tulips

Images of milkmaids, wooden shoes and windmills come to mind

when you start to think about dutch tulips.  But what does it 

really look like? Pretty freakin' amazing!  The above photo shows

 actually 60 million tulips! The Netherlands grows about 3 billion

a year.  They look a bit like a blanket!  Read more here.

(an equally as interesting fact is that after these beauties are 

harvested, they use the land to plant vegetables)

not your mom's pedometer

Available late this year, the Fitbit is a smart little wireless device

that you clip on to your clothing and it tracks all of your daily

movements. The fitbit knows steps taken, calories burned,

distance travelled, even how long it took you to fall asleep and

how many times you woke up! You can keep tabs on it by logging

in to your personal profile on their website to see how moving

of a person you really are!

office space

We're all a bit of voyeurs, especially when it comes to interiors space.

Office Snapshots says 'I know where you work' oh so well. Click on

the link to see really great office space from the likes of Google and

you guessed it, even our office! (note: we're trying to get them to

hold off on the post until we can send them better shots). This site

is similar to one we previously posted about alled Aint No Disco.

Thanks Carlos!

where am i?

Maybe not everyone gets excited about wayfinding signage, but

I do! You know when it's bad(have you ever been to Laguardia, oy!)

and you know when it's good (Frankfurt, DE). The blog

designworkplan has a really interesting post about airport signage

that I think we can all appreciate. It separates information out to

describe how color, typography, and even arrow design all go into

making sure everyone gets where they need to be. Then they also

include wonderful examples from around the world. I just love

seeing how other cities and countries handle a good sign.

(via coudal).

look over there ---->

More links on the sidebar of the blog!

before his time

You may or not be familiar with designer Saul Bass, but you definitely

know his work. He is responsible for such iconic logos as AT&T,

Bell South, United Airlines and Kodak. You've probably seen his movie

posters and titles, which were such icons of their time. He did the work

for North by Northwest, Around the World in 80 Days, Vertigo, and

Casino to name a few. While looking for a good introduction to his

work to post, I came across this wonderful site . It has a really fun

interface that is very much in keeping with the flavor is Bass's title

sequences and posters. Additional logo information can be found

here. Have a look!

this weekend...

The 6th annual Renegade Craft Fair hits Chicago Saturday and Sunday!

Yes, it is supposed to rain but the fair has again departed from muddy

Wicker Park to Division Street between Damen and Ashland.

Renegade is not your average country doily and potpourri craft fair.

You'll find everything diy from paper goods to clothes to jewelry to

artwork. Support indie business! Oh and be sure to catch some live

music that starts at 6pm both nights. Califone, Pit er Pat, and Northern

State are among the line up.

linked in

Check out the updated 'good sites' section on the right
of the blog!

clock in

Have some fun counting down the minutes at work

with this clock from BluDot. Download it free on their

website and a 1 inch square clock will show up on

your screen. The clock is a little unusual in that it

isn't just hands or numbers. It is a collection of photos

of different number combinations that correspond

with the current time. Get it here.

Weather Together

Some people are obsessed with the weather report and
always prepared for the elements. Then there are the rest.

For you: Umbrella Today is a genius little site that you
type in your zip code and it answers 'Will I need an umbrella
today?' with a giant YES or NO. After that, just type in your
cell phone number and it will text you when you'll need it next.
YES!

The American Museum of Natural History has an incredible

photo archive on their website called 'Picturing the Museum'.

It includes photos of vintage museum diaramas, staff

preparing the exhibitions, and education programs. What's

amazing is the museum has documented the creation of

their exhibits so well in these photos. The preparators

were truly artists.(via boing boing)

Tis the season...

Once again, the art season officially opens today in Chicago.
Amazing people watching is to be had all over town!
Oh, amazing art as well.

In addition to more formal events like First Friday at the MCA,
smaller gallery openings can be found in River North and the
West Loop.

Our Picks:

West Loop
Centered around Peoria St. between Washington and Randolph.
Kavi Gupta
Carrie Seacrist
Bucket Rider - Now Andrew Rafacz Gallery
Monique Meloche
Rhona Hoffman
119 N. Peoria Building - Bodybuilder and Sportsman, ThreeWalls

River North
Zola Lieberman Gallery
MCA

pretty + food = perfection

Stumbled across the best looking food blog I've ever seen...

Cannelle et Vanille is the the work of Basque ex-pat Aran

and chose the name because they remind her of her

childhood. Aran is responsible for the stunning photography

and recipes, which can thankfully be found in every post!