Always looking to upcycle her old things, entrepreneur Heidi Lehto came up with the idea of turning VHS cassette cases into 3D picture frames that have a secret storage compartment. She drilled the case into the wall using a couple of screws, and uses it as an easy-to-access business card holder.
Check out this awesome picture frame: it's an old french door that was cut in half, stripped, painted, distressed. Old windows can make for unique frames as well! …
Here's a geeky shirt that's relevant to photography: today's Woot shirt of the day is titled "Everything is Golden", and features the golden ratio! It's available until the end of the day for $10 with free shipping.
Last week we featured Jason Hull's awesome nightlights created out of old (and cheap) vintage cameras. If you've been dying to learn how you can make one yourself, today's your lucky day: Hull has written up a step-by-step tutorial showing how the conversion is done. If you do attempt this project, try to find a broken camera -- working ones are happiest when they're used for photo-making! …
This giant film roll packs a roll of toilet paper instead of photographic film. It's refillable, and can be placed on a table (dispensing TP through the top) or mounted on a wall (with the TP coming out the side). They come in red, yellow, and green, and cost $17 apiece over at Brando.
We've featured special gloves and mittens designed for photographers before, but what if your camera uses a touchscreen instead of physical controls? Here's a video by Make's Becky Stern showing how you can sew some conductive thread into your glove to make it compatible with capacitive touchscreens.
Holga is selling an iPhone Lens Filter Kit that packs 9 separate "retro" filters into a single accessory using a rotary dial. While the design itself is pretty clever, the resulting photographs are a bit... strange. They sell for $25 over in the Holga store.
Miniature Moments is a new service that uses 3D printing to turn photographs into 3D resin "miniatures". The small passport photo-sized creations measure 46mm x 37mm, and don't look very impressive until they're held up to light. Once it's illuminated from behind, then it turns into a highly detailed photograph that resembles developed film.
Photographer Jason Hull has a hobby of taking old cameras from the 1950s and 1960s and turning them into beautiful nightlights for his house. He writes, …
Dissatisfied with the disconnect between his giant photo collection on the Internet and his bare walls at home, architect and photo-enthusiast Steven Johnson set out to create a picture frame that would let him show off his photostream in real life. The result was Thumbtiles -- frameless frames designed for easy photo swapping rather than permanence. The 7-inch square frames are dead simple: each one is simply four removable wall dots and a transparent sheet that attaches to the dots using …
"Airframe", designed by Korean designer James Kim, is a picture frame shaped like an airplane window.
Haven't found a small camera case that's stylish enough for your taste? Matt over at Wood&Faulk has written up a tutorial on how you can make your own protective camera wrap using some heavy wool fabric and a leather or canvas strap: …
If you're looking for a creative way to display your photos (and decorate your home), papernstitch has a tutorial on how you can make circular picture frames using embroidery hoops. The photographs are printed onto PhotoFabric and then held taut between the hoop rings.
Glow Graffiti is an aerosol can-style light painting tool similar to the one by artist Aïssa Logerot that we featured back in September. It's powered by a UV light rather than the interchangeable LED lights used by Logerot, but the Glow Graffiti comes with a special UV-sensitive backdrop on which paintings are visible for around 30 seconds (the kit contains letter stencils too). You can pick up a set for $39 from Photojojo or Amazon (it's prime eligible).
USBCELL batteries might look like ordinary AA rechargeable batteries upon first glance. That is, until you see how they're charged. Rather than use a battery charger, the batteries are charged using the standard USB ports on your computer or laptop. They could come in handy on trips where you need power for your camera or flash, but want to avoid the hassle of a separate battery charger.
Dutch artist Purr Anders transforms old photographs into beautiful jewelry. After printing the images onto fabric, Anders crafts them into leaf and flower-shaped brooches. You can visit her Etsy store to order a custom one for $37.
Art studio Bughouse sells a series called "Future Fossils", featuring handmade cement sculptures of things like Atari joysticks and various film cameras. One of them is the Olympus 35mm camera seen here. You can buy one for $85 from the Henry Road online store.
