this fun before & after project comes from daniel genser and his wife devon. daniel had a collection of small, vintage suitcases and decided to use one of them for an office project. in need of a push-pin board, daniel and devon attached one of their suitcases to the office wall, attached a rubber band (to hold file folders in) and it now serves double-duty as an office organizer and pin-board. so fun! click here for more images. [thanks, daniel and devon!]

[have a before & after you'd like to share on d*s? just shoot me an email right here with your images!]

one of my favorite artists of all time is scad alumni, stephanie howard. i finally gave in and saved up for one of her “shag queen” drawings (my wedding present to myself) when i was in savannah and ever since i’ve been on the lookout for artists who work in a similar pen and ink style.

so i was happy to hear from tiana about a show of artist roz liebowitz’s work. it reminds me so much of what i love about stephanie’s work, and has the same vintage mood and feel to it. i was particularly taken with roz’s ‘lena‘ drawing above, but they’re all quite impressive. click here to check out more of roz’s work at sears peyton.

designer timothy liles who will be debuting this fun chalk pendant at the designboom booth, #2266. they’re the perfect accompaniment to his crayon rings.

designer alissia melka-teichroew of amt design (click here for a tour of alissia’s home) is debuting several pieces at this year’s icff. alissia’s lonely hangers (above) were derived from cup handles that were broken off their cups. they can be used in living rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms, anywhere. the lonely hangers will be shown at designboom goes ny local, details here.

i love alissia’s new “jointed jewelery”. this work in progress was inspired by a simple ball joint- but created with advanced selective laster sintering, which makes it possible to create a ball joint connection in one piece. you can visit alissia’s jewelry in person at 400 years later- CITE goes dutch.

last but least for alissia is a new series of textiles called taped table linen (which will be shown at the 400 Years Later exhibit + NY local/designboom. these linens feature a pattern drawn using tape, which mimics, “the old-school way of patterning a woven damask”. alissia’s collection will include tea towels, a table cloth and napkins, and will be shown at icff in not only these grey shades, but in bright colors.

beautiful new wallpapers from the team at madison and grow. check out their new “martha’s vineyard collection” on display at icff this year, booth # 835.

recently, we’ve been exploring the amazing selection of loose leaf teas at our local hippie coop grocery store (oh, san francisco….). We’ve been collecting little samples of calming herbals, invigorating blacks, and exotic mixes of every plant and herb you can imagine. taking a cue from grandpa’s garage workshop, we put together a simple organized shelf where we can hang and display our current selection of teas and the cute accoutrements that go along with them.

happy tea time!
derek & lauren

CLICK HERE for the full instructions after the jump!

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i’ve been watching a lot of stop-motion films lately and i’m completely smitten with this short piece commissioned by the AIGA in maine for use as an interstitial between speakers at their compost modern conference in maine this month. the film is less than two minutes long, so if you need a sweet visual time-out for the afternoon, this is a great excuse to pull on your headphones and watch something lovely for a minute or two (i love the way cupcake liners turn into growing flowers). thanks, brooke!

[film by goodfocus, music by au revoir simone, art directed and co-produced by beth taylor]

i caught on a little too late to the idea of unloading my cds, but that’s okay because most of my cds are scratched, dented, labeled with my name (camp!), and otherwise destroyed. yesterday my boyfriend actually found one covered with melted candy….oops! but even if i can’t sell them, i am determined to have some use come out of my trashed alt rock collection. the great thing about these recycled cd case coasters is that their size allows them to double as trivets. big enough for mugs, plates, and pitchers, these are useful indoors and outdoors and cost very little time or money to make. i see a group of four or six of these tied with a pretty bow as the perfect hostess gift. have fun!! – kate

CLICK HERE for the full project instructions after the jump!

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i thought it would be fun to kick off diy day with this fun project from rebekah at orangepoppy. rebekah created a beautiful message board using an old window and a linen fabric with appliqued flowers. it’s such a great project with endless ways to customize the final look based on your own personal style. throw in some dry erase markers and you’re good to go.

CLICK HERE for the full instructions from rebekah after the jump!

read more …

paper and ceramics have to be two of my favorite areas of design, so i’m psyched to share some images from jean at eieio (click here to check our her gorgeous oakland home), who will be showing new metallic ink gift wrap and gift boxes at the nss, booth #1736.

i’m also happy to share some images from the museum of art and design in nyc. the mad museum recently opened a show called “object factory: the art of industrial ceramics at the museum of arts and design” that examines the creative collaborations between contemporary designers and some of the world’s oldest porcelain manufacturers. the MAD is one of my favorite museums in the city so this is definitely a show to check out if you’re in town. details are right here. [image above: 'spanish lace' by edyta cieloch]

[image above: 5.5 Designers, Ensemble Cremiers Coulage No. 2 et No.4]

[image above: Ami Drach, Dov Ganchrow ‘+/-‘ Hot Plate’]

i can safely file all these designs under “things i’d like to own in the not so distant future”. first up are these beautiful gift wrap cloths from chewing the cud. inspired by japanese furoshiki (i collect these types of cloths with a vengeance), viola’s new textiles feature graphics that speak to the idea of giving luck and wisdom (with graphics like 4-leaf clovers, trees and elephants). you can check out her new designs in person at the nss, booth #2158 (or right here on the web).

next up is this beautiful new “color wheel” print from present & correct. this limited edition, hand-printed poster is available right here for $23.