The French curves shown here are mine, and rarely used anymore. It makes me a little sad to think that’s the case because there is a certain joy and artfulness to using them. And more specifically, using them well. What got me to thinking about these was a quote I heard yesterday from a guy who manually charts the stock market. He said that “By doing something, you end up studying it.” And that pretty much holds true for drawing curves. Sometimes it’s a real struggle to get the curve you want and to make it fluid. And in that struggle, there is often an answer to the design.

I just wanted to show off what I thought was one of the best birthday presents ever! 2 dozen pencils — 12 Black Warriors (the name alone makes me feel invincible when I draw) and 12 newly reissued Blackwings. The jury is still out on the Blackwings, in part because I am continuing to process their decision to remove the tag line that used to be printed on the pencils themselves: Half the Pressure, Twice the Speed.

Simple, clean and the most durable solution I’ve seen to date for kitchen storage. These metal enameled canisters with ash wood lids, designed by the women behind the Viennese studio Dottings, are so nice and so practical! Keep in mind that while these are indeed opaque, you can easily write on the surface so that you know what’s inside. I came across these while I was wandering around vineet kaur’s tumblr blog. Photos by Christina Häusler.

I am often amazed at how much subtle variation exists within a single product. There is obviously an entire industry surrounding the manufacture of these little plastic bag closures. Some friends of mine knew I was forming a little pile of them and presented me with a bag full the other night.

Who DOESN’T love Kiosk!?? Owner Alisa Grifo curates small collections of everyday items that she finds on her travels around the world (and from here at home) and sells them in her NYC shop. These miniature stencils from Mexico will mean that you always have some lettering skills at the ready.