This month we are sharing things that inspire us. Personally, crafting is my passion and is a huge influence on my personal aesthetic. My work on various crafts has informed the way I look at form, function, materials and, yep, even web design.

And in the spirit of the season, I thought I’d share a simple craft project that is an olfactory delight – cloving oranges!

Over the weekend, we sat down to decorated some oranges with cloves for the Astek conference table. Now the whole office smells like Christmas! If you want to decorate your own oranges it is very easy. Here’s how we did it:

Simply take some oranges…

And a bowl of whole cloves (available with the spices in any grocery store)

Press the pointy end of the clove into the orange. Make patterns or images.

We couldn’t resist turning a green spot on one of the oranges into the Astek logo.

If you want to get really fancy you can take a zester or a tool like this v-shaped pumpkin carving tool and peel away just the top layer of skin for additional patterns and decor options.

Place in a pretty bowl and display where ever fragrant holiday cheer is appreciated. The best smells come for the first 48 hours, but display can be left for a week or more, though oranges may shrivel a bit after a few days. Enjoy!

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Katie Hawkey Categories: Fun, General, Green, How To

We’re going green at Astek! Now…define green…

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Rachel Yeomans Categories: Fun, Green

I think there is a common misconception that “going green” seems like a lot of effort for such a small contribution.  Many people say to themselves  “I don’t drink that many sodas, I don’t have enough to recycle to be worth the effort.”  But I say to you, Scrooges, that if no one makes the effort, then who will?  It is our responsibility to be shining examples to our families, our neighbors, and our fellow vertebrates (and invertebrates too- I don’t discriminate against exo-skeletons).

So what are we doing at Astek to contribute?

RECYCLING:  One of the first things I did when I started here at Astek was to put together a recycling bin.  Chicago is notorious for being a bad recycling city so it didn’t surprise me that Logan Square does not have recycling pick-up, so I knew I had to make it happen myself.   I picked up a little plastic bin and made a recycling sign for it so nobody mistakes it for a garbage bin.  It also helps to keep the paper/cardboard recycling separate so you don’t end up with a pulpy mess if someone throws in a half-full can or something.  There are recycling drop off centers all around the city and when the bin is full I take the bin with me and empty on the way home from work

My Office-made Recycling Bin

ELECTRONICS RECYCLING:  Did you know that throwing away old electronics in your regular garbage can/dumpster is really bad for the environment?  The metal and computer parts in electronic devices not only takes a really long time to decompose, but often electronics have some kind of liquid that is highly toxic to the environment, so when you  throw it out you are poisoning the environment.  The good news?  There are lots of electronic recycling plants all around the city.  I found this great place called Recycle Tech Solutions which takes your old electronics and breaks them down safely to remove those dangerous liquids, separate the parts into basic elements and recycle or reuse every little bit they can.  They recycle everything from computers and print cartridges, to old refrigerators;  They say if it has a power cord of any kind they can recycle it!  So I gathered up the old, unused and broken equipment Astek had in storage, the used print cartridges, and even collected old electronics from the staff which they had laying around at home and drove it all over to these guys.  They were very friendly, and even unloaded the car for me!

COMPOSTING:  I have to give Andrew Crowe credit for this one- he has a compost bin at home and when we started talking about being more environmentally friendly he brought in a little plastic bin with a lid that we can put compost material in.  We put everything from banana peels to coffee grounds & filters in it and when it’s full he brings it home and adds it to his home compost.

BIKING:  A number of us in the office are getting psyched about the weather warming up soon so that we can ride our bikes to work!  Leaving the car at home is a great way to reduce you carbon footprint.  Did you know that there is a feature on googlemaps that now allows you to plan a biking route?  Google knows which streets have specific bike lanes and will map you a route to keep you safe.  A friendly reminder from all of us at Astek that you should ALWAYS wear your helmet and bring multiple bike lights with you if you might be riding at night.

No effort can be too small when it comes to cleaning up our environment.  If we all did these little things and inspired those we know to do that same it would make a HUGE DIFFERENCE!

This post was featured in ePiphany, Astek’s Monthly Newsletter |  Other ePiphany Articles

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Sara Gorsky Categories: ePiphany Featured Story, google, Green

Just wanted to share with our blog readers a project that is near and dear to my heart – each year I organize Swap-O-Rama-Rama Chicago, a clothing swap and series of do-it-yourself workshops in which a community explores creative reuse through recycling. I do this as a fundraiser for my mother’s school Three Sister’s Folk Art School in Chillicothe, IL. If you enjoy clothes and/or crafting, I encourage you to come out for the event!

