THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

inhabited type via au pays des merveillesJing Zhang designed these inhabited letters with an astonishing amount of detail.  (source)

things i told the internet but didn't tell my mom via au pays des merveilles

Anna Ladd questions privacy in these times of blogging and social networks in her series “Things I told the internet but didn’t tell my mom”.  Each of the handmade banners expresses a statement that she posted on the internet over the years but never talked about in person.  (source)

kings and queens of architecture via au pays des merveilles

In the series “Kings and queens of architecture”, illustrator Paul Stuller drew starchitects wearing their most iconic building on their head.  (By the way, you can find my photographs of Bjarke Ingels’ “hat” here.)  (source)

belgian slang via au pays des merveilles

Opening Ceremony is paying tribute to Belgium this month, by posting a Belgian Slang Dictionary on their blog.  You can find all of them here and even send in suggestions!

calligraphy animals via au pays des merveilles

These wonderfully simple animals are drawn by Andrew Fox with just a few strokes of his calligraphy pen.  (source)

engraved rolling pin via au pays des merveilles

These engraved rolling pins look like so much fun, but the best is yet to come: you can even get them custom made!  Get them here.  (source)

houseplant cupcakes via au pays des merveilles

With the cacti-craze and succulent love that has been going around lately (you can read more about my personal plant favorites here, here, here and here or on pinterest), it was just a matter of time before someone combined their love for plants with their love for food.  Thanks to Brooklyn-based baker Alana Jones-Mann, you can find out how to make these cupcakes yourself here.  (source)

thruth facts via au pays des merveilles

You can find the most fun infographics at truthfacts.

landscapes for the people via au pays des merveilles

“Landscapes for the People” is a series by Mark Lyon, displaying the contradiction between these peaceful landscape that are used as a background in stressful environments.  Quite ironic.  (source)

the interiors of wes anderson via au pays des merveilles

I saved the best for last: design bible Apartamento explored the world of Wes Anderson’s movie sets, all of which are designed up until the smallest details.  More photos here.

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

TTMMS 1

Every month, Eclectic trends invites bloggers and friends to share their collections in the series “What do bloggers collect?“.  My favorites are these by Eclectic Trends herself, beeldSTEIL and Wohnbedarf.

ttmms 2Make music and visuals with your keyboard at Patatap.  Fascinating.  (source)

TTMMS 3

Third time already that I’m showing work by Frederico Babina.  This time, the architect and illustrator has made portraits of iconic architects and designers out of elements from their designs.  I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next!  (source)

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Doors in Ghent instantly reminded me of Windows of New York (featured on the blog before here), which turned out to be this project’s main source of inspiration.  So maybe not the most original concept, but super pretty nonetheless and closer to home…  Maybe those of you from Ghent can even find their own door here?

TTMMS 5This life-sized elephant was created by origami artist Sipho Mabona out of a 15 square meters sheet of paper.  Watch the making of here. (source)

TTMMS 6

French, CGI Designer, Benoit Challand came up with a whole alphabet of desks, each with its own character.  “You can sit in an A-shaped desk, feeling like you’re at the prow of a ship, or in the smooth curve of a D, far more comfortable than being boxed into a traditional cubicle.” (source)

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The Rabot towers in Ghent (a social housing project from the seventies) are being demolished layer by layer and the removal of the facade revealed its colorful insides.  Photo by Pieter Lozie.

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The a-ma-zing Horse Head Squirrel Feeder.  I need this.  (source)

TTMMS 9

Wrapped books at a book store, to avoid people judging a book by its cover.  (source)

TTMMS 10

Birdcage shaped like a horse.  I need this too, and some birds maybe.  (source)

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

archiset by frederico babina via au pays des merveillesArchitect and illustrator Frederico Babina made this beautiful series of drawings based on movie sets.  Archiset represents the movie sets as cross-sections of a doll house, including characters and props from the movies.  (source)

Scolapianta by Mathery via au pays des merveilles

‘Scolapianta’ is a clever dish rack designed by multidisciplinary studio Mathery.  While you are doing the dishes, Scolapianta waters your plants and gives you an excuse not to dry the dishes.  Two thumbs up!  (source)

cakes by handmade charlotte via au pays des merveilles

Handmade Charlotte bakes the most beautiful cakes, and the animal cakes are my favorite.  Reminds me of the owl cake I made for my sister (another Charlotte) two years ago.  Lots of work, but the result was definitely worth it.

file_mon by escuderoandaluz via au pays des merveilles

File_món is a series of images generated on the computer desktop through the distribution of icons and files arranged over images, which
are downloaded from the internet and set as wallpaper. The computer screen is used as a canvas for a critical collage. It appraises the
potential of creating new images on the computer.”   Interesting series of work by Cèsar Escudero Andaluz and an excuse to pile on those files on your desktop.

lady planter by the sill via au pays des merveilles

How much fun are these ‘Lady Planters‘ by The Sill? They sell all kinds of plants, but these are my favorite without a doubt.  Unfortunately they only deliver in Manhattan and Brooklyn…  (source)

