Complex Blog » d.i.y

Just The Tips: D.I.Y. Guide to Instant Vintage Denim

frederickm — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:33:46 +0000

If you’re looking for some new jeans, we’d usually suggest a nice pair of raw, unwashed denim. There’s nothing better than buying a new pair, breaking ‘em in, and watching ‘em transform into a unique denim tapestry with rips and abrasions exclusive to you, and you alone.

But these days, everything’s about convenience and speed. If you want to skip the whole process and get that worn-in look from the get-go, we could put you on to a number of dope vintage jeans, but most of them are crazy expensive. Don’t fret, my dude, we got you. You can get that vintage look for…free. Free? Yup, like a mixtape or streaming porn. The technique is called light abrasion and can be executed with a couple of tools and a little bit of free time. (Sound like your usual weekend repertoire, yeah? Ayo!) Keep reading and we’ll show you how you can fake it ’til you make it…

Illustration by Sophia Chang

• Gather the tools of the trade: Water in a spray bottle, coarse sandpaper, a crayon, and untreated denim.

• Mark the area you want to work on with your crayon and draw the desired pattern.

• Start to “abrade” the area by distressing the marked area with sandpaper. Spray water and repeat.

• Launder your denim inside-out and tumble dry. Who needs to spend $300 on distressed jeans?

LED Sleep Mask Flashes Your Subway Stop

treats — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 17:29:13 +0000

If you’ve ever spent a late night riding public transportation, then you’ve probably seen it: an exhausted passenger who falls out and ends up sleeping through their stop, all because no one wants to wake them from their slumber. Well now Pyocotan, the Japanese author behind the manga Akai Ahojiru (Red Stupid Soup), has created “Noriko-san,” an electronic mask that lets everyone know when you’re supposed to get off.

The red, scrolling LED marquee that displays the name of your stop is hard to miss, but it still isn’t fool-proof. When the inventor hit Tokyo’s Yamanote train line to test it out, people still let him sleep through his stop. Damn. Watch the test video below to see if it was worth the 20,000 yen ($200) he spent making it…

[InterNews via Pink Tentacle]

DIY Dragon Wings Take Flight For Halloween

treats — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 17:44:36 +0000

Halloween is right around the corner so you know what that means'time to get creative with costumes. Sure, you could dress up as something obvious, like Obama, McCain, or Palin (everybody’s doing it), but you might want to think outside the ballot box if you really wanna to stand out. The designers behind Gryphern, a website dedicated to costume design, are urging you to get creative with an instructional video that shows how to make a elaborate pair of retractable dragon wings.

If you’ve got a shit-load of time on your hands between now and October 31st, prepare yourself for this labor intensive arts and crafts project. Using pipes, cables and screws, the video provides an in-depth explanation of how you can create a pair of flapping wings for only $18. Even if you don’t want to dress up as a “dragon,” these will add a new dimension to any costume'we guarantee you’ll be the only Flying McCain in the party. Watch the instructional video below…

[Gryphern Via G4]

Nokia Cranks Up Music Inspired Headphone Designs

treats — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 17:01:38 +0000

Putting the power of design in the hands of the consumer has its strengths and weaknesses. It’s an opportunity for unknown designers to get some shine, but sadly sub-par concepts and uninspired execution usually overshadow the real talent. But damn, we can’t hate on the left-field designs that have come out of Nokia’s Music Almighty Headset Competition this week.

The Finnish company called on consumers to put a music-inspired spin on their line of Bluetooth earphones, using tools provided on the website like beaming lights, interchangable colors, and decorative characters. The five winners will actually be manufactured as one-of-ones and will be displayed in select retail locations. Check out designs inspired by Jay-Z, MGMT and Santogold below…

TITLE: Str8-Star
INSPIRED BY: Jay-Z
SONG INSPIRATION: “Jockin’ Jay-Z”

TITLE: Kolory rzadza
INSPIRED BY: Jamelia
SONG INSPIRATION: “Superstar”

TITLE: Wood Style
INSPIRED BY: nvitrox
SONG INSPIRATION: “Wood”

TITLE: Silver
INSPIRED BY: Joey Beltran
SONG INSPIRATION: “Energy Flash”

TITLE: Working For The Weekend
INSPIRED BY: MGMT
SONG INSPIRATION: “Electric Feel”

TITLE: Gold+
INSPIRED BY: Santogold
SONG INSPIRATION: “Santogold”

[Nokia Via Nokia Conversations]

Nintoaster Reheats Original NES Console

treats — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:16:35 +0000

The Wii might be all the rage these days, but the O.G 8-bit Nintendo system that debuted back in 1985 is still being re-invented. Nintoaster, the latest D.I.Y rendition of the machine that had us all blowing our brains out, was constructed using a simple pop-up toaster.

An industrious engineer named Richard DaLuz (who previously created an all-in-one system with Atari 2600, NES, SNES and Genesis) recently gutted a toaster, inserted an old Nintendo’s parts (controllers, AC adaptor), orange LED lights (for the cooking effect) and made it into a fully functional system. Watch a video of him recreating the process below.

[Stupidfingers via dsgnwok]

Print Out Your Own Pinhole Camera

treats — Thu, 01 May 2008 23:15:50 +0000

In case you’re like us and you missed World Pinhole Camera day (sigh), here’s our present to you: five multi-colored flickers. With Kodak going out of business, there really isn’t much fun left in photography. That’s why the folks at Corbis posted a set of blueprints to build your own glassless, Readymech pinhole camera. All you need to do is go to their website, print one out and assemble it using some tape. With a roll of 35mm film, you’re good to go. Read more about it here and check out your choices of designs after the jump.

[Click on an image to view full size]