Them's Just Mouse Parts...

I don't have a good use yet for the trackball wheels, those black wheels with a post.  Or the plug-end of the cord.  If they stood up well, maybe I can level the end, we could package up 9 of them as bowling pins with a track ball.

Circuit Board Picture Frame

Dollar store frame, just to dork around with the concept.  Keyboards and mice each have a small circuit board.  Green on one side, ochre/peachy on the other.  This concept might work better with a fridge picture frame or a Christmas ornament.  I'm really reaching on this one, looking for something to do with all these little circuit boards.

Mouse Necklace Trackball and Cover

Again with the eviscerated mouse...but this time the 'pendent' is wrapped cord wire securing the track ball to the track ball plate.

Mouse Necklace Multi-Color Wire

The necklace is made completely from a mouse.  The wire is stripped out of the cord.  Cord is braided.  Mouse track ball is wrapped with the cord wire and secured with a pinch of super glue.  Pictures are fuzzy, I'll attempt better ones tomorrow.

Keyboard Rubbery Sheet Material - What to do with it???

Wrapped it around a koozie, which is fun but not spectacular.  This material is rubbery and nipply and just fun to play with.  But what to make with it, that is the question?

Keyboard Circuit Sheet Wallets

There are a lot of sites that have step by step to make these, so its not a new idea.  But selling them just may be.  There are ~6 different styles of keyboard circuit sheet, so either we let the buyer pick a specific sheet style or we send out a random one.  These are flexible plastic sheets with very thin circuitry.  Cut to size, covered with laminating sheet for added strength.  Packing tape is used to secure the small flaps for card holders, I may go to super glue b/c I don't like the look of the packing tape.  The green paper in the wallets is there to show the 'slots' for cards b/c the whole wallet is totally clear.

Keyboard Fridge Magnets

White or black.  Entire keyboard of ~80 keys.  Magnetic square glued to the back of the keys.  This one takes forever to make:  take off the keys, clean them, cutting the magnet square, apply the glue, press each one.  You can make clever little saying on your fridge or locker or ...

Napkin Rings

This product is new in my brain.  I know I'll need to coat the circuit board with something to protect users from the lead.  The band of the napkin ring is made of ribbon cable.  In this case, grey, but I can find that rainbow version.  In one version of the ring, it's just the grey cable with a connector.  Design option to adds the circuit board from a mouse or keyboard.

Drink Charms

Black or white.  Set of 6, or 8?  Each set has a theme, maybe the first 6 function keys, or 6 text sayings like 'lol',  mixing keys together to make clever sayings.  I especially like using the F5 key for a drink charm b/c it's refresh or reload,and F1 for Help!  Bead options are red, blue or gold.

Push Pins

Push pins for cube walls, bulletin and cork boards..

Available in black or white.


Each set is an entire keyboard, somewhere around
80 pins.

Keyboard Push Pins

This one has the most developed production process.  Pushpins for your cube wall, bulletin boards, etc.  One of the best things about this product is you don't have to cut the 'stubs' off the keys.

Hi Brenda -

It all got started when I was VERY bored recuperating from the hysterectomy.  I've got this box of junk mice that I've been putting around the property in little artsy installations.  So I take apart the housing, and then I strip the wires from the cord and voila!  There are a lot of pretty cool pieces.  Next came the keyboard.

The business idea builds on this experimentation.  We take apart scrap IT components and remake the insides into up-cycled products.  Proceeds from each purchase goes directly to the IT projects in Guatemala:  building out the school computer lab, bringing in Internet, community education and job training.

We need help finalizing some of the designs, coming up with new ideas and with pricing.  We're recycling, donating the proceeds, the business is run by me and the kids, but even with all those good points, we need to price the products in a range that isn't like a school fundraiser 'no way, $15 for a box of chocolate covered peanuts!'

I think the best way to do this is to create a new post for each product and then we can brainstorm using the comments feature.  Here goes....