Luckily, Beso has offered Design for Mankind readers just that: an entire new summer wardrobe valued at $500. I did a little virtual shopping and came up with my own dream collection above, and now it’s your turn! To enter:

1. Jump over to Beso.com and create your account.
2. Build a collection of your favorite items, then comment with a link to your collection below!

Sure, it takes a few minutes, but so does building the perfect summer wardrobe (actually, it only took me three Billy Joel songs before I’d built my dream collection!)!

I’ll choose a winner at random this Friday (May 25th). Go forth and e-shop, and a huge thanks to Beso for offering such a fantastic prize!!!

(Sorry, open to US residents only, 18 and older. Only one entry per person, please!)

01. Boom Boom — Rye Rye
02. Jumanji — Azealia Banks
03. Chuck Baby — Chuck Brown
04. Hot Girl — Dominique Young Unique
05. Breakaway — Donna Summer
06. Heavy Cross — Gossip
07. Shockwaves — Summer Girlfriends
08. Rill Rill — Sleigh Bells
09. Sides — Moneypenny
10. Heads Will Roll (A-Trak Remix) — Yeah Yeah Yeahs

LINK: 8TRACKS

1. Andy Martin’s strap chairs are vibrant, bold and oh so functional.
2. Anna Brown’s Chenoa blouse is perfectly poppy.
3. So proud of Amy’s latest book, So Pretty! Crochet. (And no, I totally don’t/can’t crochet.)
4. Can’t wait to kickstart this awesome iPad cover (it doubles as a dry erase board!)!
5. Congrats to Cat and Meg on their release of Mom, Inc. (and how cute is that trailer?)!
6. This Lego bathroom is insanity!

Enjoy your weekend and I’ll see you here Monday!:

Wanna know a secret?

That thing about yourself that you try to hide the most, the one that made you stand out (maybe not in a good way) in high school when fitting in was the only way to be? That thing that has always prevented you from feeling like you’re just like everyone else?

That thing is your spark and is also one of the secrets to you living your best life.

Great designers trend toward the radical and controversial. You can do this in your life too.

Own your crazy! It is what makes you shine.

IMAGE CREDIT: WORDS OVER PIXELS

So pretty, yes? It leaves just enough to the imagination, but allows for plenty of attention to detail. Perfect blend!

So yeah, the collection is wonderful (it’s Mary Katrantzou for Topshop), but what I’m really loving? The insane pattern explosion happening in the ads. Reminds me of my friend Bri’s style post! Love.

1. I think we’re all happily familiar with the lovely ARH and Hunter Gatherer. And Ashely Helvey’s Comme Ci, Comme Ca is already shaping up  to be equally pleasant, with it’s interviews and home tours, featuring minimal spaces and down-to-earth chats.

2. Hermine is a textile designer residing in a little Belgian village who’s blog, Joural de Jours, is equal parts soothing and inspiring.  The beauty she weaves in her side project Words for Strangers is a real joy, too — sweet, pretty notes left for strangers on their bikes? love it.

3.  I love stopping by V’s a butterfly in my hair for the beautiful images, inspiring poetry and quotes, interviews with other bloggers and makers, and the swaps (most recently a chocolate swap!)

What I love most about each of these spaces is how they encourage us to take our time with each visit, to be slower and more thoughtful in our absorption. I’m wishing the same inspiration to you all, and a lovely Thursday.

We’re heavy into nursery prep over here (only 10 weeks until the little one arrives!), so this week I’m sharing a sweet (super simple!) fruit crate turned toy chest.

Check out the tutorial at HGTV.com!

Turns out they’re a James Long design from last fall. Translation = way out of my budget, and more than likely no longer available. Perhaps a DIY is in order! (By the way, if you’re as in love with painterly prints as I am, you will love Amy Sia’s Painterly Print Pinterest board — enjoy!)

This week on MakeKind, it’s all about making napkin rings from supplies you’d find in the plumbing section of the hardware store. Who would have thought?:

MATERIALS // pvc coupling (found at your local hardware store), embroidery thread, tacky glue, scissors

 

STEPS // 01 CUT THREAD Choose a color of thread to start with and cut a piece at least 1 yard in length. The length will determine how wide of a stripe you will get on your napkin ring. (The longer the string, the wider the stripe). Put a small dot of glue on the inside of the coupling and adhere one end of the string to the glue.

02 // WRAP THE STRING Holding the end near the glue, start wrapping the string tightly around the coupling, making sure to cover any white spots. It’s also a good idea to wrap over the end you glued down to hide any seams.

03 // CHANGE COLORS Cut off another section of embroidery thread of a different color and wrap it right next to the previous color, going over the cut end of the previous color to hide any loose ends.

04 // CONTINUE WRAPPING Alternating colors and lengths of embroidery thread, continue wrapping around the coupling until you’ve covered the entire thing. Tuck in the last loose thread and let dry.