Laetitia Bica‘s Common land is the culmination of an intense two years of work, both in the studio and during her residency at the Zsenne Art Lab. In a photographic series that feels like two projects rather than one, Bica explores the pre-18th century term ‘common land’, referring to land belonging to one or more persons but on which other individuals – aka ‘commoners’ – enjoyed certain rights of land use. Notice how the individuals are visible yet always covered in some way.
Noel Badges Pugh uses watercolors and India ink to create botanical illustrations as well as artwork with a more psychedelic perspective. Inspired by nature and the sensation of dreaming, Pugh creates with an appreciation for the details. Afterwards he often takes photos of his works with the real life botanicals to display scale as well as skill.
Amikasa – Design your dream interior by recreating and styling your rooms using furniture and decor from real brands. Then use augmented reality to see how furniture really looks in your room before you buy.
Baby Loggy – A simple and intuitive way to track your baby’s care that helps you track breast feedings, bottle feedings, milk pumping, diaper changes, sleeping times, bath times, growth measurements, medications, milestones, notes, and more.
ROW 2:
Calm – Bring more clarity, joy, and peace to your daily life by experiencing less anxiety and better sleep with guided meditations, breathing programs, and Sleep Stories. Recommended by top psychologists and mental health experts to help you de-stress.
iHandy Level – Use for picture alignment, angle measurements, angles of slope, verticality of a wall or furniture, roof pitch, and much more.
KonMari – Start tidying up your home using the official app for the KonMari Method and create an ideal life that sparks joy.
ROW 3:
magicplan – Lets you create professional floor plans simply by taking pictures to generate complete job estimates, view your space in 3D, plan DIY projects, or furnish your home.
Orai – Be empowered to speak with confidence when on stage, in front of a room, or in everyday life.
OurHome – A simple way to organize your family. Kids will be motivated to do chores and take responsibility while parents can reward them for their effort. There’s a shared grocery list and a family calendar to keep everyone coordinated.
ROW 4:
PRÊTE – The first members only concierge service to access the best blowouts in your city (currently in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Nashville, and Chicago). As a member you’ll get access to the most exclusive salons and stylists to book blowout appointments.
Recycle Coach – Never lose track of collection, set reminders for collections, search the ‘What Goes Where?’ database for detailed disposal instructions specific to your area, and keep track of upcoming events and drop-off dates.
Sephora – Learn how to apply the latest techniques like a pro or customize your look with Sephora’s new color match and virtually try-on recommended products from all the brands you love. Get your daily beauty fix with insider access and exclusive offers.
ROW 5:
SmartyPlants – Add a plant by entering its name and taking its photo, the app will detect if the plant is part of our growing botanical database and suggest a few care reminders for that species. You can also create your own reminders in just a few taps. Once you’ve added your plants, SmartyPlants will notify you when each one needs to be watered, fertilized, pruned, repotted, rotated, weeded, misted, mulched, flushed, propagated, etc.
Sway – An ‘interactive meditation’ experience, Sway uses your phone to track movement and provides feedback to help you gain focus and improve your attention. With six unique levels, you will learn new techniques to be mindful in everyday life situations and subtly practise mindfulness anytime and anywhere.
Think Dirty – The easiest way to learn about the potentially toxic ingredients in your cosmetics and personal care products. It’s an independent source that allows you to compare products as you shop, just scan the product barcode and Think Dirty will give you easy-to-understand info on the product, track dirty ingredients, and shop for cleaner options
Charlotte Keates‘ Sojourn collection was created after taking a three month long adventure across the United States and Canada. I love the color palettes she went with as well as the 60s vibe.
“I am particularly interested in the dialogue between architecture and nature. Ever-inspired by the 1960’s and 70’s classical architectural interiors, I aim to create intriguing and surprisingly illusionary interiors. These spaces convey a sense of stillness, a peaceful and calm location of contemplation – a space to think. Particular experiences and observations forge the main architectural structures, angles and objects in my paintings, where I aim to portray the beauty achieved through geometric simplicity.”