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

eiskreem via au pays des merveilles

Eiskreem is a new Belgian brand of home made ice cream that creates exciting new combinations of flavors and delivers them to your door each month.  That’s right, you can take an ice cream subscription!  A-ma-zing.   (source)

new yeezy resolutions via au pays des merveillesWe might be a few weeks into 2014 already, but maybe you still need some inspiration for your new year’s resolutions?  Look no further… Kanye can help you with that, at new yeezy resolutions.

i'm google via au pays des merveilles

I’m Google is an ongoing digital art project by Baltimore artist Dina Kelberman, and serves as a visual representation of the wonders of google image search.  If you scroll trough this tumblr, you will see the subjects seamlessly change, from hay sculptures to crocheted pumpkins to pot holders to balloons… Very fascinating.  (source)

theo and beau via au pays des merveilles

Chances are you’ve already seen this one, but I had to post it anyway since they are so incredibly adorable.  Theo and Beau take naps together every day. Too cute!

i was an awesomer kid via au pays des merveilles

I was an awesomer kid collects photos of awesome kids and proves you will never be as cool.

this is sand via au pays des merveilles

Thisissand lets you relive those days when all you had to do all day was play around in the sandbox, only now you can add some color and save your creations to the gallery.

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CHRISTMAS THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

christmas things that make me smile via au pays des merveilles

This year I’m spending Christmas with my parents and sister in my beloved Portugal, so no traditional christmas this year but we are making new traditions instead.  I’m not sure what to expect just yet, so that’s why I collected a little bit of christmas inspiration to get into the holiday mood… enjoy!

  1. I have to admit, traditional Christmas carols drive me nuts!  So that’s where this alternative christmas playlist comes in handy, with songs by The XX and The Knife among others.  Can’t go wrong with that!
  2. Confetti Ssystem designed this fun alternative for a traditional Christmas tree.
  3. Another alternative christmas tree, made out of bits of nature found outside.
  4. If you don’t have enough room for an actual Christmas tree, these pine branches in vintage cups are a good alternative!  (source unknown)
  5. Amazing Christmas ornaments by Ferm Living that shouldn’t be too hard to make yourself.  My next Christmas tree will definitely have similar ornaments!
  6. Emilie Voirin designed this minimal nativity set, for the design-loving believers out there.  (source)
  7. Quietroom is a British office specializing in brand analysis and worked their magic on the ‘brand’ of Santa.  (source)
  8. Yule Log 2.0 asks artist around the world to redesign the traditional yule log, resulting in an infinite loop of different animated logs.  Pretty cool!

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

Hiroko Kubota via au pays des merveillesHiroko Kubota is a Japanese embroidery artist who started decorating shirts with cats on her sons request.  You can find them here.  (source)

Tadao Cern via au pays des merveillesTadao Cern, architect turned photographer, made this series called ‘Comfort Zone’, exploring people’s behavior on the beach.  (source)archipix via au pays des merveillesFederico Babina Architect simplifies famous architects and their buildings into 8 bit drawings, for a series called ARCHIPIX.  (source)

via au pays des merveillesThis adorable lion cub is having the time of his life in the Drummond Safari Park.  (source)

yoni lefevre via au pays des merveillesFor the series Grey Power,  Yoni Lefévre recreated children’s drawings of their grandparents in photos.  (source)

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

pyropet via au pays des merveillesPyroPets are candles shaped like geometric animals that hide a creepy steel skeleton inside.  You can back this design by Thorunn Arnadottir and Dan Koval on kickstarter here.  (source)

wengenn in wonderland  via au pays des merveillesCalifornian free-lance artist Queenie Liao is a mother of three boys and has been wondering what her baby dreams of when he’s asleep.  Now we know!  She has portrayed her son Wengenn in dreamy settings created out of common household materials.  (source)

3D animal cookie cutters via au pays des merveilles

These 3D cookie cutter sets are probably the coolest I’ve ever seen.  They come in dinosaur and safari animal shapes and make you doubt just a little bit whether to eat your delicious cookies or show them off a little bit longer.  (source)

nakagin capsule tower via au pays des merveilles

Noritaka Minami photographed the Nakagin Capsule Tower in Tokyo.  This design by Kisho Kurokawa exists out of interchangeable capsules, meaning that the building can be continually updated by replacing the units.  However, this never happened and the building slowly deteriorated.  These photos were taken in 2011, after plans of demolishing the building were announced.  (source)jaktogo wearable luggage via au pays des merveilles

Jaktogo is a coat that can hold up to 15 kilos of luggage and can be transformed into a bag.  It’s designed to get the heavy travelers among us around strict hand baggage restrictions on low-cost airlines.  I could have used this when I went to Portugal for 5 months!  (source)

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

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The Word magazine devoted an article to Brussels’s best fountains, wonderfully illustrated by Ida Michiels.

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Architecture student Hank Butitta converted an old school bus into a modular mobile home.  More info here.

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Wonderful photos by Parker Fitzgerald for Kinfolk.  (source)via au pays des merveilles

Great illustrations by Amélie Fontaine.

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Amazing DIY idea for a coat rack.

