A beauty dish is a device that redistributes the flash on your camera to make the lighting more flattering in portraits. It's called a "beauty dish" because it's used most commonly in fashion and beauty photography. Unless you're a fashion photographer, you probably don't nee ...more
Fondant as a cake decorating material is difficult to work with. Before we even get into how demanding it is to sculpt little fondant figures like giraffes and zebras, the issue of covering an entire cake with a rolled out piece of fondant should be covered. Going over your c ...more
In this tutorial, we learn how to make Styrofoam and fabric Christmas ornaments. First, shape the Styrofoam into a ball and then grab the fabric you want to place around it. Place the ball into the fabric, then tie it at the top with a ribbon and some string. After this, you w ...more
This magical electronics tutorial video will teach you how to make a decent sounding speaker from a disposable Styrofoam plate. A Styrofoam plate is, of course, not someone's first thought when they consider speaker materials, but give this one a try. This is an easy and cheap ...more
With this prank, you will leave your victims wet and mad while you laugh your pants off. This prank video tutorial will show you exactly how to do this styrofoam cup and water prank. You only need a cup, tape and some grease. This prank is simple, but effective. Use this as in ...more
This short video is about melting a styro cup without fire. It's magical. Anyone watching it would wonder what had happened to the Styrofoam cup which was dipped in Acetone, nothing but common nail polish remover. This is a short and cute video and watching this could be fun f ...more
Nextraker is the king of all pranks, especially styrofoam cup pranks. In this video, see how to create a prank that will leave your victims wet and totally embarrassed! Simplicity is the key to any good prank, so all you will need is some glue and a nail. See how to pull of th ...more
Styropyro shows a classic demonstration of "The Vanishing Cup" experiment. Things you will need: a container, slightly larger than the Styrofoam cup, acetone and a Styrofoam cup. Place the container on a flat surface and fill it up with an acetone. Get the Styrofoam cup and Ca ...more
Dissolve styrofoam with acetone using tips from this how-to video. Acetone breaks the structure of polystyrene in its expanded form, styrofoam. The 'foam' bit goes away. In other words, acetone "dissolves" polystyrene.
At stores, imitation plastic or cloth baby booties (to be used to contain party favors or small gifts) can be quite costly, and a backbreaking expense considering all the other more necessary expenditures you're considering when planning a baby shower, including finger food, c ...more
If you need to quickly shape the Styrofoam blocks on your custom built car, build your own hotwire cutter out of an old battery charger, some scrap wood and a piece of NiChrome wire from the hobby shop.
When it comes to fondant, practice really does make perfect. The sugary mixture hardens to a sturdy yet soft consistency when set out to dry, but in its pliable stage it's often easy for things to spin out of control and to make terrible folding and tucking mess-ups when you'r ...more
This tutorial video will teach you how to cut hard styrofoam. Extruded Styrofoam is available at most hardware stores or home building depots. It is different than regular "bead" styrofoam-- it is not composed of pinhead-sized spheres. It is very workable. I call it "hard styr ...more
Imagine… your friend is drinking an ice-cold soda out of his/her styrofaom cup, and everything's fine, until… it's starts leaking everywhere! It could be utterly hilarious, or disastrously evil, depending on who your target is. The idea of this cup prank revolves around the o ...more
This prank is simple, creative, easy to set up, messy and embarrassing. Five of the first things that we at Wonderhowto look for in a prank. All you need are some basic household materials: vaseline Styrofoam cup straw lid drink pen sharp knife use the pen to mark off the ce ...more
This tutorial miniature video will show you how to make crystals out of hard styrofoam. These crystals will add a dramatic effect to your miniature landscape.
