Book Piles by Marisa Swangha

Color-loving book junkies, prepare to nerd out over these book pile photographs by Ottawa artist Marisa Swangha. Rothko paintings spring to mind:

Just looking at them makes me want to read on the porch with some kind of fruity iced tea in hand. There's more in Marisa's Etsy shop, Modulem.

Andrew Neyer

Andrew Neyer is a Cincinnati-based artist and designer whose cheeky, minimal work really makes me smile. I'm especially fond of this first print, a little art history joke:

De Still

Tote Bag™

Watch Clock

That all-white clock! See more of Neyer's portfolio and find his work for sale at YES.

Paintings by Yangyang Pan

I stopped in my internet tracks when I saw these beautiful giclee prints of paintings by Yangyang Pan. These are just the kind of color palettes that make me happy to see every day and would easily inspire an entire room:

 Sunlight

 7 pm

 Orchid Garden

Warm in Winter

The artist studied painting and design in China but is currently working out of Markham, Ontario. Visit her Etsy shop Siiso to pick up a print and bask in their warmth, and see more of her work on her portfolio site.

New Work by Tony at Jamaica Plain Open Studios

Tony, along with other Boston-based artists, will be showing new work at the Aviary gallery for this weekend's 18th annual Jamaica Plain Open Studios. If you're in JP, stop by the gallery at 48 South Street from 11 am to 6 pm Saturday and Sunday to view and buy original oil paintings, drawings, and digital prints like these:

R2-D2 with Crystal

Skull Study with Cube

Miss

Fool's Gold

Ghost Mask

We just did a major update to Tony's Etsy shop, so if you can't make it to Aviary this weekend, you can buy online. Hope to see you either way!

Congrats, New York

What print could better represent the happiness and pride of so many people after New York State Senate's legalization of gay marriage last Friday?

Be Positive print by I Love Doodle

Congrats, New York, and welcome to the club. Here's hoping it becomes less and less exclusive.

Royal Wedding Mania

Many eyes, including mine, were on London this morning for Will & Kate's wedding. The ceremony and the mania surrounding it was such a spectacle that sleeping through it wasn't an option! The wedding has proved quite an industry, and to add to the argument that well-designed memorabilia actually exists, here's a couple of Will & Kate and London-related Etsy items:

Westminster Abbey pillow by HelenaCarrington

London Type Map by Bold & Noble

William & Kate Royal Wedding Print by TaylorsType

Tote Bag of the Royal Wedding Procession by HouseThatLarsBuilt

Royal Wedding Procession Map Print (detail) by HouseThatLarsBuilt

Royal Wedding Heart Print by GlynWestDesign

Cheers to Will and Kate and now I'm going back to bed!

Bats Need Friends

Because they are fascinating creatures who accomplish a lot of important work for our ecological system, I have a secret love and admiration of bats. I'll be the first to admit, however, that they're not usually as cute as these little guys, disguised on a card as a houndstooth pattern:

Bats letterpress card by Enormous Champion

There are more cards and prints in the Enormous Champion shop, and the duo behind the company have a great house tour on Design Sponge you should check out it you haven't seen it.

Super Moons

If moons are a trend, it's a serene and graphic trend I can get behind. In honor of the recent Super Moon, a selection of moon-related objects for the home:



I find these Luna Pendant lights breathtaking. Living in the city sometimes means not being able to get a good celestial view, so this would be a great addition to a room you spend time in the evenings. Seen on BLTD and available for purchase here.


This "Enormous Moon Floor Cushion" could be used as the world's coolest dog bed. "Cassie, go to the moon!" would be an awesome party trick. Available from Pedlars, a shop I found clicking around on Where the Lovely Things Are.



Maybe your taste runs less whimsical and more professorial, in which case a Moon Chart print could be a pictoric (and instructive!) focal point for a wall.

Little Studio

These posters by Karslborg, Sweden-based Little Studio would look great in any sunny room:

Origami

Bubbles

Good Morning

Now I can change my usual good morning song to "God morgon, god morgon! It's great to stay up late, god morgon, god morgon, to you!"

Meowoodle and more

In honor of Charlene Butterbean's birthday, I hope you will indulge me in a cat-related post today. If you have a bookmark folder labeled "Kittehs" (I know it can't be just me), or if you're interested in discovering new designers, check out Meowoodle, a Tumblr dedicated to artists illustrating their cats!

Snoozy by Lex von Tol

Lulu by Michelle Lasalvia

Zeenie & Meeka by Trevor Basset

Pumpkin by David Sizemore

In a similar vein, you must take a look at Cat Moves, the definitive illustrative chart of every kitty move ever made, by one of my favorite artists, Lucy Knisley:

See it large here, buy it as a print in a variety of sizes here, and see more of Lucy's work here.

Rainbow Lights

Hanging this photo print by Quercus Design would be a subtle way to celebrate Christmas year round without making your neighbors crazy:

Rainbow Lights print

In case you actually care what they think (wink).

Jamie Shelman

Jamie Shelman's drawings of cats doing and wearing and worrying about funny things always make me smile. Some of my favorites:

Rainbow Toe Socks Cat

Nutella Cat

Burrito Disguise

Symptoms May Include

Many more are to be found in Jamie's Etsy shop, The Dancing Cat.

Manhattan by J Hill

Our local designer friend Jennifer Hill debuted a new print over the summer, available through The Working Proof. "Manhattan" is similar in style and theme to her popular series, Places I've Never Been, but Jennifer's been to Manhattan enough to know its many diverse neighborhoods, represented in a colorful patchwork map.

At Jennifer's request, when you pick up her print through The Working Proof, 15% of the proceeds will be donated to Doctors Without Borders' work in Haiti.















Check out Jennifer's full line of prints and stationery here, and browse prints from other artists and read about their chosen charities at The Working Proof's site.

Away We Go!

Summer vacation already seems long gone, doesn't it? If you want to hang on to the excitement and promise of freedom that a good trip can bring, check out Away We Go, an exhibit of vintage travel posters at the Boston Public Library. Looking at the posters is like getting a dose of bright, lithographic sunshine before we officially head into Fall. Here's a few of my colorful favorites:

See Europe Next

See India

By Train for Seaside Holidays!

Ascona, Switzerland (!)

Alaska via Canadian Pacific

The exhibit is in the McKim building at the central Copley Square location until October 17th. If you can't make it there in person, the dedicated staff of the BPL has made the library's collection of travel posters available on Flickr. They're download-able under a Creative Commons license, so you could print and frame those that really strike your fancy.

There's also a companion exhibition in the Johnson building featuring the library's collection of Boston-themed postcards, Greetings From Boston. Have a staycation instead!

You Don't Know Beans