Simple Pleasures

Fruit in season. The berries are beginning to finish up — now I'm looking forward to pears, one of my faves.

(photo by Ditte Isager via it's mary ruffle)

Mister Finch

These amazingly lovely insects are the creation of the wonderful Mister Finch, who makes each one by hand from both new and rescued and/or recycled fabrics, though he prefers to use older materials not only for ethical reasons but because he feels "they have a story built in from the beginning." The beautiful detail and workmanship in his pieces are a tribute to his background in editorial fashion prop making — he's worked on everything from editorial jewelry to wedding bouquets. Mister Finch's insects are available exclusively through Atelier Abigail Ahern in London, but you can purchase other lovely creations by him from his etsy shop here. I'd love to display one of these in a shadow box or bell jar — or wear one as an accessory!

Sponsor Spotlight

Thinking you'd like something to brighten your wardrobe for fall? Connie over at 100 Applegate is having another fantastic giveaway! Visit the blog and leave a comment before midnight on September 6 for your chance to win this lovely Sterling Flower Necklace on an 18 inch diamond cut chain — a value $115.00.





Kareem of the Suitcase has just released a selection of his wonderful images as large canvas prints over at Art Traffic — they're available in limited editions of 10 and 25 (depending on the print) and are signed, numbered and ready to hang. You'll find them here.

Monday

Hope Monday starts your week off with a quiet moment of beauty.


(lovely photo from merriment events, via la belle vie)

Black, White & Red

I love how this home — first featured in Vogue Living and photographed by Mikkel Vang — really reflects the personality of its owner. Stylish but very liveable.

(via Mikkel Vang's website)

Design Canada

The A.J. Ceramic and Glass Pestle and Mortar is an elegant modern take on a very old design — and so lovely that grinding spices would be a pleasure rather than a chore. Available from Modern Karibou.

Weekend

Happy weekend! Hope you're able to get away from it all, whether it's to the cottage, the local park — or in the backyard with good company (or a good book).


(photo from sweet paul via it's mary ruffle)

Groovy Inspiration

This lovely cottage in North Jutland Gerå is the happy result of some idle reading. Two summers ago, architect Terkel Bundgaard and his wife were in Ålbæk Port on the Jutland coast, waiting for the wind and rain to die down before setting out for home in their Coronet boat. Having nothing else to do but wait for better weather, the couple went exploring in a flea market located in a barn, where they found and bought two bags full of BO BETTER magazines from the 60s, planning to read them on the boat while they waited for the storm to pass. Inspired by the simplicity of architecture and the confident use of color that they found in the magazines, they decided to apply it to the renovation of the family cottage. Originally purchased by Terkel's parents in the 70's and recently passed on to him, the property had been allowed to run wild — when Terkel and his wife first drove out to view the land it was so overgrown they missed it at first — but its setting was a large part of what they found appealing about it. It worked perfectly with Terkel's concept of a cottage as a simple shelter to protect oneself against inclement weather — the rest of the time is spent outside. So during the renovation large glass facades were added make the transition from inside to outside almost seamless — whether you sit inside or out, you have the same view out over nature. Now they leave behind the noise and traffic of the city, spending their summers relaxing amongst the trees in their lovely retro modern retreat. More here. Via Bo Bedre.


(photos by Andreas Mikkel Hansen)

Smile

A 1967 ad for Hip Pocket Records. Groovy!


(from wax poetics, via things magazine)

Sweetness and Light

For some reason this sweet little dog reminds me of Audrey Hepburn — something to do with the elegant pose and chic outfit, I think.


(photo via arthound)

Buffet

This week's links. Enjoy.

In the Palm of Your Hand: Dexterity Puzzles
Jessica Helfand looks at the history of dexterity games — "the essential hand-eye challenge of rolling a ball into a hole or tilting a capsule through a maze." Fun stuff — and be sure to check out the slide show, too. Via Design Observer.

Political Playbook
Lapham's Quarterly has compiled a fascinating little list of the athletic prowess of political leaders — for instance, Mary Queen of Scots was reported to have played golf just days after the murder of her husband Lord Darnley (yikes).

Top Ten Graphic Design Books
Patrick Cramsie picks ten excellent books for the thinking graphic designer.

Where the Creative Class Jobs Will Be
Richard Florida writes in The Atlantic: "More than 35 million people are currently employed in creative class work in fields like science, technology, and engineering; business, finance, and management; law, health care, and education; and arts, culture, media, and entertainment. The creative class makes up roughly a third of total employment and accounts for more than half of all wages and salaries in America." Find out where the best (U.S. based) places for the creative class will be in the future.

Downloadable Circle Dot Box
Print out a little gift box in a great modern circle dot design, courtesy of the fab Don't Eat the Paste. Via how about orange.

Gourmet Food Trucks
Interesting NPR story about a recent boom in professional chefs starting their own food truck businesses. Sounds delicious!

When to Use i.e. in a Sentence
The Oatmeal has a fun little visual guide to the correct usage of i.e. (and e.g.) in a sentence. A painless way to brush up on your grammar!

Ultimate Sandwich Recipes
Saveur magazine has a scrumptious collection of sandwich recipes that are positively inspiring — I'm definitely going to be trying out a few of these for upcoming lunches (or suppers).


(lovely photo by Heidi Lerkenfeldt via desire to inspire)

Playing Card Prints

Love these great playing card prints from the etsy shop Petek Design. So fun.

Moments of Beauty

Love the colour and movement in this image — so beautiful.


(lovely photo by Erik Madigan, via Miss Jenn O. on pinterest)

Hsinping Pan

I'm in the mood for happy colour today, and can't think of anything cheerier than the work of illustrator Hsinping Pan. Originally from Taiwan, Hsinping now makes her home in California, where she works as an animator and illustrator. The prints shown here are available from her lovely etsy shop, hsingping.

Simple Pleasures

Sitting on the dock on a warm summer's day, letting your feet dangle lazily in the water.


(photo via we heart it)

Art Display at Home

Douglas Friedman for Domino

James Merrell for Domino

Justin Bernhaut for Domino

Paul Costello for Domino

Living Room Picture Wall by Lillian Day

Upstairs Studio by VisuaLingual

I was recently having a look at Art Hound’s Favs I, a wonderful Flickr gallery of art in real homes. I've picked a couple of my faves — and have added a few more inspiring spaces that display art from the Domino archives, too. Via arthound.

Monday

Hope that Monday brings with it something playful — like these sweet egg cosies — to start off your week with a smile.

(photo by Morten Holtum)

A Rustic Retreat

An old barn on Gun Nowak's property has a new lease of life as a stunning guest house, offering both space and privacy to those lucky enough to stay there. Simply organized inside, with one large room and two bedrooms, it's furnished with garage sale finds, Ikea sofas — plus a lovely Gustavian style bed that Gun brought from Sweden. Definitely an idyllic place to stay when visiting friends! More photos here on Sköna hem.

(photos by Paul Brissman)