our cats are as finicky as they come but gosh darn it if they aren’t the cutest things in the world. the illustrious ms. jackson and turk demand only the best and i think i’ve found it. in a world where people only design fun things for dogs, ryan rutherford has designed the cutest little play toys for cats! yes, cats! take that dog owners! (well, i love dogs, but the cute toy count does seem to always tip in their favor)

i found ryan on coroflot and fell in love with his cute, cartoonish style that he has so wonderfully translated into tiny plush “creeps” toys for cats. it really doesn’t get any cuter than this. i know for a fact that turk and ms. j would be more than happy to rip these suckers to shreds, or at least hide them under the oven for safe keeping. great work, ryan! check out ryan’s portfolio here. adopt a great cat or dog here (best.shelter.ever)

well, like the song says, yes i’ll be going, but no, i won’t be wearing flowers in my hair. although i’ll probably be wearing my favorite knit hat that has a pink flower on it, so maybe i will be wearing flowers in my hair. either way, ac and i head to california tomorrow morning for a weekend full of family and friends (all his) and of course, shopping. can’t wait to see all the great places i’ve been told i have to see (thanks rena and amie and evan for the tips!). i’ll be sure to take millions of pictures and post the best. i’ll try to post from the hotel, so be sure to check out the latest goods! i’m soooo excited about my upcoming posts, i’ve saved my favorites for the ny times article week (it’s a good bet it’s going in tomorrow!) so, get ready for design*sponge extreme- i’m going to be on coolness overload! yay!

i found small things via my new favorite website, which i’m waiting to name because i’m doing a big fat feature on her later this week. really, her site is a-mazing. i check it all the time now. it may have replaced the real janelle even. anyway, i found a bazillion cool things via her site and small things is just one of them. small things is an adorable line of super cool jewelry designed by a one-woman soldering-machine. the designs are hand-made, gorgeous and clearly reflect the time and effort put into each piece. now, before i go on and on about how awesome her designs are, i want to get to the real reason that small things is so so so great. here, let her tell you herself:

“i learned to make jewelry in college while studying abroad in mexico. i took the class on a whim, really, thinking it would be a fun thing to try on the side while pursuing a more ‘serious’ education as a painter. in 2000, i moved to portland…and [was still] thinking about that damn jewelry…so i taught myself to cut glass and got to work. by the fall of 2002 i had kissed my steady job goodbye and smallthings was born. now i get to be my own boss and make jewelry all day, and i love it. each and every one of my pieces is laid out, cut, and soldered by hand. and that’s not gonna change. it’s a lot of work sometimes, but it’s this process that keeps me engaged, connected to, and excited about what i do everyday. and i think i really have found my dream job…”

there you have it. there is absolutely nothing, NOTHING better in the world than following your heart and finding a way to support yourself doing what you love (now if only i could find a way to do that). so, that said, go check out small things and support a wonderful young artist who’s doing it on her own. yay independant (girl!) designers!

editor’s note: just for the record, my heart still belongs to rena tom (who i will be covering more extensively next week- new stuff!)….my original jewelry girl crush)

in addition the fact that i enjoy drinking mochas (esp when you live in the urban tundra like i do apparently), i also enjoy checking out products made by mocha- the uber hip british design company that is home to some really cute and quirky home goods.

known for their products that combine function with whimsy (and you know how i love whimsy), mocha is a great source for design that, above all, is fun. perfect example? the mr. wooly stool. the name says it all, a crazy little stool that looks like a sheep and i guarantee any child would be psyched to have in their room. well, i would have loved it as a kid. and then there’s the dunk mug, a perfect way to cart your cookies around with your hot chocolate (or if you’re like me, you’ll use it more for the cookies than the hot chocolate). additional products not to be missed? dynamite, one heck of a little door stop, and the spoon egg cup- because, well it’s a cute egg cup made of cool bent spoons. you can find more info on mocha here and catch josh spear’s write up on the dunk mug here. enjoy!

not much to this. just a couch i like. ac and i are in the midst of apt hunting so new furniture is on my mind (although, i think new furniture is always on my mind…). this is quite simply a cute couch made by swedese, a swedish design company founded in 1945. they have lots of cute, simple designs if you’re looking for something classic with a modern twist. (admittedly a bit on the ikea side, but i think sometimes that isn’t the absolute worst thing in the entire world.) you can find more info on swedese here.

canadian design all-stars, molo are constantly churning out cool stuff. from their innovative icff winner, the float tea lantern, to their brand new (and totally sick) softwall system, these guys are on top of their game. just when you think they’d be taking some time off to rest on their creative laurels, they surprise you with a brand new collection of cups and glasses that are to-die-for! based on the same premise and style of the float series, molo’s newest line of cups and glasses is designed to house your racier drinks: liqueurs, champagne, pilsners wine and of course, cocktails (and if caffeine is your guilty pleasure (lookin’ at you, wolcheck), there’s even one for cappucino). each glass is elegant, modern and begging to be filled with something delicious to sip. ps: you can even fill it with macha, that gorgeous green tea pictured above. but be careful, that stuff will knock you flat. i had some served to me at a jun-ichi arai show at gallery gen last year and i almost fell out of my seat. so, go easy on the macha and cruise on by molo’s site for more information.

editor’s note: seems as though additional congratulations are in order- molo was recently selected as one of the finalists for the moma/ps1 young architects summer program! congrats and lots of love……d*s

moonlighting is a super cool group of japanese designers, all of whom work at different offices during the day. after meeting at a design workshop in tokyo in 2001 they decided to collaborate and create a line of products inspired by ideas generated in their group workshop.

moonlighting describes their process as, “design that results from finding something melted and blended in our environment and/or behaviors. we are not creating something new but just finding something that we usually overlook or simply pass by. all is in our everyday life.” i love that moonlighting’s motto is to find and enhance design in things that are all around us. sometimes function can be just as beautiful as form and moonlighting has capitalized on that idea with a gorgeous line of homewares (i love the mirror cups and orange juice bottle). each piece is subtle yet graceful and gently blends into our everyday life. you can find more information on moonlighting here. enjoy and happy monday!

from the land of all things tiny and cute comes a brand new way to teensy-fy your life….mini key chain plants! yes, you too can grow a itsy bitsy plant in your pocket. in theory this is really cool, but i’m afraid that, despite my love of greenery, i’d manage to kill these poor little guys in my purse, which is so often slung mercilessly around town. however, if you go a bit easier on your belongings than i do, this could be just the thing for you. for only ten bucks, you can foster a fledgling fir (or a number of other plants- mostly cacti) until it outgrows its tiny arboretum, after which you can transfer it to a normal-sized planter of your choice. always something tiny and cool coming from japan….[via the cool kids at treehugger]