wish fulfillment, the blog

photo and instructions courtesy of Design*Sponge

Turn those rubber foam drawer linings into artsy coasters for your coffee table with just a few materials! These are faster and easier to make than your morning cup of joe, and can be as fancy or simple as you’d like. With a pair of scissors and a craft punch, you can design them yourself and why stop at coasters? Matching placemats would be adorable!

Materials

• scissors
• cutting mat
• grip drawer liner (this is found with other contact paper and drawer lining products in hardware stores)
• craft hole paper punch (this allows you to punch holes anywhere on a sheet of paper. it usually comes with three size tips for making small, medium, and large holes)
• hammer

Instructions

1. find something circular to trace that is a good coaster size. unroll your grip liner sheet and trace the circle shape on the backside of the material.
2. find something circular with a smaller circumference and center it inside the bigger circle. trace this on the back as well.
3. using the small circle as a guide, punch 8 large holes, spaced evenly along the circle’s circumference. to punch the holes, place the punch down on the surface of the materials and tap it firmly with the hammer. lift up to see a clean hole. if the materials did not come off completely, place the punch down in the exact same place and tap harder with the hammer.
4. punch 5 medium size holes evenly spaced around each large hole, like petals of a flower.
5. punch two small holes on either side of each “flower” you just punched, along the line of the circle you traced.
6. now you can add holes of various sizes anywhere you’d like. you can also vary this pattern to create different lace patterns.
7. use your scissors to cut out the large circle shape. if you want petal shaped edges, then cut around the flowers you punched, leaving about 1/2 inch of space between the flowers and the edge.
8. repeat all steps three more times to get four matching coasters (or make each coaster different).

Photo and instructions courtesy of Design*Sponge

Who says you need to keep the party indoors? With Spring blowing its way in, it’s time to pack up your lunches and blankets and head outside for a picnic in the park! This cute and vintage-looking picnic pack can easily carry everything you need for a picnic for two, and can be made entirely from a purse and belts from a thrift shop! This project is probably not best for the beginner crafter, but if you’re not intimidated by leatherworking and are looking for that perfect craft challenge, you’ll be highly rewarded!

Materials

• three leather belts (at least two should be thick and long and about the same length – about 36″. the third can be shorter and thinner)
• old leather purse (could be any material, should have a strap and be fairly small)
• drill with 1/8″ and 3/16″ drill bits
• throw blanket
• thermos
• two mugs
• needle and thread (heavy duty thread and strong needle for leather or heavy weight fabric)
• super glue or e-6000
• scissors
• two standard pencils, un-sharpened (or a dowel the same length)
• twine
• big eyed needle (to fit the twine)
• sew on snaps (available at craft or fabric stores)
• pen

Instructions

check out the website for more pictures!

1. roll up your blanket and get your thermos. wrap the two long belts around the blanket so it is held snugly. you will probably need to add belt holes to the strap because it is much smaller than a waist would be. mark on the inside of each belt where the hole should be to snugly fit the blanket.

2. drill through the belts to create holes at the spots you marked. re-belt your blanket to check your new holes and adjust if necessary. your belts should be spaced about 8″ apart from each other on the blanket.

3. with the belts closed around the blanket take the end of the straps that extends past the buckle and wrap around the thermos. then slide the belt strap back through the leather belt loop that sits near the buckle (the loop uses to hold the belt strap against the body if there’s extra). pulling this snugly should create a firm grip on your thermos, and you should still have a good amount of belt strap left on each side. if your belts are the same length, this is ideal and you will have the same amount remaining on both sides.

4. take a sew-on snap and place it near the end of one belt strap on the inner side of the strap. using a pen, mark the holes in the snap on the belt (these are the spaces where you would sew through to connect the snap to fabric). drill holes through each of these marks with the 1/8″ drill bit. this is going to make sewing much easier. if you have a needle and thread (and muscle!) that can handle thick leather, then you can just sew the snap on. but i used the drill holes to pass the thread through, and sewed the top half of the snap on that way.

5. when the top of the snap is secure, connect it to the bottom of the snap. slide the handle of a mug onto the belt strap and pull the belt strap tight, marking where the snap lands on the belt when it is pulled taught. this is where the bottom of the snap should go. mark it with a pen and drill holes like you did in step 4 (you will need to take the belt off the blanket to drill through this part, because it lays against the blanket.)

