The newest edition to my mini artwork gallery will soon be a print from graphic designer Christopher David Ryan. I love the slightly retro look of his prints and the simple colors and shapes. You can see loads of his graphic work at his online gallery Atmostheory or purchase directly from his shoppe My Little Underground, OR from the fabulous affordable artwork mainstay Little Paper Planes, all prints are about $20.

According to this article in the NYT’s, all the crafty babes and dudes of the D.I.Y. scene are ditching the bird as the favored animal symbol and we can now expect a deluge of their newest mascot, the Octopus! A quick perusal of Etsy found this theory alive and well in the form of prints, belt buckles and ties for starters.

This may be my last cute bird design posting for awhile but I thought designer Michelle Smith’s tank tops and cards with sweet little bird designs were worth letting you know about. She makes lots of crafty bits from bobby pins to coasters, all very affordable.

The duo over at Moss Mills has been making nature inspired jewelry for some time and they have quite the celebrity following which might explain their prices ($300 and up!). I really like their bracelet collection, especially this owl bracelet.

We’re having a June Gloom day here in SF so to cheer myself up I was perusing the magnificent flower gallery at Annie’s Annuals Nursery. Tia told me about Annie’s and her obsession has now become mine after visiting there on Sunday. It’s in Richmond, not the best hood but so worth the trip. There is a massive selection so it’s a good idea to go with a garden plan. I bought some Echinacea, Sage, Datura and Bachelor Buttons, which are all deer proof flowers. Now I am patiently waiting for them to grow, I’ll post pictures once they come in. P.S. If your green thumb is out of state she ships within the U.S.

Here’s an inspiring artist for you: Jessica Gonacha from Boulder, CO. Jessica creates organic collage style paintings with oil, acrylic and glitter, some on masonite and some on paper. They have an Art Nouveau/Gustav Klimt vibe that I really like. She also creates paintings on top of tables made of steel. Her paintings and furniture are available in many sizes, paintings start at $450. You can contact her through her website or check out her Etsy shop.

The lovely and talented Amy Bengtson has some new designs available and just for you Little Willow fans, she’s offering 20% off! Use the code willow07. The 20% is good once per email address and will expire July 1, 2007, so get shopping!

I’m in love with these stunning and original mobiles constructed from magazine pages by Frazier & Wing. Each mobile is lovingly handmade by artist and mother Heather Frazier from Portland, OR. I wish I had really high ceilings and a big lofty space to display one in. She makes pillows as well in bright bold colors. The mobiles range from $75-$175 depending on size, I think they’re worth every penny!

It seems every month there is a new group of pregnancy’s and births to celebrate so I thought I’d share a couple cool sites for cool babies.

The first is Rattle-n-Roll whose birth announcements and baby rock posters would be perfect for more than one musically inclined friend that I know will be having a rockin babe.  And for you more radical parents there is BabyWit with their pop culture onsies and political t’s for kids.

We have yet to re-do our bathrooms so I do what I can to jazz it up with accessories. One idea I thought I’d share is the apothecary jar as a toilet paper holder (I completely stole this idea from Domino), so now you can steal the idea too. A variety of apothecary jars are available at English Creek Gardens, the toilet paper size is $69.95, check it.

John Michael Cooper

This year the hubs and I are celebrating 5 years of married bliss which got me thinking about my wedding dress and how sad that I will never have a chance to wear it again. That is until I picked up the Times on Sunday and read about Trash the Dress photo sessions. A group of photographers started offering really cool photo sessions post-wedding, of the bride trashing her dress in various ways. The founder of this movement is Las Vegas based photographer John Michael Cooper, his shots are above.

Sol Tamargo

Going Green is the new buzz term these days with everything from your undies to your designer denim being nice to the environment. Del Forte and Loomstate are two environmentally-conscious denim lines using 100% organic cotton. You can buy both brands at my favorite online denim site Revolve Clothing but check both sites to find shops in your area that carry their line.

Another great way to find out about beauty and fashion that is good for the earth are these two new sites devoted to healthy living: Vital Juice Daily and the Green Girl Guide. Both sites make it a whole lot easier to live your life and have what you want but be more eco-conscious about it.

Mike Mills is the director of the movie “Thumbsucker”, the director of a bunch of Air music videos, a graphic designer and the boyfriend of writer, performance artist and director Miranda July. Oh and the reason I am writing about him is his Humans Manifesto Collection which includes: posters printed on recycled paper, pillows, t-shirts and fabric. His images are really childlike and his message is really about appreciating the child within and not taking this whole adult thing so seriously, I could use more of that.

I love all the online art shops popping up recently offering the work of young emerging artists at affordable prices. Thumbtack Press offers prints by over 70 artists ranging in price from $14.99- $44.99 and all prints are on the smaller size 15×15 is the norm. I dig these prints by Penelope Dullaghan (above) and Ken Wong (below).

Thanks to Design Sponge for directing me to Art for Empty Walls a great online website for affordable artwork. Here are a few pieces by one of the featured artists Marie-Claire Bozant, they are each about $250 and are available framed.

Check out Joy by Mel Lim for gorgeous wrapping paper, embroidered pillows, baby bibs, letterpress cards and even undies. Check out their website for where to purchase their products.

Check out these sparkly necklaces by Steven Shein, they make me yearn for my 80’s sticker collection, why oh why didn’t I keep that! You can purchase his designs at 80’s Purple and Trendy Stars. Prices start at $98.

This might be a little hippy dippy but I like these belt buckles by Lucy’s Sister. I think they would make a cute gift for someone or even a neat bridesmaid or groomsman gift if you customize them. $60 dollars each.

Sweet t’s and totes by Amy Tangerine. They are a bit pricey at $70 bucks for a t, but if you’re hip to be cool then they’re worth it.

Remember Kara Janx from Season 2 of Project Runway? She didn’t win but she became known for her wrap dresses which she always wore on the show. Well now you can own one of your own Kara Janx’s designs. They are available for purchase from her website with prices ranging from $170 -$350. I like her brocade mini dresses and of course the knit wrap dresses.

Sorry peeps, super duper swamp-o-rama at the “real” job this week. Check back next week for updates.  Have A Great Weekend!