These Staffan pillows by Mjuk are dreamy. I want to fill my couch with them – they look perfectly huggable. Once again wrap something in a “sweater” and I’m sold!
:: via Design Milk
Posted In accents, house and homeCHOW has a great article up right now about the often underused bread box. Did you know that by using one you can extend the life of your bread by 2-3 days because the box helps maintain optimal moisture and levels and circulation. This also gives you the option of buying fresh, preservative-free bread because it will last longer! And if you’re going to have something sitting out on your kitchen counter for the world to see, well, it had better look good! These two are my faves.
Limousine White Bread Bin: So vintage chic with its gloss enameled steel shell with chrome wire handle and magnetic closure. Features a croissant/bagel rack for small breads and generous main compartment for a hearty loaf.
Stainless Steel Bread Canister: Super slick stainless steel box with tight fitting lid to guarantee freshness. And no one will even know what’s inside!
I’ve been waiting (semi) patiently for you to arrive…
:: image via Veer
Posted In just a noteI’m in love with the dry wit and tongue in cheek humor that is an integral part of Marc John’s illustrations. And he believes that humor leads to truth, which is awesome. And true.
“I use watercolours in ways you shouldn’t. I make my own sketchbooks. If I smoked, I’d roll my own. I’d rather draw than rent a movie. Don’t try to start a conversation with me about recent films. I haven’t seen any. I play the guitar. If I was a hobo, I’d learn to play the ukulele, because you could fit one in your duffle bag. My artwork and the materials I use are quite compact. You could fit my studio in a large suitcase. I hope you like my drawings, or at least some of them.”
How can you not love that??
:: via swissmiss
In honor of all the storminess going on nationwide at the moment. The Dark & Stormy is really just the addition of dark rum to already tasty ginger beer.
Ingredients:
– Juice of 4 Limes
– 1 Cup Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
– 1 Large piece of Ginger, juiced
– ½ Cup Agave Nectar
– 4 Cups Sparkling Mineral Water
– 1/8th Tsp. Ground Clove
– 1/8th Tsp. Ground Cardamom
– Dark & Stormy (optional): Organic Dark Rum
There are a couple of ways you can juice the ginger – either in a juicer, or you can grate it on a microplane and then squeeze the juice out of the pulp using cheesecloth or a strainer. Mix all of the ingredients together in a pitcher and serve over ice. If you feel like a real drink, add some dark rum for a Dark & Stormy.
:: cocktail and image via G Living
Posted In cocktails
I would love to entertain with this 3-piece Ribbon Coffee Set. Can’t you just imagine bringing out the coffee pot, creamer and sugar bowl on a tray and setting it down in front of guests? Love it – so vintage-modern.
Oh my, these Sweet & Salty Honey Peanut Cupcakes are just what the doctor ordered. The cupcake doctor, that is. Sweet and salty is such an amazing combination that there’s no way these can be anything less than amazing.
Just Another Day has the most adorable, cleanest stationary. I love the simple shapes and fantastic type choices. Guess that’s what you get when the designer is an art director by day and paper lover by night…
For Design Crush readers let me fill you in a little: Idea Sandbox’s Post2Post Tour is a web-based book tour where authors and their books are connected with websites and readers. For five business days, making five stops, the author moves from one site to the next – discussing with the web hosts and readers – the book, the big idea, and other items of interest. And for those of you visiting Design Crush for the first time: Welcome!
A graphic designer by trade, this philosophy has intrigued to me to say the least. What about my Photoshop? My Illustrator, InDesign and Dreamweaver? Surely I can accomplish more than someone who’s never so much as drawn a line.
According to Roam, solving problems has absolutely nothing to do with drawing pictures or innate artistic ability. In fact, sometimes those who have those talents struggle the most. The process of visual thinking is comprised of four steps, each of which we’re already good at. Looking, seeing, imagining and showing.
Visual thinking means taking advantage of our innate ability to see – both with our eyes and with our mind’s eye – in order to discover ideas that are otherwise invisible, develop those ideas quickly and intuitively, and then share those ideas with other people in a way they simply “get.”
Ideas govern our world. Imagine if Aristotle or Socrates hadn’t been able to get their ideas across – we’d be screwed! We’ve all imagined fantastic ideas, but unless we can successfully convey them to others, the value and possibilitiy of our ideas may never be known. Everyone’s drawn on a bar napkin at some point, whether it be to sketch your Next Big Idea or to give your phone number to that hottie sitting at the other end of the bar. And according to Roam, that’s as complicated as it needs to get.
With this process, as with so many others, there will be times when the steps don’t flow 1-2-3-4. Sometimes we’ll even need to go back and make changes. This happens most frequently with Look and See which constantly feed off one another. But if we’ve successfully shared our idea and done the job right, the people we are showing work to will immediately start their own visual thinking process. And so the cycle begins.
As I said in the beginning, I’m a creative-minded person by nature, so I was really quite interested in how this book could possibly effect me. I can draw, so surely I can get my ideas across. Or so I thought. My main takeaway is that bigger isn’t always better. Just because I have the capabilities some others might lack artistically or in the computer department doesn’t make me a better communicator. Simple is best when it comes to getting your point across. It also leaves more room for the people you are sharing you idea with to expound upon the initial thought.
Check out the other stops in the Post2Post Tour: The Back of the Napkin!
Monday, March 17:
Jeff De Cagna
Principled Innovation Blog
Tuesday, March 18:
Peter Durand
The Center for Graphic Facilitation
Friday, March 21:
Keith Bohanna
Pureplay
And if you’re still thirsty for more stop by The Back of the Napkin blog for the inside scoop.
How pretty would this look perched on a kitchen windowsill?!
Sagaform’s Trio Herb Pot is a simple solution to prolonging the life of your fresh herbs. Simple and practical design, this ceramic pot is an ingenious way of enjoying fresh herbs much like flowers: insert a bunch into the opening, and keep hydrated by pouring water into the corner hole. The broad base ensures that all stalks have access to water, while allowing air to circulate so herbs keep from becoming limp and waterlogged.
Posted In grand design, grow it