Hipster Havens - Design Styles of the Poor but Crafty

A moon bounce for the alcoholic set

Almost every Thurs. I get a 5 o'clock phone call fom a friend convincing me that we should meet up for "one happy hour drink".  This always sounds like a good idea and before I know it I'm guzzling down my vodka soda as an unhappy bouncer stands watch over me 10 minutes after announcing "last call".  Those nights I will inevitably 1.) lose something I can't afford to immediately replace ie., camera, cell phone, purse. 2.) take many embarrassing photographs which I think look great at the time. 3.) justify the bar's $3 atm fee by taking out more money than intended (which I will then promptly spend) and say to myself the next day "God, how did I spend $140 last night?"
Well, those crafty-as-shit Europeans have come up with a clever way of erasing the evidence. Inflatable Pub - complete with tacky art and fireplace. Drink up mates, you'll never have to return to the scene of the crime.

Playing with dolls is not just for 6-year-olds and mental patients

Myspace friend and doll maker extraordinaire Cody Thompson agreed to share pics of his insanely original apartment and to answer a bunch of lame questions from my nosy ass. Check him out - it's always good to see where the creative magic happens.

Q: what inspires your art?

A: everything ever. seriously. but mostly nature and humans.

Q: what is the self-portrait flag made from? why was it made?

A: the flag is made from beads and sequins mostly, in the Haitian Vodoo tradition. google it! i made it for forever.

Q: i see a lot of collections - what is the significance? where did you acquire them?

A: i collect things, mostly textiles, cut paper, folk art, carved and painted wood and figures just 'cause i like them. i frequent thrift stores and flea markets.

Q: what is the signifcance of the Adidas tee in the display (which I love by the way)?

A: the ratty Adidas shirt used to get passed around between all my friends about 7 years ago. we all wore it to death. it was lost for a few years then was found by my friend's brother after cleaning out his room at his parents. the shirt was then lost again, in a field near the banks of a small fishin' hole. after a few weeks i saved it from the dirty bank, took it home and washed it. i found the case at the flea market and thought the old relic t-shirt made a great fit for it.

i recently made this pillow and am pretty proud of it.

Q: what inspires your house design?

A: i like saturated colors and bright light. i don't like cleaning.

some cut paper.

Q: what's with the plants on the window sill?

A: i got some nice little apothecary jars from a yard sale and was using them as lil' greenhouses to grow cotton in.

finally, my new pup.

If money has no meaning buy one of these!

If you're still spending countless hours stapling papers only to later regret the act -  these cool-as-shit staple removers might be right up your alley. At only $55, I can't think of a better purchase moneybags.

Are you talking to me?

Counterfitting for fun and profit

So you can't afford the $700 price tag of the uber-famous Ingo Maurer Lucellino lamp? Who can? But if you live in San Francisco you can afford a trip to Chinatown where a knock-off may just be the next best thing.  Pop out of packaging, add 9volt battery and fool everyone into thinking you have style. (We'll know the truth.)

All white walls are for mental institutions and MTV cribs

So your landlord sucks and won't let you paint any of your shiny personality onto his cliche
white walls? Well, with just a small amount of coin you can peel-n-stick your way towards a place that speaks to your uniqueness. Check Dvider's guest artist series for something more original than butterflies and flowers.

   

DIY - Turn your heartache into poetry (and fridge art)!

It's a universal fact: break-ups fucking suck. They worse than suck. They are heart-wrenchingly, expectation-shattering, mind-numbingly painful. You try and remember all the bad things about the person who broke your heart but images of the two of you running through a field of daisies keeps annoyingly popping in. Well, here is a project to help you remember that sometimes break ups can be a good thing.

                        6 simple steps for making your smooshed

                 soul laugh again (all while making fridge magnets).

Step One:  Take your therapists advice and make a relationship pros/cons list. Then, cross out the pros and add to the cons. Write down every horrible, wicked thought you've had since the big break. No matter how ridiculous or petty, being nice here won't score you any points. In fact, the more outrageous, the more you'll laugh and the better you'll feel.

Step Two:  Transfer to a computer program. Here we used InDesign. Make sure to include words like: He, She, We, is, had, and, a.  It will help your poetry flow like Wordsworth.

Step Three:  Choose a background color that matches your mood. Print on photo paper.

Step Four:  Unwrap Self-Adhesive Magnet Strip - Can be found at any hardware store.

Step Five: Attach magnetic strip to the back and cut strips to size.

Step Six:  Attach to fridge and make all the funny little sayings your brain was telling you all along anyway.  Have a little laugh and give yourself props for being creative. You'll live!

Groupies of the world - rest easy!

Thanks to Mod Cloth now you can sleep with the band without, you know, getting crabs and ruining your relationship. A simple solution to an age-old problem.

This coffee will kick your ass!

 

At last! British designers thabto have finally come up with an innovative solution for all the extra brass knuckles we Americans have lying around.