A Few of My Favorite Things

I’m playing Oprah today! Hundreds of products cross my screen on a daily basis as I search out the best to share with you, and a girl can’t help but have a few favorites! And while I wish I had one of each of these fantastic pieces to give to every one of you a la Oprah, I hope my opinion will hold its weight in salt for you. Because these are all shops and creators whose things I own, that decorate my home and my self each and every day.

 

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Splendid Orlando Oxford. These shoes are a new addition to my wardrobe for winter and I love their sleek look (no laces!). Splendid‘s entire lifestyle collection is ultra-comfortable and effortlessly chic, which is perfect for my every day and mixes with existing pieces easily.

American Giant Womens Heavyweight Full Zip Hooded Sweatshirt. I’ve been a hoodie aficionado since junior high, but it’s tough to find one that doesn’t resemble a garbage bag on a woman’s body. This zip up from American Giant is not only sturdy, but made especially for us ladies. If I’m home I usually have it on over whatever I’m wearing, it’s that good.

Emily McDowell’s Foods of the World New York City Tea Towel. Emily McDowell just might be one of the funniest people I know, and her humor translates seamlessly onto her illustrated line of cards, dish towels, and other miscellaneous goods. This towel featuring a recipe that actually involves zero cooking is just the tip of the iceberg.

Warby Parker’s Durand Eyeglasses in Woodland Tortoise. Warby Parker has had my poor vision and my heart in its grasp for several years now. I just recently snapped up this pair from their winter collection, the round-ish lenses are super flattering and their buy 1/give 1 model is tough to beat.

Bloggers Love Cats + Bloggers Love Dogs 13-Month Calendars. Shameless plug alert! I teamed up with other well-known bloggers who are animal lovers to create these two calendar downloads featuring our pets. All proceeds go directly to the Humane Society of the United States and all of the little critters in need.

See Scout Sleep’s Nice Grill Cream + Vermillion Brass Buckle Collar. Both of my pups wear this collar and it stands up to their rough and tumble lifestyles like no other. All of the pet goods See Scout Sleep offers are high quality, environmentally-friendly, and handmade in Louisiana.

Cursive Design’s Apex Studs. Cursive Design is one of my favorite jewelry shops by far, I just love Sarah’s eye for detail. These studs, along with much of the fall/winter 2013 collection, were inspired by a project we collaborated on together for NYFW 2012. They’re molded from vintage glass and cast in yellow bronze.

Jaime Derringer’s Untitled 3. I’m the proud, happy owner of three works of art by Jaime Derringer. Her bold use of color and constant exploration of shape and space never leave me bored. And both Jaime’s original pieces and prints are super affordable.

 

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Pencil Shavings Studio’s Gold Lucite Tray in Palm Springs. Pencil Shavings‘ designer Rachel Shingleton has a great way with both color and pattern. It’s reflected in her shop’s incredible line of phone cases, trays, paper goods, and more!

Alexa Chung’s It. There’s no denying she’s the darling of the fashion world, but after ready through this pink linen-covered book filled with short musings and photos she seems down-to-earth as well.

Paloma’s Nest Custom Monogram Tiny Text Bowl. Paloma’s Nest creates some of the best heirloom-quality ceramics I’ve seen. I own one of these plates and have gifted numerous others over the past few years. You just can’t go wrong with a piece that’s lovingly personalized like these.

Gingiber’s Deer Tea Towel. I love shop owner Stacie’s whimsical, geometric illustration style used on all of her animal characters! Gingiber‘s prints, pillows, towels (and more) are always the highest of quality and meticulously checked over.

Whimsy & Spice’s Chocolate Orange Cardamom Shortbread Cookies. Whimsy & Spice‘s tasty baked goods make the perfect gift for just about any occasion. Now’s a great time to stock up on hostess gifts, snacks for overnight guests, and of course a little something for yourself.

Miró Watches from Urbantrait. Among an incredible selection of modern watches from Urbantrait, Miró definitely stands out. Made from stainless steel, hardened mineral crystal, and calf leather it’s sure to stand up to wear and tear for years to come. Mine has made me a watch wearer again after years of depending on my cell! Find your favorite from tons of men’s watches and women’s watches.

Meow Meow Tweet’s Grapefruit Rosemary Body Oil. Come winter, lotions just don’t cut it for me. I coat myself in Meow Meow Tweet‘s body oil before I get out of the shower and don’t need to re-moisturize until right before bed. Each amazing scent if filled with natural ingredients and infused with botanicals.

strawberryluna’s Morrissey Pittsburgh Poster PETA Donation. My favorite stop for gig posters, and it doesn’t hurt that strawberryluna is based in my hometown either! Allison and Craig do stellar silkscreening work for more bands than I can think to name, and on more posters than I can count that I own.

 

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Happy Weekend

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01/ Even Ken and Barbie have a less than perfect life together, In the Dollhouse.
02/ A serpentine pedestrian bridge to be built in Changsha, China
03/ Tissue Animals brings tissue paper creatures to life with stop motion animation.
04/ 3,000 slats of wood form a maze/fence in Copenhagen for Trylletromler.
05/ The Kelpies tower over the Forth & Clyde canal in Falkirk, Scotland.
06/ Would you take a spin on the Swing at the End of the World?
07/ An entire alphabet on the wings of butterflies!
08/ Into the Mirror is a fashion shoot with an extra artsy twist.
09/ There are several way to help the typhoon victims in the Philippines, pick one and do it.
10/ Drinking your tea is lame, try inhaling it at The Breathable Tea Room.

