Darn, sometimes I wish I was a potter.

Skip the electricity and the injection molding. This is the ur-product. You make this with your hands, you fire it, and then you have this real thing. Sure, there's tons of chemistry involved, but it seems so simple.

Atwatery pottery.

cargo cult

drawing by Ryan Leigh from here.

read what a cargo cult is on wikipedia.

reversible necklace by Anna Gleeson

You can see these and other things, like her Giant Earrings at her blog.

Glow Zoo

This would be nice to have at home. Even though I am an "adult".

hands play with rubber bands

Rubber bands are hard to transform. They're intriguing, stretchy, and colorful, but their distinct texture and shape makes it difficult to turn them into something more. This is a successful transformation - the results are beautiful.
You can read more about this project by New York based Milev Architects in this deezeen article.

hooty hooooo....

Awesome owl macrame adjustable necklaces. At $13.80 (this includes shipping) it's a sweet deal! My sausage fingers could never dream to produce something like this. That's right, my fingers have dreams too.
Turns out, the two women who make these little friends live in Argentina, and are the top most active "hearters" of things on etsy: 2284 pages and counting. FYI.
You can buy their 3 species of owl here.

want want want

Yago Hortal.

Nice to meet you, Mr. Willenz

The path of research often turns into a fractal pattern of tangents that lead you in ever growing circles somewhere not entirely different. In this case, I was researching lamps in the two bastions of indexed design, stylepark (Germany) and architonic (Switzerland), where you can bask in the reassuring glow of well organized information. I kept stumbling over the name Sylvain Willenz, and this is because I am, as it turns out, a fan of his work. Here is why:

1. print lamp for established&sons. made from 1 piece of blown glass which has a "built in" diffuser.
2. lock for tamawa. ashwood & bakelite. nuff said. (well, no: I like bakelite. it also comes in red.)
3. torch lamp for established&sons, 2008. soft plastic shell. floor, table, or suspension.
Sylvain Willenz hails form and works in Brussels.
4. homerun chair. also nice.
5. stuff bag. seamless flat rubber. also nice. want.

want want want

One of the Ugliest Things in Every Apartment

Aside from this fitting well into my accidental motto of late ("Tubular"), these cords by NUD are fantastic. Simple, beautiful, and much needed. And so many colors! And why not? After all, it's just a cable.

Which reminds me of something I almost bought on eBay recently. It was a vintage electrical cord, covered in a black fabric tube, with a brown Bakelite plug and a round light switch. I didn't buy it in the end, because it had Euro-plugs (I found it on the Austrian eBay site), but it reminded me how beautiful these parts can be. Those bits are the shameful shortcomings of many a lamp. Being a fan of plastics and especially the old ones, a sweet ol' Bakelite switch is something I wish I could use more often. Or a new one in seafoam by NUB.

Oh, lovely old junk on eBay. Unfortunately I don't have that picture anymore but I've found a few other things on there that convey the vibe.

Baby Tapir, I want to squeeze you.

Yes, this is going into the "plant friends" category. We don't need Avatar for quality animals. Although I wouldn't mind braiding up to one of those horse creatures...

This and many other things you want to get really close to from cuteoverload, which I visit far too often. Speaking of which, someone once told me that this is the substance (a hormone) which makes you (me) squeal with joy when we encounter very, very cute things and want to squeeze them until their eyes pop out:

"Oxytocin is best known for its roles in female reproduction: 1) it is released in large amounts after distension of the cervix and vagina during labor, and 2) after stimulation of the nipples, facilitating birth and breastfeeding, respectively. Recent studies have begun to investigate oxytocin's role in various behaviors, including orgasm, social recognition, pair bonding, anxiety, trust, love, and maternal behaviors.^[2]" (wikipedia)



I don't know if it's true, but it would make sense if there is powerful stuff involved.

Bernhard Willhelm with Camper Toðer

I was excited when I saw this ad in the Paper Magazine newsletter because I had forgotten! I saw a great shoe from Bernhard Willhelm + Camper months ago in an ad but was unable to find it anywhere on the Camper website. Just not on it. Guess what will happen if you try to find that one?

Well it turns out that since the other day, when I clicked on this ad in vain, being lead nowhere, finding nothing, Camper has gotten their shit together and followed up with some pictures online. I wish I could give you a link, but it's all flash. You will have to search yourself....but it's worth it. Look at these!

ROSA MOSA

No comment necessary besides: Amahzing!
Well, and perhaps that this is an austro-nippon duo, just because that's interesting.