color me mine

for those of us who wish we could be fashion designers, here is maybe the next best thing: a color-it-yourself dress. the black and white patterned dress comes with a set of permanent markers so you can really make it your own.

Edible Art

This site sells and gives information for making edible pictures on cookies and cakes. It looks pretty cool! I know that you do this on cakes at like albertson's and stuff, but this site has inks you can buy and stick them into your own printer at home! Kinda gross but actually pretty cool if you can get over the potential grossness. http://www.kopykake.com/

a crafty advent calendar!

japan brand's wish list gives you something new to lust for everyday.

the standout for me is tosa hokubo's knives in the shape of whales.

A Feast for the Eyes

It's been a while since an update here, but just wanted to share a few great blogs that have been making my day lately.

print & pattern
This snazzy blog features pretty patterns, whether they be for paper, fabric, cards, stationery, or other goods.

bryn alexandra
An aspiring interior designer (and my former fellow knottie) shares her finds and DIY projects. See how she refurbished two secondhand dressers (one from craigslist and the other from salvaltion army) in one design project.

These blogs inspire me daily to live in color and be creative. What are your go-to inspiration blogs?

Art in Action

Oren Lavie's new music video for "Her Morning Elegance" strikes a beautiful chord with its simplicity (one set) and complexity (watch it).

Oleg Dou

Oleg Dou takes surrealism to new heights in his eerily beautiful photographs.

Budget Finds - Media Edition

Most of our readers out there know that I recently moved to Northern California. I have a little place with my live-in fiance, B. B is witty, fun, and always up for adventure, but I'm a complicated gal. Even he can't keep me entertained 24/7.

I should mention another thing - B doesn't watch tv.

Call it the dark ages, call it 1920s, but he just doesn't. And with ABC running all my shows online, we really can't justify the high cable bill every month. Despite my proclamations to B that I am perfectly content without visual media at home, I crave it. I need it. I yearn to know about the pretty tweed pencil skirt that Jennifer Aniston is coveting. I need to mock shoes that are the latest momentary fad that is anything but fab.

Lucky for me, I have Christian Siriano-fierce friends that always dish the latest, hottest thing. A few month ago, Angeline, told me about Maghound.
(photo courtesy of maghound.com)

Subscribers choose from packages of three or more magazine titles delivered to your home, for a discounted from an ordinary subscription.

No stranger to the print business, Time, Inc. is also experimenting with its own version of personalize news media called Mine.
(photo courtesy of www.timecmg.com)

It combines a reader's 5 selections from 8 choices into a single binded magazine. (First issue is free!)

(photo courtesy of Sidedown.org)

And to boot, Lexus has come up with an interesting advertising campaign.

What a concept! I'm in love all over again.

Stripes and Stamps?

So I've been married and living in my own place (well, K lives there too I guess) for over a year and a half now, and our living room has yet to have a Look. You can look at it, yes, but it has no Look.

There are several reasons for this. First, we've always had mismatched, hand-me-down seating. Tan. Black. Green. Sofa. Metal futon. Wood futon. Second, we've only made minimal progress on getting anything up on the walls since we move every year (it's hard to break the college habit).

And then it hit me, a solution to bring unity to my hodgepodge living room...

couch pillows

I went to Joann and grabbed some blue upholstery fabric, trying to pull some colors from the photos on our wall of Lake Tahoe, taken during our honeymoon. Then I it, the perfect blue and tan stripe. And then I saw another perfect fabric, a blue and white stamped motif. I had to have them.

Uh...won't that look weird? K asks. No, I tell him, it will look modern! But really, what to I know. A few days later, newly bought fabric not yet touched, I got affirmation.

Enter, Pottery Barn's outdoor pillows:


And my end products:

Did it tie my living room together? Well, nothing is going to remedy that mess completely, but it's a good start!

Stomach This!

Brush a little color on them, dab a bit of cartoon cuteness, and wa-la - you can make anything cute. Perhaps I am underestimating the talent of those behind I Heart Guts, which makes even those don't get woozy at the sight of blood will swoon for these adorable little treats.

Classics feature our favorite organs, like the liver, as shown below.




Coming to a vacation stop near you!

Javier Alejandre - Industrial Design

There's a certain satisfaction I get from the seeing the perfect marriage of industrial and utility design. Industrial designer Javier Alejandre has created quite a buzz in the creative communities with his newest design ChromoSoma - a mix and match lamp creation. The Madrid-based artist is showing his design at the Salone del Mobile di Milan 2009.

Eric Carle for Google

Eric Carle, of "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" fame, designed the incredibly cute first day of spring commemoratory logo for Google.