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

origami fox via au pays des merveillesLearn how to fold an origami fox here. laura gee via au pays des merveillesFun illustrations by Laura Gee.

apollo via au pays des merveillesApollo astronauts working by the pool and showing off their space suits.  Prints available here.

monsters of new york via au pays des merveillesAfter Humans of New York (as seen in this post), here’s Monsters of New York!

planet cakes via au pays des merveillesScientifically accurate layered planet cakes, by Cakecrumbs.  (source)

jean manuel duvivier via au pays des merveillesGreat illustration by Jean-Manuel Duvivier, a Parisian illustrator based in Brussels.  (source)

summer via au pays des merveillesPerfect summer activities: a hot tub cinema and lounging around in a flamingo shaped boat.

summer alphabet via au pays des merveillesFun summer alphabet by Anne Lee Designs. (source)

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

shit bloggers wear via au pays des merveillesShit bloggers wear – so recognizable.

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Airbrush make-up artist, photographer and designer Adam Tenenbaum decorated a tree in his front yard with wonderful vintage chandeliers.  The Chandelier Tree is located in Los Angeles for those of you who’d like to see it in person, but this short docu by Colin Kennedy gives a pretty good impression. (source)

workplaces via au pays des merveilles

Sir Magazine asks illustrators to draw their workspaces, and as you would expect the results are pretty cool.  Look here for more.

aki inomata via au pays des merveilles

Aki Inomata combines translucent city scapes with hermit crab shells, with this wonderful result.  More info here.

break in case of fabulous via au pays des merveilles

The more glitter the better! (source)

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

sandra turina via au pays des merveilles Sandra Turina makes beautiful alphabet jewelry.  Available online here, or at WEAR in Leuven, where I discovered these cute necklaces.

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Possibly the coolest tattoo ever. (source unknown)

sleur via au pays des merveilles

At Sleur, you find simple musings about the author’s daily routine.  Only for the dutchies.

humans of new york via au pays des merveilles

“We’ve been married 31 years.”
“How’d you meet?”
“I saw her on a bus, put my watch in my pocket, sat down next to her, and asked her for the time.”

Humans of New York is probably to human interest what The Sartorialist is to fashion.  Brandon stops people on the streets of New York for a photo and a little chat, and posts the photos with a quote on his facebook and tumblr.  A daily stop on the internet for me!

Léo Caillard and Alexis Persani via au pays des merveilles

Photographer Léo Caillard and photo retoucher Alexis Persani dressed up classical sculptures as hipsters.  ‘Clothes make the man’, as we say in dutch. (source)

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

au pays des merveillesArchitectural heroes on a t-shirt, available here.

au pays des merveillesGilles Houben paints Belgium’s most tasty vernacular architecture: the fritkot.  (source)

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Two architecture students created the perfect notebook for the architects among us: it contains several sizes of grids so you can easily draw on the correct scale, but most importantly, it also is a guide with measurements of all frequently used building elements, design information such as line weigths and font sizes, technical guidelines for structures, architectural references and living scenarios of different kinds of rooms.  You can support them here to get the A:Log in production!  (source)

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The Architectural League of New York and the Pen World Voices Festival choose 10 designers to build Free Little Libraries in downtown Manhattan.  This one is designed by Venezuelan design firm Stereotank.  (source)

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Charles Sowers designed a kinetic installation on the facade of the Randall Museum in San Francisco, consisting of 612 rotating aluminium weather vanes, all moving individually and together visualising the flow of the wind.  Pretty cool.  (source)

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Kanye West compared himself to Le Corbusier, claiming he is a ‘minimalist in a rapper’s body’.  Architizer decided to put him to the test and compared Kanye’s lyrics with Corbu’s designs.  See how that worked out here.

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Design studio Nendo is responsible for this pop-up Starbucks coffee shop in Tokyo.  The shop resembles a library, where the book covers have nine different colors, representing nine different coffees.  The empty books have explanations on the cover about the type of coffee, and by taking a book to the counter, clients can order the corresponding coffee.  Even though I refuse to buy coffee at Starbucks (I prefer supporting the local coffee shops and I think Starbucks is way overpriced), I think I would have a hard time passing this one up…  (source)

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

via au pays des merveillesIf you’re in the middle of studying for your exams, like me, you should probably avoid The Useless Web.  But if you’re bored… this will take you places!

via au pays des merveillesGraphic designer Jenny Stieglitz rethinks design classics for the Actief Wonen magazine, creating DIY versions of these famous pieces of furniture.

via au pays des merveillesFun animal sweaters brighten up any day if you ask me!  Horse sweater from here, cat sweater unknown.

via au pays des merveillesThis is one hamburger us vegetarians can eat!  If you want to have a go at making this cake yourself, take a look here.

via au pays des merveillesLittle kid making friends with kangaroos…  Too cute!  (source)

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

things that make me smile via au pays des merveilles

Beautiful series of illustrations called ‘Plants’ by Rachel Levit.  (source)things that make me smile via au pays des merveilles

The purpose of reading books: demonstrated by Radiohead. (source)

things that make me smile via au pays des merveilles

Les Bains, a nightclub in Paris, couldn’t be saved, so the owner Jean-Pierre Marois and gallery owner Magda Danysz invited several artists and turned it into a temporary secret street art gallery.  By now, the renovations already started and all the work is destroyed.  (source)

things that make me smile via au pays des merveilles

ryan gosling won't eat his cereal via au pays des merveilles ryan gosling won't eat his cereal via au pays des merveilles ryan gosling won't eat his cereal via au pays des merveilles

Ryan Gosling won’t eat his cereal, or so does Ryan McHenry make you believe.  More here.

