It is nice to stay inside on a cold winter weekend, wrap yourself in blankets and read some books…on the internet.  Google Books allows online access to public-domain works, books and other out-of-copyright material to be downloaded in PDF format. Google is scanning more than 3,000 books per day. Of the 7 million books scanned, 1 million are “full view”, 1 million are in the public domain / limited preview, and the remaining 5 million are no longer in print or commercially available.

November 28, 2008 by Designsquish

I wanted to check my yahoo e-mail and stumbled upon yahoo top ten green do-it-youself suggestions.  They are really fun. They include:  Gardening gift certificate, paper gifts made from junk mail, homemade infused vodka, homemade IPhone case, tickets to a local event and a subscription to Ready Made Magazine. My favorite is homemade infused vodka.  Here is a recipe from yahoo:  Find organic fruit, herbs, spices, or peppers at the farmers market (or your garden) and soak them a bottle of vodka (organic also, if possible). In two weeks or less, you’ll have a flavored treat for holiday cocktail parties. *
*(My own addition to the recipe:  You can also infuse vodka with pepper, horseradish and even pickle.  There are a lot of different ways to infuse vodka in Russian tradition. I am definitely drinking homemade spicy dill pickle infused vodka for the holiday!)
Recipe for Spicy Dill Pickle Vodka:
1 bottle of vodka
2 cucumbers
1 jalapeno pepper
6 cloves of garlic
sprigs of fresh dill

by Designsquish

This pillow is made out of vintage cotton handkerchiefs.  I found it on Etsy and it is by an artist and designer Flyingrhymes. Have you ever wondered why nobody uses colorful handkerchiefs anymore?  When I was growing up in Russia there was no Kleenex.  I don’t know whether it was better or worse. 

November 25, 2008 by Designsquish

This is the most stylish EV I’ve seen! This car is called Myers Motors NmG (NmG stands for “No more Gas,” haha.  It gets 30 miles to the charge and goes over 70 mph. sadly, you will have to charge batteries for 3-5 hours and it costs twenty five thousand dollars.

by Designsquish

Dan of Kreepy Doll Factory have been making dolls out of old t-shirts and fabric scraps.  Every doll is unique.
The one on the left is the Night Man - “Living shadow found roaming in the dark of night” . One on the right is the Flying Red Hot Dog - “Mysterious winged weiner seen in the skies over downtown”. haha.

November 23, 2008 by Designsquish

Great way to restore old chairs!
&MADE is one of the UKs freshest consultancies for ethically conscious contemporary design. Located in a former mid 20th Century doss house overlooking a tributary of the River Thames, they have grown from their birth in 2005 into an award winning studio, working in product, furniture and spatial design. With an extensive knowledge of materials and manufacturing processes and a background of new technologies and engineering , &made demonstrate a unique creative process, with a commitment to conscious design. One that has been recognised by the Design Museum, MoMA and Terrence Conran.

by Designsquish

Algae fuel is a biofuel from algae. Algae can produce more oil in an area the size of a two-car garage than a football field of soybeans.  Algal fuel does not impact fresh water resources, and can use wastewater or even saltwater.  With increasing oil prices, competing demands between foods and other biofuel sources and the food crisis, there is much interest in farming algae.  (Bill Gates already invested, how about you ? ) The United States Department of Energy states that if algae fuel replaced all the petroleum fuel in the United States, it would require 15,000 square miles (40,000 square kilometers), which is a few thousand square miles larger than Maryland, or 1.3 Belgiums. This is less than 1/7th the area of corn harvested in the United States in 2000.

November 21, 2008 by Designsquish

  The Persimmon originated in China and is cultivated in different parts of the world.  It turns out that the American Persimmon variety s native to the eastern United States.  Apparently it grows from New England to Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. The tree has been cultivated for its fruit and wood since prehistoric times by Native Americans, although American Persimmon is still fairly common wild in some areas. Although, in many regions the species is becoming scarce these days.  NatureServe lists Diospyros virginiana (American Persimmon) as Critically-Imperiled in Connecticut and Iowa, and Imperiled in New York. Officially the species is listed as Threatened in New Jersey and of Special Concern in Connecticut.
See distribution map.
I suggest planting a persimmon tree. 

November 20, 2008 by Designsquish

The “vertical planter” is a re-designed drain system where rainwater gets captured in the upturned branches. All kinds of moss and grass seeds will eventually sprout in the upturned branches - planters and make the city even more green.  In Seattle, where it rains a lot, this idea is very compelling.

by Designsquish

Isn’t it amazing how everybody can send greeting cards through internet nowadays?  This artwork is by CHARLEY HARPER.  Happy fall and winter season!

