I’d be denying my true nature if I hid my geekiness. Instead I embrace it with arms spread wide, face bearing a smirky grin.
Long-time Bionic Style readers have seen my cell phone and tablet layouts (sometimes also called UIs – User Interfaces), which usually start their life as a color scheme. And what better way to remember those pesky little hex color codes, than to tuck them all into neat color palettes?!!
My latest round of color palettes pulls inspiration from: the Iron Man movies – specifically Tony Stark’s mobile phone UI; SyFy’s awesome television show Warehouse 13; vintage art deco styling; and richly colored argyle socks!
What are your favorite methods of discovering color inspiration?
Geek flags and hex codes,
I wanted a set of modern-ish candle jars for grouping on a table or scattering around the house. Everything I found in stores was ridiculously expensive or too kitschy. And since these candle jars I was imagining were definitely a WANT, not a NEED… I came up with a super easy, and inexpensive, do-it-yourself project!
Supplies:
+ Glass vases from your local dollar store
+ Painter’s tape
+ A few sheets of scrap paper
+ Metallic silver spray paint (I used one by Rustoleum.)
The How To:
+ Wash and dry the vases then wipe them down with alcohol and let dry.
+ Tape off the areas you do not want painted. Fill the inside of the jars with scrap paper to prevent any paint inside.
+ Spray the glasses with a light first coat. Let dry for 15-30 minutes, depending on humidity.
+ Repeat spray painting. Two to three coats should do the trick.
+ Immediately remove the tape after the last coat. Pull the tape of gently and use a firm pull.
+ If your edges don’t come out cleanly, let the paint dry thoroughly (at least a few hours), then use a razor blade or Exact knife to clean up the edges of the painted sections.
Taping Hint: With circular glasses, it is easiest to rip your painter’s tape into 1 to 2 inch sections. Tape the sections together, carefully, around the jar for an even line.
I am loving these new candle holders! And the best part is they only cost a buck plus a bit more if you have to buy the spray paint and/or tape. But you’ll definitely use those items again!
Now I’m planning a few more to add to my collection. Maybe a set of six vases all in the same size and shape, but painted with a range of colors; or an ombre set with one vase in white, one in black, and the rest in various shades of gray. The possibilities are limitless!
Stay crafty my friends,
It is no secret that I adore art deco. The buildings, the clocks (Hello!! Did anyone else notice that awesome Lawson clock in Star Trek Into Darkness???), wallpaper patterns, color schemes, on and on.
I wanted to bring some art deco styling to my Android tablet… and there is a distinct lack of anything deco for mobile devices. So I created my own.
What you see above is created mostly with UCCW (aka Ultimate Custom Clock Widget – which is free on the Play Store and down right AWESOME for screen customization!). The wallpaper, color schemes, and UCCW files were all created all by my onesie.
My tablet is running CyanogenMod 10.1 and Apex Launcher Pro. The setup is a five-screen, “hubs” style layout which I prefer on all my tablets for ease of use,organization and navigation.
Feel free to post constructive criticism, comments, questions, or to ask for help in the comments section below.
Hope y’all enjoy and thanks for looking!
In honor of Iron Man 3 opening this weekend, and because I absolutely LOVE Tony Stark (and all things geeky), I gave my Nexus 4 a bit of a makeover:
This layout was inspired by the actual UI guru, John Koltai. Be sure to visit his website for photos of the UI used in Iron Man 2. I wanted my Android phone to look as close as possible to the screen accurate UI as possible. So I created all the widgets and icons myself.
Questions, comments, constructive (!!!) criticism, please leave me a comment! I’ll be happy to upload my theme files and icons if there is interest.
Otherwise, be sure you have your tickets for this weekend and enjoy the movie!
Cheers with buttered popcorn,
Join the Ampersand Fan Club!!
Many designers love a particular font; most people have a favorite color; but there probably aren’t many oddballs like me in the world. Why? Because I’m a completely happy to admit I am an Ampersand Fan Girl.
Did you know the Ampersand dates back to the first century AD? Or that it used to be common practice to include the Ampersand at the end of the alphabet – almost like it was a 27th letter?
I’m fully aware that others may not care to join my Ampersand Fan Club (shall we call it AFC?), but if you’d like a little Ampersand love on your desktop, I’ve created this family of colored wallpapers just for you. The Ampersand itself was hand-drawn (well, drawn with my hand on my computer), and is completely unique from any other Ampersand!
The background colors are: navy blue, burgundy, dark gray, and a deep purple.
To download: Simply click on the wallpaper color below that you like. Then right click, and choose “Save As”, then save the .png image to your computer. Download as many as you’d like. Easy as pie!
Each wallpaper is sized at 2880×1800 pixels which should scale to work on most laptops, desktop computers, even most tablets and smart phones. In addition, each of these wallpapers is high-resolution (HD), and retina ready ~ so they’ll look awesome on your PC, Mac, Chrome, or Linux screens!
Want more super swankiness for your screen? Be sure to check out my other free wallpapers!
AFC forever,
Distribution: All my wallpapers are free to use. Just please don’t try to sell them, or post them on other websites without asking me first. Thanks!
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