Muji + Lego=Ultimate Fun!

Dear Muji,

Why have you gone and achieved awesomeness yet again? Give the rest of us a chance will ya'?

Seriously though guys...just when I thought legos were about sold-out (star wars, sponge bob, Indiana Jones, etc) you, Muji had to come right along and inject some of that playful simplicity you so soaringly distribute to everything you touch.

The result: a simple set of legos made spectacularly and invariably more interesting via a few sheets of colored paper, a hole punch, and a few basic suggestions. You've managed to remind me exactly why legos were a childhood favorite of mine...it wasn't the razzle-dazzle space ships as much as the endless possibilities of our imaginations.

Oh, but you have failed in one respect where you have also failed in the past: making it easy for an Americans like us to get our hands on your best products. While this product doesn't appear to be available on the US Muji site, it looks to be available on the Japanese one. Why do they torture us like that?!

These brilliant little wonders will be released in Nov 27th in Japan. Would it be crazy if I got a ticket to Japan just to get theses? .......NAH!

via Design Boom

JOIN's Winter Event: DESIGN SHOPPE Nov. 28th, SATURDAY

JOIN proudly presents:

11. 28. 09' SATURDAY

WHAT: ONE NIGHT ONLY pop-up shop featuring design objects by local artists and designers. Also a silent auction of AMAZING design items to benefit JOIN and Nest Seattle.
WHERE: Vermillion 1508 11th Ave (between E. Pike & E. Pine)
WHEN: 7-9pm Silent Auction
9:15 Auction Winners Announced
7-11pm Design Object Sale **Cash Only
WHO: Chikabird, Dinah Coops Design, fortyfive09, Fruit Super Design, Grain, Greg Bethel, Iacoli & McAllister, &c., Ladies & Gentlemen Studio, Meet Me Here, Piano Nobile, plainMADE,and urbancase.
WHY: To help benefit JOIN and Nest....AND to burn off some of that excess turkey weight.
Now is the time to start shopping for the holidays but also the time to start giving even for all the thanks you'll give over turkey & gravy.....we promise that you WILL be thanked...and maybe even receive a hug from one of us...if you want...your pick. Here's a sample of what will be at the sale & silent auction! DON'T MISS IT!! It's the SATURDAY after Thanksgiving!

More about JOIN: Design Seattle
JOIN Design Seattle promotes emerging independent American design by providing designers a forum to show work, get feedback, and share resources. By organizing design shows and events and by hosting an online design event calendar and blog, we strive to be the adhesive and a resource that binds a thriving, but fragmented, furniture and product design community in Seattle.

More about Nest:
Nest Seattle is a nonprofit organization that provides micro-finance loans and mentoring to female artists and artisans around the world. Nest instills pride of ownership, preserves ancient artistic traditions and successfully moves women from poverty to self-sufficiency.

LiT's Holiday Bazaar Today!

Isabelle of Piano Nobile will be doing a Holiday Bazaar at LiT Shades, Today Thursday November 19th, starting at 5pm with refreshments.

As you know, Chika & I have started a wonderful collaboration with Isabelle in creating some new printed notebooks and card cases since this summer. They will be available at the LiT shopl!
We're also currently working on some even more exciting stuff.....which we'll have to wait to share the full detail in a later post...so, stay tuned! I know....the anticipation...

We're excited to see the shop since it's located in one of my favorite area of Capitol Hill. (Close to where Dylan and I used to live in our previous apartment ...but it's also just my dream to live in one of those fancy houses around there!)

Sigh....I still dream about that apartment....10ft tall ceiling, old-world charm, bay windows, super spacious kitchen...1400sq ft space...

But we'll be looking forward to a nice dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Volunteer Park Cafe....and getting their Chocolate croissant bread pudding will for sure take my mind off of those things. It's actually been proven a dessert dish like that can suppress any sad or negative feelings.....A supported fact that has been proven by me...many, MANY times...

LiT Shades

1906 E Prospect St - Capitol Hill

Save 30% on gifts for the home byKaarskoker, La Rousse, LiT Shades and Piano Nobile

Store hours 10am - 8pm

Fancy Scraps

Photo by Grain
Here are some photos from last Friday's fancy's Scrap show opening. It was a great show and totally hopping!

Photo by Grain
L&G's new sliding frame shelf with a vintage paint-by-numbers horse.Photo by Grain
Awesome table built by Erich Ginder and incredible wooden bowls carved by Laura Yeats.
Photo by Grain
Detail of wooden chain link by Chelsea of Grain.
Photo by Grain
Well detailed chair by Urbancase.
Adorable hand carved wooden bow tie with poka-dot gold leaf by Loc.
A beautiful line of marine-themed rings created by Fortyfive09 and &c.
The Show will be up till December 11th! Even though the party can't be recreated again, it'll still be worth it to see all the pieces in person.

Psst! Scrap show was written up on Seattle Metropolitan blog! Read here! (they even mentioned L&G! Hurray!)

Simple adornment

These...are awesome.
Don't be deceived by its austerity, it's woven brass and aluminum wire. By Hanna Sandin of Samma Jewelry
Via Maryam Nassir Zadeh

A Sneaky Peak!

Here's a little exciting sneaky peak of some stuff that will be at fancy's SCRAP show.
I'm drooling already...
Opening night Tomorrow, Friday 13th. 6-9pm!

grain

free time industries

grain

greg bethel

iacoli & mcallister

loc trinh

fortyfive09 and &c.

Upcoming Event This FRIDAY, NOV 13th

L&G is making something new for this up coming show! Yeah, it's about time!
I'm also excited to share that Erich Ginder who now co-currates for fancy is gonna carry some of L&G studio items! We've always love Sally & Erich's playful yet refined taste, so we're more than thrilled to be in their store!

enough said...here's the info about the show!
fancy jewels and JOIN present:

Limited edition design objects in scrap wood from Seattle designers &artists.

Friday November 13, 2009 6-9pm

Featuring:
grain
iacoli & mcallister
ladies & gentlemen studio
laura yeatst
rey jones and darin montgomery urbancase
fortyfive09 and &c.

fancy
1914 2nd Ave
Downtown Seattle
Btwn Stewart & Virginia
206-956-2945

more info: http://www.joindesignseattle.com/scrap.html