Wave Machine ver. 3: FiberLab Symphony Orchestra

Ladies and gentlemen. Please allow me to present the FiberLab Symphony Orchestra, consisting of 1 perforated hardboard, 2 craft rings, 12 wooden trims, 288 wooden balls, 720 metal findings, and about 1500 feet of nylon string - all accompanied by the ravishingly beautiful String Quartet No. 2 by Alexander Borodin. 

Everything is connected, and just works because of a simple concept. Powered by hand with no help from motors and electricity, it almost dares to lean toward the hipster spectrum. But again, this piece of music was already cool in the 1880s. Anyway, here are some screen captures for you:

EXCLUSIVE Video!

Here is the behind-the-scenes look at how the Bubble is made, hand-crafted from start to finish! Doesn't it look like I am playing some sort of musical instrument?

Happy Holidays from Fiber Lab

I created this festive, little stop motion film for the holidays. This delicious chocolate cupcake is made with almost 300 sheets of paper, all carefully hand-cut and meticulously stacked - whipped cream frosting and sprinkles included! Send this video greeting card to someone you care about this holiday season. :) Nom nom nom... PS. It is totally fat-free and zero-calorie.

My FIRST attempt at making videos

OK, I am just going to admit this. Ever since moving back to Vancouver, I have been increasingly obsessed with Youtube. In the beginning, it was just some random video clips here and there, to satisfy my need for some images that move (no cable TV in this house!) But like Alice in Wonderland, I followed one adorable puppy to the next laughing baby down that rabbit hole. Now, not only do I have an endless subscription list, I found myself also making assembly videos for my products... 

Assembly Guide for Bubble (no bottom opening) UPDATED

Assembly Guide for Bubble Lamp Shade (with bottom opening)

And I had a blast learning to shoot and edit these videos - that iMovie sure came in handy. I definitely plan to make DIY tutorial videos for the paper bracelet and bowtie. Please let me know if you have other ideas and stay tuned!

PS. Currently, I am watching: Vsauce, Sonia's Travels, Daily Grace, Wong Fu Productions, Andrew Jenks, and it goes on and on.

Behind the Scenes

Our garden provides the perfect backdrop for summery photos.

 My ever growing ruler collection. And yes, I do need each and every one of them! Long rulers for when I feel ambitious; short rulers for when I feel meticulous; funky rulers for when I feel adventurous.

My cutting / scoring board has seen better days.

NEW at Fiber Lab!

I had been working hard on a new concept these past few weeks. This time, I am really hoping for a fabulous design that is fast to make (preferably mass-produce-able at some point in the future), easy to package, and cheap to ship. Not that I never kept those important criteria in mind before, but nothing is ever perfect. And we all keep trying.

That brings us to this hybrid of adorable crinkle fans and sophisticated maps. Meet Pancake, a collapsible wall decoration. Just spread it open and it's literally a yummy dessert for your wall. 

Some things I like about living in the United States, in no particular order of importance: USPS, Pandora, streaming TV shows, and Flour Bakery in Boston. PS it was not that warm this morning in Vancouver. As per usual, minus the rain. 

Each line radiates from the centroid of the contiguous United States, near Lebanon, Kansas. (Sorry, Alaska and islands.) This means that when you hold the map up by a string through the centroid, the map can perfectly balance itself. Here is a fun fact: apparently in 1918, the Coast and Geodetic Survey found the geographic center of the U.S. using this method as well: "by balancing on a point a cardboard cutout shaped like the U.S." Love it. Must have been a fun project!

I also made this map of Taiwan. In addition to being where I was born and grew up until age 15, it just has the perfect little convex shape that screams, "Pick me!" So, I did. Which country or what shape should I design for next? Please let me know! I will be making a list. 

Some things I remember about living in Taiwan: getting delicious street food on my way home from school with my friends, riding bicycle all day long at my grandparents' during the hot summer vacations, playing with fireworks, night markets, and lots of studying.

Oh yes, everything is going swimmingly!

We've all heard it before. It's not easy being an entrepreneur. You know, you have to be able to wear all kinds of different "hats". Nicholas Tart counted 23 figurative hats here. But really, I just want to wear a pretty, literal one like this.

While it's probably not a smart idea to admit this, I will say that there are days when I think about giving it all up. First, I would think about going back to work as an engineer. The ease that comes with financial stability is very desirable. Then I would daydream about going back to school. Perhaps an architecture degree? All the new knowledge and skills will surely inspire me to come up with amazing designs, right? Anyway. For me, the most difficult hat may be the marketing one. Sometimes I find it hard to blog and self-promote while knowing that doubt and insecurity often cross my mind. Can you be convinced to buy into a brand that doesn't always seem sunny and successful?

On second thought, forget what I just wrote. I love everything about my job, and everything is super! Now, please go visit my online store and shop. Thanks a bunch!

Bubble Engineering, Continued

I have been taking woodworking class at a local community center. Four weeks in, and I am 2/3 way to finishing my first ever (tiny) bench. This class makes me realize just how heavy "real" wood feels, and to NEVER again complain about how IKEA furniture is difficult to assemble. I thank you, IKEA! But most importantly, I love all the different, handmade jigs available to help you perform specific tasks more efficiently and accurately on the machines. Totally inspired: with simple material from Home Depot, I devised and hand made a jig to help me score crease lines. Oh, and I also laser-cut a special scoring guide for my Bubbles. Mmm... Laser! High tech meets low tech.