Oh Joy!

lines & shapes: volume 2 sneak peek

The new volume of Lines & Shapes is will be available right here on Monday...with a brand new  theme, the sneak peek page above features the work of ThussFarrell and Meg Mateo Ilasco.

bits of periwinkle & mustard...

...from Australian Fleur Wood's Spring 08 collection...

a little preview...

Over in stationery land, we're all gearing up for the upcoming Stationery Show which runs from May 18-21 at Javits in New York. Since the show is only open to buyers and press, here's a little Nantaka Joy preview for you from my newest collection to be launched at the Stationery Show. I'll be with a great group of designers represented by Mixed Co. in booth #1448. I'll post more booth information next week...in the meantime, you can see more preview photos of the Mixed Co. designers' booth over at Design*Sponge right here. Thanks Grace!

{Photo by Karen Wise}

fun portraits...

...with whimsical one-liner descriptions about the person featured by Carter Kustera...

ellie curtis

I love these hand-drawn illustrative patterns by Ellie Curtis. Ellie sells her pillows through her Etsy shop but is currently away at an artist's residence and will re-open the shop when  she's back.

twigs & droplets

Some sweet new necklaces and earring by Cursive Design inspired by water drops on branches after the rain...

whimsy & spice

Just in time for Mother's Day...a little sweet something for you. Brooklyn-based Whimsy & Spice creates handmade sweets that combine aromatic spices and unique flavors...and they have an Etsy shop filled with their goodies for delivery outside of Brooklyn!

{Thanks Mari!}

{marissa likes}: sundance

...for cool rustic and industrial decor...

{left to right, top to bottom: illumination by inch candle, 1934 dining chair,  steamer trunk end table, and seltzer bottle pendant lamp. All from Sundance.}

wearable marimekko

Although I do wish Marimekko made more tailored pieces (I find them too poufy sometimes) I do really love their prints on clothing...so bold and graphic...

james welling's flowers

I recently purchased this beautiful exhibition catalogue for my mom's birthday gift featuring the colorful, Rorschach Test-like photograms of flowers by the esteemed Los Angeles-based conceptual photographer, James Welling. Welling placed the blossoms of a common southern California plant on sheets of 8x10 film and exposed them to light. The negatives were then projected onto special photo paper through a color mural enlarger and color filters, to produce the dramatic, spectral, almost sun- or moon-dappled images reproduced here. See more about the book here or see some of the prints here.

zip cushions

Love the simple shapes of these Zip Cushions by Australian designer Matthew Sheargold...

feeling mini rainbows...

{left to right, top to bottom: alexander mcqueen butterfly dress, ronni kappos charm bracelet, paul smith tea pot, phaidon color library series, rainbow staircase from feb 08 Domino, and orla kiely wheelie case.}

happy friday + a tiny garden

It's certainly been an extra green week of posting here with our little field trip earlier this week. Here's a photo of one of my purchases from that field trip...a tiny garden of the sweetest little succulents in my favorite new swirled marble pot. Since we live in a high rise apartment, I'll have to wait a little longer until I can fill a real live outdoor garden. Have a great weekend everyone..can't believe May is here already.

{marissa likes}: skeem votives

Marissa picked up one of these Skeem travel votives the other day at Terrain, and we both loved the graphic black type against the brightly colored wax. The Philadelphia-based company uses a soy/paraffin wax blend poured into reusable glass containers.

a floral medley for mom

I love to this gorgeous and fun arrangement made by Branch & Small Stump especially for mother's day. The mix of seasonal flowers are arranged in a genuine birch bark tube with a hand-silkscreened pansy puff sachet and message to Mom on the little white cloud of the hand-made mama and baby rabbit tag. All goodies sit on a tray in a bed of fresh wheat grass making for a lovely centerpiece. The San Francisco duo will hand-deliver the arrangements to anywhere in the San Francisco area. Unfortunately for those of us with moms not in San Francisco, we're out of luck...but they are so pretty even from a far.

{via sfgirlbybay}

sweet animals...

...from UK designer Mibo.

{available in the US through 2jane.}

terrain {part 2}

As promised, here are more detailed photos from our trip to Terrain yesterday, particularly of merchandise and display. For even more, you can see the full set of images right here. I am in LOVE with the punch metal lanterns shown above...they are even more beautiful in person and at night! sigh...

terrain...amazing! {part 1}

Marissa and I took a trip over to Terrain at Styer's today (the 4th brand from Urban Outfitters previewed last week here)...and wow...all I can say is we were totally blown away. The fact that we spent almost four hours there says it alone. The new home & garden lifestyle concept turned out to be even more amazing than we could have imagined. The setting is airy, lush, and peaceful with a mix of indoor and outdoor spaces.

The greenery, retail space, and selection of products are incredibly well done. A mix of modern, handmade, organic, sustainable, imported, and simply beautiful items fill the indoor and outdoor spaces. Integrated into displays are pieces from Thailand, India, and Africa as well as locally found objects. The details are impeccable as is the merging of plants into the lifestyle space. The space was a true reflection of the amazing mix of talents that developed the concept and created this space.

A favorite of mine...beautiful packaging with photographic florals on kraft bags and faux bois gift boxes.

We also had a chance to have lunch in the café which happened to open today. Fresh, local food inspired by the current seasons were served in an airy and bright greenhouse style space.

Terrain does have plans to expand to other locations across the country...but for the time being, those of you outside Pennsylvania may just have to schedule a little weekend trip over to the Philadelphia area. You could seriously spend a whole day here alone. Although I took a TON of photos...Terrain at Styer's is even better in person. These are a few overview shots of the 11 acre retail space...stay tuned for {Part Two} tomorrow with more details and photos from this amazing new retail space.

{marissa likes}: art school girl

...especially this perpetual datebook...

karin + camilla...

= match made in design heaven! Check out the new collaborative pieces by ceramicist Karin Eriksson and illustrator Camilla Engman available at Manos. See more photos of the collboration here and here.