Vaycay!!

 

At noon today, I'm headed to the west side of Manhattan, catching a very large ship, and heading south to the islands!! Considering I'll probably be wearing a bathing suit more times in the next week than I have in the past 3 years combined, this is something very special and exciting for me. Don't get me wrong, I've been very privileged to have traveled many places, but a real relaxation vacation is quite rare. I'm looking forward to warm sun after this long winter, reading and not from a computer screen, and quality time with my typically busy busy boyfriend. Can't wait!!

With that said, I'll be signing off for the next week. That means no laptop, no blogger, no google reader, no twitter, no facebook, and hopefully not even email. seriously.

Have a great week everyone! And don't miss me too much...I'll be back before you know it! xoxoxo

(above photo by Jena Ardell found via Modish)

Don't sit down!

Origami fashion: hilarious and beautiful! Who's in for next Halloween??


(found via @uponafold)

Rita's Living Room

How cool is this art installation by Canadian design studio, Rita??

(via design for mankind)

Printed Pineapples

I'm gearing up for a tropical vacation in 2.5 days! I can't wait for some sunshine and some time away from a computer screen (much needed). In the meantime... this pineapple printed dress has me dreaming of pina coladas with little umbrellas in them...

Bazaar Bangles

Saw each of these photos splayed vertically across the gutter in 2 full-page spreads in New York magazine. Headlined "The Bazaar's New Beat", the photos were accompanied by just two sentences of copy, the first being: "The clothes demand that you dance--somewhere, soon, and with abandon."

These tribal patterned bangles in a cacophony of bright colors are right on trend for me. By Diane von Furstenberg, (and similar styles available here at an affordable $25), they are hand-woven in Africa from recycled telephone wire.

Da nuhh, Da nuhh, Danuh, Danuh...

Sexy, menacing curves in these Shark Shakers by Ooga Studio (means cake in Hebrew!)

(via nonquedanblog)

Mix Bowl & Tumbler

Iittala's Origo stripe pattern turned 10 years old. To celebrate, designer Alfredo Haberli created MIX, a new pattern that combines all the colors used in previous Origo stripe designs. I've seen these porcelain bowls and tumblers at the MoMA design store several times now, and they never fail to catch my eye.

Prints on Black

Saturated prints on a black background appear even more intense, almost luminous. Pillows and unique lettering by Little Red Treacle.

Modrobe

Love the pops of color and mix of levels on this storage solution by German design company, Matthias Ries.

(via poppytalk)

Gadofka

I saw this dress over at Where the Lovely Things Are the other day, and I had to proclaim my love for it. It's so funky, yet still totally wearable. Thanks for sharing, Mallory!

Then I looked up the rest of the Gadofka collection (aptly named africanicalprogressivemadness) and found it to be at a whole other level of funkiness. Wow!

Whiteness

I thought it would be a good time to take a quick break from all this BRIGHT COLOR and share some beauty that's a bit quieter.

Noriko Ambe was another amazing artist I saw recently at the Slash: Paper Under the Knife exhibit at the MAD Museum. The organic forms carved out of paper are completely mind blowing. There's really nothing more to say; the photos speak for themselves. I feel really fortunate to have seen one in person.

Cat Davison

Urchin brooch from Cat Davison's "Shall We Polka?" collection.

Broken Embraces

I wouldn't say Pedro Almodovar's latest film, Broken Embraces (Los Abrazos Rotos), is my favorite (I preferred Volver and Talk to Her. I thought the story fell a bit flat here...), but despite that, the cinematography and visuals are all that you'd expect from Almodovar... RICH. Pitch perfect costumes and interiors--and how stunning is that Penelope?? The above interior of a Spanish beach villa stuck in my mind long after the credits rolled. The aqua wall is the perfect compliment to the warm patterns in the couch and wall art.

Click below for more stills of Penelope looking as gorgeous as ever.

Rice DK

This is one of those instances where the product itself is pretty sweet, but the photo styling really pushes it over the edge into awesomeness. I love this composition of Rice DK spatulas available from Huset.


(via oh joy!)

Pepa Prieto

 

Funky painted wood sculptures by Spanish artist, Pepa Prieto. She has tons of cool work on her portfolio site, including art for MTV, displayed on the body of an airplane!

(via mint)

City Coasters

While we're on the subject of travel, I thought I'd share my favorite new product designed/art directed by my lovely co-workers at Galison. Illustrated by the talented Jim Datz (of Manhattan/Brooklyn poster fame), this adorable set of 4 tin coasters uses typography and simple iconography to represent New York, London, Paris, and Tokyo. You can buy one here. Love!

Bulldog Army

These Thomas Pink window displays caught my eye on my walk over to the MoMA on Sunday. Anything both brightly colored AND puppy related pretty much will. A quick web search revealed that 200 of these little guys were produced for Thomas Pink by family-owned Orlandi Statuary (Chicago). I love seeing them all lined up together before they were shipped out to the stores... Those pups think they're so tough and manly! Do they know they're painted pretty colors??

Guest Post on Pret a Voyager!

Pret a Voyager is a travel blog run by Paris-loving graphic designer, Anne Ditmeyer. Every Monday,
Anne interviews different creative people about the way they travel through her Boarding Pass series.

Mine went up this week!! So exciting! Check it out right here... I hope you enjoy it!

Thanks so much to Anne for including me and for being so sweet!

Happy Spring!

 

Happy Easter to all those who celebrate and happy Spring to everyone! It was over 70 degrees in NYC this weekend, and after this dreadful winter, it was absolutely euphoric. People were walking around with sunglasses and big smiles!

Speaking of spring time, I think I've officially added the tulips in Holland to my travel wish list. Don't you just want to run through miles of sunny tulip fields?? This photo is by Allard One, taken just outside Alkmaar in North Holland.

(photo via peanut butter & poetry)

Fredericks & Mae

Pretty pretty handmade arrows by Brooklyn design-duo Fredericks & Mae make me want to take up archery. You can buy one here!

Therapeutic Zoo

These little guys aren't your typical softies. They were designed by Renate Muller in the 1960/70's (Germany) to be used in a therapeutic setting for mentally and physically handicapped children. Today, Muller continues to hand-produce very limited quantities of her classic designs, as well as new ones. If you have $1800-$3600 to spare, one of these babies could be yours. Available from Partners & Spade.

Plus, in October 2010, R 20th Century Gallery in Tribeca, NYC will be hosting the first solo exhibit of Muller's work in the US!

Ferry Staverman

I just got back from Slash: Paper Under the Knife, a fantastic exhibition at MAD (Museum of Arts & Design-NYC). There were so many works that I loved, but my absolute favorite was a series of cardboard + string sculptures by Dutch artist, Ferry Staverman. So beautiful...

If you're in NYC, you've got 3 more days to catch the exhibit before it closes!

Scholten & Baijings

I can't decide what I like more: the product or the presentation. Scholten & Baijings textiles draped over modern furniture. Brilliant!

(via design milk)