Green Trace

Innovo
2010

Seedlings in the tray of this pseudo-stand are grown by the used umbrellas that drip dry atop it.

Innovo, the Chinese design collective, describes Green Trace as such:

Random movements of people could influence easily life circumstances.The Chinese ancient philosophy believes that respecting the principle of nature is how humans are able to survive in this world. If the human habits follow the law of nature, they can be embodied in the products through kinds of phenomenon. When a design conforms to the natural habit of human, the product will have more vitality.

Translation: Best Umbrella Stand Ever.

Carnation

Holly Coulis
2011

When I saw this,


I immediately thought this:

When I met my friend, Lauren, for brunch last year, I brought her a peony from outside my building. The best way to tote it around was in this bottle of water. Set beside the restaurant's table piece, our resourcefulness at once signified poor etiquette but a hell of a lot of charm.

Depleting 89 marker pens that I received on the occasion of entering the computer age

Toril Johannessen
2008

Depleting is nice. Everything that could be done was done, and look what came of it.

Prelude

Michal Kohút
2009

If sounds of nature must be disturbed by anything, let it be this. Czech artist Michal Kohút set a xylophone underneath roofs, gutters, and trees, letting the melting snow strike the bars however they fell.

Armada

Jessie Henson
2009

Found paintings of schooners on the open sea meet at each one's horizon. Individually, they boast the vastness of the sea, the fresh air, calm, and occasional bout of danger. Edging the perimeter of this angular space, they suggest a time line of fallen ships, regaling cavalier notions of survival and a flat planet.

Janelle Monáe Rocks To Lauryn Hill & Kanye West

2011

Magical Monáe filled a Toronto club with soul.

I wish I was there.

Flower Tree

Matt Wedel
2010

Messy, meticulous, and gorgeous all in one. This makes me miss working with clay.

Wedel is offering this piece through the GlobalGiving eBay project/store "Handmade for Japan". 100% of the final selling price will be donated to help raise relief funds for Japan.