Swap-O-Rama-Rama Chicago
Saturday, February 12, 2011 @ 9am-5pm
Chicago Waldorf School
1300 W Loyola Ave, Chicago
Just off Loyola Red Line | Free Parking
Suggested Donation:  $20 + a bag of clothes ($10 Students and Seniors)

Help save the environment and get a new spring wardrobe! Bring in those forgotten clothes, swap them for something new and then get creative! You get access to everything from sewing machines to silk screens, and all the supplies and coaching you’ll need to make new outfits, bags, jewelry and more. If you’re fashion-independent, green-minded, or DIY-centric, this is for you!

Also, if you’re wondering just how pregnant I’m looking these days, check out my interview promoting the event on NBC 5 Morning Show:

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Katie Hawkey Categories: Fun, General, Green

Road trains look like a very encouraging solution to automotive transportation. Essentially cars using wireless signals to automatically follow a lead car. I’ve long felt that if all cars were somehow connected and able to start and stop together that we’d all save a lot of time and headache on the road! Have you ever noticed how much time is wasted just waiting for the cars ahead of you to start moving?

Imagine how much better life would be if we could have transit time to do whatever we wanted. Work, sleep, read, you name it. I’m sure it will be awhile before they are ready for prime time, but I personally can’t wait.

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Andy Swindler Categories: Fun, Gadget, Green, Technology

One of my favorite days of the year is the CoreNet Classic Golf Outing, held annually at Cantigny Golf Course by the fabulous folks at CoreNet Global Chicago Chapter. This year’s outing was held Sept. 16 and the day could not have been more beautiful!

As a CoreNet Platinum Sponsor, Astek gets to have 2 “sitters” hang out at a tee and schmooze with players as they enjoy the tourney. As a non-golfer myself, I consider the “sitter” position to be the ideal way to spend a Wednesday!

I get to sit in the sun, take in the lovely view of the course, talk to people who are happy to be out of the office and give away free stuff! This year’s freebies included bio-degradable “Eco” golf tees and adorable little Astek ball markers.

This year, like last year, we video taped each golfer’s swing.

We then post the videos on our “How’s My Drive” Web site so the golfers can check out their form.

​

Golfers on Astek’s Team included Andy Swindler, Tom Lynch (our new CMO), Mike Piper of Proverb Associates and Mike Cello of UGL Equis. Even Andrew Crowe (who was running the video camera all day) and I (Katie Hawkey) took a swat at a ball for the camera – and for your amusement. Enjoy!

A special thanks to Kevin Reed of vin design for designing our cool sign (that somehow made it into just about every picture) and for silkscreening the awesome, custom Astek polos. Is that a sharp looking group or what!?

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Katie Hawkey Categories: Fun, Green, Marketing, Web

I’m a huge fan of the Indie-Craft Movement and I have been impressed with the way the community as a whole has embraced Social Media Marketing.

Indie-Craft - also called alternative craft, alt-craft, new wave craft, craftivism, green-craft, eco-craft, DIY (do-it-yourself) craft, etc – is often paired with the tag line “Not your grandma’s craft.” The artists and makers who art part of this movement use traditional crafting techniques like knitting, needlepoint, screen printing, felting, crocheting and more to make fashion, accessories and decor often with a punk, indie-music or “urban” aesthetic.

Another trend of the movement is the embrace of entrepreneurism – similar to the Arts and Craft movement at the turn of the century, these makers are exploring ways to make a dignified, self sufficient living selling things they have made themselves. In this movement “handmade” and “self-employed“ are badges of honor and many makers are dedicated to ecological and economical practices like sustainability, reuse and “up-cycling.”

The internet provides today’s makers with easy and free access to buyers across the globe. In fact, many credit the internet with the rise of the current indie-craft movement. Sites like etsy.com make it possible for part-time and full-time crafters all over the world to connect with customers.

Another online trend in the Indie-Craft movement is the free exchange of ideas, patterns and resources. Sites like instructables.com make it easier than ever for DIYers to share instructions on making just about anything. The Indie-Craft community has undeniably blossomed around the free exchange of patterns and how-to’s now available on the internet.

The community jumped on the blog bandwagon early and with great success. Blogs are a great medium for an individual to share photos and videos showing off projects, asking for feedback and sharing instructions. Soon blogs like blog.craftzine.com and indiefixx.com sprang up, aggregating the best projects from the individual crafter’s blogs and exploring current trends.

