happy (almost) 4th of july! i’m heading off to get ready for my trip next week so i’ll return on monday and be blogging from sunny (but cool) san francisco. i’ll be posting photos and design tidbits as i go along so stay tuned for some west coast extras in addition to our regular weekly content. until then i wanted to share a weekly wrap up of this week’s highlights and- these fantastic tiles from popham design. founded by husband and wife team caitlin and samuel dowe-sandes, popham design produces a seriously incredible line of tiles (oh how i love the chevron tiles), all designed from their studio in marrakech. originally based in LA, the dowe-sandes family dreamed of starting their own design venture and when they moved to northern africa, they decided to make their dreams come true. they now have a beautiful collection of tiles available for sale (my favorites are above and below) and you can view their full collection right here. thanks to caitlin for sending their work over!

• summer biz ladies dates: boston and baltimore (this summer!)
• new sneak peeks: studio tour gilah press, studio tour hammerpress
• new diy projects: derek and lauren’s sixpack caddy, alli coate’s lacy jars, craft amour videos
• new city guides: seattle design guide
• new before and afters: anna’s sofa
• new d*s guest blog: kenziekate (mackenzie will be posting on friday so stay tuned for that tomorrow!)
• new: plates from zand2ohs, hand-foiled plant labels, vintage/new textiles from buttercup & ivory, i love design webshop, stamps from yellow owl workshop, wiley valentine mushroom stationery,
• fun idea: maryhill clayworks clever giftwrap

yesterday i heard from talented ceramicist jacques schickel of maryhill clayworks. in addition to having a lovely collection of ceramics available for sale- i was positively nutty about the gorgeous hand-painted gift wrap project he showcased on his studio blog. i’ve always wanted to switch to entirely hand-made gift wrap for the holiday season and this is definitely the inspiration i needed to get started on ideas for this year. jacques final project reminds me of one of tord boontje’s wonderful woodland designs and would be perfect for a shower, housewarming, birthday or holiday gift. click here to check out jacques’ process and here to check out jacques’ work at maryhill clayworks.

i’m loving these new plates and little wooden twig pin from zand2ohs. zand2ohs is the work of san luis obispo-based artist mignon khargie- i love the plates she created using a collection of old wooden type. mignon’s projects are often inspired by the work she does with her daughter, which gives everything such a special layer of meaning. click here to see more of mignon’s work and to send her an email (and click here to shop her etsy shop).

sometimes a simple vase is just what a beautiful arrangement of flowers needs- nothing too fancy or too colorful to compete with the flowers themselves. these simple, but beautiful, mini vases from pppottery are just the ticket if you’re looking for something that’s perfect for everyday use, but is lovely enough to leave out as the vase itself. you can shop pppottery’s full collection online right here (the mini-vases are only $8 each).

i’m loving these ceramic transfers that heather (skinny laminx) and jesse breytenbach have created. after drawing little plants she had collected on a walk on table mountain, heather turned her drawings into transfers and applied them dinner plates. they were made for a show in johannesburg (and promptly sold out), but thankfully heather created a fantastic tutorial on how to create your own plates like this. for the full instructions click here- thanks heather!

[stay tuned for one more diy project at 2pm today- lauren and derek are back! and their projects will take you right back to summer camp]

of all the pre-show submissions i’ve received from icff exhibitors, these pieces from designer reiko kaneko are some of my favorite. reiko will be launching a new line of english fine bone chine whiteware with real gold detailing at this weekend’s show. pieces like “drop teas” mugs and “back for good” teacups have images like drips and lipstick marks made from gold. i love the tongue and cheek play on tea and lipstick stains and am really looking forward to seeing these in person. if you’re attending the show you can catch reiko in the designmart section of icff (always a great place to stop new talent) or click here to visit reiko’s site.

i’m heading out to meet my family for a weekend full of wedding dress shopping (whoopee!) but i’ll be back on monday with tons of bklyn designs coverage, more pre-show coverage from the other trade shows and all of our regular weekly content. i hope you all have a wonderful weekend and i’ll see you on monday! until then here’s a summary of this week’s highlights.

[images above and below are part of cul de sac’s newest series, which will be on display in the designboom mart at icff next week!]

• random aside: i got to meet my favorite blogger of all time! dooce rules.
• thank you to victoria of sfgirlbybay for her incredible posts on the d*s guest blog this week!
• new product guide: patterned rugs part 1 (of 2)
• anne’s new regional roundup: iceland part three!
• new sneak peeks: andrew + heather wagner, robin lester of clinton hill blog
• new diy projects: vintage elevated dog feeder, wallpaper fireplace makeover, kate’s canister makeover
• new before & afters: anna’s rocking toy, jessica’s shoetopia chair, pia’s french apartment makeover
• icff pre-show coverage: rugs from thomas paul, wallpaper from graham & brown, lisa bengtsson ceiling designs, furniture from studio cochineal, rugs from ruckstuhl,
• national stationery pre-show coverage: yellow owl workshop, the lovely ladies of mixed co., urban bark papers,
• bklyn designs pre-show coverage: wall decals from dvider, new furniture from wud design
• surtex pre-show coverage: samantha hahn
• custom laptop stickers
• my dream work station: the quattro millimetri table in bright yellow
• new: metallic dove journals from pushmepullyou
• new: debranded home stickers
• new: destination japan products at moma
• new: ‘loves saves the day’ print from good shape design
• new in the kitchen with: hoping for happy accidents