Did anyone even care about groundhog day before Bill Murray came along? Uhh… no. This little movie has done more good for the second of February than even a million weather forecasting mammals combined. Groundhog Day has been in my top 10 since elementary school, so three cheers for best darn holiday in February.

alarm clock $12, rosebud boutonniere $2, top hat $58, microphone $104, I’m sorry, try as you might, you cannot buy a real groundhog online, briefcase $206, scarf $65.

If I had to relive a single day on repeat, I hope I’d get Bill Murray by my side, preferably in small town Pennsylvania- replete with diners, snowstorms and donuts. Do you think it’s too late to put out a call for a hand sculpted snow statue of my face this evening? Mr. Murray? Are you out there? -amy m.

wall clock $33, cake stand $36, sugar pourer $3.50, napkin dispenser $10, donuts, creamer $5, wooden chair $70, table $188, diner mug $5.

a few months ago after brunch at buttermilk channel, i picked up a great vintage letter opener at general & fine. i’ve been hunting for more great letter openers ever since, so i thought it would be fun to round up the most affordable options for today’s under $100 column. i was surprised to see there weren’t as many stylish letter openers on the market as i was hoping, but i managed to find over 20 that would make my wishlist. however, if you’re up for a little bit of searching, ebay, 1st dibs, and ruby lane are full of unique letter openers that might be worth a few extra dollars (or a little bit of auction fun). i hope you enjoy the roundup!

*thanks to everyone on twitter for the extra tips last night!

[image above, clockwise from top left: gecko opener $95, vintage opener $55, customized heart letter opener $41 for 100, benbecula opener $95, bodo sperlein horse leg opener $75, match letter opener $57, spike letter opener $15, gingko letter opener $30, zeus lighting bolt opener (just got the price this morning, sadly it's €155, sorry!), @ sign opener $25.16, whale opener $20.25, ruler + letter opener $25, brio opener $89, saw letter opener $15, fox letter opener $24.95, kikkerland letter opener $4.95, girotondo letter opener $36]

CLICK HERE for the rest of the roundup after the jump!

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i’m thrilled to have meg touborg of design investors llc back for another wonderful biz ladies post. meg has already shared her tips for forming successful biz partnerships, making a strategic biz plan, and successful biz dev, and today she’s touching on a topic that i have been dying to tackle for a long time: creating a compelling work environment.

whether you’re a small or big business ownership, it’s incredibly important to know how to create a healthy, professional, and enjoyable work environment for your team. meg’s advice is spot on, easy to follow and perfect for any type of business. thank you again to meg for sharing her excellent advice!

CLICK HERE for the full post after the jump!

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image sources: death by 1000 papercuts & visit orange county

today we’re heading west for our weekly city guide- all the west to sunny orange county, california. when i think of orange county, my brain sadly cuts to an image of these ladies, so i was thrilled to hear from costa mesa local (and designer/artist) aileen holmes. aileen is walking us through her favorite art & design spots in over 15 areas of orange country and proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that orange county is far, far more than the oc and “real” housewives. thanks to aileen for sharing her favorite spots in orange county! as always, feel free to add your favorite spots in the comment section below. the oc is a big area so i’m sure there are some great spots people will want to add.

CLICK HERE for the full guide after the jump!

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the lovely sara jensen of lost bird found recently completed a series of melamine plates designed by herself and a small group of talented artists that include deadly squire, julia rothman and oh joy. each artist designed their own 10″ plate, which will be packaged with the other three designs and sold for $54 (the set includes 4 plates total). the best part about this new series, aside from the lovely artwork on the plates, is that 100% of the profit from these plates will be donated to oxfam’s efforts in haiti. whether you’ve donated to haitian relief efforts already or not, this is a wonderful way to buy something beautiful and give back at the same time. click here for more information and to buy the set of 4 plates from lost bird found, deadly squire, julia rothman and oh joy studio.

