Never heard a prettier song about being pregnant

Rethinking jellybeans

Amazing and fun—this will make you smile!

For my rich days

Things I'm loving right now:

 

Dwell Studio's Hans Leather Chair (and matching ottoman, since I'm splurging) 

 

This "Croissants de lunes" mural by Bartsch (it makes me want to re-do Calvin's room)

Annie Vought's "Paper Cut Letters" series

 

Luke Lamp Co.'s unique up-cycled lamps

Paint as paint

An artist I admire, Paul Ferney, recently redesigned his website (it's beautiful). While flipping through, I came across his description of painting, which I really like:

I like the way paint feels, the look of paint. If I'm painting a tree, I'm not trying to make the painting look like a tree; I want it to look like paint—to never forget that it is paint. I like how primitive painting tools are. I use hair tied to a stick to spread oil mixed with plants and dirt on cloth.

 That last line is fabulous.

Four things I loved this week online

1. Sprout's design to make a watering can out of a milk carton. It's pretty and practical. I'll be on the lookout for this one to go into production.

 

2. Payton Turner's ornate wallpaper made out of stickers. Vision and imagination! (Click on these to see them close up—it's pretty amazing.)

 

 

3. Abigail Edwards's Seascape wallpaper. Makes me want to attack a wall with a sharpie. 

 

 

4. This tutorial on design*sponge on how to make a vertical garden out of pallet. It combines two of my current faves: repurposing pallets and gardens on a wall. 

Font Friday

Just found the blog Design Editor (which I am sure I will be spending more time on). She participates in a group called Font Friday. Super fun (if you're a typography nerd like me). Anyway, her pick this week was from one of my favorite free (and well-designed) font sources, The League of Moveable Type.  

Introducing Fanwood.

I must use this is sometime, and soon.

Silk

If you need to waste some time, play around with Silk online. It's pretty :) 

Something to chew on

I saw these online months ago, and I keep on thinking about them. We don't need blocks for Calvin Jesse, but if we did, these Young Mad Scientist's First Alphabet Blocks from Xylocopa would be on the top of my list. 

Just cool

This is so cool. A dad and his kids send a camera up into space.

Homemade Spacecraft from Luke Geissbuhler on Vimeo.

The Force

In honor of the rapidly approaching Father's Day, a few items that may or may not be on Mr. Nick's wish list. (Ok, probably not. But he's as good an excuse as any for a Star Wars-themed post.)

1. Cleansing Carbonite Soap (the link has a link for the how-to on this one)

(via Craft)

2. The Vader Project: artists interpret Vader's bust for an exhibit at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh

(via Fubiz)

3. And finally, my favorite option: vintage-y minimalist Star Wars tourism posters designed by Justin Van Genderen of Chicago

(via LA Weekly)

Stuff I like: the eco edition

Time for a little roundup of things I've seen over the past few weeks on the internet that I still love. And today, as a special bonus, they're all eco-friendly (or at least architecturally interesting)!

1. Woolypockets

Plantable pockets you can install vertically to create a garden anywhere. Genius!

2. The custom Mobii bike by Veloris. Seatbelts for the kids, large enough for a grocery run—I want this bike in my life! (Anyone have a couple grand they want to get rid of?)

3. The recent move by the LDS Church to apply green building standards. Solar panels, xeriscaped landscaping, and parking for electric cars, among other things. Bishop Burton described the move as "doctrinally sound," and I agree! Two articles: the LDS Newsroom release and one in the Salt Lake Tribune (pics from LDS Newsroom).

4. Amazing underground house in Switzerland by SeARCH and Christian Muller Architects. Sign me up! (via design(dot)fr)

5. Kavellaris Urban Design's Gold Street House. I love all the light streaming through and then sense of openness. 

Happy to see you

1. Pete Dugney's pothole gardens: "If we planted one of those in every hole, it would be like a forest on the road."

(via a cup of jo)

2. Ben Pranger's Vision Thing (2004–05); a braille installation that shows four generations of synonyms branching from the word "vision."

(via I'm Revolting)

3. Karim Rashid's design for a reusable water bottle with a replaceable filter that removes chlorine and organic particulates from tap water. The filter lasts for about 2 months (40 gallons). And it's pretty.

(via TheDieline)

4. Lítill's gorgeous (gorgeous!) terrariums.

(via design-milk)

5. Robert Wechsler's "Applied Geometry" print: "A circle made by following the natural curve in a line of shopping carts. Costco parking lot Goleta, CA. 6:00 am May 5, 2004."

(available here)

Pen of my dreams

This fulfills my geeky and my artistic needs in one fell swoop.

It's a color-picking pen. An RGB color sensor "reads" the color you pick, then translates it using an RGB in cartridge.

(images via paper tastebuds)

I'm speechless in its awesomeness.

Baby hungry

This would probably put me over the edge :)

My momentary faves

Thinking about Lucy's faves made me think about my favorite things (well, at least the things that have caught me eye during the past week). Here's my random roundup:

1. Helvetica Cookie Cutters

(image via Beverly Hsu)

When these are actually produced, they are coming home with me.

2. Books with clever jackets and integrated bookmarks. Someone had a lot of fun designing these!

(image via fubiz)


3. Giant earth art by Jim Denevan.

(image via Jim Denevan's site, which is very fun to explore)

4. Crayola crayon chronology.

(image via Weather Sealed)


5. My discovery of Bon Iver, thanks to cJane. This video makes me happy.


Ok, so I didn't make it ten (aren't you glad?), but five faves is pretty good. Admit it, something in this post made you smile ... come on ... you know it did ... :)

The type psychologist was right

In an effort to take a break (also known as procrastinating) from my editorial duties of late, I decided to take Pentagram's interactive type quiz (password: character).

Apparently, I'm emotional, understated, progressive, and disciplined. My typeface? Archer Hairline:

(image via thedonutproject, which I just spent ten minutes browsing and have now added to my bookmarks for future procrastinating efforts)

The doc was right: I love it. And the rest of the family too.

2010

I really like this idea for a calendar (it even has the moon cycles!) ... but I'd go with different colors.

(image from ghin)

wood + concrete

Part of me wants to live here.

(image from parliament via design*sponge)

Bundles of joy

My Flip and Tumble bags came today. They're bright; they make me happy. And even excited to brave the lines at Smith's.

(Open)

(Closed)