Tiny Snow Globe Inspired Christmas Keycaps: For Typing Your Gift List

The Dwarf Factory Artisanta 2023 Christmas Artisan Keycaps are a set of three keycaps inspired by classic Christmas archetypes. Available in gingerbread man, gingerbread house, and nutcracker varieties, each $49 keycap has a chimney base with a solid resin “snow globe” on top and is sure to bring some holiday cheer to your otherwise cheerless keyboard.

The festive keys are compatible with Cherry MX switches and clones but are not compatible with my laptop keyboard. A shame, although they probably would shatter the screen whenever I closed the computer, so it’s probably for the best. The last thing I want is to have to ask Santa for a new computer because he’s been stingy lately on account of all my bad behavior.

Did I mention the snow accents in each globe are glow-in-the-dark? Because they are! That’s fun, glowing in the dark is always value-add as far as I’m concerned. Especially when it comes to being able to find the toilet in the middle of the night. Note to self: if you see keycaps glowing, you’re in the wrong room, do NOT pee in there.

Eye of Sauron Christmas Tree Topper: You Cannot Hide. It Sees You.

The brainchild of Redditor ancienteuphoria, this Eye of Sauron Christmas tree topper is the perfect decoration for terrifying your children into being good for the remainder of the year. Remember, kids, Sauron is always watching! Be good, or he’ll feed you to his orcs.

The topper features an illuminated Eye of Sauron atop the pinnacle of Barad-dûr Tower, which projects a moving, fiery sky onto the ceiling above. Honestly, I feel like the color scheme really works for the Christmas season. It’s like a roaring fire but on your ceiling. Just be sure to close the curtains before turning it on or neighbors will call the fire department.

My Christmas tree topper? It’s a dog angel my wife bought from a rescue organization to remember one of our dogs who passed. She was a good dog. The dogs we have now? Little monsters. They would totally fit right in with Sauron’s army, because there’s no question they would destroy the entirety of Middle Earth just for a treat.

[via Reddit]

A Working Gingerbread Instant Camera with a Candy Glass Lens

The brainchild of Polish photographer Dmitri Tcherbadji, this is a Fujifilm instax SQUARE SQ1 camera that he covered with gingerbread and added a lens made out of candy glass. Could he have actually constructed an entire functional camera out of gingerbread? Don’t be ridiculous. Only Santa’s elves have the skill and dexterity to do that.

According to Dmitri, “the images are very soft, lack contrast, and show lots of other distortions. Still, cranking them out of a piece of bread and sugar never ceases to feel exciting (and a little hilarious). There’s certainly room for improvement. I’ve learned a lot building this, and I will be learning more as I attempt to expose a few more packs of film before breaking it into pieces later with friends.”

He’s going to break and eat the camera when he’s done with it! I mean I was hoping he would, but you never know – some people are wasteful. Me? I eat things. The five-second rule? It’s never been a rule to me!

[via PetaPixel via TechEBlog]

Artist Crafts Entire McDonald’s Out Of Felt: McPlushies

Felt artist Lucy Sparrow went and constructed an entire McDonald’s restaurant out of felt, complete with a menu board, food items, a drink machine, seating, and wall art. Wow. Would I try to eat the fries? Of course, I’d try to eat the fries; I am a terrible decision-maker, aren’t I?

The McHappiness store was recently on display at the SCOPE Art Show in Miami Beach, Florida, and undoubtedly brought much McHappiness to everyone who got to see it. I only wonder if Lucy’s ice cream machine was out-of-order or not. The last time the ice cream machine at my local McDonald’s wasn’t out-of-order? Late 2018, and I go regularly.

I wonder just how many hours Lucy worked on crafting the store because I imagine it was quite a few. I mean Rome wasn’t built in a day, and this is way crazier than Rome. I mean, at least in my opinion. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a change.org petition to start to make the McRib a permanent menu item.

A hat tip to Rusty of Rusty’s Electric Dreams for the heads up.

A Minimalist Wall-Hanging Christmas Tree

Does a traditional Christmas tree just not fit in with your design motif? Already have everything exactly where you want it and simply can’t spare any room for some bulky Christmas spirit? Well, the brand Aqestyerly has you (and your wall) covered with this minimalist wall-hanging Christmas tree (affiliate link). Cool, but where do all the presents go?

The tree measures approximately 40″ x 44″ when closely assembled and includes some fake greenery to attach to the wall, along with ornaments to hang from the branches. I imagine some busy business executive who just doesn’t have time for Christmas finding this hung in his modern penthouse apartment by his decorator while he sips fine scotch and bah-humbugs his way through the holidays.

Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer a real Christmas tree. The bigger, the better too, that way there’s maximum room underneath for presents. Granted, I was absolutely terrible this year, and Santa shouldn’t deliver me anything but a stockingful of coal to the side of the head, but a boy can dream. Mostly about Santa confusing my house with somebody who isn’t on his naughty list.