Coffee & Crayons is a newer find for me, one full of Jessica’s self-taught journey in food photography. Along with some delicious recipes she also shares bits and pieces of her life as a mother – the good days and the bad.
Cotter Crunch is helmed by Lindsay Cotter, a gluten-free nutrition specialist who focuses on fueling active people with real food. Because so many of her recipes are grain-free, many are adaptable to my type 2 diabetes lifestyles as well. Lindsay is clearly passionate about what she does and that enthusiasm and dedications is 100% contagious.
My Baking Addiction appeals to my gigantic sweet tooth – the one I’m not supposed to have – and baker Jamie clearly relates to my love of sugar. With autumn fast approaching my baking game is about to go up a notch, and I can’t wait to dig into these recipe archives.
Running to the Kitchen offers everything from butter-laden to paleo recipes and everything in between. I love this kind of site because it’s realistic for most of us – a moderate amount of healthy fuel with occasional indulgences. Gina clearly agrees and has a backstory worth reading over as well.
Shutterbean‘s Tracy Benjamin dabbles in a lot of areas – everyday life, organizing tips, the occasional decorating post, photography, and food. I love that she admits that she’s constantly thinking about food, which is probably the #1 reason you should be a food blogger!
I first shared the work of my friend Amy Hamley – then Redraven Studios – with you two years ago, in our Pittsburgh Makers series. Since then she’s moved across the country with her husband and pup, rebranded as Amy Hamley Ceramics, and just last week released her newest collection. This girl’s been busy!
I chatted with Amy a few weeks ago, and after catching up picked her brain about the transition between her well-known Canyon Series to this more casually sophisticated style.
“While the Canyon Series meant a great deal to me personally, and building a product line around my travels was magical, it just never completely fit. I spent two years thinking about letting this line go and how to move forward with my work, it wasn’t an easy decision at first but once I committed to it everything just felt right. I studied both painting and ceramics in college, and for a long time it was important to me to honor both processes. But one day I realized that making the pieces wasn’t fulfilling me anymore and it began to feel like work. I wanted to focus on the part of ceramics that I love, experimenting with the materials and developing glazes.”
“The starting point wasn’t an item, so much as the palette. I really wanted to focus on minimal, soothing tones with this collection. My favorite pieces are the black deco dinnerware.”
“The inspiration behind the new work isn’t that far from the Canyon Series, it’s still traveling, nature, and being witness to my surroundings. With this line however, I wanted to be true to what I love and actually use in my home. I knew that this collection was special because it’s the first time that I’ve ever kept the first editions for myself, until recently I had very little of my own work at home.”
The new collection is stunning, with so much thought and effort put into each piece. I’ve always loved Amy‘s work, but this collection really speaks to my love of all things clean-lined. The gold deco touches make every piece so incredibly special – the perfect mix of casual and elegant. I’d be thrilled to use the settings for a dinner party or simply a Monday night meal on the couch, which is a sign of a truly fantastic piece.
A unique facet of the new site and rebrand is the One of a Kind page, dedicated to one off pieces, experimentation, and growth. Amy hopes to add an item or two per week that will be promoted Tuesdays on Instagram – stay tuned!
San Francisco-based artist Daniel Segrove uses a number of different mediums to create. His illustrations remind me what the freedom to create anything feels like, deep down. Of watching the best student in class and wondering how they just knew what element to put where. And of how half the beauty in creating is taking risks.
These key blanks from jeweler Erica Weiner are easily the best I’ve ever seen. Choose from three designs – Good Night, Up Yours, and All-Seeing Eye – that can be cut by your local locksmith and are compatible with kwikset (KW1) locks.
By now you’ve likely heard of Block Shop, the textile company run by the Stockman sister duo of Lily and Hopie. Their pieces marry modern California cool aesthetics with a traditional Indian hand block printing process that’s carried out by a family in Bagru, Rajasthan. After beginning with scarves and expanding to pillows, table linens, baby quilts, and rugs, they’re now offering framed woodblock prints! I’m partial to Sunwave – which is your favorite?
