TWO HUNDRED TWENTY-NINE.

We at PHI would love to wish you a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. Whatever your plans are, go out and enjoy this weather. Bright skies. A breeze. It's the perfect kind of backdrop for checking out to relax.

But before you go, take a little time to enjoy our Friday Favorites - as always, things that inspire us, things that we love, things that even surprise us - and this week, there's definitely one in particular. As always though, please enjoy!

CHEWING GUM. While my eternal dislike of chewing gum has forever been solidified by the likes of Willy Wonka, this is something really cool. "Chewing in Venice" is an art series by Simon Decker, showing several shots of Venetian streets covered in chewing gum. It's a coy play on shape and space, and maybe, just maybe, the way you think about gum.

SHARA PORTER. I can't believe Shara Porter hasn't already been a Friday Favorite already. Three of my favorite pieces are from her. Porter has some remarkable things, from smaller bags to clutches (mine, all mine!) and large bags - and she's not limited to any size. Do take the time to check out her work. It's incredible.

SAID THE GRAMPHONE. A good music blog is hard to find. And while they're out there, it's a matter of knowing where to look, how to look, and word of mouth. Rather than talk about irony and metaphors, which is were you usually go when talking about music blogs and the internet, I'd like to point you in the dIrection of said the gramophone, which takes its mp3 posting to entirely different level with really cool commentary and kickass photos.

OH BABS. Somehow, my knowledge of Barbara Streisand has been minimized to a weekly Glee reference and an odd trivia point. We're not calling it a favorite - nothing against Barbara or anything, or anyone who loves her - but we've decided to call it this week's strangest piece of news. Yep. I said. Strange. Not surprising, but strange. Why? Well, Babs is writing a book on design. Seems innocent enough, right? But if speaking in my overall knowledge of her, which extends to her politics and her film career (I blame the week I got my wisdom teeth out), it's just ... it's strange. My Passion for Design is more like an homage to Martha Stewart and her sense of "me, me, me" in her design taste and approach - basically, it's all Babs, all the time. So yes. Strange? Of course. Surprised? Not at all.

WALKING INTO FILM. In a new short film by Toronto filmmaker, Elizabeth St. Philip, the relationship between the fashion industry and the lack of black models is explored. The Colour of Beauty follows model Renee Thompson, and includes interviews with insiders like Lisa Tant and Jeanne Berker, as the subject is examined, through the demands and the continuous change the industry is going through. Check it out.

DON'T LET ANYONE TELL YOU GARDENING isn't cool, or let the heat scare you away for that matter. The best part about the warmer weather, when it's not trying to melt your face off, is the floors, and the really cool and innovative ways people start to tackle their outdoor spaces. STRING GARDEN offers fascinating conceptual ideas for a space, whether it may be to transform an entire indoor area or just a simple way of reinventing a small patio area by celebrating space.

IT'S INFECTIOUS, BOOGIE WOOGIE. When most of us think design, we think spectacular homes and gardens, interiors, and those really great shoes that you see in Barneys and then haunt you for the rest of your week. Core77 has a really great design feature on reinventing something completely ordinary - in our minds, of course - like a hospital. It's not that we don't measure a hospital as a small and basic space, in fact, it's quite the opposite; but hospitals are subjected to the same kind of thought of say, an airport - too big, too much, and an experience that you never want to talk about again. But this about keeping clean, effective, and ultimately results in a really fascinating and complex series of measures. Read it here.

GUERILLA GARDENING. I don’t garden, but if I did, this might be the greatest thing ever. Although I suspect the reason why this is a favorite is because of the amusement from the tagline “throw & grow”, the idea of gardening mixing with chaos is kind of interesting. Is it organized chaos? Or is it really a gimmick? Can I do the same thing if I toss a bunch of seeds over my head and call it a day? Regardless, it’s a fun way of looking at things, if anything else.

ZARA PICKEN. Picken’s illustrations are wonderfully colorful and really come alive in an exceptionally quirky way. Her blog is brand new, but building and offers both insight and accessibility to her creative process. Definitely check her work out.

THE PERFECT BAG. No, no. It hasn’t been found yet. There’s an ever-growing list, however, of bags that can function as awesomely sexy and chic and carry the small nation that doubles as your daily, necessary things. This bag by Ashley-Watson is a new addition to the list, made from recycled leather. Love the dark, rich brown color and that it’s far from being too small.

ART & LETTERS. There's nothing like a letter, whether you call it a dead form or not, and these stamps honoring Abstract Expressionist painters from the 40s and 50s may add excitement to an otherwise anxious visit to the post office.

(PHOTO.)

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.

ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-SIX.

It's time for our Friday favorites! This week is a strange but fun mix of inspirations; from shoes to film, to just the right chair, or maybe it's just all about the things that we don't understand. Enjoy checking them out!

