The simple play of light and shadow can be so mesmerizing. This new shadow projecting lamp from Brooklyn based Lumen uses a flock of birds to create it’s beautiful shadow play. Measuring a wee 5″ x 2.5″, the shadows it projects get larger as you move the lamp away from the wall. It makes a great conversation piece for living room display, yet I envision placing them on a nightstand (or uber sleek Lumen shelf). I’d just love to have my own flock of birds next to my bed And since it’s oil powered, there are no power cords to tie it down and no electricity being used. This lamp is (almost) free as a bird…
$47.99

Related: Lumen “cedar tree” lamp & Lumen “bloom” lamp

It was many months ago that I randomly discovered ibride. They were featured on several design blogs and I instantly fell in love with their line of ornate wall art trays. Since they were seemingly everywhere at the time, I didn’t bookmark any online stores. Of course the name ibride quickly slipped from my memory and I have spent the last few months keeping en eye peeled for those gorgeous baroque flourishes and collages of anthropomorphic animals. Quite a hybrid of style, eh? In fact, the name ibride is actually a play on words that is meant to represent “hybrid”. The company consists of 4 French relatives, Rachel, Benoit, and Carine, who I wish I could find more info about online. Their official website is in French and is Flash based so it doesn’t lend well to translating. Anybody know more about them?

Their stunning art trays come in 3 different themes; vintage ladies, animals in nature, and hybrid human/animals attired in exquisite vintage clothing. The imagery is simply amazing, but it’s the colors that really grab me: brooding, muted shades with splashes of vivid color. Everything they make is truly a hybrid of modern and classic. Better still, the laminated trays are made from a recycled wood core!

And lest I forget to mention their newer offerings: furniture shaped like the lower half of an animal. The Basset Stool and Dog Stool (both shown above) are available in black or red. Joe the Polar Bear book shelf measures nearly 4′ tall and is super limited edition.

All but 4 of the trays offered at Burke Decor include Free Shipping in the USA.

Blik Surface Graphics provides awesome designs that we can easily affix to our walls, tables, mirrors, and other flat surfaces. Plus they are easily removable so it doesn’t ruin the surface it was once adhered to. They have many different designs to fit many decor styles, but I’m a big fan of bringing nature into our homes. My favorite nature inspired graphics is the 7.00 Wall Graphic which comes with seperate branches, branch nodes, leaves, and birds so you can arrange it all however you like. I really appreciate the modular setup Blik has with their wall stickers so the customer has more creative freedom with their decor. Buy some for your own place, or send them as a gift, either way they will surely bring a smile to those who get to enjoy them daily.

Other nature inspired wall stickers by Blik:

Flying Birds

Undersea Theme

Retro Googie Nature

When you are looking for eco-friendly gifts Gaiam has a great selection of lifestyle products for those with a green heart. Right now, until the end of January they are having the Gaiam Green Sale 2008 with lots of organic bedding options up to 25% off their regular prices. Choose from organic cotton, organic hemp, and even organic buckwheat for proper spinal alignment and comfort.

BONUS COUPON: Get $10 off a $50+ purchase. Just use Coupon Code AP2P during checkout. Expires January 31st, 2008.

Organic is one of our passions at Mable’s, and we’re always on the lookout on how we can help spread the word. I don’t want to play the fear card, but just stating the statistics is a scary thought. We’ve brought these up before, but it’s worth mentioning again. Did you know that about 1/3 pound of chemicals are used to grow and manufacture just 1 pound of cotton? And did you know that conventionally grown cotton is the most chemically treated crop in the world, using 1/4 of all toxic chemical pesticides produced each year?

We lay our bodies on our sheets about a third of our lives, which, from my point of view, is too much time spent with the most chemical-laden crop in the world. Thanks to the many online retailers soft organic sheets are an affordable nightly luxury that we should all enjoy.

Right now Gaiam is having an Organic Sheet Sale with prices as low as $40 per sheet. They also carry attractive printed organic sheets vs the standard solid white most retailers carry.

Viva Terra carries organic Pima cotton sheet sets in queen and king, as well as organic Duvet Covers. If you are in need of other sizes I’d head over to Design Public for their organic full fitted and flat sheets.

For the little ones, who probably benefit most from chemical-free sheets, Kee-Ka carries organic cotton baby bedding in solid colors and delicious cupcake patterns. Pair the sheets together with an organic blanket and your baby should be all set.