6. sew the bottom half of the snap onto the strap of the belt. when you are done, put the belt back on the blanket and the thermos, slide the mug handle on again and make sure the snap reaches its bottom half and snaps securely.

7. repeat steps 4 – 6 with the second belt.

8. take the purse and push the strap through behind the two main belts on the opposite side from the mugs. cut the strap so that the two sides will meet in the middle and that the total length is just the width of the distance between the two main belts.

9. sew the now shorter purse straps together in the middle to create a closed strap. disassemble your pack and loop the belt straps over the purse strap so that the purse is hanging on the opposite side of the blanket from the mugs.

9. with the blanket, thermos, purse, and mugs secured by the belts, take the third belt and slide it underneath the two belts at the top of the blanket roll. this will be your handle buckle the belt to create a closed circle, and hang the pack on your shoulder to gauge where the weight distributes.

10. when you have determined where the handle needs to be for the pack to hang correctly, hold it in place and mark the third belt on either side of where the two main belts hit it. mark on the two main belts where the third belt hits it as well

11. disassemble the pack and hold the third belt underneath the two main belts where you marked. at the intersection of the straps and the handle, drill four holes through both the main belt and the third belt with the 3/16″ bit.

12. thread your bug eye needle with twine and sew a criss-cross pattern through the four holes, securing the two belts tightly together. repeat this with the second strap.

13. now the handle is secured to the two main belts. you should reassemble here and check that everything is in the right place.

14. disassemble again and flip the belts upside down so you are looking at the underside of the handle and where ti meets both main belts. tie the two pencils (or dowel) onto the underside with twine right along the center of the underside of the strap. this will give the strap more strength and keep the belts from pulling towards each other with the weight of the pack.

15. take the leftover purse strap (or twine, or handlebar tape if you prefer – any of that will work but i like the consistency of using the purse material) and glue the one end to the pencils right at the edge of where the handle meets the left main belt strap. continue to wrap it around the handle and the pencils, securing with glue on the pencil side, until you reach the other edge of the handle, where it meets the right main belt strap. glue to the pencils to secure and cut any extra purse strap. now you have a nice, wrapped, reinforced handle.

16. reassemble everything and fill your pack!

Photo courtesy of Pig Pig’s Corner

Nothing says Superbowl season better than a big pile of warm BBQ ribs! These morsels make great finger food, while still being tender enough to fall off the bone when you dig in. Instead of using a traditional barbecue sauce, this recipe calls for Asian flavors that are sweet, spicy, and amazingly fragrant to stand up to the smoky, charred meat. The best part about it is that you don’t need to clean off the grill, or smoke your neighbors out of their backyard, because it’s all done in the oven! There’s no excuse not to make this any day of the year!

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg pork ribs
• 1/2 bulb garlic – peeled and minced

For marinade:

• 2 tbs maltose
• 2 tbs agave nectar (or honey)
• 2 tbs char siu sauce
• 2 tbs soy sauce
• 2 tbs Shaoxing wine
• 1/2 tsp white pepper powder
• 1 tsp five-spice powder
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp red chili flakes

For glaze:

• 1 tbs water
• 1 tbs char siu sauce
• 1 tbs honey

Directions

1. Put all marinade ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl, microwave for about 30 secs then whisk to combine.
2. Mix together pork, garlic and marinade ingredients, marinate for at least 1 hr or even better overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 160°C.
4. Line a baking tray with aluminium foil.
5. Arrange ribs on foil, pour all the marinade liquid on ribs, cover tightly with more foil.
6. Braise the ribs in the oven for 2 hrs.
7. Remove ribs from oven, uncover carefully as a lot of steam will escape.
8. Switch oven to broil mode.
9. Brush the glaze onto the ribs.
10. Place under the broiler and broil until the glaze caramelises slightly. Keep a close look as they burn easily!
11. Brush another layer of glaze onto ribs, continue to broil until slightly charred.
12. Flip the ribs over and repeat the glazing and broiling steps.

Photo and directions courtesy of Design*Sponge

Here’s a last minute idea for wrapping your gifts or cards that will add that extra touch! You can easily crank out dozens of these log slice buttons if you have a saw and drill handy. We think they’d also look adorable on clothing or accessories, for a nice organic touch.

