I’ve seen a lot of really creative paper promotions but never one this beautiful or frame worthy! A piece by GF Smith, the aim was to showcase the company’s range of digital papers while highlighting the incredible technological potential of modern digital presses. Digital artists FIELD were hired to create 10,000 unique and colourful illustrations inspired by the micro details of paper fibres. One of the most exciting facets of digital print technology is that is allows for personalization of a print job. ‘Variable imaging’ allows “unique prints to be produced from an established document framework”. It is quite a technical affair that you can read about in detail in this september industry feature. Overall, the printing of this piece is a work of art. A unique illustration for every single promotional folder and inside paper – how spectacular is that? Gorgeous illustrations, handsome graphic design and one great display of innovation.

(photographs via september industry)

I’ve spent the last year or so dreaming up reasons to buy a Cable and Cotton string of lights. Collecting the photos for this post has only given me more ideas of where I could use them! The natural, hand-dyed cotton-covered spheres create a warm glow of colour that looks gorgeous at parties and as part of interior design. The website has pre-packaged colour selections but you can also customize your own light string from a large palette of colour. It is a pretty addictive thing to play with! I also love that your purchase helps an entire community of women in a remote southern region of Thailand as those skilled workers create every single string of lights. How beautiful is the photo of the cotton wonders in a fireplace? Yep, I don’t think I can resist anymore…

(photographs via cable and cotton)

I have always loved Papel Picado, a Mexican festive decoration that translates into “perforated paper”. Stunningly elaborate designs are cut from tissue paper or plastic using a template and small chisel, allowing artists to make many flags at one time. Papel picado with various motifs including nature, love and skeletons are strung up in vibrant rows of colour for festivals, weddings, baptisms and holidays. Such a beautiful handmade art form that brings rich colour and detail to a celebration. Time to try making some papel picado for an upcoming fiesta!

Oh and some fascinating information from wikipedia about the colours selected for papel picado:
“Sky blue or pink and white are commonly chosen for celebrations in honor of the Virgin Mary, yellow and white for parton saints, vibrant pink, orange, and purple are the key tones employed for ofrendas (offerings) associated with the Day of the Dead. Shades of purple are also widely used at Easter. The colors of the Mexican flag – red white and green – are set aside for venerating the nation’s patroness, La Virgen de Guadalupe, as well as for commemorating Independence Day, Sept. 16th. Rainbow hues are appropriate for Christmas and non religious festivities.”

(photographs via krickett, emiliano rodriguez, andrea docksey, visit san antonio, mexican sugar skull, wickedlady, kristina husby, sebastian ibarra, roving gastronome, love and lavender, thomas aleto, mexican sugar skull, andrea m. gómez, delexed, bullshit artist, timlewisnm and thomas aleto)

I have been staring at “Monument to Change as it Changes” by artist Peter Wegner for over two days but I still can’t stop gasping aloud. Honestly, I am overwhelmed by how brilliantly clever and mesmerizingly beautiful this piece is. What a showcase of colour, engineering and imagination. Installed as part of the new Stanford Graduate School of Business, the piece utilizes flip-digit technology much like European train stations used to announce arrivals and departures. The plastic pieces move like tiny rolodexes and were meticulously programmed to create specific colour patterns. The idea is a monument to constant change – a perfect metaphor for what is faced in the business world daily.

* This piece’s true beauty is in its motion. Take a look at this video for a glimpse of the spectacular moving colour! Peter’s other fantastic installation for the campus is featured at the beginning but the colour section starts around the 1.00 min mark.

(additional information: 2,048 flip digit modules, 80 colours per module, finished size 8′ x 32′)

(photographs via peter wegner, video via the los angeles times)

I am mesmerized by N SKY C, a website that showcases the average colour of the New York City sky every five minutes via a block of colour. Hover over the block and you see a webcam snapshot of the sky in that five minute period. Created by web designer Mike Bodge from the viewpoint of his Noho and East Village facing desk, the website is a beautiful representation of weather, sunsets, sunrises and the transitions of a day. I love that each day can be summed up in its very own colour palette.

(found via new york magazine)

The Indigo Bunting is a small seed-eating bird that migrates from south-eastern Canada to northern Florida to South America. That’s all very interesting but l can’t focus on anything but that stunning shade of blue! Living on the opposite coast, I have never spotted one of these natural works of art but I imagine they are gorgeous comets of brilliant blue as they fly through the air. Interestingly, female indigo buntings are brown year-round while males are brown in the winter and vibrant blue in the summer. If you ever needed evidence that nature makes the most incredible hues of all, indigo buntings are proof positive!

(photographs via brian tang, captain narender, larry jw, rob hanson & pbase)

Insanely bright colours, hand cut leather and delicious geometry? Oh and some tassels? Welcome to the wildy imaginative jewellery of Boo and Boo Factory. Given the amazing compositions and inventive angles, it makes sense that an architecture masters student is behind the line. Christina Anton creates many different kinds of jewellery in her Los Angeles studio using leather, felt, feathers and a variety of other materials but I find myself particularly in love with her necklaces. True pieces of colour saturated handmade art. Wear one of these vibrant pieces to a party and you are automatically the most awesome person in the room!

(photographs via boo and boo factory)
(spotted on my addiction, pinterest)

Yet another clever idea dreamed up by Martha Stewart Living. After finishing a paint job in your home, take the wooden stirrer used to mix the paint, leave it to dry and then write the paint name and number on the end. Bundle the sticks with some twine and there you have it – your home’s palette! While definitely functional for future trips to the paint store, I also love this idea from a more design perspective. It creates a personal palette of your home or space – perfect for hanging on a wall as art or keeping as a reminder of your interior design prowess and home memories should you move. I would love to see these bundles of swatches over a lifetime. Imagine the colours selections of different eras! Oh Martha, you really do think of “good things“.

(image via martha stewart living, may 2011)

When I first laid eyes on the Plumen light bulb, it was love at first sight. Tackling the neglected world of of energy smart light design, Plumen are the world’s first designer energy saving light bulbs as well as true sculptural works of art. An environmentally conscious product with spectacular style? That really is the holy grail of design! While they work in lamps and light fixtures, I particularly like the look of Plumen bulbs bare. Those photographs above of the glass beauties hanging from colour cords made my jaw drop. Can you imagine a room or restaurant full of vibrant cords and gorgeous Plumen bulbs? How about clustered together in a colourful chandelier? Spectacular design you can feel good about buying!