Random Round Up

This "Polar Bear Storage Unit" from Pedlars is clever and well-designed. I think it'd be fun to spray paint it a really crazy color, just to make it stand out even more!





Each fish in this "Kohako and Tancho Origami Koi Pond" piece by Mabona Origami is folded from a single sheet of paper! The koi are then overlaid with colorful paper pulp appliques, or gold leaf! (Latter version not shown.)





Etsy's The Storque has a newfeature on how to make your own sailor's knot bracelets. I've always wanted one of these, so I'll definitely give this tutorial a try and let you know how it turns out!




This set of photos of Edinburgh's South Side combines two of my favorite things, the beautiful Scottish capital and vintage photography.




Need some typography inspiration? Look no further than Lettercult's "Custom Letters at the Antique Store" set!




I've saved my favorite link for last. This is "Golden Moment", a pastel by Bob Richey. I saw it in person at a craft fair earlier this month, and fell in love with it. (I didn't buy it, however - it was just a tad bit out of my budget!)

This photo doesn't do it justice by any means. In person, the golden tones absolutely glow and you feel like you're standing in a sunlit glade on a summer afternoon. It's breathtaking!

See more of Bob Richey's pastels and charcoal sketches here.

Hope you've enjoyed the round up!

J. Fletcher Design

Beautiful illustrations and design from J. Fletcher. I highly recommend you check out the rest of his posters here!

Afternoon Tea

It's a chilly, early fall day here - perfect weather for curling up with a cup of hot tea. Here's everything you need to throw your own tea party, even if it's just for one! (The "Royaltea" bags and the beautiful peacock place cards are my favorites.)

Click on the images for more information!

Cookie Cookeys

Adorable "Cookeys" key covers from 9Gag. (Personally, I like the vanilla cream-filled ones the best!)

200 Pancakes...A Minute!

Next time you have to buy a present for the person-who-has-everything, get them this: the ChefStack Automatic Pancake Machine! (Or get it for yourself, if you really love flapjacks.)

This contraption can roll out 200 cakes *a minute*! Just watching someone attempt to keep up with such a pace would be like that bonbon episode of "I Love Lucy".

It seems to come with batter packs - I wonder if you can substitute your own mix. At a mere $3,500 for this machine, I'd certainly hope so!

Scenes from a Movie

These World War II forts are so strange-looking! They're like something out of Star Wars or a science fiction novel.

These fortified towers were constructed in the estuaries of the Thames and Mersey rivers to help protect the United Kingdom from enemy attacks during the war. Since then, they have been abandoned by the military and used for various purposes. One is even a sovereign state - the micronation of Sealand!

(Photo from Beam Twenty3.)

Shakespeare and the Tube

This is a really clever map, designed by Kit Grover and Dr. Hester Lees-Jeffries for the Royal Shakespeare Company. It depicts the characters from Shakespeare's plays, and their relationships to one another.

As described by the RSC:

"The lines include: lovers (red), mothers (pink), fathers and daughters (green), villains (light blue), heroes (dark blue), strong and difficult women (turquoise), warriors (black) and fools (orange). Interesting intersections include Henry V who meets on the warrior and hero line, and Lady Macbeth on the strong and difficult women and warrior line. "

Really clever and original!

Stamp of Royalty

Here's a new stamp from the USPS. I love how the two sides fit together. I've never seen a stamp like this! Despite all the folk-art elements (including the beautiful flowers), the stamp maintains a modern and clean look. The saffron and dark orange tones really pop against the white and cobalt. Really well-designed!

Cut It Out

Carefully cut-out paper works from MadeByJulene. So lovely!

Juice With Texture

These juiceboxes, designed by Naoto Fukasawa, resemble the fruit juices they contain. The containers even have similar textures (see the kiwi photo for the best example).

From The Dieline, a great packaging design blog!