Add A Splash Of Fun To Your Bathroom With Disegno Ceramica Sink Basins & Shower Trays

The Splash Collection by Disegno Ceramica for the bath. A collection of organically shaped sink basins and shower trays available in all white or with a splash of one of three colors; yellow, orange, or green.

The collection is composed of a shower base, a wall hanging wash basin and a wash basin set on a base.






Splash non slip shower bases:

Something Green For You Today: Cleaning Cloths Made From Corn Cobs & Peach Pits

Since it's St. Patrick's Day, I thought I'd share something really cool and 'green' with you today.

When it comes to green cleaning products, it seems there are new ones hitting the market daily. But these fabulous Japanese scrubbing cloths by PLUS ONE, made of all-natural abrasives (peach pits and corn cobs) have been awarded the 2009 Wallpaper design award for best cleaning product and NY York Magazine names them a best bet.


above left photo by Hannah Whitaker for NY mag, above right photo from Wallpaper magazine

They last for months, have need no detergent, and fit in tight little hard to clean spots.



Green Depot sells them two to a pack; the yellow for metalware like pots and pans, kettles, sinks and grills (they even work to peel the skin off of veggies!) and the pink one for more delicate surfaces like glass, wood, and teflon coated or non stick pans.


buy them here.


all images and info of the Japanese scrubbing cloths are courtesy of the company and its President, PLUS One and Taka Aoki (shown above)

Ramon Coronado Repurposes Shopping Carts In His Mercado Negro Furniture

RAMÓN CORONADO, a self described "cross-media visual designer" is a recent Graphic Design graduate from Pasadena's Art Center College of Design. He has an array of unusual designs and concepts to his credit, but I found this particular one both inspired and inspirational.



In the designer's own words:
Mercado Negro is a Spanish word for Black Market. This 12 week project deals with reclaiming an ordinary, everyday object and transforming it into something with a completely different purpose.



I also wanted to create a project that commented on the shortage of parks and recreational functions in Los Angeles.

Moving to Los Angeles four years ago from the small population of Cathedral City was a major eye opener. Los Angeles felt like an entirely new world separate from everything that I had known or experienced before. With little knowledge of LA and it's neighborhoods, I ended up living across the street from MacArthur Park, a dangerous lower income area, overpopulated with homeless, and trash, but with a heavy Hispanic influence. Spending a year in this area exposed me to the lack of recreational areas for kids in Los Angeles.

The irony being that I lived across from MacArthur park, but because of it’s dangerous reputation, no children would ever go there to play and often resorted to playing on the streets running in and out of traffic. This area is filled with trash on the sidewalks, people sleeping everywhere, and an abundance of shopping carts.

Shopping carts exist everywhere and anywhere throughout the city of LA and include themselves as part of LA's landscape. A shopping cart says a lot about a city. Seeing one on every block adds attention to the poverty and that there is no control of private property.

I took it upon myself to take a shopping cart and make a statement with it. I reclaimed LA's iconic shopping cart and created furniture for kids to enjoy in these urban Los Angeles areas. The project is a criticism of the scarcity of recreational functions for kids growing up in a dense city like Los Angeles.





Ramon at work on the project:

See more of Ramon's inspired work at his site here.

Madonna Designs Sunglasses for Dolce & Gabbana & A Clothing Line For Juniors

You may have heard the announcement yesterday, via WWD, that Madonna and Dolce & Gabbana, after a very successful pairing for their 2010 advertising campaign, have collaborated on a new line of eyewear called MDG, featuring six designs (shown above).

Three of the six styles are shown below (images courtesy of Dolce & Gabbana and Swide magazine)






The 6 pairs of glasses will be distributed by Luxottica and feature an MDG logo on the temple. The "M" of the MDG symbol is filled with little stars, very Madonna.



The chic shades will be in D&G stores in May. They will retail from 180 to 210 euros or around $250 to $290.

Floating around the net have been some screen stills (shown below) of the upcoming campaign for the new eyewear shot by Steven Klein, who has long worked with Madonna for D&G as well as other projects.



The advertising campaign is said to be breaking in May.

This is not the only fashion design venture Madonna has embarked upon. The Material girl and her daughter, Lourdes, have designed a line of clothes for juniors that will launch at Macy's this coming August.

press release:
"MATERIAL GIRL" JUNIOR COLLECTION TO DEBUT THIS FALL

NEW YORK, March 10, 2010 (PRNewswire via COMTEX) the newly formed joint venture between Madonna and Iconix Brand Group, Inc., (Nasdaq: ICON) announced its first direct-to-retail license agreement with Macy's, Inc. for the "Material Girl" collection. "Material Girl" is a newly created, fast-fashion junior collection that will launch exclusively in approximately 200 Macy's stores and online at www.macys.com in August 2010 for the back-to-school season. As part of the direct-to-retail agreement, Macy's will have the opportunity to launch additional brands with MG Icon in the future.

The "Material Girl" collection was inspired and designed in collaboration with Madonna and her daughter Lourdes, along with Iconix Brand Group's in-house fashion department.

>
above: Madonna with daughter Lourdes

In addition to the back-to-school apparel collection, "Material Girl" will also launch in multiple categories including footwear, handbags and jewelry. The collection will retail from $12.00 to $40.00, comparative with pricing strategies at junior specialty stores. The strategy for growth will include additional categories in the lifestyle and beauty sectors, including fragrance, beginning 2011 as well as a rollout into additional Macy's stores.

Neil Cole, CEO and Chairman, Iconix, stated, "We are excited to announce the first in a series of new brands that will be developed under our partnership with Madonna. 'Material Girl' has a powerful retail partner in Macy's and we look forward to working together to deliver an innovative launch for our consumers."

"We believe that 'Material Girl' will be a dynamic exclusive brand for Macy's, and we look forward to working with Madonna, Lourdes and the Iconix team. Madonna is a fashion icon who can bring a new dimension to our juniors customer," said Jeff Gennette, Macy's chief merchandising officer. "'Material Girl' will enhance the excitement of fast fashion at Macy's."



Be sure to see all the amazing images from Steven Klein's 2010 Dolce & Gabbana advertising campaign with Madonna here:

•Steven Klein Brings Out Madonna's Best For 2010 Dolce & Gabbana Ad Campaign

Diem Chau's Crayons Carved As The 12 Chinese Zodiacs

above: individually hand carved crayons that represent the 12 symbols of the Chinese Zodiac.

I can't seem to get enough of the very talented Diem Chau's unusual work. While her porcelain work is amazing, it's her carved crayola crayons that continue to blow me away.

I have blogged about her carved crayons in the past, but recently she tackled the 12 signs of the Chinese Zodiac which are now on exhibit at the Packer Schopf Gallery in Chicago along with many of her ceramic works in a show named Sojourn.




First, the 12 symbols of the Chinese Zodiac:


Now, Diem Chau's Zodiac Crayons:


She began with the monkey on the far right (note how she wrote on the crayons which was to become which animal):


and once they were finished, she mounted each carved crayon on a wood pedestal for exhibition:

above: all twelve Chinese Zodiac crayons, finished and mounted.

I have close ups and detailed images of all but the Dog, Dragon, Horse, Ox, and Rabbit.

The Goat:


The Monkey:


The Pig:


The Rat:


The Rooster:


The Snake:


and this year, the Tiger:


all images are courtesy of the artist.

Be sure to check out her porcelain pieces in the following show:
SOJOURN
Packer Schopf Gallery
February 19th - March 27th
942 W. Lake
Chicago, IL 60607
312.226.8984

Diem Chau