giveaway : subu, inc

Every recycled Subu notebook tells a story! Made from recycled printouts, these fabulous little notebooks have snippets from someones printing past. Every page has a little something. I loved them, but if you are looking for pristine white pages - this isn't for you.

They are brightly colored on the outside and the paper is truly recycled. Plus if seeing a copy of an old master on one page and a list of chemical compounds on the corner of another - gets you just a little bit inspired - that's wonderful.

The giveway is for the set of 3 notebooks (shown above). Check out more at the Subu, inc. website.


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good design : mio

When eco-friendly products first came onto the market, the products were limited to unbleached and wholesome. Nowadays independent designers experiment with sustainable materials, textures and colors producing innovative high style design.

A good example of this is the design company MIO, whose work has a fun, futuristic vibe. Molded wool is formed into brightly colored containers and softly glowing lights. Recycled kraft paper is used for their Nomad system and can be configured in a variety of ways from room dividers to office-like cubicle. All of their products give the impression of some happy, avant-garde cartoon world.

And, although, sustainable products can still be quite pricey, the MIO line is very reasonable. The lights are $75, the containers start at $35 and the Nomad system is $56 for a pack of 24.

Available online through the MIO website – www.mioculture.com

the art of wood

When Joe Futschik of JefDesigns emailed me about his new collection of silkscreen wood panels, I was amazed by the design and touched by the sentiment. One of the pieces, Fritillia, was dedicated to his mother who died from cancer early this year.

Each one is a signed limited edition print and feature a variety of sea creatures. What I love about JefDesigns, is that the work is undoubtedly modern, but the influence of nature boldly apparent.

Of course, any blogger worth their salt would have blogged about the new collection months ago. But, as usual, I felt compelled to find some other wonderful examples of art-on-wood pieces. I did throw in a cutting board, but go ahead, hang it on the wall anyway - it's lovely!

CLOCKWISE:
+ octopus art panel, $150, jefdesigns
+ branch with lichen, $90, groundwork
+ diver cutting board, $38, olze and wilkens (available through elsewares)
+ mylo, $75, melissa moss (available through WHAT designers)

animal magnetism

I am not a big fan of cute things, but cute with an air of menace - well, hell yes.

Artist Emily Martin's work is just fabulous and reminds me a little of Yoshimoto Nara - without the knives.

The above prints are $13 each and available directly from the artists store.

db or not db

Well, I did say that there was even a little damask to be had for boys these days. The wallet in db clay's signature damask print (middle right), but recolored in spicy yellow. For a less vibrant version check out the black + black and black + tan colorways.

I have been a fan of db clay for a while and mentioned them before in the "cash + carry" post. Their wallets are made from eco-friendly tope and are just 100% cool, fresh and shiny!

www.dbclay.com

ring me

I am such a lucky girl! My husband recently returned from a conference in Vegas with a superb Teno ring. Now if I wasn't such a darn romantic, I might be asking myself "did something happen in Vegas that stayed in Vegas". Besides it was shiny and I didn't go beyond "it's shiny and it's mine!"

But sometimes the best gift can be loving yourself....and what better way to say "I love me" than buying yourself a shiny ring. Here are a few gorgeous rings to get you started.

CLOCKWISE (from top left):
: sprout ring, christine j brandt
: wrapped crystal ring, $121, anne maa designs
: zoe, $78, kiwi studios
: grass, $48, bella lulu
: square wood, $40, studio AMF
: owl, $28, kris nations
: gear ring, $65, imooi
: moon glow, $17.95, waterfall