My new favorite magazine

Can the Danish magazine BoligLiv be my new favorite magazine, even though I can't read a word of it? Awhile back they contacted me for permission to use a small photo of my DIY bunting birthday card, offering to send over a magazine when the September issue was printed.

Guys, it's so lovely and full of products I'm coveting. Sofas! Bookshelves! Pillows! I want to make all the recipes and live in all the beautifully photographed homes. Apparently in Denmark, everything is spare and modern with a dose of quirkiness to keep it fun.

Google suggests that BoligLiv means "housing life." If that's a weird translation, maybe a Danish reader can help me out. Visit BoligLiv's site right here, translated into English. Be sure to check out the Creative Ideas section. Some project highlights:

A customized roller shade with instructions right here. (Or rather, "A drop down with a personal aside," as Google helpfully informs us.)

A mismatched mosaic tile backsplash, right here. Enjoy browsing!

Something funny for the sewing box

I spotted this silly measuring tape at Yozo Craft and had to get one for my mum. A tiny, goofy thank you for sewing me endless wonderful goodies. And... fine, I'll confess. I got one for myself, too. I can never resist a panda with a removable ear.

Tiny orange alarm clock

Alex spotted this tiny clock in a shop in Stockholm. Of course it had to come live at our house.

The best thing since sliced bread

Impulse purchase alert! I have a bit of a coaster fetish—not because I care about my furniture, but because I adore functional items that somebody bothered to design well. So of course I couldn't resist these funny cork coasters shaped like toast. They even came in a plastic bag secured with a twist tie, just like a real loaf of bread. Available here at the MoMA store.

Stylish camera accoutrements

There were a couple items on my Christmas list I'd been hoping to receive. Score! After using these for a couple months, I have to post a report.

The red Tokyo Dreamer camera strap is fab. The strap that came with my Canon Rebel XSi is wide, black, emblazoned with Canon all over the place, and let's face it: not cute. My new strap is narrower (3 cm) with a soft, suede lining and a bright leather exterior. Er, not quite; it's actually made from "vegan leather" which is perhaps a code word for vinyl. But whatever it is, it looks just like leather. The strap is sturdy and flexible with a funny Japanese-ish phrase printed at one end. If I were a serious photographer, I suppose I would scoff at someone who cared about the color of their camera strap. Good thing I'm not a serious photographer.

And please check out my new Crumpler 5 Million Dollar Home camera bag. My old bag would hold only the camera but no extra lenses. So when I went to shoot photos for a client last time, I wrapped up my extra lens in a fluffy hand towel and stuffed it in my purse. Never again! This bag has removable dividers and amazing amounts of storage, but it's not bulky. Lots of room for future purchases, and the quality is top notch. Did I mention the inside is lime green? Fun.

Recent orange gifts

I had to share my little collection of orange Christmas presents with you because I'm giddy with happiness.
1. Staple free stapler, found somewhere by Alex.
2. Spoon and fork chopstick rests, found somewhere in Japan by Megumi.
3. Trim little pencil case... sheepishly, I confess I bought this for myself. Thank you, self.
4. Orange masking tape from West Elm's stocking stuffer section. Thank you, Alex.
5. Lion masking tape, found somewhere in Japan. Domo arigato, Megumi.
6. Felt coaster set, found in a shop in China located just upstairs from Karls Jr. and next to a Krispy Kreme. Xie xie, Heather and Tyler!

Let's see that tape a little more closely. Aw, the cuteness!

Nifty orange craft supplies

Awhile back I prepared a little guest post for Whip Up with a collection of delectable office and craft supplies. I see it's up today, so click over there if any of these goodies look like something you can't live without.

A thing I like

Maybe this item is supposed to be a vase? I don't know, but I like it. I found it in a vintage shop on Etsy a long time ago, and now it holds stuff on my desk. (Full disclosure: I took out all the ugly pens to make this picture more attractive. I feel compelled to confess that.)

Russell + Hazel for Target

Allow me to show you something orange and fun that followed me home from Target last week. Russell + Hazel has a collection of super cute office supplies available under their KIT brand for Target right now. Mix-and-match binders, filler paper, folders, plastic sleeves, sticky notes... how could we resist this little orange binder?

P.S. After writing this, I now realize how similar this photo is to the one in the previous post. Please don't worry. I'm not going to take pictures of every single orange thing in my house and show them one by one.

