Desert Bus for Hope 2018 starts in just 48 hours!
You can now view all the live, silent and giveaway prizes on our fancy new site!
Donations are open, so go donate early and give us a head start!
We know you can barely contain your excitement, so here’s one last prize showcase with a write up that would make Cave Johnson proud!
Aperture Laboratories Test Unit 99 Problems
“Since making test participation mandatory for all employees, the quality of our test subjects has risen dramatically. Employee retention, however, has not. As a result, you may have heard we’re gonna phase out human testing. There’s still a few things left to wrap up, though. The bean counters told me we literally could not afford to buy seven dollars worth of computer workstations, much less seventy million. Bought ’em anyway. Plugged ‘em in and realized we already lost the IT staff. And guess what? Without IT staff they are just empty computer cases!
Still, it turns out they’re a great computer case. So now we’re gonna see if people want these cases for scientific testing purposes. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Let’s all stay positive and do some science. That said, we actually only have the one remaining case as our testing was less that fruitful. Now keep in mind this computer case does light up! This was supposed to be for a secret testing chamber but, like I mentioned before, we seem to have lost our IT staff. Talk about having problems. My assistant Greg says that this case can be used for a liquid cooled gaming system but also just lights up on its own.
Personally, I’m more concerned with what it can do to lemons, but Greg seems to think that’s pointless.
Greg also wants me to point out that this computer case comes with a dimmer switch so you can adjust the brightness, has a power brick for 110v AC that converts the awesome electrical power to 12v DC, and has cable adapters with extension cables so it will work off a computers power supply. Apparently, you need to supply even the computer power supply. “Greg, what is even the point of this case if they have to supply a power supply?” He says that a real computer builder will be picky about the parts that go into the case and they are the ones that will conduct the true science. Pish posh! Seems not only does the case light up, oooh fancy, but each side has our logo. One is painted on and the other appears to be etched right into the glass! In case you’re interested, there’s still some positions available for a bonus.
Again: all you gotta do is let us disassemble you. We’re not banging rocks together here. We know how to put a man back together. Just have no clue how to make a real computer I guess. And I am done. Continue testing.”
Donated by Patrick Holmes
Since the first Portal Lightbox (42 Universal Answer), Miach (Me ock) has focused on refining his design. Much like Tony Stark does with his Iron Man suits. Now he brings you the Aperture Laboratories Test Unit 99 Problems computer case. He has incorporated his lightbox design into a ready to use computer case and added a few extra touches. He is always challenging, himself to expand his abilities and this is the next generation for his craft.
Find them on Twitter
The official Desert Bus 2018 t-shirt is on sale now!
Hurry up and claim one for yourself before they’re gone!!
The wonderful folks at Fangamer have outdone themselves once again (as if there was ever any doubt) and created this amazing design to serve as this years’ shirt! As usual, $12 from every sale will go directly to our 2018 total and will in turn be donated to Child’s Play Charity. Thank you Fangamer! Now everyone go buy your shirts before they’re gone!
HOLY BUS!! DONATIONS ARE LIVE!!
YOU CAN GO DONATE RIGHT NOW!!
Maybe if we get enough early donations, James will buy us ice cream again!!
(I mean, probably not… But it’s worth a shot.)
Desert Bus for Hope 2018 is only 7 days away!
HOLY BUS!
Now, how about another prize preview?
Warhammer 40K Desert Sons Chapter
The Desert Sons chapter of the Adeptus Astartes is one with a fragmented and disorganized past. Brought together by a mandate from the High Lords, four broken and depleted chapters were then merged into one. Now, once a year, the chapter engages in friendly competition as it escorts materials and supplies between the mines of Tu’cozona and the space port of Las Venada. Some say it’s because there’s not much to do in their sector of space, but others believe it’s to honor an ancient Terran tradition. Whatever the reason, there are enough dangers roaming the deserts of Candanadadia to give them a job worth doing.
Donated by Ashley Arbour
Ashley has been doing many nerdy projects all her life and one day was looking for a change in career. She thought to herself that maybe painting nails would be a good way to put her vast creative skills to good use, until she was introduced to Warhammer, and well… FOR THE EMPEROR! Thus her path to many late nights, cramped hands, probably arthritis, and most of her free time was consumed by piles and piles of little tiny men fighting to save the galaxy. Unfortunately she doesn’t seem to share much of her work with the nerd community since she tends to call each figure she finishes, her new “favorite” model and how could she ever part with it? In fact her models almost didn’t make it to the Craft-a-long because of that, but she new it was for a very good cause and off they went. Apart from painting Mini’s, Ashley’s crafts also include sewing, watercolor painting, digital art and drawing.
find them on Facebook and Instagram
Desert Bus for Hope 2018 is two weeks away!
