jenniferbrola.com

Gorgeous pieces in the new line, Foudre Blanche {"white lightening" in French}. Each piece is created naturally in form, with no two pieces being the same. Designer Julie McMillion handcrafts the pieces from porcelain and accents them with gold leaf. See more here..

today i wanted to share two special wedding-related notes and then i promise i’ll cut back on the happily ever after talk. i’m excited to announce that for the next 6 months i’ll be guest blogging at martha stewart weddings. the team at ms weddings reached out to me about blogging our wedding planning process and featuring our wedding in the magazine next year and i decided it would be a fun project- and a chance to talk about something different for a while. i know some of you have had it up to hear with any wedding talk on d*s, so you’ll be happy to know 99% of my wedding babble will now remain over at the ms weddings blog. click here to check it out. and in other wedding news, i was super excited to hear from d*s reader and textile designer heather palmeri about her beautiful vintage-inspired wedding. heather and her husband andrew (who is a web designer for the nytimes) were married at buttermilk falls inn and spa in milton, ny. they took advantage of the beautiful natural setting, and heather’s incredible collection of vintage vera napkins, to create a special day that i thought would be inspiring for anyone planning a wedding, a holiday party, or just looking for some ideas for special meals at home. all of the vintage fabric really got my mind going so i hope you’ll find heather and andrew’s wedding as inspirational as i did. thank you to heather, and her photographer, julia newman, for sharing these shots. (click here for extra shots of the wedding) [My stepfather cut down all of the stumps for the table. The menus and table numbers were just printed out at home on our ink jet printer. All of the apothecary and milk bottles were found at antique shops by my mom. All of the flowers were dahlias and were purchased from Stems in Red Hook, NY. My friends Allie and Mara did all of the floral arranging and styling of the tables. Allie even made all of the boutonnieres and corsages! (My bouquet was created by the designers at Stems)] [My stepfather has a sugar shack in CT. and makes the most amazing maple syrup. We knew this would be a great favor and he loved being involved. I used a few of the leftover napkins and cut them up (painful!) and tied them around the jars with twine. I loved the impact of all of them on the table at once!] [The napkins are all vintage Vera. As a textile designer, I knew that I wanted to incorporate a lot of pattern. We decided to forgo the idea of choosing a specific color palette and instead decided that we wanted it to just be colorful! I had help from family and friends collecting the napkins from ebay and flea markets and vintage shops. A lot of people were so excited by them that they took them home with them after the wedding (which is fine by me, b/c I don't really have room to store 100 napkins anyway!). Additionally, I used the napkins to make fabric flowers to decorate the branches that held the place cards as well as for the fabric covers on the maple syrup jars (see below). We also had a Vera tablecloth (that came with one of the sets of napkins) that we used as a backdrop for a Polaroid photo booth.] [All of our invitation stationery (invites, rsvp's, thank yous and place cards) were printed by my wonderfully talented friends Anna and Mara at Dutch Door Press. I did all of the artwork and my husband did the typesetting. It was truly a group effort and one of my favorite things about the wedding. All of the calligraphy was done by the incredible Betsy Dunlap.] [The cake and cupcakes were made by Anne and Rebecca of CAKED in Brooklyn. It is a secret family recipe of chocolate cake with butter cream frosting and they're delicious!! The cake topper was made by a friend of mine, Laura Keenan.]

Roan emailed Jo and I, and I had to post about this because he is a fellow Canadian, and my parents are both cancer survivors: "I was hoping you'd be interested in perhaps blogging about my annual Cancer Society charity auction of 20th Century Design and Decorative Art. This will be the 5th year of the auction, with sales helping generate vital funding for cancer research and emotional support programs for those living with the disease. Held in support of the Canadian Cancer Society, a portion of every sale will be donated to the cause. The auction will take place on eBay, with items to be listed throughout the week of November 28th, with all listings to end in sequence on December 8th. This year's collection includes works by Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson, Eero Saarinen, Hans Wegner, Jean Prouve, Charlotte Perriand, and many more. As well, some interesting art pieces by Takashi Murakami, Larry Clark, Mark Gonzales, and Jeff Koons are also in the mix. The complete catalog is online now at: ModernLove "The items up for auction are absolutely incredible. I seriously had a hard time not grabbing every single photo on the website. I love every single piece. Below is just a small sample of what is available. Wishing you lots of luck with the auction Roan!!

just in time for holiday packaging: lovely letterpressed tags from old tom foolery. $6-$8.50 right here.

I'm often fascinated by what real people wear. It's one thing to see great outfits in magazines, but I am super impressed with those who look so well put together ALL the time. This fun site, streetstyl.es compiles the best of street wear from fashion blogs around the world...these looks above from the sartorialist, leblogdebetty, and copenhagen street style.