[image above: deadly squire (left) and oh joy (right)]

[image above: julia rothman (left) and lost bird found (right)

good morning! my stomach is already starting to rumble as i finish coding today’s guest post from the bbb craft sisters. today they’re turning their crafty focus to food-related gifts/projects. they’re sharing ideas for homemade granola, teas, pickling supplies and potted planting gitft so click here to check them out on the guest blog. granola for breakfast is sounding really good right about now…

today i’m thrilled to to welcome nate duval to the growing family of artists who’ve been kind enough to donate their time and artwork to the d*s desktop wallpaper project. i’m a huge fan of nate’s work so i was thrilled when he agreed to create a design for february 2010. in addition to the digital downloads for this month (with and without calendar) nate will be adapting his design to a simpler 18″ x 24″ hand-printed screenprint as well, to coincide with today’s launch. so click here for more information on nate’s work and to check out the print! (thanks, nate!)

*UPDATE: the date snafu has been fixed! the correct calendar versions are uploaded and good to go!

CLICK HERE to download the free february wallpaper from nate duval (or to download non-calendar versions of our previous designs).

we were saddened to learn of the death of illustrator nick dewar. we felt so privileged to get a little peek into his life last year. our thoughts are with his friends and family.

living in 700- square foot bungalow in northeast los angeles, prop stylist and decorator emily henson has had to be particularly clever to create a space that can accommodate all 8 bodies who call it home: emily and husband erick, a tv editor; 2 little people – johnny, 7 and ella, 10; 2 french bulldogs – gracie and steve; and 2 cats – betty and cub. emily’s planning on adding to their ranks – soon there will be laying hens in the backyard! a big believer in the importance of personal touches, nearly every inch of the home has seen emily’s paintbrush or been customized in someway. emily’s motto is “creativity before consumption” – and it’s a philosophy she extends to her professional work with clients. working to find ways to use paint or reupholstering before hitting the shops. when it is time to shop, emily prefers thrift store and flea market finds – nothing too precious though. after all in this home, there are two dogs and two cats! and occasionally, the kids will strap on roller-skates and sail through the house! (for more of emily’s house, check out the flickr set!) {thanks emily and family – both human and furry! and thanks to john vicent talay for the photos!} -amy a.

[photo above: I used to work as a Display Coordinator for Anthropologie. For a window display I spent about two weeks hand-making these birdhouses – cutting cardboard, painting them, and gluing fabric on about 100 of them. I was reluctant to throw them away when the display came down so, with permission, I took them home. I am not a painter! But I gave it a shot with this tree just so the birdhouses could have a home. The colors in the room are drawn from the bedding, which I made from a vintage sheet and the pillows from an Ikea sheet. The bed itself is a mini-bunk made by my brilliant husband from good old 2’ x 4’ ‘s and plywood! They started as side-by-side beds, then after a few months we made them into bunks to get a bit of floor space back.]

[photo above left: My son is a prolific artist and is literally always making something from morning to night. He occasionally sits at this desk (although mostly we trip over his projects all around the house). I borrowed the idea of books in a birdcage from my very creative mother-in-law. I was going to hang it from the ceiling, but for now it sits on a stool with the current favorites inside. photo above right: My kids love to collect stuff, so it gathers on this dresser. I’m a fan of a bit of kid clutter if it’s sort of orderly. Johnny collects tiny buildings for his vast family of imaginary friends to live in (Apparently there are hundreds of them and they all have names). Ella and I thought it was funny to put the dolls in the birdcage. Sensitive Johnny is not so amused, because they have feelings you know. And of course, more birdhouses!]

[Photo above: our living room changed dramatically about 6 months ago when I painted my wood floors white. Some people think it’s crazy, but for me it’s a million times better than our ebony stained floors before. Yes, they never look perfect, but the amount of light that is reflected throughout is so uplifting, I don’t care about scuffs here and there. The sofa is from Urban Outfitters found on craigslist, the mirror is from Revival, this great vintage place in LA. In the course of a week, I found the trash can (to hold magazines), tissue box, tray, and flower candle holders at different thrift stores – they all look like they were meant to be together!]

[Photo above: the kitchen was the first room we worked on when we bought the house and it was pretty grotty. A very tight budget meant getting creative. Someone gave us the subway tile (you can see we still have some finishing to do!), the butcher block countertop was Ikea, the cabinet doors came off and everything got a coat of paint. I like to collect interesting glassware and dishes so the open cabinets serve as display as well as storage. We’ve got some molding to replace around the door, but I actually like the way it looks unfinished.]

CLICK HERE for the rest of Emily’s sneak peek after the jump!

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