ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-SIX.

It has been revealed that the fashion house is collaborating on a capsule collection with performer Lady Gaga for the Spring 2011 season. This is the news comes after the rumor that British designer Gareth Pugh would take over the reigns of the brand. PPR, who own half of the McQueen fashion house, however, are said to be keen on Gaga's involvement due to the commercial viability and cohesion between both the brand and the performer. But little is known about the capsule collection.

It is believed, however, that it will sit alongside the main Alexander McQueen line, more in the vein of the McQ by Alexander McQueen diffusion, and that the collection is being fleshed out under the working title of 'Poisson D'Avril', a reference to the thematic poison present in Lady Gaga's Telephone video clip. (Source.)

ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-FIVE.

We've talked about artist Kate MacDowell before in one of our earlier Friday Favorites, about her tremendous and unconventional body of work. SPRAYGRAPHIC has just posted a very cool interview with the artist about her work, her inspirations, and her process. Check it out!

ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-FOUR.

This year it seems the phrase, "the weather beat up my umbrella" since pretty applicable, especially these days. But this umbrella, oddly enough, is completely made out of cork. Cork is actually very water-resistant so it’ll keep you dry and happy. Who knew?

ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-THREE.

A very cool print by Katie Kirk, which takes the iconic pieces of Alice in Wonderland that we all know and love. It's so funny, but there's been such an explosion in love for the Lewis Carroll favorite and with the release of Tim Burton's film, back in early March, it's been really interesting to see who does what with Alice.

ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-TWO.

This New York Times article is a just in another realm of cool. Bridgeport-resident Dalton Ghetti has been carving sculptures into pencil lead, without the aid of a magnifying glass, for 25 years. That's right. Without the aid of a magnifying glass. He has a bust of Elvis. And there's “Chain,” in which the middle of a pencil has been transformed into a 23-link chain. Last year, after two and half years, he finished a line of 26 pencils, with each letter of the alphabet carved into the tip. It's an extraordinary way of looking at a pencil.

ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-ONE.

Sten and Lex series "Poster Stencils" are both stencils and posters at the same time. At the source, there is a fantastic video that showcases their process of pasting up the matrix of the stencil, cut on paper, on a panel of wood as a poster. They paint on the matrix in black and when it all all dry they destroy the matrix, letting some parts of the matrix stay pasted to the wood. In this manner the stencil is not reproducible and the matrix "dies" in the work itself. It's a fascinating process to watch.

ONE HUNDRED TWENTY.

Brooklyn artists Mia Pearlman's paper sculptures, utilizes the natural light to blur the distinction between interior and exterior space. Her on-going installation in the Musuem of Arts and Design, New York titled, SLASH: PAPER UNDER THE KNIFE exhibit ends on April 4. Check out the VOLUTA, the limited edition laser cut sculpture made of translucent high impact polystyrene. It offers art lovers of all ages the opportunity to create and own a complex, luminous “paper” sculpture.

ONE HUNDRED NINETEEN.

This week's Friday Favorites seem to be an eclectic version with magic and mystery and the odd, odd school memory with a little bit of the warmer weather thrown in for good measure.

HUFF PUFF AND PLEAT. Confession. While pleats bring memories of Catholic school uniforms and that cardboard feeling, they are great. The Polish Design MOWO has created the Bufa chair too - inspired by tailoring detail, the puff and the pleat, the chair takes the challenge of finding a furniture pattern and a way to replace traditional upholstery. Check it out.

WE'RE ALL TALL. The German artist Hans Hemmert, famous for his work with balloons, threw quite the party ... all his guests were the same height thanks to shoe extenders. Eliminating all chances of awkward party talk, the gathering is lent an infographic nature by the shoes. Each pair was made from blue foam, the person's real height is read in the visual uniformity of the sole instead of at the head—like a walking bar graph. Very cool.

THE LIQUID LAMP. From designer Kouichi Okamoto, the liquid lamp comes in two colors, red and white, and looks like paint suspended in mid-spill. Available in wall or table versions.

NY-Z, A FILM BY DANNY CLINCH. ABSOLUT Vodka presents NY-Z, a new fifteen minute documentary featuring Jay-Z. Last September, the artist sold out Madison Square Garden for his "Answer the Call" concert, featuring a range of guest performers including the always incredible Mary J Blige. It was an event that marked the nine year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on lower Manhattan. The documentary covers the event and backstage interviews and footage with Jay-Z - all intimate and very epic. It's Jay-Z, after all.

