Etsy Find: Rings to make you smile

How much fun are these rings? I especially love the mustache. And coffee lovers get their own ring as well. Check out SmilingSilverSmith's etsy shop for more.

Sol LeWitt: Structures

The Public Art Fund has put up an exhibit by Sol LeWitt in downtown Manhattan at City Hall Park called "Structures."
From the exhibit website:
Sol LeWitt, an artist whose profound and radical innovations allowed us to rethink the very nature of art, first found his mature artistic voice in the three-dimensional works he called structures. Sol LeWitt: Structures, 1965-2006, featuring 27 works made over more than 40 years, is the first outdoor career survey of this extraordinary and influential body of work.
Looks like something interesting to check out, although I sadly doubt I will actually make it in person.
Extra bonus - I love the way the exhibit site displays photos of the exhibit. As you scroll through, the photo which was half hidden on the screen in black and white bursts into full color.

MoMA Modern Playhouse

I have fond memories of playing with both my Fisher-Price playhouse and also with paper dolls. Never the two did meet. Now, meet the MoMA Modern Playhouse, which combines the two, incorporating the kind of design you would expect from something out of MoMA. The house can be arranged in any number of configurations, and there is a family to inhabit it as well. Read an excellent review here.

House of Shelves

I recently saw read about an amazing house in Osaka, Japan. It was designed by Japanese architect Kazuya Morita for a scholar of Islam with a very large book collection. He created a house which is covered floor to ceiling with built-in bookcases in just about every room, including the bathroom. Just looking at it made me gasp in amazement. You can read about it here and see more pictures here.

Blue Chameleon

I was recently given a copy of the beautiful children's book Blue Chameleon by Emily Gravett by a friend who works in publishing. The book tells the tale of a lonely chameleon trying to find a friend by changing to look like them, but in the end finding that he really fits best being himself and friends with another chameleon. The illustrations were done in colored pencil on rough watercolor paper and give them great texture.

One extra bonus is the opening copyright information page!

Way Back Machine

Do you remember how Google looked when it was first launched? I thought it was the same as it is now. Well, using the Way Back Machine I discovered that while it was pretty similar, it had a definite 90's feel.


This site has a archive of screen shots from websites, preserving the history of the web. It's fun to play around and see how sites have changed.

Designer Barcodes

Now coming to a package near you, designer bar codes. Apparently as long as a certain amount of it is readable, the barcaode can be made into a work of art. Read more about it here and see the accompanying slideshow for more images.