This genius online curator displays here collections on her living room wall, presenting them in unique and interesting ways, then photographs that wall and allows you to buy things off of it, just by clicking on the items.
How clever is that? You can see her site as well as purchase some of her goodies here.
OK, this is taking tilt-shift photography to the extremes of awesomeosity. I’m not sure how you would go about accomplishing something like this, but I really enjoy the result.
This lovely pattern has been all over the blogs lately, and for good reason. I love the way that it looks in a number of applications, from upholstery to handbags and floaty blouses. I like to look at it just for the lovely colors and patterns however.
Since Felix is in Central Asia, I’ve got him tracking down some of this fabric for me. If he manages to find some, I might have to buy them out. The possibilities are endless. What I’ve really got my heart set on is this coat:
Can you imagine walking around wearing one of these? Be still my heart!
I’ve been on a bit of a Carnival kick lately (I blame lent) and I’m really interested in the costumes and masks of the Venetian Carnival. They’re so amazingly intricate and baroque, and very over-the-top (unlike in Rio where the tradition seems to be to wear as little as possible). My favorite are the gold masks – there’s something about not being able to see a face, only a stern mask, that’s very creepy.
I tried looking up some information about where this tradition started and what it was supposed to symbolize, but it’s surprisingly hard to find information about this. From the best I can tell, the carnival is a typical lent celebration designed by the wealthy Venetians to show off their money and power. They would then basically cruise the strip (in this instance, the Piazza San Marco) like a bunch of teenagers and try to impress each other. The masks came about to hide the identity of the wearer so that the upper and lower classes could mingle without fear of repercussion.
Whatever the purpose, the mask has really taken on a life of its own. There are hundreds of vendors selling cheap imitations to tourists all over Venice, but I don’t think that it makes the real thing any less special. I’d love to be able to go and see this in person one day. What is life without a little pageantry?
All throughout high school, I carried a big container of trail mix that I made with me. The contents varied widely depending on what was in the pantry at any given time but it was a great way to snack because I never really had time for meals. Finding an appropriate container was always the most difficult part – ziplocs were too flimsy, tupperware too home-ec. What I would have given to have one of these awesome aluminum snack boxes instead:
Great for lunches or for a DIY doggy bag – no more waste for you! Find them here.
I’m loving these super-simple, elegant logo designs from Louise Fili. It always inspires me to see designs that are so classic and timeless – a lot more thought has to go into these than something that is just trendy and thrown together.
You can see her whole (seriously impressive) portfolio here.
When I was in college I only got to take 2 electives in order to graduate on time. One of the ones I took was African Dance. It was probably the most amazing thing I’ve ever done. You have so much fun, learn to let yourself be free, learn how to dance and shake and groove and generally have an all-around good time. Our teacher was from Ghana, and so he made sure that we all wore traditional wraps made with wax-print fabric from Ghana to dance in. He also used to dance around us whipping people with his towel who he complained of having “a sad ass” when what you needed was a “happy ass” which he then proceeded to demonstrate. Awesome, but neither here nor there.
I really became enamored with the look of the wax print fabric out of Ghana. The technique originated in Indonesia but was brought to the gold coast many years ago and spread out from there. Africans have taken this technique and really made it their own, infusing the textiles with colors and stories that are important to them. What’s really interesting is that a lot of the designs that you see on these textiles are actually of Dutch origin (see an interesting article here). No matter where they come from, I think they’re fantastic.
You can buy many different patterns online – here and here are the places that I found the prints above from.
Though the fabric is beautiful by itself, there is some clothing being made from it that’s really interesting and innovative. One such company is Wafrica, that creates Kimonos from this fabric.
I don’t know when I would have the occasion to wear one of these, but I love the concept.
The Dutch company that is apparently responsible for the vast majority of these designs is called Vlisco – I think that their ad campaigns are simply awesome.
Stay turned – more about African wax print fabric coming soon!
My friend Robyn pointed this out the other day after seeing my post about the beautiful ball installation, and I’m a little lost for words on this one. I’m not sure if it’s the music, or the slow-motion, or the fact that they actually did this, but it gets me a little worked up. It’s always the things you least expect.
Sony Bravia from Laurent MAKOWSKI on Vimeo.
A new box of crayons might be my favorite thing in the entire world. The smell, the sharpness of the tips, all of that possibility and color – well, to me it’s just heaven.
When I saw this chart of the evolution of crayon colors well, I just went bonkers for that too.
To me, what is amazing is how consistent their color choices have been. From very simply to giant boxes of 300 crayons, the colors have all stayed in the same vein. At least I know that the original colors would have gotten the job done. I found this graphic and the idea for this post here.
I had a babysitter once who we loved to death. Weirdly enough, she had albinism, which means that even though she lived 3 doors down she had to carry a black umbrella just to walk to our house. That weird little tidbit aside, what changed my life was when she taught us to color inside the lines. First, you outlined the area that was to be whatever color with that color, and then you filled it in. It was a revelation.
Do you have any crayon-centric favorite memories?
I think that Mint’s new business cards are too cute.
I always get made fun of for having business cards but they really are invaluable in a lot of situations. They’re easy to get printed but doing something handmade makes you really stand out from the crowd. Check out the bottom two designs and more at Pitch.
These tables designed by Joel Hester are simply amazing. He takes hoods and other metal bits off of old, rusted-out cars and turns them into amazing tables, while preserving the unique character of each piece of metal. Every table has dings and rust spots and all sorts of lovely little bits of character.
These wonderful pieces are not just limited to tables. There are bed frames, vanities, armoires, and artwork as well. You can find more of his work here.
These awesome playing cards had an unusual design challenge. Create a set of cards using 52 different fonts and no alterations of the font themselves. I personally love that the design of the center of the card is created with the number that the card represents. These gorgeous cards were created by Hat Trick Design.
How adorable would this be just inside a door? I imagine it sitting with an old coat-rack and perhaps a vintage poster of sorts.
Katie Thompson creates these unique chairs, as well as other fabulous furniture and lighting finds out of old broken down pieces, giving them a new life in a totally different form. You can see more of her work at her website.
I love my reusable grocery sacks. I remember finding some almost a decade ago and always wishing that I could find more. I did buy a ton of them in bulk last year to give away as wedding favors so I’m set for life. However, I wish that I had a need for more, because I would be sure to stop by Baggu.
Look at all of the colors and patterns! Never has being environmentally conscious been more stylish.