Fabwrapla

My friend Glo and her friend just started a company called Fabwrapla. Their products look so beautiful so I thought I'd share it with you :) Here's a glimpse of their beautiful products and a little blurb:

"In 2000, Jackie and Gloria collaborated and planned a mutual friend’s wedding. After the wedding, many conversations led to the birth of their first business, Lily B. Special Event Planning in 2001. They soon learned that with Jackie’s eye for exquisite designs and Gloria’s brilliant skills in organization made for a dream team. After five years of designing and planning events, they stumbled onto something much bigger and better. Jackie and Gloria found themselves using fabric to cover vases and creating unique and fun décor items for many events. After years of toying with different ways to use fabric, they launched a new division of Lily B.—fabwrap in 2007. Fabwrap became the perfect jigsaw puzzle piece that brought creativity, imagination, beauty, and functionality together in their work. And as they say, the rest is history…"

New Classics

Maybe it's because it's been years and I still don't have any throw pillows on my (free hand-me-down) futon, but these twist on a classic really caught my eye. Designed by Thomas Paul, whose graphic style I just love all around, these linen pillows are a quirky play on the comeback of the cameo. Hearkening back to ancient Greece, they depict the twin gods Apollo and Artemis. Paul plays on cameos again in his Gothic series. Check out his selection of melamine plates, stationery, and totes; popular designs are also available as wall art.

Mirrored TreeHouse

Good idea :)
Very cool looking mirrored and cubed treehouse.





Bad execution :(
WAY confusing (and probably deadly) to birds and tree-climbers.
Possibly distracting to airplane pilots who will get major sun glare.

superheroes!

Okay, so this post doesn't exactly deal with design, but in a way it does.

Imagine you are about to become a superhero. You should ask yourself: what do I stand for? and how will my costume reflect that? Meet Terrifica, who's from New York city and who defends the over-intoxicated woman who might soon become a victim of Fantasico, Terrifica's nemisis. She may not have super powers, but sure does know how to look good.

design comp comes to LA

as y'all know, i used to run with the cool cats up north who were terribly intrigued with design. i attended this awesome design competition back in 2007 called cut&paste in beautiful downtown san francisco. in layman's terms, cut&paste is a digital design competition, backed in real-time with kickass music and DJs in great venues with liquor licenses. it's a pretty big party with a rock concert vibe, but everyone who goes only has eyes for the designers on stage, and mad respect for the winning designer.

cut&paste comes to our lovely neighboring city of los angeles on saturday, february 21st from 5-11pm @the avalon in hollywood.








tix are discounted online if we bundle 4...who's in town and who wants to go?!

Long Exposure Photography

"Long Exposure Photography is something that can take your breath away when you get it right. Here are some shots to get you inspired."

Visit their website for more examples, they're so beautiful!

Expanding waste

One thing I hate about trash bins is that there're really no way to hide the fact that you have trash. And that you have so much of it, you need a container for it. Of course, the really cute looking trash cans are generally non-functional: either they don't hold a lot of stuff or they're hard to use. But Scandinavian designer Front has solved all that. His Bin not only looks good, but it also expands to hold more. Genius!

Hepper Pod Pet Beds

Now your pet can be even more fashion-forward than you are. I love these! I only wonder how a smaller pet would be able to get in if they didn't have jumping/leaping capabilities. The herringbone design is my favorite. So cute!!

The Hepper Pod pet bed offers the security of a mountaintop cave with way more style. It serves as your pet's own personal sanctuary – a perfect place for curling up to snooze, hide, or reign supreme.

Features:

*Soft-touch construction of molded foam with fabric laminated on both sides
*Protection from all sides
*Raised platform offers a view and helps keep pets warm or cool as needed
*Sherpa fleece-lined reversible, removable, washable interior pad
*Durable steel frame which breaks down for easy storage
*Removable top
*For cats and small dogs.
The inner lining comes out for easy cleaning, it also provides extra warmth! It also looks like it could convert to a small chair too, perhaps for people around 100 lbs or less!?



This looks really photoshopped, but the cat looks so comfy!! Imagine if it was Molly! But then she might try to eat it...teehee!

Cutest Cupcakes!

These cupcakes are SO CUTE! I wish I could make cupcakes these cute!! I think my favorites are the reindeer ones!

Find more at Cupcakes Take The Cake!

"Celtic Art"...or so the description says.

Is it wrong that the first thing I thought of when I saw this was...Chinese Knotting Ripoff?




http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=fp_feat_7&listing_id=5855943

diy photo block kit

Want to display a favorite photo without blowing it into a giant sized print that you'll probably get tired of looking at anyway? Why don't you turn it into a photo block. Better yet, you can actually make it yourself with this rather easy to do and quite afforable (although one-time use) kit.

Turning over a new green leaf

Happy New Year to All!

To kick off the new year, we're featuring a green product for perfect for worker bees on the go or those who like to snuggle up with some warm cocoa on the road.

We've all heard of the chic "I am not a plastic bag" toted around by celebrities in support of green living. Now, from Decor Craft, Inc. comes "I am not a paper cup..." A porcelain cup with a silicone lid perfect to keep your drinks warm while making a fashionable statement right from your desk.



Cheers to the new year!