“People are usually on either end of the spectrum. They assume it’s a simple process or they’re too intimidated that it’s too complicated for them to try.”  - Yupcat I've lost track of how many times I've been asked something along the lines of, "Which 3D printer should I buy?" or "Can you give me a quick explanation of 3D printing?" on one of my social media accounts. Since this is not a quick answer type of question, I decided it was finally time to sit down and do a write up that will hopefully shed some light on the...

The thing I learned early on about the 3D printing community is that everyone has a preference and they tend to be pretty damn dedicated to it. So, as usual with any of my tutorials, take from it what you will and leave what doesn't work for you. I've moved to a family of Creality FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) printers because despite their different bed sizes, they have the same mechanics and use the same parts. This means I've been able to really get to know my machines and only have to keep a set of backup parts on hand....

When I first started Darth Cleavage, the standard for costuming was largely resin cast and vacuum formed parts. The process of sculpting, molding, and casting or forming takes a lot of time and tends to be expensive so it somewhat limited the options. However, after a bit of trimming and sanding you had a paintable item. With 3D printing, the modelling still takes a substantial amount of time, but the production is faster, items are scalable, and this has allowed for a wider variety of options. However, if you want an item with the smoothness of something cast or formed,...

While I've always been a fan of a galaxy far, far away, The Clone Wars allowed me to share the joy with my boys. I was pulled back into the wonderful world of Star Wars and discovered the larger community of fans through costuming communities and on social media. This eventually led me to Bonnie Burton's Star Wars Craft Book and opened up a whole new world of crafty activities. I didn't own a sewing machine at the time but that wasn't an impediment to making my boys a pair of bantha plushes. I can't say exactly how many of the...

My feeds have been filled with a great deal of angst today regarding Etsy's new advertising policy and many have expressed their desire to open up shop under a new platform. A good portion of those are considering Shopify so I wanted to take a moment and offer some details about why I made the switch and why I love it. I figured I'd also share my favorite apps as well. First and foremost, let me make it clear that I am not endorsed by Shopify in any capacity. Anything I'm saying here is simply because I appreciate what they...

Even if you've never heard of Star Wars, odds are that you at least recognize this adorable little face. I don't know what it is about the little green nugget that makes him so adorable or appealing but he is and I just can't get enough of him. I actually started up a folder of all the memes I've found over the last few weeks and it's quickly surpassing all of my other albums. I guess none of you who follow me will be the least bit surprised that I decided to make my own as well as his original...