Want a pair of mittens that don't interfere with your love for photography? If you know how to knit, you can make your own! Norwegian knitter Bea created a nifty pair of mittens that have a hole your index finger can poke through when your camera shutter summons it. You can find the free pattern on her site if you'd like to make your own.
A major craze in camera-related novelty items started early last year when Canon lens mugs took the Internet by storm. Last December we showed you a speaker designed to look like a Canon DSLR and lens. Now Nikonian music-lovers can join in on the fun: there's a new Nikon 55-200mm lens speaker for sale on eBay that costs between $20 and $40.
Casetagram is a service that makes custom iPhone cases using Instagram photographs. The case comes in four different templates, and cost $35 each with free shipping worldwide.
Our camera stickers are fun, but for something more personal you can make your own 35mm film stickers. All you need is a sticker making machine that usually costs between $10-$20 online or in your local craft store. You can use any film you'd like, though slide film is recommended because it'll give you positive image stickers. With film manufacturers struggling, any reason to buy more film is a good reason! …
Verena Lang of Ivy Design came up with this brilliant idea of a table that conveniently folds up into a giant picture frame when it isn't needed. They're built out of wood, plexiglass, and stainless steel, and cost about $2,200 on the Ivy Design site. Of course, you could always try your hand at building your own!
Product developer and part-time wedding photographer Joel Malone has come up with a product called "Lens Filter Coasters": 4 colored or UV filters and an indestructible steel coaster holder. The coasters are actual 86mm filters made of optic polycarbonate resin (similar to plexiglass). Malone is currently raising funds for the project through Kickstarter: $40 will preorder you a UV set, and $50 will land you a colored one.
Check out this Humunga Stache dog toy -- it's a rubber ball toy that adds some culture to photos of your dog by giving it a massive mustache. They cost $10 each over on Amazon.
Graphic designer Ksenia Podgornaya makes and sells these nifty Polaroid camera greeting cards that feature an original watercolor illustration printed on 100lb satin paper.
Poladarium is a cool tear-off calendar that's great for Polaroid enthusiasts looking for daily inspiration: …
Nice Photography Magazine editor Zeke Kamm has come up with a new product called "The Nice Clip" that acts as both a universal clip for lens caps, and also a cord catcher to keep your desk organized. The clip uses a strong 3M VHB adhesive to stick to your lens cap, which can then be clipped to your camera strap, belt, bag, etc... Attach the clip to the side of your desk, and it can help you keep your cables from falling to the floor when they're not plugged in.
Canon once sold these telephoto lens keychain flashlights in its online store for $7. They're out of stock now, but they sometimes appear on eBay for about $15. They perform quite well in low light situations.
Light painting is sometimes called light graffiti, but who does graffiti with flashlights? Halo is a neat light-painting tool designed by Aïssa Logerot that makes painting with light feel much more natural for people accustomed to creating... less-legal forms of art. Shaped like an aerosol can of spray paint, the tool includes interchangeable LED lights for painting in different colors and a battery inside that recharges when the can is shaken.
Today, we're excited to introduce our new Camera Stickers: cute little stickers based on the awesome pixel illustrations of designer Billy Brown. The stickers are printed on durable and tear-proof PVC plastic. 91 stickers per sheet, and 3 sheets -- 273 stickers total -- cost just $5 with free shipping within the US! You can buy them over in our store.
PillowMob is a new service that transforms photos of heads into puffy pillow heads. In addition to human faces, you can also use the face of your beloved pet. They cost $25 each with free shipping -- it's currently available to US residents only, but the company may begin shipping internationally soon.
Forget model airplanes... This Plamodel snap model kit is the one to buy if you're a photo-enthusiast (or want to make your kid one). Created by Japanese design house superheadz, it uses simple snap-together parts that allow even the "not-so-mechanically inclined" to assemble their own 35mm camera. There's 44 individual parts, and an instruction manual for building the camera is available online. You can check out some sample photos in this Flickr group pool, and buy one for $17 over on Amazon.
There hasn't been much activity in the PetaPixel Store since we launched the Leica Look-Alike skins in September 2010, but today that changes -- we're pleased to announce the new Polaroid Picture Frame and Mirror! It's an awesome picture frame for your desk that looks just like Polaroid 600 instant film, and when there isn't a photo inside it doubles as a mirror.
