1. not exorbitant or extravagent by city standards, however in a rural setting (like upstate new york) it is in fact, quite fancy.
2. a wonderful blog dedicated to art, design and other things that are indeed upstate fancy.
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There is just something about the illustration style of apak that always makes me smile. And now they have an adorable mug that could put a smile on your face every morning! I think my personal favorite is the Happy Hermits sculpture. It reminds me a little bit of David the Gnome (which I very much disliked when I was a child) but I think the whimsy just takes me into another land. Definitely check out their full shop for some amazing prints too!
I love this concept design by Gonglue Jiang. As laptops get smaller we also lose the number of USB ports. I know that I have to unplug my cooling pad to plug in my camera, but perhaps those day would be over with the Infinite USB ports. The daisy-chain idea is a very interesting concept, and could power a few devices when the first usb device was an exertanl power supply. The only flaw I see is the stress that would happen without proper support on the chain of ports. This could eventually damage the internal motherboard. But I love this idea!
I’m actually taking off later today to head to Boston to attend PAX east. For those of you who may not be familiar with PAX it’s a game convention put on my the amazing guys at Penny Arcade. Even with my often very busy schedule I still find time to unwind a bit by jumping over water pits, shooting zombies or rocking out on virtual guitars! I’m pretty excited to attend this three day convention so I thought I would leave you with a few game inspired handmade goodies. Have a great weekend everyone!
Space Invaders Bangle by ParAmourDesign • Pacman Cufflinks by dedalo • Keep Calm art by Queens Spoof • Q-bert inspired Pillow by Regansbrain
I stumbled upon a detail of one of Tara Badcock’s on flickr a while back and just fell in love. Her embroidery work is so free and loose but the stitches and colors are so precise at the same time. It almost makes in a little hard to wrap one’s head around. The more I browse through her pieces the closer my jaw gets to the ground. Take a look for yourself and if your in Australia perhaps you can go see one in person!
You may have seen the lovely wreathes from Knock Knocking during the winter holidays. But why wait until the weather turns cold again to source up your door? Check out her new spring designs which are sure to put a smile on your face every time you come home! I also love her new pinwheel brooches that would look spiffy on a cute little cardigan! Okay enough exclamation points, check them out for yourself!
Once summer comes around I tend to only wear flip flops (yes even in nyc) and slip-on’s. So you can only imagine how stoked I was to find these awesome Keds designed by some of my favorite illustrators! Yellena James, Nate Duval, and Luke Drozd have my absolute favorite designs over at the designer Keds shop. But just in case you cant find a pair that really speaks to you, you can design your own, and I don’t mean just the color choices… you can add your own art, photos, type, almost anything you want! I can’t wait to show you my first design!
A few months ago I posted about colorful paint that doubles as a chalkboard surface. While I am absolutely in love with the idea of turning an entire wall into a writing surface I just don’t like the feel of chalk in my hand. The good news is I can still have my wall of notes and doodles with the dry erase paint from ideapaint. Available in a few different hues, this paint will turn virtually any surface into your very own marker board! What would you turn into your own personal notebook?
I know it’s still a few days until the official first day of spring but spring has come a bit early here in Brooklyn. This morning when I walked out the front door I noticed a few crocuses have bloomed under our currently barren rose bush. The sun was hitting them just right so I decided to take a few pictures of our first spring flower! I hope this brightens your day just a tiny bit.
Some people spend their extra cash on clothes, some treat themselves to spa days, others to a night on the town. I have always been a home goods junkie. This year Bodum is my new enemy. Just look at these sleek modern juicers, tea pitchers, coffee presses… the list goes on. The colors these new items come in are vivid and friendly and would definitely be the kind of thing you would always leave out on the counter just to add a little pop to your kitchen. These are the perfect wedding and housewarming gifts! Not only is Bodum known for its product design, their quality and longevity are just outstanding! Check out the full 2010 catalog on their site.
Cut paper works always make me smile, weather they are complex and serious or sleek and humorous. The work of Jared Andrew Schoor falls into both categories. He currently is part of a two man exhibition of work at Gallery Nucleus (which I still wish was in New York) along with Sean Chao. Jared’s work just really made me smile this morning and got me excited about creating this week. I only hope someone really does shoot these clouds with arrows so maybe the sun will come out!
