfect for all the flower lovers and boho girls out there; they're handmade using handpicked and dried flowers and other pieces of nature and then embedded into the resin to make these beautiful, semi transparent bangles. 

The bangles are gorgeously natural and the mixture of clear resin and dried flowers make it seem as if nature is suspended around your wrist. Modern Flower Child also make rings, earrings and pendants in a similar style. Your bracelet will be made of real feathers, flowers or seashells and will be handmade and shaped by the artist. They're enchanting and one of a kind, and probably the best way to welcome in spring. 

Nerdy but still girly

 This is officially one of the best Internet shops out there for cute, chibbi styled earrings to suit all your fan girl needs.

These cling earrings by WenSi are sweet little two piece cling earrings with your favourite TV and film characters printed onto plastic. They are too adorable to function and with earrings themed for SailorMoon, The Walking Dead as well as all the best Disney Princess' I'm slightly overwhelmed by the cuteness.

At around $10 per pair, it's not too bad, especially if you're looking for a gift for a major fan girl out there where nothing but a pair of Sherlock earrings will do.

WenSi also sell bows to match your favourite shows with an array of printed fabrics for you to pick from. And if you're interested in having yourself printed onto a keyring, they do custom accessory's too!

Is this real life, or is this a hunger induced fantasy?!?

This is not the best article to be writing on an empty stomach, especially when the product in question is a delicious looking stacked burger bracelet. The Burger Bangle is sold over at 'Just Like Honeybee' and is a collection of bangles that when stacked make an awesome burger. If you're not a fan of lettuce and tomato just take those bangles out and you've got just a regular burger which looks so real I'm getting stomach cramps. The Burger Bangle comes in you're original burger colours as well as black and white for when you want to colour co-ordinate your food themed jewellery to your outfit.

You talk a lot of Quack

Oppo Duck Bill Muzzle

I can't even begin to describe how adorable these muzzles for dogs are. Oppo Dog Muzzles are hysterical replacements for your ordinary muzzle to stop your dog from barking, and to be honest who could resist the comical site of a dog with a duck bill, they make any feisty small breed appear as cute as a button.

Oppo Duck Bill Muzzle

These bright and fun adornments make muzzling a nippy dog enjoyable (maybe not so for the dog, but at least still get your kicks out of it).

Oppo's Muzzles come in three different colours so that you can match it with your dogs breed. They'd make a perfect accessory for embarrassing your dog!

Pixel Perfect

4x "29x29" square portraits

Playing Hama Beads with my siblings unearthed a whole new world of making a portrait that is both inventive and a great form of entertainment for small kids and adults alike. 

My Sister's interpretation of David Bowie/ Ziggy Stardust

 To achieve one of these funky pictures, you use a website called Perler you download the program (top right), which turns your image into a pixelated version and you select what size you want your image to be so that it will give you the pixel representation. When you zoom in, it breaks down which bead colour- number and letter coded- goes where so that you have to fill in your grid bead by bead. And then your ready to iron. 

The best thing about these portraits is that you can literally use any of your pictures and adjust them to what colours you do have to pick out the best style. From close up they look like nothing more than a pixelated mess, but far away the image really does come together and you literally get the bigger picture. 

There is no limit to what you can do with these beaded pictures, as they would make the perfect gift to both put on the fridge or hang up a large portrait.

Warning: it is a relativly fiddly task and requires much patience.

Melting Nomad

Livia Marin- Nomad Patterns

 Artist Livia Marin is the clever ceramic artist behind 'Nomad Patterns' in which she takes all of the broken, chipped and shattered china and ceramic that we don't want and she turns it into an interesting piece of melted art.

The pattern from the ceramic is ingeniously continued on into the melted surface to make it look as if the actuall piece of ceramic has been molten into a puddle. Marin's pieces are both quirky and inventive, these pieces would bring a twist to any living room.

Livia Marin- Nomad Patterns

Dine Ink

I couldn't believe my luck when I came across these Dine Ink pens on Amazon- not only are they incredibly useful but they are also a novelty gift for that person who cant stop work for one second to eat.  Fred and Friends are the wizards who came up with 'Dine Ink', a set of pen caps in the shape of your fork, knife and spoon that go on the top of your pen to double up as cutlery. It is the perfect solution to on the go eating and pen scribbling. The best thing about them is that you can use them more than once and they come in at just under £6, a reasonable price considering the shape will save you from digging through your bag for a pen.

I Shaw That



Paper Mache Furniture

 Blast! Quite literally with this plastic spray gun by designer James Shaw. His experimental furniture is made from spraying paper mache at a wire mesh frame until the material builds into a stable layer to constitute as the furniture surface.

One of my favourite aspects is the rugged surface and odd paint job that makes the furniture look as if it had just been pulled from the sea bed.

Used like a water pistol, Shaw shoots at the frame and builds up a bumpy texture of paper mache.

'I have produced a set of weapons (guns of course) to become my arsenal, with these I will fight the fight. we are all fighting for creative territory, for novelty, for some spark of newness.'




Plastic Extrusion Table



 In another of his 'guns', Shaw uses a plastic resin that comes out of the gun in a rope like shape completely made of melted and recyled HDPE.





The HDPE Resin gun





The melted resin squirts out in a new form to create a piece of unique furniture every time. Although the process is luborious and involves the ripping of a lot of paper (inside joke) the results are quite stunning, giving the effect of an eroded piece of furniture.