Things We Love: 3D Printed Desktop Gardening Tools

Some things just make me smile when I see them, and these desktop gardening tools from Trisha Bell just make me so happy to see! The small tools snap onto the top of a standard pencil, and they're ready for you to tend to your bonsai tree or desktop zen garden. If you want to make your own, you can download them to 3D print from her Thingiverse page.

Trisha Bell is also a collaborator for Oscar Eastwood, and will be displaying her gardening tools and other 3D printed objects at Atlanta Maker Faire.

Printable DIY: Bookmarks for Summer Reading and Back to School

This week I worked with my friends Trisha Bell, Tyna Kachnic, and Christina Mayo as part of our collaborative group, Oscar Eastwood, to create a series of fun bookmarks to brighten your reading. The timing of this project happens to coincide with the first week back to school for children in Georgia and the Southeast, but whether you're reading for school or fun, you can print out and make these bookmarks to mark your pages.

You can find this project along with some bookplates to download on Oscar Eastwood.

WHAT'S ON MY BOOKSHELF

This winter has been really cold and seemingly unending. While the bad weather has been less than an ideal, I've been actually been glad that I've gotten more time than usual to read for leisure lately. Here are some of the best books that I've been reading this winter.

The Good Life Lab: Radical Experiments in Hands on Living by Wendy Jehanara Tremayne

Part How-To book, part memoir, this book is about the author, Wendy Jehanara Tremayne's, journey to find a more meaningful life. Wendy is the founder of the Swap-O-Rama Rama, and this book details her journey from working in marketing in New York City to living off the land in New Mexico. Inside this book there are also detailed and inspiring instructions on techniques you can use to live more in tune with nature, from making salves from herbs to building your own papercrete dome. In addition to being a great read, the book itself is a work of art with delightful illustrations inside and an unconventional but beautiful stitched binding.

The Drunken Botanist: The Plants that Create the World's Best Drinks by Amy Stewart

This book is more than just recipes for cocktails, it gives you stories and history of how humans have used plants to create the alcoholic beverages consumed today.

Garden Anywhere by Alys Fowler

As the title of this book suggests, it is all about creative ways for you to create your own garden anywhere. Whether you have a fluorescent lit office, a window box, or a small patio that you can use for a small container garden, this book shows you creative ways to make the most of your space. To get you started, there are tips on how to test your soil and what to do to compost your food waste to put nutrients in your soil without fertilizers. Once you've got your no garden garden alive and prospering, you can learn from this book how to harvest your crops and make sure you can keep your garden coming back every season. 

Fashion Geek by Diana Eng

If you're interested in the current trend towards wearable technology and want to try your hand at making your own, this is a great book for you to check out. It's full of electronics projects that bridge the gap between the sometimes confusing world of DIY technology and fashion. Inside there are detailed instructions and patterns for each project, so even a novice can get started with DIY electronics. Projects inside include how to make your own sparkling ruby red slippers by hacking a pedometer and making a light up purse.

You can find the book here, and it is currently available to borrow for free with a kindle and amazon prime. 

2014 SO FAR, ACCORDING TO MY IPHONE PHOTOS

This year has been pretty exciting so far, from working on new items for this spring to being a Designer in Residence at the Museum of Arts and Design. I've experimented with learning about aquaponics and taken a few adventures around Atlanta. We were even featured on Boing Boing! Since this winter has been so busy an I haven't had much time to update our blog, here's a quick review of everything I've been up to this year.

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OUR FAVORITE 3D PRINTED FINDS FOR 3D PRINTING DAY

This morning while looking at Twitter I came across a particularly intriguing find: today is 3D Printing Day*. Obviously it is not an official holiday, but today's 3D Printing Day is a celebration that I can completely get behind. We use 3D printing to create all of our products, so it goes without saying that I'm a big fan and proponent of this technology.

3D printing is an amazing technology. It's been around for a few decades, but is just now coming into its own as a viable means of manufacturing. It has huge potential to change small businesses and local industries as well as the way that we make and consume products. Did I mention the wow factor about it? There's nothing more amazing than seeing something materialize layer by layer in front of your eyes! I think the best way to show off the power of 3D Printing is by showing examples which are useful or bring a smile to your face.

In honor of 3D Printing Day, here are my favorite 3D Printed projects (one of which you can even make yourself!):

Pencil Vase by aleksandar on Shapeways.

Insect Bracelet by paralogical on Shapeways.

Peep Bird Pendant by rustylab on Shapeways

Mini Shelf for Crankbunny Paper Puppet Dolls and Toys by Crankbunny.

Bicycle Spoke Beads by JonMonaghan on Thingiverse.

* For the curious, the logic behind this is the date is December 3rd, or D3, which is the inverse of 3D.  

Images above via shapeways.com, crankbunny.com, and thingiverse.com.

STREETS ALIVE! A CAR FREE PARTY IN THE STREET!

Last weekend Atlanta welcomed Streets Alive to the streets of some of its more walkable neighborhoods. Streets Alive is a twice a year event where roads and streets are closed off to car traffic, and pedestrians and cyclists have free roam of the space. This time, the event connected the Atlanta Beltline with Virginia Highland, Inman Park, and Boulevard. The event turns into more of a party, with bicycle parades and a general convivial atmosphere. 

Atlanta has its problems when it comes to transportation, but events like this show that the city is ready for more walkable and bikeable streets. Streets Alive is based on Ciclovía, an event in Bogota where streets are closed weekly to car traffic, and open exclusively for the use of pedestrians and cyclists.