I am sharing this project because it has a really nice little video and I think it is a neat little project.  While I don’t do much of it myself, I like sewing and quilting and I like to think that quilts – which were used to tell stories are sort of a precursor to the modern day blog.

Paul Nosa is an artist who creates drawings with a sewing machine.  He powers the sewing machine with solar power.  He is trying to raise money to take his solar powered sewing machine on a cross country tour this summer.  One of the stops is already planned for Pittsburgh.

Here is one of the patches he created with his sewing machine titled Bicycle Over City

Check out his video and maybe lend some support to his tour.

Super S****s: Art from the Staff of the Andy Warhol Museum opens tomorrow (Friday, January 13 from 6-9pm) at WildCard.  Andy Warhol’s Superstars were an elite clique of personalities that gained notoriety and fame through their association with the infamous artist. They were heavily featured in Warhol’s early works and their lives were immersed in the New York City art scene.

The staff of the Andy Warhol Museum are similarly immersed in the Pittsburgh art community. The artists featured in this show all have two things in common: they have worked as caretakers of Warhol’s art by day and as fine artists by night. Super****s opens on Friday January 13th and runs until February 19.

Then on Saturday from 11am – 7pm visit Wild Stuff, a collaborative, pop up vintage sale on Butler Street. Three of the great names in Lawrenceville (Wildcard, Botero Development, and Zombo Gallery) are teaming up for one great event: a Pop-Up Vintage sale featuring some of the bets finds in Pittsburgh. With items for sale ranging from visual art to bathtubs, ladies winter coats to tiki glasses, typewriters to CDs, there’s something for everyone at Wild Stuff!

Starting on Saturday, January 14 and running through Saturday March 31, the ground floor at 4300 Butler St will be full of retro fashion finds, scavenged building materials, furniture, and accessories.

Wedding held at the Children's Museum.

Are you newly engaged in the Burgh? Looking for a place to have your wedding that isn’t the usual bland hotel ballroom? Here are fifteen options all in the Pittsburgh area that are available to rent for the wedding of your dreams.

Springwood

1000 Indiana Road Verona, PA info@springwood.org 412-793-7453 About: Sixty acres of wooded Pennsylvania hills, walking trails and wildflower meadows with a glass atrium, gazebo, and walking trails.

Oak Lodge

693 Donegal Lake Road Stahlstown, PA info@oaklodgepa.com 724-593-2913 About: Have an entire three-day wedding weekend at the Oak Lodge. There’s indoor seating at the chapel for up to 120 guests, tables and chairs provided for 150 people, and tiki torches. Main Lodge accommodations for bridal party up to 15 and a luxurious bridal suite with a Jacuzzi, fireplace, views, and a waterfall.

The Mansion at Maple Heights

5516 Maple Heights Road Pittsburgh, PA nicole@mansionmapleheights.com 412-427-2877 About: The Mansion can accommodate up to 150 guests and the package price includes: rental of entire mansion, outdoor tent, chairs, tables, plates, silverware, glasses, valet parking and security, and a wedding planner.

Jay Verno Studios

3030 Jane Street Pittsburgh, PA jvsevents@earthlink.net 412-381-5350 About: Open studio space that you can completely personalize according to your own taste availble to rent in the South Side.

Lingrow Farm

188 Forks Church Road Leechburg, PA info@lingrowfarm.com 724-472-1305 About: A two-story, fully renovated, 1850′s barn, complete with two oversized, covered decks, situated on 40 peaceful acres. The barn is heated and air-conditioned and if you book an April wedding, you will receive 30% off venue cost.

Morning Glory Inn

2119 Sarah Street Pittsburgh, PA (412) 431-1707 About: This South Side bed and breakfast is a unique place to hold your wedding for an indoor/outdoor reception with a candlelit garden courtyard.

Engine House 25

339 Penn Avenue Pittsburgh, PA info@enginehouse25.com 412-621-1268 About: Fees depend upon how long and how many people are invited, and the capacity for a sit-down dinner is 75. Rental fee includes event staff and planning, tables, chairs, and linens. Wine services are available.

Heinz History Center

1212 Smallman Street Pittsburgh, PA mlminteer@heinzhistory.org 412-454-6435 About: Have you wedding at the historic Heinz History Center for an unforgettable Pittsburgh wedding. Common Plea Catering is the exclusive food and beverage service that also supplies linens.

