Made by Joel

Joel Henriques is an artist and he also makes toys for his kids.  The toys are brilliant, and they are designed to be simple enough to make yourself (or to have a handy husband make) with basic items like wood, paper, glue, paint.  Everything he does is clever and also modern in a cool, earthy way.

His book is coming out this year and it will showcase 35 how-to toy and craft projects. In the meantime, check out his site www.madebyjoel.com for details and instructions on all his crafts. 

I'm telling you, this guy may be the next Melissa and Doug!

 A few great examples of his toys and crafts. 

See what I mean? How lucky are his kids!

Cool Canoe and last minute stuff

First, anyone need an original gift? Ofcourse you may not receive this in time for the holiday, but if you're having a New Year's party - how perfect!  These are wood cutting boards and serving boards - maple, oak and cherry from Canoe.  Staright from the tree, no glue, no parts, no splitting. Very cool. They range from $18-$28. You could almost pop one up on a mantel as a piece of art.

Second, have you guys heard about Ted? It's an online source of inspirational and educational lectures, presentations and videos.  In their words, "they are a small nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading". Not that any of us really need another excuse to spend more time on the internet, but the site looks interesting with lectures from sports figures, entertainers, business people (Bill Gates), professors, the list goes on and on.  I spent a few minutes browsing through and need a bit more time, but there were many topics I was interested in and will spend more time on the site soon.

Third, I'll leave you with this for the day. Aren't these sweet? You can pick these up at PlanetFur on Etsy. I almost can't post about these without buying one.

xoxoxo

Pouf anyone?

If you haven't noticed, the Pouf is all the rage in decor these days. Everyone is selling them. I found some cool Poufs below. They seem to be great as room fillers to provide a bit of extra seating and lounging. 

They're seemingly cheap and come in tons of fun colors. Here are my favs. CB2 sells one cheap but these come from Serena and Lily. The lime one is delicious. 

Go ahead, pouf your house, I dare you.