Stone & Violet

Stone & Violet-Design Crush

 

Lots of people have a thing for crystals and minerals, but Stone & Violet‘s Lauren Gray takes things to another level with her handmade wood crystal clusters. Lauren carves each faceted piece individually, then joins the whole shebang together with industrial strength wood glue. I love the mind tricks these pieces play on you by mixing up shapes and materials we aren’t used to seeing together.

 

Stone-Violet-1-Design-Crush

Stone-Violet-2-Design-Crush

1

Make My Crap Your Crap MEGA Garage Sale

Mega-Garage-Sale-Design-Crush

The Make My Crap Your Crap MEGA Garage Sale has been moved to next Saturday, 10/5 due to a 100% chance of severe storms.

Believe it or not this garage sale has been in the works for over two years. I just couldn’t get my act together and had a million and one excuses. So instead my guest room was filled to the brim (literally, I could barely open the door) with every single unwanted thing I’d been corralling since I moved into my house. Five years ago.

I can thank Go Mighty for helping me get it done, this sale is actually an item on my Life List believe it or not. That’s how much I want to get it taken care of it. And because I’m attending Camp Mighty next month and in the process of raising my $200 for Charity: Water there was no better time to get my ass in gear and no better reason for you to come buy all of my crap.

One other thing. I’ve never had a garage sale before, so this is all off the cuff. I’ve got my permit, my tables rented, etc for the big day this coming Saturday but I’m kind of nervous. What if no one wants my stuff? So if you’re in the Oklahoma City area and would like to attend, just drop me a comment and leave your email address in the form. I’ll reply with the location the day before (you know, creepy stalkers need not apply and all). There might even be some snacks and beverages waiting for you! (There totally will be.)

10

Happy Weekend

1-Design Crush

2-Design Crush

3-Design Crush

4-Design Crush

5-Design Crush

6-Design Crush

7-Design Crush

8-Design Crush

9-Design Crush

10-Design Crush

01/ 100 handmade shark fins float in a lagoon in New Zealand.
02/ Clever wallpaper that shows the skeletons of animals.
03/ This paperless artist uses her thigh as a canvas.
04/ This old-fashioned homemade soda party looks delicious!
05/ Beautiful bird flipbook machines.
06/ Delft wallpaper, who woulda thunk it?
07/ A typeface made of carefully shaped fried eggs.
08/ A beautiful state flower print.
09/ Aerial and fashion photography mashups.
10/ Simple timelines put today in perspective versus the rest of history.

This week on Design Crush:
Jen Kindell
12 September DIYs
Washed Up
Tesler + Mendelovitch
Lisa Krannichfeld
PROEF
Spiced Pear Upside-Down Cake
Stephanie K Clark
Moving Windows

1

Moving Windows

Moving Windows-1-Design Crush

 

I’m 1000% fascinated with this concept from Ken Kawamoto. Moving Windows is a digital projection system Kawamoto rigged up on his balcony that can offer you a view of anyplace in world. Crazy, right?! The beach, underwater, a forest – the possibilities are endless. Hopefully soon we won’t need to change our location to change our environment. THE FUTURE.

 

Moving Windows-2-Design Crush

Moving Windows-3-Design Crush

1

Stephanie K Clark

Stephanie K Clark-1-Design Crush

 

I’ve been spying so many incredible house portraits recently. Who wouldn’t love to have their home, their safe spot, interpreted on canvas or paper? I know I would. Stephanie K Clark puts her own spin on what’s becoming a trend with her embroidered “thread paintings.” Make sure and check out the up close and personal details for something truly amazing. (Psst… she’s available for commissions!) (via Anthology)

 

Clark-2-Design Crush

Clark-3-Design Crush

Clark-4-Design Crush

Clark-5-Design Crush

2

Spiced Pear Upside-Down Cake

Spiced-Pear-Upside-Down-Cake-Design-Crush

I cobbled together this cake last Sunday for a dinner and it was a hit. The pears weren’t over-baked or the slightest bit mushy and the cake was the perfect density and texture. I’ll definitely be putting this recipe in my back pocket to mix up with different fruits throughout the year. (Blackberries! Fresh cherries! Plums!)

 

Spiced Pear Upside-Down Cake
Makes 2 cakes, serves 6 each

• 1/2 C butter (half a stick)
• 1 1/2 C packed brown sugar
• 4 pears, peeled and sliced (6 if you like a higher ratio of fruit, like me)
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, and 1/4 tsp clove)
• 3/4 C unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 C sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 4 large eggs
• 2 1/4 C all-purpose flour
• 1 C milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt 1/2 cup butter and pour equal parts into two 9″ round glass cake pans. Divide and sprinkle brown sugar evenly over melted butter. Peel and half pears, remove cores, and slice into quarter-inch sections. Place slices into large bowl and toss with pumpkin pie spice until coated. Arrange pear slices in concentric circles over butter and brown sugar mixture on bottoms of pans and set aside. Beat softened unsalted butter, sugar, baking powder, and vanilla with mixer on high until fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add eggs, one at a time, until well incorporated. On low, beat in flour and milk alternately. Gently pour half of batter into each pan to cover pears. Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes, then run a butter knife around the outer edge of each and invert on serving dish. Gently lift cake pan. Serve warm, with vanilla bean ice cream for bonus points.

3

PROEF

PROEF-1-Design Crush

 

Nude hosiery went out of style in the 90s. Or so I thought until I saw PROEF‘s updated take and minimal style. And thanks to their sheer yet matte look, the graphics look like tattoos or drawings on your legs. A bold statement that’s sure to give new life to any skirt or dress you thought you were tired of.

 

PROEF-2-Design Crush

PROEF-3-Design Crush

4

Lisa Krannichfeld

Lisa Krannichfeld-1-Design Crush

 

One winter during high school I took a watercolor class that was held on Wednesday evenings. As a person and as an artist I’ve always gravitated toward things that gave me a modicum of control, and working with watercolors made my feel anything but. However, when I look at Lisa Krannichfeld‘s ethereal women in The Glass Menagerie series it makes me realize that sometimes that lack of control is what makes something beautiful. (via The Jealous Curator)

 

Lisa Krannichfeld-2-Design Crush

Lisa Krannichfeld-3-Design Crush

0

Tesler + Mendelovitch

Tesler + Mendelovitch-1-Design Crush

 

There are many words that come to mind when one first lays eyes on Tesler + Mendelovitch‘s wood clutches. And they all happen to be synonyms for WOW. While one of these beauties would most definitely be an investment, it would also make for a fantastic heirloom piece to pass down.

 

Tesler + Mendelovitch-2-Design Crush

Tesler + Mendelovitch-3-Design Crush

1

Washed Up

Alejandro Duran-1-Design Crush

 

We all know that pollution is a big problem, but artist Alejandro Durán has chosen to showcase it in a rather beautiful way. For Washed Up Durán collects trash that has made its way to the beaches of Sian Ka’an, Mexico’s largest federally-protected reserve. He then creates color-based, site-specific sculptures that mimic nature. Over the course of the project plastic waste from fifty nations on six continents has been identified. Tragic and impactful.

 

Alejandro Duran-2-Design Crush

Alejandro Duran-3-Design Crush

0