at the Met giftshop this weekend...

I'd like to live in all 101 of them.

tree of codes

Source: doorsixteen.com 

Have you seen this? Such a great idea.

along the enchanted way

I found this book on Toast's website. It looks fabulous, although I may just be judging a book by its cover. It's described as an enchanting memoir of 10 years in Transylvania, by William Blacker, "the photos are worth the price alone." Hmm, I might have to have my husband pick me up a copy in London this weekend...

gypsy caravan

Jane over at Ill Seen, Ill Said shared this lovely post about shepard's huts eariler this week. Such a nice solution for a small peripheral space, and a romantic idea. It reminds me of the gypsy caravan in Roald Dahl's Danny The Champion of the World.

obama style

Word is out that West Coast decorator Michael S. Smith will be POTUS's official White House interior decorator. Michael S. Smith Houses from Rizzoli showcases Smith's "traditional yet not pedantic" style. He has a consistent ability to draw together eclectic elements, good for inspiration, even if you – like me – consider his overall taste conservative.

vintage cocktail guides: reprint

Cocktail Kingdom's authentic reprints of vintage cocktail guides

pelican project

The Pelican Project at thingsmagazine.net catalogs Pelican Books covers by decade. via notcot.

sukie

Coming out next week from Chronicle Books is this title by British artists Darrell and Julia Gibbs. The book contains 30 iron-on transfers and instructions. Click here for more information and other titles by these artists. 

this is jazz

The jazz uniform circa 1960, from Blue Note: The Album Cover Art.

pop up alphabet

via notcot

locatelli

I recently received this book by slow food movement follower, Giorgio Locatelli from a friend. It has lovely photos, great anecdotes and explanations, and recipes that aren't daunting. I highly recommend.

blogroll:

I read a lot of blogs and sometimes I am reluctant to add another to my feed because – less face it – there are only so many hours in the day and you can't procrastinate for all of them. Design for Less, however, is one new blog that I didn't hesitate to add to my list. Sisters Julka and Kristin Almquist, finding themselves both trying to live on a strict budget, set out last August to write a blog on good design at affordable (and sometimes free!) prices.

The Almquist sisters have an excellent eye for style, posting clothes, shoes, and accessories at reasonable prices. Clutch purse from Payless ($25) and Seychelles shoes ($85) from Zappos.

I also like their taste in low cost housewears, such as this TEKLA towel from IKEA (49 cents), and this tray from CB2 ($34.95).

Best of all, Julka and Kristin have some great ideas about how to repurpose what you've already got. With countless design blogs out there tempting you to empty your wallet, their "working with what you've got" series, including this post about the different ways you can wear a scarf or this post about exchanging paperbacks through the website Paperback Swap, is the most sound design advice I've read in a while.

DfL has some good tips on where to find great artwork. They also recently started a series of interview posts, like this one with novelist Colleen Miloni to glean others' ideas about stylish and affordable ideas for living. I highly recommend! (Tiger from Berkley Illustration and bird from 20x200)

rustic

A couple of super fab posts on style files about rustic style led me to these books on Amazon UK by Baileys owners Mark and Sally Bailey on how to get rustic style.

domino's book

I'm so excited about this! Coming in October, Domino magazine is publishing this book on decorating.

flea market style

I'm still really impressed by each week's selections and all the different vendors at the Brooklyn "not a bunch of shitty crafts" Flea on Sundays. I found this neat book on amazon that has similarly cool flea finds.

particular aesthetic: smart art

Lace fence, part of 'Sideways: A Smart Art Project,' a campaign to promote the Smart Car through an "aesthetic approach to environmental issues." via inhabitat.

penguin miniatures

From graphic design collective Evening Tweed: "A book-arts experiment - new miniature novels housed inside their literary parents. Future books in the series include 'Littler Women', 'Gulliver's Travel' and 'None Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest'. Featured in Graphic 12: Customise This." So cute!

new @ cavallini & co.

I really love Cavallini & Co., so I was excited to see their new notebook designs. Paper Source is a great place to find a lot of their products, including wrapping paper, labels, rubber stamps, and notecards.

flybrary

Flybrary from Umbra

creole

New from Phaidon, this recipe book features 160 recipes by Babette, Guadalupian chef and owner of the famous restaurant Le Table de Babette in Paris. Creole cuisine, a blend of French, Spanish, and African traditions, is featured in vibrant, mouth watering pictures and easy to follow recipes.