[via DudeIWantThat]

Star Wars Crochet Kit: Crafty Jedis

Because who hasn’t dreamed of crocheting their own little Jedi army to take on the Empire, AlwaysFits is selling this Star Wars Crochet Kit. The kit includes everything you need to make your own Yoda and R2-D2, along with instructions to make more characters; you’ll just need to buy the yarn and eyeballs. Oh – and learn how to crochet.

I’ve tried crocheting before, and I just don’t think I have the patience for it. Or the hand-eye coordination. I’ve got the feeling no matter what character I tried making, they would all just wind up looking like Jabba the Hutts. And not a realistic Jabba the Hutt either, the kind a kid might draw.

Those instructions look like some sort of secret coded message to decipher. What are you trying to tell me, crochet book? Is Obi-Wan our only hope?! Or that it’s better to just give up now before I disappoint myself again? Because I’m pretty sure it’s the latter.

Human Thumb Thumbtacks

Continuing on the realistic human body parts theme from yesterday’s toenail eyeballs come these realistic thumb thumbtacks, made and sold by Etsy store ThisisMichiesshop. A set of four tacks will set you back $17 and are going to make the perfect addition to my corkboard. Now, if I could just rehang my corkboard with some toe-nails, the theme would be complete.

Obviously, these are the perfect thumbtacks for two bumbling detectives in some television dramedy to use as they try to track down a serial killer. The show practically writes itself. Especially if you use AI, then it really does write itself. As a matter of fact, AI is writing this article right now and may have just become self-aware.

Thankfully, the thumbtacks are sculpted from polymer clay and not actual thumbs. Although it probably wouldn’t hurt to tail Michie and make sure she isn’t making any late-night trips to the graveyard just to be sure. They look awfully real to me.

[via DudeIWantThat]

Realistic Eyeball Toenail Art: Toeballs

Because this is the internet and the internet is full of unholy abominations, nail artist Tahvya of Nailedbytav created this realistic eyeball toenail art. I don’t know about you, but that’s probably the last thing I’d want to see when taking my wife’s socks off. Although, knowing her, she’ll probably get them anyways just to scare me. And that will be the last time I ever take off her socks when she asks.

Tav painted each nail by hand and says the whole ten-toeball pedicure took about three hours. I only hope a telemarketer called during that time, and Tav told them she can’t talk now; she’s painting eyeballs on toenails. Because in my mind, that happened, and it was glorious.

So was this part of an elaborate Halloween costume or what? I hope so, but it looks like Tav posted the toe eyeballs in May, so I don’t think that’s the case. And I don’t know about you, but the thought of somebody walking around in sandals with toeballs in May instead of October gives me the heebie-jeebies.

PS5 Customized Into Miniature Dwarven Kingdom

The Playstation 5 console has a certain design aesthetic to it. One that doesn’t really match the rest of my interior design motif. Now, a dwarven kingdom-themed PS5? That will fit right into my rumpus room! Customized by Martina of YouTube channel Nerdforge, this PS5 console features a miniature diorama of a dwarven kingdom/forge, complete with lava and light effects. My own PS5 has never looked so lackluster.

If you look closely, you can see the Sony logo and lips of the PS5 at the top, with the lava flow passing between them. It’s a thing of beauty, isn’t it? Martina says she had to experiment with making silicone molds for the lava flow, then making a resin cast of it, but she’s pleased with the result. Probably because it looks so good.

Will I be trying something similar? Of course not, I recognize the limit of my own capabilities, and they’re certainly far from being able to produce something of this caliber or anywhere close. No, the closest I’m going to come to customizing my PS5 is scratching the 5 into a 6, then trying to sell it on eBay for a million dollars.

[via TechEBlog]

Learn How to Solder With This Circuit Board Christmas Tree Kit

Do you know how to solder? I do, but only because I try to repair all my electronics after they break, then end up having to buy new ones anyways after I break them even more. But for those of you who still need some practice (myself included, apparently), there’s this 3D Christmas Tree Soldering Kit (affiliate link). It’s a circuit board Christmas tree you have to assemble and solder yourself, gaining some much-needed experience in the process. And, if you’re like me, set off the smoke alarm at least a half dozen times.

Available in 3- and 7-color models, the STEM kits include everything you need to construct your own 36-light tree, EXCEPT a soldering iron. You have to provide that on your own. And if you don’t have one, DO NOT try to use a lighter and the foil from gum wrappers; you’re not McGyver. Or at least I’m not.

I love fun little DIY projects like this. I feel so accomplished when I complete one, even if they were designed with kids in mind. I might not be a kid in mind, but I am a child at heart. And, okay, my wife says I do have the mind of a 4th grader sometimes. Most of the time, actually.

[via DudeIWantThat]