THE UPSIDE DOWN HOUSE. If you think of a Dr. Seuss rhyme when looking at these photos, you're absolutely right to. Or a wacky b movie. Needless to say, the upside down house is something you should go and see.

SUNBREAK. As part of The Clare Oliver Challenge for Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, this simple ambient from CHE, Melbourne idea urged beach goers to take a break from the sun. It's such a great idea.

IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF MAGIC. There's Dr. Seuss and then there are things that absolutely belong to Wonderland. Cut & Paste is a collaboration between Kiki Van Eijk and Secondome director Claudia Pignatale. The project is all about the personality and emotion found within an object. This special collection for Secondome will have it’s world premiere in Rome. These pieces are remarkable and fun. A favorite? The clock without a doubt.

DUCK DUCK. DuckDuck calls themselves "a collective of creatives" and are based out of Lynchburg,VA. They offer beautiful - and I mean beautiful - visual representations of people, ideas, and products through a variety of mediums including photography, film, and motion graphics. Some of their clients include Levi Strauss, BMI, and VITA Fashion. Check their site and blog out.

THE KAFTAN. Colors and more colors, this season it's about the kaftan - Hermes, Antik Batik - perfect for the warm weather and fantastically dramatic.

BELOW THE CLOUDS. A Friday Favorite's list wouldn't be complete without another lighting mention. From 5.5 Designers, this fire kit lamp looks like something that walked out of Super Mario Brothers.

(Photo.)

ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEEN.

From The Best Part, a very cool blog with daily commentary on all things art and design by Orlando artist and graphic designer Jason Dean. Pieces made of screenprinted reclaimed wood by Dolan Geiman.

ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEEN.

Let it be said that you can never have too many Moleskine notebooks. In fact, should there ever be a rainy day project - counting all my Moleskines might be where it's at. Or making a giant installation. One day, guys, one day. Regardless, Moleskine has recently released their newest designs called the Folio. This new collection takes the company in a new direction, drifting away from their familiar artist targeted audience. Check it out.

ONE HUNDRED SIXTEEN.

Should we love this or really love this? Esslack Food Spray from the German team, The Deli Garage, allows you to stain your tomato, pretzels, and whatever other food screams out to be covered in gold and silver. Think the Midas touch.

ONE HUNDRED FIFTEEN.

Can we just sit down and talk about this one? The Burberry crepe biker-style trench is everything - and by everything, let's just equate it to the feeling of chocolate and champagne and puppies and kittens and babies, lots of babies - it's everything that you should want in a great, fabulous trench. With biker-style silver zip fastenings, the trench is the perfect fusion of luxury, incredible tailoring and utility chicness.

ONE HUNDRED FOURTEEN.

An amusing metaphor for computer issues of the week. Obsessive Consumption's Kate Bingaman Burt draws the 500 worst passwords - ie shaved. Really?

ONE HUNDRED THIRTEEN.

Confession time. I'm not one of those people that buys an album for one song. It's the sort of thing that makes me feel like I'm cheating because the telling sign of a good album is an album that you listen to from start to finish and that's exactly what baby darling doll face honey is. Band of Skulls is British import with a great blues/alternative rock flavor - hard guitars, sexy lyrics, and just all around, impossibly cool. This album debuted back in March of 2009, but continues to remain a building favorite. Some tracks to check out? "I Know What I Am", "Honest", and "Death by Diamonds and Pearls".

ONE HUNDRED TWELVE.

Occasionally, I'll walk through these memories of being a child and doing those classic childhood things. Playing with the other neighborhood kids. Fireworks on the Fourth of July. Catching fireflies. Sure, we were really never allowed to bring them inside the house - and amusingly enough, we weren't quick enough to catch them either. But this clock jar is definitely a reminder of that time (and the fun, few times we took school trips to the orchards in the fall) - but designer Oren Hetzroni definitely has a few, fantastic pieces everyone should check out.

TWO HUNDRED ELEVEN.

Oh, photo uploading system! Are you trying to make sure that I remember it's Monday too? Head to Design Milk and check out these photos of this graduate project by Lotte van Wulfften Palthe. The project utilizes both found and bought personal objects to create large-scale worlds that take on an unique and almost magical existence of their own. Each of the pieces in each “world” has it's own personality , the designer gave them names: Henry (the lamp), Fred (the cabinet), and Sofia (the pouf).

TWO HUNDRED TEN.

