*NOTCOT in
design - 04.20.13 -
This post is part of the NOTlabs Laser Challenge: The ground rules are: Shawn and I are alternating days with executing and sharing a Laser Cutter involved experiment! And most importantly - we’re supposed to have fun, explore ideas, and it’s less about a fully formed product/concept at the end of the day, but more about seeing where the experiment takes us!
Day 5 is here ~ and being an odd day, it’s Shawn’s turn! Tonight he created a playful cardboard building set made of two complex shapes which combined can create a variety of creations. Here’s what he has to say about it, “The geometry is of an icosahedron which consists of 20 triangular faces. Connectors are needed to attach each face to the next and if they are all oriented inwards you have the whole icosahedral shape. If you occasionally flip the connector angle you can make mini landscapes too. I cut 90 faces and a ton of connectors.” Take a peek at the making of and some of our creations on the next page!
p.s. If you have ideas, or want some laser cutting done, or want to play with us… feel free to use the contact form or leave a comment!
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*NOTCOT in
design - 04.19.13 -
This post is part of the NOTlabs Laser Challenge: The ground rules are: Shawn and I are alternating days with executing and sharing a Laser Cutter involved experiment! And most importantly - we’re supposed to have fun, explore ideas, and it’s less about a fully formed product/concept at the end of the day, but more about seeing where the experiment takes us!
Day 4! My turn… for some reason, wax seals came up yesterday, and it’s one of those things i have always wanted, been meaning to design, but could never quite commit to what to put on it to have a proper brass one made. So, why not try engraving acrylic and seeing how it works as a wax seal? It was also a chance to explore the option of grade engrave, which is used for rubber stamps, etc so that things like the dot in a lower case i are more stable (and don’t break off in use) - basically it tapers the edge instead of being perfectly horizontal. Now i can leave a seal of “Imagined by NOTlabs. Made with lasers!” and “Inspired by NOTCOT. Realized by NOTlabs.” on things! To be honest, it worked better than i expected, but also needs a bit of refining… might have to experiment a bit more, and if i had more time, i have a feeling mounting the engraved discs on a handle would help quite a bit, also figuring out the right timing of how long to let the wax sit before pressing the seal in. But that being said, still got quite a few good examples, and will definitely be exploring it more… also such a fun way to seal things up… take a peek at the details and process on the next page!
p.s. If you have ideas, or want some laser cutting done, or want to play with us… feel free to use the contact form or leave a comment!
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*NOTCOT in
food+drink - 04.18.13 -
This week’s roundup from Tasteologie and Liqurious includes avocado cakes, popcorn icecream, the New York sour and more. To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.
*NOTCOT in
design - 04.17.13 -
This post is part of the NOTlabs Laser Challenge: The ground rules are: Shawn and I are alternating days with executing and sharing a Laser Cutter involved experiment! And most importantly - we’re supposed to have fun, explore ideas, and it’s less about a fully formed product/concept at the end of the day, but more about seeing where the experiment takes us!
Day 3 ~ and Shawn is up. Part of the Laser Challenge is definitely timing, on a crazier day we’re still challenged to have fun and experiment with SOMETHING! So today’s was quite the speed project for him as he whipped up this laser cut wood/cardboard light this evening. So, here is the “Hook It Up” Light… lit with a plumen! Perhaps the most important thing we learned today was that with any speed challenge, there is the constant nagging “omg what if we add this… or change this… or do that?” and ultimately you just have to go with your gut instincts and move fast with what time is left. It was also far too fun hanging the light up in our trees for the photoshoot! Take a peek at the final light (and making of!) on the next page…
p.s. If you have ideas, or want some laser cutting done, or want to play with us… feel free to use the contact form or leave a comment!
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*NOTCOT in
design - 04.16.13 -
This post is part of the NOTlabs Laser Challenge: The ground rules are: Shawn and I are alternating days with executing and sharing a Laser Cutter involved experiment! And most importantly - we’re supposed to have fun, explore ideas, and it’s less about a fully formed product/concept at the end of the day, but more about seeing where the experiment takes us!
Day 2 of the NOTlabs Laser Challenge, and today it’s my turn! I’ve been obsessively researching tiles lately ~ from ancient patterns of the far east to the french/moroccan styles to modern geometrically inspired and asymmetrical designs, while simultaneously working on the garden and wondering why there aren’t nicer options for stepping stones, pathways, etc… so today, this lead me to experiment with hexagons and exploring designs and seeing what emerges! The result are a bunch of laser cut corrugated cardboard tiles ~ which could become fun concrete tiles to lay in the grass, or tiling street art, or spray painting using them as stencils… or… take a peek at the process and fun on the next page!
p.s. If you have ideas, or want some laser cutting done, or want to play with us… feel free to use the contact form or leave a comment!
