I used to use these eraser shields every single day when creating final blueprints or technical drawings. I miss the idea of them more than the things themselves. There are many different variations on the cutouts and the size of the plates, but here are a few of the most common ones. Buy them here, and here.

The hot weather ushers in what I believe is perhaps the best part of summer — eating and drinking out of doors. That said, I don’t much like to use this platform to pitch my own products, so full disclosure: I designed these melamine tumblers quite a number of years ago. And, to my surprise and delight, they are still in production. I’d like to think it’s because they are simple and bright, don’t have any cartoon characters slapped on them, and mostly because they last. They are virtually indestructible. They come in two sizes: 8 oz. and 14 oz.  Available here.

I walked into the local health food store yesterday and thought there was some prerecorded bird track playing. One of those mixes that’s supposed to soothe the nerves. But after about 15 seconds I realized that the sound was coming from a closed cardboard box. When opened…this is what I saw. I practically jumped up and down. These little gals were en-route to a farm. I think they are pretty anxious to get out. If you look closely you’ll note some none-too-friendly pecking going on.

One of my favorite summertime meals is a calamari salad to which I have added bean thread noodles. They key element being the noodles themselves. And, they come in an eye-popping pink mesh bag. The closure consists of a red plastic ring and an orange rubberband. A lot of citrus fruits come packaged in those same types of bags. In part as a way to enhance the color of the fruit, which I find a little deceptive. Either way, I love the bags, and use the pink ones in particular instead of wrapping paper. I actually have one hanging on my wall because I love it so.

As a testimony to how these Dansk Kobenstyle pots, designed by Jens Quistgaard, have stood the test of time, just spend a few moments on ebay and you will find page after page of them for sale. My mother, always a sucker for bright colors and a huge lover of Scandinavian design — she painted our kitchen cabinets a bright orange when I was eleven — thankfully brought these into our home. If I recall, we had a big red dutch oven, and a low yellow casserole dish. Maybe some others. And a few years ago, in what was billed as one of the best gifts ever, a friend of mine gave me the robins-egg blue dutch oven. The most exciting moment is when you remove the lid and see the creamy white interior, with a thin black line at the edge that tells you what the thing is made of. Oh, and that beautiful lid is not for looks only: it’s the trivet! Finally tracked down this photo in order to give credit where credit is due: blueflowervintage.