Thursday, November 30, 2006

Fake trees

Antique tree, available at West Elm

Shiny pine, available at Urban Outfitters
There's nothing like the smell of a fresh pine tree in your home during the holidays. However, that also means you have to deal with fallen pine needles and disposing of it once the holidays are over. There's nothing sadder than seeing a dried out tree in the trash. Why not try a fun, glittery tree instead? I'm particularly in love with the West Elm version. I love that they wrapped the base in burlap for a more rustic look.

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Your plan for this weekend...

-totes-soap-woolies-dresses-earrings-bibs-knits-coasters-calendars-
-cards-magnets-necklaces-clutches-sweaters-gloves-teeshirts-mittens-
-belts-rings-
skirts-scarves-hats-wristbands-cozies-bowls-armwarmers-
-legwarmers-chokers-pins-cookies-envelopes-ornaments-candles-vases-
-LOVE LIGHTS-glassware-
art...

You'll find it all at Holiday DEPART-ment! Get out your ATM cards because the stockings need stuffing and we only take cash.


See you there!

Target Time

While trying to navigate Target's INFURIATING search engine, I see that Target's full of fun timepieces! I never located the red clock I originally sought but I did find these other gift-worthy time tellers:

Iconoblast wall clock, $4.99

Moderna Studio wall clock, $12.99
1950 Moonbeam Big Ben clock, $49.99
Melting Metal wall clock, $79.99
Retro Mod Sunshine wall clock, $149.99

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

$10 Sale

In case you don't already know, Threadless is currently throwing one of their infamous $10-per-shirt sales. You must act QUICKLY though because designs sell out at lightning speed!

Check out a few of my favorite designs:

Have Fun by Filak

She Doesnt Even Realize by lonesquid

3 House by Dina Prasetyawan

Lil' Soap by Jess Fink

Friday, November 24, 2006

Bonus Bone: England, home of really, really old things

10th century church, Kent
The church in this photo was built in the 10th century! And it is still standing. Holy moly! All of the graves stones are covered in moss and slanted from age. The church seems to be in perfect repair, although I'm sure it might get a tiny bit drafty. I'm always amazed at the rich history there is in England.
For these reasons, I, Porcelain, declare this a Design Boner.

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hand-painted gingerbread cookie, Hoosier Mama Pie Company.

Your friends here at Design Boner wish you an inspired holiday! Now, let's eat!

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Bunny Scarf

Bunny Scarf by m.patrizio

Jeez. This custom-made scarf by m.patrizio is just TOO adorable. It gets me excited to try my amateur knitting hands at making some gifts for the holidays. Does anyone else have any handmade holiday ideas?

Friday, November 17, 2006

Bonus Bone: Granada Candleholders

All of Porcelain's "Christmas-loving-freak" posts have gotten to me and put me in the mood to think about entertaining. While browsing some of our favorite sites, I came across these beauties!

Granada Candleholders, available at Crate & Barrel

I love the traditional shape of these candlesticks! Porcelain rightly pointed out this is just the candlestick Prof. Plum might pick up for his dirty business in the Conservatory. Once I read the item description, however, I found that these are made of glass! They may not be the ideal murder weapon but they certainly are pretty and, being made of glass, easy for you to pick up and style into your next centerpiece. I only wonder how easily they might scratch or chip...

For these reasons, I, Cardboard, declare this a Design Boner.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

Gimage: Bon Voyage!

I'm off to England y'all! Cardboard will be holding down the fort while I'm away. Have a good Thanksgiving and I'll be back with some fun goodies and photos from across the pond.

xoxo, Porcelain.

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Got Books?

I haven't been ignoring you.

I haven't been posting too much lately because I have been busy, day and night, planning the next Northwestern University Library Book Sale! A few days ago, a handful of dedicated Library staff & I moved just under $10,000 books to the sale site and we still have about $5,000 waiting in the wings. So gather all your canvas totes and bring your book-lovin' self up to Evanston and BUY! BUY! BUY! so that we don't have to move any of these books back into the basement! We're selling hardcovers (even coffee table art books!) for a mere $3 and paperbacks are $2 or less. We have a HUGE selection of Literary Criticism, Fiction, and Theatre. We also have some current DVDs and vintage record albums.


You can find all the details of the sale here but I'll give you the basics now:

GRAND OPENING
Wednesday, Nov 15
10am - 6pm

50% OFF ALL STOCK!
Thursday, Nov 16
10am-4pm

DOLLAR DAY!!
Friday, Nov 17
10am-4pm
photo credit: stock.xchang

Friday, November 10, 2006

Open Book: By Hand

Biography & work by electricwig

Cardboard's thoughts:

To begin with, By Hand: The Use of Craft in Contemporary Art has a nice heft to it and the hardcover is soft to the touch, like fabric. They say to never judge a book by its cover but in this case, the feel of the item itself lends authenticity to the subject it covers. This book introduces 32 artists/craftspeople and delves into their current bodies of work. The editors provide a short preface and introduction to the idea behind the book but the brief biographies are done by the artists themselves. The artists reveal the history behind their work, what they've learned, how they work, what they work with, and why they do it. The basic concept behind the book is to show how "art" and "craft" co-exists and that sometimes the end result isn't the most important thing. Many of the artists showcased in this book take months to complete one small item and the "sense of attachment to the materials and methods" is what ends up cultivating the most meaning. If this book has taught me one thing, it's that sometimes true greatness isn't only found in the shiny gallery piece; sometimes it's the process that becomes important.

