when it comes to lighting, i tend to prefer things that are highly decorative and shiny. for some reason the smaller size makes me more adventurous. but when i saw these beautiful lamps from tom rossau in denmark i was reborn as a minimalist lighting girl. charlie at tom rossau sent over the TR15 lamps that the company is showing in sweden this week. this series of lamps (both hanging and table) are based around a magnetic ball so that the shades actually swivel in whatever direction you want. all that clean wood makes me want to clean off my desk and embrace a more minimalist space. click here for more info on the tr15 collection. thanks, charlie!

lea, the lovely postmaster of the world’s smallest postal service is taking on valentine’s day this year with her “world’s smallest valentine’s packages“. i love the play on small things with a “cute as a button” theme- it’s such a sweet, and unexpected, way to send someone you love a little hello. click here for more information and to place an order. thanks, lea!

good morning! i’m still reeling from last night’s laughs and the idea that next week amy and i will get to ask martha stewart a few questions in person (click here to suggest questions!) so i thought i’d start off with a little thursday morning eye candy from one of my favorite artists, amy ruppel. amy just designed a series of three large scale wall decals for blik, ranging from $45-$75 each. i’m partial to the tree design over, but there are two owl images to choose from (images below) as well. click here to shop her new decal collection at blik.

ps: over at the d*s guest blog, the bbbcraft sisters are continuing their craft theme with papercraft today! they’re sharing all sorts of beautiful handmade paper valentine ideas, so click here to check out all 15 of their lovely valentine images.

i’ve always had a soft spot for maps- especially those that are slightly decorative. so when i heard from designers jen and omar of these are things in columbus, ohio, i was excited to see they’d designed a lovely modern world map. their map is silkscreened by hand in four colors and measures 20×30 inches. each map is available for $60 right here and, if all goes well, jen and omar are planning to expand into new colorways and designs (us map, world cities, etc) in the coming months. thanks, jen and omar!

if you’re up for a little more world traveling, jen hill’s new “a toast to” collection also celebrates cities and countries around the world. each print in her latest collection is a series of riddles about different places, inspired by vintage flashcards. there is a print for each state and country that has been covered in jen’s “places i have never been” series and each print includes a year, map filled with pattern, country name, coordinates, a riddle and 3 key words to help you solve the riddle. check out the full “a toast to” collection right here and pick up prints for $20-$34. thanks, jen!

*need a valentine’s gift? jen is doing personalized versions of these prints for vday, so you can commemorate a special place (with your own riddle!) in your loved one’s life. (prices range from $49-$90)

as the spring gets closer, my anticipation of this year’s stationery show grows. every year it’s my favorite show to visit, primarily because i get to check out new cards like these in person and meet all of my favorite letterpress and stationery designers. matt at sesame letterpress sent over some images of their new cards, set to debut at the show this year, and i was really taken with the silhouette cards (with patterns inspired by vintage security envelope linings)- especially in that sweet peachy color. you can click here to view their latest additions and here to shop their current collection. thanks, matt!

one day when ac and i have a bigger home, we plan on adding another furry friend to our family- more specifically, a dog. so whenever i see cute dog beds i get little “i want a dog!” pains in my stomach that make me head over to petfinder looking for a friendly face to rescue. until that day comes, i’ll keep on loving things like this- a colorful new pet bed from muovo. muovo is a design studio in helsinki founded by textile designers anni kääriä and sanna väänänen. on a mission to “design products that put you in a good mood”, anni and sanna recently released a dog bed and footstool design made of detachable, machine-washable cotton. what i love about the dog bed is that it’s inflatable- so you can travel with it! if you’ve got a fuzzy friend that needs a soft place to sleep, click here to check out muovo’s products online.

when it comes to cards, i tend to stay away from the humorous variety. i’m more of a decorative/blank-inside type of gal. but i’m loving these new “headlines” cards from old tom foolery. each card has a simple (and funny) message and comes with a bright red envelope. you can check out all 16 new styles on the old tom foolery site right here. thanks, lauren!

artist simon page’s international year of astronomy prints (last two images below) were a big hit online, so i was happy to hear from him this morning about a new series called futurism. it’s not often that i get submissions that i think ac will like, but this one has my ac radar beeping, so i’m hoping that when he wakes up this might pass the “boy-test” in our home. even if it doesn’t, i’m really loving the minimalism of these images. they would look so lovely in large scale, framed in a long hallway- i’d love to see them all together to get the full effect of all those lovely retro-style images.

simon’s newest series will be available in print form soon (i will update this post when they are), but in the meantime you can buy his astronomy prints here and click here to check out the full futurism series online.

if you’re looking for a beautiful hand-written letter to go with your paper flowers, but, like me, you have less-than-desirable handwriting, you’re in luck! the lovely ladies of hello handmade will be offering their services for valentine’s day this year.

shanna and betsy explained that this year they’re “taking a cue from jane austen” and are offering hand-written valentines folded in the regency style of austen’s time. each valentine is sealed with black and white striped washi tape and a wax seal and will feature shanna’s illustrated and watercolored swallows along with a personalized, customizable note in betsy’s romantic handwriting. you can place your order starting today through february 5th, so click here to contact hello handmade to place an order. also, hello handmade will be donating 10% of each sale to the american red cross relief for haiti. *thanks betsy and shanna!

happy tuesday! i could think of no better way to kick off today than with these beautiful handmade valentine’s gifts from emersonmade. i’m a big fan of handmade gifts for a holiday like this, when pricey/fancy presents often overshadow the meaning of the day- which for me, is just about taking a moment to celebrate the special people in your life. and for me, a sweet paper flower like these is a wonderful way to say, “thanks! i think you’re the best!” you can click here to shop the full emersonmade handmade selection, it’s paper and fabric heaven.

i figured i’d keep the love theme going this morning with this new “love lights” screenprint from scott and jacqui of slide sideways in tacoma, washington. if you’re looking for something fun to give your special someone, this 100% recycled, hand screenprinted print could be just the ticket ($20 each). click here to place an order.

before i stop the love-fest i wanted to add these beautiful paper roses that artist megan galante created as part of a “queen of hearts” valentine’s window display for the lingerie shop only hearts in nyc. megan made paper rose bushes that will be on display for the holiday so if you’re in nyc be sure to stop by and check them out. if not, click here to check them out on megan’s site.

good morning! i thought it would be nice to start today on a love note. these beautiful notes are from mara zepeda of neither snow. as part of her valentine’s day suite (which you can order on her etsy shop through feb. 8th), mara is offering limited edition calligraphed valentines with vintage postage. each oversized envelope will contain a custom (up to 15 words) personal message and stamps selected especially for the person you love. each assemblage of stamps is unique and each letter is a great way to send an sweet love note to someone special in your life. if you want to place an order, click here to check out mara’s selection.

i also wanted to add two more quick notes to start off our abbreviated holiday posting day (we’ll be posting 4 times from now until 11am). first, in honor of martin luther king jr. day, here is a link to some great ways to give back on this national day of service and volunteering. if you have time, i hope you can find a way to give back today and any day you have free time to help those around you- and those far from home.

also, i want to wish ac a wonderful 33rd (or “larry bird-thday” as he calls it) birthday. i’ve been privileged to spend the last 6+ years of my life with him and am excited to spend the next 33 with him. xoxo!