Madhouse Collection

Back in the day, we used to pull out plastic cups and white paper plates for our guest to use when we host parties. Now, with the creative minds of this generation...there has been an incredible revolution in the art of dinnerware. Madhouse brings the most beautiful, elegant designs to items that we often use. It's crazy to see how far we've come with the dinnerware design...and we are obsessed with what we found here.

We spotted Madhouse on Instagram and knew their collections were something we had to have. We chose the Lemonwood Collection, and couldn't be happier. They even have designer paper plates on top of their Melamine ones! And their utensils are designed to look like tree branches. Again, we are obsessed.

Feel free to serve bowls of confetti. We did. Really, we did.

And in case you're wondering, the above photos were shot with the prettiest wrapping paper from Target. Isn't it just gorgeous? It's a watercolor floral print that we wished was available as wallpaper!

For more, visit Madhouse's website! Promise you'll love them!

Twig Creative's Wooden Camera

We saw this wooden camera toy from Twig Creative on Anthropologie.com (run by Steve and Michelle) the other day, and we knew we had to have it. Even though it's a toy for kids, we can surely imagine it on our bookshelves in our office! We picked out the African Zebrawood one, but Twig Creative has the camera in other colors too that we adore.

The inspiration "Our happy, curly-haired little girl is one of the main inspirations for our shop and the products we make. We knew she would love playing with the newest technology, like all kids do; but we also wanted her to grow up playing with toys that encourage imagination, creativity, and that helped her develop her fine motor skills."

Their background "While Steve was going to school studying design, he worked as a carpenter. Beginning Twig was a natural step after graduation. The merger into wooden toys began because most traditional wooden toys are designed to look too crafty or old-fashioned. We wanted to make sure our products were different, contemporary and trendy. In fact, most of our toys are inspired by modern gadgets."

The response "One of the most rewarding parts of owning a small, handmade business is the feedback from buyers and supporters. They always seem to appreciate quality and craftsmanship. We also love seeing parents post photos of their little children with our product. Most of the parents appreciate the design and they say their children appreciate the product itself. It’s a win-win."

The goal "This last year has been quite exciting for us and we only hope to increase that excitement. We plan to expand our line and continue collaborating with various businesses and handmade artists."

And it turns out, Twig Creative is also a master at making furniture too (for our mini people), but it's okay adults...we'll make it work for all of us. Check back on our site soon, because we'll show you how we're going to display this wooden camera as decor!

Photographed by Roneil Chavez

A Letter from Fred

This summer, Green Shoe Studio in Peoria, Illinois launched an online singer/songwriter contest to work interactively with the talent in their community. Through the contest, they received a unique submission: a manila envelope containing a hand-written letter from a 96-year-old man, Fred Stobaugh, detailing his wonderful life spent with his recently departed wife, Lorraine. The envelope included lyrics for a love song written about Lorraine entitled “Sweet Lorraine,” with Fred explaining that he did not consider himself a musician.

Although the submission did not meet the criteria for the contest, Green Shoe Studio decided to turn Fred’s lyrics into a song by creating original music for “Sweet Lorraine” and recording it in the studio with professional singers... all for free.

As Jake Colgan, producer of Green Shoe Studio says, the recording studio’s mission is “to change the community, one dream at a time.” The song that the studio created, “Oh Sweet Lorraine,” is a beautiful tribute to the 75 years Fred and Lorraine spent together. Thanks to Green Shoe Studio, Fred’s enduring love for Lorraine lives on eternally through song.

If you cried, don't worry. We did too.

Written by Eunice Han