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A look back at the last week on NOTCOT.org! Click the pictures to find out more about each post…
*NOTCOT in
design - 04.15.13 -
Our NOTlabs Laser Challenge #1 is here from Shawn! As for what the Laser Challenge is - the ground rules are: Shawn and I are alternating days with executing and sharing a Laser Cutter involved experiment! And most importantly - we’re supposed to have fun, explore ideas, and it’s less about a fully formed product/concept at the end of the day, but more about seeing where the experiment takes us!
So first up, here’s Shawn’s Puppy Platter… which, honestly, didn’t have this function in mind until his experiment with heating and pressing some of our plastic scraps ended up with a fun sheet filled with various mini bowl like spaces… He initially thought about planting succulents in them, but we quickly realized this would be better served if we made a much larger version. And with Bucky’s feeding time nearing, we decided to try it out as a modern Puppy Platter/Bento Box of sorts! (Don’t worry, we won’t be feeding Bucky from this regularly - the photos are a quick photoshoot test!) It is fascinating to see which of his treats and food choices he picked and in which order… also great, it slows him down as he carefully inspected and sniffed each section before devouring it! (Versus scarfing it down without much thought!)
As for where the laser cutting is involved… take a peek at the process pics on the next page… laser cutting was used to create the frame around the plastic sheet as it was being pressed. Check out Bucky trying out this modern Puppy Platter on the next page!
p.s. If you have ideas, or want some laser cutting done, or want to play with us… feel free to use the contact form or leave a comment!
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Sometimes the best ideas come from the randomest situations (like finding mini buckys around the NOTlabs) ~ and this weekend, on a dare, Shawn and I have agreed to a LASER CHALLENGE! In other words, every day for a while, we’re going to alternate and come up with some random experiment using the laser cutter…
So to kick it off ~ i just found pictures of the quick mini Buckys that I created for this holiday post over at Intel My Life Scoop, that i never had a chance to share here. From quick cell phone pictures of the puppy in the kitchen, to silhouettes, to little (and big) black acrylic cut outs… topped off with hand braided little collars ready to adorn all our holiday gifts! Take a peek at the process and results on the next page! This was such a quick little project, it has inspired us to take on this challenge and see what other amusements we may come up with (and what we can learn about the laser cutter) in the next month!
p.s.
If you have ideas, or want some laser cutting done, or want to play with us… feel free to use the contact form or leave a comment!
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*NOTCOT in
playful - 04.14.13 -
*NOTCOT in
design - 04.13.13 -
*NOTCOT in
food+drink - 04.12.13 -
When grabbing late lunch at the Mitsuwa in Torrance, i couldn’t help pausing by the J.Sweets case of Mochicream’s rainbow of mochis… but more curious, the donuts… that didn’t quite look like donuts… they were a bit glossy, a bit overly precisely placed, and we were intrigued… Turns out these “donuts” are Mochidos! Mochi donuts! They have a coating on a ring of mochi filled with cream/sauce depending on the flavor! So naturally we couldn’t resist trying some… and they are delicious! And beautifully gift boxed! Take a peek at the next page…
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*NOTCOT in
food+drink - 04.11.13 -
This week’s roundup from Tasteologie and Liqurious includes tea eggs, origami parchment bunny cakes, and strawberry bourbon lemonade. To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.
*NOTCOT in
design - 04.10.13 -
In between Final Four games this weekend, we did a bit of exploring in Atlanta… running all over Buckhead, Midtown, 4th Ward, Inman Park, Decatur, Downtown, and more… and one thing i couldn’t help snapping pics of all over was the street art! From the fox chasing rabbits down the wall… to the huge NEVER GIVE UP under an overpass made up of XOs, to the Silhouette building that really has a huge on on it, to the massive basketball hoop billboard AT&T popped up by Georgia Dome, to the “Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell —- Satan” billboard, ATL shaped playground for kids… and so much more… it was awesome inspiration! Check out what we found on the next page…
p.s.
Didn’t bring a real camera with me this trip, so all things Atlanta are coming from the HTC One i’m currently playing with…
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Ooooh, it has been yet another awesomely inspiring week on NOTCOT.org ~ click the pics to find out more about some of my favorites!
Phew* What a long weekend it has been, but also a much needed mini-break as NOTCOT turns 8 (can you believe it? 8 years!!!) ~ just back from spending the last few days in Atlanta for the Final Four (Go CARDS!) In between the games, got a chance to run around the city a bit, so more ATL inspiration to come… but first, after dropping the rental car and making our way to the gate, i was stopped in my tracks by these fun Dog Sculptures made from construction parts in their airport dog park by local artist, Doug Makemson. The yellow one sitting is inspired by his yellow lab, Abby. Apparently they are made mostly out of backhoe and bulldozer parts! Take a peek at these two playful pups on the next page!
p.s.
Didn’t bring a real camera with me this trip, so all things Atlanta are coming from the HTC One i’m currently playing with…
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