Crazy Chris shows us how to make a cool boomerang out of two Styrofoam cups - useful as a party trick. Plastic and paper cups can also be used. The bottoms of the cups are taped together. The key to making the boomerang work is the positioning of the fingers on the cups. The m ...more
Stormtroopers were once the elite soldiers of the unstoppable Galactic Empire that ruled the Universe. Then little ol' Luke Skywalker came along and destroyed the Death Star, ending the evil empire forever. Since then, poor Stormtroopers all over the world have been left witho ...more
The best part about April Fool's Day is that everyone is fair game. Even big tech companies like Google and Twitter get in on the action every year. It encourages even the most uptight, unfunny party-poopers among us to have a little fun driving each other crazy with pranks — ...more
In this article, I'll show you how to build a coil gun. A coil gun is a device that fires magnetic projectiles at high velocities, using electricity. Coil guns require no explosive propellant, therefor can be fired an infinite amount of time, providing that there is ammunition ...more
Create a miniature hover craft from the fan, polystrene or Styrofoam plate, batteries and double-sided scotch tape. It really works. Powered by two 9 volt batteries you can use paper plates for the body of the hovercraft if need be. This is a cool cat toy or just a household h ...more
It’s called Urophagia—the art of consuming urine. There could be any number of reasons for having the desire to drink your own urine (or somebody else’s). There’s the so-called term “urine therapy,” which uses human urine as an alternative medicine. In urine therapy, or uropat ...more
Dippin' Dots are a fun way to enjoy ice cream, but the price tag is not so fun. Plus, the company filed for bankruptcy last year, so they may not be around much longer. The good news is that you don't need them—you can make your own at home with some ice cream and liquid nitro ...more
You can paint your plaster blue and coat it with a gloss, but there are easier ways to make artificial water for miniature dioramas, architectural models and war game terrain. Easy Water is a product made up of small plastic pellets that need to be melted and poured onto the m ...more
For some reason, there's only ever one person in a group of friends that has a cooler. Every time there is a hangout or BBQ, that friend is called and has to lug his expensive, huge plastic cooler around for everyone. Not really fair, is it? What if you want to have a private ...more
If you're breaking a sweat in the summer heat, but not trying to break the bank, this dead simple trick will show you how to make your own air conditioner for under ten bucks. Video: . What You'll Need 1 styrofoam cooler 2 dryer vents 1 small fan you've probably got lying aro ...more
Cake Journal shares a link to a HowTo video on making big, luscious gum paste roses, as shown on the cake below: The video is a large file, so you have to download it to your computer. Click through to this flickr comment stream, for a link posted by franjmc. Cake Journal of ...more
As an avid coffee drinker, I used to be a big fan of single-serve coffee machines. One day, the machine decided to stop working—which does happen from time to time—so I decided to go old school and use my automatic drip. Then, I realized that all I had were pods of single-serv ...more
If you've found your speakers to be lacking in the visuals department, this is just the mod for you. Using 3" PVC, you can turn your speakers into light-up glow rods that pulse to the beat of your music. You'll need some electrical skills and experience soldering to get this o ...more
Learn how to build a mini hovercraft. With a few items found in almost any desk or tool drawer, you can make your very own mini hovercraft capable of gliding over any flat surface. You Will Need * A spill-proof sports cap from a plastic water bottle or sports-drink bottl * A ...more
Check out this Halloween tutorial video to learn how to make a flying crank ghost. This is essentially like making a big Marionette ghost puppet. All you need is the following easy to find materials: a styrofoam skull, 7 wire coat hangers, black spary paint, pliers, cheese clo ...more
In this article, I'll show you how to make a high-powered, long-range, air-powered rocket gun. This launcher is based on a sprinkler valve, a modified propane tank, and a few other components. Though not hard to make, this device is VERY dangerous! The rocket can seriously har ...more
Tunnels can help make your model railroad set-up come alive. But professionally made tunnels can be expensive, and they lack character. In this tutorial you'll learn how to make your own, customized tunnels. Materials needed: Styrofoam, either in two-inch thick sheets or larg ...more
Portal has been one of the most critically acclaimed and universally loved games of the last few years, and there's plenty of fan art to prove it. From building a Portal gun, to a gravity defying Companion Cube, and even installing Portal onto a graphing calculator, fans have ...more
Looking to go electric on the cheap? In this video tutorial, you'll learn how to make a contact microphone out of a Piezo Transducer, available for $2 from Radioshack (part #273073A). You'll also need some sort of audio connector, which can either be salvaged from old electron ...more
Have you ever wondered what sort of microscopic critters are floating around in your water? Well, you can find out with just a few bucks worth of materials and a laser pointer. Really. That's all it takes to build your very own homemade laser projection microscope, aka a water ...more
Hi there, first I'm canadian and my SUV so. I'm a hobbyist doing his best, not a mechanic, I don't take charge of other people's installation issues. Anyway, I decided to buy a SUV some months ago, and it comes without the wiring harness for the trailer and the hitch. I made i ...more
This video shows how easy it is to make a great looking cupcake bouquet. You will need half a Styrofoam ball, a flower pot, some toothpicks, a piping bag with a flower tip, some colored icing and, of course, the cupcakes. Place the piece of Styrofoam in the flower pot and arra ...more
