japan and its cuteness

good lord, these matchbook covers from japan are the CUTEST things i've ever seen.
i have a feeling that if i ever went to japan i probably wouldn't ever want to come back. if it is full of adorable stuff like this, i could stay there forever and not even miss the good ol' us of a. seriously.

and this is a package for biscuits. biscuits! since when did biscuits become so arty? i love it!!



[via the dieline, a blog about package design]

a few random unrelated things i'm loving

no words needed. i love this.
[via supermundane, via fffound]


and this made me smile this morning. :)

[via nova clutch culture space]


and this is something i wish i could see in person. each note has something written on it.
[also from nova clutch]

enjoy!

sufjan stevens

i think i am in love with sufjan stevens.

archigram

i have always been inspired by artwork that i sort-of fantastical-- the kind that looks as if it could sort-of be based in reality but has these elements of unreality that are so clearly rooted in somebody's intensely imaginative vision that it just stops me in my tracks.
archigram's work is does that for me: i am floored by this work.

here is a little info about archigram, in case you want to know more:

"ARCHIGRAM dominated the architectural avant garde in the 1960s and early 1970s with its playful, pop-inspired visions of a technocratic future after its formation in 1961 by a group of young london architects – warren chalk, peter cook, dennis crompton, davd greene, ron herron and michael webb." (excerpt from design museum website)

i think this is leading to a new feature on my blog.... sort-of like an art history feature in a way, so i can learn (and thus you can learn, too!) about inspiring artists or movements from the past. there are so many artists from the past that are worth knowing more about-- how did they live? how did they work? who were their inspirations?

i think it would also be inspiring to see how these artists/movements have inspired artists in the present. like a pas & present kind of thing. ooh, i'm so excited now!!

keep you eye out for this new column....

today i am loving...

WHALES!

i'm working on a painting with a whale in it right now, so it got me wondering what other whale art was out there in internet-land. i'm in love with the piece above by orange willow. love it. may have to buy it. then, when i popped over to etsy, what should i see on the front page? this! another whale, this one by eggman studios:

and this one by lizette greco made me laugh and laugh.... i would love to see this sitting out on a pier somewhere!

then there's this one from all-time favorite artist, renee (aka: wolfie and the sneak):


i'll post my version as soon as it's done!

i am loving...

these fonts from da font:

most of their fonts are free to download, and i could browse them for hours. now i want to make a new header for my blog with one of these fun new fonts that i found this morning!

dwell magazine

yesterday i received an issue of dwell magazine in the mail, and boy was i pleased!

i tend to shy away from magazines focused on home design, because i do not yet own a home, i do not yet have a lot of money with which i could renovate or build a home, and i can easily head down that spiral of self-pity because the people in the magazines always seem to have such perfect, cool lives.

dwell exceeded all my expectations yesterday afternoon as i sat at the kitchen table
reading page after page.

first off, i loved the fun mix of great photographs and creative illustration.



the magazine does not feel stuffy or pretentious-- instead, it feels fun and fresh; something that can appeal to those seriously looking to renovate or build a new home, or someone like me who is looking for some inspiration, and some ideas for the day when i can finally purchase my own home.

next, i loved the wide variety within dwell's pages. it is not just a magazine about home design. it encompasses so much more. i felt it gave attention to many parts of the design world:

for example, while praising the return of hand-lettering in the design world, they, in fact, had some illustrations with hand-lettered type as part of their features.


{this is a book that i want badly. i'm hoping to receive it for christmas. :) }

{this is part of an ad for jen bekman's gallery in nyc. the drawing is by kate bingaman burt, who just had a show at rare device in san francisco!}

and they had an article on alex steinweiss, the man responsible for the idea of creative album covers.


green building was also of importance, and i liked the eco-friendly carpet options provided in the magazine, as well as a feature on a solar-powered house in new zealand.

i felt they had a nice mix of indoor and outdoor spaces, homes and public institutions:

like the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston
(this is not a photo of the ICA, but a photo of boston from the magazine that i particularly liked)


and Flora Grubb Gardens in the Bay Area


and homes in minneapolis, puerto rico, and houston, texas.


