Someone Please Make This a Reality

When the RE 35 was announced earlier this month, the world got very excited. It promised to be an amazing product that would convert your dust-collecting analog camera into a digital one. The problem? The product does not actually exist! Read the disclaimer on the bottom of the company website and you'll find it was just a cruel April Fool's joke. However, the response to the RE 35 was so overwhelming that the design firm that launched the hoax is now seriously studying how to make it into a reality. Maybe I'll hold on to that old film camera for a little while longer after all :)

My Latest Handmade Purchase

While looking for birthday gifts, I came across a little something for myself over at etsy shop Happy Family. This shirt initially appealed to me because of its apparent "live off the grid" message, but there's more to this design than I knew. According to the description, "In October 1939 the Government launched 'The Dig for Victory' campaign. People were urged to use gardens and every spare piece of land, such as parks, golf clubs and tennis courts, to grow vegetables. Even the moat at the Tower of London was used to grow vegetables. "We want not only the big man with the plough but the little man with the spade to get busy this autumn. Let 'Dig for Victory' be the motto of everyone with a garden," - Rob Hudson, Minister for Agriculture, in October 1939."  The ever so popular "Keep Calm and Carry On", also issued by the British Government, is another one of many great posters from WWII.

Thank you Happy Family for the super soft, history rich t-shirt! I absolutely love it. Want one? Happy Family is currently having a 10% off sale and giving away a free tote bag with the design of your choice with every 2 items purchased!

Cool Stuff: Branch Coat Hanger

photo from: funkyinteriors.com

photo from: The Container Store



I ventured into the big ole Container Store yesterday and came out with two of these cool white branch coat hangers. A little more than I planned to spend at $20 each, but I've been looking for something unique for my office for a few weeks. Now instead of throwing my keys, coat, and purse into a pile, they will look uber cool hanging on these little beauties.

Amazing Paper Necklace

I found this amazing paper necklace over at Craftstylish. Very unique and very cool.

Cool Stuff: Woven Survival Belt

My husband, who is really in to survival gear, made me this sweet woven belt out of parachord and gave it to me for Christmas. So not only does it look super stylish and cool, but I can cut and unravel it and use it to lower myself down a ravine (each strand of parachord can hold up to 500 pounds) or fashion something to catch some dinner if I find myself stranded and hungry in the wilderness (I think we've been watching too much Bear Grylls :). As soon as I pick his brain for how he made it, I will put up some links and step-by step photos!

Regretsy. Haaaaa.

Need a good laugh? Check out Regretsy. Apparently any publicity is good publicity because seller like Bixbie's Curious have had quite a bit of success after being featured. Awesome.

I Need a Sewing Machine

I sent my mom a few crafting books for her birthday and she brought this one down with her during her visit to San Diego this weekend. Sewing Green by Betz White is filled with fun and simple sewing projects using recycled materials. I don't have a sewing machine (yet), but Betz has inspired me to try some felting using recycled wool sweaters along with a little hand stitching. Check out the great reviews on amazon and pick up your copy today!

Fabrics, Hold the Cheese

I think a small part of the reason I haven't learned how to sew is due to the overwhelming amount of cheesyness that used to hit me when I walked into most fabric stores. Okay, maybe I'm being harsh here, but until recently, I just don't think there was a large a selection of great patterns to choose from (or at least that met my taste). Fortunately with the internet and resources like Etsy (and even improvements at fabric stores), there is now a plethora of great fabrics at our fingertips. The website MoreCloth makes it super easy to sort fabrics available on Etsy by color groups. Just click on the color bar of your choice and watch it generate fabrics to match. Pretty cool.

Delicious Soaps

Feeling thankful for my fist etsy sale, I am featuring a shop in need of their first! Using the Pounce feature, I stumbled upon seller Angelic who makes soap that looks good enough to eat.

Check out all of Angelic's treats at Angelic.etsy.com !

Tres Bois: Wooden YoYo

Since I did a post on faus bois yesterday, I thought I'd follow up with some real bois today.



Yo-Yo like a boss with this sweet hand-crafted wooden classic complete with Cocobolo, Maple, and Wenge hardwoods and racing stripe design from etsy shop CreativeAddictions09 !

Perfect timing since my friend at work asked me the other day "when are you going to get some word working up there (on my blog)". This person also happens to be quite the yo-yo'er. So here it is, a woodworked Yo-Yo.

You know who you are.

Cool Stuff: Soooo Bois

So you may or may not realize that faux bois is in these days. I definitely didn't know that there is an entire blog dedicated to it. But Em and Jon over at It's (K)not Wood have been highlighting some great faux bois items for the last 4 years including the notepad below:

One Faux Bois item I've been eyeing for quite some time is this wallet from Etsy Shop MoxieandOliver .

Love it, just waiting for that special occasion to buy it!

Cool Stuff: JCaroline Home Ikea Hacks

I am very excited for Jessica Jones at HowAboutOrange! Her fabrics are part of the new JCaroline Home collection which features customizable items like throw pillows as well as several Ikea furniture compatible cushions and slip-covers in a selection of fabric options. Now anyone who knows my design side, know that A: someday I want to design fabric, and B: that I love modularity! What a great job JCaroline has done bring these two things together. She even throws in some paint chip and DIY ideas to coordinate with the collections. So smart.

I've already refinished the Poang Chair in our living room from Birch to Mahogony. Now which fabric will I choose? Hmmm......

Cool Stuff: Clocks

It seems that (if you know what you're doing) you can turn just about anything into a clock. Here are some clocks worth noting that I've found while browsing for gift ideas:

This tongue-in-cheek Cukcoo Clock design is from Etsy seller Decoylab:

Etsy Seller Kailey Hawthorn has found a great new use for old records with her clocks:

And how could I not include a clock made from bicycle parts? Etsy seller 1byliz makes these vibrant upcycled chain ring clocks:

Ok one more bicycle themed clock by Etsy Seller Garbella. She screen prints these fabulous designs on real wood:

Here is a great clock I bought for my dad for his 60th Birthday. I wanted to give him a gift made with something from the year he was born, and this hub cap clock by 8milecreekdesigns is it!:

And finally, this clock from The Green Head, is very cool. It looks like a block of wood until it is illuminated. Though I have to ask, why would the clock ever be turned off? Hmm....

Know of any other unique clock designs? Send me the links!

Pimp my IKEA: Grippiks

Lately I've been seeing a lot great ideas for adding a little flair to otherwise plain furniture from IKEA. Check out this Dresser Makeover below from Design Sponge:

Well done. But if you're looking for a much easier way to dress up your IKEA items, check out what the girls over at Grippiks are doing. It's really smart. Kind of like "Pimp my Ride" for furniture, in a clean-lined, Scandanavian furniture kind of way :) They make a removable film in fun designs that you stick on to popular IKEA designs. I haven't tried it, but it looks really easy. Great for dorms, college apartments, and nurseries. Looking forward to more of their fun patterns!

Cool Stuff: Art.com Framing Tool

When I bought my husband a map for his office from Art.com, I was pleasently surprised by their online framing tool. You can preview what the artwork looks like with each of their variety of frames. You can even add matte boards in different colors and sizes and view on various wall paint colors! How cool is that? Just click on the "custom frame it" button after you select your artwork. Now if it only had a way to upload it into a picture of our office, I would've realized it was way to big and over powering. Sorry hon, but it looks great over our couch! :)