If you haven't seen this October’s issue of W Magazine then you are missing out on this out-of-the-world fashion essay by esteemed photographer Tim Walker. The opening shot is jaw-dropping, as is all of his work. Now I want to wrap my house in hay & organza :) 
I love tiny intricate things, probably because I've been wearing glasses for extreme near-sightedness (and later contacts) since I was six years old. When I first saw the art of Dalton Ghetti, it was a case of instant fascination. Dalton is an inspired and gifted artist from Connecticut who carves tiny works of art into pencil lead and his series of the alphabet is something to behold. Be sure to click on the link and see more of his visually stunning work. (Via Design Sponge)
I don't ever use paper plates being so eco-conscious except for during the holidays when I am baking and packaging goodies from kitchen for gifts. Every year I struggle to find decently designed simple pieces that I can work with in creating a great looking finished gift package. Then I found this line of earth-friendly and beautifully designed line of paper dinnerware that looks as if it's made out of the finest porcelain and designed by Japanese artisans. Compote is part of the complete WASARA line, which elevates disposable tableware to a whole new level. Offering the best in Japanese design, WASARA products fit comfortably in the hand, with an elegant texture and sturdy quality that are unparalleled in the category.
Sharpening a pencil always puts me in a nostalgic mood. The scent of the wood dust takes me back to the days sitting at my Dad's drafting table while he drew up plans for his landscape architecture business clients. As it turns out, that wood dust smell now just reminds me of the 4 billion trees cut down worldwide for paper industries and massive deforestation. Not a good thing. A much more earth-friendly alternative are these beautiful pencils from TreeSmart made out of recycled newspapers. Go green whenever you can!
These ultra cool Coco pendant lights by Coco Flip Design look as if my Danish mid-century furniture had a party during the night and hatched these fixtures! Coco Flip is a design studio established by Kate Stokes based in Melbourne, Australia and is one to keep on your radar for fresh, clean and very modern furniture solutions. Love!
After procrastinating for what seemed like forever, I have almost finally completed setting up a little on-line vintage shop, Vintage Nomad. Over the years I've collected/acquired a notable amount of mid-century homewares, California pottery, vintage books and some very interesting paper ephemera that will be stocked in my shop. So until then, stay tuned for the link … :)
If you are in the market for affordable art, Leah Giberson's serene paintings of suburban scenes and mid-century architecture are definitely worth considering. I fell in love with her work instantly finding a comforting familiarity in the paintings as if I had been there before. She begins her pieces with photographs, painting directly on them with a clarity that is visually stunning. You can find her paintings through Sebastian Foster Gallery, Rare Device, and she also sells prints on her Etsy shop.
I so do wish my father and mother were still alive to see our house he designed and lovingly built for us in the late 50s showcased in this month's (August issue) of In-Style magazine. I have spoken at length with Robin Tunney and it makes me so happy that she treasures this house and is carefully and slowly restoring it to it's original vision. Finally someone who is removing all the prior owners renovating mistakes like blond floors and marble in the kitchen. My father is turning over in his grave at the mere mention of such things:) We had slate floors and there was nothing blond about this house. I am ever so grateful to have grown up in this beautiful home and under the shadow of my talented Dad and loving Mother. (click on photos to see at a larger size)
We are well into summer now and I have been living in shorts for the most part, while working at home far away from in-person client meetings. Comfortable shorts that fit well, are edgy and modern are usually hard to find, and then I stumbled upon Shortomatic, 100% custom board shorts. A brilliant concept where you can design your own print design they print for you or choose from a vast gallery of great designs and order them up based on a custom fit chart. I prefer the longer boys style board short but they also now are offering a short board short for women as well. Here's your chance to express yourself with custom designs and a fantastic fit. Brought to you by the folks who created Yogamatic, custom printed yoga mats, another inspired idea!
My love of typography has found a new outlet of obsession with these vintage chairs recovered in fabric reproductions from taken from vintage British transfer route bus signs. Designer DeWayne Lumpkin is the creative force behind British Route Sign Designs based in Grant’s Pass, Oregon. He offers fabric yardage, some very desirable vintage seating upholstered with the fabrics, pillows and the vintage signs themselves. If only I had room for one of these chairs!
