this is the third post in a three-part series

Moving into a new place is exciting! Well, packing boxes and lugging a mattress up three flights isn’t super fun, but *being in* a new place is cause for celebration. Inspired by the prints we designed with traditional good wishes for a happy home (which we wrote about here) each of us created an inspiration board to help you give the best housewarming gifts. Eve

1. Diner Style Bread Bin 2. Mr. & Mrs. Muse Salt & Pepper Shakers
3. Curious & Co. Home Print 4. Meyer Lemon Candle
5. Ballard Bee Company Honey 6. Red Dust Pan
7. Viva Glassware Wine Decanter 8. Weathered Wire Vintage Gym Basket

In case you don’t have X-ray vision, the print reads: “May this home always have bread, that we never go hungry; salt, that life may always have flavor; a candle, to light the dark times; honey, to remember life’s sweetness; a broom, to sweep troubles away; wine, that joy and prosperity may reign forever.”

Head on over to our shop to buy one for you, and one for a friend! Check out Terry and Maggie’s posts for even more inspiration.

If you’re like us (and about 80 million other people), you love using Instagram. It’s easy, quick, and who doesn’t love a slightly grainy, square photo of a pretty cup of coffee? You may already know that you can get your Instagram photos made into wall art, coasters, stickers and even jewelry. And soon, you’ll be able to get your very own “digital photo frame” of your Instagram stream.

D2M (Design to Matter) has created Instacube, a magical little box created specifically to showcase Instagram photos. According to their Kickstarter page, it’s “a living canvas that pushes beautiful images to a stand-alone device as they happen — all on a big, beautiful display.”

It’s easy to imagine the Instacube being used at a party or wedding reception, as a retail display or simply as ever-changing artwork on your desk. Would you purchase one? How would you use it?
Photos from D2M on Kickstarter

I’m of the opinion that the only thing better than sharing a good meal with friends is sharing that meal outside. While Independence Day is a great excuse to get outside and eat grilled burgers, we don’t need to wait for major historic events to enjoy a picnic. It turns out that the creative folks behind Boxsal share my affinity for outdoor eating.

Boxsal offers eco-friendly picnic boxes complete with compostable plates and utensils. The boxes are big enough to fit all the important stuff (like wine and cheese) and they’re decorated with cool graphics, like the paint-by-number picture on the Today’s Date box.

All images from Boxsal.

Here on the east coast, the weather is warm, there is always a line for water ice, traffic on the Garden State Parkway is always a beast and we can now officially wear white shoes until Labor Day without alerting the fashion police — do you know what that means?

It is officially bike season.

Public Bikes are the perfect two-wheeled rides for design-minded folks. Not only are the bikes pretty, but so is their clean and simple branding with a distinct and cheerful color palette. Win-win.

images via Public Bikes, found via Oh Happy Day!

If you frequent Anthropologie like we do, you’re probably very familiar with the Lollia line. As Curious is embarking on a new package design project for a beauty product, I’ve been taking a closer look at the items on my own dressing table—and realizing that I have been gifted a number of Lollia items, each and every one exquisitely packaged. Taking a closer look, designer Margot Elena has infused every design with a charming sophistication (think soft textiles and calming typography) and the result is beautiful.

images via Anthropologie

Are there any beauty products that you have to have, simply because the package is so pretty?