It's a cute little bird, but there's more to it. Merry Bird is an example of a product that can only be manufactured with 3d-printing technology. ?Take a close look: the bird and its hinged (!) swing are printed right inside the cage - no post-production assembly is necessary.

Originally designed as a Christmas ornament, Merry Bird looks good enough to display all year round.

Merry Bird is also available in design stores worldwide through designlabel Soonsalon; mail Sheila for information on the nearest shop to buy, and wholesale options.

Both a tribute to ubiquitous, and lovely, hexagonal colour pencils, and a representation of what was coined by Joris Peels as 'combinatory manufacturing'.

Combine the connector piece with any set of 36 standard hexagonal pencils of about 7.0 mm cross section (measured at the smallest diameter). These types of sets are available around the world from many department stores and art supply stores - I’ve seen good sets for as little as 5 euro.

Examples of pencils that fit are Stabilo Aquacolor 1600, and Caran d’Ache Prismalo I, but there are many more. I’ve recently heard that in the US, Prismacolor Verithin Colored Pencils (available from Amazon and others) work well. Normal black pencils often have the same size and shape and can be used too.

If you are new to the Shapeways website: to order you will be asked to create an account (it's easy). Assembly may leave slight marks on pencils. For more information on this or other products, please visit www.michielcornelissen.com.

Using 30 standard-sized pencils, and this kit, you can create an icosahedron-shaped object of about 38 cm or 15 inch in diameter. Use it as a cool lampshade, or just as fun and educational object to have around.
Fits standard hexagonal (colour) pencils of about 7.0 mm cross section - measured at the smallest diameter. Any length of the pencils will work, as long as they're all the same.
If you are new to the Shapeways website: to order you will be asked to create an account (it's easy).

Please note that the available colours are subject to what Shapeways offers, and may be different from those shown in the images here. Please refer to the support section for available colors. Assembly may leave slight indents on pencils.