A few years ago I purchased a star projector toy, imagining and hoping that it would transform my bedroom into my very own planetarium. Like many people, stars and starlight have always held a special fascination for me. Who doesn’t enjoy stargazing every now and then? Those teeny twinkling specks of light remind us of the enormity of the galaxy, and are just so beautiful to behold. Well, imagine my disappointment when said child’s toy failed to create anything resembling a sky full of stars. Instead I saw blurry smears over a small section of my ceiling. I packed up the plastic hunk of junk, returned it to the manufacturer, and wondered if I would ever get that starlit bedroom that I so dreamed of.

Fast forward a few years and someone finally got it right! The Laser Star Projector is not a toy and promises to “fill any room from the tiniest bedroom to the largest warehouse with a crystal clear animated star display“. Yes, it’s animated, too! You’ll see thousands of green laser stars and blue clouds (along with the occasional shooting star) that are constantly moving and morphing. Everyone who sees it in person supposedly has an OMG moment, and I can’t wait to try it out for myself.

OK, I may not have a jetpack or servant robot yet, but this kind of technology will pacify me for now.

Also available @ Think Geek

$189 (with Free Shipping @ Perpetual Kid)

These new chandeliers make me want to redecorate my whole house. The nouveau baroque look makes a perfect contrast to the predominately black coloring. It reminds me a bit of something you’d see at Urban Outfitters, but with more sophisticated details: kind of a gothic Marie Antoinette vibe. In the past, chandeliers had a stuffy feel to them, usually looking appropriate only in really swanky rooms. Today a contemporary chandelier or chandelette can create a soft, casual atmosphere similar to candlelight. A black chandelier would make an amazing focal point for any room and can bring out the beauty of your existing decor.

If black lighting isn’t your style, never fear: Gigglebrush offers many other styles and colors, including pink chandeliers and scones. They offer “couture lighting” with quality materials such as leaded crystal, glass and solid brass components, so your gorgeous lighting will stay that way.

$128-$358

JUNE 1 UPDATE: Use coupon code AWESOMER to get an extra 10% off all sale items. Good until June 3, 2007 at Midnight EST.

I love extended sales. They always seem to show up during 3 day weekends… like this Urban Outfitters Memorial Day Sale! Through June 4th, UO has just about every other product on their site marked down to awesomely low prices- clothes, shoes, accessories, swimwear, decor items, gifts- you name it, it’s on sale (and a lot of it for at least 40% off). Plus, you know the deal with Urban Outfitters’ website versus their retail stores: lots of exclusive items. It’s like they’re encouraging us to stay home and shop in our skivvies. Well, UO, if you insist…

Has your child suddenly become interested in pirates and wants to decorate his entire room to look like he just stepped onto the deck of the legendary Black Pearl? (Heck, I want that, too.) Well maybe a hand painted treasure map sign with his name on it would ease his hankerings. It’s personalized with your child’s name and comes at a price any pirate could plunder in half a days work.
$35

Now let’s try a test. Ask your 5 year old what she wants more: a fantastical child-sized pirate ship playhouse… or a college education. Seriously though, if you have the money, this Posh Tots exclusive handcrafted playhouse is going to make a whole neighborhood of kids insanely happy. As the price tag assumes, this is a movie-quality structure that’s got 2 levels, a crow’s nest, sleeping quarters, and it looks amazing. If it was a little bigger, I’d be saving up to get one for myself.
$52,000

If all this talk of kid’s pirate bedrooms has sparked your imagination, then try your hand at entering the pirate contest at Home & Bedroom Furniture. They want you to describe, in 100 words or less, what a real pirate’s bedroom would look like. Winner gets a Pirates of the Caribbean bedding set. What if your bedroom decor is all ready chosen? Why, create a pirate bathroom, of course!

Get up to 50% off at Hammacher Schlemmer’s private online sale. Why is it called a private sale? Because they don’t have any links to it on their own site. You have to be lucky enough (that’s you!) to find the links elsewhere.

We’ve blogged about why bamboo fabrics are so desirable before and now their bamboo sheets are on sale at almost half the regular price. Be aware that these have limited quantities, and when they’re gone, the sale is over.

Another item worth mentioning in their private sale is the iPod t-shirt with built in iPod pocket and headphone tunnel. Great for those who want to listen to their music while they work out and not have the earphones or MP3 player get in their way.