I’m intrigued by the idea behind Australian artist Lizzie Buckmaster Dove’s ‘Tide Project’. For one lunar month in 2010, an art project was created between London, Barcelona and Coledale using found objects in the tides that connect the three places. The result is graphic and vibrant hand cut paper art that uses unique colour palettes to represent the very different cities (you can view all the pieces here by scrolling to the far right). Of the series, my favourites are ‘Tide Project, Things to be Forgotten, Moon and Moon ii’ with their geometric cuts, absolutely gorgeous colour palettes and dreamy lunar inspiration. It still amazes me what can be created with a common paint chip…

I just discovered, via a home construction project, that lumber crayons exist. Until last week, I used pencil when working with wood for a project. Little did I know a world of colourful lumber crayons was living in the local hardware store. Available in a wide range of colours, lumber crayons last 10 times longer than ordinary crayons and are water, fade and smear proof on wet or dry wood, metal, concrete and most other surfaces. Colourful and technically amazing? What a schmuck I was with that silly pencil. I am quite partial to the hexagon shaped and florescent lumber crayons. Maybe it is time to go to the hardware store on a colour-finding mission?

(images via prang, tanjant and lainey bugger)

I am a sucker for unique and colourful food styling. It always amazes me how textures, patterns and colours of a recipe or food can really come to life with some great lighting and thoughtful detail. A stylist with ridiculous amounts of talent in that arena is Dietlind Wolf. I was reminded of his styling and illustrating skill when I saw the series above on seesaw. A wonderfully clever fusion of handsome food and beautiful ingredient illustration. I love this mixed media approach to food styling and photography as there are endless possibilities. Collage next? Or how about graffiti!?

(spotted on seesaw; images via dietlind wolf where all credits for the shoot can be found)

Minimega is a design studio and online shop that creates fabulously patterned and colourful stationery, paper products, gift wrap, cards and more. Their dots, triangle or nautical pattern gift wrap would make even the strangest present look fantastic. I wouldn’t mind framing a sheet or two. On top of great products, Minimega is focused on the environment with 100% recycled paper, vegetable-based inks and no unnecessary chemicals. I really love Minimega’s product photography and styling. Full of colourful details, the shots are just plain inspiring. I’m fairly certain any design studio would benefit from an frilled ice cream paper decoration… (Oh and Minimega even has an awesome blog bursting with hue!)

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?

Love illustrator Lucie Sheridan’s ‘Prolonged Daschund’ print. Available in blue and red, this long whimsical weiner dog is just plain happy-inducing. Couldn’t you see he/she as a children’s book character? Running across countries, wrapping around landmarks – there is no shortage of tall tales this happy daschund dog could get up to.

These colourful ads by Ogilvy & Mather for 103.5 KISS FM in Chicago caught my eye for the bold and colourful typography as well as the clever copy. It’s true, the lyrics of current dance music is pretty bizarre when you take out the beat! I don’t think that last song by Usher is going to win any songwriting awards anytime soon…

(images via i believe in advertising)

Do I need Pineapple Ring Sticky Notes? No, I definitely do not. But I may be able to convince myself I do based on my love for Hawaii and unique desk supplies. The sticky note packaging is also an example of simple but perfect packaging. I don’t think these pineapple rings would be as fantastic without the tin can to keep them in. It’s amazing how you can re-imagine boring, corporate yellow post-its with a little imagination in shape and packaging…

(spotted on mochi things)

It always amazes me what a little spray paint can do. I saw the above storage jars on House to Home this morning and was instantly smitten. Glue a small animal or figurine to an old jar top, spray paint the whole piece and ta da! You have a chic, colourful and unique storage container. Don’t they look like they would be crazy expensive? Fantastic for kids but I think the idea could be used in any studio and space needing unique storage. Sugar, pasta, flour, nuts – just think of what could be done with this idea and kitchen storage containers.

I always love the creative (and often handmade) ways T Magazine, The New York Times Style Magazine, interprets their classic logo for each cover design. I definitely need to do a ‘colour hero’ feature on the whole inspiring series soon. In the meantime, the new Fall 2011 Travel issue has a fantastic cover featuring plants that shift in colour from a season of bright green and chartreuse to a season of bronze, orange and brown. Created by landscape designer Judy Kameon and photographer Erik Otsea, it is a gorgeous texture-filled piece of design showcasing nature in all its colourful glory. I can’t really tell you how often my dreams involve creating a T magazine cover…

(images via cover junkie)

An intriguing piece of street art in Salzburg by artist MeerSAU. Not comment yet from the artist on the meaning behind the piece (especially the last image) but the wrinkled garbage bag and whimsy of real balloons is a beautiful and thought-provoking visual.

(spotted on unurth)

Castle is an Australian homeware and design company at the top of my current obsession list. The mastermind of colour-loving designer Rachel Castle, the line is just bursting with creativity and vibrant hues. From bedlinens and cushions to fabric garlands and one-of-a-kind art pieces, Castle seamlessly fuses exquisite handcraft detail with a geometric design soul. I just love Castle’s handstitched embroideries with their bright colours and blend of fabrics including vintage French linen, flax Belgian linen, Australian wool, moleskin and velvet. Oh and the styling of their product photographs is ridiculously stylish. I wouldn’t mind living in those set designs. Yes, I think I would be quite happy to wake up in some colourful sheets with a handmade fabric garland draped across my chic art pieces. What more can I say other than I am utterly in love with Castle!

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)

I love these animal cards and prints by Vancouver designer/illustrator Mélanie Kimmett. A fantastic combination of vibrant colour palettes, splashes of geometry and modern style. How cute are those wintery creatures that look as though they are zipped up in snowsuits as colourful confetti-like snow falls? I met Mélanie when we worked together a couple of years ago and within days of meeting her, I was totally overwhelmed by how beautifully she could illustrate. In addition to always having an awesome haircut, she is one of those people that can translate anything into an modern and whimsical illustration with a true sense of colour and style. I am lucky to call her a close friend so I get to see her fabulous product line evolve firsthand. From the beaver’s pink tail to the sheep’s chic striped horns, these colourful creatures just make me happy. Mélanie currently sells blank cards and art prints. How great would these modern animals look in a baby nursery? I am pretty sure your little one would end up being a designer!

(for details, pop over to mélanie’s etsy shop and print shop)

I hadn’t really thought about it until today but it is quite amazing how many shades of brown you can achieve when toasting a piece of bread. For his series ‘Toasted’, photographer Henry Hargreaves created large-scale portraits of pop culture icons with hundreds of pieces of toast. The level of detail and eye for subtleties of hue are quite astounding. A glimpse at the level of work can be seen in the last shot where toasted crumpets are being meticulously arranged to create a portrait of Pippa Middleton. I may never look at a piece of burnt toast the same way again! (Bread toasted by Angela Barrow and Osvaldo Ponton)

(from top: Marilyn Monroe, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Che Guevara, Jim Morrison and Pippa Middleton)

(spotted on feature shoot & smilepanic)

Photographer Alan Sailer seems to find endless objects to explode and the slo-mo results are always fascinating. I love this shot of glued together crayons bursting into a cloud of colourful destruction. It kind of looks like a crayon rocket to a land of arts and craft. To see more of these slo-mo shots, check out Alan’s Flickr account.

(spotted on animal; image via alan sailer)