Archive for the ‘Gift Guides’ Category
<3 your maker: MAKE’s Valentine’s Day gift guide
February 9th, 2010 | 
Author: We're all suckers for romance, even if most of us believe Valentine's Day is a holiday dreamed up by industry fatcats. Here are MAKE's staff picks for ways to celebrate with that special someone, maker style. Read on, it's a big list!
Build a bike
A personalized bike built for your sweetie can be really romantic, since all that hard work and custom choices relate specifically to the one you love. MAKE Advisory Board member Saul Griffith built a bike for his lady, Staff Editor Arwen O'Reilly Griffith. She writes:
When my husband and I were dating, we had a running argument about flowers. I love them, whether it's a rare orchid or a weed from the sidewalk, and it mystified me that he could never remember to surprise me with even a dandelion. But one Valentine's Day, he presented this bicycle to me with a grin from ear to ear. His addiction is bicycles, so I knew this was a true gesture of love. He bought the different components on Craigslist and from various bike stores to make a bike that fit me to a T, stenciled my name on the frame, and hand-build the wheels. The spokes were twisted, just like two beautiful flowers.
What are you doing to celebrate Valentine's Day with your maker love? Share with us in the comments!
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What ya get?
So, what presents did you give? Get? We'd especially love to hear from folks who used our gift guides to buy (or make) presents and how your recipients liked them.
Above image from Tada's Revolution.
Make: Holiday Gift Guide 2009: Beekeeper Gift Guide
by Cameo Wood
I opened my beekeeping store in downtown San Francisco in June, and I've found that everyone loves beekeepers or bees, and that beekeepers are serious makers. What they can't find to buy, they generally end up building. I've also been stocking my store with the beekeeper in mind, and here are some of the top sellers, at my store and abroad!
8-Frame English Garden Hive
If you're just getting started in beekeeping, choosing the type of hive can be confusing. The only hive I use or sell is the 8-Frame medium Cypress hive, called the "hive of the future" by Bee Culture Magazine's Kim Flottum. Having one consistent size for all your equipment is a huge time saver, and is ideal for beginners and experienced beekeepers alike. There are two problems with the traditional 10-Frame shallow/deep sized box methodology.
- If your bees decide to make honey in your deep, you don't really have any recourse. You now have a 100+ pound box of honey that you need to lift every time you work your hive.
- If you get brood (bee larva) in your honey shallows (hive box usually intended for honey only), or honey in your brood deeps (primarily intended for larva), there's no way to switch the frames around -- you're stuck with a mess.
The 8-Frame medium garden hive solves all of those problems. This is a beautiful hive that is all set up. You only have to paint/lacquer it, and you're set to go. Also, get a load of that gorgeous copper A-Line top... Fancy!
Apidan Overalls with Air Openings and Detachable Hood ($175)
The one thing that every beekeeper tends to buy eventually is a full sting-proof suit, for the days when the bees are cranky. Bees tend to sting if something is wrong in the hive, if the queen has died, if there was a recent invader, or if it's really cold and rainy outside. In these cases, the bees would really prefer if you didn't come barging into their home, making a mess of everything they've been building. For all these reasons, but mostly for the ones I can't anticipate, the full sting-proof suit is at the top of my list. These are the best I've found, and they look darn cool to boot. Find them in HMSBeekeeper or in the UK from beeproofsuits.
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Make: Holiday Gift Guide 2009: What’s on YOUR wishlist?
Well, after several weeks of nearly daily gift guides here on MAKE, we can't imagine you haven't found more than enough ideas for fun, creative, productive, smart, and just plain cool stuff to gift your friends and love ones this year.
But wait, there's more! We asked OUR friends and loved ones in the extended MAKE family what THEY wanted for Christmas. Here's some of what they lust after (gift-givers take note).
And, as the title to the guide implies, this is a DIY gift guide. What's on YOUR list? Tell us in the Comments.
Bose SoundDock ($360, Bose)
I really like riding my horse to music. It helps keep me energized and it's really neat when your horse gets in the groove, too! The Bose system is really loud, so you can hear it from across the arena, and I'm able to plug in my old school iPhone to play songs, which is great because most devices aren't compatible with the original iPhone and the only other MP3 player I own is a first-genl iPod Mini. I really hope Santa sees this! -- Katie Dougherty Kunde, Maker Media's Account Manager
I'm suddenly lusting after these. -- Dan Woods, Assoc. Publisher & G.M., Maker Retail