November 2008 - Office Furniture

Cute and quirky gifts for the home

If you like to give gifts that get lots of giggles, look no further than Fred Flare! I hadn't even heard of the store before, but I used to live in their neck of the woods and might stop by to pick up some Christmas gifts for my sisters. They also have mens' and womens' clothing along with home accessories.

Pinecone candles! - would look super cute lined up in a row

Salt-and-pepper shaker sparrows

Jonathon Adler Christmas ornament set

Cupcake stand! Even comes with a fake cupcake until you bake 'em

Flowers in a can - for the windowsill gardener

Love this photo calendar idea!

Ice cube tray makes your cubes into fun "jewels"

Pretty Jill Bliss mini journal set!

Gorgeous file folders might make organizing the bills not so bad

For the unorganized ones in your life

For the possessive bibliophile

Girly I know, but I love their jewelry collection!

Go to Fred Flare for more.

Thank you Sarah!

Last week, a photo in this post had a painting on the wall of Dorothy. I really wanted to know the artist, and it turns out it's the work of photographer Magnus Hastings. I have Sarah of Spiderbite Boutique to thank for the great cyber-sleuthing. If you're looking for an adorable and unique hand-crafted gift for a little one on your list, or anyone for that matter, you must check out her Nightmare journals!

Adam King's post on studio furniture

Warning: rant ahead!

This is a great post by Adam King on a topic I love to discuss. (Look forward to a Furniture I Love post on Adam's work soon.) I'm amazed at how many people don't realize that there are people actually making furniture by hand. It seems like they think it magically shows up at Target or Crate & Barrel and that's all that is available. Part of what furniture makers need to do is educate consumers that handmade furniture exists in the first place and that it is worth purchasing. That's part of what I'm trying to do with Furnitude.

It always annoys me when I hear in advertisements for Room & Board that their furniture is "hand-crafted." Really? That's impossible. Yes, people make the parts of the furniture and people assemble the furniture. But that's different than someone making pieces of furniture one at a time (or in small batches). I'm not passing judgement on Room & Board's furniture and certainly not on the people that make it. I actually think they have some cool stuff. I just wish they wouldn't say it's hand-crafted.

Adam addresses the topic far more eloquently than I do, so have a look at his post and his other articles. You can find him at www.adamkingstudio.com.

Ok, rant over.

Private 20% off code for you! Lighting discount from Beach Dwelling

Enter code: LIGHT20, Save 20% on all Lighting through December 4th!
Beach Dwelling offers simply gorgeous accessories, furniture, linens, and vintage items for your home. I've had a long-time love affair with their pillows, but their terrarium lamps are pretty tempting, and affordable.

*love love love* this mirrored console

Go to Beach Dwelling to see more!

Medullary Rays -- Update

A couple of folks have mentioned Bruce Hoadley's book, Understanding Wood, as a great resource. Brian Boggs recommended it during his session, and I should have mentioned that. Interestingly, he said he wouldn't recommend Hoadley's other book, but that's neither here nor there.

Thanks for the suggestion!