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Tree Drawings is an installation by Tim Knowles, attaching drawing tools to the tips of tree branches and recording the effect of the wind on the tree.  (source)

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Kolle Rebbe designed this wonderful Tea Calendar for Hälssen & Lyon.  Tear of a day, put it directly in your teacup and there you go, a daily dose of tea.  How wonderful. (source)

things that make me smile via au pays des merveilles

David Suhami designed this animal pocket knife as part of his studio course at shenkar college of engineering and design in tel aviv, israel.  It’s meant as toy for adults who still enjoy playing with small objects.  So cool!

things that make me smile via au pays des merveilles

 

You can llamafy which ever words you want here.  Yes please.  More llamas.

things that make me smile via au pays des merveilles

This flower shaped Throw & Grow confetti contains seeds of wildflowers and is completely bio-degradable.  Designed by Niko Niko.  (source)

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

au pays des merveillesChopstick pants on instagram, by brockdavis.

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Handbags by Olympia Le Tan (who you might know from her handbags that look like books), this time inspired by jazz music.  (source)
au pays des merveillesThe rubber barber makes correcting your mistakes a whole lot more fun!  Designed by Chen Lu Wei for Megawing and available here. (source)

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au pays des merveillesManual photography explained in a beautiful cheat sheet.  (source)

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Wonderful garland, available here.au pays des merveillesDistance to Mars explains – obviously – the distance between the earth and mars.  (source)

au pays des merveillesHelveticat print, available here.

au pays des merveillesThe New York Times developed a Haiku Bot, which generates haikus from articles on NYTimes.com.   (source)

au pays des merveillesIllustrations by Bisser.

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

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Peter Defty looked up to the sky to make this wonderful architectural alphabet, called alphatecture.  (source)

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Joel Henriques made these wonderful wooden animals.  Find his blog ‘Made by Joel’ here, he makes loads of cool stuff!

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Best.  Sunglasses. Ever.  See the full preview of the collection here.

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This hedgehog must be the cutest table brush I have ever seen.  It’s available at By Mölle, among many other pretty things.au pays des merveilles

How can I ever be satisfied with a normal cappuciono again, after seeing this?  (source unknown)

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Best fashion advice I’ve seen in a long, long time.  Print by Zag.au pays des merveilles

Pantone Pairings by instagrammer dschwen.  (source)au pays des merveilles

This Mustache lover kit by REDImei was a personalised gift for a friend and such good inspiration if you’re into DIY presents.  If you’re curious: it contains scissors and a comb. (source)

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I’ve posted about tattly before on this blog, so maybe you already know these wonderful fake tattoos designed by great illustrators.    If you keep an eye on their blog, you’ll notice it’s not that hard to get creative yourself: they regularly present tattly hacks, or new, inspiring ways to combine their designs into something even more amazing.

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Shiny blindfold by Confetti System, available at hunting and collecting. A-ma-zing.

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

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Andrew Howard had his students collect photos of shop signs in Porto, resulting in these montages called ‘Letters from Porto’. (source)

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I think everyone can recognize themselves in this daily dishonesty series by Lauren Hom. (source)

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Beautiful sketch of ‘stacking green’, a house designed by Vo Trong Nghia Co., ltd. (source)

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Windows of New York, a weekly illustration project by José Guizar.

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Clever advertisement by Ogilvy & Mather.  (source)

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

socket deer by nendo via au pays des merveilles
This socket deer, designed by Nendo, holds your phone as it recharges.

aftermath of a fire via au pays des merveilles
In Chicago’s Bridgeport neighbourhood, an abandonned warehouse caught on fire.  The temperatures at the time of the fire were so low, that the water sprayed on the building froze almost instantly, resulting this enchanting ice palace.  More photos here.

alphabet mugs via au pays des merveilles
Alphabet mugs, available at urban outfitters.

re sound bottle via au pays des merveilles
Jun Fujiwara designed Re: sound bottle, a bottle that collects sounds in a bottle, much like catching fireflies in a jar.  If you uncork the bottle, it starts recording the sounds around you and with these recorded sounds, it forms a database from which it automatically creates rythmic tracks, using the recorded sounds in a loop, which it plays if you uncork the bottle again.  So cool.  More info, including a video, here.

top secret usb stick via au pays des merveilles
Top Secret is a usb stick with a wax seal, which keeps all your secrets safe.  Beautiful.  (source)

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

au pays des merveillesHondelatte Laporte Architectes designed a childcare center that seems to be supported by a gigantic yellow giraffe. (source)

au pays des merveillesHipster disney princesses.  (source)au pays des merveillesDesign office grafisches büro came up with this poster, comparing dogs to typefaces.  (source)

au pays des merveillesSmiley dustpan from world market.

