VISITING CHICAGO'S LINCOLN PARK CONSERVATORY

Last month I got the chance to travel to Chicago. I always associated the city with cold and snow, and I never imagined that the city could be so beautiful in the summer. Since the weather was so beautiful during my stay, a little bit of adventuring was in order to see what the city had to offer. The Lincoln Park Conservatory was a short walk away from my hotel, so a visit there was definitely in my travel plans.

Botanical Gardens are one of my favorite things to visit in any city. It's fun to step into a different climate and see flora you wouldn't normally see. Even though the weather outside was beautiful, it's still fun to step inside the greenhouses and explore something new.

The Chicago Conservatory isn't very large, but they have enough of a selection to imagine you've travelled to a tropical destination. Also, since the Conservatory is a public park, its free to visit which makes the trip that much better.

VISITING CHICAGO'S 3D PRINTER EXPERIENCE

Last month I travelled to Chicago, and while I was there I decided to check out their new 3D Printing store, The 3D Printer Experience. By their name, it's pretty obvious what they do. I'd seen some of stuff they've made on social media, and wanted to give them a visit in real life.

Part of their store is dedicated to a small gallery space where they showcase 3D printed products and art. On display were pieces by Sophie Kahn and other artists and designers working with this medium. In the photo above, you can also see a Buddha statue there alongside it's colorful copy that was recreated digitally.

They also do more though than act as a storefront for goods made on demand. The store also offers modeling classes, printing services, and you can even scan yourself and create a printed bust. One of the coolest parts about the store is that they have a wall of 3D printers of all makes and models. You can learn about the different types of printing technologies and see what you're making materialize before your eyes.

During my visit, I opted out of getting my head scanned and turned into a bust, but I did use their machines to print out one of our new bike planters. They have a plethora of plastic colors to choose from, and being someone who likes bold color choices, I knew I'd come to the right place. Unable to choose just one color, I printed my new bike planter out in about 7 colors.

We printed the planters out on their MakerBot Replicator 2 in PLA, a biodegradable plastic made from corn starch. Objects made in this material won't last forever, but they will last a long time. When you're done with them you can compost them, and the material is renewable. 

Later in my visit I got the chance to borrow an adorable city bike made by another Chicago company, Heritage Bicycles from my hotel and take my new planter out for a test drive!

If you want to learn more about 3DPX, visit their website or follow them on Twitter.

SUMMER SO FAR ACCORDING TO MY IPHONE PICTURES

If you've been wondering why we've been slow on updates this summer, it's because I was in a really bad bike accident in June and broke my hand. It's still really difficult to type, so giving you a visual update is much easier. Follow us on instagram and twitter to see what we're up to and making.

BIKE STYLE: HAND-PAINTED HELMETS BY DANIELLE BASKIN

Recently our friend Danielle Baskin of Belle Helmets painted a helmet just for us! I'm really looking forward to summer rides along the Atlanta Beltline wearing it!

Danielle hand-paints every helmet in her New York City studio. Danielle founded her business after graduating from NYU, and she paints helmets for other sports as well. Her helmets would be as at home at a skate park as riding your 3-speed through town. Her helmets are not only stylish, but safe as well- the paint does not afect the durability or other safety features of your helmet. 

If you're in the market for a new helmet, be it for cycling or other activities, you should check out Belle Helmets. You can find her products at Houndstooth Road in Atlanta and at other stores throughout the country. You can read our interview with Danielle on her blog.

THIS WEEK IN PHOTOS

The last week of February has been crazy! We're working on a new website, we got the first prototypes of our new rings in, we organized a 3D printing meetup, and we worked on putting together a few new things for this spring.

Since we didn't have a whole lot of time to write to tell you what we're up to, this is what this week looked like.

The weather in Atlanta has been really cold and dreary. When I was at the florist, they had Forsythia branches on sale. I've never bought flowers like this before, and I've been so hapy with the bright blooms they've had. I also feel like I'm getting away with something by smuggling a little reminder of spring indoors.

We received the first prototypes of our new rings from Shapeways that we're going to produce this spring. We have a few design changes to make, and expect to see these items in the shop soon.

We made a lot of seed bombs with recycled paper and wildflower seeds.

We organized a 3D printing meetup in Atlanta with Shapeways and they sent us a bunch of cool little things for the event.

 And at last, we saw the first signs of spring coming up to get us through the last part of winter. This Magnolia tree was on the Atlanta Beltline, and is a recent planting from Trees Atlanta. The flowers were such a vibrant shade at sunset that I just had to snap their picture!

PECULIAR OBSERVATIONS

Sometimes I make peculiar observations. Yesterday I took a trip to the Atlanta Botanical Garden to get a chance to step out of the office, and snap some photos to use with our new packaging. The garden was practically empty, because it's the middle of the week on a rainy January afternoon. When I stepped into the Fuqua Orchid Center, my camera lens fogged up, and I didn't realize it until I reviewed this picture of an orchid. I suppose most people would consider the shot ruined, but I like the effect it created.

They were also beginning to set up for a new exhibit while I was there, and it looks as if some of the tropical plants threw a crazy party last night!