gone fishin'

ok, not really, since the idea of putting a hook in something makes me squirm, but i'm leaving tomorrow morning for a much needed summer vacation. ac and i are heading to my family's house in virginia beach until next tuesday. so, d*s will be closing shop and coming back on wednesday morning. sorry i didn't post much of anything today, my posts for apartment therapy took more time than i thought. plus i'm running things at work solo for the next week or two so i've been bogged down more than i normally am. anyway, i hope everyone has a wonderful fourth of july! i'll see you all on wednesday. have a safe and happy holiday. xoxo, d*s

more cupcakes for everyone....

ever felt wasteful using paper cupcake tin liners? well, kaiser bakeware has the solution- resuable (up to 1,000 times) cupcake tin liners! available in a pack of 6 for $10, they make baking a little bit more earth friendly. although, i really do love all those fun patterned cupcake liners...available online right here.

precidio objects

ok, i admittedly had nothing to do with finding these guys, although i wish i had. i swear, i'm always one step behind the coolness that is velocity art and design. john of velocity mentioned these guys and i've been trying to track them down ever since. they're going to be up on velocity's online store soon (correct me if i'm wrong, john!), but until then, you can get some more info on them right here...

precidio objects is an ontario based distributor of modern housewares. i'm wild about their "sum" line by helen kerr. "sum" is a series of vessels and containers that have about a gazillion different uses. made of materials like melamine, acrylic and silicone, the line has lids that can serve as plates, and vessels that can double as vases, bowls, pencil-holders, do-dads containers and and endless amount of other options. The range costs anywhere from $3-$24, so it's certainly not hard to bring "sum" modern style into your home (har har). you can get more information and retail details right here (i'll let you know when they're up on velocity's site).

perry lancaster

perry lancaster is a british artist now based in the sunny south of france who makes the most beautiful small scale sculptures. his work is so beautiful i really want the pictures to speak for themselves. you can see the full collection and find more info on his work right here. [thanks, claire!]

ornament and crime

it's been way too long since i posted something on rena tom. i can't believe it, what was i thinking? i've been guest posting over at apartment therapy all week so it must have drained some brain power. anyway, time's up and here comes the "ornament and crime" (fall 2005) collection from my favorite jewelry-makin brooklynite, ms. rena tom.

rena's fall collection is full of trusty standbys (delicate flower beading themes and great big chunks of wood and onyx with dangly strings of gold), but makes a great big gorgeous leap into engraved and patterned metalwork. her "honeycomb" pieces are simply gorgeous and mark a wonderful new direction for ms. tom. i'm always a huge fan of her simple wood pieces (love love love the duchess necklace), but these new metal pieces add a great sense of progression to her collection- it's so fun to watch rena try out new materials and methods.

you can browse and shop rena's new "ornament and crime" collection online right here.

coasters

the boys of variegated passed these fantastic coasters on to me this weekend...thanks so much, guys. dinner-ware is a fantastic little design studio that makes coasters (marble and cork), trivets and tables. there is a series of 12 patterns that you can choose to put on one of the above products. i'm keen on the cork coasters in the abstract, animal and split flowers patterns. super cute and fairly affordable ($30 for 4 coasters, $25 for a trivet). available online at dinner-ware.com.

pen and paper

i love line drawings. i'm sort of nuts about them. it was the one thing i couldn't do well as an art major, so of course, i love me a good line drawing. ac and i currently sleep under a framed one by sleepy cow's kate sutton (love her work to pieces). these pieces are by chris bettig of the mountain label. i posted about his show last week, which i hear is going smashingly, so i wanted to share some pieces he did for it. these are called "animals and minerals". anyway, just wanted to share...

cover it up

i like these padded laptop covers at kate's paperie. yes, they lack the strap that would make them really useful and handy, but if you're just looking for something to prevent your laptop from being scratched by crazy cats (like me) or getting spilled on, these are the ticket. cute, poppy colors and patterns at $40 a pop. yes, not the most practical thing in the world (no strap to carry), but it's fun to look at. available in an ipod form too ($30)...but i'll have to say, i've been ok with not having to talk about or be attacked by massive amounts of ipod covers lately...

