thank you [to you and you and you]

this post is dedicated to every single one of you reading this site. the second anniversary of d*s came and went this year (i didn't even notice!) and i just wanted to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for hanging out with us here and dishing on design, designers and even a little project runway. starting on tuesday (after labor day) i'll be launching a brand new feature on the site (along with a brand new podcast!) that i think will bring a fresh perspective to d*s and a ton of great new design. so, tune in on tuesday for a new feature, a new podcast and some more fun surprises along the way.

in the meantime i'll be posting highlights of this summer starting this afternoon through tomorrow evening: hot button posts, exciting trends and the good, bad and ugly of summer 2006. these posts will later be available on the left side of the blog as summer recaps. hopefully we can look back at seasons as we go along and see what was hot during the summer, fall and winter of 2006. maybe i'll even go back and organize 2004-2005. so, thank you again- these beautiful cards are from new york stationery studio blue ribbon design. run by nyc based designer kimberly driessen, blue ribbon design has a wonderful range of letterpressed cards for any occasion under the sun. i'm especially fond of the thank yous though...click here for more info. enjoy!

project runway: en francais?

not much to say about tonight's episode but i thought you guys might want to chat about it. should angela have gone home or is kayne's elvis look truly auf-worthy? i personally don't care for either of their looks, nor did i care for uli. i think her look is becoming a little stale for me. hopefully she'll change it up next week. i'm just sort of underwhelmed by the show. although it never hurts to film in paris- at least the city will be interesting? ps: could jeffrey just stop complaining for like 2 seconds? you won, shut up!

arcamita birdhouse

d*s reader maarit passed along these adorable houses by estonian design studio, arcamita. available in birdhouse and birdfeeder form, arcamita's nest was designed to accommodate, "common cavity-nesting birds such as chickadees, house sparrows, wrens, and swallows". made of european birch laminate, the nest birdhouse is weatherproofed by a high quality oil and composed entirely of natural elements. you can hang the house from a nail or screw mount it to a wall or post for a sturdier connection. a simple removable back panel makes cleaning a snap and well, it doesn't get much cuter than this. click here for more info on the arcamita nest birdhouse. [thanks maarit!]

charles and marie

marcus from charles and marie wanted to give d*s readers a little heads up about a fun new product they're carrying. starting this friday they'll be carrying these cute little helene lighting kit designed by katrin kuchenbecker and anke rabba from hamburg. the idea is that you can slide these pretty little vellum covers over any wine glass and then add a simple tea light for some lovely tabletop mood lighting. not a bad idea. sure beats those boring cream colored shades they have on tealights in restaurants. available via charles and marie starting this friday [i'll be recapping summer highlights on thursday and friday so i wanted to add this before we revisiting popular posts from may to august]

paint it yourself kits

print+pattern had a great piece yesterday on these cute little paint it yourself kits by uk company maisonette. available through the tate modern and maisonette, they're a fun way to spend a rainy day (like today). i'm just happy to see a diy paint kit that isn't kitschy and doesn't include a picture of a tiger or rainbow to color. more info right here. [via print+pattern]

tair mercier paris

tair mercier debuted some lovely new tablemats and lighting at the gift fair this year, but i was unable to get a good shot of this piece. thankfully they posted some new photos on their site so i could snag it while it was still up. tair's new log placemats come in a sepia and green tint that are perfect for faux log cabin dining. if you can't get to the cabin, try these guys on for size. they'll be available soon from tair mercier- click here for more info and to contact about direct purchasing (their current mats sell for $23 a piece). enjoy!

new from atypyk

new from the fabulous french boys at atypyk- cut cork table mats and cheerful dog rugs. these guys always design the most whimsical products that make me wonder if they don't have the world's best jobs. it would be so fun to sit around and design balloon mobiles and cheese soap all day...click here for more from atypyk. you can order by sending them an email. enjoy!

shine home

joy just covered some gorgeous lighting from shine home on her blog today. i'm loving the palomar table lamp and grace pendant. the name is just a bonus for me. click here for the full collection from shine home- they all have a nice retro touch to them. [ps: need a laugh? apparently my picture (an awful one at that) is supposed to entice people to buy advertising from the ny times online]

madeline weinrib atelier

this has certainly been a summer of patterns for me [speaking of which, this week we'll be recapping highlights of d*s this summer for those of you just returning from trips and summer vacations away from the computer]. and now kristina has passed me a link to designer and painter madeline weinrib, granddaughter of the founder of abc home (swoon) who just opened her own atelier on the 6th floor of the abc home building. now, aside from the fact that i could literally live inside that store, i'm really impressed with the quality and stitching technique of these pieces. after reading madeline's site i realized i had checked out these textiles the last time i popped in abc home. i'm really enjoying her ikat pillows and the "rain" pattern rug, but you really can't go wrong with any of them. so click here to see the full collection (these are from the amagansett collection) and click here for more info on abc home. enjoy! [via three layer cake via world of interiors]

moose australia

sometimes wonderful things just fall in your lap everything seems right with the world. yesterday i got an email from matt, the owner of a fantastic new shop in australia called moose. bursting with fantastic australian design, moose specializes in textiles, ceramics, jewelry and art. i spent a large chunk of yesterday sifting through the collection amazed at the stunning quality of the work. the best part is, moose ships stateside. so for those of you who don't live in australia, you can order away if you see something that you like. i was really taken with the ceramics of sophie milne and textiles by out to lunch. there's really something for everyone here (gorgeous jewelry), so click here to check it out. matt said to just shoot them an email for intl shipping costs. enjoy! [thanks, matt!]

lake cabin help?