Looking for something to do this week? We've rounded up a few things to do, places to go and sales to check out...jump below for the list: Local favorite Dolan Geiman have got their the annual holiday sale in full swing. Check out what is available online and pick up right here at the studio in Chicago. In the mood for an art opening? Tonight is the opening reception of a group show at Kosielak Gallery from 5-8pm. The gallery is at 1646 N. Bosworth. A Holiday Hootenanny is set for tonight, November 21st from 6-9pm at Fly Bird. They will have a tree decorated with ornaments which indicate your discount for the evening, anywhere from 10%-30% off your entire purchase. Tasty treats and refreshments to enjoy as well as a ticket for a giant prize basket crammed full of gifts...and while supplies last a free gift with every purchase! Do your good deed for the week on Tuesday the 25th (and check out some design at the same time). The Merchandise Mart is holding their annual Sharing It Day Food Drive. It is being held on the First Floor, in the South Lobby from 8am to 4pm. Each donation goes directly to the Greater Chicago Food Depository for distribution to over 600 agencies such as senior centers, food pantries, shelters and daycare facilities. Each food or cash contribution goes a long way to feed Chicagoland’s hungry men, women and children. Party for a cause: Salon Soca hosts a fundraising benefit for the Lincoln Park Community Shelter, tomorrow, November 22 from 6-9. It is a night of Music, Food and Drink, Raffle Prizes and Shopping from Local Artists. $5 donation. Final Day: Dress your bed for winter: United Feather & Down (Des Plaines) is holding a "Big Down Event" from 11.3 through 11.21. "Choose from a hand-picked selection of the company’s finest down comforters and pillows – the same ones sold at Bloomingdale’s, Pottery Barn and The Company Store – at prices at least 50% below retail, with down comforters from $50.00 - $299.00 and down pillows from $28.00-$85.00." For our readers in Minneapolis, we got a tip from Claire, an MCAD alum: The MCAD Art Sale is tomorrow and Saturday, the 21nd and 22nd of November. It is a huge annual event that has received rave press reviews. There are about 10,000 original works of art to choose from, created by students and recent alum, in all media: paintings, drawings, photographs, prints, sculpture, furniture, and other hand made items.

Rebecca sent us an email: Recently I've been really excited about the range of paper wall murals that are cropping up in the design world. I'm toying with making my own photo mural to fill a 4.5"x15" (tall, I know!) wall near my entryway. I've found an online resource that can scale an image for me, and I can print out on my own printer (thanks, rasterbator)! The catch is that I have a fear of using wallpaper paste to put it up. I don't own the unit I live in and I would hate to have a huge mess on my hands when I move out... (Note: Include a pic of your problem and your question gets posted first. Email questions and pics with QUESTIONS in subject line to: chicago(at)apartmenttherapy(dot)com) ...Has anyone tried to adhere paper (temporarily) to a wall with spray mount, the "re-positional" or removable kind? This seems like a fairly simple solution, but perhaps too simple? Please let Rebecca know if you have given Spray Mount a try for wall art and if so, would you recommend it? Other ideas for the project are also welcome...thanks!

Ever since Grace posted about the debut of Jean Pelle's product line a couple months ago, I have been coveting her gorgeous 24K gold leaf wood candlesticks. I was thrilled to see {thanks to my intern Lizzie} that she now has an Etsy shop with the candle holders available in a few different sizes and colors.

just a little friday morning eye-candy to start the day: i’m loving these beautiful tablescapes by lynn butler of the product gallery. i wish i was eating my morning breakfast at that table. [via ms weddings] ps: click here to check out roseline’s great guest blog posts on plaids…

Even though it's completely over the top, we're kind of in love with this limited edition faceted purple credenza (with gold interior!). Tell us what you think... From Boca Do Lobo's Limited Edition collection. Via: designmilk.

Few things are more luxurious than exquisite fabrics, and as with Muriel Brandolini’s fabric-covered walls, using beautiful fabrics in unexpected places, such as headboards made of daffodil Dupioni silk {top} or soft, golden mohair {bottom} add a tactile warmth and elegance that, snow as it might, makes bundling up for the evening a cozy delight . . . {images: top -photography by Mel Yates for Livingetc. April 2008; bottom - photography by Mark Darley for California Home and Design, November 2008 via katiedid}

Just in time for holiday shopping, those of you in NYC can find Nantaka Joy at the Bryant Park Holiday Shops with 7 other gift & jewelry designers from Mixed Co. in shop #C03. The shops open this weekend November 22 and run through December 28. See more details {and get an early bird discount} right here...

