Active Novelty Posts
How To: Craft a "Harry Potter" Lumos wand that lights up
How cool would it be to be a wizard and conjure light out of thin air? While this tutorial won't instruct you in the wizarding arts, it will teach you how to make a very cool "Harry Potter" style Lumos wand that lights up on your command.
How To: Make playdough for your kids
It is a rainy day and the children are bored. What can they do? Mom has a great idea, make play dough. You have all the ingredients in the house.
How To: Recycle a plastic bottle to make a toy bottlebocket
In this tutorial, we learn how to recycle a plastic bottle to make a toy bottle rocket. First, take a large plastic bottle and a sharp knife, then cut it in half. After this, take the side with the cap on it and then paint on the inside of the bottle. You can paint whatever you want on the inside, feel free to use different colors and get as creative as you want! From here, take some bottle caps and poke holes in the center of them. Then, string these together by pushing a string in the middl...
How To: Recycle plastic bottles to make a toy windmill
In this tutorial we learn how to recycle plastic bottles to make a toy windmill. First, cut the bottle in half so you just have the cap end of it. Then, use the scissors to cut strips in the plastic, all running next to each other. Once you have all of these cut, pull the strips out so they are flared away from the cap. Then, twist these so the are all going backwards from the cap and place a stick on the bottom of these, connecting with the cap. Now you can use these as a toy windmill, enjoy...
How To: Make anti-gravity bubbles
Learn how to make anti-gravity bubbles. Empty lighter fluid into a bowl and then blow bubbles. Watch this video tutorial and start having some bubble fun of your own.
How To: Do an orbit at an orbit light show
In this video, we learn how to do an orbit at an orbit light show. The light should spin clockwise in one and and counter clockwise in the other. You must pay close attention to keep these spinning back and for. Start out by winding the lights up and mastering this so you can produce different shapes. After you learn the wind up, learn how to make the stars with it by winding it up one direction and let the orbit in the middle unwind itself in the opposite way. Once you're comfortable, you wi...
How To: Make your own crazy putty out of school glue and borax
It stretches, it squishes... it's silly putty! You can make your own toy putty at home, using a simple recipe of school glue (don't get the washable variety), borax, water and food dye to add a bit of color. Mix and then let it dry out a bit. Silly putty!
How To: Turn a squirt gun or Nerf gun into a steampunk ray gun with spray paint
Start with a regular plastic toy gun, like a squirt gun or NERF gun. Then, spray paint it a matte black. Once it dries, take several different colors of rub'n'buff and apply with your fingers. Now, you have your own steampunk style ray gun! Or, High Velocity Electrochemical Propellant Device!
How To: Give any item or prop a steampunk inspired paint job
The key to a good steampunk paint job is getting the distressted metallic look just right. This tutorial shows you how to add a lot of aesthetic appeal to your next steampunk prop mod, whether it's goggles, binoculars or something entirely different.
How To: Make your own 3-D glasses with polarized lenses
3-D is the next big thing for Hollywood, but 3-D glasses can sometimes be expensive. You can take a pair of sunglasses and turn them into your own 3-D glasses wtih just some packaging plastic, permanent markers, scissors and super glue.
How To: Make a layered liquids decoration with different density household fluids
Ransack your kitchen and grab some dish soap, vegetable oil, honey, food coloring, rubbing alcohol, tall glass, water and a spoon. Why? Because you're going to create a visually stunning display of layered liquids. This illustrates the effects of different densities in liquids, while becoming a cool, psychedelic art piece for the living room. It's a super colorful decoration!
How To: Make a gooey quicksand-like non-Newtonian fluid with cornstarch
Oobleck, a word coined from the Dr. Seuss book "Bartholomew and the Oobleck," has contemporarily come to define the substance created from mixing cornstarch and water. This mixture is notable for its dilatant properties, and as an inexpensive and non-toxic Newtonian fluid. While seemingly liquid, under pressure, the substance reacts as a solid. Gentle treatment, however, will allow the material to remain in its fluid state. More simply put, this sh*t is crazy.
How To: Make fingerboard wheels using a mini lathe
This video will show you how to create wheels for a fingerboard using a lathe. First, you should take a plastic tube and insert it into your lathe, using various drill pieces to cut down the plastic tube to the correct size. After this has been done, a drill which is attached to the lathe and adjusted to go straight through the tube can be made to create a hole through the center of the tube. You can then insert a small piece of metal into the tube in order to create the holder which will att...
How To: Make a bouncy lightbulb covered in rubber bands
Wouldn't the rubber bands eventually provide enough pressure on the light bulb to make it shatter? You would think so, but after watching this video by Nextraker, you'll see that gently wrapping an ordinary lightbulb rubber band after rubber band, until completely covered (and then some), does not break the bulb. Even when you throw it on the ground. It's just like a bouncy ball. Now… try this with an egg. Dare you.
