March 17, 2014
12 March DIYs
Click on each image to go to the project.
All photos copyright of their respective sites unless otherwise noted.
March 17, 2014
The Curious Wallpaper of Cassandra Jones
STOP.
Before you scroll down further or peek, what’s your best guess at what these wallpaper patterns have been created from? Go ahead – ponder, examine, wonder. Bet you didn’t guess shiny happy cheerleaders. Cassandra Jones uses images from stock photography, eBay, and public domain archives to create her Good Cheer wallpaper patterns of the Go! Fight! Win! variety. But the thing is, you’d never know until you’re a nose length away.
March 14, 2014
Happy Weekend
01/ It might be a digital rendering, but how great are these typographic office cubicles?!
02/ A ten foot tall origami elephant!
03/ Maps of the world created with iconic foods of their countries and continents.
04/ These sculptural crystal orbs might be the solution to climate change.
05/ A mayoral candidate is proposing turning abandoned Paris subway stations into more.
06/ Artist Echo Yang turns obsolete devices in Autonomous Machines that create art.
07/Facades reduces buildings to only their face.
08/ Check out two artists living in a giant hamster wheel in In Orbit.
09/ An updated twist on old-time school punishment in Vices, or I Will Not…
10/ Awkward meets hot as twenty strangers were asked to kiss in First Kiss.
This week on Design Crush:
If you haven’t yet listen to Mixtape #34: There Was a Midnight Call, perfect weekend tunes.
I started some spring updates by adding some relaxing Minted art to the master bedroom.
Bright and beautiful textiles that do good from Elephant Landing.
My first attempt at Irish Soda Bread was a delicious success!
Responsibly well-made home goods from Katy Skelton.
Eight things I’d like to add to my walls in Prints: March Edition.
We’re celebrating Pi Day with 10 pie recipes!
New blog fodder for you – 1-2-3 blogs I love.
I’m bragging about my pets with Kolo’s Noci photo book.
This weekend is your last chance to enter our mega-giveaway with Drake General Store! Win $1,000 worth of their favorite products.
Posted In concept, create, grand design, happy weekend, installation, mixed media, paper, video
March 14, 2014
Time to Brag: Kolo’s Noci
So let’s get real. I love talking about my pets, an embarrassing amount really. I adopted my two oldest cats, Roxy and Peanut, when I was in college. I have almost an entire photo box full of their first few years of life, but then this thing called digital photography happened. Which meant that a decade later when I adopted my dogs Piper and Bebe, and my kitten Rainey, everything had changed. Yes my iPhone is full of photos that I will most definitely whip out and gush about to you, but I don’t have any printed photos of my furry loves.
Peanut’s huge, manly tomcat toes make a cover appearance.
I first became acquainted with Kolo as a grad student, in fact I used one of their Newport album as my art direction portfolio right out of school! I love the clean lines of their photo books and the beautifully smooth, high-quality paper within. I swear, they have the ability to make even mediocre photography shine.
Just hanging out in a clothes basket, as you do when you’re a cat.
Kolo has grown as a brand since being founded in 1999, and now offers a great range of products. What really stood out to me is that they can “load” an album for you. You upload photos to their free unlimited photo storage, fill the album of your choice with the images, and Kolo prints it all using Canon technology with stunning clarity and color trueness for a super reasonable price. Trust me, these are not the cheesy photo books you’re familiar with. They’re quality in every way, including the environmentally friendly raw materials used in all Kolo products.
Piper uses those amber eyes to get every single thing she wants.
I filled the Noci with 24 photos of my five furry children between its Ivory covers. This was my first experience with Kolo’s Canon printing and I’m completely impressed. Not only do the colors pop right off the page, but the paper feels substantial and luxe. The Noci is the perfect size to create a brag book or remember a specific event, or for business it would work great as a small portfolio or product catalogue.
Bebe playing boss on Halloween and Rainey snug as a bug in a rug.
You’ll also be happy to know that most of Kolo‘s albums are available as printed books or as classic albums where photos can be swapped out. The Noci Original is the same price empty or loaded, which is crazy! My plan is to eventually have several of these cloth-bound albums lining a bookshelf in the fantastic color palette offered, they all work really well together because they’re designed to.
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. All words and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep Design Crush going!
Posted In accessories, house and home, paper goods, sponsored post
March 13, 2014
1-2-3 Blogs I Love
It’s been awhile since I’ve shared some of my blog favorites, because I don’t spend that much time trolling the blogosphere. You might find it a little odd that most of my favorite sites aren’t other curatorial or art and design blogs, they’re usually food and lifestyle based.
First up is Wit & Vinegar. Billy creates recipes that make me want to lick my laptop’s screen and spews funny like few others. You should definitely follow if you like food, sass, and dogs.
Henry Happened is full of thoughtful posts and resources that I wish I had the time or foresight to figure out on my own. Thankfully this site takes care of it all for me. Follow if you’re looking for DIY, style, home, and food.
In the words of creator Sarah, “The Sugar Hit is a cooking, eating & living blog. It’s a resource for the young, the broke, the hungry, and anyone wanting to live a champagne lifestyle on a beer budget.” Follow along if you’re into all of the above. I am.
Posted In blog love
March 13, 2014
It’s Almost Pi Day: 10 Pie Recipes
My original plan was to bake the most amazing pie for you guys to celebrate Pi Day tomorrow. But some unexpected moving/real estate biz-nass got in the way of that, so the obvious next best thing was to share ten recipes I’m hoping someone makes me. (Okay, that would be crazy. Maybe just five of them.) Without further ado, ten Pi Day pies!
Click on each image to go to the recipe.
All photos copyright of their respective sites unless otherwise noted.
March 12, 2014
Prints: March Edition
animaletti by Felicita Sala // Headdress by Amy Hamilton // Lipstick Traces II by
Jason Brooks // Oranges by Sarah Abbott
Snitches Get Stitches by Greg Christman // Personalized Star Chart by Sock Studio //
LOVE by Blacklist // Perennial Print Winter by Brown Parcel Press
March 12, 2014
Katy Skelton
Katy Skelton creates beautiful products, and she does it right. Everything in Katy’s Made in the USA line is designed and manufactured with social responsibility in mind – responsible manufacturing, fair wages, and property safety equipment and training are all requirements. Not to mention high quality in-house design and construction, and Katy’s well-versed background in the industry. It has to feel incredible to be able to attach your name to something like that.
March 11, 2014
Irish Soda Bread
I’ve wanted to make Irish Soda Bread for years. But for some reason I feel like it’s tied tightly to St. Patrick’s Day, and must be made only in the month of March. Finally this year I hopped on it as soon as February came to an end and oh my goodness. Number one it couldn’t have been easier (no yeast!), number two it was really tasty. In fact, I ate it every day for a week for breakfast – warm and covered in butter. I’m sharing the Irish Soda Bread on Wayfair today, so click over for the recipe!
Posted In recipes
March 11, 2014
Elephant Landing
I love getting the down and dirty back story on products and companies that I want in my home. I love it even more when I find out that the story is a good one, one that I want to be a part of. Such is the case with Elephant Landing, a beautiful line of textiles founded by Caroline and Jayden (who you may know as Woodnote Photography) and created by women in India. You can watch the beautiful background story, then peek at the entire line of textiles. Both are bright and full of promise.
