Awesome Handmade

Do you like your coffee with sugar and bad dreams? Stoned and Fired Pottery creates these delightfully creepy mugs in the shape of a baby’s head. The vacant eyes and empty skull make them all the more unsettling. Each one is handmade from ceramic stoneware and holds up to 22 oz. of your beverage of choice.

While checking out a Viking Pizza Axe, we came across a design from Umar’s Art Work that looks like a more practical way to cut a pizza. It has a handmade steel blade with Viking-inspired runes, and wooden handles. Its curved ulu-style edge slices neatly through pizza without toppings getting stuck like with a pizza wheel.

Making drones out of lightweight materials is a must if you want them to fly. But Motores Patelo went the opposite direction, and created a flightless drone out of metal. Sadly, he couldn’t record the whole build due to the lockdown, but the finished piece is still amazing… and could easily take off a finger.

The scorpions we encounter here in the U.S. are relatively small, but this oversize metal creature measures 8.25″ long. This awesomely creepy creation is made by Thailand artists Kreatworks using recycled automotive and machine parts. Also, it turns out that there are real scorpions that are almost the same size in South Africa.

Glass artist James Mongrain and a team of assistants demonstrate the painstaking process of turning a molten blob of glass into an intricately scaled dragon in this 1-hour video from the Corning Museum of Glass. It’s also the most soothing thing you’ll watch today.

Artist Cameron Oehler of 1337motif makes awesome cutting boards and coasters inspired by video game pixel art. This set of six wooden coasters features pixelated images of Mario, Mushroom, Star, Boo, Bob-omb, and Goomba, each made from hundreds of cubes of colorful wood.

Carved makes all kinds of beautiful accessories from wood and colored resin. Their standing desk is a masterpiece, with swirls of blue resin ocean washing up against a burled maple shoreline. Sadly, this one-off sold in 4 minutes, but follow their Facebook and Instagram pages for future releases.

Artist Steve Gallagher makes this cool desk lamp that looks like a steampunk rocket ship. Each one is made from a cage light with a glass shade, various bits of pipe, and a wooden base. The deluxe version features a decorative brass finial and looks great with either flicker flame or spiral filament LED bulbs.

Artist Yuuki Nishihara creates beautifully handcrafted metalwork from his shop in Itoshima, Japan. In this video, you’ll see how he works strips of tin into the shape of a cup, then hammers it to produce a faceted texture. You can find his work for sale at Itoshima Gokoro. We enjoyed listening to each tap of the hammer.

For this Scrapwood Challenge, carpenter Neil Paskin created a beautiful modern pendant lamp. He created its cylindrical shape by gluing small wood segments into circles that he routed smoothly. To create the organic perforations in the shade, he drilled randomly placed holes and then painstakingly routed each one by hand.

We’ve always been wowed by the craft of Kumiko. Inspired by the elegant Japanese latticework, Make With Miles created a unique electric guitar with a body that incorporates the technique. After cutting and assembling the wood, he filled the openings with tinted epoxy for contrast. He also made a matching amp.

Make Anything’s Tippi Tree is a party game that challenges players to stack and interlock blocks but in a more organic way than Jenga. Maker Devin Montes has now built a giant version of the game out of wood. If you want to play some Tippi Tree for yourself, you can purchase the design for 3D printing from MyMiniFactory.

Ukraine-based shop Flampic makes wonderful wooden desk lamps. Among their creative designs is this adorable dog lamp. Its articulated legs and tail let you pose it in a nearly endless variety of charming poses. Available with metal wing nuts or handcrafted wood hardware.

Built in the USA by the great bootmakers at Danner, this leather tool belt is a good looker and a good worker. It’s made to last, constructed from thick suede and natural leather. Features two large and three small pockets, a full-grain leather hammer loop and tape holder, and an adjustable web belt for waists 29”-46.”

Custom King Design’s titanium rings offer a unique method of personalization. Each one can be engraved with a fingerprint sample you provide. It’s a great way to remember a loved one and keep them close all the time. The rings come in a variety of styles, sizes, and finishes.

We’ve seen some pretty sweet items made from recycled wine and whiskey barrels. In this video from Ryan Hawkins of West Coast Boards, he shows how he broke down two oak barrels and rebuilt their staves into a beautiful, end-grain butcher block that weighs nearly 50 lbs.

In this video from woodworker JAR Made, he how he made a unique accent lamp that lets light shine through gaps cut into a wooden shade. By making horizontal and vertical kerf cuts, he was able to bend the wood into a hyperboloid shape reminiscent of a nuclear cooling tower. He also placed an Alexa voice assistant inside.

Bexar Goods makes this leather wallet with a design clearly inspired by Sheriff Woody from Toy Story. Its body features a yellow plaid pattern and is accompanied by blue, cow print, and red bandana accents. Each one is hand-stitched and has four card pockets and a cash compartment. It’s also available as a slim credit card wallet.

Proud Owl’s distressed wood rack provides easy access to your vinyl collection. Its asymmetrical design faces half your records forward and the other half sideways. Its right side has just enough room for a turntable or for displaying trinkets. It comes in various colors, with or without legs in 6″, 12″, or 20″ lengths.

UK woodworker Silas & Such make a variety of racks for display and organization. This rustic reclaimed wood shelving can showcase a mix of knives, watches, and other small collectible items. It measures 35.4″ w x 16.9″ h x 4.3″ d and can be wall-mounted into studs or used freestanding.

Muntok’s elegant roll-up chess set is handmade from vegetable-tanned leather. Its spaces are stitched in place, while its chess pieces are each made from a leather disc with a hand-embossed rank icon. The included storage tube holds pieces and stays closed with a leather strap.

Hold on to your camera with a secure and stylish strap made from strong and versatile 550 paracord. Zander Creatives handmakes these straps in a variety of colors to suit your individual style. They’re fitted with heavy duty rings and lobster clips, and come in 38″ and 47″ lengths.

At first glance, this looks like an ordinary log. But there’s something hiding inside of it. When it’s given a firm shake, a series of castles rise from its surface, much like the opening credits of Game of Thrones. These ones were posted by Ctoom, but you can find similar pop-up sculptures over on Etsy.