Check out this ceramic Canon 24-105mm shot glass, crafted by DERELIQ and for sale over at Photojojo. They come in a set of three for $18.
When Matthew Harrison (aka The Leica Guy) got married recently, he was given the awesome gift of a f/.95 Noctilux ring.
Here's a fun weekend project: create a tiny keychain photo album with your favorite photos! Simply print out your photographs as little circles on photo paper or card stock, laminate it, cut them out, and punch the holes. It's a neat way to keep some tiny snapshots with you, and also makes for an awesome gift. To get started, head on over to the tutorial by Happy to Create.
Design studio Woouf! takes different objects and creates epically cool beanbag chairs out of them. They have one that looks like a giant camera -- a perfect fit for any photo studio (or photo-enthusiast bedroom). It's a bit pricey though: it costs €175 (~$250) each over in their online store.
Multi-tools are pretty convenient when you're wandering around the great outdoors, but they've never really been a friend specifically to photographers. That changes with Gerber's new Steady multi-tool, which turns into a mini-tripod using fold-out legs on one side and a fold-out tripod screw on the other. It also has 11 other useful tools to help you get things done. The Steady will be available starting in Spring 2012 for $65.
You know that blank space around your fridge photos? You can fill it up with Photoshop menu magnets to increase your photographic geek cred by a few stops. This 13 piece magnet set sells for $26 over in the Meninos Store.
While real cameras generally max out at two card slots, this camera wallet packs five. It also "snaps" closed to keep your cash and cards safe. Pick one up over at fredflare for $34.
If you've ever wanted a lens to hug at night but found your actual glass to be a bit uncomfortable, then these plush pillows are designed for you. Plushtography is a new company that makes these lens-lookalike pillows by hand using "fleece, felt, and a little bit of love". You can buy a small prime pillow for $41 with shipping included or a pro zoom lens for $77.
When Lomography teamed up with Threadless for a t-shirt design contest back in 2008, nearly 400 photography-related designs were submitted. This one by Sebastian Guadarrama Gomez, titled "Striped Bird", was crowned as the winner. You can check out all the other submitted designs here -- there's a lot of awesome ones that we'd love to wear.
This Canon 7D and 70-200mm combo only costs $36 and helps you save money. How? Well it's actually a fancy piggy bank! Like the Canon 350D and 24-105mm L piggy bank we shared last year, you use this one by shoving coins into the lens.
Photographer Dana Neibert made this unique iPad case using an old 8x10 film holder. It doesn't look like the most comfortable way to carry your iPad around, but it's a pretty creative idea.
"Lonely Traveller" is a new photography-related t-shirt for sale over on Threadless. Basically, elephants have nature's version of the XShot Camera Extender.
DSLR Solutions has a new follow focus kit that allows you to keep track of focus points without being bulky or expensive. The $60 kit is basically a clamp, a velcro strap, and some metal markers that attach to the strap. Attaching the markers allows you to bounce between focus points, or keep track of a number of points if you have multiple subjects. We've featured a number of DIY follow focus solutions here in the past, but using a velcro strap and markers is something we haven't seen before.
The lens mug craze seems to be cooling down, but now there's another product on the market that can help you stay cool (literally): the Canon lens cooling fan. They're powered by two AAA batteries and somewhat resemble the same Canon 70-200mm lens that the original mugs were based on. You can buy one for $5.60 with free shipping from DealExtreme.
Etsy seller Mariko Carandang sells handmade jewelry, and one of her products is this small treasure locket that's meant to look a little like the Polaroid SX-70.
Flickr user Betty Ann recycled a photography book by transforming pages into these nifty pillow boxes, with each one showing a different camera. Stick a gift certificate to your favorite local camera shop into one and it'll make the perfect gift for a photography-lovin' friend! You can find a step-by-step tutorial on how to make your own pillow box over on eHow.
Here's a old-fashioned wooden camera tape dispenser that would make a cute gift and addition to a photography-lover's desk.
