Tag Archives: crafts

Steel of the Week: Yinzer Bingo

This week’s featured Steel of the Week is Yinzer Bingo by John the Craftist. Seen at Boutique 208, you are sure to get a kick out of this unique bingo card if you are from the Pittsburgh area. All the spaces on the card are relevant to the area, such as “Road Work”, “Pothole”, “Terrible Towel”, “Big Ben Jersey”, with some of the more culturally unique ones being ”Pgh Left”, “Jean Shorts”, “Confusing Intersection”, “80s Bangs”, and “Jagoff”. John the Craftist’s products mostly consist of PGH-centric/Pittsburghese greeting cards, along with magnets, keychains, buttons, gift tags, and other small paper craft items. Zodiac birthday cards are also available. All the products are handprinted, handcut, and hand-folded by John the Craftist, who is actually Thea Okonak of Aspinwall.Yinzer Bingo

 

Along with Boutique 208, John’s stockists include The Mattress Factory Museum, The Shop at Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Wildcard in Lawrenceville, Koolkat Designs in Mt. Lebanon, and Nota Bene in Aspinwall. John also vends at he I Made It! Market events, and this past year sold with Koolkat Designs at the Three Rivers Arts Festival and with Steeltown Etsy at Handmade Arcade.

You can get a first look at new cards by checking out the Facebook page, http://facebook.com/johnthecraftist. This is where you can also find out the next vending location and interact to give feedback or stories about the products you’ve enjoyed!


Have an item you would like featured as our Steel of the Week? Submit to sotw@iheartpgh.com!

Guide to unique, interesting, and fun classes and workshops in Pittsburgh

School may be out for the summer but there’s still plenty of opportunity to get your learn on. From day-long workshops to weekly evening classes, there’s tons of chances to try something new or pick up long-forgotten hobbies once again.

Knitting/crocheting

Whether you’re picking up a pair of needles for the first time, looking to perfect your purling skills, or ready to make the perfect pair of socks, a knitting or crochet class is a great opportunity to pull out the yarn and needles. The following locations offer a variety of classes for all skill levels.

Dyed in the Wool
3458 Babcock Boulevard
Pittsburgh,  PA 15237
(412) 364-0310

Yarns Be Design
622 Allegheny River Boulevard
Oakmont, PA 15139
(412) 794-8332

Natural Stitches
6401 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15206
(412) 441-4410

Knit One
2721 Murray Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA, 15217
(412) 421-6666

Wine and Whiskey

Dreadnought Wines in the Strip District has a variety of classes for different levels of expertise, including both Wine and Spirit Education Trust Certifications and more casual tastings.
2013 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
(800) 565 2816

Wigle Whiskey, one of the Strip’s newest establishments, distills their own whiskey and gin onsite in traditional copper pots and using local ingredients. They offer tours on Saturdays, plus have events like labeling parties and the annual tar and feather celebration.
2401 Smallman Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
(412) 224-2827

Arts, Crafts, and Tech

The Society for Contemporary Craft holds day-long and evening workshops using all kinds of crafts and materials: fiber, wood, book arts and paper, metal, and mixed media.
2100 Smallman Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
(412) 261-7003

Union Project is a neighborhood space for people to come together and connect, create, and celebrate. They currently offer ceramics classes, Zumba, salsa, yoga, and hula hoop lessons.
801 N Negley Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15206
(412) 363-4550

Cut and Sew Studio offers a social sewing environment, with all tools and materials available, for people looking to learn how to sew, wanting to get better at it, or working on specific or independent projects.
5901 Bryant Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15206
(412) 865- 6565

Saxifrage, described as a higher education nomadic campus, offers classes in woodworking, computer programming, organic agriculture, graphic and user-centered design, map and geographic information systems, and carpentry.

TechShop is a community-based workshopping space for people who want access to industrial tools and equipment. Classes are offered in a wide range of industry, such as woodshop, metal work, silk screening, welding, embroidery, computer design, 3D printing, and much more.
192 Bakery Square Boulevard
Pittsburgh, PA 15206
(412) 345-7182

Improv/Comedy

Steel City Improv has multi-level 8-week classes for both budding and more experienced comedians to hone their craft. Students have the opportunity to perform on stage, plus the chance to audition for the house teams and/or form independent groups.
5950 Ellsworth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15232
404-2695

Improv Academy also offers weekly classes, as well as private sessions for actors or writers, film, television, on-set work with production companies, and improv troupes.
109 Market Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
(412) 407-3319

Arcade Comedy Theater explores the many different forms and type of improvisational and standup comedy through various weekly classes, including some aimed towards kids and teens. They also host monthly workshops taught by visiting and local professionals.
811 Liberty Avenue