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Flying letter, available here, although you might have to ask google translate for help. (source)

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

au pays des merveilles(source unknown)

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au pays des merveillesFacial hair fun:  typestaches by Tor Weeks on the left, beards by Colt Bowden on the right.

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The style evolution of the beatles, illustrated by Max Dalton.

au pays des merveillesCrayon Creatures turns your child’s drawings into a figurine, while Creatures of Chaos turns it into a pluche toy.  Such a great gift idea!

au pays des merveilles 7On Felicidario, you find a new illustration every day of something that is happiness.  It’s in portuguese (but with english translations!) so perfect to practice my portuguese and the drawings are beautiful.  It’s actually meant for the elderly, but at my age I relate to the message too.  On the left: happiness is dressing up like a super hero, in the middle: happiness is buying a one way ticket, on the right: happiness is talking to a stranger.

au pays des merveilles 8Funny rings: the bunny ears are from here, the one with the diamond is from here and I can’t find a source for the hedgehog unfortunately.

au pays des merveillesTwo drawings of my favorite city in the world: the one on the left is an illustration from the book Lisboa à Mesa (about where to eat and shopin Lisbon), the one on the right is by André Rocha and available for sale as a poster.

au pays des merveillesStrook, a Belgian artist who I’ve featured before here with his moss street art, teamed up with Tim Baute as AtelierBonk and together they created a masher called ‘Stoemp‘, using Strook’s signature drawing style.

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

au pays des merveillesBeautiful doodles by  Sagaki Keita.

au pays des merveillesThe cutest illustrations by Heng Swee Lim.

http://www.ilovedoodle.comSomeone was so clever to add pigment when she was freezing water to use as ice bricks for an igloo.  So so beautiful.  (source)

au pays des merveillesAd campaign for telecommunication company Batelco, where the city is peeled up until only a bank or a hospital remains.  (source)

au pays des merveillesWonderful marriage proposal.  (source unknkown)

au pays des merveillesElephants painted as pandas, too cute!  (source unknown)

 

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au pays des merveillesProduct designer Klaas Kuiken developed a ceramic burdhouse that can replace rooftiles.  (source)

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

415-628x500Moon simulator from NASA, to train astronauts for their landing on the moon.  (source unknown)

au pays des merveillesLest you forget kiss card: “put imprint of your lips in this space”.  Totally gets rid of all possible confusions! (source unknown)

au pays des merveillesChairs by Merve Kahraman.

au pays des merveillesPortuguese sayings translated in English, perfect to help me improve my portuguese, but more than that: really funny.  This is apparently what you say when someone does crazy things…

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I’ve always seen an octopus in this kind of hanger, now I know I’m not the only one!  (unknown source)

au pays des merveillesHipster Tintin (or Kuifje, as we call him in dutch), by Grainne Tynan.
au pays des merveillesColorful work by Shae Acopian Detar.  (source)

au pays des merveillesOne classy leopard. (source unknown)

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

au pays des merveillesA beautiful and orginal christmas tree… in my hometown Hasselt!  I’m home since yesterday, so I’m hoping to find some time to check this out before I go back to Lisbon!  (source)

 

 

au pays des merveillesAn easy christmas dish, but it’s the reindeer toasts that make me smile in particular!  (source)

 

au pays des merveillesThe cost of the twelve days of christmas, designed by Kyla Tom.  (source)

au pays des merveillesBeautiful printables, like this cute reindeer with moveable legs and these ugly sweater gift tags.  Find more freebies on my pinterest!

au pays des merveillesAlternative for a christmas tree – cheaper and more environment-friendly!  (source)

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

William Forsythe suspends thousands of balloons in architecturally significant places, for his installation called Scattered Crowd.  How badly do I want to see this in person?  You have no idea.  (source)

(source unknown)

Bicycle Taxidermy: yes please!

Running into a label like this when shopping for groceries would be enough reason to take a bottle of wine home.  Available here.

Saving the best for last: this must be one of the most wonderful things I’ve come across in a long time:  Laurent Chéhère’s images of flying houses.  (source)

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

On this website called ‘CAT BOUNCE!‘, you can bounce cats, obviously.  Fun!

Thoka Maer‘s animation loops are pretty amazing if you ask me.  (source)

Now that we’re still a little bit in the halloween atmosphere: here’s Pumpktris, a fully playable tetris embedded in a pumpkin.  Coolest pumpkin ever?  (source)

Scott Wilson created these shoes that reveal a hidden message when the shoes are drenched with rain.  (source)

These Sets for a Film I’ll Never Make are ‘sketches with cardboard’ by Daniel Agdag, meaning that he makes them without detaild plans or sketches and just improvises as he works.(source)

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

Beautiful collage by Colette Saint Yves.  (source)

Peter Madden’s collages – made out of old encyclopedias, back issues of National Geographic, and nature books – suspended in plexiglass.  (source)

Bookyard, by Italian artist Massimo Bartolini for the Belgian art festival TRACK: A Contemporary City Conversation in Ghent, is an outdoor library where visitors can take any book in return for a small donation. (source)

Speechless studios designed this memory bank, a place where you can store emotional valuable things like love notes or ticket stubs.  (source)

