After yesterday’s rain storm I was in desperate need of some cheering up. Thankfully Jill Bliss‘ next nature drawing popped into my inbox and I instantly felt a comforting reminder that even in rainy Portland things were warming up and the flowers were starting to come back. Today Jill has this new drawing to share…
It’s a dreary morning here in Brooklyn so I’m happy to escape into the world of Jill Bliss‘ nature drawings. To celebrate her new Nature Drawing Journal, Jill is sharing a new illustration with us every morning this week. Today she’s sharing a daffodil drawing inspired by a flower she found on her way to…
I’m thrilled to start this week with a special guest series from one of my favorite artists, Jill Bliss. I’ve been following Jill’s work since I started D*S, and I feel like I’m instantly transported into the forest every time I look at her drawings. Based in Portland, Jill is surrounded by a wealth of…
I’m thrilled to end this week with a peek at a fantastic new book from one of my favorite designers, Lena Corwin. I’ve admired Lena since we met back when I first started Design*Sponge and have so enjoyed watching her work flourish and grow since then. Today Lena is introducing a fantastic new book called…
Experiencing different cities is one of my favorite things in the world to do. I love soaking up everything an area has to offer and trying to taste a little bit of what locals do there on a regular basis. Every time I visit a city I find myself wishing I had a specific type…
In my book (no pun intended), Coralie Bickford-Smith can do no wrong. She has consistently designed some of the most breathtaking book covers on the market and continues to make it look effortless. Although I know it’s not. Coralie has a stunning new collection of book covers that are part of a series called Great…
I always get excited about any book that makes me feel like it’s breaking down the walls between “interior design” and regular, non-trade people. So often, interior design books make it seem like there are set rules for decorating and that having a good eye and a feel for things isn’t enough to help you…
For me, one of the happiest moments I get to experience is celebrating something one of our amazing D*S team members has done outside of the site. And today I get to celebrate a pair of beautiful new books from Small Measures writer, Ashley English. Last April, Ashley published the first two installments of her…
Speaking of city guides, one of my big dreams is to one day turn the D*S city guides into an illustrated book that people can carry with them (or on their phone) when they’re traveling across the globe. I’ve been squirreling away little design and layout ideas for a while now, so when I saw…
While the days of winter aren’t necessary “long” if measured strictly in terms of daylight hours, they certainly can feel lengthy. The arctic winds whipping around New England (not to mention the rest of the winter wilds lashing the entire globe) sequester many of us living in the Northern Hemisphere to the indoors. If you’re…
When AC and I got married in 2009 I found myself spending more hours than I would have liked flipping through wedding books on the floor of Barnes & Noble. After weeks of looking and scanning through every book I could get my hands on, I came to the conclusion that there just wasn’t a…
When Grace asked me to wrap up the 2010 Design*Sponge gift guide marathon (This is number 24! Whew!) with the ultimate last-minute gift — books — I nearly jumped for joy! After all, I am a librarian, so I have that love of books thing down, but honestly, there have just been so many amazing…
Nothing makes me happier than giving a unique gift, or one that has taken significant personal investment. I have divided my guide into two parts. The first part are all samples of work that some of my favorite artisans make. The images you see are just representative of their work. I have worked with almost…
I’m a huge fan of Meg Mateo Ilasco. Not only is she an amazing artist, mother and businesswoman, but she’s also one heck of an author. After the success of Craft, Inc. and Creative, Inc., you’d think she might take a break, but not Meg. She was working on another book the whole time —…
AC and I always laugh about the fact that we have close to no pictures of ourselves in the house. Not even wedding photos. We have a few strips of black-and-white photos that sometimes end up on the fridge, but other than that, we tend to be pretty photo-free. Mostly because I sort of lost…
AC and I are looking for a new apartment and part of that process has involved cleaning out our office and living room to cut down on the clutter we’ll have to pack. On the downside, it’s resulting in some serious dust-allergy attacks, but on the upside, it’s resulting in me spending more time with…
I’ve been excited about this event for months now and it’s finally here! Tomorrow night in DUMBO Brooklyn, the team from ALSO design (Julia Rothman, Jenny Volvolski, and Matt Lemoth) will gather with over 20 artists from The Exquisite Book to have a party, exhibit artwork from the book and do a book signing! I’ve…
I’m married to one of the world’s biggest technology lovers. So when the iPad came out, it wasn’t long before it appeared in our apartment. I gave AC a hard time for getting one, but I soon found myself killing late night hours (and helmet-wearing pigs) playing Angry Birds on its shiny new screen. Even…
I’ve been kicking myself since I realized I’d be out of town during the Exquisite Book “Crafternoon” party taking place this Saturday at the New York Public Library. As much as I love the friends we’re visiting in New Haven, it’s killing me that I’ll miss a chance to draw in person with artists like…
good morning! before we launch into regular columns today i wanted to take a second to send a HUGE “congrats!” to julia, matt and jenny at ALSO design on the release of their book, “the exquisite book“! over 100 artists contributed to the book in an ongoing piece that’s loosely based on the “exquisite corpse”…