File this under 'cool things for an impossibly dreary Monday afternoon' - old skateboards recycled into things like notebooks, clocks, etc by ANITSYSTEM. Unfortunately the site is in Japanese, but there is an array of very cool stuff that you should check out.

TWO HUNDRED NINE.

Weeks back, when it was cold and we really excited about the coming Winter Olympics (remember that?), there was a little bit of controversy regarding those wavy medals the winning Olympians wore when they took to the podium. The very same designer, Vancouver’s Omer Arbel, is also responsible for the creation of a very cool chandelier called 28 Pendants.

TWO HUNDRED EIGHT.

What a beautiful Friday, everybody. Go forth and enjoy this great burst of weather - here's to hoping it stays that way too. But right now, it's time you go and read through all our Friday favorites!

EVERYBODY LOVES THEIR COLA. When I think Coca-Cola, I usually think of their Christmas time spots - you know what I'm talking about, the polar bears, the smiles. But the Coke Mini, which debuted in December of 2009, is all part of the company's support for healthy, active lifestyles. It holds about 8 ounces of liquid, less than the classic 12, and is stamped with the promise "90 calories per can" - another way for people who love their Coca-Cola to enjoy it and manage their calories.

WHEN LIFE BRINGS YOU LEMONS. In 1999, Judith and Richard Lang stated collecting plastic debris from Kehoe Beach, a remote stretch of beach of the Point Reyes National Seashore, in Northern California. From milk jug lids to disposable lighters, they use the plastic that washes up from the ocean to make artwork - large scale installations to something even like jewelry. They even have a really great blog.

LIFE IN THE DOLLHOUSE. Design team REX is behind quite the cool concept at Calvin Klein's Madison Avenue's store. They were charged with designing a concept house or "doll house" that would showcase pieces from the company's apparel, accessory, and home lines. Frank Gehry has a few photos of the outstanding piece from the store.

A COLLECTION A DAY. This blog is documenting a year project, from January 1, 2010 to exactly December 31, 2010, that showcases an individual collection. Anything from feathers to tools to photographs, Lisa Congdon photographs or draws each collection for each day. The blog is a definite must see.

SHE & HIM. Of all the things that I'm especially excited for, it's She & Him's new album, Volume Two that comes out on the 23rd. A little background, She & Him consists of band members Zooey Deschanel and Matt Ward and their 2008 album, Volume One was absolutely wonderful. Zooey's voice is a romance in itself, crooning along with M.Ward and his guitar. There's warmth and heartbreak, charm to Volume One and so honestly, it's so exciting that they have a new album coming out.

THE PACIFIC. One can't help but be convinced that HBO and the word EPIC are somehow eternally linked. The Pacific is from the same Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg team that brought us 2001's Band of Brothers - and it's nothing short of incredible with wide, sprawling scenes of known battles to the same, personal and intimate moments between soldiers while war and to the pieces of their own home lives. Part One was already shown this Sunday, which means you have plenty of time to catch up and be on board with watching the next nine weeks.

THE ART OF CHESS. 'the art of chess' is an exhibition of seven chess sets created by a group of contemporary artist including Jake and Dinos Chapman, Tracey Emin, Tom Friedman, Damien Hirst, Barbara Kruger, Alastair Mackie and rachel whiteread. Each artist infused their own interpretation of the board game in real dimensions. A favorite? Barbara Kruger's 'untitled', which looks like it stumbled out of a French New Wave film.

JAK & JIL BLOG. Love, love, love it - it's always a great thing when designers share things that inspire them, things that strike them, and things that generally make the rest of us want to bow in all. The photography is fantastic.

BALENCIAGA, BALENCIAGA, BALENCIAGA. From Balenciaga Fall 2010. It says something about any aspect of design when you pass by and look twice. It's that second look, really, where you have to take into account what exactly it is that the piece is all about. And these heels are exactly that.

ESPIRAL THONET BY PABLO REINOSO. This is a site-specific installation in the galleries of the Museum of Arts and Design, New York. Reinoso assembled the installation by taking a succession of Thonet chairs into a helix, stretching from the fourth floor of the gallery to emerge on the floor above.

(Picture.)

TWO HUNDRED SEVEN.