Lars Beller Fjetland makes birds out of old chair legs.  (source)

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

Brooklyn artist Mark Reigelman and San Francisco architect Jenny Chapman  installed a wooden hut on the side of a hotel in San Fransisco, to demonstrate the rights of the urban explorer to find an unoccupied parcel of space in which to make a city home.  (source)

The Purge by artist Chris Whiteburch is an art installation in a condemned house, where the house purges its contents, all manner of debris and structural material shooting violently through a window into a giant wooden splash.  (source)

Dutch design studio Tjep did a wonderful job in the Fabbrica pizzeria with these seating booths, they look really cosy!  (source)


Leandro Erlich‘s installation Bâtiment looks like a lot of fun: it ‘s a massive building facade, constructed on the floor near a towering mirror that makes it look like you’re weightless.  So cool!  (source)

Zurich designers Atelier Volvox rescued plush toys from the garbage and turned them inside out to give them a new life.  (source)

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

Pretty illustrations by Amanda Mocci.  (source)

Very accurate weather forecast.  (source)

Fun typeface by Canadian design student, Julien Poisson.  (source)

No more sneaking into the house with this backpack!  (source)

For his project called Street Seats, Bade Stageberg Cox collected 50 abandoned chairs on the streets of New York, repaired them and painted them with a coat of taxi cab yellow paint. On the bottom of each chair, you find a with the date and location it was recovered.  (source)

 

 

Bloom Theory makes the most adorable camera straps.  (source)

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

I’m not entirely sold on the fake tattoo trend (for me the beauty of a tattoo lies mostly in the fact that it can be a permanent reminder of something worth remembering), but this design by un beau jour got me excited.  I love the triangles and those arrows!  Available here.

The dictionary of obscure sorrows is certainly a site worth visiting: they make up the most beautiful words to describe wonderful phenomenons.

Doggy is one of the most fun fonts I’ve come across in a while.  Not very readable, but so cool.  (source)

The Paint Pigment Photographs series by Rob and Nick Carter.  (source)

Rachel’s new bike make over.  When I get home, I’d love to do the same to my bike!  (source)

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

Candice Milon photographed classic movie outfits.  Can you recognise all of them?  (source)

The Japanese designers from Nendo constructed this gigantic birdhouse, with one big entrance for humans and 78 tiny entrances for birds.  There’s spy holes in the back wall of the birds’ appartments, allowing people to take a look into their nests.  (source)

 Vintage Confections sells these a-ma-zing solar system lollipops.  WANT!  (source)

Dihzahyners, a team of artists and designers “aimed at creating initiatives to make Beirut brighter and more beautiful through colour”, is responsible for these stunning stairs.  (source)

Noga Berman sells this collection called ‘construction waste’ on etsy, made from pieces of ceramic found in construction yards around Israel.  (source)

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

How adorable is this DIY frame tent?  (source)

Street art in Liège, called Anamorphosis by Atou.  (source)

Mianne de Vries designed the ‘Curious vase’ where another vase is waiting on the inside of the first one, just in case you break it – or if you’re bored of it and want something else.  (source)

Nishant Jethi of Mumbia designed an alphabet of birdhouses. (source)

For this campaign by Jody Xiong of DDB China together with the China Environmental Protection Foundation, gigantic canvases with a bare tree were placed across 132 crosswalks in 15 Chinese cities.  When the pedestrians crosses, a small amount of green paint would be imprinted on their soles, leaving foot marks resembling the tree’s leaves.  The final canvases were put up as billboards in several cities.  (source)

Collaboration between Louis Vuitton and artist Vincent Bousserez.  (source)

When opening this pop-up typography book by Polish designer Iwona Przybyla, to 90 degrees, letters made of thread appear.  The book is appropriately named 90°.  (source)

Vicente de Paulo photographed a few of Oscar Niemeyer‘s most iconic buildings, and manipulated the photos to make them come to life when seen through 3D glasses.  (source)

Billboard take overs by Ox. (source)

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

DIY eco cardboard animals by designer Eduardo Alessi.  Besides this deer clock, there’s also elephant speakers, a giraffe lamp, a rhino pen holder and an owl magnifier book lamp.  So cool!  (source)

Rad artwork by Natalie Nicklin.

In 1986 the artist Tyree Guyton started  The Heidelberg Project, as a creative way to respond to the decay in his neighborhood. He decorates the houses in his neighborhood with paint and salvaged objects found on the street.  I wish I could see this in real life so badly!  (source)

Typeface designed for doctors by Orion.  (source)

The DIY edition of La Sardina is a white version which can be drawn, painted or glued upon. Just imagine all the possibilities!  (source)

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

Photographer Patrícia Almeida photographed this gorgeous installation of umbrellas was recently spotted in Águeda, Portugal.  (source)

Adorable balloon shaped lamp by Crous & Calogero for Estilu.  (source)

Jenny Volvoski designs a new cover for every book she reads, for her from cover to cover project.  (source)

Motoi Yamamoto makes stunning art installations with salt.  (source)

Illustrations by Niky Roehreke.

