Porcelain's Internet Adventure

Compubody Sock, by Sternlab

Tomorrow is a big day in design boner history...[drumroll]...

Porcelain is getting internet at home!

[cymbal crash]

Maybe now she will finally post her blog spot (once she figures out where it will be - exciting!). And gone are her days of shielding her internet cafe blog antics with a Compubody Sock. Just in time for summer!

Congrats, P, and welcome to the decade!

6 & 7

Since I was on vacation - from the computer (!) - last week, we're a little behind on our weekend photos. Here are our weekend pics from last, last weekend. Visit flickr to see the entire 6 & 7 collection and check back later this week to see our most recent pairing.

Cardboard: left, Porcelain: right

Original inspiration by Stephanie & Mav at 3191

Weekend Flings

• Citizen's Arrest: Design Edition (seen above)
• Mo' White Rap
• Coming Back From Vacation...This Link Fits

If you're new around here and have no idea what this list means, click HERE for a brief and witty explanation.

Bonus Bone: Brommo Chairs

BROMMÖ deck chair, at IKEA

Hardwood and I picked up a couple of these bad boys earlier this week. I've always been attracted too them, but thought the strings might get uncomfortable. We gave them a test-sit and found them surprisingly comfy.

AND now I know they're extra cool cause Briggles has a set as well.

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

Porcelain acorn ornaments

Porcelain acorn ornaments, at Noun

Sweet.

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day! If you're looking to combine a little spring cleaning and some Earth Day celebrating you should wander over to Mrs. Myers. They're offering free shipping on every order today!

Photo credit: NASA

Open Book: Massachusetts Quilts

Since this week is National Library Week, it's only appropriate that we put up a new Open Book post. Believe you/me, between all the reading and book perusing Porcelain and I do, we should easily be able to post an Open Book every single week. But then there's the photo scanning...and the fact that we're lazy...and ill-equipped... Yet the artistry displayed in Massachusetts Quilts is quite the opposite:

"Rail Fence" made by Ida Mae (Davis) Wood of Pittsfield, c. 1890

If you have ANY interest in quilting or textile design or even storytelling, please visit your local library and check out Massachusetts Quilts. This book will drop your art-lovin' jaw.

"Laurel Leaves" attributed to Betsy Rice Nims of Buckland (and/or daughters), c. 1840

I admit that I read nothing of the text and only flipped through the photos, occasionally reading the captions. But seeing all the images, drawings, and detail shots of new to antiquated quilts in this book is nothing short of inspiring. In fact, I bookmarked all these images a few weeks ago and now, after flipping through the book again for captions, I found 15-20 other pics I wish I had scanned.

Detail of "Hexagon Mosaic" made by Sarah Clark (Ellis) Ide of Milford, c. 1845

Please read this post as a teaser to entice you on the idea of Massachusetts Quilts and then go check the book out in-person to get the full experience.

"Butterflies" made by Jessie Gillies Kent of Lawrence, c. 1930

"Broken Sash" made for the Nantucket Agricultural Society, 1856

Weekend Flings

• My Ryan Gosling Crush Pays Off (seen above)
• Interspecific Kissy Face
• Our Awkward Namesake
• "19 Units...Empty": When the Recession Meets Fraud
• Not Everyone is a Graphic Designer
• Cat Nuggets!

If you're new around here and have no idea what this list means, click HERE for a brief and witty explanation.

Bonus Bone: Dora Moore Elementary School

Dora Moore Elementary, at City-Data

This weekend, I'm heading home. Home = Denver, Colorado, for all you not in the know. Even though I'll only spend about 47 seconds there before I leave on a road trip to the Grand Canyon, I'm still pondering all the places, comforts, smells, and smothered burritos that, for me, define HOME.

Many people may bring up the Cash Register building, when highlighting Denver architecture, but there is one building that comes to the forefront of my mind when I think of all the bricks and mortar that Denver has to offer. That building is Dora Moore Elementary School.

Dora Moore, 2008 House Tour

I spent about six years roaming these halls, trailing my "grubby biscuit hooks" down the wooden stair rails and ingesting the smell of glue and pencil shavings. When I was there, I was probably more concerned with penmanship and the careless glances of boys, and I certainly didn't appreciate my time there. But I, like, sure do now.

After brief research, I found out that the building was designed by Robert S. Roeschlaub in 1889 and is considered to be his architectural opus. I remember when, in 1993, the building was restored and an addition was constructed. Folks 'round the hood were nervous but, I believe, the added space retained/didn't mess with the integrity of the structure. In fact, Dora Moore was the first school to become a local landmark and I am proud to say that I learned my ABC's in this beautiful space.

B-Day Cardboard

So proud, in fact, that I recently bought a school pride T-shirt (which I never do) and wore it to my 32nd birthday/bowling party.

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

Library Love

This is National Library Week and today just so happens to be National Library Workers Day! This means both Porcelain and I, who slave away daily over stacks of books and bar codes, deserve a nice little treat.

Maybe you'll be so kind as to order us one of these candles which, apparently, fills the air with the aromas of "antiquated leather-bound volumes...and parchment."

