pre-summer grilling

If you're like me and still stuck in waist-high snow drifts, you're probably craving summer and all things summerish - bbqs, flip flops, beaches, HEAT... My mind has been stuck in this day-dreamy state for at least a month already, so when I came across this little number, I immediately began day-dreaming up a winter indoor 'party like it's summertime' shindig that would be so complimentary to this cute little grill. And the best part: when the snow finally does disappear, the grill doesn't have to - it can be carried to the beach to use for a much-deserved 'party because it finally IS summer!' party :)

you are beautiful

"You Are Beautiful is a simple, powerful statement which is incorporated into the over absorption of mass media and lifestyles that are wrapped in consumer culture.

The intention behind this project is to reach beyond ourselves as individuals to make a difference by creating moments of positive self realization. We're just attempting to make the world a little better.

Intention is the most important aspect of the You Are Beautiful project in its idea of purity. Nothing is sacred. Everything that has a perceived value becomes commodified. We work extremely hard that this message is received as a simple act of kindness, and nothing more."

www.you-are-beautiful.com

(photo by *Zara)

arte luise kunsthotel

The New York Times was referring to the Arte Luise Kunsthotel when it wrote, "Berlin is worth a visit for this art hotel experience alone". While I can think of many reasons for visiting Berlin, this certainly looks like a good one to add to the list. Each room is designed and decorated by an accomplished artist, resulting in a smorgasbord of bedroom experiences - from gorgeous to downright scary. Check them all out here.

clock girl kelly

Wow! These handcrafted clocks by kelly are too gorgeous to limit myself to one image. To quote her own bio, "For many designers, form follows function is a cardinal rule-never to be broken. While Kelly believes this a basic principle of dimensional design, she also sees functionality as the bridge to an expression of art, feeling, style and passion. It is from this perspective that Kelly's design interest moved from a whimsical illustration style to the exploration of dimensional design and creation of time pieces–an integral part of our daily lives". Nice. But seriously, whatever her creative motives, these clocks are probably some of the most enticing and darling time-pieces I've ever seen...

garnish home

Garnish (home) makes great jewelry recycled from off cuts of the furniture industry. Pretty! Garnish (home) was started by a Vancouver-based graduate of the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design whose jewelry can be found on etsy and whose furniture line can be found at www.garnishhome.com.

jenny hurth

Thanks to Dawn Marie for suggesting another recycled bagger: Jenny Hurth is a San Francisco-based, garbage-turned-goodies creative force who, like the Commercial Drive Business Society, has seen the eco-sense of recycling vinyl banners from trade shows and municipal advertising into reusable bags and more (like the notebook pictured above). To quote their website, 'It is our goal to make beautiful and practical items out of what has been discarded'.

from flags to bags

Coolio! And yet ANOTHER reason why I love Vancouver so much... the Commercial Drive district of Vancouver, BC beckons Vancouverites and out-of-towners to it's cool strip of fashion boutiques and yummy eateries by flying eye-catching flags and banners along the drive every year. Realizing the imcredible amount of waste this causes when it comes time to toss the old flags and bring in new ones, the Commercial Drive Business Society has decided to turn the used flags into reusable shopping bags - the sales of which go towards the creation of new green spaces in the area. Awesome! Love it! Love Vancouver! Go baby go! You rock! (Wow - that's a lot of enthusiasm for 7:45am - maybe it has something to do with the ice storm taking place outside my Ottawa windows right now). Yes Vancouver, I miss you. Find out more about the initiative and the ecological damage it's avoiding by the 'flags to bags' project here.

tamar mogendorff

In keeping with this week's unofficial DIY nature creations, I couldn't resist Tamar Mogendorff's lovely interpretations of wildlife for the indoors. Her dolls include everything from mushrooms to penguins, but my personal favorites are the birds (even their cages are adorable!)...found via unruly things.

more pebbles

Theme week? Man-made pebbles seem to be popping up everywhere lately. More than a little smaller than yesterday's pebbles, Reyaveltman's natural wool and silk pebbles are beautiful enough to stand alone as decorative pieces and heavy enough to act as naturally-inspired paperweights. And like yesterday, I still like real pebbles, but these are a pretty crafty and neato re-interpretation.

living stones

By now I'm sure most people on the decorating blog circuit have seen images of or read about living stones. Environmentally-friendly wool and polar-fleece 'stones' so that you can comfortably lounge on nature-inspired 'pebble-smooth rocks' in your living room or why the heck not? outside next to real pebbles. Weird. Cool. I still really like real pebbles.