Twelve Oaks Mansion

160 Scharberry Lane Mars, PA info@twelveoaksmansion.com 724-625-2343 About: Five hour reception includes: a private bridal suite, ballroom with outdoor patio, table linens and napkins. In wedding months (May to October), Twelve Oaks has a minimum expense balance of $12K.

The Barn at Fallingwater

1491 Mill Run Road Mill Run, PA kandyjohn@paconserve.org 724-329-7802 About: With four different spaces to choose from, The Barn at Falling Water will make for an unforgettable wedding.

Children’s Museum

10 Children’s Way, Allegheny Square Pittsburgh, PA events@pittsburghkids.org (412) 322-5058, ext. 235 About: Rent the studio that includes the backyard, the Big Red Room, or the entire museum for four hours with the help of their staff who will help you create the wedding day of your dreams.

New Hazlett Theater

6 Allegheny Square East Pittsburgh, PA 412-320-4610 About: Limitless design options are available at the New Hazlett Theater. There’s no required caterer complete custom bar service and event planning options, professional event staffing and it is a totally unique space to throw your wedding.

The Frick

7227 Reynolds Street Pittsburgh, PA sehler@TheFrickPIttsburgh.org 412-371-0600, ext. 658 About: The Frick has to be one of the most beautiful places to hold a wedding in Pittsburgh. From an outdoor ceremony with a tent on the lawns, to Clayton, the Art Museum, and the Greenhouse, The Frick is sure to be an unforgettable wedding destination.

The Willow Room

800 Plaza Drive Belle Vernon, PA sales@thewillowroom.com 724-379-5666 About: The Willow Room has a marble entrance way, exquisite chandeliers, panoramic views and open terrace. And you get the service of your own Bridal Butler for your big day

The University Club

123 University Place Pittsburgh, PA uclub@pitt.edu 412-648-8213 About: Complimentary wedding night accommodations for the bride and groom, linens and napkins, candlelit mirror centerpieces, personalized service from their event planner.

View 15 Creative Places to Have Your Wedding in Pittsburgh in a larger map

The Release Party is this Thursday (tomorrow), December 15th from 6 – 10pm at Commonplace Coffeehouse in Squirrel Hill.  Tickets are $22 and get you a taster of the Porter, as well as a  gift bottle to take home and a half-pound bag of Commonplace’s Sumatra coffee. Tickets can be purchased at the door.

For more information, please visit:

East End Brewing: http://eastendbrewing.com/

Commonplace Coffeehouse: http://www.commonplacecoffee.com/

Well, if you found that as disturbing as I did, you might be looking for a few good local sources to buy your honey from now on.  Here are a few ideas, and there are loads of other farms and resources out there.

Buy local honey from Steffes Wood Apiary (Aliquippa, PA) right now at Gallery on 43rd Street in Lawrenceville.  Why not stop down from December 1 through 4th when you can also enjoy the Joy of Cookies Cookie Tour?  That’s right, the Art of Bees is at Gallery on 43rd Street.  There is a selection of Spring, Summer and Fall Honey and if you pair that with a honey pot by Plum potter Karen McKee, you have the perfectly sustainable local gift! Open 7 days a week through December.

Support Wild Purveyors‘ new shop in Lawrenceville!  Although Wild Purveyors have reached their Kickstarter goal (congrats!) to open the Pennsylvania Specialty Foods Market at 5308 Butler Street, you can still support the campaign and be rewarded in fantastic store vouchers.  Or just plan to buy your honey (and more) there when they open their doors.

And there is always the great resource Burgh Bees, where if buying your honey isn’t local enough for you you can sign up for one of their apiary classes and produce your own.

CHS has been working in Oakland and neighborhoods around Pittsburgh since the early 1970s.  CHS offers a variety of programs to serve people in the Pittsburgh area.  CHS has a range of programs to help those dealing with homelessness and mental health.

