excuse me while i wipe this drool off my chin

i've seen some of these around, for sale - 2-3 odd colors sold individually, but a whole collection ???

hmm.... yes.

dreams come in the form of color-ful tasting coffee!




PANToNE color swatches - mug collection

just discovered this chicago store while looking for green thumb tips / terrariums... (added to the to do list for my plans to visit the windy city :) - they have some pretty cool stuff - esp. love this planter (too expensive though!) and the lily pad chair (!) - very pretty:























'Bertoia' - looking lily pad





















Sprout - chicago store

Kaya, no!

is what it should read.

everything is perfect about this illustration - the colors, simple icons & text.
(especially funny i guess if you happen to live with a silly JackRussellTerrier)

Its an instant classic favorite. I adore it.

(just like the (2$!) classic etch-a-sketch i scored the other day at a toronto flea market.
* joie!*)







it is a children's book. (but i just may go out and buy it for the love of the graphics.)

as seen on flickr.










click image to see larger size.

STARBURST mirrors.

ok. moving on to the major obssession 'actuelle' :
(in parallel to the chair obssession)

* Starburst-shaped mirror frames* with obligatory fisheye glass effect :: of course. because anything that is fisheye is fantastic. end of story.

LoVING these MADLY

Here is the best in show (not saving best for last, thats silly) :
This is THE most gorgeous most precious one i've EVER seen. old and precious and one-of-a-kind. Good design. unsurprisingly there are quite a few cheap wannabes out there that cant measure up.

**swoon**

(not for sale :( as seen inside the wonderful 'Gaige House' (Thomson hotel), in Sonoma Valley - self portrait added bonus:P)


click photo for larger view.

many more on file... will post soon : as the search for one is full on.

photo : © dominiqueb

i *heart* maps

ha. i dont think im special for liking maps. in fact, i think most people like/love maps. except, sadly, they dont consult them as much as in the olden days, and are certainly not surrounded by them daily inside their coccoons.



what can i say...
maps shouldnt be reserved for children's spaces (ie for learning purposes - really can they even appreciate them?) as they often are.
FREE THE WoRLD MAPS! (apologies, for the inconsistent letters i HAVE to get my letter o fixed. &@$%!)



all this to say i kinda really feel like wallpapering an entire wall in my grown up (*chuckles*:D) office or guest bedroom - IF i can find a reaally nice one with a bygone era flair &/or fonts.


last one - oooh .. aah... soothing cool blues & greens:

turn globe into side/coffee table (?)

another globe --- amazing coffee table? or not enough space for remotes?
(its actually not a table - just a globe - looks larger than is because of angle & perspective)

Travel note for future : i need to head out to Montauk, New York, at some point & check out this place called The SURF Lodge (click their gallery)
In the lap of 'surfdesign' luxury?
ni-hice.

which way was it ?

*looks down*

right.




robe carte du monde en papier --- trop craquante.

'origami map' for my sense-of-direction-challenged self.

new town. new life. re-design.

Inspired by quite a few amazing blogs out there as of late.. So, i've decided to breathe new life into this (quite frankly, quite sad) lil' blog o' mine.

It will now be a freer space for documenting various inspirations (mostly design-related) that I keep piling on day in / day out into a desktop folder called "STUFF".

call it a personal scrapbook of mish-mashed inspirations with a to z design-related posts, ie fonts, chairs, architecture, graphics, decor, flea market finds, and so on...
as we build a new life for ourselves here in canada & i re-integrate this new life chapter / new house (!) / repatriation (after having spent 5 years gallivanting around europe and asia).

I already have flickr for my adventures in amateur photography anyway (granted, i need to EDIT it & then edit it some more..) but basically this will be a freer blog attempt, uploading on a whim about quirky design.

*** oh and, my obligatory mascot (blogs need mascots right?) is a female jack russell terrier.
meet kaya, fresh off the boat from china (no, sorry, my bad i mean from paris, france... no wait - she is dutch! godverdomme!) A well travelled little terrier.













---

over the past year / months, i've been amassing a ton of design and DIY inspirations found here & there as we've been leading up to buy a 1st home.

Well now, after months of sweat & stress : we are finally moving into our 'smurf' house next week! i.finally.step.out.of.this.no.mans.land.and.get.my.life.back. Hurrah!
2 months in a suitcase in a crap hotel with a dog (wall to wall carpets anyone?) has taken its toll.

Now, as 2 very wise men have brilliantly sung before, its BUSINESS TIME.
(ok different context but I just HAD to use somewhere this cute gem that sneaked its way into my 'STUFF' folder).

(now, if you find yourself clueless about this business time business, simply google :
"business time flight of the conchords skit".
As the chinese would write on a pack of mixed nuts: its deliciousness.)

peace out. xo