all in all, i do believe i've become an enthusiastic reader of dwell magazine.

fire hydrants

i have always liked fire hydrants. while browsing keri smith's flickr page this morning, i saw this image of the yellow fire hydrant, which reminded me of this image that i took of a red fire hydrant, so that got me thinking about other fire hyrants, and there is an amazing variety of them in the world! here is a small sampling of my favorites from flickr:

{from cyclingbill2003}

{from pixel packing mama}

(from judeanpeoplefront}

*loving* the biobanger!

i've always had a thing against hand-painted cars. i'm not sure why- i think it has something to do with the fact that it usually looks like a really artistically untalented person went at it with some acrylic paint, and i don't know how they're not completely embarrassed to drive it around. that being said (sorry to anyone that has done this by the way..... don't take it personally, i'm just not a big fan!), i loooove this car. i love the elephant pointing his trunk at the vegetable oil "gas" tank, and i love that the folks that created it are driving it to rome. this is not a car to be embarrassed about driving around in! i love that they're promoting a more eco-friendly, gas-free car, all over europe.

check out more from candeo collective, the creators of this fine vehicle- they are all illustrators and pattern designers.

{via print & pattern}

cool artist... jane filer

i am loving these paintings by jane filer at center of the earth gallery in charlotte, nc. i love how whimsical and out of proportion they are. i always admire artists that can have such a child-like approach to their art (i mean that in the highest sort-of complimentary way!), because i think it's hard for our adult brains to see things that aren't "right" sometimes. that's the great thing about art. nothing is right or wrong. it just is.

jane filer, wherever you are, your work inspires me!

lighting from france

i really like these lamps by tair mercier (a french husband-wife company)....... for only $40, it's a steal! see more here at elsewares. (such a great site full of fun stuff!!)

books free: renting books

i think this is such a great idea. renting books like you can rent movies/DVDs with companies such as netflix. genius! learn more about books free right here.

bamboo in the kitchen, bamboo in the parlor

i am loving all the fun sustainable pieces for the home from branch. pictured are some of my favorites: bamboo utensils, sustainable forested birch or poplar bright red chairs, gorgeous off-kilter glass vases.... i could scoop them all up right now! visit the branch website right here to see all their other great designs.

molded cork laptop case

i am loving this laptop case made out of cork, by tom bihn. there's something about cork that i really love, and this is just a clever idea. so great!

{via pink shirts and car wrecks}

stitch (chicago)

whenever i may happen to visit chicago, i will be going to this store. stitch carries a bit of everything, from earrings to sheets to silk-screened tea towels by various international artists. check it out!

new blog discovery!

i just discovered wise craft, a great blog by blair peter in the pacific northwest.
this week, in honor of valentine's day, she is posting about things she loves in her life every day this week. what a sweet idea. check out her blog here.

valentine's day in the uk

i like these cards by paper chase in the uk. i got a christmas card from my aunt sue one year that was made by them, and it was flocked and gorgeous, so i can only imagine what these actually look like in person. i'm gathering ideas for my perfect valentine to make for ryan this year, and i better get on it! i only have nine more days...

i am loving... lite brite!

my friend kristen and i got this at a flea market for $7.50, and i can't believe someone got rid of it. it's still so much fun, and we're not even 8 years old anymore! now all i need is a rainbow brite doll and some blue mascara and i'll be living my childhood again.
the set came complete with mr.t patterns and everything. straight back to the 80s. what could be better than that?

i am loving... owls! (again)

[from forestprints (designer linda lye)]

[from mymy]

[from monsoon]

i was checking out print & pattern today and saw all these great little owls! i'm just crazy about owls, like i said a few days ago, so i'm pretty happy to see them all over the place. plus, print & pattern is one of my favorite blogs, so it's always a treat to see something i'm especially fond of.

i think i have a crush... on some drawings

i think suzy, the artist behind girly handwriting, must be truly marvelous. i've fallen immediately in love with her work, and i've even never seen it in person! her drawings and paintings are so quirky and odd and full of personality-- i would love to see her studio.

check out her awesome website here.