GIZMODO officially wins this week's 'best title of a blog entry ever' with "Etirement Lamp Concept Looks Like An Umbrella But I Wouldn't Suggest Using It In A Downpour" and I'm a fan of their suggested use - the Mary Poppins sequel, Mary being swept into the dinner lamp in a shower of shiny, shiny light. It's an interesting lamp, for sure, and the shape itself is quite cool. But what loses me is the "fabric membrane", which pulls away from the lamp when the light is turned on and off. The appeal? Not so much there for me. But do check Yanko Design's site out as well - plenty of cool stuff to go around.

TWO HUNDRED SIX.

It's a gorgeous day today, that's for sure, and before you go out, take a look at some of these great photos from this flickr stream. Skull art!

TWO HUNDRED FIVE.

One of our favorite events is coming up this April. Mark your calendars for the Greatest Party on Eath. Tickets are on sale now! Buy your tickets before March 24th and save! (Ticket prices will increase to $150 after March 24th.)

TWO HUNDRED FOUR.

If you ever wanted to know my guilty pleasure, you would open up my closet and see the piles of Moleskine journals on the shelves. All filled. And a cleaning nightmare, as told to me by my mother. But Moleskine has introduced 'the hand of the designer', a collection of 462 reproductions of hand made sketches by 150 internationally recognized designers, including Bouroullec Brothers, Michael Graves, Hella Jongerius, Karim Rashid, and many others. It's really an intimate look into the creative process of the designer. The general layout has the familiar look of a Moleskine notebook, which indicates a visual connection to the sketchbooks often adopted by designers.

TWO HUNDRED THREE.

The new Nike Air Royalty Macaron Pack took its inspiration from the iconic French pastry. colette hosted cooklette for the occasion and invited people to design their own Nike Air Royalty Macaron, add some flavor to it and some color. Check out some of the photos from the event!

TWO HUNDRED TWO.

FROM THIS DAY FORWARD is the first solo show outside England by London based designers JAMESPLUMB for Milano Design Week 2010. The romantic endeavor combines, restores, and finds new habitats for the unwanted pieces, the group celebrates and reveals stories that might have gone untold, and in new function find new stories to tell. It'll be set up in and around a campaign style tent designed by JAMESPLUMB and curated by Italian critic Diana Marrone. There's an obvious charm to the pieces and there's a little bit of a feel that reminds you of the eerie Isle of Misfits toys, if anything, but do take the time to comb through the photos. There are some great pieces.

TWO HUNDRED ONE.

Maps, maps, and more maps - this particular map by Sam Loman is all systems of the human body but fantastically transformed and shaped into, well, the subway system. Love it.

TWO HUNDRED.

The Cloud is the proposed tower for the 2012 Olympics in London from MIT's SENSEABLE CITY Lab. It proposes an entirely new form of observation deck, connecting visitors to both the whole of London and the whole of the world, immersing them in euphoric gusts of weather and digital data. The site is filled with fascinating photos and videos, drawings; it's quite the proposal and endeavor and do check it out.

ONE HUNDRED NINETY-NINE.

(Photo.)

Somehow a rainy day is equated with turning one's life into several scenes from a romantic comedy ... you know, the part where the girl stumbles into a puddle and subsequently gets hit with a tidal wave of water because a utilities truck decides that he's not going to be conscious of pedestrians and go through puddles. Which is why this awesome site is perfect. Stereomood allows its user to create a playlist based on your mood (or mood swings) of the day. So if you want to be totally justified in listening to that famous Gun N Roses ballad, this is the place for you.

ONE HUNDRED NINETY-EIGHT.

Happy Friday, PHI readers! It's been a long time coming for sure, this weekend, and as always, it's time for our Friday Favorites. And so what if the weather is a little wacky (have they ever been right?), enjoy your days and a few of our favorite things.

AVOCADO POUND CAKE. File this one under strange ideas that suddenly sound really, really great. Pound cake is fantastic. Avocados are also fantastic and multi-faceted. So why not have avocado pound cake? Joy the Baker has a great recipe that I'm pretty excited to try.

GONE FISHING. From Pedlars, an amazing chandelier that has been meticulously constructed out of fishing supplies, fishing floats and nylon fishing gut to be exact. It comes complete with an internal lamp and seems equally easy to hang.

ALL ABOUT THE MIRROR BALLS. By Tom Dixon, the Mirror Ball stand shows a new configuration featuring an array of various sized balls on a robust stainless steel stand. Each ball is tightly held in place with industrial strength clamps the stand creates a sculptural interior lighting "tree". Stand can accommodate a maximum of 6 Mirror Balls in various sizes.

