I have a soft spot for hotels that find beautiful branding opportunities. Technology perks are great but something tangible and old-school often has distinct magic. Case in point: this sublime star-studded black stationery and silver pencil by L’and Vineyards in Portugal. Perfect for crafting one exquisite letter home (or notes of a memorable trip)…

(photograph via condé nast traveler & l’and vineyards)

French artist Suzy Lelièvre manages to take everyday objects and make them thought-provoking and playful. I especially love her pieces Gravity Dice and Dominos Gravitation. Why shouldn’t dice dots fall to the bottom of the cubes? Why wouldn’t domino spots all hail the mighty ‘one spot’ leader? I might refuse to play any games that aren’t as handsomely designed as these pieces…

(photographs via suzy lelièvre)

As you may know, I am more than a little in love with bits of art in unexpected places. I find this piece of street art in Bergen, Norway to be simply magical. A dainty, elegant stencil on a rough, industrial surface…

(photograph by cicilie fagerlid via monique)

The Farfelle Bowtie by Japanese design studio Microworks might just be the perfect accessory for your next dinner out. Crafted out of shrunken acrylic and available in many bright colours, the clip-on bowtie is a stylish take on farfelle pasta (Italian for “butterfly”). Pasta and fashion together at last…

(spotted on jeannie jeannie)

Lines by Millimeter Milligram are simple but handsome notebooks. The front pattern matches the line style inside so you never have to worry about grabbing the wrong book. Don’t they look fantastic on a bright coloured desk?

I have posted about the sublime embroidery work of Evelin Kasikov before but with every visit to her website, I am reminded of Evelin’s immense talent and am inspired to post again. A project that I just love is her Stitched CMYK Colour Chart. Embroidering the cyan/magenta/yellow/black or CMYK colour model required in colour printing, Evelin creates a handmade printing process that charts colours combinations by an interval of 25%. Designed for the Digital Soirée event at Central Saint Martins, this piece is a beautiful fusion of meticulous handmade design and the technological aspects of printing. I can’t wait to see where Evelin takes her fantastic CMYK embroidery talent next. Perhaps a completely embroidered Pantone guide?!

I’ll admit it, I laughed over these Dear Cab Driver Napkins for far too long this morning. I blame Monday? With those notes your mother used to pin to your mittens in mind, you can now enjoy some festive beverages with no worries of pesky details like your address and money location. These cocktail squares are sure to be the hit of your next party (as long as your party can live up to their wild expectations!)

(more information via heliotrope)

Designed by Proud Creative, I love this branding for luxury jewellery firm Guy & Max. Most jewellery companies seem to go down that “pretty proposal” route but Guy & Max feels bold, masculine and fiercely modern with a high fashion edge. Oh and I think their shop has the most beautiful awning I have ever seen. By using just the right shades of black in just the right geometric pattern, the piece feels like a sculptural work of facets. Same goes for the business card as it feels like a paper sculpture rather than a flat piece of paper. Throw in some sublime macro photographs of diamonds and this branding is officially gorgeous. With such a great look, I can only imagine the stunning jewellery being created by Guy & Max.

(spotted on september industry)

I don’t know why I have always had a fascination for step ladders. Maybe it is all the potential for fabulous design in the ladder and chair mix. With that in mind, I’m going to go ahead and crown Step by Iacoli & McAllister the most gorgeous step ladder I have ever seen. Fashioned after a 1920′s style step ladder, the mix of matte black, brass and pink washed oak is a sublime fusion of Art Deco and modern design. Hmmm… Maybe I need a step ladder focused blog?

Adding to his career of turning everyday forgotten objects into pieces of art, Belgian artist Wim Delvoye created his latest series “Pneu” (French for tire). Using discarded tires, Wim hand carved incredibly intricate patterns using motifs from different periods of art including Art Deco patterns and Art Nouveau floral designs. The level of detail in the relief and the sheer craftsmanship required is stunning. Have you ever seen a tire turned into something so beautiful? Such inspiration for what can be done with the things we call trash. In addition to being an amazing piece of art, I can just see one of these pieces hanging from an old tree and creating an extraordinary swing…

(spotted on inhabitat)

Given my now full-fledged obsession with modern embroidery and typography, I pretty much yelped when I saw these gorgeous embroidered business cards by designer Nina Gregier. She decided to create the textured cards in reference to her latest project – fuchsia embroidered type. One glance at that project and I fell in love with Nina’s woven letters. They are so full of imagination, geometry and bold colour. Wow. The colours look amazing next to the black paper. Don’t you wish more business cards were tactile and hand detailed? Even the back of the threads on the flipside of the card is beautiful. I will visit Nina’s website regularly to see what handmade brilliance she dreams up next!

(cards spotted on lovely stationery)

Paper-Cut-Project is an Atlanta studio overflowing with paper craft talent. These wigs are just some of the 20 paper pieces they created for Kate Spade’s Lillian Bassman collection window displays. Both the wigs and collection are inspired by the famous 1961 Bassman photograph, “A Touch of Dew” featuring windswept model Lisa Fonssagrives behind the wheel of a convertible. Such chic, modern and strong paper design with a true sense of motion, I wouldn’t mind having one to display as art. Those ponytails. Oy. The wigs are on display in Kate Spade store windows in New York so if you see them, please send a photo my way!

(spotted on strictlypaper; photograms via paper-cut-project and 1stdibs)

Tree of Life by Gary, Aaron & Khairul is a brilliant print I spotted on the Anthology blog yesterday. From afar, the piece looks like a textured tree ring but upon viewing up close, the rings turn out to be hundreds of graphic animals walking in procession around the tree ring curves. The designers created the print “to highlight the responsibility we have in letting animal species thrive in their natural environment.” Tree of Life is a pretty perfect print – meaningful, clever and striking with an socially conscious soul.

(to buy a print of the poster, go here)

I am more than a little enamoured with Love Letter Fired From a Cannon by Blake Walmsley. How clever and thought-provoking. Is it a poem? Or a piece of design? Rather dreamily, it is both. I would love a print of this on my wall (although I can’t seem to find a source beyond Diagram Journal). Finding so many talented artists and designers is making my ‘print wish list’ insanely long!

(image via the diagram)

I spotted this fantastic Birds of Australia print by Amy Borrell of Cake With Giants on Creature Comforts yesterday and fell in love. In fact, I nicknamed the birds ‘dapper flappers’ and couldn’t stop imagining the birds around Vancouver sporting similar vibrant accessories. If only the sky was full of such stylish feathered creatures!

(found via creature comforts; photography via cake with giants where you can buy the print)

A few months ago, I posted about the brilliant art installation “before I die” by Candy Chang that transformed an abandoned house in New Orleans into a thought-provoking, colourful and interactive public space. Candy continues to expand on the idea in wonderfully creative ways including these limited edition “before I die” paintings. The large 48″ x 12″ handmade pieces not only make a beautiful addition to a wall but can constantly change to reflect your evolving goals. Perhaps one day the statement is serious and the next it is downright silly. There are only 100 paintings available so hopefully you are lucky enough to grab one! Oh and put a box of really colourful chalk on your shopping list as well…

(photographs via candy chang; all proceeds go to funding future “before I die” projects.)