A lot of great things have happened since we last checked in with Son of a Sailor back in 2013. I had a chance to meet William Knopp and Jessica Tata, the husband and wife team behind it all, earlier this month and they clued me in to the evolution of their shop. Lots of new jewelry and accessories rich with organic materials and inspired by geometry are making their faces known, along with fun pieces like wooden yo-yos, leather playing card cases, and beautiful cutting boards. It’s safe to say that my crush is only growing!
Josephine Heilpern’s Recreation Center is a small shop with a focus on functional ceramic pieces. Her work is inspired by items that are designed to enrich everyday life, centered on practical design and simple forms. And while their functionality can’t be denied, neither can their sense of fun!
Last month I shared the bright summer desktop wallpaper I created with HP’s Sprout all-in-one desktop and its revolutionary scanning capabilities (check out #GoMakeThings to see how others are getting super creative!). Now they’ve released a 3D capture stage, a brand new accessory that allows you to scan objects in full 3D to print or use however you wish.
The stage easily plugs into a USB port on the Sprout and shows you exactly where to position the device. I had a lot of fun scanning random things – an air plant, a binder clip, etc – as I tried to test the devices limits and strengths. Organic shaped objects scan best, and things that are shiny or transparent aren’t going to do well.
This teakwood hand has been in my possession for a few years and I absolutely love its shape and detail. Creating a print with it captured from different perspectives seemed really interesting to me and just the sort of job that the 3D capture stage would be perfect for.
The capture stage scanned my hand in several different positions, instructing me as it went. I loved that I could do as many scans as necessary (at least three are recommended) to stitch together the object, and it was so rad to watch it become more complete with each pass.
I used the touchscreen to flip the newly scanned hand every which way to inspect for any holes and found none. At this point I was finished scanning and it was time to edit the end result. After messing around with color and texture I settled on four organic looks, then saved 2D images of the hand from each side as well as from the front and back. These are what I would use to create my print.
I created a new project and with the flick of a finger moved the files from the image library to the touchpad. I scaled down all of the hand views and arranged them just like I wanted the end print to look. I sent it straight to the printer, popped it in a frame, and voila! – new mantel art.
Download your own copy by clicking on the image below.
For personal use only.
This post sponsored by HP. All words and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help keep Design Crush create fresh content!
Do you think it’s a coincidence that enamel pins (AKA flair) are coming back around at the same time as jean jackets? I hope not, because I just picked myself up a new jacket last month and plan on grabbing several of these fun, quippy pieces to help deck it out in my own brand of style!
I believe that sometimes there is more beauty in a blurry photograph than in one that is crisp and flawless. It seems Barbara Kyne believes the same. Her At the Museum series explores how it feels to be engaged with art aesthetically, intellectually, and emotionally while By Fire captures what it’s like to spend an evening around a bonfire to a tee.
Pittsburgh has an impressive craft beer scene that I’ve been anxious to check out this summer. There are easily fifteen breweries that I wanted to check out, but that number seemed a little too ambitious for a weekend tour. Instead I chose the six that friends recommended most highly, picked up my friend Martin, and took off for a full day of beer sampling that I hoped wouldn’t get the best of me…
HITCHHIKER BREWING CO. 190 Castle Shannon Blvd Pittsburgh PA 15228
The first stop was Hitchhiker Brewing Co., where I was immediately impressed by the huge open window looking out over the sidewalk. Their craft beers are brewed right on site with up to ten on tap at any given time. (They also have a focus on creating a low environmental impact.) The interior of the brew pub has a great industrial feel with plenty of wood and metal, and I couldn’t help but comment that if I were to design a taproom it wouldn’t be far off.
Martin and I tried a flight of three handcrafted beers, we had to pace ourselves after all. The Wheatmill was my favorite with Tumbleweed and The Barbarian in second and third. Since our tour I’ve been back to try even more brews and check out their secluded patio area out back.
THE BREW GENTLEMEN BEER COMPANY 512 Braddock Ave. Braddock, PA 15104
Across town The Brew Gentlemen was waiting for us (along with the gyro truck in the parking lot). A successful Kickstarter campaign is behind this small brewery and taproom that focuses on combining classical brewing and the culinary world. Most of their brews seem more complex than their peers, we tried both chai- and cucumber-inspired beers and I really enjoyed both. The space itself used to be an electrical supply store and now has a modern industrial feel to it with lots of wood and stainless steel. Walk around the corner from the bar and you can look down through a set of large windows to the brewery itself.
FULL PINT BREWING COMPANY 1932 Lincoln Highway North Versailles, PA 15137
Full Pint was the only brewery I’d tried before the tour, Martin had some White Lightning at his house one day. I really liked it, so had high hopes for their other brews. This stop was most like breweries I’d visited on the west coast, basically a set of huge converted garages in an industrial park – taproom on one side and brewery on the other. Lots of bright colors with the logos of each beer painted on the walls. We sampled a healthy six styles with the highpoint being that I got to try my first sour! I wasn’t sure what to expect but absolutely loved it and have been actively seeking them out ever since.
ARSENAL CIDERHOUSE 300 39th Street Pittsburgh, PA 15201
The branded fence along the perimeter of Arsenal‘s outdoor cider garden couldn’t act as a better advertisement. I’d driven by countless times before our tour, but once I walked around the the other side wanted to kick myself for waiting so long. The day we visited there was amazing live music and a smokehouse truck, so we walked around the corner to the actual brick and mortar located in an old row house to grab some cider and then lounged for a bit. (Then we spent awhile wondering why we hadn’t bought a growler… oh yeah, because we still had two more places to check out!) I could imagine wasting an entire weekend here, no problem,
ROUNDABOUT BREWERY 4901 Butler Street Pittsburgh, PA 15201
Roundabout, while having my favorite overall selection of the day, is super small inside. It was also completely packed while we were there which didn’t allow for many photos. Picture it: a back wall bar with six brews on tap and three long tables with eight stools around each. About the width of that window in the photo above and twice as deep. I really liked that the table setup made you almost have to talk with your neighbors, the way a traditional beer garden works.
DRAAI LAAG BREWING COMPANY 501 E Ohio Street Millvale, PA 15209
We ended our day at Draii Laag, coincidentally the same day they opened their big and beautiful outdoor space. This brewery focuses on Belgian-inspired ales, some of my personal favorites, but they don’t conform to styles either. I tried the Goedenacht which could only be described as a cider-mead-farmhouse ale and it was delicious. There was even a German food truck pulled up in the parking lot, and had we not been so full of beer would have jumped at the chance to partake.
We’ll be reporting back with Part 2 as soon as we recover from Part 1!
If paper can be grotesque Michelle Matson knows how to make it so. Her life-size figures are partially nude, wearing only running shoes and sports bras. Each one is arranged in what can only be described as open yet aggressive, all the while managing to come across as hilarious. Color me impressed.
Have you ever tried babka? There are a few versions, but the one I most often see and prefer is the Jewish variety. This babka is made from a doubled and twisted length of yeast dough and is typically baked in a high loaf pan. The dough usually contains cinnamon and/or chocolate and is topped with streusel. All good things.
Click on each image to go to the recipe. All photos copyright of their respective sites unless otherwise noted.
Ira Svobodová‘s latest series – Papercut – is inspired by architecture and shows off her mastery of shadow and light. Svobodová paints layers of acrylic gels to create the incredibly pure, unmixed colors in each piece. All I know is that her work makes me want to run, not walk, to pick up my sketchbook and do some shading exercises!
