if you're happy and you know it, clap your hands

way back before the turn of the century (zoiks!), i had a really cool psych class. we had a daily writing assignment that turned out to be pretty sweet. i was just thinking about how grateful i am to have experienced it. every now and again, when i get into a funk, it's a good thing to go back to.

the assignment was to write down ten things that made you happy each night before you fell asleep. so, reflect on your whole day and jot down the happies. it wasn't as easy as i thought it would be. i would get caught up in so many negative things (a-holes in general, road rage, finances, stress, guilt, feeling shameful for being mad about something straight up annoying, WORK, whatevs) i had to train myself to recognize and acknowledge things that made me happy. it was a struggle to think of five. and pretty much the whole class had the same experience at first. it's a pretty enlightening exercise.

at any rate, try it. especially if you're like me and you have about a million sweet notebooks that deserve to be filled with lovely things. one day you can look back at your chronicle of happiness and add THAT to your happy list.

apartment for the skies.

gitta gschwendtner has created a living animal wall with houses for

1000 birds and bats. all lucky birds and bats get to be neighbors with the humans in the highrise.

read more at the bbc

fluttered at substudio

the coolest name in the world.

gorgeously integrated works by portuguese artist vhils.

vhils real name is alexandre farto.

sketched at wooster

the golden strand.

pimp pendant lamps from louis poulsen

descended from design sponge

autotune the cats.

nice knockers

if we didn't plan on repalcing our door, i would buy this foxy little number right now.

via design*sponge

falling for you

cider mill donuts. roasted sweet corn from the farmers market. bright orange leaves. football. tights. cashmere. scarves. soft layers. apple pie. ding! ding! ding! all things fall is right!

i know it's early. i know this. regardless, as a prelude to the OFFICIAL season change, i couldn't resist honoring fall with the return of my frye boots. they've been waiting patiently allllll summer. it's not often i forfeit jean day with a dress but when nature calls (62 degrees, for pete's sake), i answer. and for the first time in months i'm not shiverrrrring in an over-air conditioned office. this might be my go-to for casual fall days. and for $15 a pop, i can practically get this dress in every color.

supreme awesomenicity.

if i had a brother, his name would be steve seeley

tipped off by rotofugi

skin.

incredible sculptures from sam jinks.

a ridiculous level of detail and reality.

grown at subtext

the flutter of felt and fabric.

incredibly dark and captivating birds by ann wood.

spied on reduced figuration

fuzzy bones.

felted skulls and deformed animals?

so. damn. awesome.

you rule stephanie metz.

better than quarters.

fifty state animal paintings by amy ruppel

she's also done all the birds...

pocketed at apartment therapy.

nice bootie

let's break this down. he's blue. he's ceramic. he's old as mud. bending over. wearing a bow. and booties. he's antique. he's a freak. and since arriving at our humble abode, he has green onions re-growing from a hole on the bump of his rump. joy!

confused? me too. but i love him.

the chemicals between us.

the gorgeous toxic pools of osarizawa mine.

and an apartment complex at an abandoned sulfur mine

hauntingly beautiful and very LOST-y. where's the smoke monster?

dug up at io9

milk. milk. lemonade.

reformed from a traditional british milk bottle. well, aren't you clever little darling? "keep refrigerated" still lives along the bottom. what shall we fill this mighty jug with? we could try filling it with other great ideas from it's designer sheldon cooney, but they would likely overflow.

found on manos.

nature loves technology.

the cell cycle by nervous system.

an unbelievable jewelry line created on a 3d printer.

just jaw-dropping.

uncovered at notcot.