♥ City map quilts. Paris, New York, San Francisco… and your home town!

Gasp! So gorgeous! They are made by Haptic Lab, in Brooklyn. The company was started by architect/textiles designer Emily Fischer in 2009, but the “soft-maps” were originally part of an academic experiment in tactile wayfinding {2002}; the quilts were inspired by Emily’s mother, Peggy, who had begun losing her eyesight from complications of glaucoma.

There are cities from all of the world available on their website, BUT you can get them to make custom quilts! Your favorite runs at your local ski hill, your tiny town, or have your house/address sewn right onto your street! YES!!! {This is in bold so that you don’t skim over it, because you would hate to miss this part… I just know it.}

I already said Gasp, right? I just moved back to my tiny little home town, and you probably can’t guess how badly I want my town map laid across my bed!!! {Answer: Badly!}

But wait, there’s more… what better way to teach your baby a little local geography:

Love. So, so, so much.

{via Design Crush}

Watercolor on paper. Um. What?! That metallic oil can, that mixer… but how? The matchbook and candles are oil on panel, but still, I’m in awe… Yes, Robert Townsend, you have me baffled. Hm, it feels pretty good on a Wednesday morning, actually. Thanks, Robert.

Whoa. Delicate, layered, ceramic dioramas? Yes, I think so! I have no idea how Finnish artist Caroline Slotte does this to found dish ware, but I’m so glad that she does it! All of these works are from her series, titled Rose Border Multiple. So amazing… and even more amazing when you see the close-ups:

And I reiterate… whoa.

I’m just back from Alt Summit, but instead of doing a recap post, I have to write about this! Stefan Sagmeister probably needs no introduction, but just in case… he’s an Austrian born, New York based designer. As a designer myself, I’ve admired him for years, and at Alt I got to hear him speak. He talked about the in’s and out’s of happiness – it was fascinating, and to be completely candid, life-changing for me. He, and his “filming accomplice”, David Hillman Curtis {shown with Stefan, above} worked together to make a beautiful film, called The Happy Film. We only got to see 12 minutes of it {it will be shown in film festivals later this year}, but what we saw was amazing! The idea is that “in the course of a year, Sagmeister will experiment with various practices that are widely touted as increasing one’s happiness: meditation, cognitive therapy, and pharmaceuticals.” It was so interesting, touching, inspiring, and don’t even get me started on the typography!

I think that this film is going to be a huge hit, and I truly hope that:

……………………………………… but wait, there’s more ………………………………………..

i’m jealous of stefan sagmeister … part II

So, it’s not quite enough that he’s made this beautiful film, but he has also transformed his happiness research into an interactive art/design exhibition, quite appropriately called The Happy Show. It just left Philadelphia, and is now in Toronto at The Design Exchange {until March 3, 2013}… and I believe LA and Paris are up next. Charts that show happiness when it comes to marital status, free candies {Stefan’s favorites}, gum balls that let you rate your own happiness, and a lovely white stationery bike that reveals an illuminated message as you exercise… all perfectly designed, of course. Have a look:

Brilliant! You know what else is brilliant? This:

Yep! Not even the overly harsh lighting can take away the happiness I felt meeting, talking, and getting a smooch from Stefan Sagmeister!

{The Happy Show credits: CREATIVE DIRECTION: Stefan Sagmeister // ART DIRECTION & DESIGN: Jessica Walsh // DESIGN: Verena Michelitsch, Jordan Amer, Simon Egli, Martin Gnadt}

Ah, yes… it’s that time of year again! I’m off to Salt Lake City today, for Altitude Design Summit {affectionately known as Alt}. I’ve got my stripes, a bit of glitter, and a whole stack o’ business cards! I’ve spoken at Alt the past two years, and this year I’ll be on a panel called “Building Offline Events” – Friday at 10:30am. I’m thrilled to be sharing the stage with three amazing ladies: Laura Mayes of Blog con Queso/Go Mighty/Mom2.0 , Megan Gilger of The Fresh Exchange , and Stacey Ferguson of Justice Fergie/Blogalicious. My part of it will be covering a few helpful tips and tricks that I’ve learned hosting GIRL CRUSH over the past year. ie., make sure you have vegan options for breakfast, when the host artist is vegan {Right, Lisa?}!!!

Anyway, I’ll be on twitter, instagram, and Facebook while I’m gone, and back here with regular posts on Monday. If you don’t hear from me, I’m probably covered in glitter and trapped in a photobooth! Don’t worry – I’ll be ok in there.

{Photo by Janette Crawford ~ my roomie from 2011, and roomie again this year!}

Gor. Ge. Ous.

When I first saw this collaborative work, by Britt Bass and Morgan Blake, I thought “Oh, ok, so Britt painted over top of Morgan’s photos. Nice.” … but wait, that’s not quite right. Morgan’s photos are actually printed on transparencies, and then laid over Britt’s painted canvas. I realize the effect is similar, but I kind of love this “reverse” way of doing it. There’s a lot less control, because what’s underneath is already underneath. An exciting surprise to see what shows through!

{ps. All of these prints under $45… framed! Yep, you better go get one right this very minute!}

These are the stunning oil paintings of British artist Mary Jane Ansell. I am in awe of her undeniable talent, but I have to admit… what really got me was the beautiful/odd subject matter. Pretty girls in colonial military hats? Perfection.

I absolutely love the watercolor frescos of American artist Ali Cavanaugh. I am in awe of her painting skills, and I love, love, love her unique subject matter. I wrote about her in 2009, and as I started to think about packing for Alt Summit {less than a week to go!}, her work came springing back to mind. Striped tights, polka-dots, and pretty girls with their hair twisted back… ok, maybe just one more pair of stripey socks in my suitcase.

Whoa. Crazy, beautiful, organic ceramic pieces by Nuala O’Donovan, an artist based in Cork, Ireland. I am imagining that these photos do not do her work justice. I would love the chance to have a closer look, and actually hold one of these stunning objects in my hot little hands… very, very carefully, of course. Here is Nuala’s artist statement about this work, and her process:

“My work combines regular pattern with the characteristics of irregular patterns and forms from nature. Each element of the pattern is individually made, the form is constructed slowly over a period of weeks or months. The finished forms are a result of an intuitive response to the direction that the pattern takes as well as the irregularity in the handmade elements of the pattern.”

Ok. I just saw these amazing little things over on sfgirlbybay… about 10 minutes ago. I know, I know, but I could not control myself – I absolutely had to show them too! Tiny graphite drawings of places, that Krista Charles finds on Google Street View, to match {no pun intended} the address on the matchbook. She even includes itty-bitty notes under the drawing, to document what is in that location now… see that final one? “Now Empty Lot”. I can’t imagine how obsessed she must be with collecting matches… and sharpening her pencil, for that matter! Love.