Pittsburgh PA, 15222
(412) 339-0608

The University of Funny has a comedy 101 class to teach adults the basics of comedy. Mic technique, confidence in front of crowds, and the art of standup are all explored to find your inner funny.
(412) 573-9444

Miscellaneous

Free Ride in Point Breeze isn’t so much a bike repair shop as it is a bike education facility. The idea is that you volunteer your time, paired with a willingness to learn, and the staff at Free Ride teaches you how to build, and repair, your own bike. They have a variety of earn-a bike programs for both adults and children, as well as individual classes throughout the week.
Construction Junction
214 N. Lexington Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15208
(412) 254-3774

The Allegheny Observatory in Riverview Park offers tours Thursday and Friday nights in the warmer months. Tours start with a short presentation, followed by a walking tour of the building, and then end at the 13-inch Fitz-Clark refractor telescope. Public lectures are also offered every month.
159 Riverview Avenue

Pittsburgh, PA 15214
(412) 321-2400

While not necessarily a class or workshop, we’d be remiss to not mention Trundle Manor in a list of unique learning opportunities in Pittsburgh. Billed as “the most unusual tourist trap in the world meets the most bizarre private collection on public display,” you can tour (by appointment only) the manor’s antique taxidermy, old world charm, sadistic medical devices, coffins and coffin like items, Steampunk influenced creations, cryptozoology, and much more.
7724 Juniata Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15218
(412) 916-5544

Of course, all locations of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh have a plethora of classes, events, and workshops, from knitting book clubs and video game gatherings to language clubs and computer classes.

What cool classes and workshops did we miss? Leave us a message on Facebook, send us a tweet, or email Catherine@iheartpgh.com. And keep a look out for our posts on cooking/dining classes in the ‘Burgh and free/pay-what-you-can yoga!

Redd Up Thread Up

The first frost warning of the season has been issued for this evening and I bet you’ve already pulled out a few sweaters from those storage containers to prepare.

While you’re lamenting the loss of those hot days and awful sunburns of summer 2010, you might come across some sweaters or jeans that just don’t fit anymore or perhaps that cute wool skirt doesn’t look as cute as it did last year. Be sure to save those items for the Redd Up Thread Up, a community clothing swap to benefit the Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh. Continue reading

Shop Lawrenceville This Sat – Streets Sale, Handmade Love and Flea Markets

Vintage Wears, Bike and Flea Items
Image by equita via Flickr

Lots of fun shopping in the Lawrenceville area this Saturday!

First up – make a stop at this big bad garage sale extraordinaire – just got the details from this Friend of IheartPGH (FoI<3PGH) – stop by and pick up some neat stuff.

  • Big Multi Stop Garage Sale – Fisk, Main and 40th Streets
  • Saturday, June 26, 2010 – 9am-1pm (rain or shine)
  • PUT ON THOSE WALKING SHOES, CRACK IN TO YOUR COOKIE JAR AND COME ON OVER TO LAWRENCEVILLE FOR THIS HUGE STREET SALE!!! GET SOME EXERCISE AND SOME GREAT BARGAINS. WE HAVE TREASURES GALORE. WE HAVE SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE!

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A Wedding Show for those who love handmade – Perfect timing! I got a call from a very good Friend of handmadeinloveIheartPGH this week called this week to say she was engaged! And facebook tells me another FoI<3PGH is engaged too.  Pittsburgh handmade community has been working hard on putting together a wedding show for those who love handmade.

Hand(Made) In Marriage is Pittsburgh’s alternative, indie wedding show. Our goal is to offer the people of Pittsburgh a cool place to meet vendors who can provide them with something outside the norm.

Continue reading

Handmade Gifts for Valentine's Day – IMadeIt Market 2/6

Buy Handmade
Image by IheartPGH via Flickr

Just in time for Valentine’s day -IMadeIt- Pittsburgh’s handmade marketplace will be setting up shop this weekned.  Gift and treats and sweets will be available from over 50 different artisits.  It is the perfect excuse to get out of the house and pick up a gift for your valentine.

IMadeIt Mine
Saturday, February 6, 2010 – Noon-5pm
Union Project, 801 N. Negley Ave, Highland Park
Facebook Event – http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=412824605028&index=1

Some vendors to check out:

Sapling Press – Lisa from Sapling Press – who provided a great afternoon with the Letter Press demo last weekend will be there with letter pressed cards and more.

Erika Originals – Erika is from Cleveland and will be bringing her jewlery to town this weekend – this love letter necklace would make a great gift for a special valentine.

Iron City Upcyclery – turning old clothes into new garments – their etsy page has some dresses that would be perfect to wear for a valentine’s date night.

Click here to see a complete list of vendors for this Saturday.