Sarah Parker and Michael Bodiam graphically re-envisioned diets for five star athletes by Olympian nutritionist Dan Benardot’s.  (source)

Lyra Hill has handmade business cards, holding toothpicks and matches.  Clever!  (source)

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

Maison Gray photographed beaches all over the world out of a doorless helicopter, resulting in this series called A La Plage, A La Piscine.  So cool!  (source)

Stuart Haygarth designed these pretty chandeliers made out of found objects like discarded spectacles, plastic bottles or party-poppers.  (source)

This night-light by Nosigner seems to come straight out of a fairy tale.  (source)

 Little Goodall sells the most adorable animal coats for kids.  (source)

Print by Marimekko. (source)

Photos of New York’s hidden roof tops by Alex MacLean. (source)

Garance Doré photographed this mural by RETNA at Houston and Bowery, New York City.  (source)

Fun editorial with photos by Hicham Riad and graffiti art by Kid Acne, from the june issue of Elle Belgium.  (source)

The least you can say about Jason Lee‘s portraits of his children, is that they’re quite creative.  They remind me of my own old work, see here and here. (source)

A while ago, ikea released Knäppa, it’s first digital camera, made out of cardboard.  It’s a limited edition, given away at selected Ikea stores to promote the 2012 collection of the PS line.  Oh how I would love to get my hands on one!  Take a look at the cute commercial for Knäppa here.  (source)

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

1.   Anna Duthie, a textile designer who recently graduated from Glasgow School of Art makes these inspiring collages.  (source)

2.  Edible worlds is a series by Christopher Boffoli where miniature people inhabit a fascinating world made of food.  (source)

3.   Barcelona designers ENTLO.1A redesigned tableware to be more functional: cups with a flooded handle to dip large cookies in your coffee, dishes with a spout a spout for slurping soup tidily and a plate with a vertical edge for trapping morsels of food more easily.  (source)

4.  James Hopkins‘ series Vanitas consists of skulls created out of different household items, arranged on bookshelves.  (source)

5.   Mexican artist Gabriel Dawe creates stunning art installations with colored thread.  (source)

6.  Street artist ‘Bored turned the sidewalks in Chicago into a giant monopoly game. (source)

7.  Good advice on a wine label. (source)

8.  I know which tune you’re humming in your head now.  Check kitties & bullshit for more cat infused lyrics.  (source)

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

1.  London design studio Troika designed a light installation in an east London park, making fun of the british obsession with the weather.  (source)

2. New Ben & Jerry’s flavors?  Nope, they’re fake!  (source)

3.  Too bad it’s not ice cream weather either…  (source)

4.  This looks like a fun shoot to take part in!  Photos by Randal Ford.  (source)

5.  I bet Elisse would LOVE to get ice cream here, no?  See here for more crazy roadside architecture in California.   (source)

6.  Looking for a present for a special someone?  Record a message, render the sound waves in 3D and tadaa!  You’ve got your personal bracelet.  These bracelets are actually a part of the Sound Advice Project, a teen anti-drug abuse initiative.  (source)

7.  Fill these wine glasses up to the right mark and let’s make some music!  You can play the glass by tapping the side or running your finger around the rim of the glass.

8.  Dublin ad agency Boys and Girls designed this fabulous desk for their own entryway reception area.  (source)

9.  Harrod Blank covered his van with 2700 vintage cameras: it’s the world’s most unique rolling photographic studio as he says himself.  (source)

10.  Kids draw the news.  (source)

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

1. Humanæ is a project by Angelica Dass who is making portraits for each possible human skin tone, combining them with the associated Pantone color.

2.  Rocket Espresso Cups.  Too cool.  (source)

3.  This Flag Conversion Tea Towel could probably help you avoid a lot of disasters in the kitchen.  (source)

4.  When all pine trees that didn’t survive the Gudrun storm in 2005 were taken away, this pattern appeared in Sweden.  Photo by Joakim Berglund.  (source)

5.  At the Clarion Hotel in Stockholm, Sweden you can pay for your stay with an A4 sized artwork, signed by the artist.  You better start drawing if you’d like a free stay in Stockholm!(source)

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

1.  Cute illustration by Aled Lewis.

2.   Ilot Vintage replaces the worn out leather of vintage cameras with wood veneer to make them even prettier.  (source)

3.  This grove’s iPhone back cover is made of from leftover material from industrial skateboard manufacturing.  SO COOL.  (source)

4.  Beautiful collages by Ben Giles.  (source)

5. The swimming pool at Bhakti Park, Wadala, Mumbai has a giant aerial photo of new york on the floor of the pool.  I bet swimming there makes you feel like a superhero!  (source)

6.  The KooKoo BirdHouse is a modern take on the cuckoo clock, with 12 different real bird recordings (one for each hour) and customizable pendants and birds.  (source)

7.  This is a customizable, cross-stitchable iPhone case, one you’ll never get bored of!  (source)

8.  Smile tattoo.

9.  Temporary Vintage Plant shop in Stockholm by Byggstudio, where one can trade and exhibit second-hand plants and their background stories. If you buy a plant, you get the background story of the previous owner.  (source)