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE RIGHT CHAIR. There’s nothing wrong about getting a little creative about extra seating, wanted company or unwanted company. And well, this ‘chair’ might not be the most comfortable, but it will mark a great spot for you to stack your magazines.
LA CASA DE BOTELLAS. La Casa de Botellas is a Palace designed of plastic bottle that is confined by a Santa Cruz Family. The house designed by the Alfredo Santa Cruz family in Puerto Iguazu, Argentina sets an example to utilize plastic bottles that could possibly have been trashed into bins. Almost every item of the house is made of thousands of PET plastic bottles, which is simple, accessible and creative at the same time. The pictures are unreal.
POGOISM? Admittedly, anything involving pogo sticks makes me a little skeptical and anything that suddenly says pogo sticks are a part of a new art form even more so – but watch the video, three guys, some paint, and well, their pogo sticks. Decide for yourself.
LET’S TALK LAYERS. Artist Andrea Myers’ work is incredibly bright and colorful. You’re not entirely sure of the shape – although, they are somewhat reminiscent of contour lines and contour maps – and while they seem to be made out of paint, it’s actually something more of a fabric. Check them out.

MUGSHOTS. Bored of your Facebook profile picture? Designer Anton Mircea has a playful twist on the “no picture” image. As Mircea says, “I believe we can enrich visual contexts that are supposed to be standardized or flattened into a template, even transform them into something popular although they were supposed to be the opposite – no profile pictures.” So suddenly have some strange desire to be the Terminator? You can download the photo here.

THE EXPLODING GIRL. There’s something magical about the right movie trailer, whether it be a huge blockbuster film or that small, coffee house film that is waiting to be discovered. The Exploding Girl is that such film, shot with that kind of romantic care and quietness. Written and directed by Bradley Rust Gray, he skillfully composes this delicate and honest portrait of a young woman at a crossroad. Watch the trailer here.
THINGS I DON’T UNDERSTAND. And definitely don’t want to talk about. Need break and a laugh? This blog is pretty self-explanatory – ever have that day, you know, that day, where you’re privy to certain things that happen and you just don’t get it. Then this is definitely a place for you. A favorite? “Things I don’t understand and definitely don’t want to talk about – I do not want to make you a mix tape and I want you to already know all the music that I already know.”

IT'S THE GREAT JJ LAMP! Itre’s The Great JJ lamp is designed by Centro Stile design studio and a take-off on Jac Jacobsen’s ever-popular architect lamp. This was first developed as enormous floor lamp - and is now being debuted as an equally over-scaled outdoor version. Which, let's be honest, is just fantastic!

MATHIEU LEHANNEUR. Designer Mathieu Lehanneur has created a gorgeous line of ceramic urns. The shapes of these 29.5 inch tall jars are physical manifestations of the demographic data of various countries. Each piece has 100 layers, and each layer represents 1 more year of age than the layer below it. It's really quite cool! Do take the time to explore the designer's site as well - his work is filled with extraordinary pieces.

IF ANYTHING, IT'S ABOUT THE SHOES. We've mentioned SHOELUST quite a bit on the PHI blog because, well, it's always about shoes. And more shoes. And shoes and shoes. Let's take this week's favorite with a little bit of mathematics - Tommy Ton + black + silver + (and it gets better, oh my) there's snakeskin = a pair of booties that are just kickass!

(Photo.)

ONE HUNDRED EIGHT.

Shepard Fairey has a new poster print set, which concentrates on the eyes and a politically charged message, and it's called "Eye Alert". There's a left eye and a right eye - already sold out according to the site.

ONE HUNDRED TWO.

First of all, youworkforthem is by far the coolest site to spend a little time just browsing. And yes, we're already well into January - but it's never too late to do a Top list. But the list is an interesting read, exploring the favorite fonts among designers of all sorts. Do check out their blog as well.

EIGHTY-FOUR.

Now for a bit of a housekeeping break. There are several places to find us, of course. The PHI site is our home, a place where you can find out more about who we are and what our philosophy is.

As always, there's the blog - a place to share all things that inspire us, that make us laugh, that stir our day-to-day curiosities. And when it decides it wants to cooperate, there is our tumblr where you find a range of quick inspirations - photos and music clips, quotes and even videos to share. If you have your own tumblr account, follow us! It's a great place to share.

There's our flickr as well, where you will be able to see photos from our events and there is our Twitter, where you can follow us for a day-to-day update of things as well. And for the record? Conan O'Brien is a class-act.

SIXTY-THREE.

Doctor Who gets a face lift. Literally. Not only is David Tennant's three season run as the iconic Doctor finished (for the fifth season, actor Matt Smith will be replacing him), but the entire logo has been revamped.

TWENTY-FOUR.

We Are The World - Foot Follows Foot
(Visit Marc Johns' flickr gallery.)

TWENTY.

Look familiar? Keep Calm signs seem to be popping up everywhere, in different forms such as posters and even t-shirts to multiple variations such as this one Keep Calm and Put the Kettle On, a favorite for sure.

But it was back in 1939, when a nameless civil servant was put in charge of finding the right slogan to inspire a war-ridden, bleak population. There were several attempts, of course, from Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution Will Bring Us Victory to the second attempt, Freedom Is In Peril.

People never did get to see the third attempt: Keep Calm and Carry On which, ironically, is everywhere these days and a major, major favorite of the internet blogging community.

For further reading, the Guardian has an article about the origins of the slogan. But for purchasing, and in the case that you might need a little bit of reminder to keep yourself calm and in a good place during a frantic work week, definitely head over to this keep calm and carry on site for assorted slogan-wearing items.

SIXTEEN.

Please, please check out Stéphane Massa-Bidal's work
on flickr. Without a doubt, something to investigate!