Best of the Web By: Grace Bonney

This weekend Julia and I are packing up our little work trip rental home in the Catskills and heading back to Brooklyn. As much as I’ll miss the waterfalls and country breakfast table, it will be nice to come home to our own bed and wireless internet that’s a bit more reliable (if we ever move up here I’ll have to invest in some strong wifi). Before we pack up and head out I wanted to take a moment to share some of your best summer moments that have been in the #dssummer feed on Instagram. I’ve been loving all the different things and moments that mean summer to everyone, from bowls of fresh cherries to trips to French Polynesia (Hello, dream trip). We’ll be sharing our favorites on DS at the end of the month, but in the meantime, here are two that caught my eye this week from Sarah Stone (afineline) and Laura Hooper-Leader (lhcalligraphy). Until Monday, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! xo, grace

• Yes, we do deserve a better song of summer.


• Under the cover of the 4th of July fireworks, thieves sawed a hole in the roof of a bank on the Lower East Side of Manhattan!


• This article about Vermeer’s talent as an artist and the ability to duplicate his work is fascinating. (via Kottke)


• This list of water recycling tips from Modern Farmer is blowing our minds—so many ways to re-use already used tap water!


• How Issey Miyake Stays Creative


• This Top Rental Houses roundup on Remodelista makes me want to stay on a work vacation forever.

• Must-Reads: 10 Second Studio Tour: Jewels of New York, A Day In The Life Of: Lotta Nieminen, BKB Ceramics, Dana Tanamachi-Williams


• Travel: 24 Hours in Minneapolis with Ship & Shape, Dream Trip: Morocco


• Biz Ladies: Why Cheap Can Be Bad, 5 Podcasts to Jumpstart Your Business Online, Katie Deedy of Grow House Grow


• Recipes: Raul Zelaya’s Southside Cocktail, Jennifer Katzinger’s Mixed Berry Crumble


• Before & After: A Boring Garage Becomes A Brilliant Dining Room


• DIY Project: Printable Freebie: Watercolor Luggage Tags


• Sneak Peeks: Three Months from House to Home, A Collector at Home in Australia, Relaxed Southern Living in Charleston, Best Beach Retreats

via Design*Sponge http://ift.tt/1oqFly9 From Grace Bonney

RIBBA cloud night light By: Rosandra

Place the paper on a soft surface, with a pencil make holes on the boundary of the cloud . Put the lights in the holes and fix them with tape on the back of the sheet. Finally, put the sheet into the frame placing the batteries in the thickness of the frame.

You’ll need:

1. Ribba frame

2. printed cloud on A4

3. pencil

4. tape

5. battery operated string LED lights

via IKEA Hackers http://ift.tt/VTGUhs From Rosandra

Sunglass display By: carstanjenshop@gmail.com

Needed a quick, cheap way to hang my sunglasses…Ikea hack comes through! 3M Command hooks (no damage to the apt walls) and a little used IKEA LÄMPLIG Trivet (cooling rack)

via IKEA Hackers http://ift.tt/1mDmMd5 From carstanjenshop@gmail.com

A Garden Catio – Cat Paradise! By: Barry Bedford

You will need:

Ikea 2014 PS Wardrobe – I used 2 for the main enclosures.

Decking Boards – I used 2 types, Plain and ones covered in astroturf.

Wire Mesh, screws and connector joints.

Dremel saw, Jig saw, Wire cutter.

1. Assemble the shell of the wardrobe(s).

2. Measure out the locations and size of the holes for any additional run(s). I had two addition runs.

3. Cut out the necessary holes in the wardrobe frame using a Dremel saw. Be careful and use safety goggles and gloves.

4. Assemble the deck boards and join them using connector plates and screws.

5. Cut the wire mesh to length but leave the width as this will provide height in the run. I used 90cm width which when folded over gives a height of about 35-40cms.

6. Attach the wire mesh to the deck boards using staples and hammer or staple gun. Be careful and use safety goggles and gloves.

7. Attach the run structure using connecting plates to the wardrobe openings. Bend the ends of the wire mesh around the openings.

8. I added additional boards cut to size to provide ledges and jumping platforms as the internal shelves that come with the wardrobe are difficult to cut.

9. Customise the wardrobes with the provided plastic pieces. I used some to hide the cat litter tray.

10. Add hanging plants etc to make it look even more prettier!

11. Finally add a very happy cat!!

More images can be found on my blog.

via IKEA Hackers http://ift.tt/1rYkWaf From Barry Bedford

A Day In The Life of Dana Tanamachi-Williams By: Grace Bonney

When I first heard about Dana Tanamachi-Williams, she burst onto the scene with some of the most beautiful chalkboard art and lettering I’d ever seen. Her work quickly became a favorite of brands and publications like The Ace Hotel, Tommy Hilfiger, West Elm, O Magazine and Time Magazine and last year she designed a line of products for Target. I’ve been inspired by not just her work and process, but her business vision as well. Dana has grown and expanded her business to include all manners of design and lettering and this fall she’ll release her first book, DIY Type (50+ Typographic Stencils for Decorating, Crafting, and Gifting), too! I’m always inspired by someone who has such a clear vision and tackles their work life with such creativity and excitement. So today I’m thrilled to share behind-the-scenes look at a day in the life of Dana, which includes a healthy does of stripes (the ‘official wardrobe’ of Tanamachi Studio) and watercolor drawings- two things I can never get enough of. Thanks so much to Dana for sharing her day with us. xo, grace

Click through for the full post after the jump!

(more…)

via Design*Sponge http://ift.tt/1w5QUil From Grace Bonney