Hand Holders

For some reason I have fallen in love with placeholders lately. It makes me want to have a dinner party. But it seems a bit rude to be telling people where they have to sit. I think their best, and most polite, use is for labeling food when serving buffet style. It also helps your guests not ask "Ummm.....what is that?" (Which I most recently asked at a client's Indian-style garden party. However names of desserts such as Gulab Jamun, and Burfi, need more explanation)

(vi CB2 / 4 for 9.95)

Unbreakable Vase

So our cat has a habit of knocking over all of my plants (and cups, and his bowl, and pretty much anything he can push off a table) So this rubber vase would be purrrrfect (sorry about the pun, but it had to be said) My plant would still fall and I would still have water on the floor to clean up, but it's an improvement! Plus it comes in black, pink, and lime green (as well as red).

(via better living through design / $24.12)

Vases

Oh how cute. And I love how the simple ferns look in these vases too. Clean. Unique. And affordable at $3.95 each. Mike has been saving his old guitar strings and they have a sort of curl at the end and we (his idea) think it would be cute to bunch them together and made a "floral" arrangement of strings. So, I'm looking for a vase that would be perfect for that. Unfortunately, I don't think this vase is it. Oh well! Guess I'll just have to keep on shopping!

(via better living through design)

Silverware

Sweet chandelier by Ali Siahvoshi (crappy website) over at Fabbian (better website). Would look great in a modern kitchen with all stainless steel appliances and whatnot. I think I might be able to convince Mike to help me make one. He did my spoon ring, so he's already worked with silverware.

(Image via Inhabitat)

Diamond Gal Knob

So I really would like to post awesome design things that are affordable to the "normal person". I can't help that some really awesome stuff is ridiculously expensive. I look at sites like Design Within Reach, but they aren't really in reach for me. (They have things like a bedside table that at 50% off is still $650.)


So here is a b-e-a-utiful door knob that would be a great accent to make any home a little more vintage/Victorian. And at only $6 from Anthropologie it would be well worth it! This is an especially great accent because not only is it beautiful it is used on a regular basis (unlike alot of the decorate crap I buy that has NO use whatsoever). It will make even more of a statement when people turn it and feel the unexpected texture.


(Image via Design*Sponge)

Cutting boards

I love when a design works WITH the materials instead of reforming the materials into something new. German design duo Karen Olze and Gisa Wilkens designed these illustrations etched into the board to work WITH the grain of the wood. Nice and unique!

(Image via elsewares)

Happy Pills

studio m's first project: a candy store in Barcelona. I love creative websites, but I'm not so sure about this one, too hard to find things, and it doesn't help that its not in English. But their work is absolutely adorable and this project works so well. Clean, understandable, but still very beautiful and creative. Their typography on almost all their work is amazing. The shelving displays for Happy Pills could use a little work, but it might just be because we're not seeing the whole room.

(more images via design milk)

Index Card Cheat Sheet

I remember back in high school calculus (or geometry or something...I guess I don't remember that well) cramming as many formulas on an index card as we could because we were allowed ONE index card for a test. So over at CreaticeTechs Tips Jason Hoppe creates one index card cheat sheet a month for Photoshop. This month's is the brush tool, which, for some reason I always forget the shortcut keys for this. Hope it helps!

Flying books

This is so cute/clever! I would love to have a flock of books on my wall. But for $120 for a set of 5...I think I can figure out a way to make it myself. (I'll make sure to post how I do it, if I ever do it)

(Via Better Living Through Design)

Listen to a Movie

Sometimes while I'm working I am visually occupied by whatever design I'm working on but not always audibly stimulated. So I listen to a number of podcasts and music but sometimes I want more. I found this website awhile back that has 1,278 movies (just the audio) for anyone to listen to for FREE....(it has a log-in, but, no, you don't have to sign up) Anyway, I get too distracted by the tv so it helps when I'm working on something at home, too.

Tip: It pops up in it's own little window, with "stealth mode" that makes it look like a spreadsheet for those who's bosses do not appreciate you enjoying yourself.

On the list of things I always want but never buy

I love this style of rice bowls that hold your chopsticks! I do really enjoy eating with chopsticks, I should remember to keep some at work. People say it helps you lose weight because you eat slower. Hmm...I think that's just when you first start using them, because I can eat pretty fast with chopsticks, anyone want to have a race?

(via Design*Sponge and bowl via feinedinge many other beautiful pieces but I can't understand anything to find a price)

Possibly the best kite ever.

Kite shaped like a cursor. Genius.
(via make via boingboing)

Comic #10 Misunderstanding

(via nedroid)

What do you mean you didn't get it? I left it on the toast!

So cute! You just write it and it burns it onto your toast! Too bad it's not in production.
(via bb-blog / more pics)

Graffiti Lamp

Ooooooh...I love this lamp! Graffiti in the home is awesome. Lots of other styles via Weego.
(via bb-blog / $80.00)

Giant

So Randie, Mike, and I went to a gallery opening at Zombo over in Lawrenceville last weekend and I finally got my first "Giant" accessory! (For those of you who don't know, my company's logo is based on the Moai statues on Easter island) Anyway, it's a pepper shaker that stands about 3" and I love it!

(sorry again about the pic, it's from my phone)

#9: Lazy Cat

(as always, via nedroid)

Play Nice

Noticed this over on 5th ave for the first time on my lunch walk today. It's awesome that someone took the time to build the keyboard out of wood and put it up. I just can't decide if that is the same person who put the tag or not. Just goes to show there is fun graffiti, even in the Burgh.

(sorry for the image quailty, it's from my phone)