If you’ve visited {this is glamorous}, you’ll recognize a fondness for tartan & plaid, and when the days become shorter and there’s a heavy briskness in the air, the coziness of wool plaid blankets and the comfort of the woven striped patterns make the cold seem but a memory . . . Incorporating tartans & plaids at home can be as elegantly simple as using standard drum lampshades, recovered with a favorite wool tartan or stripe for a stylishly warm highland chic. {patterns shown, begining third from the left:} Lomond Tartan {F5880/01} wool Lomond Stripe {F5882/03} wool Lomond Tartan {F5880/03} wool {all Osborne & Little} {p.s.} It’s been a delightful week here at the d*s guest blog — thanks so much for stopping in, and special thanks again to Grace. Have a lovely weekend! Roséline {this is glamorous} xo {images: 1+2 - photography by Venetia Scott for British Vogue September 2008; 3 - House & Garden October 2008}

One of the main joys of the holidays is the chance to get together with family and friends and enjoy each other's company, right? So don't let a little thing like lack of space discourage you from inviting all your whole gang of loved ones over. Here are some helpful tricks for getting everyone to gather 'round. And don't worry, these tips work for those of us who only have a table for four, too. Just focus on keeping the menu to a minimum (less serving dishes to clutter the table) and arranging the chairs to find those hidden pockets of extra space (usually at the ends of the table). We'll add this suggestion to the article: if you don't have a buffet or console, keep a bar cart nearby to hold any spill-over from the table. It can hold your carafes or condiments once everyone's been served, providing a bit more elbow room in the process. And if push comes to shove (though hopefully not literally), have a few bottles of spirits on said cart to keep everyone in a festive spirit, no matter how cramped. View the full article here.

Adriean Koleric's Herd of AT-ATs is a salute to the designers of a toy that was truly a piece of art. The lost city of Atlantis could well be at the bottom of any body of water, if it is really made out of plastic containers, the way Gayle Chong Kwan sees it. Madrid's Spy lightens the urban panorama with his signature interventions. Antlers are certainly not over. Not when they are on Alessandra Exposito's horses, at any rate. Si Scott's intricate pen and pencil drawings cover a wide range of themes. Shown above is part of a piece called Babel, in answer to a project on God. More at Art MoCo.

Love these small bits...shaped animal tags from Linda & Harriet and bookplates from Cabin+Cub...

We've covered shipping container homes on AT before (here, here and here), but we're continually impressed by the possibilities of this malleable recycled material. Archinect has a good article right now on this modern home by DeMaria Design Associates, constructed from 8 stacked containers with its own container pool... The home won an AIA award for Design Excellence in 2007 and exploits the possibilities inherent in recycled steel. In addition to shipping containers, the house uses recycled parts from an airplane hangar. DeMaria is currently exploring the prefab possibilities of shipping container architecture for multi-unit apartment housing. For the full article, click here. Photos via Archinect

Eames Splint circa 1942 on auction for another 3 days... When I was out in San Francisco two months ago, I got to visit with Chris and Kari, the intrepid brains behind DWR's Tools for Living. They basically have a dream job: travel around the world and come back with the coolest design items you can find to fill a brand new store from a nationally known retailer... > DWR Tools for Living Having completed the first part of their mission, DWR has opened two Tools for Living shops (NYC and LA), but Chris and Kari came back with a lot of stuff they couldn't fit into the stores, which I got to see spread out like fish on the top floor of DWR's offices. Multitape masking tape in many colors During their travels they spotted and purchased a bunch of one-off, vintage and hard to find items that didn't or couldn't make it into the store. These items are now being sold in a secret, viral way: via daily email auction for only five weeks. The email links to a page that is buried in their site. We pulled it out for you. > The Hidden Limited Page >> Limited Email Signup Vintage Koch & Lowy desk lamps From November 10th to December 19th, one item a day is being released for sale. Items for sale range in price from $28 to $9,000. To find out about it you can click on the link above or sign up for their daily email. Some of this stuff is really cool and it's all worth checking out. Our favorite? Something that just went up - a rug made of huge wood threads by Christien Meindertsma (see below). Flocks Aran Rug is big, big, big!

Most comfortable chair ever? We think so. Here's your chance to pick up what looks like a nice Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman Imitation. Jump below for links to this and other good finds. Apartment Therapy Furniture Classifieds are open for your business in our Shopping Guide. OTHER GOOD STUFF

• European Mid-century Armoire and Nightstand for $275
• Eames 42" Round Dark Sapele Table for $400
• Herman Miller Eames LCM for $375
• NELSON MARSHMALLOW SOFA for $900
• OFFI magazine table - new & unused for $120
• Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman Imitation for $700
• French Antique Bench/Day Bed for $450
• Classic Vintage Iron Single Panel Fireplace Screen for $125
• Design within Reach "Chilewich Bound Mat" for $165
• Huge Vintage Turquoise Bowl (Gladding McBean) for $40 Thanks, Craig!

If you're invited to a dinner party, do you bring a gift? For as long as we remember--or at least old enough to be invited to "adult" dinner parties--we've defaulted to bringing a bottle of wine. Despite our success with our fallback gift selection, we've heard some horror stories from friends of ours who have opted from the trusty wine bottle to more...personal host gifts like homemade desserts and spreads, monogrammed tea towels, or fancy soaps. What do you bring as a gift for your host? Need some ideas on what to bring your party host this holiday season? Check out this list from Mighty Goods. Our favorites include fancy guest soaps, monogrammed cocktail napkins, letterpress card collections, sachet bags, specialty olive oil, and local jams. [ Photo from Mighty Goods ]