TGIW. rainy pre-holiday wednesday mixtape

easy graphic advent calendar

British Elle Decoration loves this. I love it too! Simple easy, graphic and such a cool idea!

"A fun way to countdown the days to Christmas is with a vivid numerical wall display using vintage calendars and photocopies of graphic numbers. Try highlighting key dates like cocktail parties by hanging them in picture frames."

from December 2008 British Elle Decoration, photo by Paolo Riolzi and styling by Stefania Vasques

Cardboard Safari wreaths

With the holidays right around the corner, I've been thinking about a holiday project to continue the theme I started last year. This time, I've been wanting to get a wreath for the door and have been exploring the options. I recently got a tip from Chad over at Cardboard Safari, who have this pretty recycled cardboard version. Check out more of their holiday offerings here.

Yorozu audio speaker kit

This is a fun idea- Why not have a milk carton as a speaker? Apparently with this gadget you can transform all types of things into speakers for your ipod. More info here. (Thanks to Anna at Nerve.com for the link!)

Atlantis by Gayle Chong Kwan

Brilliant work by artist Gayle Chong Kwan.

"Atlantis is a landscape created by Gayle Chong Kwan out of semi-opaque plastic food packaging that the artist collected from London dwellers. The project was inspired by the lost city of Atlantis and it is no coincidence that many of these food containers are often to be found at the bottom of many bodies of water, forming a new sort of city created from waste. Climate change, urban planning and communal living are all themes evoked by this fascinating depiction of the Atlantis we are creating."(Via art moco)

TGIF video break: used to be

Beach House- used to be


(via u.o. blog)

note-worthy?

wow! Happy Mundane is Blog of note today! woo hoo! A big welcome to any new visitors! Feel free to check out the archives to the right- (thanks blogger!)

Design Pod LA tonight!

For all you LA peeps- tonight is Design Pod LA- get a jump on your holiday shopping! prices from $5 and up! lots of goodies to be had- more info here.

carrot flowers

Happy carrot flowers make for happier meals. "How to" here. (via the kitchn)

Puppy status: Life with Pepé: week 2

So it's been 2 weeks now with lil Pepé. Week one started out great- he was really responding well to walking, not really pulling, took him to the dog park- did fine... learned how to sit... He's pretty good and behaved inside the home. Still sleeps most of the time. I take him to the office with me everyday and he usually sleeps there most of the time as well. However, in the past two days, something weird has started happening. He's suddenly starting to act up while on the leash. If he starts to go somewhere he isn't supposed to, or stray off the path we're walking on, I'd usually give a gentle tug, and he'd get back in line. Now, strangely, he'll just stop. He'll sit. even lay down on the ground. He'll be all stubborn. This also happens sometimes as we're coming home from the walk, or randomly in a location, he'll just decide he doesn't want to go there and sit and/or lay down. I have to try to coax him back up, or try tempting him with treats to get going. He didn't do this last week. I'm afraid I did something to trigger this reaction. It's suddenly made going out for a walk, which he used to be excited about, very unpredictable and frustrating. I'm trying really hard to be patient and positive with him. Since I've never had a dog before, reading all the different types of solutions and suggestions on line has been a bit overwhelming. I decided to call in a professional to see Pepé in action (or non-action as it would be) to and see what they think. The appointment is tomorrow... We'll see what happens...

Cutt by Thomas Feichtner

I'm having one of those mentally chaotic mundays. This amazing cutlery, called Cutt, isn't new, but I'm finding comfort today in their solid beautiful structure. More here.

