Ear-ringers

Tricia has been working on a new jewelry project, and she finally agreed to let me show you. Aren't they great?

So when your earbuds finally bite the dust after one too many iPod drops, you can send them to Tricia, and she'll re-craft them into awesome earrings with wood inserts. Then you can wear a set in your ears and a second set on your ears. Just don't get them mixed up. These look awesome, but they don't sound that great. 

In other news, Tricia's M.O.C. brooms were just selected for Apartment Therapy's Design Showcase. If you've got a minute, click on over to AT and drop three stars on our friend. Congrats, Tricia!

  

Images from Tricia Wright

It's sweeps week!

We're not really going to devote a whole week to sweeping, unless you all become VERY interested in this post. Tricia and Martin sent in their photos of these fantastic brooms, made out of old mop handles, salvaged wood from pallets, and recycled carpet samples.

They look great, and they work really well. The brooms come in his and hers sizes. All they need to go into production is a catchy name (or two). To make a name suggestion, just leave a comment here. We'll let you know which they choose.

(and yes, those are Alex's modelicious feet)

Martin's custom commuter bike

The finished commuter bike

Within his circle of friends, Martin Leugers is notorious for trash-picking bikes. He feels like it his calling to free them from their trash heap demise. Once chosen by the master, these jalopies are reinvented. They are chopped, remixed, welded, and finally make their way into the hands of friends and fans who ride for the CRUD gang (Chopper Riding Urban Dwellers). His latest creation is different: Martin set out to create the perfect commuter bike. After trash-picking the frame, fork, crank, headset and bottom bracket, he was able to find a used set of wheels and a saddle. The handlebars are a mix of parts from an old mountain bike and a kid's bike, which combine to create an incredibly sleek look.

The integrated LED light with toggle switch is my favorite part. All aspects of commuting are considered, from the welded fender mounts to the internal cable routing. The integrated seat post deters thieves from making off with the ever important seat. A fresh white powdercoat, some new tires, and she's ready to ride.

Raw materials

Nice work, Martin. When will you start making these for your friends?

Images from Martin Leugers.

Virginie's cutlery tray rescue

Designer Virginie Manichon steps up to her first Process 376 design challenge and gives us this. The lowly plastic cutlery organizer has never looked so elegant (actually, it's probably never looked elegant at all). It's the attention to detail that cinches it, with metal posts to secure the pieces in place, and a scrap of salvaged window screen serving as a cover. You can't see it, but she's added a magnet to hold the screen in the open and closed positions.
The entire project cost only a few pennies for the hardware, and most of the elements were salvaged or free:

• Cutlery organizer from a yard sale
  
• Salvaged window screen
• Pins (holding rings and cross) recovered from a paper lantern
  
• Scrap metal
• Magnet salvaged from an electric toothbrush head
  
• Rivets and fasteners (new)

Nice work, Virginie. Can't wait to see what you make next time!

Images from Virginie Manichon.

Oliver's recycled bicycled lamps

Oh happy day! Following up on his fantastic phone book design, Oliver sent in photos of his beautiful lamp from one of our earlier Process 376 challenges, made almost completely of things he salvaged around his shop. We all loved it so much, he made a pendant lamp in the same style.

Oliver is a meticulous craftsman, and every detail seems considered, from the pendant's counterweight to the tiny fasteners holding the shade together. Check out the the details of the bike chain structure and that stunning lampshade.

Materials used (all except the halogen are things he scrounged around his shop):

• bike chain
• bike hub
• hard drive disc
• microwave transmission tubing
• scrap piece of Richlite
• HDPE plastic sheet (cut into strips to make the shades)
• low-voltage halogen

Both pieces are for sale, and Oliver does commissions as well. You can see more of his work and contact him via his website.

Images from Oliver DiCicco (photography by Tricia)

You can ring Ma Bell...

It's phone book season again, which means that the yellow and black bricks are landing on doorsteps all over the Bay Area. Even if you're one of those Luddites (guilty) who still likes to have the phone book around, that still means that last year's model is destined for the recycling bin.

Our most recent Process 376 challenge was to create a jewelry box completely from free materials. We were encouraged to mine curb finds, throwaways, and the CraigsList free section. Oliver was inspired by the lowly phone book to create his box from the yellow pages and a scrap of aluminum plate. I would have gone at this with an X-acto blade and given up by the time I got to the B's, but Oliver epoxied and clamped the whole thing, then hollowed out the insides with power tools.

He capped off the box with an aluminum plate, finished with a right-angle grinder and straight edge. Soo's bangles and baubles have a stylish new home.

