If It's Hip, It's Here (Archives)

The Top 30 Coolest Coloring Books For Grown-Ups

above: a few of the adult coloring books now available on the market

Sure you can buy coloring books of all the Presidents, of geography and just about every licensed character out there. Fill in the lines of famous fashion illustrations and insects of all types. But why do that when you can be shading in a handgun or adding crosshatching to a cock?

Woodworker Peter Rolfe has created some of the most lovely hand crafted wood pieces of traditional forms, like console tables, chairs and jewelry boxes.

But his latest sculptural pieces, in the form of female and male human bodies are so interesting, I had to share them with you. Crafted of birch ply, the male and female sculpted torsos include functional drawers. Take a look.

Era I:

Gen II:

Era III:

Peter also collaborates with woodworker Carl Handy, together they opened a workshop in the latter half of 2005 called, not surprisingly, Rolfe and Handy.

above: Peter in his studio

About Peter

(in his own words):
"I grew up in the East Midlands and from a young age felt most at home in the Peter Rolfe school workshops. After gaining two A-levels in Art and Design I moved to High Wycombe to attend Buckinghamshire University. High Wycombe has a long history of furniture production and it's university has a well established fine furniture course.

After completing my HND in Design and Technology I began work at Stewart Lindford Furniture as an apprentice. I spent five years learning all i could from the experienced makers I worked alongside, using only solid hardwood and specializing in burrs, I learned many traditional construction methods and improved my hand skills. During my time with Steward Linford I received a Guild Mark for craftsmanship, awarded specifically for the Catherine of Aragon Desk, a limited edition piece sold through Harrods.

For the past seven years I have been working for Stuart Groves Furniture learning more up to date techniques, how to manipulate timber and discovering how modern manmade materials play an increasingly large part in today's furniture production.

The varied range of experience I have gained over the past fourteen years has enabled me to design and make an array of furniture, from simple elegant jewellery boxes to more advanced sculptural pieces. My current work is heavily influenced by nature, using shapes that we all recognize but would not be traditionally thought of as furniture forms."

Peter's Contact information:
peter@p-rolfe.co.uk
16 Old Coach Drive
High Wycombe
Buckinghamshire
HP11 1AS

You will also be able to some of his pieces at this upcoming show in London:

Making the Future
Timonty Mark - Portman Village
9th Sept - 4th October 2009
Mon - Sat 11am - 7pm, Sun 11am - 5pm
20 New Quebec Street
London
W1H 7RZ

Chic High Heel Pain Relief From A Vending Machine: Rollasoles & Afterheels

Put away those dancing shoes and go home in comfort!
High heel calf cramps and sore squished toes get relief in the form of a vending machine with Rollasole, a brilliant product with equally savvy marketing. Rollasoles and their eco-friendly counterpart, Afterheels, are comfortable and chic ballet slippers available for purchase from vending machines inside select UK nightclubs.

For approximately GBP 5 (approx $8.00 USD), you get a pair of wearable flats in their own little dufflebag that will relieve you of those 5 inch stilettos that you bravely donned at the beginning of the evening.

The brainchild of entrepreneur Matt Horan, whose business card reads "Sole Director", the classic ballet slippers sold out when tested in nightclubs and are now a hit in the UK. With this success, they plan on introducing more vending machines and intend to roll them out (pardon the pun) beyond the UK.

Rollasoles are available in three sizes; small, medium and large and come in four colors; black, metallic gold, metallic silver or metallic pink (which is presently not available in their online store):

Matt Horan, the inventor of these truly revolutionary shoes, says he came up with the idea in a moment of drunken epiphany and after growing sick of giving his petite girlfriend (who loves wearing high heels, that much is understood) piggyback rides on the way home from a nightclub. First, he realized he must make flats available to women in the wee hours of morning, when the party is still raging on but all ladies are this close to fainting from the pain their high heels are causing. Thus, the idea of installing vending machines in clubs came naturally.

above: inventor Matt Horan with his Rollasoles.

Rollasoles' identity, web design, packaging and branding by created by the talented folks at Magpie Studio.

Afterheels is their 100% natural and fully recyclable version of the Rollasoles. The body of the shoe is made from natural, sustainable materials which biodegrade in the same time as an oak leaf. The polyproylene (PP) insole is fully recyclable where local facilities allow.

The colors aren't as pretty and they aren't metallic, but at the moment they are asking consumers to vote on new colors as well as submit their own color choices for Afterheels via an interactive design module (whose screen shot is shown below) on their site:

The duffle bag is currently made from a low density polyethylene (LDPE) which is also recyclable where local facilities allow. They aim to start a returns scheme if there are no facilities near you, but they’re aiming to change this to an even more environmentally friendly material.

Genius.