This week on Design Crush:
Have you entered our awesome giveaway with Imm Living?! DO IT.
Twelve of the best DIYs from November. For you to create during all that time you don’t have.
Loving Grandiflora, a new shop on the home scene!
Tips&Tricks for entertaining this holiday season and throughout the year.
The ultimate warm weather wear roundup – including coats, hats, scarves, and mittens!
Five of my favorite art prints as of late.
The search for the perfect Christmas cookies. I’ve narrowed it down to 8!
We’ve started our coverage of holiday cards with part 1.
And we’ve continued 2014 calendars with part 4!

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Happy Weekend

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01/ Last Supper, notebook illustrations of characters sitting down for a meal.
02/ The Gooyesh Language Institute in Iran is made entirely of letters!
03/ Door to Hell is an aptly named crater in Turkmenistan that’s been burning for 40 years.
04/ The super expressive face of Jazzy the border collie.
05/ The art of smoke bombs and fireworks.
06/ Athlete compares the vastly different body types of Olympic athletes.
07/ Sad/creepy abandoned Santa parks of the world.
08/ Bring the beach indoors with this incredible surfboard table and benches!
09/ A super fun play net creates a kids’ reading level in a library.
10/ Party cheat sheets full of infographics for holiday event planning.

This week on Design Crush:
Listen to November’s Mix #30: I’m Waiting Here.
Plenty of 2014 calendars for you to choose from in Part 2 + Part 3 of our roundups.
Get a head start on your holiday entertaining with this fantastic giveaway from B by Brandie!
Sweater weather is here and we’ve shared 12 of our favorites.
I’m not hosting this year, but here’s my imaginary Thanksgiving 2013!
These Leaf Rugs also double as blankets.
Crazy layered acrylic paintings from Yago Hortal.
It’s time to think about advent calendar prep – here are 14 that are great!

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Happy Weekend

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01/ Picnic, a vertical loop picnic table.
02/ Would you pick up and move into Round House?
03/ Lick, a photo series that catches dogs what else – mid-lick!
04/ Colorful monster portraits made from candy mosaics.
05/ I bet pizza made in this rotating disco ball pizza oven tastes better!
06/ China has created the world’s largest ball pit with one million balls. Wow.
07/ All Streets, a map of America made up of 270 million roads.
08/ Dark Venice, mysterious photos of Venice under darkness.
09/ In Murmurations swarms of plastic bags resemble flocks of birds and illustrate pollution.
10/ Copenhagen is planning to build a massive incinerator/ski slope in 2017.

This week on Design Crush:
Join me in pledging to Give Books this holiday season and be entered to win 10 of my favorite titles from Chronicle Books! Also receive 30% off all purchases (except personalized) through the end of the year.
Check out the start of our calendar coverage with 2014 Calendars – Part 1.
Lovely photography from Kaitlin Rebesco.
See how Cursive Design’s 2013 FW13 collection was inspired by our NYFW 2012 collaboration.
Creative cross-stitch art from Diane Meyer.
Hatchery – a curated box of artisinal condiments and ingredients – would make a great gift for your favorite foodie!
Even more cross-stitch art (of a completely different variety) from Evelin Kasakov.
Twelve holiday dresses for all of your seasonal fetes.
One of my favorite fall memories and my take on my Grandma’s apple dumplings!

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Ten Thousand Stories

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Remember those children’s books that had flaps you could turn, and by doing so create crazy monsters or mismatched people? I do, I thought they were awesome when I was a kid. Now Matthew Swanson and Robbi Behr have created an adult version – Ten Thousand Stories! Each page is divided into four mini-pages that mix and match to create 10,000 different story combinations, each with its own quirky watercolor illustration. Some stories make sense and some come out totally crazy, but all will leave you smiling. Check out the book trailer right here.

 

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Laia Arqueros

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Illustrator Laia Arqueros and his distinctly inspired creations are just what the doctor ordered this Tuesday morning. I love a bright, colorful palette but appreciate a muted, more monochrome look just as much and Arqueros has such a talent for it. My favorite is Watermelon, seen above.

 

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Happy Weekend

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01/ Mica Angela Hendricks illustrates heads and let’s her 4 year old draw the bodies!
02/ Fantastic 3D drawings by Ben Heine.
03/ A floating rainbow made from 840 sheets of colored paper.
04/ This little bike really is the ultimate IKEA hack!
05/ Illustrations of every outfit Walter White ever wore in seasons 1-5 of Breaking Bad.
06/ This clever outdoor color installation mimics lamplight.
07/ A man spent 20 years building kinetic carnival rides to advertise a family restaurant.
08/ Beautifully graphic crystal stemware from Scholten & Baijings.
09/ Banksy set up an anonymous booth in Central Park + sold his original art for $60 a pop!
10/ Just some regular guys as underwear models.

This week on Design Crush:
Mix #29: You Hold My Hand and Tell Me It’s Fine
Shannon Finley
All Spooked Up
Mark Lovejoy
Party Prints
Variopointe
Marbelous Wood
Tips&Tricks: Being Green
Anek

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Party Prints

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Barcelona-based freelance illustrator Judy Kaufmann recently release a collection of four Party Prints, each highlighting her love of drawing animals, people, houses, cars, and trees. Judy’s style lends itself well to these colorful pattern-like creations that could find themselves equally at home in a nursery or living room! Pick up one or all four for yourself in Judy Kaufmann’s shop.

 

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