COMPACT CAMERAS. Sometimes it's always best to go smaller, whether it be for traveling or a day on the go. Sony has just announced plans to produce an ultra-compact digital camera with large interchangeable lenses. the new line of cameras aims to combine the small scale portability of standard point and shoots, with image quality and versatility of larger digital SLRs. The new line was just announced at the annual camera show PMA (photo marketing association).

LOVE A GOOD GHOST STORY? Taking over one of the Meatpacking district’s last remaining disused warehouse spaces during the recent New York Fashion Week were iconic British luxury brand dunhill, with a little help from super-talented London based studio, Campaign. Having recently produced sublime pop-up stores for Dr.Martens and currently collaborating with Christopher Bailey, Creative Director of Burberry, on forthcoming interior concepts, London’s Campaign are carving a name for themselves as the ‘go-to’ agency for the Fashion world’s particularly creative needs. It's such a cool concept.

IF LADY GAGA DOES IT. Do you do it? These crazy sunglasses are by High end German sunglasses maker MYKITA who teamed up with Romain Kremer for Fall/Winter 2010. The result are these sunglasses that come with an attached head piece in red and black.The model is called YURI (after Yuri Gagarine) and the idea is that these sunglasses also protect the third eye – the brain.

AN EDUCATION. With the Oscars finally over, it's time to watch all those movies without all the insane hype. An Education is a coming of age drama that stars Carey Mulligan and is based on an autobiographical memoir of the same tittle written by the British journalist Lynn Barber. And so this is the part where you're thinking 'oh, the coming of age drama -' but there's something entirely endearing about the story and specific and Carey Mulligan's performance touches on those few memories that you have, as a teenager, on what it's really like to grow up.

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW IS THAT IT'S ... Céline. From the Sartorialist, Céline FW by Garance Doré Studio. It speaks for itself, without a doubt, gorgeous clothes and Céline.

THE INDUSTRY EXHIBIT. Void is preview of the new Tom Dixon collection Industry, which will show at Super Studio Più as part of Milan Design Week 2010. The shiny suspension lamps are constructed using “a double wall spun construction" and are available in solid copper, brass, or stainless steel. Like 3rings says, Void brings new meaning to the phrase, “Everything that glitters is not gold.”

RODARTE LIGHTS IT ALL UP. There is very little to say other than - "WANT. WANT. WANT. WANT." With several exclamation points and extreme abuse of the capslock key. But these Rodarte Light Up Heels are so gorgeous and so fun, that I can't help but walk right into some sort of Midsummer's Night fantasy or into a scene from Fantasia.

(Photo.)

ONE HUNDRED NINETY-SEVEN.

So here's the deal. The song is brilliant. There's nothing that I don't like about Lady Gaga and what she does. And do I like the Tarantino-esque/Kill Bill homage? (Although Gaga ... Maluca did the can curlers first.) Yes. The Kill Bill films are some of my favorites - and I've always liked the pseudo-story that she likes to create in her videos. It's a full adventure with Gaga, that's for sure. And those cigarette sunglasses? Very cool. I think the sandwiches are throwing me in the making me hungry sense.

Regardless. Check it out.

ONE HUNDRED NINETY-SIX.

Anna Karenina designed by FUEL.

Penguin has collaborated with AIDS awareness fund (RED) and a team of designers to produce new covers for eight Penguin Classics. Each cover replaces the usual black band with red, employing a quote from the text of the book as the visual hit. And really, sometimes we do judge a book by its cover.

ONE HUNDRED NINETY-FIVE.

With 35 ice sculptors from different parts of the world and six days to carve, came a political statement about climate change was the last thing on Karl Lagerfeld’s mind when he trotted Chanel’s Fall/Winter 2010 collection in front of a giant, 265-ton glacier in Paris on Tuesday. The Grand Palais itself was kept at subzero temperatures, all the more, perhaps, to make the litany of tweedy knits, shaggy fur trim (all faux), and knee-high yeti boots even more inviting.

ONE HUNDRED NINETY-FOUR.

Alison Mosshart, Wild Beasts and Animal Collective have all urged the BBC not to close down 6 Music.The digital radio station has been outlined for closure, along with Asian Network, in an effort to cut costs. The artists, who are all attached to independent record label Domino, argue that 6 Music is crucial for the future of new music. (Read more.)

ONE HUNDRED NINETY-THREE.