D.L. & Co. Modern Alchemy Ex Libris Candle, at Candles Off Main

Or (preferred option) perhaps you'll book us into a weekend getaway at "Manhattan's most celebrated concept luxury hotel," the Library Hotel.


We'll take The Arts floor - thank you - and your novel is due back in three weeks.

6 & 7

Here are our weekend photos. Visit flickr to see the entire 6 & 7 collection.

Cardboard: left, Porcelain: right

Original inspiration by Stephanie & Mav at 3191

Happy Eatster

More Easter magic from Allrecipes can be found HERE.

Weekend Flings

• My Little Pony Extensions (seen above)
• Girls Are Just Better
• Meter Maid E-lerts
• Another Reason to Move to Denver
• Two Minute Shtick
• An Awkward Namesake
• What's the Vintage on that Paper Bag?

If you're new around here and have no idea what this list means, click HERE for a brief and witty explanation.

All About INV/ALT

We here at design boner have made a HUGE oversight: we did not (until now) have INV/ALT listed in our side bar. We are flaccid in our embarrassment.

In order to correct the matter, allow us to swiftly introduce Angela Schwab, the designer/bike enthusiast/natural blond behind INV/ALT:

four-eyes

We've only met Angela once, a Denver dinner with discussion of meat + chocolate and custom chrome, but we've since struck up a right jolly friendship. But you don't need to know how we met her (my friend dated this girl who was near BFF's with Angela and he said she, Angela, was a little crazy but thought we'd all hit it off - true), you only need to know that she's rather amazing.

Magnetic Cups

We first noticed her Snap Cups. Then came her Magnetic Cups. We all rejoiced when Umbra picked up her Benta Plates and sad when they discontinued them. One might think she would rest on her laurels or give in the art towel but...hold up...she's already onto something new.

When she's not too (un)busy playing with her no-longer-a-guide dog or discovering/creating the most cleverly pointless websites, you may find her co-authoring the Annoyance Allowance, organizing Pecha Kucha: Denver, GOCCO'ing building blocks, reupholstering a chair, or obsessing over sugar and biscuit shoes.

So we apologize, Angela Schwab of INV/ALT, for not having you in our list sooner. We'd add you to the TOP but that would defy the alphabet and that ain't how we (blog) roll.

Love INV/ALT like we do: Portfolio and Blog.

Bonus Bone: Ettore Sottsass Valentine Poster

Ettore Sottsass Valentine poster, at Design Museum Shop

Bold, graphic and RED! All these elements combined make my heart skip a beat! There are only eight copies left, so be snappy and snag one quick.

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

Your City, Your Choice

We just got word that the folks over at Jessica Rust need our help! This swanky but sweet proprietor of personalized dinnerware is extending the search for the next city silhouette to be featured on the Skyline Collection of tea mugs.

Skyline Tea Mugs, at Jessica Rust

They already have Chicago, NYC, San Francisco, London, Paris, and they're asking us to fill in their survey as to where to go next. Anyone who takes the survey is eligible to win a free Skyline mug!

I, of course, rang in with Denver, although Porcelain might suggest the skyline would simply be a line of mountain with a bison on top. If she, however, pencils in Detroit, I'll say that the artwork for a crumbling warehouse with a smattering of feral dogs is no better. Cash Register building in your face, P!

Don't let our turf war scare you off though. Hop over and offer your feedback to this clever Minneapolis-based designer. And please don't miss out on all the other lovely Jessica Rust designs:

Birch Mugs, $58 for 4

Dessert Plate from the Love Bug Collection

6 & 7

Here are our weekend photos. Visit flickr to see the entire 6 & 7 collection.

Cardboard: left, Porcelain: right

Original inspiration by Stephanie & Mav at 3191

Weekend Flings

• The Day MLK Died: Unpublished Photos from LIFE

If you're new around here and have no idea what this entry means, click HERE for a brief and witty explanation.

Bonus Bone: Gula Chair

Gula Chair

I think Tokyo designer, Shigeki Fujishiro, says it best:

"Chairs made for children often
lose its usage as the child becomes older.
By giving it more depth in design,
I've come up with a chair where a child can easily squat,
and an adult can comfortably sit on."

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

DB on FB

Cardboard, 12-29-07

Dear Fans-

We can be a little slow to the know (uh, Twitter?) but design boner has finally made it onto facebook. Please sign up to be our friend because we'll need you to bring the salad or stay late to help us with the dishes.

xoxo,
Cardboard & Porcelain

No Joke: April Food Day

Large-hearted bloggers, Pigtown*Design and Easy & Elegant Life, have joined forces to create April Food Day, a ONE-DAY fundraiser to raise money and donations for food banks across America. They're working with Feeding America (formerly Second Harvest), a national food bank with 200 member banks across the country.

They asked us to post about this fundraiser - actually, they asked Briggles to post about it but then she asked us (and then we e-bantered back and forth about the sale of Michael Jackson's arcade collection and suggestive prom dresses) ...Regardless...

The point is that you should think about donating to this cause - on this day - no joke. Seeing as how $1 will buy 10 pounds of food (!!), you don't have to break your bank to make a difference.

Read more about April Food Day HERE and give up your hard-earned goodness HERE.