To me autumn really harkens in the season of the coffee cake and indoor entertaining, and whether it’s Entenmann’s or from scratch I love a good one. Preferably with a near equal ratio of cake to crumbly topping, the kind that’s so messy you need to eat it over the sink or a napkin. These fifteen recipes look like solid contenders!
Click on each image to go to the recipe. All photos copyright of their respective sites unless otherwise noted.
While still a concept, Quentin de Coster’s NOSE is a sculptural candleholder that’s quirky and functional. The protruding “nose” is what holds the taper in place, while also managing to look modern and abstract when not in use.
Seems like wherever you turn this autumn there’s something velvet! Along with embroidery it definitely appears to be one of the hottest trends, both in the home and in fashion. There’s no denying the fabric’s luxe appeal or the level of comfort it can bring to chillier weather, but what are your feeling – are you on board?
Are you an avid lover of happy little trees? I have just the thing for you. While on a Target run last Friday I walked past an end cap with this – the Bob Ross Art of Chill Board Game. I stopped in my tracks – perhaps skidded – and snapped a photo to share in Instagram. People flipped out when I shared it over the weekend and I still can’t stop thinking about the game myself! It’s full of 5-star ratings online, too.
Earn “chill points” by painting landscape features like Happy Little Trees and Almighty Mountains using colors and brushes from your hand of cards. Keep your eye on what other players are doing and be strategic about the sequence in which you complete the features. If another player beats you to the brush, you may want to wash your palette and shift your painting plan. All the while, Bob sets the painting pace as he advances across the easel, offering sage encouragement and bonus opportunities for even more chill.
The School of Hard Blocks is a tongue-in-cheek set of twelve concrete alphabet blocks depicting the hardships of life. In a spoof of the wooden alphabet blocks from your childhood, these feature the kinds of terrible, real things we all go through as adults – like divorce, dentists, hangovers, genocidal dictators, etc. Check out their Kickstarter campaign and let’s make this the real deal!
A Book That Takes Its Time is one I’ve been waiting to get my hands on since the start of the year when I first learned of its upcoming existence. Finally today, thanks to the team at Workman Publishing, I’m able to share it with you on its release date!
Flow is a magazine celebrating creativity, imperfection, and life’s little pleasures and this is its first companion book. It also embraces the physical qualities of paper – its weight, texture, the way it takes color – and the formats and ways in which it can be delivered. Articles in the magazine mingle with bound-in or fold-out posters, stickers, pre-printed thank you cards from noted illustrators, and other “goodies.” In short, Flow has created a magazine best enjoyed in print form and A Book That Takes Its Time follows closely in its successful footsteps.
A Book That Takes Its Time: An Unhurried Adventure in Creative Mindfulness (the full title) was penned by the co-founders and creative directors of Flow, Irene Smit and Astrid Van der Hulst. At it’s heart this tome is about doing, about experience, and about intention. It’s a book both about mindfulness and a book that literally inspires mindfulness while reminding readers to slow down, breathe deeply, and be present.
I don’t know about you, but I’m forever struggling to be more in tune with the now – maybe this year more than ever before. This book turned out to be a much needed balm, right from Chapter 1, that I can turn to when the days are especially trying or I just need a moment to regroup and regain focus. Make your way through its pages in order or skip around depending on what you need and when you need it.
Learn to appreciate and savor moments both large and small by punching out pages of decorative memory cards to fill out and save in a mason jar so you can revisit them when you need an emotional lift. Read about the benefits of clearing your mind and letting your hands lead the way, then use the provided images and words to create a personal collage. Snip, arrange, and paste them onto the fold-out blank canvas and see where your subconscious takes you.
Read about the advantages of slowing down, then put those lessons into practice with the removable Joy of One Thing at a Time Notebook. Tear out a postcard and snail mail it to a friend. Make a list to clear your mind and refocus.
There are lessons on how to shift your focus away from what you don’t have and focus on what you do have. On stepping back from your phone to take just one photo with a camera – and then let the gaps in an album tell the story. Even tips for breaking old habits that will get your wheels turning.
Not every page is an activity or lesson, some are simply filled with inspiring words that you may not have known you needed to read. Do you get it? It’s the kind of book that makes you take your time, one that you can’t just hurry through so like so many other things in life. It’s a book that makes you stop to savor, play with, and appreciate all the lovely and interesting detours that hands-on activities provide.
Readers will have the chance to learn hand-lettering, the basics of collaging, even how to meditate while running. There’s something for everyone, which is what I love most about this book that mixes reading, learning, and doing. It’s part creative therapy, part teacher, part self-help, part workshop.
This post sponsored by Workman Publishing. All words and opinions are my own, as always. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep Design Crush creating fresh content!
