Modern + Vintage

Home of  illustrator Tad Carpenter and his wife, Jessica. Photos via Design*Sponge.

S.S. Internet

AHOY! While I was hanging out on the Better Living Through Design blog today I stumbled upon this awesome giveaway. Simply ‘like’ Finnish Design Shop on Facebook for a chance to win this adorable ball chair. One chair will be given away to each of FDS’s four local sites of US, Europe, Finland, and Italy, and will be custom made using the original molds from the original factory in Finland. 

Then after making a jump to Desire to Inspire I was e-handed this procrastination aid and looked at eye candy for way too long! Here is some stuff that caught my attention. All images link to their original location.

Outstanding In The Field

"Our mission is to re-connect diners to the land and the origins of their food, and to honor the local farmers and food artisans who cultivate it.

Outstanding in the Field is a roving culinary adventure – literally a restaurant without walls. Since 1999 we have set the long table at farms or gardens, on mountain tops or in sea caves, on islands or at ranches. Occasionally the table is set indoors: a beautiful refurbished barn, a cool greenhouse or a stately museum. Wherever the location, the consistent theme of each dinner is to honor the people whose good work brings nourishment to the table.

Ingredients for the meal are almost all local (sometimes sourced within inches of your seat at the table!) and generally prepared by a celebrated chef of the region. After a tour of the site, we all settle in: farmers, producers, culinary artisans, and diners sharing the long table."

MORE PHOTOS l 2011 TOUR

 

The Art of Manliness

"I love the look of a tightly made bed! And who makes a neater bed than the men and women of the military? Luckily, I stumbled upon a guide for making your bed like a solder — no basic training required."

                                                                               -Apartment Therepy 

While the military uses bed making as a disciplinary act, it cannot be denied that a tightly made bed is also quite aesthetically pleasing. Now, thanks to the folks at The Art of Manliness, we get a tutorial in making a bed you can bounce a quarter off of.

The secret to a really tight bed is to forgo the fitted sheet in favor of a making hospital corners with a flat sheet. I've never quite been able to achieve a neat hospital corner but perhaps if I start following the advice from The Art of Manliness I'll be able to do it at last.

First, start at the foot of the bed and tuck the end of the sheet under the mattress, keeping it smooth rather than simply bunching it under there. Now, move to the head of the bed and pull the sheet taut before tucking it under the mattress as you had at the foot of the bed. Now that the sheet is laying smoothly on the bed, secured at head and foot, it's time to make those hospital corners. First, grab the sheet draping from the side about 16 inches from the foot of the bed, place one finger on top of the corner, lifting the sheet with the other hand, and then tuck the lower drape under the mattress. Then, hold the corner in place and bring the sheet over, making sure the fold creates a 45-degree angle. Finally, tuck the rest of the sheet under the bed, smoothing wrinkles as you go along. Repeat on all four corners of the bed. (There's an illustrated version of this tutorial at The Art of Manliness.)

Now that the bottom sheet is on, it's time to spread the top sheet and blankets on the bed. Again, smooth the sheet and blankets as you go along and then, using the same hospital corners as with the bottom sheet, tuck the sides under the mattress. Finish off the bed by folding the blanket and top sheet down from head of the bed and place pillow on top.

This may seem like a lot of work and, in the absence of a drill sergeant breathing down your neck, it may be tempting to leave your messy bed as is until you crawl in again after dark. With a little practice, however, this bed making routine will become second nature and you'll be greeted by a tidy bed when you return from a long day fighting the battles of the real world.

Next time I find myself bedroom set hunting Modernica will be my first stop! I wish I lived close to them so I could take advatage of their sample sales. It looks as if they extend sale prices to their webstore, but the selection is a little limited. 

Treasures For The Home

Price: $6.95
Available from: Buy Soap Stones Here

Price: $10.00
Available from: Curiosity Shoppe

Price: $199.00
Available from: Buy dangerous liaisons rug here

Price: €14.00
Available from: Buy Inspiration Pad here

Price: $1,200
Available from: Buy Land Carpet Here

Price: $45.00
Available from: Buy Branch Mat Here

Price: $17.00

Available from: Buy Lines and Aquares dishcloth here

Price: $48
Available from: Small Gray Crocheted Rubber Bowl

Price: $79.72
Availability: Buy 30 Pencil Icosahedron here  

Price: $40.00-$69.00
Availability: Buy Log Pillows Here

Price: $142.00
Availability: Buy Bird Bottle here

No More Boring White Walls

Super rad removable surface graphics from blik add a quick design element to any bland space. Pattern decals like the ones below from Modern Grpahics can help you create larger accent walls. Short on friends? Head over to fathead for life-sized wall decals of people or cartoon characters who you can talk to all day long. You can even upload photos and make a decal of that dreamboat you've been too shy to talk to. Guys love that kind of stuff!

When all else fails grab a pen and get craftayyy! Check out this fun wall design you can have for $20 and a few hours of your time.