Samantha Moore

Bunny Paper Cut

I liked the fact that the author of the Bunny paper cut asked those who have never done a paper cut before to practice on a scrap piece of paper prior to starting the tutorial. Instead of telling the reader how he/she should hold the knife, the author encouraged the reader to explore how they feel most comfortable holding the knife. This would make me much less intimidated by this type of project. The author also talks about how much they enjoy paper cutting which leads me to believe I would enjoy it too. Lots of positivity and encouragement!

Framed Paper Butterfly

How to make a framed paper butterfly.

Any feedback/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Toothpick World

I was really impressed by the toothpick creations Stan Munro had at Maker Faire. The details were incredible. When I researched the toothpick works further, the story of how Stan came to build these structures was really touching. His wife became very sick so he stayed home with her and picked up tooth-picking as a way to keep busy and make her smile. He says that she is his muse and he always signs his works ‘I luv Suzi’. Recently he built the Chrysler building, although very difficult to make, because it is her favorite building.

Tutorial inspiration: Ombre Embroidery Sampler

For my third tutorial example, I chose one that uses embroidery skills since most tutorials I find with photos are a bit confusing. I like that this author not only lists the materials needed for the project but also has a nice picture with them all laid out. For someone who has never stepped foot in a fabric/needlepoint store, they may have no idea what “embroidery floss” is!

The directions for the stitches are labeled very clearly for a beginner and the entire process is photographed. Rather than looking intimidating this project looks like it would be very enjoyable which in my eyes is a big success.

Icing a Messy Cake Tutorial inspiration

This tutorial is a lot of fun. It is not only easy to follow through reading the text or looking at the photos alone, but it also makes me want to try it just so I can bake a cake to eat! The pictures are really nice and the author is very descriptive.

Tutorial Research – Paper Ribbon Flag Tutorial

I really enjoy this tutorial on how to make paper ribbon flags. I think the photography is very clear and instead of just listing the steps and showing photos of the process separately, the written steps are explained on the photos making it very easy to follow. I also appreciate the fact that the author tells the audience what they can use the final product for. It teaches those that may not be able to visualize this item, beyond sitting in that clear jar, real examples that they can incorporate into their own lives. I also think the use of color is smart in the post. She chooses a background that is neutral to allow the blue paper to pop.

Awkward Musical Instrument with Arduino

The Arduino Pipe Organ is simple to play – lower the plunger into the pipe and you are a musician! I’d like to think if Mario and Luigi played an instrument it would be this one. The pipe is fitted with an ultrasonic distance sensor and the plunger’s distance from the sensor determines the tone that will come out of the speaker.

Currently the pipe is programmed to play 8 notes (in the key of C) using Arduino Tone code. I am hoping to explore more notes and sounds in the future, the possibilities are endless.

I apologize for the static in this video, I am working to correct this but in the meantime here is an improvised song on the pipe organ so you can see it in action:

Awkward Musical Instrument Thoughts…

I want my instrument to be played in a way that you don’t automatically think of so no strumming, blowing, drumming, etc. I looked at a few different ideas and decided on using a PING ultrasonic distance sensor. With this sensor, the different tones will be determined by how far an object is away from the sensor and I am using a lot of code from this page for this project. Here is a video showing how this sensor works!

Project 1: Awkward Musical Instrument by Samantha Moore

The Thighbraphone is a two piece instrument worn on the thighs, an area everyone loves to touch and have touched. I focused on the definition of awkward as “lacking ease or grace” and chose a material that is rigid and I have little experience using – metal. The lower interior of each piece is padded with foam tape to cushion those smaller lower thighs. If you do a lot of squats, this can easily be removed to fit your gams.

Each piece of the Thighbraphone is pulled up the legs to rest above the knees. The instrument can make different sounds by being played in different ways: scraping the front with the metal wand, walking or moving to shake the bells or clamping the inner thighs together to slam the cups. You could even do a combination of these moves for a whole range of unique sounds, or grab a friend to join in on the fun!

In keeping with my upcycled ways, I used a lot of materials that can be found including baking cups, duct tubing and a metal skewer.

Samantha Moore

Hi There =) I’m Sam. Here I am with crazy henna hair, which I am convinced will never grow out (I’m naturally blonde)

I am brand new to New York spending the last 7 years living in Philadelphia. I grew up in Maryland and was very hands on from a young age doing everything from canning, playing music, designing miniatures of spaces I’d like to visit and making felt from the fiber of these handsome guys:

I studied interior design at Drexel University and during those four years realized I was most drawn to the studios that involved designing and creating tangible objects. I try to make in a way that leaves as little waste as possible as this was how I was taught to live growing up. We would make wind chimes from leftover copper piping and our left over food went to our chickens for a snack rather than being tossed away, for example. I sell upcycled items in my Etsy shop.

Rings made from zipper scraps:

To scale butterfly mobile using an embroidery hoop missing the outer hoop and scrap card stock left over from furniture price tags at the showroom I worked for:

I am very excited to get down and dirty making all sorts of goodies and learning new ways of making. Here you can see my website, blog, facebook and last.fm to see what I enjoy listening to.

(One of my cats – Ben)