i love, love, love the look of wire baskets. every time i travel down south i seem to come back with a basket or two from my favorite vintage stores. what do i use them for? anything i can get away with. magazines, newspapers, catalogs, holding remote controls- you name it, i like the way it looks in a wire basket. so i was pleasantly surprised by this wire storage collection at west elm. the little pencil pail is $10, the waste bin is $29, and the magazine basket is $49. i’m currently trying to decide between the waste bin and magazine basket– which one would look best outside the front door as an umbrella holder…hmmm...click here for more info and to shop.

d*s reader rebekah sent over a link to a beautiful collection of paper goods and home accessories designed by a korean firm called o check. o check sells their work at a website call and, spring and it is chock-full of beautiful things i’d like to call my own. not only do they design beautiful journals, notebooks, and calendars, but they also design some gorgeous tote bags and a series of free, download-able calendar pages (a new one each month). click here to check it all out! thanks, rebekah!

tuesday morning eye candy: beautiful work from natalia ortega gamez, an artist based in the dominican republic. natalie specializes in using local materials and applying them to a “global” concept. i really like the way that her pieces have a warm, earthy feel. i’d like to pick up that terra cotta/orange bonsai planter. would be fun to use the other half for something like keys by the door, so you always start and end your day with something green. click here for more information on natalia’s work.

[this week design writer leilani labong will be joining us for a few guest posts on the main blog. welcome, leilani!]

i would like to take a quick poll of all grooms-to-be, tux-wearing prom dates and other men bound for black-tie events: which would you rather…a generic rose boutonniere with the tired spray of baby’s breath, or a bespoke fritts rosenow boutonniere by san francisco floral designer erin rosenow, which uses miniature toys in place of traditional blooms? (hint: if you have any sense of individuality, go with fritts.)

from croquet mallets to cuckoo clocks to musical instruments and even one very cute mini mounted deer head for the taxidermist in your life, erin designs the boutonnieres to be expressions of personality; inspired versions of the ubiquitous floral lapel pins; an imaginative variation on the “hello, my name is…” sticker.

due to their tiny proportions, each boutonniere is a labor of love, a much different experience compared to erin’s more organic, freestyle approach to floral arrangements. she explains, “the bouts are so teeny i have to wear my glasses when i make them.” (cue vision of gepetto.) “they make me wish i had teeny tiny hands.” that’s funny, they make me wish i lived in a dollhouse. -leilani labong

since we’re just coming down from a delicious sugar high with sarah magid, i thought i’d end the day on a sweet note, courtesy of d’auria groux-holt. she twittered me a link to these beautiful pieces of jewelry from yellow goat on etsy and i was instantly smitten. it’s not often that i want to wear a baked good on my hand, but if someone handed me the cake ring below i couldn’t refuse. and the golden headband above? i think it’s calling my short hair’s name. if you want to pick up a piece of this lovely jewelry, click here to browse yellow goat’s full collection. thanks to d’auria for the tip!

i’m heading out to fill my new terrarium (thanks julia!) with ferns and moss from sprout, so until monday, i hope you all have a wonderful weekend! below is a summary of this week’s highlights…

• must-read posts of the week: (new video) in the kitchen with sarah magid, copyright 101 for designers, diy wedding flowers 411
• biz ladies 09: copyright 101 for designers, branding with meg mateo ilasco
• weeder’s digest: diy wedding flowers 411
• new video: in the kitchen with sarah magid’s dark chocolate cupcakes and espresso-whipped buttercream
• new city guide: queens, ny
• new sneak peeks: nick dewar, scott engler, gemma ahern, michelle smith, piebird press
• new diy projects: custom camera strap cover, catalog of love (great gift idea), nautical cards and picks
• new before & afters: heike’s outdoor hideaway, pool table makeover, melissa’s chair and nikol’s dresser, taryn’s walkway and kristin’s stool, roxy’s clock and whitney’s kitchen
• interiors: heather garrett design
• misc.: slim shelves, metal firescreen by david wiseman, polli woven earrings (with a great back story), trove window films and wood veneer wallcoverings, christie ginanni prints, tea towels by the near future, book covers by faber & faber, graphic design by katie kirk, jewelry by desirelines, paper bird tags by delilah jemaiel, sunday suppers with sarah’s flowers
• new d*s blogger: neal from present & correct

if david wiseman had a fan club, i would totally be an active member. every time he sends me a new design i find myself oohing and ahhing at the screen. and today is no different- i’m crazy for this new custom firescreen he designed. i love the bee/hive details and the little birds- it’s so sweet. i wish more of his work was available in a retail capacity, but until then, i always enjoy checking out his custom work. i’d love to curl up with a good book and some hot chocolate in front of this fire. click here to see more of david’s work.

good morning! i’m happy to kick things off today with two new things: a beautiful new series of jewelry from designer ryan bell, and a great new guest post from neal at present & correct.

ryan bell of desirelines just launched a new e-commerce site, along with a new collection of super cute jewelry. i’m a sucker for the bunnies. also, ryan happens to be designer abigail percy’s boyfriend- that’s one talented duo. click here to see a peek of abigail’s home…

next up- an awesome morning post from neal at the d*s guest blog. today neal’s talking about paper sets and costumes from green porno (the show), furry/animal logos, beautiful ceramics (below) and a great website for veneer. click here to check it out!