Materials

• logs
• drill with small bit
• chop saw (or saw with mitre box)
• safety goggles and dust mask
• scrap piece of wood

Directions

1. Slice the logs in thicknesses between .5″ and 2″.
2. Drill four holes evenly spaced from the center of each slice.
3. Brush off all the sawdust and use a BBQ skewer or chopstick to poke out the sawdust from inside the holes.
4. If you want to, you can paint these with a couple coats of clear sealant to prevent dampness or staining.

The stores are brimming with cardboard hearts and chocolate assortments, reminding us all that Valentine’s Day is just around the corner! Whether you’re planning a special occasion with your sweetheart or reminding yourself how fabulous it is to be single, why not plan a gift exchange to maximize the fun! A Valentine’s swap can be as fancy or casual as you like it, and it’ll be sure to put you out of any post-holiday season funk! Here are some ideas to get you started!

Something tasty: If your friends have a sweet tooth or are avid bakers, focus the theme around food! You can bake a batch of goodies for each person, keeping their dietary preferences in mind. If they like to share, it’ll even brighten the days of those around them! For non-edible gifts, check out Valentine-themed baking supplies, like cookie cutters, sprinkles, or dishes.

Something thoughtful: Remember when we used to exchange cards back in elementary school? Remind your loved ones why they’re special by crafting a personalized Valentine for them! Each person in your group can focus on one recipient, and they’ll have more time to make the card extra special. If you’re amongst poets, try your hand at some creative writing!

Something Chinese: Did you know that Chinese New Years falls on the same day as Valentines Day this year? Celebrate with 2 billion other people by exchanging candy, firecrackers, or new clothes. The color red will also bring them happiness and wealth for the year to come.

Something else? Other ideas include romantic movie swaps (sappy or not), flower/plant swaps, and coupon swaps (for breakfast in bed or dinner and a movie).

We are seeking an Elf that wants to get busy in our digital workshop! Do you know anybody that likes to have fun and make cool stuff? Please pass it on!

SOFTWARE ENGINEERING INTERNSHIP at ELFSTER:

Part time or full time.

LOCATION: 

Telecommute & Company Headquarters, Jack London Square, Oakland, CA

INTERNSHIP DESCRIPTION:

The software engineer intern will be immersed in a world of professional development working directly with seasoned engineers. You will have an opportunity to learn and understand how a distributed, multi talented team collaborates to build great software.

A great engineer is like a great elf. They take pride in their work, are committed to excellence and improvement in everything they do, and know how to work well with others. A passion for building great things will get you far and your internship at Elfster will help tap that passion while setting you up for a rewarding future in product development.

FUNCTIONS:

The software engineer intern will collaborate on design and implement technologies to delight Elfster’s 1,000,000 + user base.

• Research and create proof of concept “spikes” of potential technologies for integration into the Elfster system.
• Implement new features and enhance existing technologies.
• Potential application aspects include:

o Social networking apps and plug ins (e.g. Facebook Apps/ Facebook Connect),
o Mobile technologies (e.g. IPhone Apps),
o Browser plug-ins, Bookmarklets
o Core web site development.

QUALIFICATIONS:

We are looking for the most promising candidates. Candidates will have the following qualifications:

• Entrepreneurial spirit.
• Excellent academic record.
• Current college undergraduate students or graduate students in computer science or related experience.
• Passion for superior product design.
• Humility, integrity, passion, and a self-starter attitude
• Experience with some of the following technologies: HTML, Javascript, AJAX, Relational Databases, C#, Java, IPhone SDK, Facebook Applications, Twitter API, JSON, REST, SOAP, Internet Gaming

ABOUT ELFSTER:

Gift-giving 2.0 – Elfster provides fun and easy tools for group gift giving, like Secret Santa. With 1 million visitors over the past year and traffic doubling each year since our launch in 2004, Elfster is on a mission to help people experience the joy of giving, one of the most basic and essential human interactions. Oh yeah, and we love to have sneaky fun, too!

APPLICATION:

Please email your resume and cover letter to intern@elfster.com. In addition, please tell us your favorite site on the web and explain why you love it.