How To: Make a dreamcatcher
In this tutorial, we learn how to make a dream catcher. You will need: 1 metal ring, leather, sinew, decorations, scissors, and a clothes pin. First, wrap the leather tightly around the ring. Clip the clothes pin on the top so you don't have to hold it as you go around the circle. After this, remove the clothes pin and cut the leather off. Then, tie it at the bottom with a double knot. Next, measure the sinew to 3 yards, then pull it apart. You will be left with very thin strings. use a folde...
How To: Make superhero singing rings inspired by the Wonder Twins
Remember the Wonder Twins from DC Comics? If you're familiar with the extraterrestrial superheroes, then you know all about those rings they wore. They would touch rings and says "Wonder Twin powers, activate!" to ready their superpowers.
Slink-O-Matic: Slinky Fun Without the Stairs
Thinking of buying a ranch style home, but worried about your slinky collection? No stairs, no problem, all thanks to Jim Sellers and his Slink-O-Matic.
How To: Make a diorama waterfall
If your son or daughter is planning on making a diorama for a classroom project or just because, making a cool water feature can be a great idea. Using real water may be fine and all, but if you want to prevent any kind of mess from happening, you can build one using materials that give a water like feel. So in this tutorial, you'll be finding out how to make a diorama waterfall from scratch. It's great for dioramas and is sure to be a much better fit than actual water. So good luck and enjoy!
How To: Build a small catapult from a kit
If you recently purchased a Midwest catapult kit and need help putting it together, this next video is for you. In it, you'll get the step-by-step instruction for constructing your catapult. It's not very difficult to follow and makes life easier when putting this together. And if you don't own this product, you can always watch the video and build one yourself. Good luck and enjoy!
How To: Make water effects for a diorama
If you are planning on making a diorama for a school project or anything else, using real like effects can be a big boost. Water effects can have a great looking effect, but using actual water can be messy and won't get the job done.
How To: Mix Oobleck
In this tutorial, we learn how to mix Oobleck. First, place some cornstarch into a large plastic bowl, then add in some water. After this, mix the ingredients together with a straw until you have a paste that forms from both of them. Don't add too much water, you want this to be more thick than creamy. Now that you have made this, add in food coloring of your choice to make this more fun, just make sure you don't get it on your clothing. After you have mixed the food coloring in with it, you ...
How To: Make homemade "Floam"
In this video, you'll learn how to make your very own floam. Floam is a fun little toy, kind of in between slime and silly putty, and you can make this with just a few household items. Just search in your garage, and with a few ingredients, you'll be making magic in no time at all!
News: World's Fastest Clapper
Behold, Kent "Toast" French, the Guinness World Record holder for fastest clapping. You might say, fast clapping? What kind of feat is that? Well, just watch. The video below gets pretty intense... Kent can clap 721 times in 60 seconds. That's 12 claps per second.
How To: Make a "Harry Potter" Victorian dragon egg case dome
Remember Harry Potter and the Triwizarding Tournament from "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"? If you consider yourself any type of repectable Harry Potter fan, then you know that Harry retrieved a dragon egg from his challenging dragon during the first round of the tournament.
How To: Make a secret deodorant stash safe
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to make a secret deodorant safe. Begin by removing the cap of the deodorant, and cut off the top part of the deodorant can, using a pair of pliers. Now simply place in your item and place on the cap to disguise your safe. Place some tissue paper inside to prevent and rattling and provide protection. To place in a small container, buildup some tissue paper by gluing it inside the can. Then place in the small container and place on the deodorant cap. Th...
How To: Make Paper Yoshi out of Lego blocks
Yoshi has evolved from a simple Mario sidekick into one of the most beloved figures in all of gaming. This video will teach you how to translate your love of this perpetually-famished dinosaur into another medium: Legos. Learn how to make a model of Paper Yoshi, from the Paper Mario series, out of Lego blocks by watching this video. The artist here uses a computer program for his demonstration, but you can use real blocks obviously if you have enough of them!
How To: Make an Ozymandias from Watchmen Lego minifigure
Ozymandias, the smartest man in the world, is certainly one of the most intriguing of the many intriguing characters from the comic The Watchmen. This video features detailed instructions for making a custom Ozymandias Lego minifigure. Combine with the other Watchmen hero minifigures and act out whatever scenes from the comics your like!
