We're enjoying the holidays with the family, hope everyone has a Merry Christmas.

I don't have kids, but if I did I would love for them to have cool toys like this pull-along zebra from Giggle. This high-quality, high-value toy is made from 100% organic rubberwood and is only $22. I'd consider that a pretty good deal for such a fun, modern, and sustainable toy! "This black-and-white striped pal is sure to get your little mover and shaker up and walking! An extra fun detail: when you pull the zebra, the head nods up and down. Plus, it's made from replenishable wood and it's also safe, sturdy, nontoxic, and environmentally friendly for a toy you can feel good about."

Check out more innovative, responsible, high-value toys from Giggle.com from $5 - $300.

If you happen to have any money leftover after the holidays, check out the sales over at ReproDepot (my favorite online fabric store!) They have fabrics that would be perfect for that chair you've been meaning to re-upholster, or those pillows you wanted to make six months ago, or those roman shades you thought would be easy to do yourself - but still haven't done. They carry a lot of really awesome fabrics, including designs from Marimekko, which are on sale now from about 20% - 50% off. So go pick up some fabric and get going on those projects!

Fantastic Fabrics from ReproDepot on sale starting at $4/yard.

I found this awesome lucite candle holder while perusing the holiday section of 2modern and had to share. I love the look and versatility of this pie ce - the unique design of these lucite and aluminum candle holders allows them to stand alone, be stacked for height or connected for length. Even cooler than this customizable candelabra is the dainty price it carries. A set of three is only 20 bones! So if you're looking for a centerpiece that packs some serious design oomph, head on over to 2modern now!

Tri-Candle Holder Set by BOOM available from 2modern for $20.

Here is a great little history lesson on some great Mid-Century heritage; Bauhaus.

It's been a busy week over at UtahModern.org this week. Ron from the Green Ant announced that he will be moving his store downtown, Laine blogged about some new affordable modern doors that he finished up, and Liam blogged about the great deal he got at Ikea on some Sorbo doors. I also posted about a great local modern warehouse sale that is still ongoing. The rumor on the block is that there are some great deals to be had. In addition, our introductions group is starting to pick up. If you are local, make sure you head on over to see what else you have been missing.

I love the holidays. Everyone is happy, the use of glitter is legitimized, and there are always awesome giveaways! Check out 2Modern's 12 Days of Holiday Sweepstakes for free goodies from notNeutral, Blu Dot, and Wallter, to name a few. Each day is a new chance to win! I'm super stoked about the Bird's Feet Pillow from Balanced Design (up for grabs on December 17th!) Which prize do you have your heart set on? FREE stuff from 2Modern - 12 Days of Holiday Sweepstakes

Lets admit it, when winter comes sometimes there is noting better than coming out of the cold to a nice hot drink. If it's cold enough the best part is just warming up your hands on the mug. These gorgeous Radiator mugs designed by Stephen Reed are made just for that. The fins disperse the heat and help prevent your hands from getting too hot. The mugs are made of white bone china and look absolutely stunning. Available at Zinc Details for $27. Via Remodelista

I am in love, LOVE, with the beautiful 8-bit/pixel art by Craig D. Adams, aka superbrothers. It's a refreshing contrast to the current hyper-real, 3-D, CGI aesthetic. Adams, who works out of Toronto, has created lovely little pixel illustrations for such clients as WIRED Magazine, ESPN, and the New York Times, to name a few. Watch as his blocky figures come to life in this video for musician Jim Guthrie:

If you're feeling a twinge of nostalgia, stop by Adams' website to get your 8-bit kick and then head over to his shop for prints and tees!

Pixel art with heart available from $17 - $30.

If you are a procrastinator like me, you still haven't gotten your Christmas decorations up. We are vowing to go and get a Christmas tree tonight and pump a little more festivity into our little home. The good news is that there are tons of modern Christmas ornaments and decorations on sale right now. When it comes to modern Christmas decorations I like to keep it simple. Here are a couple of ones I've got my eye on; (starting top left) orange on clear moroccan ornament ($4.95) and clear glass bubble balls ($1.95 - $3.95) from CB2, white modern Christmas tree ($41.40) and beaded branch stocking ($11) from West Elm, Ikea KALLT 18 pack of assorted straw stars ($4.99) and Christmas tree mat with lighting ($4.99) and silver bells ($4.99). When I was at Ikea last Friday I noticed that all their decorations were on sale. I am kicking myself for not having picked any up.

Some great history and video of the works of one of modern architectures most influential architects Mies van der Rohe.

