Lego Ernie & Bert by Jung Von Matt.

LEGO – Imagine by Jung von Matt | THEINSPIRATION.COM

The Empowerment Plan

Projects like this make my heart very big. Beautiful.

The Empowerment Plan is a humanitarian project based in the city of Detroit. The plan centers around a coat that is self-heated, waterproof, and transforms into a sleeping bag at night. The coat is made by a group of homeless women who have been paid to learn and to produce the coats for those living on the streets. The focus is on the system to create jobs for those that desire them and coats for those that need them at no cost. The importance is not with the product but with the people.

The goals of the Empowerment Plan are:

• to employ homeless females within the city of Detroit
• to give coats or the Element S coat to individuals living on the streets
• to teach sewing manufacturing/ production skills to people that need jobs
• to offer a sense of pride to the women who have been employed in the production of the coats.

We aim to help build a better life for those that have become trapped in a vicious cycle. The coat design started the project but it is the system The Empowerment Plan hopes to be that is fueling the project.

The Empowerment Plan

RSA House chandeliers by Troika

These are spectacular. (Thank you, Bradley!)

Gizmodo describes them perfectly:  A small brass pendant filled with eight high-power LEDs hangs from the ceiling. The light source shines upward through a fresnel lens. The refracted projection creates a series of overlapping circular patterns on the ceiling, giving the appearance of an elaborate chandelier overhead. The new chandeliers are efficient, they collect very little dust, and in the event of a disastrous crash, like in The Phantom of the Opera, they're practically harmless.

Dezeen: RSA House chandeliers by Troika (via Gizmodo)

A Venn diagram about art & personality.

I wish I could give this proper attribution, but I have no idea who made it. I can only tell you where I saw it: I Love Charts

New Tattly: Four Folks and One Dog by Blanca Gómez

I am a HUGE fan of Blanca Gómez' illustrations, so this new Tattly tattoo made me smile.

Tattly™ Designy Temporary Tattoos — Four Folks and One Dog

Flag Designs for Earth & The Solar System in 2020 and Beyond.

If you have a few minutes, go hop around the links in this article. These designs by thefrek are lovely, both as designs and genuinely useful infographics.

io9: This is awesome News, Videos, Reviews and Gossip

Mr Chicken.

Finding out things like this just makes me love England all the more.

"You may not know his name but you will certainly know his work: Morris Cassanova (aka Mr Chicken) designs and makes signs for most of the fried chicken shops in the UK..."

 

Read an interview with him over at Creative Review - Meet Mr Chicken.

Herb Lester's new Brooklyn map.

I'm a big, big fan of Herb Lester Associates' designy little maps. This isn't the strongest of them – I prefer their more nostalgic designs – but I still have to give this one some love because it's Herb Lester AND Brooklyn.

Brooklyn is home to some of the city's tastiest food and most interesting shops, it has wonderful old family-run businesses and exciting new enterprises, but its geographical vastness can make it daunting to visitors.

This guide offers 41 reasons to visit including Bamonte's, a family-run, fourth generation Italian restaurant; the Peter Pan Donut & Pastry Shop; The City Reliquary, an idiosyncratic museum of New York; the thrills and spills of Coney Island; and pelmeni in Brighton Beach. And that's just five of them.

The map is designed and illustrated by Two Arms Inc of Brooklyn, NY. It is A3 (297x420mm) folded to A6 (105x148mm), and litho printed in England on 100 per cent recycled paper.

Herb Lester — Brooklyn: 41 reasons why

Grundini site.

SUCH a fun portfolio site. Don't take my word for it. Clap ye owne eyes on it.

 
Grundini (via site inspire)

Wrecking Crew Orchestra's Tron-Inspired Dance video.

I'll admit it - I'm jumping on the bandwagon for this one. It really is spectacular.



Learn more about the technology over at Inhabitat

PaperKarma – stop paper junk mail with your iPhone.

Every once in awhile someone comes up with an app so easy and so useful, it astounds me. PaperKarma is one of those apps.

First, it's free, which is awesome (and a little mindboggling). Second, after signing up, all you have to do is take an iPhone pic of the junk mail address and hit send. PaperKarma does the rest. Third – and BEST – it works.

If you've ever tried getting off a junk snail mail list, you'll LOVE how simple this is.

PaperKarma | Control Your Mailbox, Stop Paper Junk Mail - Using Your Phone!

Mix Boxes.

I'm a little drool-y over this shelving unit over at Fab.com.

Each of the six boxes in this shelving set is also a stand-alone storage piece. Or it was until a minute ago, when you mixed it with the other five into one large wall of shelves. The Mix Box set can be strewn around your home one by one, as a stacked unit, or something in between—depending on your mood or need. Held together by an interlocking box joint cut, each box is a sturdy piece of time-honored workmanship.

Fab.com | Mix Boxes

(I apologize if the link doesn't work without a membership. That's the thing that sucks about these flash sale sites – no easy way to link from a blog.)

Go Away, I’m Reading.

 Downloadable dust jackets. So awesome.

Writers Erin Bowman, Sarah Enni, and Traci Neithercott designed these dust jackets, which are a handy way to tell people to get lost — or that you're in danger of spending a lost weekend nose-deep in a Twilight book or three. They also have covers that aren't series-specific, so you can enjoy your peace and quiet no matter what fictional or non-fictional worlds you choose to inhabit.

 Go Away, I’m Reading

(via io9)

Folk Art Model Water Tower

I'm quite enchanted by this little folk art Water Tower over at ThreePotatoFour.

  

Vintage exquisitely handmade wood and metal folk art model railway water tower. Measures approximately 4" x 5" x 12"h. Has working raise/lower funnel.

Three Potato Four - Folk Art Model Water Tower

Wishbone Chair sale.

Wisteria has a great sale on Wegner Wishbone Chairs right now – $149 ea. If you've had your eye on one, you might want to check it out.

SALE: Wishbone Chair | Wisteria

Project Wisconsin. 365 Towns. 365 Logos

Giving a little love to my home state designers here. Such a great project; so well done. I can't wait for Horicon and Beaver Dam, my childhood stomping grounds.

There is more to Wisconsin than our cheese, beer, and outright refusal to ever take the last fried cheese curd before making sure it's okay with everyone else at the table first.

In 2012, we are setting out to explore our roots and our creative sides, branding our beautiful state…a town a day for 365 days. 

Project Wisconsin. 365 Towns. 365 Logos

(thanks for the tip, Wiz!)

Dietrich x Düller ballpoint pen w/notebook.

I love that this pen comes embedded in a notebook.

 

Dietrich x Düller Ballpoint Pen (Pens) | Stationery | Vetted

PA Society of Design's plea to Jessica Hische.

This is beyond amazing.

Read the story behind it on Jessica's blog: News | Jessica Hische

Snow Drawings by Sonja Hinrichsen.

I'll be the first to admit I'm no fan of snow. But even I am completely enchanted by these snow drawings. Amazing.

Snow Drawings by Sonja Hinrichsen | Projects | Gear

The Brunch: Trebuchet Toaster.

This just made me laugh.

The Brunch

(via Gadget-o)