no occasion cupcakes

last night, i made my first batch of all organic cupcakes! i haven't made cupcakes since i was about 10 years old and was feeling all nostalgic so i decided to go for it.

for the cake batter, i took the easy way out and used an organic vanilla cake mix from Dr. Oetker.

i made the icing from scratch and it tastes soooooo good. the recipe is below (all the ingredients are organic)

best icing ever
1 and 1/2 cup of softened (not melted) butter
3 cups sifted confectioners sugar
1/4 cup of milk (cow, soy, rice, almond...)
dash of sea salt
1 and 1/4 tsp of vanilla

soften the butter by leaving it sit on the counter for a little while. put softened butter in a large bowl and use electric mixer on a slow speed to cream the butter some. Now,...

The Top 10 Geekiest Yarn Creations on the Web

When geeky things are made using fabrics and yarn, the end result is not only more geeky, but infinitely more cuddly.

With all the wonderful geek handicrafts floating out there on the web, we the editors of ThreadBanger.com thought it was time to pull together a list of

The Top 10 Geekiest Yarn Creations on the Web

Memory Stick Cozy

This is our favorite way to pretty up those unsightly USB thumbdrives that hang off your keychain. This memory stick cozy must have taken some serious dedication and a sharp set of eyes, because this thing is only 7 cm long. Get one for your favorite geek girl at VixBrown's Etsy store. Only $7!

Nintendo DS Case

Clearly, this is the pinnacle of needlepoint. Don't buy...

LINKS: Episode 12

Natural Dyes
List of Natural Dyes
Natural Dye Tips
Coffee dying lesson

World Wide Web's Top 10 Wild and Wacky Wears
10.) Headband Headset
9.) Ballet Boots
8.) Lapstyle Laptop Covers
7.) Computer Privacy Hoodie
6.) The Transformer
5.) Makeup Man
4.) Animitronic Fashion
3.) Ski Masks from 1965
2.) Solar Panel Bikini
1.) Glow Fur

Open Source Sewing and Burda Style

It's amazing the things you can find in the dumpster. We found some expired coffee grounds that were thrown out and decided to use them to making an old pair of worn out jeans look vintage and hip. Below, we'll show you how - including a video of the whole process at the bottom!

Check out our website or subscribe to our videos on iTunes so you can watch all of our episodes and how-to's.

1. First off, to make the dye, you will need 2 bags of coffee grounds (About 10 oz each), preferable Espresso.

2. Then, get a 3-5 gallon bucket. We got ours for free at a local ice cream shop, but any kind of bucket should work.

3. Next, you will have to make a filter. We used some old stockings that we cut the...

How To Make Vintage Jeans Using Coffee Grounds

It's amazing the things you can find in the dumpster. We found some expired coffee grounds that were thrown out and decided to use them to making an old pair of worn out jeans look vintage and hip. Below, we'll show you how - including a video of the whole process at the bottom!

Check out our website or subscribe to our videos on iTunes so you can watch all of our episodes and how-to's.

1. First off, to make the dye, you will need 2 bags of coffee grounds (About 10 oz each), preferable Espresso.

2. Then, get a 3-5 gallon bucket. We got ours for free at a local ice cream shop, but any kind of bucket should work.

3. Next, you will have to make a filter. We used some old stockings that we cut the tops...

EPISODE 13 LINKS

The coolest screen printing shop ever !
www.Rabts.com

Philips LumaLive Technology

The Rockin T-Qualizer

Air Guitar T shirt

The MakerFaire

MakerFaire Contest

So Heres the deal. Our good friend Bre Pettis over at make magazine hooked us up with 2 free tickets to give away for next weekends MakerFaire in the Bay Area (San Mateo,CA). One of the planet's largest DIY festivals.
To win em is easy. First you gotta live in, or around the San Francisco bay area, or be able to get there on your own. Next, be the first to send in a video of yourself making something fashionable, and Bam! You got yourself free tickets. Oh yeah and next week were talkin hats and hoodies. So if anyones got any DIY videos or pics upload em and we'll put em in our next episode.

DIY Screen Printing How-to

DIY SCREEN PRINTING

INGREDIENTS
- embroidery hoop (as big as you want your image to be)
- mod podge; water resistant glue
- thinly woven mess fabric
- fabric ink
- computer and printer
- pencil
- iron
- old paint brush

First, decide on an image and print it out. For this method of screen printing, the simpler the image the better. Before printing, make sure it is the exact size you want your print to be.

Now, take your embroidery hoop and separate the inner hoop from the outer hoop.

Stretch the fabric over the inner hoop. I used old nylons for this screen, but in retrospect, i would use something less stretchy (like sheer curtain material). The nylons were a little difficult to work with.

Then, put the outer hoop...

Just got in

Hey , so we just got in from the makerfaire in San Fran. And it was awesome. This weeks episode will rock.

Also a good thanx to Lyle over at zapatopi.net for writtin us up on his blog about AFDB's

And remember how your parents always told you vegetables were good for you...we believed em until today ,when we stumbled upon

these interesting creations....The Vegetable Liberation Army !

Thread Heads Newsletter!

Hi all,

Very excited to announce that Thread Heads is about to launch its very own newsletter! The first issue will go out tomorrow and we can't wait to hear your feedback. It will be jam packed with goodies from features, tips and previews for the next show - so if you want to get the insider scoop on all things Thread Heads, sign up at the top of the website!

- Vanessa, editor of Threadbanger.com

MakerFaire Episode 15 Links !

Cool TV and GPS shoes by The Arphrodite Project

Michael Swaine and his Sewing Cart The Free Mending Library

also check out FutureFarmers and KQED

Wendy Tremayne and the Swap-O-Rama-Rama

Bre Pettis's PodCast and more MakerFaire Coverage at Makezine

Goodwill Fashion Show

My flickr friend Tim sent this over and i wanted to share....  xoxo c

Hey Corinne,

I just got done shooting a fashion show sponsored by Goodwill industries featuring Miss Kansas here in Wichita. All the clothes in the show are from local goodwill stores!!

Thought you'd be interested. www.flickr.com/photos/tcollinsphoto/sets/72157600166552197/

~~ Tim C

How-to Make a Charm Drop Necklace

A fabulous crafter named Nicole Tirona sent us this vid explaining how-to make a cute charm drop necklace. Thanks Nicole! Also, thanks to her videographer friend Simon Redekop for helping with the video!

Watch Nicole's Video

Check out more of Nicole's work in her Etsy Shop!! xoxo c