In my 2D design class in art school, my teacher filled a bowl with scraps of paper on which were written different natural objects or animals. From that object, we had to create a repeat pattern in three different color schemes. I randomly picked sea anemone from the bowl, and, to really date myself, I walked promptly to the library to look up sea anemone in the encyclopedia. Yes, you heard me, this was BGE (Before the Google Era).

It was really that lesson that taught me how pattern and design are organically derived from nature. I kinda want that assignment again—maybe with another sea creature—to see what I’d do with it twelve years later. (Okay fine, fifteen years.)

At first glance, this wallpaper by Paperboy appears to be an abstract pattern, but after a few seconds, you realize you’re looking at shadow puppets. How sweet for a kids room?

Dan Funderburgh takes a sort of different approach and weaves city icons into his more traditional floral patterns. This wallpaper is appropriately called Central Park (notice the rats).

Even though I got married in May, I still love to peruse the wedding blogs. You can’t beat the delicacy, loveliness, and thoughtfulness of weddings details and crafts. Snippet & Ink, 100 Layer Cake, and Style Me Pretty are three of my faves. So clearly, when planning my nuptials, these were my daily reads.

Needless to say, as a crafter, my wedding specifics were a big deal; nothing was decided on lightly. I pulled out my Martha Stewarts (both Living and Weddings), Marie Claire Idees, and obsessively visited the blogs. Here are a few details in Part 001 of my Wedding Bliss…

  

   

We got married at the amazingly lovely Osborn Castle (Cat Rock) in Garrison, New York. The forecast was bleak on May 16th, but amazingly, the rain held out until after we tied the knot and went into the tent. The last photo in the grid above was the seating chart that guests found when the walked into the castle. Amazing photos by one of my absolute favorite photographers, Heather Weston.

 

  

Once the guests found their table (there were 6 long wooden farm tables), they were greeted with a ceramic rock place card at their seat. Ours read Bride and Groom and our nieces and nephews got heart-shaped ones. Each of our 90 guests got their own rock—needless to say it was a crafting feat. I used air dry clay, letter stamps from Making Memories, black ink architecture pens, and once they were dry, I coated them with a glossy varnish. Our flowers were by the incredible Brooklyn florist, Saipua.

We didn’t want a traditional guest book, so we went to the Strand to find an interesting substitute to use in lieu of the traditional blank-paged album. We decided on this old, hardbound copy of the Sears catalog. People found pages that applied to their tastes or interests, and wrote notes on top of the listings with Sharpies. After the initial confusion, our guests had fun with it. (To explain the inscription pictured, Michael and I met at Staci and Matt’s wedding.)

Ok, so that is all I can muster for Part 001 of Wedding Bliss, stay tuned…

What happened to the old-school concept of a simple wall-mounted bookcase with books? A place where you randomly shelve your books, perhaps in genre groupings? Well our design-obsessed world has moved beyond and a bookcase is now as much a focal point as a work of art.

I have a tear sheet of this product hanging on my bulletin board at work. Of course I have no idea where I pulled it from, so I was psyched to find it on the LMNOP blog. I love how simple they are, but what if they were painted with chalkboard paint and you could label your book categories? Love, love.

I know this is not a new idea, but I am still smitten with it. My husband refuses to use the spine color as a reference point to find a book. But as we start packing our books for the move, I’m going to secretly pack them by color. Just in case. Found via Color Me Happy.

“Where’s my Catcher in the Rye?,” he asks. “Check Idaho.” Oh Ohdeedoh!

Every time I go to a flea market, I stare at old suitcases and wonder what I would do with one if I took it home. Clearly I’m not the first to have thought of the possibilities…take a look.

  

Two fabulous options of suitcase tables found at Bijou Kaleidoscope. Brilliant. I’m especially impressed with the engineering of the one on the right.

I love the idea of turning a make-up case into a vanity case. Found via Crafting a Green World.

How great would these be in an airline exec’s office? So clever. Found via Apartment Therapy.

I know it’s February and gardening months seem like a distant memory or a far-away future, but that’s exactly why I need to daydream about plant life.

Imagine if every pothole was planted into a lovely garden? Many tires would be saved! Pothole gardens by Pete Dungey; found at Cup of Jo.

Have you ever unpacked a box of books from your basement and found that it had been ruined by water damage? Turn them into planters. Found via Happy Cavalier.

These planters mimic the method of growing avocados; just rest them in a small cup or bowl of your choice. Found via Crib Candy.

Who else is ready to get their green thumb on?