beach bunnies

ac and i just got back from ocean grove, nj last night and i just wanted to thank everyone for their suggestions and tips! we had a WONDERFUL time and couldn't have enjoyed our weekend getaway more if we tried. we stayed at the majestic, which was fanastic (karen and les were a trip), and ate at both captain jack's (loved it) and moonstruck (our food was just so-so there). we drove home tanned and rested and just wanted to thank everyone for suggesting places to eat, shop (LOVED kitch n kaboodle, i bought a super cool old milk bottle to use as a carafe) and stay. xo, d*s

ooh! don't forget!

beach bum

so, ac and i are off to ocean grove, nj this weekend to try and get some much needed sun. hopefully we'll do nothing but bake in the sun on bright beach towels all day and eat ice cream until we're forced to move to the pool to cool down. i'll be back on monday morning- hope you all have a wonderful weekend. thank you again for all the new jersey shore suggestions, they were a huge help! xo, d*s

animal lover

oops, i missed these in the "new" section at velocity. salvor, designers of those super cute animal pillows, now make kids t-shirts to match. my favorites are the squirrel, pidgeon and fawn. and what kid doesn't like animal shirts? $32 bucks a pop at velocity online.

whats new, velocity?

i'm the biggest velocity fan (happy late birthday velocitygirl!), so i always love checking their "what's new" section...this week they added a great set of area tables including a bedside table with drawer, a high bench and a long low table. each one is made of curved plywood with an oiled walnut veneer and ranges from $280-$330. available online at velocity art and design.

mono y mono

mono's filio collection is really great tea service series. consisting of a teapot, warmer, cup and sugar/creamer set, it's a great way to add a little modernity to your morning brew. the components start at about $100 and go up to $130 for the teapot itself, but i think it's a nice piece worth investing in if tea is really your thing. myself? i'm a molo tea lantern girl, but this might be just right for someone out there. available at the magazine online.

roll with it baby

i love the rollwagen from mueller moebel. not exactly cheap ($300+), but man do i love anything in hot pink and red. i'd actually prefer a model in rubber rather than solid painted steel, but this one would do mighty fine if i could find the dough. available at the magazine.

tableware

i'm becoming sort of a cooking and tableware freak, so i was psyched to check out the magazine's tableware collection. among my favorites: oven, dishwasher and microwave safe origo bowls (love the colorful stripes, so summery); asta servingware, rosendahl flatware and the colorful stelton vacuum jugs. too cute. more info here.

van gregory + norton

i love this finial from van gregory + norton (it reminds me of white coral), a brooklyn-based curtain hardware design studio. their work is carried in showrooms across the country, and if you're in atlanta, try jerry pair fine furnishings, san francisco try shears and window and in ny, carlton v at the d&d building.

marvelous molo

the innovative design team of stephanie forsythe and todd macallen, also known as molo design, is at it again with some great new additions to their existing lines...

after receiving requests from people who wanted to use their paper softwall at work or for exhibits, molo is in the process of perfecting a process by which things can be hung off of the softwall, for mulitple purporses. they are also beginning to have their first successes at making a textile softwall – made from a water-resistant and tear-resistant non-woven textile. neither are completely finished, but when they are, look out! these guys are unstoppable and i'm so thrilled that the industry has such innovative players like molo.

not content to stop at updating the softwall, molo has added two new pieces to their award-winning float line: a gorgeous martini glass and a small version of their elegant tea lantern. the float martini glasses preserve the classic shape of the martini bowl while harmonizing beautifully with the aesthetics of the full line of float barware. like all of molo's pieces, the martini glasses are handcrafted from the highest quality german borosilicate glass. the small tea latern, like it's larger cousin, is a beautifully innovative way to enjoy your relaxing cup of tea in style. both will be in stock and ready to sell next week. you can contact molo for purchasing information.

faces faces everywhere

i love these little vases, they remind of a game i used to play where each person had a little stand with people on it and you had to guess who each person had by saying things like, "does your person have red hair? brown eyes? a hat?" (does anyone remember what this was called??). anyway, these "genetic tale" vases are an older piece from alessi that are currently carried at the magazine. i know they're not new, but they're oh so cute. each one is a small porcelain flower vase decorated with tiny blue vases. i just like the idea of a whole town of people taking care of my flowers. $45 at the magazine.