This video illustrates how to make napalm. You will need a petri dish, gasoline, and styrofoam to create napalm. Combining the styrofoam and gasoline in a petri dish you allow the styrofoam to dissolve and become a semi-solid substance. It will have the consistency of chewing ...more
Criss makes a cup float, then teaches the trick to the audience. You need a Styrofoam cup and secretly stick something to the back of the cup so it seems to float magically. This is a magic illusion from Criss Angel's Mindfreak show on A&E. Perform the Cup Float trick of Criss ...more
Torus knots are beautiful knots formed by wrapping a line around a torus and tying the ends together to form a loop. The resulting knot has a star-like appearance when viewed from above. The 36 examples with the least number of crossings can be seen at the Knot Atlas's page on ...more
Notthecoolmom gives a craft lesson on how to make a diaper wreath for a baby shower. To make the wreath you will need the following materials: a package of 56 size 1 diapers (preferably with a design of some kind), a Styrofoam wreath, a spool of ribbon, and rubber bands (optio ...more
Korean artist Osang Gwon creates more than just alluring paper-made girls. Gwon has moved past traditional papercraft, taking volumes of photographs of his subjects and constructing sculptural forms from the carefully arranged 2D images. Gwon shows in galleries, and has done ...more
In this tutorial, we learn how to create a plankton science model. You will first need a clear bucket with water, modeling clay, toothpicks, sponge, beads, buttons, pipe cleaners, Styrofoam peanuts, and more. To make the plankton, you will first take the peanut and stick a too ...more
There's nothing in this life that we love more than making one ingredient or one food tool do multiple things. It saves money! It saves time! It makes us look smart at cocktail parties! Without further ado, here are several ways to save money, waste less food, and make the mo ...more
Fondant is quite the tricky cake decorating material. On the surface it looks smooth, slick, and solid, but the consistency of fondant is actually quite thin and the sugary paste is very liable to tearing while you're working with it. If you've never laid down a large piece o ...more
There are plenty of films out there with baseball bats, but if you want your bat to explode on impact, you'll have to make it yourself. A smashable baseball bat is perfect for any gangster flick or sports movie. Watch this video tutorial to learn how to make a breakable baseba ...more
Summer is here, and temperatures are rising. Instead of shelling out for an expensive new air conditioning unit, why not build one yourself with a few bucks worth of old computer parts? There's a number of ways you can go about doing this (and some really fun ways to make you ...more
It's nice to have a drink on an airplane, whether you're taking a flight somewhere fun or for work. However, what's not so nice is the high prices and relatively bad quality of the liquor that's available. If that's what's holding you back from having a nice tipple, never fea ...more
The Slighty Mad Scientist teaches you how to prank someone by making their gift extremely difficult to open. All you need is some styrofoam and a little chemistry. Use this as inspiration for one of your April Fools Day pranks!
This floating cup is lighter than plastic and lighter than glass, but is it lighter than air? Tune in to find out! You will need a styrofoam cup and scotch tape. Sometimes we use materials that require adult supervision... like scissors, so make sure you have friends and fami ...more
The holidays are a wonderful time for people to get together and celebrate another year gone by. With all of these parties and gatherings being thrown, a "photobooth" is always a fun addition to the holiday festivities. Why not make some props to bring some extra life to your ...more
The heat can be oppressive, and air conditioning can be expensive. But you can build your own air conditioner for just $40, with a fan, styrofoam cooler and a length of quarter-inch copper tubing. Cool your home inexpensively with this mod!
Dummy cakes are for stores & cake decorators to show off their designs without the worry of a falling cake or cake spoil. In this tutorial, learn how to perfectly cover a dummy cake (made of styrofoam) with sugarpaste or fondant icing. With a little practice, you'll be coverin ...more
Make snowman Christmas tree decorations with tips from this how-to video. You will need two styrofoam balls, some toothpicks, a white sock, plaid fabric, orange pipe cleaners, and more. Watch this video tutorial to learn what else you will need.
Today you will learn how to make two different Christmas ornaments that you can hang from your Christmas tree. You will need decorative stamps, decorative hole punch, rubber stamp ink pad, styrofoam bowls, fake flowers, acrylic paint, ribbon and clips for hanging. This is a fu ...more
What can you do with your egg cartons after you are done using up all the eggs? The compartmentalized spaces used for storing eggs are also perfect to use as seed starters, DIY candle makers, paint palettes, and for storing similarly fragile or round objects like Christmas orn ...more
Objects become charged when rubbed against one another. This happens because negatively charged electrons flow from one object to the other. If you're a teacher, and need a way to demonstrate static electricity, then just check out this science video tutorial on how to use a ...more
Follow Crazy Chris' instructions, and crazy antics to make your own Monster Footprints. All you need is some wet ground, some gullible friends, and a hunk of Styrofoam. Chris shows us how to cut out Styrofoam monster feet, strap them to your shoes, and go tromping through the ...more
To make a paper flower mistletoe kissing ball, cut leaf petal shapes out of green paper. Apply glue to white wire berries and attach them in between four paper petals. Wrap the ends of the petals with wire to secure the bouquet. Adjust the leaves as desired. Snip the excess wi ...more