You can help CHS with their holiday programming by donating a gift card or two.   Stop by the event on Monday December 5 or you can send gift cards to their offices in Oakland

Cookies and Cards Reception for the CHS Holiday Gift Card Drive
Monday, December 5, 2011
5-8pm
Shiloh Grill, 123 Shiloh Street, Mt. Washington
Facebook Event Link

Yes, its true the Carneige Science Center has a laser show set to Lady Gaga, appropriately named Laser Gaga.  In honor of Halloween and all things lady Gaga – the Science Center is hosting a Laser Gaga Costume Contest – put on your best poker face and head down to the science center – there will be prizes for the best costumes.

Please note the fine print on this one – sorry folks – don’t wear meat to the science center:

While we encourage your costumes to be creative, they must be appropriate for a family-friendly establishment.

Costumes must NOT feature organic materials such as raw meat, anything alive, expose skin in a provocative manner, or use offensive language or graphics.

Any masks worn should not cover the entire face.

Carnegie Science Center has the right to refuse any costume that it deems inappropriate.

Laser Gaga Costume Contest
@The Carnegie Science Center
Saturday, October 29, 2011
10 pm – Laser Show
to enter contest you must arrive  45 minutes before the laser show
Cost: $2 members, $8 non-members

Looking for some more Halloween fun – you might enjoy this video of Halloween decorations set to LMFAO’s Party Rock Anthem.  (If you are reading the email version of the post, click here to see the video)

More Gaga Links…

• Whew! There ARE #LadyGaga costumes for dogs! Look no further! (kissbeep.wordpress.com)
• How To Dress Like Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake & Andy Samberg From SNL’s ’3-Way’ Skit For Halloween (fresh1027.radio.com)
• 10 Halloween Costumes to Avoid (gawker.com)

Image by maltman23 via Flickr

I have been waiting for MakerFaire to come to Pittsburgh for years!!!  I have been a follower of Make and Craft – both are magazines/blogs published by O’Reilly Media.  The Make magazine folks organized the first Maker Faire in CA back in 2006.  It was a live festival of all things creative, handmade, DIY and hacked.  Since 2006 – Maker Faires have been held all over the world.

Maker Faires have included demonstrations of all kinds of neat things.  I had the opportunity to see Bre Pettis, who is a maker/hacker extrodinairre, give a talk on the 3d printer back in 2009 at ROLFcon.  You can check out a video of his presentation about rapid prototyping and the 3d printer at ROLFcon here.  I left ROLFcon thinking Pittsburgh needs to have a hacker space of our own.

Fortunately - others were thinking the same thing. In May 2009, HackPGH opened a hacker space in the uptown neighborhood to provide a workshop space where makers could come together and well, make stuff.  HackPGH has hosted and continues to offer many classes on things like lock picking, LED Flowers and crafts.

Maker Faires are meccas of making things.  I know many a Pittsburgh who has traveled to Detroit or beyond to attend a Maker Faire.

This weekend the fun comes to Pittsburgh! The first Pittsburgh’s Mini Maker Faire is this Sunday, October 23, Noon-6pm at The Children’s Museum.  The event might be called mini but they have a mighty line up of makers who will be showing off their projects and offering workshops.  You can check out the entire list of makers here.

Here are just a few of the things that will be demonstrated on Sunday:

Cheese Printer - Matt Stultz, one of the co-founders of HackPGH will be there demonstrating the cheese printer.

Pittsburgh Lock Picking Club

Yes, Pittsburgh has a lock picking group! This city has something for everyone.  Not sure about lock picking – I wouldn’t have thought much of it before either but then I read this fascinating article from a 2009 issue of Wired about the Ultimate Lock Picker.

The Traveling Pittsburgh Craft-o-tron Machine

This is an awesome collaborative project of artists and hackers. But what you really need to know is that this is a vending machine where you can get a crocheted pierogi.

Sauerkraut Powered Robots

Jesse Hemminger has created these little guys that run on sauerkraut.  Seems like a perfect Pittsburgh technology to me.

Pittsburgh’s Mini Maker Faire
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Noon-6pm
@ The Children’s Museum
Admission is $12

Related articles

• Best of Maker Faire: Like Burning Man for Geeks (thenextweb.com)
• Lava Lamp Music at Brighton Mini Maker Faire (mt-soft.com.ar)
• Maker Faire Freezer Paper Stencils (craftzine.com)
• World Maker Faire in New York to Feature Teddy Lo’s GonKiRin “Art Car” Dragon (prweb.com)