metal and wood milk crates

I'm finding this cast metal milk crate very appealing- but also loving this wood trompe l'oeil version too!

gary the robot

Gotta love a large chunky wooden robot with rope arms named Gary! Could be fun DIY inspiration if you have some wood scraps laying around. Otherwise, you can get him here.

TGIF video break: Friday Night

It's friday and it's a long holiday weekend here in the states, it's time to remember that "friday night, we're all alright, in the light we're out of sight, friday night, we're all alright, hold me tight with all your might, friday night, it's alright, every night should be a friday night...."


(btw. how amazingly "now" are their outfits?!)

wood torch by jonas damon

something about the juxtaposition of organic combined with man made really appeals to me in this piece. Available here.

"Panrico" by Merry Design Studio

Made from recycled plastic crates! Love the yellow and wood combo. from Merry Design Studio in Spain.

marshmallow ghost cake

I know it might be a little early to be thinking about Halloween, but this cake is too cool! Apparently this is from a 2006 issue of Martha Stewart, but it's included again in this year's Halloween special edition that just hit newstands. Recipe here. I bet this could be fun year round by using different colored marshmallows and candles... hm... ideas...

Cheeming Boey

This guy is awesome. His name is Cheeming Boey and he draws on styrofoam cups. And he's a fellow OC-er! Check out his cups here. Read more here. His blog is here. (via UO)


UPDATE: If you're in OC, he'll be showing at the Laguna Beach Art Walk next thursday, at Marion Meyer's Contemporary Art from 6-9pm.

Tossed and Found- Linda and John Meyers

Got my copy of the new book from the team behind Wary Meyers, Linda and John Meyers. I'm such of fan of their clever and eclectic style, so I was very intrigued to see what this book was about. The book is called "Tossed and Found- Unconventional design from cast-offs" and basically is more of a DIY guide to some of the creations they've made using found or discarded objects from garage sales, etc... To be honest, I was kind of hoping for more documentation of the interiors they've done, but the book is a lot of fun nonetheless and really gives a glimpse into their creative process. I especially love the doodles and sketches they've included with each project.
Some of my favorite pieces they show are the sewer pipe lamp and the terrarium out of simple upside down jars. Something anyone could do!If you happen to have a bunch of random things in your garage or home and were thinking of throwing it out, take a second look. This book is a great reminder to imagine the possibilities of something "old" and making it "new again, and bringing something truly unique and personal to your decor. More here.

peanut butter noodle yummy

(sigh) It's thursday. One more day to go. I'm just craving simple and yummy right now. How delicious does this recipe look?! (via Real Simple. photo by Jonny Valiant)

alex couwenberg at Peter Blake Gallery

I am in love with the work of artist Alex Couwenberg... More here.

Tone Matrix by André Michelle

Seriously. trippy blippy music fun for hours. click here to play. (via)

blue munday: pepe summer egg-ing out

Hi folks! Still recouperating from my Vegas weekend. Unfortunately it's not because of any scandalous partaking on my part. Sadly, quite the contrary. I guess I wasn't very "lucky" in Vegas. As I had mentioned, I've had some dental work done during the past few weeks, and last week was the conclusion of my treatments. That was the good part. However, the dentist gave me some pain medication, and apparently I had a nasty allergic reaction to it, involving awful hives all over my body, swelling, itchyness, and general gross-ness. Let's just say I was forced to wear long sleeves and pants in 100+ weather. However, unpleasantness and uncomfortable-ness aside, I didn't let that stop me from trying to enjoy the trip. On the plus side, I did win $60 in slots! woo hoo! So, I'm still a bit sore and trying to detox from the meds, but it's clearing up and going away and I'm glad to be home.

In the meantime, today I have a guest post up over at Decor8. The lovely Holly kindly invited me to be a part of her August Guest series to share a "few of my favorite things" in my home- Click on over and check it out! and check out the other guests she's had- really good stuff!

I'll leave you today with a few outtakes from the shots I sent over to Holly for the post. Pepé has been enjoying the new egg chair and hope you all have been having a good summer!

TGIF video break: nasty little rumor

WOO HOO! it's friday- It's been a rough few weeks for me, with random medical emergencies, dental woes, Pepé digestive issues- ugh- too much drama! So- this weekend- I'm running out for a little bit of much needed frivolous, carefree, debauchery. I'm talking about VEGAS, baby- Here's a little ditty to kick things off, by Shena- Hope you all have a great weekend!

Insound 10 Classsic by Mike Perry

Insound is collaborating with one of my faves, Mike Perry, to do a limited edition series based on seminal punk, new wave, and indie bands from the 70's through the 90s. Each design will be printed on t-shirts, totes and signed silk screened posters. They'll be shipping in mid- September. Check out more info here. (thanks to Andy at Insound for the tip!)

GIVEAWAY update

hello all- just a reminder- TODAY is the LAST DAY to enter the All Modern giveaway- pass it along- tell your friends to enter too!- I know you want a fabulous new pillow... and it's free! see this post for details.

Bot Beverages

The other day I had to go to Toys R Us to pick up some props for a photoshoot. As I was exiting, I saw that Toys R Us now carries all kinds of food things, like drinks and other random-ness. I guess it's all for kids, so... whatever- anyway- one thing caught my eye- These Bot Beverages- I'm probably late on this, since apparently it's been out since last year, but how cute is thepackaging!? It was all designed by TDA, and super kudos to them. I checked out the Bot website and was equally impressed- The tv spots and ads are hilarious and I love the random weird noises these characters make- I bought two, but haven't had a chance to taste them yet. Anyone buy these for their kids? Check out the whole deal at the Bot website.

blue tuesday: Roy Kuhlman

Picked up this book at an estate sale over the weekend, because the cover was so awesome. Upon closer inspection, I saw that it was by Roy Kuhlman! For those of you unfamiliar, here's a profile about Mr. Kuhlman, that AIGA did of him a few years ago. So amazing. Check out some more covers:
There's also a flickr page of more of his covers here. I'm totally keeping my eye out now for more!

