British talent Rob Ryan is one of my very favourite artists. What he creates out of paper, meticulously cutting intricate shapes, is truly phenomenal. On top of all that creativity, Rob has an amazing gift for beautifully poetic words. I plan to feature Rob Ryan in a future post devoted to his work but I couldn’t resist sharing his Royal Wedding commemorative plate design for William and Kate’s big day. What a welcome change from the wedding-cliche riddled commemorative designs I have seen around. I love how the traditional British lion and unicorn fuse seamlessly with Rob’s whimsical design and trademark birds/flowers. The gorgeous blue, white and gold accents are elegant, modern and so very British. As always, I particularly love Rob’s words as they are a perfect reminder of what all the hoopla should really boil down to at the end of the day:

“The Crown and the Throne and the lions and the unicorns & the bowing & scraping and all the Palaces and the privileges are worth nothing if you will not spend every day of your life with me until I die. April 29th 2011″

(black version available at Rob Ryan’s etsy store)

Rows of pennies arranged by amount of oxidation. Love the gradient created by art director Bob Dinetz. It is incredible how many colours metal can transform into!

(via colossal)

How beautiful is the ‘snowjob’ chair designed by emiliano godoy? Not only is it an amazing piece of modern yet handmade design, it is probably one of the most environmentally friendly pieces of furniture you will ever find. The wood frame is manufactured in FSC certified wood with a vegetable based, biodegradable finish. Fair trade employed artists in impoverished nations weave and fold post-industrial waste from the candy wrapping industry to create the incredible silver cover. Such a stunning chair with a wonderful message of environmental and social consciousness as well as seeing one person’s trash as your next great project.

(via designboom)

I love watching the Oscars and especially the Oscar fashion. Among the hundreds of gowns, there always seem to be colour trends that emerge. Last night was no exception as bright red, shades of purple and sparkling metallics took centre stage. While a black dress will always be an elegant Hollywood classic, it was nice to see so much vibrant colour showcased. My favourites colours and gowns on the red carpet were Natalie Portman in fuschia Rodarte, Sandra Bullock in scarlet Vera Wang, Cate Blanchett in lilac Givenchy, Mila Kunis in lavender Elie Saab, Helen Mirren in metallic taupe Vivienne Westwood, Halle Berry in sparkly champagne Marchesa and Hilary Swank in silver ombré Gucci. I loved the mix of lilac and yellow leather pearls and crystals on Cate Blanchett’s high fashion gown. In addition to an unexpectedly gorgeous colour palette, it really stands out as a work of art. What were your favourites?

(images via elle, styleite & just jared)

I have always been fascinated by sequins, particularly the vintage and one-of-a-kind varieties. The shining, sparkling discs of colour just have so much joy and life to them. Many historians believe that sequins have been around since 2500 BC. Egyptians would cut thin discs of real gold, glaze the top to prevent scratches and adorn swanky people like King Tut. Now no longer reserved for royalty, sequins remain a central design element in fashion, accessories, textiles and craft. On her blog puglypixel, Katrina showcases her amazing vintage pre-war Belgian, Czechoslovakian, and Japanese sequin collection. I envy her trays of inspiring sequins and love the beautiful colour palettes they create.

I realized the other day I had not posted a single thing under the metallic colour category. I am not sure how that happened with all of the incredible shades that sparkle, shine and glitter. Since metallics like gold, silver, bronze, pewter, copper, etc. reflect light, they are colours with special qualities of dimension and life. Personally, I have never met a sequin or pile of glitter that I didn’t like! Looking forward to future metallic celebrations and hoping these photos colour you happy.

(images via erin, the collection, confetti system, net-a-porter, madame guillotine, anthology, hannah huffman, harmoni og kontrast, cabbage rose, sweetapolita)