it’s always fun to hear from artists or readers who are inspired by something they see on d*s- and in this case, it’s a member of our team- sarah ryhanen of saipua! artist katie vernon draws inspiration for her beautiful prints from many of sarah’s flower arrangements and sent over a link to her prints (and several original pieces of art), which are currently for sale at etsy.

katie is based in bloomington, indiana and sells a nice variety of work in her shop. in addition to the saipua-inspired floral prints, she also sells gorgeous prints that are drawn directly onto decorative boards. everything in katie’s shop is under $100 so if you’re looking for some affordable artwork, click here to check out katie’s shop. thanks, katie!

*stay tuned for a new weeder’s digest post from sarah tomorrow!

yesterday i hopped on the subway and headed into the city to check out an exhibition of vera neumann’s work at anthropologie in rockefeller center. vera: a new look is a beautiful exhibition that celebrates the life and work of designer and artist vera neumann. best known for her colorful silk scarves, neumann produced an incredible amount of work in her lifetime (over 20,000 scarves and 7,000 pieces of original artwork), some of which was on display at anthroplogie last night. while visiting the vera company in atlanta, anthropologie discovered stunning screens and drawings of vera’s and decided to showcase them in their store, along with a wall-full of her vivid scarves.

i really enjoyed seeing these black and white screens of vera’s work. even before they were realized in their final form, vera’s drawings are exuberant and her brush strokes have such a sense of energy and vitality. and when you add her sense of color on top of it all? unstoppable. i’ll be a vera fan for life and it was a real treat to see a collection of her work, and drawings, together like this.

inspired by vera’s designs, anthropologie recently launched a lovely collection of home goods and clothing based on original vera artwork. the design team created plates, cups, trays, skirts, blouses, bedding and dresses. the ‘we heart vera‘ series is now available online at anthropologie (the bedding is available at select stores)- you can see a sampling of it below, but you can also click here to shop the full collection online. it’s so nice to see a company going beyond using a classic designer’s work and actually recognizing, celebrating and honoring their talent.

there are many more pictures from the event below, so be sure to click “read more” below to see the full post. thanks to sara goodstein at anthropologie for letting me poke my head in a little early to grab some pictures!

read more …

as a former printmaking major in college, i have a soft-spot in my heart for those who specialize in the medium. so i was excited to hear from christie ginanni, an artist and printmaker from steamboat springs, colorado. she recently left her job in colorado to take up a residency opportunity in venice, italy and has now returned to work and added some beautiful new pieces to her website. i really love the colors she uses in her work, and the little details she etches in. they’re so sweet. click here to see more of christie’s work online.

next up? fun modern tea-towels from the near future at etsy. based in sydney, nicole law and julia lee skinny created the near future and just recently started making and selling screen printed tea towels from their etsy shop. they use 100% linen for the towels and package each one in recycled paper. i really love the blue lines design and the purple dots, but you can check out their shop right here to find your favorites. also, check out the near future’s blog right here. thanks, nicole!

in the world of designing women, there are a few special artists that i have a major girl crush on. and right up there at the top of the list is jen corace. so i wanted to share a few of my favorite jen-pieces that are out on the market right now. namely her laptop and iphone covers at infectious, and prints at art star. one day i will save up enough to invest in an original jen corace, but for now, the pieces will definitely fill my need to have more jen corace work in my life. if you want to listen to jen talk about her work, life and inspiration click here to check out her podcast with d*s.

i’m loving this sweet silkscreened ’sardana’ print from roddy and ginger. it’s such a nice combination of adult and child-friendly. click here for more info and to buy….

in the next month d*s is going to be launching a very, very exciting contest for any artists who specialize in illustration, pattern design and surface design (or anyone who’s ever wanted to try those fields). i can’t give away too much, but it’s going to be all about helping out up-and-coming designers with an opportunity that’s almost too good to be true. so lately i’ve been researching illustrators and surface designers, looking for people who might be great contestants. and today i was thrilled to hear from brooklyn illustrator jing wei. her style is right up my alley and i love the color palette she uses. i’m hoping she might consider joining the competition, but until then, click here to check out more of jing’s beautiful work online.

[ps: if you're a student or designer who is looking to get a leg up in the illustration/pattern/surface design industry, get your profiles ready- we'll be announcing the contest, details and prize(s) soon...]

good morning! today is my birthday so i’m going to be signing off a bit early. but i wanted to start the day with these beautiful ‘stereo.type mobiles‘ by ebon heath. the way ebon works with paper is nothing short of incredible- i could only dream of having something this beautiful hanging in my home. swoon. click here for more info [via liz stetson]

ps: thanks to amy for the sweet birthday design (above). click here to check our her guest post for today!

pps: tim gunn? austin scarlett? my favorite library team? sign me up. congrats to the nypl on another great video series! this one about a fashion challenge given to local students (judged by tim) for the annual anti-prom. thanks, amy!