Beth Wachla

Beth Wachla makes these skulls from felt and beads and small buttons. Reminds me Mexico's Day of the Dead, which will be celebrated this weekend. Day of the Dead celebrates the continuity of life and honors the lives of the deceased. It's celebrated joyfully, with lots of ritual and flair, especially in Oaxaca.

You can see more of Beth's detailed and colorful work here.

Jenny Holzer in Chicago

Starting last night on continuing through Friday, Jenny Holzer, who is renowned for her compelling use of language in public space, will be projected on the facade of Chicao's Museum of Contemporary Art. Projections will begin after dark and will conclude before midnight. There will also be three projections on public buildings around Chicago:
Saturday, Nov 1: Lyric Opera and Riverside Plaza; Sunday, Nov 2: Tribune Tower; Monday, Nov 3: Merchandise Mart

All are in conjunction with a new solo show that opened last week at the MCA.

Student Inspired

CONSIDER, in these economically difficult times, that inspiring model of creative home design, the college student. There was a recent article in the New York Times recently, doing just that. In an article and slideshow, the Times highlighted several great designs made of grocery bags, found objects, and minds much more generous than their pocketbooks.

Ted Larsen

Ted Larsen's work uses salvaged materials from automobiles, architectural elements, and industrial equipment. He's creating simple forms that "create the possibility for a more direct and pure relationship between the viewer and the work." To me the appeal of his work is exactly that. And also that the salvaged materials give each piece a rough, raw character but the pieces themselves are deliberate and fresh. I really like this work. Visit his site for more.

Jenny Hurth

I have a problem with bags. I can really lose all sense of reason when it comes to totes or other carriers. What do I need to carry around? Well, a lot evidently. Everything you see on Jenny Hurth's site has been designed & hand sewn in the San Francisco Bay Area from discarded vinyl signs and banners. Originally printed for local trade shows, conventions, municipal or private advertising, these ENORMOUS banners would otherwise end up in the landfill.

via more ways to waste time

Office Organization

The Fall makes me want to be organized-- the lazy summer days of little structure and hours at the beach give way to inflexible routines and overbooked weekends. To that end, these are some desktop favorites that encourage my fantasy that everything is in its place. (All from See Jane Work except the top calendar, found here.)

Mint Pillows

Mint Pillows is a family of artists and travelers who believe that connecting people and art is essential to living well. Their pillows are limited-edition works of art – handcrafted in small batches, numbered and dated.

Lacquer Shelving

These modular shelving units are made from four layers of hand-poured lacquer over plywood and hand-polished to a shiny surface. They come in two sizes and three colors, White, Orange and Black. From Publique Living.

Place Space

Place Space by Todd Oldham is an innovative new design series that explores brilliant, unique places and the obsessive people who create them. Published four times per year, this magazine includes pull out posters, postcards, and an essay by such luminaries as Michael Graves, Amy Sedaris, Camille Paglia and Cindy Sherman. Volume themes include: Going inside iconoclastic filmmaker John Water's home, visiting the surreal recreation of the Flintstone's Bedrock City, exploring the off-kilter off-campus housing of art students at the Rhode Island School of Design, and seeing the inspired design oasis of "Camp Nest." Recently named by Wallpaper Magazine as the "#1 Design Masterpiece to Treasure for 2008." You can get yours here. $20.

Bon Voyage

I'm going to China for a while so I'll post some planned things and some unplanned things.

Elizabeth Peyton

Now open at the New Museum on Manhattan's Lower East Side is a show of 100 works of one of my favorite painters, Elizabeth Peyton. Peyton paints small canvases, not much larger than the faces she depicts, of people she cares about-- some she knows personally, others are celebrities she admires from afar. I love her impressionistic style, and the large, action-packed brush strokes that she uses. Somehow the large strokes on these small paintings make them seem exuberant, alive, and vital. She is one of those people I feel I know. If you're in New York, go see this for me as I won't be there before it closes on January 11. Read a review here.

Paul Rand

Remind yourself of Paul Rand's works-- timeless, simple, clean design. He was a master at typography and identity. Beautiful.

FOOEY closes shop

You've read about Fooey here before and how much I like their cool and clever shirts. After six great years, they're closing shop due to rising manufacturing costs and a sinking economy. Our kids love their Fooey shirts and when they wear them, it's one of the only times I ever feel like the cool dad. You can get one of the last shirts at super low prices by shopping here. Great job Julia and Kent-- we'll miss you!

RE Shop

RE shop is a great British online shop with many unique products, many made locally or picked up at vintage sales. These French dish towels, vintage leather tape measures, colorful notepads, and rubber cache pots are only the beginning. An interesting resource.

Cards at The Curiosity Shoppe

I'm a big fan of The Curiosity Shoppe-- they have great taste, carry lots of unique products, and have a love for the handmade. To that end, you can find these terrifically UPBEAT cards (who couldn't use one?) among their collection of letterpress, silkscreened, and Gocco-printed cards. Pictured are "Hey," You're Swell," and "DIY LCD Card."

Muji Homes

Love the "undesign" of Japanese retailer and lifestyle guru MUJI? Well, they've expanded their empire aesthetic to include prefab houses, starting around $150,000. The MUJI homes (so far only built in Japan) are based on the idea of small space and minimal living (like their products). Their rooms feature an open layout, embrace simple functional forms, and aim to be affordable. You can see all their homes and download PDFs of the plans on the MUJI blog.