July 27, 2007

Naked & Angry.

No, not me. Them.

Naked & Angry exists to create products from patterns submitted and chosen by the brand’s audience. Anyone can come and submit a pattern design to be voted on by other N&A users. The design will be scored for 7 days at which time it will be given a final score. The highest scoring designs will be manufactured and products will be created inspired by the patterns. The winners will receive a $500 cash prize and 5 free Naked & Angry items. Pretty awesome. N&A was created by a team of web designers and developers called skinnyCorp who also created the Threadless community of t-shirts.

Posted In collaboration/project, him, wear it
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July 27, 2007

Seventy-nine.

I’d love to get my hands of a copy of this book – Seventy-nine Short Essays in Design by Michael Bierut. Apparently each of the essays is printed in a different typeface. You can pick it up here at Amazon.

Posted In graphic design, read up
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July 27, 2007

My Portfolio is Me.

I got the latest Communication Arts the other day (Photography Annual 48) and found quite a few things of interest. I’ll post about a few others later, but one of the things that really stood out was actually an ad for the Academy of Art University. The copy, which was a tad bit cheesy but believable in a Hell yeah! kind of way, was interesting.

“My portfolio is me, everything I am and it’s everything I’m not. It’s my weakness and my strengths. My self-confidence and -esteem. My past, my present, and most definitely my future. My portfolio is where I’m going, where I’ve been, places I shouldn’t have been, gone and shouldn’t go. It’s everything and just a book. It’s my inspiration. My generation and it’s never finished, never done, always a work in progress. It’s everything I’ve ever seen, heard, touched, smelled, sensed and believed, and my worst fears and all my hopes at the same time. It’s the beginning of the beginning and the end of an era. And so much more than a phase. It’s my portfolio, and describing it is describing me.”

Posted In ads
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July 26, 2007

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting.


I made these cupcakes last week for my friend/co-worker Jenny’s 30th birthday. They were amazing. And not very time consuming to make considering they were from scratch. The icing was totally the best part – it would be good even by itself – and really complimented the gingerbread nicely.

I found the recipe here at Epicurious.

Posted In recipes
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July 26, 2007

Food Design.

Marti Guixe is crazy in the very best possible way. He’s an artist who’s been creating food design for the past ten years. And by food design I don’t mean packaging or designing with food. He’s actually been designing food with a practical purpose. Take for example, the following Guixe creations.


The Seven Step Cookie
A cookie with decoration that indicates how to bite it.


Flavored Stamps
Stamps with food images on one side and with the flavor of the imaged food on the other.


Hands Free Lollipop


Oranienbaum Lollipop
An orange candy lollipop with a seed inside. It is a way to activate sporadic and spontaneous reforestation just by splitting the seed once the candy is finished.

Thanks for the heads up J. May!

Posted In food, grand design
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July 26, 2007

Matthew Mead Style.

I discovered a great new site this morning – Matthew Mead Style – which pins themselves as “fresh ideas for modern living.” It’s very Martha in a less passive-aggressive, anal kind of way. Mr. Mead covers Entertaining, Style, Collecting, as well as a rotating category that can be anything from pasta recipes to holiday ideas. There’s also a section on downloads. The site is seasonally based, meaning it only changes once a season and is updated only that often. So far I love what’s been done and will definitely be checking back.

Posted In entertaining, food, house and home, make it
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July 25, 2007

Popoutz Birdfeeder.


And this isn’t even related to my recent bird obsession. I love the modern-simplistic look and feel of these Popoutz birdfeeders. And get this: you can buy them here for only $1.80 each. Ridiculous. They’re made out of 100% recyclable polypropylene plastic and come in six vibrant, bird-attracting colors.

Posted In grand design, outdoors
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July 25, 2007

M is For Modern.


I rarely post about childrens’ products, but every once in a while something comes along that makes me stop and say (sometimes outloud) “why didn’t I think of that” or “wish I had that when I was a kid.” Besides that, I’ve got a couple of new(ish) munchkins in my life via my best friends.

The M is for Modern Alphabet flashcards by Jargon Boy are a pocketful of genius. Coolness in a box. A Mid-Century Modern education in 26 easy lessons. Or a way to keep your kids busy. Forget A is for Apple. B is for Bauhaus is where it’s at. Check them out at Uncommon Goods.

Posted In kids
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July 25, 2007

P.O.S.H. Chicago

In 1997 P.O.S.H. opened its doors in Chicago, determined to offer something unique to the consumer that was tired of the “sameness” that had crept into the marketplace of home & table decor. P.O.S.H. searches high and low for the items that stock its shelves – an eclectic assortment of vintage hotel silver, restaurant china and fleamarket finds. Found in such places as old American china warehouses to the antique markets and auction houses of Europe, the items are often one-of-a-kind or limited in quantity.


Here are my picks. Clockwise left to right: French roll top sugar bowl ($40), 12″ glass cake plate ($75), bedside carafe ($44), glass sugar pourer ($8), 6″ flited pitcher ($18) and the brasserie salt and pepper set ($50).

Posted In house and home
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July 25, 2007

Martha's Evil Empire Expands.

I’m torn. I’m torn between my love of all things design and craft and my immense dislike for Martha Stewart. She’s got a new branch of her empire – Martha Stewart Crafts. The products are available online or at the Michael’s store closest to you.

Posted In make it
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