Keep it Quiet- inside out mag sept/oct 09

Sorry, I had hoped to post this over the weekend, (but lazy sunday got the best of me!) but moving on... As much as I totally appreciate all the bright fun pop colors that are happening right now in the world of design and fashion, This "keep it quiet" editorial in the Sept/October 09 Inside Out totally spoke to me. It's soooo beautiful and feels so right on with the mood I've been in. I absolutely am in love with the muted palettes mixed with the wood tones, and the minimal use of bright green and blue accents adds just the right amount of pop to keep it from being too sedate. So inspired! Photos by Sharyn Cairns and styling by Glen Proebstel. Unfortunately my cheapy photographs do not do any justice to the amazing subtle colors that the actual printed mag has, so as I mentioned in my last post- if you go by a magazine stand- definitely look for this one- it's a must looksee! (images Sharyn Cairns/styling Glen Proebstel for Inside Out)

TGIF and new inside out

hello fellow HM-ers- apologies for the lack of posts the past few days. I've been busy with work and also coping with some recent dental work (which continues next week. ugh.) but anyway- woes aside, I'm so excited about the latest issue of Inside Out. The September/October 09 issue marks a big redesign and I have to say it's fantastic. There's so much goodness going on it's crazy- The cover alone is so beautiful. Love the blue couch with the accents of green and wood and white. There was a house tour of the home that's featured on the cover (Australian designer Shannon Fricke) over on AT:LA this week (here) In the meantime, if you're by a newsstand- definitely look for this issue. Some of you, like me here in the US, will have to pay a bit extra for it since it's an Australian import- but it's definitely worth a look-see! Anyway- I'll be back later this weekend to post one of the editorials in this issue that totally blew me away and is sooo inspiring.

In the meantime, if you haven't already- make sure you enter the amazing giveaway that Allmodern is sponsoring here on HM! Which is your favorite? it could be yours very soon!!

OMG! ALL MODERN GIVEAWAY!

Woo hoo! it's time for another Happy Mundane Giveaway! This time the awesome folks at AllModern.com are being very gracious to give away one of these amazing Thomas Paul Pillows. (you'll see below) You all know what a big fan I am of Thomas Paul, as I'm sure many of you are as well, so this is really an amazing treat.

If you're not familiar, All Modern has a fantastic selection of modern furniture and home accessories from many leading designers. Part of CSN Stores, All Modern is just one of over 260 retail sites that offer a diverse array of products from Herman Miller's brand new Embody Chair, to cookware by Rachael Ray!

So... If you are the lucky winner, you will get a choice of ONE of these four pillows shown below:
"Perch""Octopus""Seed"or "Kabuki"
Anyway- all you have to do is tell me which pillow is your favorite design and why- and also include your email contact and mailing address to hmgiveaway (at) gmail (dot) com- please put "ALL MODERN GIVEAWAY" in the title.

You have from today until next Wednesday (8.19.2009) to enter. You will be notified by email if you're the winner. Thanks again to All Modern for sponsoring this, and Good Luck!

This is Home

A really fun blog project- click here for more. What is home to you? (via This is Home)

mundane aesthetic: pineapple alligator

this made me smile! this baby pineapple alligator was spotted in the case at the legendary Roll "n" Rye deli in Culver City. Here's a link to how to make a bigger one.

lazy sunday video: Being boring

for those of you that are Bruce Weber photography fans, Sundance channel has a big feature on him here.

top it off

Beautiful salt and pepper shakers by Chris Stiles. These "tops" are ceramic and the white part is unglazed, and the colored parts are glazed. available here.

TGIF video break: Trouble is a friend version 1 and 2.

version 1

version 2


artist: Lenka, the visuals for both are by James Gulliver Hancock- whose work is awesome.

John Hughes R.I.P

John Hughes movies really impacted my youth. R.I.P. Mr. Hughes. Click here for my ode from last year to one of my favorite J.H. movies, Pretty in Pink.

framed flowers

Really fun idea from the September 2009 Living Etc. Make a 3D flower still life on your wall! I love that they painted the shelf the same color as the wall, so that it visually "goes away." Could be fun doing a tonal frame/wall color/ and vase version... like all white or gray? with just the flowers as pop color... hm... ideas.... (photo by Anthony Crolla/styling Harriet Paterson for Sept.09 Living Etc.)

solomia "arko" cups

So futuristic and modern! these ceramic cups are by Solomia Zoumaras. more here.

concrete tumblers

I am intrigued by these. by 25togo Design, they're called "Cityrain" and were inspired by the idea of "wet streets and glass windows" I wonder how heavy they'd be... (via uncrate via Charles&marie)

blue munday: plug! by Tomas Kral

Spotted in the August 09 Wallpaper, this beautiful container is by Tomas Kral (who you may recall also did these amazing "upgrade jars"). These containers are part of a larger prototype collection called Plug! - the collection explores the connection between cork and glass. So beautiful! The line also includes different shapes and objects including lamps and tables. Check out more of the collection, including some shots of how it's made, as well as more of this promising designer's work at his website. Someone needs to put this Plug collection into production pronto! (images from Tomas Kral)