this post is dedicated to every single one of you reading this site. the second anniversary of d*s came and went this year (i didn’t even notice!) and i just wanted to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for hanging out with us here and dishing on design, designers and even a little project runway. starting on tuesday (after labor day) i’ll be launching a brand new feature on the site (along with a brand new podcast!) that i think will bring a fresh perspective to d*s and a ton of great new design. so, tune in on tuesday for a new feature, a new podcast and some more fun surprises along the way.

in the meantime i’ll be posting highlights of this summer starting this afternoon through tomorrow evening: hot button posts, exciting trends and the good, bad and ugly of summer 2006. these posts will later be available on the left side of the blog as summer recaps. hopefully we can look back at seasons as we go along and see what was hot during the summer, fall and winter of 2006. maybe i’ll even go back and organize 2004-2005. so, thank you again- these beautiful cards are from new york stationery studio blue ribbon design. run by nyc based designer kimberly driessen, blue ribbon design has a wonderful range of letterpressed cards for any occasion under the sun. i’m especially fond of the thank yous though…click here for more info. enjoy!

not much to say about tonight’s episode but i thought you guys might want to chat about it. should angela have gone home or is kayne’s elvis look truly auf-worthy? i personally don’t care for either of their looks, nor did i care for uli. i think her look is becoming a little stale for me. hopefully she’ll change it up next week. i’m just sort of underwhelmed by the show. although it never hurts to film in paris- at least the city will be interesting? ps: could jeffrey just stop complaining for like 2 seconds? you won, shut up!

d*s reader maarit passed along these adorable houses by estonian design studio, arcamita. available in birdhouse and birdfeeder form, arcamita’s nest was designed to accommodate, “common cavity-nesting birds such as chickadees, house sparrows, wrens, and swallows”. made of european birch laminate, the nest birdhouse is weatherproofed by a high quality oil and composed entirely of natural elements. you can hang the house from a nail or screw mount it to a wall or post for a sturdier connection. a simple removable back panel makes cleaning a snap and well, it doesn’t get much cuter than this. click here for more info on the arcamita nest birdhouse. [thanks maarit!]

marcus from charles and marie wanted to give d*s readers a little heads up about a fun new product they’re carrying. starting this friday they’ll be carrying these cute little helene lighting kit designed by katrin kuchenbecker and anke rabba from hamburg. the idea is that you can slide these pretty little vellum covers over any wine glass and then add a simple tea light for some lovely tabletop mood lighting. not a bad idea. sure beats those boring cream colored shades they have on tealights in restaurants. available via charles and marie starting this friday [i’ll be recapping summer highlights on thursday and friday so i wanted to add this before we revisiting popular posts from may to august]

print+pattern had a great piece yesterday on these cute little paint it yourself kits by uk company maisonette. available through the tate modern and maisonette, they’re a fun way to spend a rainy day (like today). i’m just happy to see a diy paint kit that isn’t kitschy and doesn’t include a picture of a tiger or rainbow to color. more info right here. [via print+pattern]

tair mercier debuted some lovely new tablemats and lighting at the gift fair this year, but i was unable to get a good shot of this piece. thankfully they posted some new photos on their site so i could snag it while it was still up. tair’s new log placemats come in a sepia and green tint that are perfect for faux log cabin dining. if you can’t get to the cabin, try these guys on for size. they’ll be available soon from tair mercier- click here for more info and to contact about direct purchasing (their current mats sell for $23 a piece). enjoy!

new from the fabulous french boys at atypyk- cut cork table mats and cheerful dog rugs. these guys always design the most whimsical products that make me wonder if they don’t have the world’s best jobs. it would be so fun to sit around and design balloon mobiles and cheese soap all day…click here for more from atypyk. you can order by sending them an email. enjoy!