10.  What book should I read? tells you – oh surprise – what book to read!

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

1.  Polar ice bucket: when the ice cubes melt, the polar bear will float around on his ice floe.  (source)

2.  Japanese architect Junya Ishigami makes the best sketches.

3.  Graphic designer Sarah Harvey’s designer toy filled home.  (source)

4.  Characters for an epic tale.  (source)

5.  Hand drawn bear plate.  (source)

6.  The Minister’s Treehouse is a giant treehouse that took 11 years to build.  (source)

7. Geometric Neon Nesting Dolls by Sketch inc.  (source)

8.  Menno Aden photographed a series of Berlin interiors looking down from the ceiling.  (source)

9.  Kyoto’s bunny shaped road blocks.  (source)

10.  Jumping Bunny rabbit sir Hopsalot (source)

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

1.  Wonderful collages by Mowgli Omari.  They remind me of this year’s Unité covers, which is always a good thing. (Remember the magazine me and some friends started last year?  A younger generation has taken over this year, and you can still read every edition here.)  (source)

2.  Julian Hansen helps you pick a font.  For the eternal doubters among us.  (source)

3.  A flat entirely inspired by and partly made of Lego!  Too cool.  (source)

4.   Mademoiselle Maurice decorates Paris with rainbow colored origami street art.  Wow!  (source)

5.  Great birthday cards!  (source)

6.   Mischer’Traxler developed ‘Collective Works’: a basket machine that stops working when nobody’s looking.  One person results in a plain basket and when a second person arrives, the machine will add color.  The more spectators, the more color is added.  (source)

7.  This is a detail of a piece of street art called timeline, which documents the evolution from little kids drawing on the walls to grown-up graffiti artists.  See the entire piece here.

8.  Not sure if this belongs in a ‘things that make me smile’ list, but at least it’s a humorous take on a serious matter.   Dorothy designed this limited edition snow globe, titled No Globes, to protest the construction of several dirty coal-fired power stations in 2009.

9.  CLAP is a small camera with a built in USB plug, developed by Tokyo based SuperHeadz.  CLAP can film and photograph and is available in 6 colors.  It’s even magnetic, which means you don’t need a tripod as long as there’s metal around, so clever!  Mmm I want this.  (source)

10.  I’m in love with Charlotte Caron‘s portrait series.

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

1.  Body of Water illustrations by Tamsyn Mystkowski (source)

2.  ‘I will never Lego’ print, available here.

3.  Clever key hiding rock.   (source)

4.  Apparently there are quite a few beautifully designed manhole covers in Japan.  Collected by MRSY.  (source)

5.  Illustration by gemma corral.

6.  Young women getting Elvis haircuts, 1957.  By Grey Villet / Life archives.  (source)

7.  The Beardly observes beards and men who tend them.  (source)

8.  Collages by Joe Webb.

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

1.  Flickr user bisybackson photographs collections and uploads them to her flickr.  Despite the fact that I have no idea what exactly she photographed here, this is my favorite.  (source)

2.  Best photo album EVER.  (source)

3.  For 44 weeks straight,  Mikko Kuorinki formed new words every week on a wall of the Kiasma museum in Helsinki.  (source)

4.   Lee Washington created the little romance bookmark, shaped like a tiny person with a cut-out heart.  There’s also a paperclip version!  Find them here.  (source)

5.  Album sleeve art has been done over and over again, but I couldn’t help but smile when I bumped into these, they are so well executed!

  6.  Great street art + a declaration of love to new shoes?  YES please.  (source)

7.  Andy Gilmore creates kaleidoscopic art simply by devoting hours and hours of time to photoshop and illustrator.  If you want to give this a try but are a little less patient, take a look at this old TTMMS post!

8.  Switcheroo by Sincerely Hana: an ongoing series of couples switching clothes.  (source)

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

1.  The urban etiquette project tries to make our cities better together.

2. Cardigan with sheep invader print by monsieur lacenaire.  (source)

3.  A few garbage men in Hamburg turned dumpsters into gigantic pinhole cameras for the Trashcam Project.  Too cool!  (source)

4.  Best.  Hot air balloon.  Ever.  (source)

5.  I’ve added these chocolate mustaches to my wish list.(source)

6.  Such a great photo: Feather identification expert Roxie Laybourne, amidst a portion of NMNH’s bird collection. Photo by Chip Clark.  (source)

7.  ‘Occhi’ print by Michelle Armas.  (buy here)

8.  Low budget gramophone by Livia Ritthaler.  (source)

9.  Lovely black and white photos.  (source unknown)

10.  For those of you who don’t know what to do with themselves after one cup of coffee: this mug lets you use a straw as a pen to connect the dots on a lovely drawing.  (source)

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

  1. The anatomy of a cupcake  (source)
  2. Plates by Polish Designer Boguslaw Sliwinski, stimulating you just a little bit to play with your food… (source)
  3. iPhone cases called ‘feed me‘ by Connect Design  (source)
  4. These cable label guys help you organize your cables and add some humor too, which is never a bad thing.  (source)
  5. This fishbowl makes me want to get fish asap!  Available here.
  6. Jen Ray‘s ‘Cat made of airport’ print, because why not.  Unfortunately no longer available here.

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