just wanted to take a quick second to ask for advice from everyone out there. for those of you in the northeast, do you have any suggestions for good hotels, b&b's, cabins, anything in the northeast near mountains or lakes? ac and i are celebrating our three year anniversary and have been trying to find something anywhere in new york but seem to be out of luck. just wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions...we've tried mohonk and the lake placid lodge (something like this is perfect) but no luck on the fireplace or cabin. just thought i'd check with the northeast travelers among us...thanks!

coe & waito

every once in a while you stumble upon something really spectacular and wonder how you haven't heard of it before. last week i got an email from carly at coe & waito and was so floored to see their stunning collection of modern (affordable!) ceramics. instantly taken with their work (and the affordable price range) i had to find out more so i asked the lovely ladies of coe & waito a bit more about the studio and how they got started...

after meeting in the id program at the ontario college of art and design, alissa coe and carly waito discovered a mutual desire to make what they called "real things". they began exploring the processes of mold making and slip casting which lead to a collaborative thesis project bridging ceramics and industrial design. after graduation they found a small studio space in downtown toronto and the rest is now history. the coe & waito collection now includes functional tabletop items like cups and vases, as well as decorative pieces like the tiny birds and beautiful pinecones (with new pieces constantly being continually). noting the unique emotional attachments that people form with objects, alissa and carly may great attention to the details of their work. their production process is intuitive and careful, with simple forms and clean surfaces. glaze application is minimal, with most of the surface detail happening in the form of texture or enamel transfers which are designed, silk-screened, and applied by hand, by alissa and carly. currently their goods range from around $20-$100 (canadian) and are available right here and here. however, coe & waito also take custom orders and are open to exciting new ideas and exhibitions. you can find more information on coe & waito right here and see a slideshow of additional items right here. enjoy! [thanks so much alissa and carly!]

turning japanese

so many adorable things come from japan, but it always bums me out that it's nearly impossible to order them through their websites. print + pattern featured these gorgeous postcards from mocchi mocchi and i was instantly hooked. the combination of the colorful drawings and the wonderful texture of each postcard is just stunning. while some of these patterns are sold out, it turns out you can email mocchi mocchi and ask about having postcards mailed over here. several readers have emailed to say they had cards sent over, but to keep in mind that shipping can cost as much as the cards themselves. but i know that to some card lovers that may not be an issue so i figured i'd share them anyway. so, click here for more info. enjoy! [via print+pattern]

designspotter

designspotter always has fun euro links to fill my void now that husmusen is closed (sniff sniff). i'm loving these little mirrored wall decals and the lovely laser cut lamp. both pieces were produced by german company taschide and are available right here (email for rates and intl shipping charges). enjoy! [via poppytalk via designspotter]

port2port

maria's gorgeous butterfly cards just came in the mail this week- printed in metallics or a lovely purple/blue combo, these cards are just what the doctor ordered after a rainy weekend spent stuck inside at the beach. if you need a unique gift idea or just a way to make the card-lover in your life smile, check out maria's card of the month society- you get a new pack every month and they always seem to come just when i need a little pick me up. [thanks, mav!]

[ps: stay tuned- in september you'll be hearing a lot more from mav here at d*s...]

hanna werning

i was chatting with frida (of the late husmusen) about hanna werning yesterday and she mentioned some of these designs that i hadn't seen much about yet. everyone went nutty over the colorful werning posters but i'm loving the darker, richer side of werning's work. full of bold pattern and luxe accents, her latest collections of wallpaper (not posters but the real thing) and textiles go perfectly with the changing fall colors and switch from hot summer days to cool fall afternoons. the burgundy, black and red patterns would look beautiful with gold accents or some baroque detailing (if you haven't already had enough of baroque yet). or if you want to play down the richness pair them with a nice clean mid-century piece for something more minimal and scaninavian. you can click here (under news) to see more of hanna's latest work. thanks so much to frida for the tip! also, frida passed along this site that tracks scandinavian design- great find. [we're off for the last summer beach weekend- see you monday!]

arf arf

so cute. enough said. dog lamp from back4 uk via pan-dan. available right here for appx $57.

essenze

the crew at essenze new zealand had me over for a little studio tour on wednesday. i first saw essenze at their nyc debut at icff this year- i was really taken with their steam bent furniture, but it was really nice to see the full collection in person. essenze was founded by clare mora in order to honor the artists of new zealand and introduce their work to the rest of the world. according to essenze, new zealand's designers have developed a culture of innovation and resourcefulness due to their geographic isolation. each piece in the essenze collection really embodies the artists' commitment to quality, environmentally friendly manufacturing processes and the natural world around them. e one of essenze's most well-known designers is david trubridge, best known for his steam-bent plywood seating and lighting (they were a huge hit after icff). in addition to trubridge, designer susannah bridges creates beautiful ceramics from her studio in west auckland. there's plenty to see so click here for the full tour through the essenze studio. you can also click here for more information on essenze and to contact about pricing. [thanks to everyone at essenze for the lovely visit]

turquiose

turquoise's vanessa de vargas (better to known to some of you an editor of apartment therapy's LA blog) was sweet enough to give me a little heads up about the fantastic new shop she's opening in los angeles. vanessa had always dreamed of opening up a shop to house her gorgeous collection of custom vintage furniture and she'll now be opening up shop in venice beach's popular abbot kinney boulevard area. located in a little japanese house (which was originally the ticket booth for the venice of america fair in the early 1900's), vanessa's shop will be decorated with her re-vamped vintage line, which includes furniture for the living room, dining room, bedroom and more. she'll also be carring some new accessories as well as offering interior design and consulting services- if you check out her work you'll see she's got one heck of a portfolio. click here for more info, the shop should be open by labor day. congrats on the new shop, vanessa!