I'm a lucky girl

Look at the fabulous things I got for my birthday last week! Alex took my non-subtle hint and tracked down that Pantone mug at Chicago's Sprout Home. Awww. I'm also now the proud owner of this gorgeous lasercut wooden pendant by molly m designs and this comfy graphic shirt by SkunkFunk. If you like clothes, check out SkunkFunk's collection. They use eco-friendly fabrics, and their website makes me want everything. These last two items are from P+L Boutique in Chicago, a friendly shop I discovered recently. They tie up their packages with orange ribbon and slip them into orange polka-dot bags, so of course I was charmed.

I also received exotic gifts from the orient: the Japanese movies Dolls and Departures, and a kitchen sponge shaped like an orange. Life doesn't get much better than that.

In the mail

Thank you, Erin Gilmore, total stranger who lives in Vancouver and my new best friend.

Practical orange items for the house

Along with my deliciously orange Swingline stapler, there are some other useful orange items in my house. Have you heard of collapsible bakeware made by FoldTuk? It's pretty neat: you can bake in it, microwave it, put a lid on it, freeze it, dishwash it, and flatten it for storage. I just got this container, and it's surprisingly heavy and sturdy. My little chocolate cake baked up just fine and didn't seem to stick to the pan. The only drawback is that I'm a moron; one minute after I took the cake out of the oven, I decided to move it to the other counter. Since the stuff looks like tupperware and I have a very short memory, I automatically grabbed it without a potholder. I didn't get any burn marks. But I wouldn't recommend testing new bakeware this way.

Of course I'm fond of Fiskars scissors, too. Not just because the brand is orange, but because the quality is great. I'll tell you a secret. Someone at Fiskars noticed the sad, generic black scissors appearing in many of my posts. How is this possible coming from someone who claims to like orange, they wondered! I was mortified by my own hypocrisy. So they took pity and sent me a regular scissors for paper and a pinking shears. Awesome. Now I don't have to borrow my friend's pinker anymore. Good news for you, Megan.

I also adore a set of storage tins I got from Ikea awhile back. This one holds my tape and paper punches. I love cool design that's so affordable I can buy it with spare change from my car. Looks like they don't sell this set anymore, but this new one has orange, too.

Washing dishes in style

A Christmas package came from my friend Megumi in Japan, and one of the goodies inside was this dish cloth/sponge. I'm completely delighted! Designed by Lotta Glave, it's about 6" x 8" and 1/8th inch thick. The only problem is it's so pretty I don't want to get it dirty. Has anyone ever framed a sponge? (Available online in the U.S. here.)

Photoshop gifts for graphic designers

Check out these funny Photoshop-related items—I bookmarked them but can't remember which sites I saw them on originally. Looks like the fridge magnets from ThinkGeek.com are out of stock, and I'm not sure about these photo frames from ILoveBlocks.com. But I bet you could make your own DIY versions pretty easily with some Photoshop screen shots. Fun.

12/8 Update: Magnets are available here and photo frame here.

(Images from Think Geek and I Love Blocks)

I want a tangerine chair

I'm captivated by these orange chairs. Sigh. Unfortunately I can't think of how to work one into our mustard / moss green living room. A pity. Somebody else, go get one and I will come to visit you often.

Boden Chair from Room and Board in Tangerine

Parlour Chair from CB2 in Tangerine

Our living room, with no room for an orange chair

Brown Links vase set giveaway

Yesterday Fed Ex delivered to my doorstep these porcelain vases. Love 'em. Modern and cool, and dishwasher safe! The design is Brown Links by notNeutral. And good news for you: two lucky readers can win their own vase set, compliments of Accent Furniture Direct! Just leave a comment here before Friday (7/10/09) at midnight CDT with a way of contacting you, and two random winners will be drawn. Winners will be announced on Saturday in this post and emailed.

Accent Furniture Direct offers furniture and home decor pieces in a huge range of styles. Some of my faves:

UPDATE: Giveaway is now closed. The lucky random winners were commenters #530, Katie, and #538, Desi of Forth. Congrats!

Say hello to my little orange friend

Look who came home with me from Home Depot the other day. He jumped into my cart; what could I do? And look, he's like a little brother to the plant in the corner, a gift from a friend. Aww! For $4.98, you can grab your own. The 4-inch-tall pots come in turquoise and hot pink and all sorts of nifty hues, and the cacti vary, too.

A charming tilt-shift video

I'm enchanted by this tilt-shift helicopter rescue film! It's called Bathtub IV by Keith Loutit. (Thank you, Jennifer!)

Everyone needs a lumberjack

Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox arrived at my house via screenprint by The Little Friends of Printmaking. Aw, it reminds me of Minnesota, my home state. And it doesn't hurt that it's orange, too. Available here on Etsy.

Customized postage stamps

I just got a surprise present: real postage stamps with my own fabric design on them. How fun is that!? To make your own, visit this site.