I found Satoru Aoyama's embroidered photographs to be stunning. From a distance, they still look like photos (of subway cars, sunsets, jewelry) but, upon closer inspection, the individual threads stand out and throw me right back to standing in front of my mother's cross-stictch in awe. I'm tickled by Robyn Love's incessant need to use her hands. She knits cozies for parking meters, gravestones, street signs, and militaristic statues in parks.

Porcelain's thoughts:

My painting professor in college once lectured to us about how important the process of art making was, even more important than the final result. This has always stayed with me. The artists in By Hand also share this mentality. They spend weeks, months, and probably even years working on pieces. It may seem excessive to some but for them, the process is part of the piece.

I found By Hand to be a very inspiring book. I was excited to see all of these artists incorporating mediums that are normally deemed crafts into "fine art". My two favorite artists featured in the book were Kirsten Hassenfeld and Anna Von Mertens. I loved Kirsten Hassenfeld's dreamy mixed-media sculptures and the paradoxical meaning behind them. And I loved the contrast of the Von Mertens quilts' simple color palates and incredibly intricate stitching.

Bonus Bone: Sexy wallpaper

Mercury blue wallpaper, by Paper Voyeur

Champagne wallpaper, by Paper Voyeur

For these reasons (really, really look at it), I, Porcelain, declare this a Design Boner.

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Gorgeous bowls

Handheld tea bowl-matte gold, available at Anthropologie
Handheld tea bowl-glazed swirl

Cardboard and I are in love with these delicate, uber-glamorous porcelain and gold tea bowls. They are available in either matte (solid or swirled) or glazed (also solid or swirled). I'm partial to the matte gold ring bowl. I love the contrast of colors and textures.

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Origami ornaments

Origami ornaments, available at The Well Dressed Home
I love the beautiful simplicity of these porcelain origami ornaments. The birds represented are the crane, swallow, and goose. I think a tree would look stunning filled with these, although that would get expensive. A nice and less expensive alternative would be to make your own paper origami birds.

Monday, November 06, 2006

Super swanky holiday decor: Crown ornaments

Crown glass ornament, at West Elm

I'm loving these elegant crown ornaments! Your tree would be extra swanky this holiday season with a several of these crowns and a ton of silver ornaments.

Friday, November 03, 2006

Bonus Bone: Sparkability

Porcelain & I are getting of the age when many of our friends are thinking about, trying to, or just plain having babies. Although both P & I ain't tryin' to hear dat just yet, we can still appreciate the design of baby gear. I stumbled across an online store, Sparkability, which lives up to its motto of providing "better things for kids." The price tags are a bit high but, if you're shopping for baby, you better get used to shelling out cash. But you're in the market for adorable modernism, clean lines to counterbalance the dirty diapers, you really need look no further than Sparkability. Some of the merchandise is so chic, you don't really even need the kid to justify the purchase!

Loop Rattle, $70



For these reasons, I, Cardboard, declare this a Design Boner.

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Fun holiday cards

ho ho card, by Bella Muse

Hark card, by Bella Muse

I've been holding myself back from posting about anything holiday related until after Halloween. Let the onslaught begin!!!
I love giving cards that tickle the funny bones and the adorable cards by Bella Muse are perfect for my goofy family. The ho ho card is my personal fav.

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Swanky holiday dinnerware

Art Deco plates, available at Sprout Home

Zig zag salad bowl, available at Sprout Home

Zig zag art deco platter, available at Sprout Home

I just spotted this swanky platter and dinnerware set at Sprout Home. I think they'd be perfect for a glamorous New Year's Eve dinner party!!! The salad bowl could also double as a pretty place to put your jewelry. I'm drooling over the platter. I have just the cocktail glasses and pitcher that would go perfectly with it!

T-MINUS 17 days till take-off!

Cars Wheelie Bag by Orla Kiely, at Flight 001

Cars Shoulder Bag, at Flight 001

Cars Wash Bag, at Flight 001
In just over two weeks, my husband, Hardwood, and I are going to England for Thanksgiving. We're staying with my brother, sister-in-law and our goddaughter (aka the coolest 3-year-old EVER). I'm just starting to delve into full preparation mode.
Airline tickets? Check!
Passports? Check!
Cute matching luggage? Sigh, no check!
I'm daydreaming about this adorable Cars luggage set by Orla Kiely. I can imagine us cruising through O'Hare with the shoulder bag casually draped over my arm and Hardwood oh-so-gentlemanly pulling the wheelie bag for us. We'd be the perfect jet-setting couple! Unfortunately, the set is a tad bit out of a price range. But a girl can dream!!
I would love to hear your tips for traveling in style and comfort? How do you fill your 7+ hours in the air?
Any must see sites/stores in London? I'm always looking for good tips!