holidays by Grace Bonney 6

weekly wrap up + wooden valentines

Few things make me happier than flowers. Well, making it to the weekend is pretty great, too. In honor of both, I wanted to share these sweet wooden valentines from Brittany Burton. I wrote about Brittany the other week before she had an Etsy shop set up, and I’m thrilled to see (thanks to Tuesday!) that she now does. Her shop has a range of beautiful prints for sale, but I love this set of five wooden cards. Each is original and unique and comes with a blank back so you can write in your own message. Click here to check them out in more detail and order a set for your special someone.

I’m heading out to get some fresh air before I’m stuck back in the office tomorrow waiting for our new desk and coffee table to arrive. I plan to fill that four-hour delivery window with work, so I’m ducking out to start the weekend early. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. See you Monday! xo, grace

Below is a summary of this week’s highlights:

Must Read: Gifts & Gadgets for Your Valentine
Biz Ladies: Hire a Designer or DIY Your Website?
City Guides: Indianapolis City Guide {UPDATE}
Living In: The African Queen
Sneak Peeks: Holly Wales + Stephen Smith, Amanda Happé, Adrian Richardson + Family
DIY Projects: Valentine Book Collection from Juniper Books, Hand-Painted Valentines, Bronze Nail Ceiling Design, Ephemera Collage Valentine
Before & After: Toolbox Wall Organizer, Budget-Friendly Apartment Redo, Cheery Nautical Bathroom Makeover
In the Kitchen With: Casey Barber’s Drunken Spaghetti with Clams
What’s in Your Toolbox: Lotta Anderson
Behind the Bar: Annette Joseph’s Blood Orange Basil Gimlet
Artwork: State Pairings by JHill Design, Francoise Gilot
Misc.: Customized Mugs by Kin Ship Press, A Alicia Embroidered Necklaces, David Stark’s WOOD SHOP at Haus, Handmade Books by Serena Olivieri, Swatch Watch, Litterae, Momofuku Milk Bar Cookie Mix, Punch Box Valentines from Leafcutter Designs

entertaining by Kristina Gill 24

in the kitchen with: casey barber’s drunken spaghetti with clams

I was never interested in spaghetti alle vongole (spaghetti with clams) until I stayed in Naples for a week for work and ate dinner by myself. Without the influence of friends’ orders, I let the waiter bring me his choice from the menu. Maybe because I was an obvious tourist or maybe because it’s one of the things you have to eat when you go to Naples (along with pizza and sfogliatelle, and a few other really good things), spaghetti alle vongole is what he brought. It was absolutely perfect. The right degree of spiciness, perfect al dente spaghetti — perfect everything. Though Romans do it well, too, the Naples dish conquered my palate. This week, Casey Barber, recipe developer and editor of Good.Food.Stories., shares her own recipe for Drunken Spaghetti with Clams, an equally tasty variation on the theme. If you are curious about cooking seafood and need a go-to guide, I highly recommend the book Fish by Mitch Tonks, which not only has the names of fish in four languages (great for me here in Italy!) but also notes the buying season and includes great recipes. More about Casey and her recipe after the jump. — Kristina

behind the bar by Kristina Gill 12

behind the bar: annette joseph’s blood orange basil gimlet

February’s Behind the Bar is a mix of summer and winter. Blood oranges are available only in the coldest winter months, and basil, of course, is summery. If like me you freeze large bunches of basil during the summer months, you can dig into the freezer for this Blood Orange Basil Gimlet, provided by Atlanta-based stylist Annette Joseph. Later this month, Annette will launch a “Celebrity Cocktail of the Week” feature on her blog that promises a spectacular lineup that I can’t wait to see. In the meantime, I couldn’t resist asking Annette for her favorite cocktail. Learn more about Annette and her cocktail recipe after the jump. — Kristina

accessories by Amy Azzarito 8

virtual 3-D from nypl

Before joining the Design*Sponge team full-time, I spent my days at the New York Public Library. It remains one of my favorite places in the city, and my former colleagues at NYPL Labs have been doing some amazing things. Their new project, the Stereogranimator, launched just last week. If you’ve ever spent time looking through historic photographs, you might have noticed that many (often those dating pre-1900) come in seemingly identical pairs. These pairs, called stereographs, were meant to be viewed together using a proto-ViewMaster device that would give the dual images realistic depth. These stereographs allowed the viewer to immerse herself in a 3-D world — to virtually travel as far as Egypt, see the ruins of the Great San Francisco Earthquake or marvel at Niagara Falls. The New York Public Library has a massive collection of these stereographs, and with the Stereogranimator, you can transform these static images into an approximation of the 3-D stereograph viewing experience. Warning: It is extremely addictive. (And note: you can do a search for cats.) — Amy Azzarito

Image above: Made with the NYPL Labs Stereogranimator

artwork by Kate Pruitt 12

we make carpets

The clothespin is such a fantastic invention, one that seems to have hit upon the perfect combination of form, function and beauty. I’ve seen a bunch of amazing projects involving clothespins lately, including this ombre clothespin backdrop and these incredible sculptural pieces by artist Gerry Stecca, among others. But it was this bold, beautiful collection of clothespin carpets that sealed the deal, and I had to share. I discovered We Make Carpets a while back and fell in love with their witty, playful contemporary rug installations made from all kinds of common materials: Band-Aids, Q-tips, etc. Since then, their portfolio has vastly expanded — so many fun new carpets! You can check out their whole collection here — maybe it will inspire you to fashion a carpet from something fun and unexpected this weekend :) Enjoy! — Kate

ginny branch stelling by Ginny 73

What’s in Your Toolbox: Lotta Jansdotter

When I was a student at SCAD, I haunted a beloved local shop for new delights from one of my favorite textile designers, Lotta Anderson of Lotta Jansdotter. It began with an obsession for her sticky notes and continued with collecting every tea towel and sewing kit I could get my enthusiastic hands on. I am so thrilled to see her brand continuing to flourish and expanding to new arenas of design. Lotta Jansdotter washi tape? Sign me up. To be interviewing her now is an honor, and it lets me high-five my inner, bright-eyed art-student self. Her images are so joyful, aren’t they? Continue reading for a delightful visual smorgasbord of creativity.

1. Design*Sponge: What is in your toolbox?

Lotta Anderson: My tool box is rather simple: pen (my favorite pen is a Pentel Sign Pen in black), paper, rubber cement and a pair of scissors.

I create my print designs, motifs and patterns by hand: I sketch and draw in my custom-made sketch books or on plain copy paper. I cut out shapes and motifs out of black construction paper. I do this for a while, and I might find something I want to develop further. Then I will play with scale and layout by using my copy machine. Then I am back to cutting and pasting again. A very hands-on process! I like the tactile process of how I create my designs.