FLOATING FLOWER GARDEN BY TEAMLAB

Wow! Occasionally you stumble across an art installation that seems both astoundingly complicated and shockingly simple. The Floating Flower Garden, an immersive interactive piece created by Japanese art collective teamLab, is just one of those instances.

Remember the Rain Room? Well Floating Flower Garden draws on the same idea: thousands of flowers are suspended from the ceiling and when you walk into the space they move to dynamically accommodate you, basically allowing you to walk in a constantly fluctuating cocoon of flowers.

I am sure the result is something other-worldly, magical and delightful smelling! Too bad the installation is on view in Tokyo . . . . I think it would look spectacular in the Park Avenue Armory, don't you?

Learn more about the project here.


(Thanks to Colossal for the tip.)



p.s. Here's a similar (and also gorgeous!) DIY version, in case you have to try this yourself!

A JOLT OF SUMMER FOR A COLD DAY

I am officially tired of all this hangover winter weather! The calendar says it's spring but the thermometer says it's 40 degrees outside. What gives?!

I'm not waiting anymore for a punch of color and fun in the sun. So here are a couple photos that are helping me pretend shorts and summer sun are right around the corner . . . . hope they help pick you up too! Now bring on the ice cream!

image credits: patterned wall | 'F' poster | wooden letter blocks | note to self poster

ENGINEER PRINT INSPIRATION

I got an email announcement from Photojojo recently (my favorite) announcing they are now offering limited edition engineer prints taken by professional artists. How gorgeous is this shot from Austin Rhee? (And only $35!) What are engineer prints you ask? Basically they are big, inexpensive prints created at copy centers with a streaky black and white effect. And they are all the rage right now!I started thinking about all the cool things people have done with engineer prints . . . 

 

You can get a custom print done at your local print shop or, of course, at Photojojo.

You can make a super cute faux newspaper print for a kid's room or birthday party.

You can blow up a vintage  illustration of a dinosaur and make your own frame for it.

You could make a serene landscape into a minimalist headboard.

You can use adorable photos of your children as larger than life decoration in your living room or nursery.

Tired of this lingering winter weather? How about a tropical wall mural?

Or, a personal favorite, how about some specialty wrapping paper?

The possibilities are endless! What would you do with an engineer print? 

OFF THE WALL: 'SMOOTHER THAN A FRESH JAR OF SKIPPY' DESKTOP WALLPAPER

Oh my goodness, is it really possible that it has been a year since I posted a new desktop wallpaper in my 'Off the Wall' series? Sheesh! I need to step up my game!

Well, like everyone on planet earth, I have been jammin' out to the fabulous 'Uptown Funk' by Bruno Mars and thought it would be fun to do the song's best line as a desktop download for you. If you like it you can grab two versions—in yellow or black/white—for free at the links below:

download SMOOTHER THAN A FRESH JAR OF SKIPPY (color edition)

download SMOOTHER THAN A FRESH JAR OF SKIPPY (black and white edition)

And, of course, you can see past 'Off the Wall' free desktop downloads here.

(Also, if you like the hand drawn typography of this design, feel free to check out all my skills with the pen in my calligraphy Etsy shop, The Wright Hand, here.)

THE ARTIST SPEAKS

(Check out this beautifully illustrated video of interviews with the incomparable architect, designer and visionary Buckminster Fuller here.) 

DIANA BELTRAN HERRERA: BIRDS OF A (PAPER) FEATHER

How gorgeous are these sculptures by Colombian artist Diana Beltran Herrera?!! I have regularly been accused by my friends of being 'obsessive' (a descriptor I have eponymously embraced!) with a crazy dedication to all things paper. But Beltran Herrera takes this to a whole new level. She uses countless tiny, intricately cut pieces of paper to craft impressively lifelike and expressive sculptures of flora and fauna. She is a particular master of birds, pursuing a series of sculptures on British birds, hummingbirds, birds of paradise and more. And how cool are those 3D stamp scenes? I want to own one sooooo bad . . . . Check out more of her truly breathtaking work on her (beautiful!) website here.Thanks to Miss Moss for the tip. 
p.s. Beltran Herrera's work totally reminds me of this!

