maybe it’s the sun outside, maybe it’s the fact that i’m going home to VA on thursday, maybe it’s ac’s new job, but for some reason, i’m just happy today. and i thought, while i was thinking about all the things i’m happy about, why not share my love for my fellow design bloggers?

there are so many wonderful blogs out there that share my passion for design and have made this wonderful design community what it is, so i just wanted to send a little d*s virtual love note to each and every one of them. today is about celebrating you guys- you’re amazing, you keep me up to date on all the wonderful things about there and i’m so lucky to be involved in a community full of great people like you guys. keep up the great work! (and if you haven’t seen some of these sites, please check them out!)

to apartment therapy: you are the lifeblood of this community. thank you so, so much for your heart and all your dedication to making our apartments as wonderful as they can be.

to land+living: i just love you guys. you have just a nice, positive vibe on your site and you review really thoughtful projects that i wouldn’t have heard about anywhere else. keep up the great work guys!

to josh rubin: you’re the coolest of cool, josh. i don’t know what we’d do without your insights on fashion, design and everything else that makes our lives just a little bit hipper. thanks so much for your eye and your dedication to finding the best of the best.

to core77: you guys are great. coroflot is a wonderful resource that i couldn’t live without. you feature wonderful technological advancements in design and i’m always amazed by some of the stuff i see up there.

to unbeige: thanks for always investigating issues i wouldn’t think to delve deeper into- your insights are thoughtful and timely- i really enjoy your site.

to treehugger: you know i love you guys- you’re the greatest. putting out such wonderful, earth-friendly designs, you guys are in a class of your own. keep up the great work!

to id fuel: dom and crew, you guys rock. nuff said.

to not cot: welcome! you’ve got some really great stuff up there! i always love seeing what you’ve discovered!

to josh spear: we’re in the young club together- don’t know what i’d do without your insight on all things cool and buzz worthy.

to mocoloco: the classic, the ultimate- you consistently provide us with the best in european and american design, thank you for your commitment to excellence in design.

i just wanted to share some of the joy going on at design*sponge today. my wonderful, wonderful ac had his first day at his fantabulous new job today and i just wanted to tell everyone in the world how proud i am of him. he is now a super cool media writer in charge of writing all forms of media responses (op eds, press releases, statements) for an ultra-progressive group that is equal parts political and social change oriented. let’s just say i’m the proudest sponge in the world. ac rules and now everyone in the political media world will know too. hooray for ac! xoxoxo, d*s

i think mark at sparkability comes up with some of the greatest children’s design around. he just passed this on to me and we commiserated about how it’s not available in the states yet. he’s trying to get it on sparkability in the not so distant future, so i’ll let you know when it’s up, but for now, i just wanted to share this because i think it’s a great rocker. maybe not the most comfy, but definitely cool.

made by e-27, a german design firm, the re-tire is a great minimalist rocker that would make any modern parent proud. it’s simple, well-designed and functional, so it’s a-ok in my book. i know some parents will balk at the lack of cushy-ness, but perhaps it would be useful for short rocking times or for people who don’t have babies- just as a porch rocker? would sure be a great modern re-do for the standard porch rocker. you can find more info (if you speak german) here, but in the meantime, mark and i will keep you posted when it hits the states. i’ll be sure to let you know when and where and how much.

ok before i start this post, let me add that i actually did “see saw” this weekend and it was horrible. i blame it on the cold and the easy access to movies on demand. damn you, cold! you make me want to watch horrible movies!

anyway, back to the saw at hand. alistair chang, master of acrylic seating, just launched a new chair called “sumo” at milan that brings the joy of see-sawing back to the adult set. if you’re like me and always hated having to give up see-saws and swings because you had to be “mature“, well this my friends in your chair. both users sit and face opposite directions and rock to create well, the see-saw effect. it’s not a chair you’d wanna use for your dining table or anything, but if you’ve got room for a bit of whimsy in your life, sumo is for you. more info on alistair and oehm right here.

thanks to the wonderful d*s reader who passed lovelydesign on to me. LD makes the most beautiful paper products that just make my monday that much lovelier.

lovelydesign is the website of canadian designer sharilyn wright, from whom i will be ordering many paper goods asap. not only does she have an adorable website (you can scatter seeds, i love it), but she has a great mailorder section of the site where you can order her handmade paper goods, like the “i miss you” envelopes, comprised of vintage maps and recycled paper. sharilyn also makes an old school address file that i love. people have become so detached from paper that i think sometimes a return to beautiful, recycled paper address files is good. not that it would work well for someone with a bazillion contacts, but if you’re like me, it would work for a good old friends and family list.

you can find more information on lovely design here. be sure to check out her gorgeous journey books and mini books made from recycled bits of paper. and don’t miss the conifer poster, which is on my “must buy asap” list. i.love.it.

i couldn’t wait to post this. i was going to save it for monday, but i was just too excited. velocity art and design (my west coast design heroes) has just picked up a great new line of lamps by octate that i lurve.

founded out of a desire to create honest products from honest materials, octate believes in designing elements that enhance the home without detriment to the environment. and heck, who doesn’t like that? octate’s reference to “honest materials” is right in line with velocity’s commitment to selecting materials that are best suited for the design in question. octate’s latest product, the bow lamp (available in wood or maple veneer), takes this honesty a step further by actually emphasizing the paper thin nature of wood veneer to create the lamp shade.

you can’t go wrong with simplicity and commitment to quality- two things velocity art and design knows a lot about. so, if you’re new to velocity, please please take the time this weekend to click around their site- i GUARANTEE there’s no way you’ll leave without buying something. they’ve got some of the best stuff around. alright- back to being sick and drinking lots of water while ac plays splinter cell. ahh…friday night.

i’m loopy with cold medicine so this seems really funny right now. koziol, a german company, makes this funny spaghetti measurer called basil. it measures 1-4 servings of pasta in it’s little circles. too cute. you can find it here. ok, heading home to sleep like a rock and let the kitties nurse me back to health.

praise be to bonny kang and her fantastic design suggestions. today it’s homework, a great home store on labrea avenue in los angeles. after sifting through their flash site i managed to grab a few things i thought were cute. here it goes: great pillows from neisha crossland, a great clear acrylic tape dispenser, awesome glass pendant light from aquatinta and some sweet little egg timers. they’re all winners in my book, so have a look and see what you find. enjoy!

editor’s note: i’m feeling pretty cruddy today (cold) so i think i might head out a bit early, so this will prob be my last post of the day. i hope you all have wonderful weekends! take care and see you monday.