We bet you’re just itching to see another prize preview… well the wait is over!
Guilds of Ravnica Bowls
If you’re looking for the recently released “Guilds of Ravnica” set, this is not it. If you care about the general factions and really like white, good news! This set of “guilds” of Ravnica ceramic bowls embody the colors of the Orzhov Syndicate, the Azorius Senate, the Selesnya Conclave, and the Boros Legion in the clay bodies of the dish. Utilizing 3D printing, the symbol of each guild was stamped and filled into the bottom of the bowl, and covered in a transparent glaze. This renders the bowls as not only food safe, but also feud safe, as you decide the fate of Ravnica.
Donated by Kyle Gratien
Kyle Gratien is participating in his second Craft-Along while maintaining his love for ceramics. With practicing ceramics for the last 10 years on and off, he is now testing new techniques with 3D models and printing. These resulting tools and designs allows him to create functional and aesthetically pleasing forms for all to enjoy.
Desert Bus for Hope 2018 is 21 days away!
Not excited yet? Well, how about a sneak peek at one of our wonderful prizes…
Sonic the Hedgehog Box Art Cross-Stitch!
Gotta go fast! It’s everyone’s favourite chili-dog loving anthropomorphic talking blue hedgehog! This cross-stitch celebrates Sonic by recreating the box art for the very first Sonic the Hedgehog game for Sega Genesis. The stitch is on 14-count white aida cloth, measures 9” by 12”, and is framed inside a 12” by 15” black frame. It contains over 22000 stitches in 78 colours of DMC floss, and took approximately 175 hours to complete. The cross-stitch pattern was created from a photo to cross-stitch conversion program and then further modified by the artist. You know you’ve got the game still at home somewhere….why not put the box art up on your wall, too? This item should go FAST, so you’d better make sure to get your donations and bids in quickly, or else YOU’RE TOO SLOW! OC (original cross-stitch) do not steal.
Submitted by Jeff Morckel.
Dillatont was inspired to re-learn cross-stitching while watching Desert Bus 9, and he has enjoyed stitching video game-themed projects ever since. This is his 2nd year contributing to the Desert Bus Craft-Along, and he is thrilled to help raise money for the children.
Find them on Twitter and Tumblr
Submissions are now open for the
Desert Bus 2018 Craft-Along!
Do you paint? Sew? Use found objects to create adorable sculptures of creatures and characters from your favourite games? Good, because it’s that time of year again. On May 5th at 9:00am PST submissions for the Desert Bus 2018 Craft-Along will officially be open. You will have until May 31st to get your submissions in, so that we can get back to you with enough time to complete your crafts. We endeavour to provide everyone with a response to your submission by June 15th. The deadline for receipt of finished crafts will be September 28th 2018.
If you are new to the Craft-Along, and have a great idea for a craft for DB, the process is simple just click here to get to the Craft-Along submissions page and fill in the form. We will need contact information, a description of the craft, and a few other pieces of info. This year we will only be taking one submission per crafter. Seeing as last years prize count worked so well, we will be sticking with the reduced number of prizes, both in terms of awesome crafts, and in terms of those donated by our amazing sponsors.
The Desert Bus For Hope Craft-Along community is full of incredibly kind and gifted people who give so much of themselves, and for that we are eternally grateful. Its people like you who make Desert Bus what it is, a positive gathering of people from across the world to help kids be kids.
The whole Desert Bus team thanks you! Now get crafting! 
THANK YOU!
Thanks to the generosity of the entire Desert Bus for Hope community, we’ve raised $650,250, and bussed 158 hours for Child’s Play Charity!
To everyone that’s part of our community – our crafters, sponsors, volunteers, and most importantly, viewers like YOU – thank you from the bottom of our hearts for joining us on this ride. We can’t say enough that this all wouldn’t be possible without your support.
For ongoing news during the year, check the blog here at desertbus.org, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter. You can also relive the greatest moments from this year’s run at YouTube and photos.desertbus.org. And, if you’re so inclined, you can donate to Child’s Play Charity year-round at their website. Until next time…
It’s the finaaaaaaaal Giveaway.
Wyrmwood Gaming has given us one HECK of a package to close out Desert Bus for Hope. This lot contains:
Dice Tower
Tabletop Dice Tray
Deck Box
Dice Vault
Personal Dice Tray
All in this gorgeous Purpleheart wood that is known worldwide for it’s remarkable colouring. Any donations of $5.55 or multiples thereof until 9 PM PST will enter you for a chance to win.
This is the LAST donation drive of Desert Bus, let’s see what we can do together for Child’s Play.