This entire entry is only about imploring you to go view McQueen's final collection. It's stunning and mesmerizing - there was no doubt. The private show was set to the classical music Mr. McQueen had been listening to as his 2010 autumn collection came together. The collection is very Gothic and colored in religious symbolism, that translated subtlety and beauty that was the essence of McQueen.

The New York Times has a wonderful article and slideshow of the collection, so do take the moment to go and look through it.

ONE HUNDRED NINETY-TWO.

With the weather warming up (hopefully), you should take a walk over to the ICA and head into the Roni Horn AKA Roni exhibit (through June 13). Horn uses materials such as gold and glass as well as images inspired by nature and literature, which explores the notion of space and Horn's own on-going exploration of self and memory. It's an incredible body of work and such an enjoyable experience, so do go check it out.

ONE HUNDRED NINETY-ONE.

simplynoise.com is ... well, it's interesting. It's playable white noise - which supposedly does the following:

• Aid Sleep
• Enhance Privacy
• Block Distractions
• Mask Tinnitus
• Configure Audio Equipment
• Soothe Migraines

Definitely check it out - anything for sleep, I say, especially with Daylight Savings coming up.


(Photo.)

ONE HUNDRED NINETY.

“When I was nine, I asked my Dad, ‘Can I have your movie camera? That old, wind-up 8-millimeter movie camera that’s in your drawer?’ And he goes, ‘Sure, take it.’ And I took it, and I started making movies with it, and I started being as creative as I could, and never once in my life did my parents ever say, ’ What you’re doing is a waste of time.’ Never….. I know there are kids out there that don’t have that support system. So, if you’re out there and you’re listening, listen to me: If you wanna be creative, get out there and do it. It’s not a waste of time.”

—	MICHAEL GIACCHINO, upon receiving his Oscar for Best Original Score (Up).

Photo.

ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY-NINE.

I love the Oscars. I love the films and the glitz and the glamor of people wearing stunning gowns and men reminding me why my standards for my future significant other are way, way too high. And all of this, all of this love lasts about an hour.

Because while I love the films (Go Hurt Locker!) and the glitz and the glamor, the Oscars, should you be brave enough or a victim of too much coffee, take too long. The strategically placed awards in the beginning - supporting actors, animated films. The tribute montages. Although, I will say I was a fan of the John Hughes tribute. And the color of Molly Ringwald's dress. Of course, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin are hilariously sharp. After while though, one finds themselves starring at the stage and trying to pick out what's fantastic about it. Or not so fantastic about it. Or if you're like me, you're wondering if you've really been staring at the same place on the stage for the last hour. Or that curtain of lamps - I can't decide if I really like it or not. I do wish that they'd slow down the cutaways.

But I love the Oscars. I love the films. And Penelope, girl, you were my favorite of the night - no matter what what's-her-face from E! and Miss J say.

So how's your Oscar night?

ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY-EIGHT.

China makes 70% of the world's toys. 70%. Take a look at a fascinating photo tour of a Chinese toy factory to see the living conditions and assembly of toys.

ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY-SEVEN.

Somehow the weatherman seems to be convinced that we've got our own snowapocalypse waiting in the wings - except, you know, the sun is shinning. This is definitely a point for another day, of course. But just before you head out to enjoy the day, check out some of our favorite things.

SO YOU WANT A BOOMERANG CHAIR. The thing about the internet is that it makes you an eternal skeptic and when you read a link that says 'boomerang chair, you're faced with two decisions: a) ignore it because there's a 99.9% chance that it may be the campiest thing you've ever seen or b) don't ignore it and face that percentage come hell or high water. But the Neutra Boomerang Chair is quite cool both in design and style, coming in both dark and light woold. It's modern, sure, but it feels like classic beach chair in a way - do check it out.

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE. If this doesn't make you a Spike Jonze fan, we don't know what else will. There's something ultimately magical about your childhood coming to life - and in such a big way as well. It's about the colors and that feeling, that pulsing feeling of curiosity and insight at the big bad world that still exists for us as adults even though we sometimes forget. There's such color in this film and heart and if you didn't see it in October, here's a chance for you now. The DVD came out on the second.

GUESS THAT BREAKFAST. An interesting new series by German photographer Oliver Schwarzwald that looks at typical breakfasts around the world. The photographs are incredible. Check it out.

