Maker Menagerie #1 - A collection of unique maker projects!

There are many amazingly talented people here on Steemit!

From arts & crafts to sculpting and stitching, from 3d printing and do-it-yourself projects to electronics and programming, "making" covers a broad spectrum of topics. The one thing they all have in common, though, is a sense of creativity and a desire to turn nothing into something.

The Maker community is growing here on Steemit, and we want to shine a light on some of the awesome things people are creating! This new curation series will not only be a way of showcasing unique projects, but also a way to engage with and support talented creatives and entrepreneurs on the blockchain!

Welcome to the first edition of...

Wouldn't it be sweet to have a little USB device that could alert you when you receive an upvote, a resteem, a new comment or reply, or maybe even when your favorite makerspace makes a new post? 😉

With Blink-it, that's possible! You can currently use the software if you already have a device to make blink, but @techtek is looking to build a standalone device that will easily plug into any USB port, and blink whenever you need it to! To support this really cool project, visit the Blink-it Fundition page!

In pursuit of a little different functionality from a USB port, @makerhacks explains how he's playing around with keyboard emulation using a Raspberry Pi.

The post is fairly technical, and pulls from multiple resources to show how easy it can be to set up whole sequences of keystrokes using a simple button connected to a USB, and the right codes.

Back to the shiny and flashy, @petersripol made an in-depth diy video on how to make a flashing display sign

for just a few dollars!

He shows us how to carefully create any design, how to build the box, and connect an LED strip to light it up! This is definitely something we'll have to create a group workshop around!

Sometimes, quick thinking and a little ingenuity can bring light to a dark situation. @baselogoo shared his experience with combining multiple light bulbs
in order to get a working one to light his house.

@baselogoo lives in Venezuela, where the cost of many everyday items like lightbulbs has become nearly unaffordable, and has forced many to resort this sort of thing.

We want to ship @baselogoo an entire case of CFL bulbs (24 bulbs). No one should have to risk their health just to get the lights on... This would cost around $50 USD + shipping from the US. If you would like to contribute to this charitable endeavor, please comment below so we can get in touch!

Crafting and making can often be it's own reward, which is something @steemymama learned when she made this cute Miss Frizzle outfit
for her daughter's school book fair, only to learn that they were not having a costume day like she thought!

Time, money, and energy can often go into a project that doesn't get utilized like one thought, which can be very frustrating, but we can always look back and see the experience for what it is, and at least @steemymama's daughter now has a cool shirt-dress to show off!

Sometimes, the only thing that can make a frustrating day better is getting your hands dirty. In @madpotters case, taking care of her succulents will do the trick.

Finishing up this chandelier potter, @madpotters shows us much of her garden, and explains how she maintains such a wide variety of this very interesting plant.

She calls her work "Succulent Therapy", and proves that "making" isn't always about putting together inanimate objects. Making and maintaining a life can be one of the most rewarding of projects, and you can tell from this post that she truly enjoys what she does!

Looking for some fun and inexpensive activities and crafts to do with your children?

After spending some time building their YouTube presence, @easykidscraft has decided to relaunch their Steemit blog, bringing some really cool and easy crafting projects to the block!

Check them out to get some ideas for your next rainy day activity!

Are these the droids you're looking for?

@mitchhunter has been hard at work building this full-scale BB9E Droid to accompany the BB8 he made last year! He got a chance to show them off at DublinMaker, and says he'll have more pictures soon.

This sort of thing is right up our alley, and we can't wait to work on projects like this when our physical makerspace opens!

Makers come from all walks of life. It's often more than a simple hobby, and most Makers will agree that it's a way of being.

We hope you enjoyed reading about these projects as much as we enjoyed finding them, and hope even more that you show these Makers some love! We intend to write these curation posts as often as possible in an effort to showcase as many different types of art, crafts, and other creative projects, as we can.

The posts curated here are all a few days old, as life sorta got in the way of getting this out quickly. If said posts have already paid out, consider checking out another post by the same author, and show them some love there!