- Ana

November 19, 2008 by Designsquish

I love going on flickr and finding photographs of places I want to visit or move to and then marking them favorite. 
To view my favorites go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/anastasia_ugorskaya/favorites/

- Ana

by Designsquish

Brooklyn-based designer Sarah Cihat scours garage sales and thrift shops, looking for ceramics that she can give a second life to. She takes the discarded dishware and reglazes it, turning old and frumpy cast-offs into fun, funky, artful dishes. Fond of the silhouette, most of her work features animals, people and things like anchors and skull-n-crossbones in colorful contrast the ceramics’ new glaze; says the designer, “Each piece represents a rejection of more brand new products filling shelves and storage closets. Rehabilitated Dishware is a subtle statement of the importance of recycling and the renewed value of unwanted things.” - from Treehugger

November 18, 2008 by Designsquish

This magazine was found on garage sale.  This issue is special because it is a manifesto of this magazine.  It tells you issue by issue about how to “Get out of the City and Back to the Land”  .  The topics include: laying out a homestead, building a small barn, fish pond in the backyard, buying a place in the country as well as “Part-time Farm Pays for Itself”, “A Good Garden with Less Work”, “Earning Money in the country” and “Dwarfing Fruit Trees and Berries”.

by Designsquish

This is a large terranium that has slow growing moss and tiny ceramic mushrooms in it. The mushrooms are crafted by Mudpuppy. These mushrooms are adorable!
  Terranium requires very little care, just leave it in a room with bright indirect sunlight. Water every 2-3 weeks and whatever you do don’t over water! This little jar will take care of itself. - MadebyMavis  I never thought of growing moss as an inside plant but now that I think of it is a great idea. I love moss.  It is nice to find large flat beds of moss on the forest floor and take a nap on.  I heard you can put moss in the freezer and nothing will happen to it - you can replant it whenever you want.

by Designsquish

Have you ever felt bad for the numerous broken umbrellas during the storm? You do not have to anymore!
They all can be turned into a bag! Yes Yes.

taken from FIFTYRX3, a blog about style and sustainability by Jill Danyelle.
(“fiftyRX3 was a project in style and sustainability. It consisted of a photo documentary of what Jill Danyelle wore everyday for a year with a goal of averaging fifty percent sustainability based on the environmental mantra ‘reuse, reduce, recycle’. There was also exploration into the relationship we have with our clothing and how others perceive who we are through what we wear.)

November 17, 2008 by Designsquish

Cog and Pearl in Park Slope, Brooklyn carries these wallets made from recycled old leather jackets. Each wallet is one of a kind but made from black leather only. In Cog and Pearl you can find plenty of handmade items including jewelry, personal and home accessories, apparel, fine art as well as books, cards and “the occasional uncategorizable but gotta-have-it thing”

by Designsquish

Vancouver based designer Ashley Watson handcrafts her one-of-a-kind leather products using exclusively recycled material. She began designing handbags with recycled leather in early 2005, inspired by the original features of jackets purchased from charity thrift stores. She ultimately incorporates these features, such as pockets and seams, into each unique bag or wallet design.

With an extensive background in studio art, Ashley brings an innovative and environmentally sound approach to fashion design, creating products that are practical, sophisticated, and, above all, distinctive.

A native of British Columbia, Ashley holds a degree in Fine Arts from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. After studying fashion design in Vancouver, Ashley interned at Libertine in New York City. Upon her return to Vancouver, she worked as a jewelry designer before founding Ashley Watson Recycled Leather in 2006.

Ashley Watson Recycled Leather bags and wallets are now sold online and in stores across North America, and will soon be available in select stores in Europe. 

by Designsquish

I love the Rebecca and Drew new website and sustainability mission.
You can reuse this bag as many times you want as well as draw your own design on it and fill in the words in the statement!

by Designsquish

How hard is it to organize a community garden, promote energy efficiency and make a city to place benches alongside your main neighborhood street?  Really hard.  SUSTAINABLE FLATBUSH is an organization based in Flatbush area of Brooklyn that emerged from neighbors desiring changes.  It has been responsible for such projects as a Parking Day, Flatbush Community Garden and Flatbush Electronics Recycling. 

