eric trine

Editing down a big 'ol pile of amazing images is not my blogging strongpoint - I have a hard time choosing favorites between a batch that are all so freaking wonderful. I want to share them all! So, if you'll excuse me... I'm coming up against this short-falling of mine with the so-good portfolio of Portland, OR-based Eric Trine (discovered on Instagram!), an "object based studio artist and designer," or, as he offers more simply, a maker of things. On his website, Trine situates his work with a question I quite like: "What if Charles Eames, Buckminster Fuller, and Sam Maloof were surfing buddies?" What indeed. I love his woven leather chairs so much it hurts. One day, one day.

ps/ I'm enjoying sharing colorful bits with you each Friday in the hopes of getting you excited for the weekend... maybe I'll make it a tradition!? Happy Friday!

L R N C E

The internet is a curious and fascinating place. My friend (and photographer!) Laura Paul stumbled onto the Instagram account of this rad bag company L R N C E, and passed it along to me. Many swoons ensued, but it's proven silly difficult to track these beauts down online in any actionable way. 

I reached out to Belgium-based Laurence Leenaert and learned she is in the middle of an internship with BLESS, and about to start another with Stine Goya. Her bags are inspired by voodoo and religious iconography.  Laurence told me a bit more about it:

The textiles are woven fabrics with prints I've made based on signs from cults and African tribes. All the other fabrics are self-coloured. I like to experiment with materials that are not intended for clothing... Every piece is unique and there is only one of it - I think it's important for my product that it is exclusive.

TenOverSix, Opening Ceremony, Ooga Booga, you listening? Get these babes alongside your amazing merch already. The gold foil! And the squiggly cool designs! Major love.

holiday wrappings

I am totally one of those nuts who meticulously unwraps gifts, trying my best to preserve each piece of twine and each fold of paper. Yes, I reuse them! Yes, I have a box filled with wrapping supplies. IT'S FINE. In fact, I think it could use some improvement. Washi tape 4L.

Since I completely missed the boat on gift guides this year, I thought I'd do a roundup of some of my favorite gift wrap inspirations. Lately, I've just been wrapping in simple brown paper, adding some gold string, and affixing a pretty twig or branch from around my neighborhood.

Check out my Pinterest 'festive' board for lots more...

mum & co.

Really, really stunning leather pieces by Mum & Co. I love their story - so I won't use too much self control by keeping it to myself:

"The story is quite short, and it all happened at home. My mother has two daughters whose tastes are simply exquisite. Simply put, it is not easy to satisfy their needs. This by no means refers to culinary matters, but to all the bits and pieces they love to be surrounded with. Apparently, that's what girls are used to. Sooner or later, one of them had to - tired of looking for the stylish, leather backpack - ask Mum for help. And mum, as all mums do, would do anything for her daughters. So this time too she was ready to put aside any of her other full-time responsibilities, and stand up to the task."

Moms are the best. And would you believe me if I told you that each of these hand-crafted-by-Mum beauties were actually kinda-sorta affordable? I know, right? Check 'em out.

shino takeda

Shino Takeda's ceramics are my perfect storm of color and shape. I love their speckled textures too. Imagine an entire kitchen filled with these beauties... it would make my habit of leaving cabinet doors open perfectly okay. Shop over at Shino's etsy shop here!

Takuro Kuwata

Wouldn't you like to hold one of Takuro Kuwata's ceramics in your hands? Okay, maybe some of them would be slightly disruptive to drink tea from, but as objects, as textures, as landscapes? They look like melted, crumbling surrealist dreamscapes, and I like that in a very small thing you can place in the palm of your hand.

"Using Kairagi-Shino, a method of firing in which pottery is removed from the kiln before the glaze completely melts, Kuwata coaxes his pieces to appear as if they are exploding from within, like otherworldly crustaceans shedding their shells" (T Magazine).