Posted: August 11th, 2010 | Filed under: design, handmade, things, wedding gifts | 0 Comments »
ShackletonThomas (established crafters of handmade furniture and ceramics) runs The Naked Table Project. The project consists of several weekend programs a year at their workshop in Vermont where 15 participants work with the ShackletonThomas team to build their very own dining table made from locally harvested, sustainably grown, Vermont maple wood.
In addition to the woodworking lesson, the program also includes a woods visit with a professional forester who explains the system for sustainable lumber sourcing. At the end of the weekend, when all the tables are finished, they join the tables together (75′ long) for a final celebratory meal.
www.nakedtable.com
(*via Re-Nest)
Posted: August 9th, 2010 | Filed under: design, places, things, wedding gifts | Tags: gifts | 0 Comments »
Some friends took me to the Brook Farm General Store this weekend, tucked into a quiet storefront on South 6th Street and Berry in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It’s a wonderful shop filled with soft whites, linens, new and vintage products — basically a million things I wanted to buy for myself and as gifts. Reasonable prices too. Here are some pics of products available from their online store but make a trip to the shop if you can for an in-person browse.
Above, Sugar Spoon ($12) and Canvas Essentials Bag ($29).
Anglepoise lamp ($250) and Bensimon sneakers ($50).
Canvas Tool Bag ($68) and Linen Day Blanket ($225).
Florentine Rose Water ($12) and Recycled Ball Vase ($25).
Cotton Hammam Towels ($68) and Savon De Marseilles ($12).
Brook Farm General Store
75 South 6th Street between Berry and Wythe
Brooklyn, NY 11211
www.brookfarmgeneralstore.com
Posted: July 29th, 2010 | Filed under: design, handmade, things, wedding gifts | Tags: gifts | 0 Comments »
Bent Walnut Picnic Wine Tote : a classy take on a traditional picnic basket. A wool blanket is included and each tote is handmade to order. [$415]
Oak Cutting Board : a collection of various organic shapes, handmade. [$95]
Banksia Pod Knife : hand-forged from 1095 high carbon steel and banksia pod (an Australian pine cone). [$150]
Handmade Fruit Bowl : made from reclaimed black walnut. [$90]
Bamboo Bird Feeder : a modern design, weather-proofed for longevity and great for anyone with some outdoor space. [$95]
Posted: July 7th, 2010 | Filed under: art, things, wedding gifts | Tags: gifts | 0 Comments »
You’ve seen me rave about Karen O’Leary‘s detailed map work before and now she’s offering us a 20% discount on all her 11×14 city prints! This sale is for Paper Tastebuds readers and is valid from now through Monday, July 12th.
Karen has prints of her hand-drawn city maps for a long list of North American and international cities. Get one of these framed for the right couple and they would make such a great wedding gift. I also noted that for the month of July, 100% of the proceeds from the New Orleans print will be donated to the National Wildlife Federation to help aid in the clean up of the BP oil spill.
How to apply the discount:
Visit studiokmo on Etsy, add any 11×14 prints to your cart, including diptychs, and enter paperfinger 20% off in the message of the sale. The discount will be refunded once payment is made.
Posted: June 30th, 2010 | Filed under: things, wedding gifts | Tags: gifts | 0 Comments »
I’ve said it before but I think well-designed pitchers always make a good wedding gift. For a smaller gift budget and for the iced tea lovers, this ceramic Iced Tea Pitcher by Beehouse is a good choice. It comes in a variety of colors, has a built-in diffuser and is available from Rare Device for $50. To fill out the gift, it’d be fun to package it with a collection of your favorite herbal teas.
Posted: June 29th, 2010 | Filed under: design, things, wedding gifts | Tags: gifts | 1 Comment »
This is a bold move as a wedding gift so proceed carefully. If you want to stray from the registry and you know the couple well enough, well these are some bad-*ss home goods!
Scholten & Baijings striped pillows come in a range of colors and varying sizes, starting at $256. They are designed by Thomas Eyck and are made from 84% Merino wool and 16% cotton. (I included a photo of one of their blankets as well but it’s just for show at a hefty price of $1725.) All these items and the full selection are available on gSelect.com.
Posted: March 4th, 2010 | Filed under: design, things, wedding gifts | 2 Comments »
You read it correctly. It’s “mobile bathing culture.” Dutchtub is a portable, wood-fired hot tub.
Place it anywhere you want, fill her up with water, start up a fire and after a few hours, you’ve got a cozy tub to sink into. You can even barbeque or roast marshmallows over the fire.
I am grateful to the people who woke up one day and said, “I must create the Dutchtub!”
You can purchase your own from your local dealer. They start at $6000.
For New Yorkers, you can have the Dutchtub experience without committing to the purchase! Jungle Design NYC in Brooklyn rents their tub and garden space to parties of up to 12 people — or you can even have the tub delivered to your place for a special occasion.
What a world! (Good world.)
www.dutchtub.com
www.jungledesignnyc.com
(*via Michi Girl)
Posted: March 3rd, 2010 | Filed under: things, wedding gifts | Tags: gifts | 0 Comments »
The world around me fades to a hush when I’m browsing l’aviva home, a website self-described as “a series of curated online trunk shows.”
Almost anything on the site would make for an original and elegant wedding gift, but I’ve selected a few of my favorite pieces from their current collections. l’aviva home sources from great artisans around the world and has recently introduced a dowry collection — all items are beautiful, traditional wedding gifts from different cultures. Like each section of their site (dowry, objects and textiles), there is a short list of items, all carefully selected, deeply artistic, and steeped in tradition and craft.
Two Zulu Wedding Baskets are pictured above. According to tradition, the baskets are woven by the bride-to-be or presented to the couple as a gift. They hold the ceremonial beer during the wedding. Each of the different patterns carries a particular significance and the weaver spends weeks or months on a single basket. Prices range from $300+.
My selections from the top (after the Zulu baskets):
Lace Wirework Platters made from telephone wire in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa — a traditional gift for the bride from her new in-laws to bring warmth and dignity to her home. $185
Bolivian Rosewood Vase and Bowls made from stumps and stray branches. $95, $145.
Kantha Pillows handmade in West Bengal with fabrics made of vintage saris. $145
Turkish Hammam Towels made of 100% Turkish cotton for traditional use in the Turkish baths. $50
www.lavivahome.com
Posted: February 15th, 2010 | Filed under: design, eco-friendly, things, wedding gifts | Tags: gifts | 0 Comments »
These small terrariums by Lítill are so appealing — nested in a hand-blown glass vessel.
A line of nine designs are available for purchase on litill.com and range in price from $125-$425.
(*via Notcot via Design Milk)
Posted: February 5th, 2010 | Filed under: cooking, design, things, wedding gifts | Tags: gifts | 1 Comment »
Just so you know, I’m not insisting on commercialism for Valentine’s Day, but with a blog to populate on a daily basis, it’s quite handy to have themes and holidays to focus on. I vote for true love however you want to show it — and if this tray helps you express it, so be it.
Brilliant though, right? The glossy acryclic design of the Le Petit Dej’ Breakfast Tray includes a graceful, small bud vase so there’s no toppling of the flowers as you make your way to the bedroom. Three cheers for Peter White of ByWhiteDesign.
It’s available in yellow or white for $92 from A+R Store.
(Images from A+R Store)
