As a paper artist, I am constantly experimenting with new ways to use origami that showcase the essence of Japanese aesthetics. This framed modular origami wall display is a unique and striking way of showing off your paper skills. Modular origami is formed by interlocking simple unit pieces, making it easy for all crafter levels, including children! I am excited to share this DIY tutorial with the Design*Sponge community and I would love to see your interpretation of this project, so if you give this a try, please share photos of your creation on Instagram or Twitter by hashtagging #giantorigami and tell me your story. Hope to see you there! –Coco Sato of Giant Origami

Photography by Emma Gutteridge

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I’m 90% sure it wasn’t intentional, but somehow everything in my home has gravitated towards blue and white. Whether it’s a vintage indigo fabric turned into a headboard (DIY to come!), our growing collection of old Blue Willow china or my favorite Frances Palmer pitcher, every time I look around I find myself catching all the blue and white. So when I saw the new 2015 fabric collection from Rebecca Atwood, who certainly knows her way around a great blue, I was hooked.

Inspired by the coast of New England, Rebecca’s latest collection includes a series of digitally printed designs and one-of-a-kind, hand-dyed shibori panels. The digitally printed linen fabrics use water-based pigment inks (which are ultra-low VOC) without any harsh chemicals and use a process that produces close to no wastewater. The new pillows have patterns inspired by potato prints, collage stripes and oversized brush marks. I’m such a sucker for patterns that look like simple, handprinted designs, so those brush mark and potato print-inspired pieces are going straight to the top of my wish list. Click here to check out more of Rebecca’s collections and to order online. xo, grace

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Some of my favorite brands, products and businesses only offer a handful of things, focusing on quality rather than quantity and valuing simplicity over complication. And it’s these sentiments that Brooklyn couple Rachel Rheingold and Michael Berick brought to Maptote, a line of soft goods decorated, illustrated, and designed with — you guessed it — maps! Founded in 2006, Maptote has been featured in dozens of publications and Michael and Rachel have had the chance to work with some massive brands, from Martha Stewart to Urban Outfitters to the Hudson’s Bay Company, so I’m tickled pink to be sharing their thoughts on security, quitting their day jobs, the business side of creativity and the importance of having an authentic passion for what you do. — Sabrina

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I only started my blog, Hands and Hustle, last year, but blogging has already helped me find and hone my voice. It’s also led to friendships and new connections, has been immensely rewarding and, most importantly, has helped me fine-tune what I want to do and how I want to do it. And blogging is exactly what helped Vancouver-born Bre discover and develop Scout & Catalogue (which, yes, is spelled with a “ue” if you’re a Canuck like Bre and me!). What started as a blog chronicling her experience living in Mexico has turned into a successful accessory brand inspired and influenced by Mexico’s Bohemian beach culture. Today Bre chats with us about borrowing from the best, brand beliefs, the importance of support and what fuels her. —Sabrina

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When it comes to hitting the “refresh” button on life during the New Year, it can be tempting to go all out — from joining a gym and purchasing healthy foods to (finally) making over your home so that it’s more beautiful, relaxing, and cheerful. Things like time and budget, however, can throw an unwanted wrench into your refresh plans, and you might find yourself at a stand-still. When things like this get me into a snag, I find it helpful to turn to this age-old truism: A little goes a long way. If re-outfiting your wardrobe is out of the question, sometimes all it takes is a fresh manicure or haircut to make you feel new and refreshed. By the same token, if getting your home in top-to-bottom order seems a little too overwhelming, choosing a single space or nook to focus on can yield similar mindset-recharging results. For a quick at-home update, I often turn to the bedroom. As an overall space, it’s generally pretty easy to tackle, bed linens are often affordable, and a few simple steps can make a world of difference. Continue below for my tips for giving your own bedroom a good ol’ 1-2-3 makeover! —Max

This post is sponsored by Target. Shop Home Décor for modern luxury made easy.

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I’ve never been to New Orleans myself, but in my mind it’s a place that takes you a step back in time; a place filled with soul, plenty of character(s), historic streets that fill up every night with music and dancing, coffee shops and stores that are always bustling and, at any given time, the sound of a saxophone playing in the distance. Turns out, this isn’t too far off from the truth (other than the saxophone bit — maybe I got a tad carried away there).

New Orleans is home to Juley Thuy Le (pictured above) of Upperlyne & Co., a blog-turned-business. She’s a proud Southerner who simply can’t shake the city and confessed that she had a hard time fitting all of her favorite places into one day. Now, time for my confession: In crafting this post I asked Juley to confirm the proper pronunciation of New Orleans, which, as it turns out, is the charming, soulful way you’d expect: “Never, ever, ever New Or-Leens. [It’s] New Or-lins!”

Get the full scoop of Juley’s 24 Hours in New Orleans after the jump!

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In 2001 I sat down in front of a radio mic for the very first time. I was a junior in college and was convinced that what the College of William & Mary needed more than anything else was, in fact, a jam band radio show. WCWM had a pretty strict indie-only policy, but my roommate was the director of the radio station and took pity on my surburban hippie phase and let me play Phish every Friday from 12-2. While I left my jam band days back in college, there was a tiny part of me that always missed the radio.

