Those kids over at Quirky are quick! We just selected the winner of Compostapalooza on Friday, and already they have 21 designs sketched out. Head over to their site and vote for your favorite.
Hurry, only 19 hours left!
Live in New York? Like interesting design? Like wine and cheese?
Then swing by the Apartment Therapy Meetup tonight at Knoll and listen to a Q/A with designer Harry Allen!
Harry Allen is an award-winning interior and industrial designer. His work is highly imaginative and surprising. He often casts unexpected everyday items into functional pieces of modern art. Here are a few of the items we sell at UncommonGoods.
Walnut and Peanut Bowls cast in white resin.
Paint brush vase hand cast from real brushes in resin and marble.
Slightly creepy, but I can’t deny that it is interesting! Harry cast this wall hook from his own hand.
Apartment Therapy is one of my favorite blogs. And Maxwell, who runs the Meetup does an awesome job of asking artists/designers/creative types interesting and probing questions. It’s really informative, fun and free! Plus, there’s wine and cheese and a drawing to win a piece by the designer!
Hope to see you there!
After three weeks of educating the community about composting, reviewing 94 amazing submissions and figuratively being up to our elbows in compost – the ultimate composter has finally been chosen!
Congratulations to Gail Loos, who designed this countertop kitchen scrap grinder, with removable bin and biodegradable liners. UncommonGoods, Quirky and the LES Ecology Center loved the thoughtfulness put into Gail’s design. A fun fact from Gail: “While testing my homemade prototype, I was able to reduce the volume of my kitchen waste by 80% or more! But the ultimate benefit is this: it wildly increased the speed at which kitchen scraps were converted to compost by exposing more surfaces to worms and other composting agents.”
Thanks to everyone who voted and participated in Compostapalooza…but your work is not done yet! Before this composter goes into production, we need you to influence the final design with your opinions and feedback. Hop on over to Quirky and complete this quick and easy product research survey. Not only does your opinion really, really matter, but you will also get a small percentage of the product sales because you influenced the design!
Open your eyes Iron Man – you’re on camera!
It’s official. Tony Stark loves UncommonGoods! Ok, that might be a bit of a stretch, but imagine my excitement when I saw Iron Man himself chugging chlorophyll from one of the water bottles we sell!
While everyone else was entranced by Scarlett Johansson’s slinky performance or mesmerized by the creature that is Mickey Rourke, I was giddy the whole movie that I saw one of our products up on the big screen!
Yeeeea, I should probably get out more:)
I’d like to start off this post with one of my favorite quotes about the bicycle from a Baltimore minister in 1896:
“[It is] a diabolical device of the demon of darkness … imbued with a wild and satanic nature.”
Whoa! Talk about a rough start. But that is the how the bike began. With criticism like this, it’s amazing that the bike even survived to modern times.
The bicycle has been rolling along now for nearly 200 years. It has undergone multiple transformations, endured harsh criticism and even changed the face of fashion. This seemingly simple machine inspired automobiles, plane designs and modern roads. It helped the campaign for women’s rights, expanded people’s worlds, and, today, it is enjoyed across the world over as a way to exercise, commute or just enjoy a nice day.
And now, ladies and gentlemen, in honor of Bike to Work Day, I present to you: the history of the bicycle!
Rolling through history
Imagine a bike made entirely out of wood: no means of steering, no brakes, no pedals and an animal head in front. That’s what the first versions of the bike looked like. Mede de Sivrac invented a two-wheeled device in 1790 that was basically a rocking horse with wheels. Although the origins of the bike are disputed, historians consider this invention an inspiration to the modern bicycle.
In 1817, Karl von Drais replaced the head with steering bars and a less bulky design. Although primitive, the steering capabilities sent this version into further development. This slight alteration earned von Drais the title “Father of the Bicycle”, even though the invention was impractical for long-distance travel. Not to mention, it scared the locals. According to Riding High: The Story of the Bicycle by Arthur Palmer, adults and town leaders thought von Drais’ contraption was dangerous and threatened to expel him from the streets if he didn’t give up his crazy ideas.
Von Drais’ bike mainly was used for downhill riding and involved a lot of awkward pushing and coasting. Kirkpatrick Macmillan, a blacksmith from Scotland, didn’t find this propulsion method practical. In 1838, he added pedals to the frame, which allowed riders to propel themselves without touching the ground. This version was the first practical bicycle.
Happy bike to work day!
Today, people all across the country from Missouri to Rhode Island, New York to California, Maryland, Texas, Oregon, Arizona and so many more are trading in their cars for a ten-speed commute.
Stay safe, everyone, and enjoy your ride!
We’d love to hear if you biked to work! How was your commute? How long did it take? Do you think you will keep biking to work?
Calling all New Yorkers!
Like jewelry? Like manicures? Indulge in some girly fun today (Thursday, May 20th) from 6:30 to 8:30 at Butterfly Studio Salon where Uncommon jewelry artist Laura Lobdell will be hosting a jewelry and polish party!
Inspired by the glossy blue doors of Paris’ shops, Laura created this steely-blue-gray nail polish to complement her silver jewelry and celebrate the beginning of summer! Come by Butterfly Studio Salon to receive a complimentary mini manicure and a bottle of Laura Lobdell 183 nail polish, and check out Laura’s latest jewelry collection.
Butterfly Studio Salon
149 5th Avenue between 21st & 22nd (Second Floor)
Make sure you RSVP – info@lauralobdell.com
Have fun, girls!
Attention Chicagoans!
Our favorite dumpster diver – Uncommon artist Tammy Roy – tipped us off about a very cool festival happening in your neck of the woods this weekend (May 22-23).
Green Festival is little get-together of about 350 diverse local and national green businesses. There will be how-to workshops, a Fair Trade pavilion, a Green Home pavilion, an Organic Food and Gardening pavilion, a Community Action and Green Careers pavilion…plus fun stuff for kids AND delicious organic beer, wine and cuisine! Makes me wish I could go!
Tammy Roy (shown here digging for metal) will be in the Green Home pavilion exhibiting some of her amazing industrial art pieces that she makes from discarded tools and recycled metals.
Tickets are $10 for one day or $15 for the weekend. Bike riders get in free! Schedules, speakers and more can be found on the Green Festival website.