511 miniature figurines from all walks of life, genders, and ages walk alone in a crowd just under the surface of a clear table top by London-based designer Rolf Sachs. From the designer: “Barely any of the figures interact with the exception of society’s crucial units, such as families, couples and lovers. From afar, one sees only groups and crowds yet when seen up-close, you recognize that each figure is entirely individual and you can discover random and humorous frames of everyday life.” It's like an overhead diorama locked inside a coffee table, I truly love it!
A close friend is currently in Italy and sent me this photo he shot in Torino today. A wonderful gift of my name as signage. I have a feeling I'll be using this image for many things. Thanks Steve! Wishing all a great summer weekend.
Wishing everyone a very Happy 4th of July! This vintage postcard with the numeral 4 built out of fireworks is from a great Flickr set by riptheskull. Be safe and have a great holiday weekend!
I recently came upon this wonderful Australian homewares company called Ponyrider and fell in love immediately with their wall dots and typographic pillows made out of beautiful birch linens. All the products have a rustic simplicity and great graphics. Shown from the top: Sliced Player cushion cover, Players Welcome cushion cover, Bambi Nights Wall Dot and the Bambi Nights cushion cover.
Despite having had a pretty horrific accident this week (big glass water bottle fell & shattered in my hands) I have had to adapt to having only 9 digits available for use for what looks like 3 months. As mentioned in the prior post, I've been busily baking, designing labels and getting packaging together for the Eat My Blog charity bake sale when this all happened. Well, I'm proud to say after 3 days of hell I am figuring out how to do most everything without it and finding clever ways to keep it waterproof. I'm off to bake more of these Rosemary Honey shortbread wafers and call it a night.
Getting very excited to sample sweets and participate in Eat My Blog charity bake sale this coming Saturday here in West Hollywood at Tender Greens. To make this upcoming event even bigger and better than before, the organizers have recruited 70+ bakers/bloggers who will be cranking out over 2,000 baked goods. Expect to see carrot cake cookie sandwiches, bacon chocolate chip cookies, homemade salted caramels, Momofuku’s Crack Pie, and chocolate Guinness cupcakes with bacon cream cheese frosting at the event. I am making Rosemary Shortbread Wafers for my donation to this great event. All proceeds will be donated to the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank.The Eat My Blog tables will also be lined with special donations from local chefs and restaurants including Evan Kleiman, Chicks with Knives, Debbie Lee, Drago Centro,Starry Kitchen, Bakelab, Cube, Fraiche, Hollywood Corner, Choppe Choppe, Valerie Confections, Plaisir, Scoops Ice Cream, Chef Ludo Lefebvre and Tender Greens. Please come and join us for a day filled with tempting sweets, good company and very good intentions!
I’d like to congratulate the lovely Jessica from the delightful blog Style-Obsessed for winning a $60 gift certificate for CSN stores! Head over to her blog for lots of eye-candy and loads of great finds. A big thank you to all who participated, keep checking in for more fun offers and global design coolness from Design Nomad!
Target continually tempts me with items I never thought I would need. From their online shop, I found this great typographic shower curtain and matching towels. Now if only I didn't have vintage green and yellow tile in my bathroom, these would be a great option. Not available in store, online only.
This just made my day, a great packaging design for hot-dogs. Designed by Subconscious Co. Via: Lovely Package
I won’t pretend that many of us aren’t being hit hard with the economy and job situation out there. Just because we are all watching our money more carefully doesn’t mean we have to sacrifice style. I was helping out someone to find a reasonably priced Eames-style rocker when I discovered this beauty that sells for $176.00, a fraction of the cost of the original. While it might not be the exact design of the 1948 Eames RAR rocker, it certainly has eye-candy appeal and a tempting price point! Only available in white and this beautiful baby blue, get it here.
The good people of CSN stores have generously offered to host a $60 gift certificate giveaway to one of my readers from any of their 200 online stores. From bathroom vanities, to Herman Miller and Eames furniture, to Bodum glassware and coffee accessories, to Dwell baby bedding — well, the choices are simply vast. 
This life-long fascination of mine with dioramas and miniature landscapes is fueled by discovering these organic shaped, modern terrariums by artists Paula Hayes and Lauren of Lítill. The combination of the hand blown glass vessels and the miniature desert landscapes are nothing short of delightful. I really wish I had enough light inside my house to successfully upkeep one of these. See much, much more at their websites. The first two photos are from Paula Hayes and the last two are by Lítill.
Just a quick note that I plan to update this blog very soon after I hold funeral services for my dearly departed computer. Should be up and running in a few days with its newer and bigger successor :)