Lately, I’ve been noticing how plugged in many of the indie-crafters are to social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. Blog.craftzine.com has created one of my favorite Twitter feeds through @craft_tips which watches twitter feeds of various crafters and publishes helpful tips like

“burn/melt the ends of nylon strapping or cord with a lighter to prevent it from fraying”

or

“A 6″ wisk broom, found with camping gear, helps to scrub the fabric bits out of your cutting mat and sweep them off. (via @sanourra)”

or

“Make replacement shirt collar stays by slicing the plastic fake credit cards you get in junk mail. (via @justsomeguy)“

So what lessons about marketing and creating online communities can we learn from the Indie-Craft movement?

SAVE THE WORLD: Because of it’s ties to sustainability and ecology, the Indie-Craft movement gained a lot of traction with the renewal of the ”green“ cause. Also, the collapse of the economy in the last year has lent strength to the messages of self-sustainability, self-sufficiency, and the trend of making or mending instead of buying. Set against these noble causes, sellers can position their products as solutions to some of the greatest problems facing America right now. Being able to position your product in the context of ”buy this and save the world“ is a great way create passion for your product and to move the conversation away from price. In point of fact, some Indie-Crafters report that as their customers have become more informed of the ”good“ that the Indie-Craft community is doing, there has been an increase in the price buyers are willing to pay.

SHARE: This community created a vibrant market out of a previously far-scattered audience by pooling their resources. Etsy.com has consolidated buyers and sellers and gave them all one place to meet. Contrary to common wisdom, setting up shop ”next door“ to their competitors actually strengthened the majority of these sellers businesses.

BE TRANSPARENT: The members of this movement pride themselves on their ”authenticity.“ Many blogs will show the failed projects right along with the successes. There is a free flow of advice and conversation back and forth between maker, reader and buyer. This solidifies the sense of community and creates intense customer loyalty. Frequent customer feedback also allows the makers to almost constantly evolve their production methods and products.

GIVE: Indie-Crafters are constantly giving advise, tips, links, how-to instructions, and encouragement. This both creates community and builds recognition for those who’s advice is particularly insightful or valuable. It’s a great example of brand building.

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Katie Hawkey Categories: Entrepreneurship, ePiphany Featured Story, Fun, Green, Marketing, Social Media, Technology, Web

As I may have mentioned, I’m a fan of Andrew Sullivan, a prominent political blogger at The Atlantic. Though he usually sticks to politically charged topics, he posts daily “View from your Window” photos that are sent to him by his readers.

(view from Astek’s window)

Well apparently, this series is so popular that Andrew is going to offer a coffee book version of the “best” past pics. He is avoiding publishing houses (which he abhors) and is going straight for the print-on-demand. Though, we don’t know yet which service he is using, I will be curious to see.

My future mother-in-law is a children’s author, and I have, in the past, encouraged her to publish her stories that aren’t getting picked up through a publisher, in a similar DIY way. I’d love to see her work directly with an illistrator/animator to make animated online versions of her favorite stories and then, at the end of the online “reading,” have a link where parents can easily order a copy of a bound book (made through a print-on-demand service) for bedtime reading and long-term treasuring.

Similarly, a good friend of mine is an amazing commercial photographer and I recently passed on the idea of personalized, photography-based baby books that I saw on one of my favorite craft blogs. She’s going to try it out as a shower present for her on-the-way nephew and print it up using the services you can find through Flickr or Shutterfly.

This sort of micro-publishing gets me very excited, as do many DIY ideas. Personally, this sort of return to individual “making“ and ”crafting“ and ”creating“ strikes a potent chord. The fact that technology is making it easier for us to return to the ”simpler“ days for fun is a bit ironic, but also pretty fitting. The DIY movement may be a push-back against industrialization and technology, but it doesn’t mean we can’t utilize the tools we are pushing against to make the push. I guess what I’m trying to say is, I hope we continue to see a resurgence of entertainment that results in more than ”couch butt,“ Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, and online gaming credits, because making is fun and makes more fun!

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Katie Hawkey Categories: Entrepreneurship, Fun, Green, Marketing, Social Media, Technology, Web

It’s time to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Macintosh. I was pretty young, but remember this time well. We had an Apple IIc in my house for several years before our first Mac IIsi. What a sweet machine! When Apple (the company) turned 20, they released a special edition 20th Anniversary Mac. It was pretty sweet at the time, but wholeheartedly over-priced if you’re not nuts about this kind of thing. I doubt they’ll do anything to commemorate it this year with product, but you never know.

Here is a great photo of nearly every Apple computer ever made. It’s like looking at a family photo album.

Every once in a while I meet someone who isn’t familiar with the famous 1984 Super Bowl XVIII commercial Ridley Scott directed to launch the Mac. If you are one of those people, you need to check this out:

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Andy Swindler Categories: Entrepreneurship, Fun, Gadget, Green, Marketing, Technology