THE PERFECT SANDWICH. The problem with spending too much time on a food blog and really it's not a problem but ultimately it does make you hungrier than you want to be - but you do stumble onto things that you love and then want, not necessarily to make but to appear out of nowhere like magic. Take the Pain Surprise, which is hollowed out bread made into little sandwiches of different flavors and then stuffed back in. No particular order, of course, so that it's a complete surprise which is great and scary, depending on where you are, when thinking about it.

FRANK CHIMERO HAS A BLOG. And I can't help but fall madly in love with it more and more every day. Chimero muses on all things thought and design, creativity and business and even Kanye West. A favorite post? 8 Ways to End the Internet which includes this point, "Dancing Baby and Hamster Dance make another go at it in light of the recent success of other come-back tours." It still makes me laugh.

YOUNG ME, NOW ME. In a culture where aging is both a fear and fascination, this photography blog is a warmer response to that sensibility and ultimately really endearing. Two photos, the same people, different times - from mothers and sons then to mothers and sons now, you as the viewer really get to face how much people really don't change. And these photos are really great. And makes you want to hug your family.

HEY HEY JIMI. From the March 2010 issue of Vogue Spain, comes this really wonderful editorial from photographer Patrick Demarchelier. Of course, Hendrix was the seventies and the aesthetics from the time range from leather and feathers and colors. But the tribute in itself is very romantic and gorgeous without a doubt, and there a few really incredible pieces that you definitely want to get your hands on.

A PORTABLE DESK FOR YOU AND ME. From Swedish Headoffice Design, secretaire is a foldable and portable workspace made in wood. The keyword here is portable and it's quite the accessory - check it out.

VIKTOR & ROLF PRE-FALL 2010. Although I'm sure most of us are ready for spring to come, for the colors and the prints, we're certainly excited about Viktor & Rolf's pre-fall collection. Each piece is phenomenal, of course, and while I'm also sure that many of you are going "black, really?", the construction to each piece is phenomenal.

DID YOU KNOW: THE DAFFODIL EDITION. The one thing about spring that we all are excited about is flowers. Spring means fresh flowers and if there's something that I really enjoy, it's putting fresh flowers everywhere - thanks mom. Design Sponge has a phenomenal entry on daffodils and the various types. It's an interesting read, check it out.

(Photo.)

ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY-SIX.

Danish artist Malene Landgreen has recently taken over Copenhagen’s Kunsthal Charlottenborg, where she has stormed with her love for color and in turn, delivered an incredible six room installation that feels like you've walked into Wonderland itself.

ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY-FIVE.

One of the coolest mass installations that I've seen - Luzinterruptus have brought their light-based street art from Madrid to NYC; this is 800 books, each with a light attached, with the intention of replacing traffic with literature.

ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY-FOUR.

While a Garbage album is most definitely on several 2010 wishlists that I have, this ad campaign for Oliver Peoples Eyewear is absolutely delightful. This short film was directed by Autumn De Wilde and is titled "Les enfants sennuient le dimanche" (The children are bored on Sundays.) which features the incredible Shirley Manson and Elijah Wood modeling. It's short and very, very sweet. Check it out.

ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY-THREE.

File this under 'things that make us smile' - these gigantic Playmobil heads are found in Rio, paint over the street parking obstacles in various streets and are really quite fun to look at. The artist has a flickr page where you can definitely see more of his work including my favorite, the pirate. How can you not like a pirate?

ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY-TWO.

I honestly thought that I was really going to have to dig this week for something different - and believe me, I mean different in a wide variety of ways. From The Daily What, "Chandelier of the Day: “A Noiva” (The Bride), a five-meter high (16.5 feet, in English) chandelier by Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos made up of thousands of illuminated tampons, is currently on display at the at Belem Cultural Center in Lisbon as part of the artist’s “Netless” exhibition." The chandelier is of impressive scale, for sure, and originally, I was convinced that it was made up of a lot of wine corks - which might've lead to a joke about drinking and art, for sure. It's really something though and from the photo, you might have to blink several times before you convince yourself that layers of crystals are in fact layers of tampons. But it goes to show you that you can get creative with just about anything.

ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY-ONE.

French photographer Gregory Alexander has created a series of spellbinding installations. Follow the link to see some video of each installation - it's quite amazing.

ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY.

We've talked about a spot light lamp before - well, in much more of an epic way. But this lamp, designed by Caroline Schilling, accompanies your plant during its growth and functions as a secondary source for your room as well. Think nifty Venus Flytrap - in a not-going-to-eat-you-or-anything-that-moves friendly kind of way.