Oh, I could make that!

This weekend we went to Maker's Faire, where dorkbots and crafty vixens unite. It's a huge festival of crafty, idea-filled braniacs who obviously aren't watching American Idol. Rather, they are inventing cool contraptions, handmade wearable art, stop frame animation, robotic devices, hip needlepoint and computer-powered projects that make you say, "holy shit, how in the world did they think of that?"

Here, my friend Eric rides a new bike fahioned from what used to be a unicycle from the designers of Wooden Bikes. If you love Urban Ore, then you'll love Wooden Bikes.














A lot of it reminded me of Burning Man, like the Giant Electric Giraffe, which was a neon-lit robot that children could ride on and the trampoline version of the memory game Simon. you had to bounce around on these 4 colored trampolines in the pattern generated by Simon, much like the game, but with a shitload more jumping.

There were 4 huge buildings filled with exhibits, interactive make-your-own workshops, vendors and of course the unavoidable corporate sponsorship trying so desperately to fit the theme while mercilously selling to young children.



Speaking of young children, this poor girl has no idea what a big nerd her dad is, and how much she's going to resent him for getting this into the whole creativity of the creative fair. The funny thing was that I took this photo in the MicroSoft tent, where the costumed Dad won a copy of One Note software in a raffle. What would George Washington think??


The owners of Stitch Lounge were there and hosted a Swap-o-Rama-Rama clothing exchange, complete with refashioning tutoring and sewing lessons. They are coming out with a book of projects for the home sewer this fall called "Sew Subversive." We caught the interview they did on stage with a journalist from Make Magazine.

Surrounded by solar gizmos and handcrafted jewlery left me feeling inspired and refreshed and energized, not enough to build my own solar powered generator but still...I have instructions on how to make my own snow globe. Next year, I will surely read the program online before arriving and make a strategic plan to get more accomplished.