Bold, graphic and colorful, the ladybug is one well-designed insect. Whether you go literal, or evoke them with colors and forms, the ladybug offers plenty of bright ideas for kids' decor. Here are a few possibilities: 

It seems we're currently living in an era of the perpetually retro. There's always a fun spin on an old idea to be found, probably partly because the internet offers easy access to yesterday's imagery, sounds, and inspirations with just a few mouse clicks. When done well, a combination of good design and nostalgia is brought to life, and today I share some designs that I think embody the pixel perfect partnership between today and yesterday.

The name evokes both a place and a state of mind, and so goes the same for the newly opened hybrid shop tucked in the verdant hills of Echo Park (owners Rachel Berks and Marisa Suarez-Orozco also operate a graphic design business from within) where a curated selection of home, fashion, and personal wares span from the roughly hewn to precisely fashioned, natural to neon, worn to polished. Like the name implies, the diversity of color, pattern, and texture is wildly "other"...and wonderful.

To celebrate its launch, fashion and design marketing agency Flagship put together a pop-up shop that brings together products from many of the brands it represents. Named for the old Chinatown theater building the shop resides inside, Kim Sing Trading Company pop-up showcases European street wear lines like Weekend Offender, and quirky furniture design houses like RS Barcelona, but the short-run shop seems to mostly showcase Flagship's designer tech brands. 

I sort of laughed after reading about the motivation behind this project, a virtual aquarium its designers conceived as an "outlet to the persistent and inexplicable desire to poke at fish in a fish tank". 

It's such a pleasant phrase - particularly if you love rain like I do. I get more done on a day when it's raining - it inspires me to work hard on my world, while Mother Nature works hard on her own world.

We all love our pets but we don't always love all of the things that come along with them. Often it feels like you are limited to the generic supplies at the big box pet store or to the opposite extreme, overpriced supplies at posh boutique pet shops. Enter Etsy, the handmade marketplace is filled with quirky, stylish finds that won't break the bank and look good enough to leave out.

Over her years of travel as a stylist and interior designer, Melissa Newirth has been a casual collector of vintage textiles. The growing collection sparked a desire to turn the textiles into modern wares. Thus, Cloth & Goods, an online shop offering a mix of new and vintage textiles and home goods, was born.