RANDOM THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY, VOLUME ONE

As Rebecca Black says, it's Friday! Friday! Gotta get down on Friday!So I am going down by sharing all the random fun things I have picked up recently but haven't gotten around to posting. I think this will be a new column (posted very randomly, as is only appropriate, ha ha) that I hope will make you as happy as it makes me. Without further ado . . . ONE > Recently during Paris Fashion Week famous supermodels Zoolander (Ben Stiller) and Hansel (Owen Wilson) walked the runways and took some epic selfies promoting their eagerly awaited sequel to Zoolander, out in 2016.TWO > I am majorly in love these page flags that turn the edge of your book into a monster showdown in the sky. (Bonus! They also have regular city skylines, forests, deserts and many other scenes).THREE > The cards and prints in the Etsy shop Hooray Today are cute and colorful in equal measure—my kind of store!FOUR > Every slim chic woman of a certain in the city seems have a cool tote for their yoga mat. This adjustable suspender tote by Mimot strikes just the right balance between functionality and fun. Love it!  FIVE > Maps. Rainbow colors. Clean typography. Killer graphic design. English Muffin Shop is definitely worth bookmarking. (Plus, that name! How can you resist?)SIX >  Since its inception several years ago I have been a major fan of Kate Spade's spunky sidekick endeavor 'Saturday'. Popping into their online shop recently I fell into major love with this bright, brushy print.
I would love to hear what random things make you happy in the comments. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

PUZZLE HEAVEN

I think I just died and went to puzzle heaven! This beauty you see here is a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle where each piece contains a unique color on the CMYK spectrum. The creator, Clemens Habicht—a true Renaissance man, working as a director, designer and illustrator—insists that because of the changes in color differentiating each piece it is actually much easier and more intuitive to put together than traditional illustrative puzzles. While that statement is yet to be seen, I wouldn't be surprised if it stands true for me, being a complete and total color nerd (I know, what a surprise!). Learn more about the puzzle, not to mention buy your own copy, at the very awesome Colossal Shop here.
p.s. This puzzle is a total analog version of this test, don't you think? 

APPLE WATCH

Did you guys see Apple's official announcement of their new watch yesterday? As a devout Apple lover, I have been following news of this cool new 'wearable' closely. I am still not sure they have the most stylish design—I don't love the boxy face of the watch—but I think they have a lot of cool functionality built in that would make owning one really fun.

Not only can you order the watch in three different band styles (there's even a solid gold version which will be $10,000+!), but the watch itself can do a ton of useful, exciting tasks: check your messages, use Apple Pay, serve as a boarding pass for flights, check Instagram, track your health, hail an Uber car, talk to Siri and much more (like telling time, ha!). 

This may be a scenario where waiting for the second generation is a wise idea, but even so, I look forward to actually seeing one of these in person starting April 24. 

Learn more about the watch on Apple's website here (and the things it can do on Time's website here).

POSTMODERN JUKEBOX

Recently I stumbled something amazing. I may be the last person onto this trend (given their millions of views already), but have you seen the performances of Postmodern Jukebox? It's a musical group organized by band leader Scott Bradlee that reworks popular songs—by famous folks like Meghan Trainor, Queen, Miley Cyrus, etc.—with a big band style. Now you can hear the Guns N Roses hit 'Sweet Child of Mine' in the style of New Orleans swing or Macklemore's catchy 'Thrift Shop' with a ragtime beat. As someone who has seriously eclectic taste in music, I love hearing many of my favorite songs remade in some of my favorite classic genres. The arrangements are incredibly well done, almost seamless, with fabulously talented vocalists. Once you start up on PMJ's YouTube playlist here you likely won't stop. I have included some of my favorites above to get you started but I can guarantee there is a lot more musical fun to be had.

Learn more about the group on their Facebook page here and about their tour dates on their website here.






p.s. They even cover cartoon theme songs. Awesome!

IMPOSSIBLE!

Hold the phone. Photojojo just released some new Impossible Project instant camera film that has my eyes going wide. We know the Impossible Project has been the saviors of the Polaroid film industry for several years now, but they just released something even more exciting (at least for me): film with round borders! Image a truly vignetted portrait in polaroid form! I can't wait to get my hands on these beauties. If you can't either, check out the new instant film offerings at Photojojo here.
(Polaroid nerd like me? You'll like these posts too.)