November 10, 2008 by Designsquish

Me and Paul have been fond of PERCH bird feeder and planter that are made of white earthenware. 
P.S (Their website is so cute!!)

by Designsquish

Forest is so nice…

October 17, 2008 by Designsquish

Diana Sudyka’s watercolors are amazing.  A lot of her drawings and watercolors are of birds and animals. She makes high quality, limited edition archival inkjet prints of her works on sustainable, archival, bamboo paper. 

September 10, 2008 by Designsquish

I found this juicer design on Design Boom blog.  The design is composed of a ceramic teapot used as a citrus squeezer/drinks pitcher. - Design Boom

August 19, 2008 by Designsquish

I like this drawing of New York trees by Katie Holten.  Just in case to let you know, there are not a lot of trees in New York City, so these are probably from New York state. Katie Holten was born in Dublin and curreltly lives and works in New York. Katie makes drawings, installations, sculptures and public art projects which are focused on the relationship between the individual and her environment.

July 15, 2008 by Designsquish

*above: Houses in Victorian Ditmas Park




*above:  Russian village style houses

Ditmas Park is a very old Victorian neighborhood located in Brooklyn, New York.  Sometimes it is called Victorian Flatbush or West Midwood.  It is filled with old Sycamore trees and vines and consists of many smaller ~2 ~3 block neighborhoods such as Caton Park, Ditmas Park West, Prospect Park South, Albermarle-Kenmore Terrace, West Midwood, Fiske Terrace and e.t.c .  Walking in Ditmas Park makes me feel like I am not in New York City but somewhere in the country side or a small village in Russia.
New York Magazine has an article about Ditmas Park called “Because Ditmas Park Is the New San Francisco”. (!!!!!)  Indeed, one can find similarities of Ditmas Park houses, Painted Ladies of San Francisco and Russian style village houses.



*above: Painted Ladies in San Francisco
*to read a full New York Magazine article on Ditmas Park :

July 08, 2008 by Designsquish

Kako Ueda is one of my favorite artists that composes extremely detailed and intricate artwork by cutting paper.  Craft of composing images by cutting paper exists in many cultures, especially Japan, where Kako Ueda is from.  Kako is interested in organic beings such as animals, plants, people, insects and how they are modified by culture.  In Kako Ueda’s cutouts I see outlines of flowers and organic shapes that belong to cultures and subcultures of different time periods - tattoos, deers, skulls, as well as Art Deco flower patterns, flowers executed in Victorian style. 

December 04, 2007 by Designsquish

Saved by the Sun is an educational film/program that probes how innovative technologies, new business models, increasing financial incentives, and a growing grassroots commitment to solving the climate crisis are driving a renaissance in solar energy around the world. The film is about an hour long and is divided into six chapters.  For ex, chapter four is about Germany’s renewable energy through financial incentives.
Watch Saved by the Sun here:  Saved by the Sun. 
Watch chapter four of the film by clicking the image below:

December 01, 2007 by Designsquish

Beautiful laundry arrangement drying in the sun in Brooklyn near Cortelyou Rd station, Q line.

November 01, 2007 by Designsquish

Tim Knowles makes drawings by making trees do all the drawing….Drawings are produced by attaching drawing implements to the tips of tree branches so
the wind’s effects on the tree get recorded on paper.  It is amazing how each drawing is different.  Each tree reveals its different qualities and characteristics through the drawing.  Willow’s drawing is soft and with a lot of spider-web looking lines. Pine’s drawing has sharp angles and points.  It is interesting how “willow drawing” means not only somebody’s drawing of a willow but a drawing done by a willow. Hahahahaa….

June 17, 2007 by Designsquish

“Before him was the brilliant sky, below, the lake, and all around the horizon, bright and boundless, which had no end.  He gazed a long time and agonized.  He remembered now how he had stretched out his arms to that bright, infinite blueness, and cried.. What tortured him was that he was an utter stranger to all this.  What was this feast, what was this grand, everlasting festival to which there was no end, and which he could never manage to get in on.  Every morning the same bright sun rises, every morning there is a rainbow at the waterfall; every evening the very highest snowy mountain, there, in the distance, at the edge of the sky, glows with a purple flame; every “little bitty fly that buzzes about him in the hot ray of sunshine has its part in the chorus: knows its place, loves it and is happy”; every blade of grass grows and is happy! And everything has its path, and with a song goes forth, and with a song returns; only he knows nothing, and understands nothing, neither men nor sounds; he is a stranger to everything and an outcast”

April 02, 2007 by Designsquish