So when I found out about Heritage Radio Network back in 2011, I knew I wanted to see if they’d let me start a show dedicated to design, creativity and small business issues. Thankfully they agreed to let me have a try and, two years later, I’m happy to have recorded my 100th episode. I’m taking a break from the show this season to work on our house upstate, but I’ve been hearing from people on social media lately who just discovered the show for the first time over the holiday break. It made me think that now might be the perfect time to recap some of my favorite episodes for anyone who didn’t know Design*Sponge had a radio show or for anyone who needs a little inspiration for life and work. I’ve broken down my favorite shows into categories like work/life balance, finances, social media, inspiration and publishing/blogging. I hope you’ll give these shows a listen, because the guests I’ve been honored to sit with have shared some of the most valuable work and life advice. From building a more inclusive design community and life as a working parent to finding your voice on social media and hiring your first employees, this show has been the biggest joy of the past two years of my work life. I hope you’ll give it a listen! xo, grace

*In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, who was and will always be a source of such great inspiration, here are some wonderful ideas of ways to celebrate his memory, honor his legacy, give back and do more to continue the work he did so bravely.

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I think most people spend their downtime doing something healthy and active, like going for walks or getting fresh air. But I tend to spend my time falling down internet wormholes looking for things like “antique embroidery” or “rooms covered entirely in ribbons”. Sometimes these searches end with me closing my laptop, metaphorically empty-handed, but sometimes they end in a long list of beautiful things I one day want to find a way to use at home or work. This week I was looking for multi-colored embroidery patterns and fabrics and ended up stumbling on some stunning textiles, one of which popped up in our #DSShapes hashtag challenge too. Two appearances in one week meant I had to do a post on this gorgeous rainbow-colored fabric from Pierre Frey called Carriacou. Inspired by a kaleidoscope, Carriacou is stunning over-sized pattern that, to me, looks like my dream of all dreams, which is to live in a room with walls upholstered in ribbons. It’s as dramatic and over-the-top as that sounds, but in such a wonderful way. So if you need a little color and pattern inspiration, check out more images of this pattern here. It’s a nice splash of color for grey winter days. I’m heading out to tackle our bathroom floor of doom (see my fail here) so until Monday, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Thanks for all your Home Ec requests, too- feel free to keep sending them and we’ll add them to our to-do list. xo, grace

• The season 2 premier of Broad City was every bit as funny as we hoped it would be and we’re so excited took look back at the home tours we did with the stars of the show, Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson.
• Filmmaker Desiree Akhavan’s episode on Death, Sex and Money was a fantastic listen. Her frank discussions about success and finding yourself as a person and artist are so refreshing- and funny. (Also, check out Desi’s movie!)
• I’ve been trying to plan a trip to the Harvard collection of Glass Flowers for a while. These glass flowers are STUNNING.
• Domaine shared 22 ways to save money in New York City. If you plan on traveling to The Big Apple any time this year, this is a great list to consult first!
• I’m a major skin/home facial fanatic, so if you are struggling with dry winter skin, facialist Joanna Vargas is sharing her tips for getting through this chilly season in style!
• You won’t believe what’s behind this nondescript Australian home’s facade…
• The New Yorker’s Richard Brody makes a good case for celebrating the oft overlooked skill of comedic acting and the Washington Post looks at the terrible lack of diversity in the Oscar nominees this year.

• Must-Reads: Home Ec on DS! (Tell us what YOU want to learn about!), Paper Art by Gunjan.
• Sneak Peeks: A perfumer & teacher’s 1900s brownstone, A beautiful ‘bare bones’ Texas home, A bright and airy home in Texas, A shopkeeper’s home in Berlin, Two artists turn their home into a DIY gallery, When Renovation meets Collaboration, An Australian home that is both confident and simple.
• Before & Afters: A kitchen loses two walls and gains light and space.
• Recipes: Ina Garten’s Parmesan Chive Smashed Potatoes, Leela Cyd’s Cara Cara Orange Parfaits, Soul Mule drink recipe from Project Sip, Freekeh and Brussels Sprout Salad.
• City Guides: 24 Hour Guide to Helsinki, Finland.
• Life & Business: Profile: The brother-sister team behind B. Finlay Millwork, The women of Buffalo’s cooperative bread baking business, BreadHive.
• DIY Projects: Modern Potato Prints + Gift Wrap, A gorgeous (and removable!) fabric treatment for your walls!

Parfaits fascinated me as a child. I loved being able to see the different layers in the tall, fancy glasses. It wasn’t until I started tinkering in the kitchen that I realized that there was no magic behind them at all, and they are one of the easiest desserts to make.  Photographer, Leela Cyd, whose grapefruit spritz we had on the Behind the Bar column last week, has shared her own Cara Cara Orange Parfait with us this week. Like her cocktail from last week, this one uses citrus, perfect for winter. —Kristina

About Leela: Leela Cyd is a photographer, recipe developer and writer based in Santa Barbara, CA. She also teaches photo workshops around the world, hosting one this summer in Cinque Terre. Her greatest passions are traveling and cooking, so she often combines the two by creating food-related stories for magazines such as Kinfolk, Sweet Paul and Anthology. Leela has a cookbook of her very own she’s working on, published by Clarkson Potter, due out in Spring 2016.

See how to make Leela’s parfaits after the jump!

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