More jewelry boxes coming in the next couple of weeks as everyone sends in their photos.

Images from Oliver DiCicco.

Alex's wax-off, wax-on candle holder

And here's the third submission from our Process 376 lighting project. Our own Alex Pappas took things in a really different direction, creating a candle-holder concept that speaks directly about consumption and resources, while being a lovely object in its own right. He says it better than I could:

When thinking about creating a 'green' lighting piece, I knew that I wanted to create something that constantly reminded the user of what it takes to produce that light. In doing so I was hoping to raise the individual's awareness about the amount of resources used in producing light... with an outside hope that this awareness could transfer to other aspects of that person's life.

As the candle burns, the excess wax drips down and around a suspended wick that sits strung across the mold for a new candle. After burning several candles, you create a new candle that can be pulled from the mold, and re-used. You become very aware that it takes wax from more than one candle to create a new candle; while also understanding the value of trying to save excess material that is otherwise looked at as useless.

See more photos of the design on Alex's website. This piece isn't for sale, but Alex is available for custom work.

Finally, this isn't particularly relevant to green design or the Process 376 lighting project, but I have to put in a mention for Alex's artfully disturbing illustrations. I LOVE the "Catching Monsters with World" one.
Images from Alex Pappas

Tricia's well-suited pendant light

Here's the next submission from our Process 376 lighting design exercise. Tricia has been doing some really wonderful work with recycled wool from vintage suits (you should see the quilt, and maybe someday we'll get her to share the earrings). It's only natural that she use the same material for her lamp. I love the way the layers of colored wool show at the seams. Nice work, Tricia!

Image from Tricia Wright

Carpetbagging

For all the Process 376 team members looking for a little more Ample Sample inspiration, here's some Friday love. It's also worth reviewing the star ratings to see what was well reviewed last year.

I found a benches and a table that are similar to our sketches for a table design, and several lights for Tricia to reference. Everything is made of carpet samples. Entries are due May 8.

Images from Ample Sample. (Designers listed below)
SUSTAINA(t)ABLE by Heather Bryan
Hex Bench by Steven Rothe, BKV Group
Loop Bench by James Seaman
Filament Pendant Lamp by Aaron Petersen
Back to Square One Lamp by Erica Whitehead
Accent Lamp by Man Tam

Work in progress: Katie's business card lampshade

Um...he doesn't work here anymore.

Remember the post brainstorming what to do with old business cards? As some of you know, we're wrapping up the second month of lighting month at Process 376. The inspiration for this one was a box of cards* with a fantastic orange pattern on the back, and I worked them into a temporary lampshade in time for our big design show-and-tell-and-drink last week.

Ingredients:

• Hideous pendant lampshade (thrifted cost $2, including cord kit and working CFL bulb)
• Tyvek Fed Ex envelope (used and free)
• ~100+ stale business cards (free)

I stripped the original shade down to the frame. Then I cut the cards into strips and laid them out on the Tyvek envelope. I do a lot of mosaic-ish layouts in my glass work, so it didn't take long to find a pattern I liked. Glue + patience = voila! The final texture is interesting, and I like the way it looks with light behind it. I still have some details to polish (Binder clips? No.) before it's done, but there's potential here.

The full photo session (thanks to Tricia and Alex!) is on for next week, so expect a flurry of strange and wonderful Process 376 lighting coming soon.

*Kindly left behind by one of my coworkers who has moved on tilt at other windmills.

Image from Katie Broughton

Process 376 rides again!

"Show up with your latest and greatest ideas to have them torn apart by washed up celebrity judges."

For those of you who missed it, we met at Annie's Social Club in SF, and everyone brought sketches and ideas. Oliver set the bar pretty high by walking in with a finished lamp made head-to-toe from recycled materials. I'm working on getting photos, and I'll post them when they come in.

Meanwhile, T, here's that wool lampshade I told you about:


K2, if I can track down the bubble wrap screen, I'll post it later in the week.

Thanks to everyone for the great ideas and feedback.

Image from Mixko on Etsy

Martin's rescued alarm clock

Our own Martin Leugers sends in this fantastic alarm clock he built, all from reclaimed materials. He rescued an alarm clock from the 80s and gave it new life as this very modern creation that makes use of several items that had piled up around his workshop.

Project includes
- One hideous thrift store alarm clock
- Scrap from a PSL (parallel strand lumber) beam
- Toggle switch from a sales sample kit
- 4 rubber feet (OK, those were new)

This one is from his personal collection, but Martin is available for custom work.

Image from Martin Leugers