one of the things i really love is when great design meets great website design. working with the also team on the d*s relaunch last october, i really came to appreciate the way they were able to take the design details i love and turn them into a beautiful, working website. so when nikko moy emailed me for a website designer suggestion i knew also was perfect for her. so i was thrilled to hear from nikko a year later about her brand new (just opened today!) shop, ashes and milk.

from the second the site loaded i was in love (especially with betsy dunlap’s written logo for the site). i love the way the little wooden boxes set the scene for beautiful ceramics, painted stones and other home accessories. nikko, an artist based in chicago, founded ashes and milk “on the principle that a lot can be created from very little”. she explains that “[ashes and milk] is driven by modern ideas with a reverence for traditional methods and the belief that the things we bring into our homes should have a soul and a sense of history.” i couldn’t agree more- and i was thrilled to see that the first pieces in her shop have a real sense of character and craftsmanship. i was especially drawn to yoran morvant’s drawn stones- each one is one-of-a-kind and drawn to fit the unique stone used.

i have a feeling ashes and milk is going to grow to be one of my new favorites. i just love the combination of a beautiful site and beautiful handmade products. you can click here to view ashes and milk’s full collection and shop online. [thanks, nikko!]

one of the areas in which i wish i had more expertise is japanese design. there are so many fantastic designers and stores coming from tokyo and beyond- but sadly my range of local contacts is rather limited. so i was thrilled to hear from rumi nagata this morning. rumi works at the uber-chic tokyo stationery store, winged wheel. winged wheel just recently opened an english online store (yes!) so you can shop from their selection of beautiful, simple paper goods. this new animal series is my favorite of the lot- each one is letterpressed onto a 100% cotton card and available in a set of 6 for $15. click here to check out their collection online.

also- d*s (as well as AT and some other fantastic sites) was featured in the ny times today. thanks so much to penelope green for giving me the opportunity to showcase some of my favorite artists in the market right now. it’s always so great to see indie designers in the mainstream news. click here for the full piece (each blog’s profile and product choices are on the left)

i’ve got to get over to this shop this weekend- i’m loving this incredible gallery wall of artwork at brooklyn’s fact and fancy. eric at the flea tipped me off and now i’m planning my sunday around a trip here. click here for more information and directions to fact and fancy.

yesterday i decided to treat myself to a few hours off and hopped on the subway to go visit one of my favorite shops in manhattan: hable construction. i’m not a big manhattan shopper most of the time (i tend to stick to brooklyn and web shops) but hable is an indulgence i make a few times a year for special occasions or days when i need a little pick-me-up. yesterday amy was in the shop and she was kind enough to let me hang out and snap pictures of all of my favorite aspects of the shop. in addition to all the gorgeous hable patterns, the shop has a fantastic selection of vintage and antique goods ranging from jewelry to tableware. i also loved the beautiful hand-carved wooden birds (made from the burned roots of ponderosa pines) by artist cleve lewis- each one had its own personality and for only $14-$17 a piece they’d be a fun little summer gift for friends throwing a house party or backyard bbq.

in addition to lovely home goods, hable always inspires me to think about decorating in different ways. the shop is full of tiny, expertly curated collections of odds and ends and always makes me want to suddenly take up horseshoe or cowbell collecting. i loved the wall of horseshoes and then saw the hable fabric-covered horseshoes for sale in the back- it was tough not to walk out of the store with one of those.

i did let myself indulge a bit and i walked out with a storage container in deep purple shades (for my closet reorganization i have planned) and one of the beautiful handmade shell-pincushions tucked away in a red display cabinet. these little hand-sewn beauties are made by a woman in texas and each one is a tiny work of art. i don’t sew so i decided to use my shell as a special display/holder for my engagement ring. now it feels like it finally has someplace special enough to rest each night.

you can visit the hable store at 117 perry street (between hudson and greenwich) in manhattan’s west village, or visit them online right here. if you’re in the nyc area i really suggest stopping by- this shop is definitely one of my top three favorite shops in the whole city and it’s a real treat to visit- you feel like you’re stopping into the apartment of a super cool friend who’s got a great eye for arranging. thanks to amy and jen for letting me stop by and take photos!

if you’d like to see the rest of my photos from yesterday’s hable trip click here for the full slide show on flickr.

architect turned vintage shop owner cara piscitello of designlab shop just opened an online version of her bellingham, washington shop. full of great vintage finds arranged by category (office, home, kitchen, dining, patio), designlab shop’s website is a great source for vintage tableware and odds and ends like a faux bois metal box (great for keeping work bills and invoices safe). click here to check out cara’s online shop….

i don’t typically post about shops with an e-commerce presence but i was so excited about this new store that i decided to make an exception. floral designer pam zsori just opened her first brick-and-mortar shop, ink & peat, in portland oregon! there will be a grand opening party in early september but until then, here is a sneak peek into the new shop and all the beautiful floral (and home accessory) offerings that pam will have. i’ve used pam to send flowers to friends in the area and have never been disappointed- she’s got quite a way with flowers. if you’re in the portland area you can visit ink & peat at 3808 n. williams avenue (suite 126) portland, oregon 97227 (503-282-6688) or online right here. congrats to pam on her gorgeous new shop!