Emmo Home

For all of you fellow OC HM-ers, I have a fun store to introduce to you. Emmo Home! I mentioned them before when I was on a quest for this Herb Ladder earlier this year. At the time, EmmoHome was only online, but now they've opened up an actual storefront! I went to check it out a few weeks ago and it's chock full of goodies. There's nothing else like it here in OC- All those cool modern euro products you'd normally have to drive all the way to LA to get are here in our own backyard! They're located in that weird South Coast Home Furnishings Center complex that's just north of IKEA and South Coast- (Wickes furniture used to be there) you can see it off the 405. It's sort of hidden, but look for The Steak Escape or White Orchid- They're located in between those two stores. Owner Andrew Kim is the coolest, and he has a cute dog, Bernard, to greet you too. If you get a chance definitely stop by. Tell him Jonathan sent ya- Support a local guy trying to bring some more beauty to our hood. There's tons of good stuff and you can get a jump on your Holiday shopping (I already have a list started...) and even if you're not in OC, you can check out the online shop. He'll ship anywhere. Just about everything in store is online as well. Emmohome.com

Nine Stories Furniture: Elsie Series

These brilliant tables are made from reclaimed automotive sheet metal. Love the faceted design and color combos! By Nine Stories Furniture. Read more here and check out their other great work here.

Mr. Wilson

This guy made me smile this morning. Designed by Dominik Langhammer for Loony Design. (via Superuse, via roadsidescholar)

kirigami

Totally fascinated by these card patterns at the popupcardmaking etsy shop. Check out the other kinds here.

Kevin Harris textiles

Was just introduced to Kevin Harris Textiles from Em- LOVE the rope print pillows- The "River" graphic table runner is also quite amazing. Check out his whole collection here.

Pimienta Pepper Shaker/Sal Salt Shaker

Add a little punch to both your food and your table top with these Pimienta Pepper /Sal Salt Shakers from Cb2. I love how simple and graphic they are.

Where the Wild Things Are Ornaments

I loved this story as a kid and how fun as ornaments! Available here.

TGIF mix tape: mellow mix #1

happy friday folks! it's been a crazy week- chillax for a minute... and enjoy your weekend!

Teak Salt and Pepper Shakers by Jens Quistgaard

Saw these in the November 2008 Dwell. Want. Need. On the hunt... more here and here. And there's even a blog! (images from Dwell and Mark Perlson)

Kimono Tea Light Shade

Delicate and lovely! They're etched by hand from thin sheets of stainless steel- by Polli- Available here.

meet Pepé

So... I adopted a dog yesterday. Meet Pepé.

This little guy was apparently found as a stray, adopted, then given back to the shelter because the people adopting him turned out to be alergic. Not sure what the history of the dog was before that. He's a chihuahua, but he's not a little tea cup one- he's kinda big- about 12 pounds. They estimated him to be about 10 months old, so still kind of a puppy. so far so good. The shelter (i got him at the Irvine Animal Shelter) said he was already housetrained- so that was a plus for me. however, this morning, he... marked the bedroom as his own i guess. oh well- other than that little incident- he's been fairly mellow. sleeps a lot. hasn't barked yet- except during the initial meeting at the shelter- he kind of went beserk on a large dog- but didn't seem to mind seeing a smaller dog...
Honestly, I'm a little overwhelmed. This is the first time I've ever had a dog. I want him to be all socialized, trained, obedient, and all that good stuff- and everything I need to get and do is a bit daunting. I promise (fingers crossed) that I won't turn this blog into a puppy photo blog- (although i can feel i'm already becoming one of "those" people! hehe)
but he sure is a lil cutie isn't he?

new buddy

so... there's a new buddy on my couch.and all he seems to do is sleep...

blue munday: behind the scenes

jonathan Adler "Saville" ornament set

Jonathan Adler has a new set of cute ornaments out this year. Called "Saville", it features a key, a shoe (or "brogue"), a pipe, and a pocketwatch. I am in love with the key - I wish these were sold separately... it's actually giving me ideas for perhaps some DIY christmas ornaments... hm... Available here and here.

go-go saturday night

directed by Jess Holzworth feat. Chloe Sevigny
Beck - Gamma Ray


by the way- don't forget- Daylight Savings Time ends tonight! Time to turn you clocks back 1 hour!