How To: Make a Nite Owl from Watchmen custom Lego minifigure
The Nite Owl is the everyman of The Watchmen, and is many people's favorite character because of it. This video for all the Nite Owl fans out there who also love Legos will teach you how to make a custom Lego minifigure of Nite Owl using only basic hobby tools and paint. Make the other heros too and act out all of your favorite scene from the comics!
How To: Make a Michael Jackson Lego minifigure
Do you still think that Michael Jackson is the King of Pop, even in light of the many controversies that surround the end of his life and his untimely death? Do you also love Legos? The show your love for both. This video will teach you how to make a custom Lego minifigure that resembles Michael (Michael from the "Beat It" music video to be exact) using only paint and some hobby tools. Memorialize the King of Pop in a special using the instructions from this video.
How To: Make a custom Lego Jango Fett minifigure
Jango Fett and his father Boba from Star Wars are arguably the two most famous bounty hunters in all of modern Western art. This video will teach your how to make a custom Lego minifigure of Jango, using only simple hobby tools and patience. This is one of the more difficult Lego minifigures on the site, but then again, he's also one of the coolest, so try it out!
How To: Make a custom shadow clone commando Lego minifigure
The Star Wars universe is vast and diverse, and for the Lego Star Wars-modeling enthusiast, knowing how to make the dizzying number of different types of figures from the series is key to creating accurate-looking scenes. This video features detailed instructions for making a shadow clone commando custom Lego minifigure. Complete your set!
How To: Make minifigures of Star Wars Arc Troopers
If you are trying to make an accurate representation of a Star Wars battle out of Legos, completeness is crucial. Just because you've made a hundred Arc Trooopers doesn't mean you are done, you've got to make each one appropriate to their job on the battlefield! This video features instructions on how to make Arc Trooper gunner and heavy gunner custom minifigures. Pop them into their appropriate gun emplacements on your Lego battlefield and impress your friends with the accuracy of your repli...
How To: Make a Clone Sargent Denal custom Lego minifigure
Sargent Denal is one of the most decorated members of the Clone Army, and thus an important player in the Clone Wars saga of the Star Wars series. This video features detailed instructions for making a custom Lego minifigure of the Sargent for use in any Clone Wars scenes you may be concocting for your Lego army. Or you could just make a scene of Denal buying milk at the shops. Either would be cool.
How To: Make a Rorschach from The Watchmen Lego minifigure
The Watchmen are one of the most intriguing set of characters in the history of comics. If you love both the comics and Legos, then this video is for you. It features detailed instructions for making a custom Lego minifigure of Rorschach using basic hobby tools. Make the whole team, and start solving some tiny crimes!
How To: Make a Lego Arc Trooper pilot from Star Wars
If you are the type of Lego enthusiast who like to construct full-scale models of famous battles and scenes out of your blocks and minifigures, then accuracy is probably important to you. If making a Star Wars: The Clone Wars scene, the Arc Trooper pilot is an important element of most of them. This video features detailed instructions for making a custom Arc Trooper pilot minifigure out of basic hobby tools. Stick him in a plane and he'll be ready to fly Republic forces into battle.
How To: Make Clone Troopers Jek and Rhys Lego minifigures
Jek and Rhys are two of the named Arc Trooper characters from the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series. Have you ever wanted to have your own pocket-sized likenesses of these two bit characters from the show? Now you can. This video is a demonstration of building Lego minifigures of Jek and Rhys. Follow these instructions, and you can use these two characters in any Lego Star Wars scene you want!
How To: Make a Captain Fordo from Star Wars Lego minifigure
No Star Wars Lego battlefield depicting the events of the popular animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, is complete without Clone Trooper Captain Fordo. This video will help you to remedy any Fordo deficiencies in your battleground scene by teaching you how to construct a minifigure of Captain Fordo. There, now your Arc Trooper army is complete.
How To: Make a sniper rifle for a Lego minifigure
Has your Lego arsenal grown stagnant relying on the supply of weapons offered it by the Lego corporation? Take matters into your own hands. This video features detailed instructions for building a sniper rifle out of Lego blocks that one of your Lego minifigures can hold. This will make this piece a deadly force on the Lego battlefield.
How To: Make a sniper rifle for a Lego minifigure
Making realistic weapons for your Lego minifigures to hold is one of the most important parts of constructing a realistic-looking battleground scene out of Legos. This video features detailed instructions on how to build a Mach 11 sniper rifle out of Lego blocks that is small enough for a minifigure to hold. Your Legos figures have never been as well-armed as they will be if you give them one of these.
How To: Build a Halo Ghost out of Legos
The Ghost is one of the most important vehicles in the Halo universe, allowing the Covenant forces to move quickly and dangerously across any environment. This video features detailed instructions for building a model of a Ghost yourself out of Lego blocks.