Dior Homme Butterfly by Andrea Mastrovito

So striking and beautiful! Kind of reminds me of those beer can butterflies by Paul Villinski, but this installation is by Andrea Masttrovito. Love it! (via Hypebeast)

TGIF video break: Coraline

I was such a huge fan of Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach. Totally looking forward to seeing this movie next year...

Pinxo by Ferran Lajara

Such a simple and genius concept- Hopefully these Pinxo clothespins by Ferran Lajara will become available stateside soon. Read more here. (via Mocoloco)

modern wreath adventure: episode 3

So... still looking for inspiration for a DIY modern wreath this year. I'm always picking up vintage craft books when I go to thrift stores or garage sales, so I went into my archives and came across this old December 1974 issue of Pack- O- Fun! They had a really interesting starburst wreath made out of pieces of rolled up magazines! It reminded me of the one I posted from Living Etc, and I really liked that concept. The instructions were fairly simple. Take 8.5 x 11-ish size magazine pages, cut them down into fourths, and roll them up with a pen or pencil and glue (i used double stick tape because i was lazy and I had a roll handy- but I guess a glue stick could work just as well). I estimated I'd need about 70-100 rolls- so while catching up on my Tivo'd shows, I went to town using an old issue of In-Style magazine. Two hours later, I had a box full... It then says to cut out a ring using corrugated cardboard and glue them down to it. I had an old sheet that came inside a box laying in the garage, so I used that. Well, after that - armed with some normal white craft glue, I set out to make my wreath. It was definitely a learning experience to say the least. Stay tuned to see the results...

larytta by körner union

so mesmerizing... (via VLU)

bone china snowflake ornaments

these are so lovely- and now on sale! (from Crate&Barrel)

a lil gilding will do ya

Love how just a little gilding or etching can totally transform a mundane object. Works by Tomas Kai. (via Oh Joy)

TGIF video break: Lily Allen "the Fear"

Sukie Iron On Transfers

I spotted this in Real Simple's gift ideas- I've always been a fan of Sukie, and now they have a book of iron-ons to transfer onto t-shirts or other items!

 Apparently they're not in-stock yet, but you can pre-order it and hopefully it will arrive before Christmas-

karen Kimmel ornaments

A few weeks ago, I showed you the stunning house tour of Karen Kimmel- Her work never ceases to amaze me and for the holiday's she's come up with some beautiful ornaments for the home. These pieces could easily be up all year long. One side has wood veneer, and the other is in a colored plexi glass. They come with an ultra suede tie. A perfect gift! The sizes range from 2.5" to 9.5". You can get them at A+R.

modern wreath adventure: episode 2

OOH! i'm getting closer to a solution!!! I'm in LOVE with this amazing wreath idea from the fabulous Mid Century Modern Utah blog that Laure posted over at AT:LA- I love the idea of wrapping the yarn because I had wrapped styrofoam balls for my tree. I still have leftover yarn from that- oooh... great inspiration... getting ideas...

modern wreath adventure: episode 1

So as I mentioned, I've decided that this year I'm going to make myself a wreath- but I want it to go with the theme I started last year with my tree, and to keep it modern. I've been looking at a bunch of options out there- and still haven't come to a decision- The latest December 08 Living Etc. has some interesting ideas. First, I like the retro starburst concept- I'd probably do it in gold, to match the starbursts in my tree- but I'd probably do the rays in smaller proportions. It does make quite a statement on your door though doesn't it? The second one is similar to the wreaths by Cardboard Safari I posted last week- these are also made of paper- but I like the little gold accents mixed in... anyway these two pieces above are by Helen Musselwhite. She is amazing. You must check out her site for more of her work.

trouble

Speaking of paper cut-outs- love this new video by Lenka
Trouble Is A Friend

insufficient postage

sorry for the lack of posting- i'm still in Turkey food coma from the holiday this past weekend- and am now trying to get back up to speed- more soon-

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)