Barbara Barry Barware & Plates.

Interior designer Barbara Barry is one of my absolute favorite style icons. Now the celebrated lady has released a set of barware and plates, each depicting one of four of her famous chair designs. I may not know much, but I do know one thing: if I owned those plates they’d be on a wall somewhere, not in my kitchen cabinets.

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On the Rocks: Bitter Widow.

Well, I’m not a widow, but I’ve definitely been having a bitter sort of week. Thereby, it’s a Bitter Widow sort of day by default! It’s oh-so-pretty and from the ingredients looks like it packs a punch which is just what I’m looking for.

Ingredients:
– 1 part Campari
– 1 part sweet vermouth
– 1 part vodka
– Ice
– Orange twist, for garnish (optional)

Instructions:
Combine Campari, vermouth, and vodka in a cocktail shaker and stir. Pour into a chilled cocktail glass over ice. Garnish with an orange twist and serve.

:: photo and cocktail via CHOW

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Nursery Style.

When April of Chronicle Books contacted me about Serena Dugan and Lily Kanter’s Nursery Style book I jumped at the chance to learn more. The book is geared towards creating a personal, stylish and comfortable nursery. Rather than just going to a store and getting an out-of-the-box ensemble, Nursery Style encourages parents to reflect their own style and use unique design elements to create a more personal, meaningful nursery.

I love that someone has finally taken the initiative and put pen to paper on this subject! By bringing your own personal tastes into the nursery, everything becomes more cohesive and gives your home a more familial feel. Don’t get me wrong, having a child is a huge deal, but it doesn’t mean that the style and feel of your home has to change into some kiddie wonderland.

:: images via Chronicle Books

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Keming.

Love this new typography term, but I can only hope that an ex-associate creative director of mine doesn’t discover it. The world may never be the same if she does!

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Pop Ink Decor-a-Boards.

Ready-to-hang Pop Ink Decor-a-Boards are made out of birch veneer over MDF board, manufactured with recycled wood scraps and unused portions of lumbered trees. I’d pick up Little Red Samurai and Lovey Doveys for myself and think the other five would be great for a child’s bedroom or play area.

:: via NOTCOT

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The Big Sickness.

I was M.I.A. yesterday thanks to some mutant strain of cold. It struck me down Monday afternoon initially and didn’t let up until sometime last night. Ugh! It was not pretty to say the least.

In the midst of my four waking hours (unfortunately, I’m not even exaggerating), two things really, truly brightened my day.

1. Design for Mankind’s inspiration e-zine: issue 2
Erin did a bang up job last month with the launch of one of her newest additions to DFM and the second issue that came out yesterday is equally inspiring. (Download it for free right here!) Alright, alright, I’m a little partial since Design Crush is a part of this issue! Thanks for all of your hard work and dedication, Erin. Can’t wait to see what else is up this girl’s sleeve!

2. Mackin Ink’s Karey M. and her sweet words!
Seriously, this lady knows how to build up a girl’s ego. And what did she say, you ask? “her posts are so crazy-diverse and happily inspiring that i gleefully look forward to her finds. i knew i had it bad when i found myself deleting the first, second, and third drafts of a rather talk-me-off-the-ledge comment on her blog. let’s just say it was a three-day weekend. and she took three days off.”

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Andrew Bannecker.

Oh Andrew Bannecker, how I love thy work! Bannecker creates beautiful art that captures the imagination and tells a story. He’s worked with clients such as The Land of Nod and Starbucks. I’ve also seen his work in countless magazines as the accompanying illustrations to main articles. I love this man’s style.



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Make-My-Own-Monster Kit.

This is one of the absolute coolest things ever. No, seriously.

The experience begins when you receive the Make-My-Own-Monster Design Kit, that includes colored pencils, paper, and a detailed questionnaire. With this kit you create not only what the monster looks like, but you also create a story about the monster and describe his or her personality. Once you’ve completed the kit and sent it in, the designers at North American Bear Co. will faithfully reproduce your design as a plush monster, including a descriptive hang-tag that tells the story of your monster as you have described it and identifies you as the creator.

:: via BB-Blog

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