Truck It Over Please

This Japanese furniture shop, Truck, is incredible. Everything I see on there, I love and want....I want to live in their website. And this shelf unit....oh dear. Via Design Mom

Slip Casting Fun: Part I

We're very sad that 8 weeks of slip casting fun is over before we could even blog once about it, so here's a found look back (cue up "Will you Remember Me?" for a graduation-style slide show effect)

After months of much-effective harassment Jean, Chika, Jared, and I finally convinced our dear friend and talented ceramist Heath Bultman to share his skills and wisdom in the ancient art of slip casting. He was gracious enough to open up his tiny home studio and set it up as a classroom for the four of us. To the tunes of JT and Kenny Loggins we eagerly soaked up knowledge, plaster dust, beers, and jokes...not a bad way to spend a Tuesday evening.We started our class making plaster molds of existing objects. Mold making and mixing plaster is an art and science in itself, but with Heath's guidance we more or less successfully created castable molds of a few of our favorite objects.

Me pouring a bud vase made from an existing vessel.

From front to back: molds for Heath's lamp base, Chika's found "snake oil" bottle, my bud vase, Jared's potato mugs (he casted potatoes...what a rebel!), Jean's cork-topped canister.

Jean's handmade gem and mold.

Jean used here thrifting skills to find this existing mold (above) for bear feet....or cat...or maybe racoon. It's waving hello...
Me looking satisfied with my cast piece.
We got more to come....hint. There's gonna be some original L&G piece!

Lend a Helping Hand

A great project presented by Tanya Aguiñiga.Tanya Aguiñiga is an LA base artist/designer whose been an active participant in the art/design community in bridging the world of design, art, and craft focused on the Latino community. She recently launched the project, Artists Helping Artisans (AHA), to raise money to work in the highlands of Chiapas with Mayan women in hopes to empower the people and preserve traditional & cultural arts and craft.
"...Artists Helping Artisans (AHA), will focus on helping artisans in marginalized communities whose craft traditions or livelihoods are at risk. With the current economic crisis, and tourism dwindling, many of these craft communities are in dire need of help."

It's really admirable and inspiring to see that even designers & artists can find ways to foster a better place by giving back to the people. This definilty makes me realize that even as designers we can make responsible contributions or actions that can improve people's lives beyond creating consumable tangible products.

So let's help Tanya help others... You can lend a helping hand and help Tanya to get her project in Chiapas going...and it's true...Evey contribution helps.

Donations can be made in increments of $10, $25, $50, and up to $2000 if you're feeling really generous! And with every donation, Tanya will even send something special made from her or from the artisans!
Donate $50 and receive a hand felted bird by Tanya.Donate $100 and receive a small Chiapas artisan made work and Limited Edition 11x14” print made by Tanya.

Read the full project description and make donations here.
Besides sharing the AHA project, it's also important to share Tanya's work! I first discovered her when I had the pleasure to meet Tanya at a craft show in SF back last December. Seeing her stuff was a total highlight of my trip! Not only does she creates beautiful one-of-a-kind handmade design furniture pieces, she also creates these beautiful dipped dyed rope jewelery that were more than amazing. I was literally hovering over her booth for an hour looking and trying everything on!

Dipped dyed bracelets with bright saturated colors.... I had to get the teal one! I realized that this bracelet was mentioned along with my doily rug back when Meg Mateo guest blogged on D*S!
Yeah...I couldn't help it..but I had to get one of these dipped dyed rope necklaces, too!
Check out her shop!
and yes.... she's hand-felt these folding chairs... Gawwwd....
I love how this chair looks like a loom.

I'd Like to Tap That...Brooklyn Home

Found this via D*S' sneak peak with Fitzhugh & Lyndsay in their Brooklyn home. It's amazing to see people living in spaces like this in NY. Makes me wonder how they are able to have such an amazing space...perhaps I'm better off not thinking about that stuff....The space feels so crisp and warm at that same time. For the longest time I feel like white is so boring....but I'm starting to realize the reason why people go with white. White...feels so pure, bright, crisp, soothing, and versatile all at the same time! Especially with the use of rustic wood accent through out, their space is anything BUT boring!

I dream of shelf space with a giant ladder like this all the time....
I also like the hint of cleverness such as this rustic sliding barn door for their bathroom. I'm always a little farm-envious, so perhaps just getting a door like that would make me just as happy.

Spectacular Spectacles

Holly mother....I'm in dire need for a pair of frames...and I think I just found my dream glasses.
These gorgeous wooden frames are handcrafted by a Dutch company, Herrlicht, and each of these babies only cost about $1000....
There's no way that I can just get one pair...Its ALL or NOTHING!! That's just how I roll....it's really not because I can't afford it or something silly like that. That's just crazy talk...

via seesaw

I'd LIke to Make This...Chandelier

Our friend, Herman Yu informed us about LIndsey Adelman's work and her beautiful molecular-esque chandeliers. The combination of the organic blown glass shades and the machine-like metal brackets creates such a wonderful contrast and a beautiful sculptural piece. They seem to fit so well in both traditional and modern interiors. But what's EVEN more amazing is that Lindsey also provides a whole how-to-instruction with all the parts needed on her site, so you can create one of these beauties yourself!!I really want to try it!! It seems a little involved, but with some time, patience, some skills in wiring, and tolerance for couple of electric shocks ...I'm sure I'll be able to make one of these!
It'd be TOTALLY worth it!

Postcarden

Can you imagine a world where people can receive postcards and garden at the send time? They're two totally separate unrelated concepts...How is that possible?!?
Believe it or not, this seemingly unreachable concept is now turned into a reality and will forever change how we live our lives!
I hereby present you (someone elses' invention)....Postcarden!!! These are postcards where you can send and grow a little garden!
This really proves that us humans are truly amazing beings..
With all the great technology we have in combination with our natural desire to push the limit, things that are seemingly impossible are being created every second by great inventors, researchers, designers and more....and every Guinness World Record are getting broken every other day where every other town are trying to create the next world's biggest cookie, pizza or hamburger!!
I suppose this is what makes us so unique....its our desire to always want to reach for the stars....

And indeed are these wonderful Postcarden a great invention of 2010 (for now)! They provide the best of both worlds for people like me who enjoys writing & receiving postcards AND gardening!!
I have to say..I like these WAY better than those creepy Japanese robot inventions they're creating these days. Creeeeepy...
This really makes me think that anything IS possible.....I guess that's why people always say "Never say never!"
....But there's is an exception....I'm pretty certain that I would never EVER want to eat any world's BIGGEST anything!
This is where two concepts of "food" and "biggest" should NEVER EVER be combined together!!

Bonbon Lamps by Ana Kraš

Designer, Ana Kraš from Serbia designed these series of fantastic Bonbon lamps with various simple lamp frames and strings. I love the warmth and the lightness of the strings and how Ana uses various colors in sections. I also love the retro feel of the styling. I love it all...
great detail of how the cord threads through the frame.
Via Sight Unseen