I take my lunch to work every day. I guess I am totally spoiled to have a wife that is an amazing cook, and the idea of having to get something less than amazing isn't too appealing. Because I am always toting my own food around I have a mild obsession with lunch boxes, especially bento style ones that are all compact. That coupled with my love of baby blue makes me a complete sucker for this Oots lunch box. This little kit contains 4 bpa free, microwave safe (my microwave ate my last bento) containers that all fit together in a little traveling case. There is even a place for your drink (Klean Kanteen shown but not included). Sign me up! Available from Delight from $35-$45.

if you are looking for a good easy craft project to do, look no further than Swiss Miss. Tina posted a fun little project yesterday called Swiss Miss alpenglow. You basically just have to download the template, get handy with your exacto, add a little tea light and you'll have a great little alpenglow of your your own. I love projects like this that are cheap, easy, and look great when they are done.To get the the templates you need, head over to Swiss Miss

I am really loving these playful ceramic pieces by Circa Ceramics. Based in Chicago, Circa Ceramics is a collaborative effort between the brilliant duo Nancy Pizarro and Andy Witt. Together, they create fun and functional dishware, cylinders, bowls, and magnets - or as they say, 'porcelain goodies for the adventurous entertainer'. These pieces are sure to add some excitement to your dinner table or that perfect pop of color you've been looking for. More about Circa Ceramics:

Circa Ceramics is a two-person (Andy Witt & Nancy Pizarro) studio that came to be in the fall of 1999, when we began designing a line of tableware with an emphasis on functionality, color, and fun. Our specialties lie in the shape design and the decoration - consistent, usable shapes with the liberty to mix and match the ware with regards to design elements and color. We hope you find our ware exciting to look at, as well as useful! We continue to create pieces in our north-side Chicago studio, and our work is available to the masses primarily through Etsy,art festivals and the occasional open studio weekend.

One of a kind, handmade ceramics from Circa Ceramics from $8 - $350.

I'm a big fan of Alexander Girard and his folk/modern graphic design style. That's why I'm super excited to see that Design Public has a new series of Alexander Girard prints on maple plywood panels. This is the first time since 1972 that these graphics have been available specifically as wall art. Each one is printed using water-based inks on Columbia Forest Products US made, formaldehyde-free plywood panels. The panels measure 14" x 14" and will put you back $89. These would look equally wonderful in a child's room, or a more adult space.

Alexander Girard wall prints available from Design Public for $89.

I'm a huge fan of abstract painting. I love how it distills everything to basic ideas of color, line, or form, often resulting in wonderfully textured surfaces. I could stare at abstract works for hours, always finding or feeling something new. If you feel similarly enchanted, then let me tell you about Donald Budd, whose work I am really in love with. Recently making the jump from graphic design to painting (which is no surprise - he received his BFA in painting and drawing and then his MFA in drawing), Don's abstract paintings are undeniably inspired by the world around him. Currently residing in southern Utah, Don finds great inspiration in the nearby landscapes: "I try to capture the essence of a moment in time - that brief emotional high one experiences as the earth's spirit comes alive. The environment has been most influential on my work. I have been moved by the power of storms - rain, wind, floods, dust, fire. Likewise the subtle beauty of a morning mist, a dusty haze, the sun highlighting a solitary form. The complexity of our environment - the vast array of colors, textures, lines, shapes, forms - and how they interact with one another has been my main influence. How we become part of that magnificent world is crucial to our survival. The power of natural forces are unparalleled yet man has this uncanny ability to invade, destroy, erase, obliterate, develop, overdevelop and leave his mark. The works on paper have many layers of acrylic washes built one upon the other and then are scrubbed, wiped, sanded and more layers added. Part of the process often leads to penetration of the paint and exposing the surface of the paper or in some cases rubbing a hole through the paper. This is all part of the process and many of my works will have holes in them, in the literal sense."

As a proud owner of one of these original paintings, I can really attest to Don's talent and the unbelievable beauty of his work.

To see more of Donald's work, check out his online portfolio www.dobu-creative.com.

Original paintings by Donald Budd available online from $150 - $1800.

As a parent I tend to be obsessively concerned about design. We were at the supermarket with my grandparents a while ago getting a sippy for my son and it turned into a 5 min debate whether to get the orange Cars sippy or the Yellow. My grandmother asked, "Is this a big decision?" To me it is. It's not just a cup, it's one more thing that will always be surrounding me, and I actually do care what it looks like. That's why I appreciate the looks of these bottles by Adiri. They actually look like someone spent some time thinking about what they look like. On top of that it looks like they paid just as close attention to how they work. Making it BPA free and selling them for $10 each just seals the deal for me. Now if only I had another baby....

Adiri Natural Nurser available from Baby Earth for $12.

We've mentioned Undrgrnd before, it's a modern design store that offers deep discounts on discontinued items. Only problem was that they only listed one item at a time, and when it was gone, it was gone. Most likely unless you checked the site obsessively, or followed them on twitter, you missed out on some deals. To make things easier for the holidays, they have a top secret shop available only to members. That pretty much means you just need to create an account to get access. The good news is the secret shop has way more than one item, and they are all the same rock bottom prices. The group of merchandise changes every monday, so it cuts down on the amount of checking you need to do to get a deal. Check out the Undrgrnd Secret Shop for great deals.

Growing up my grandparents had a sweet fireplace similar to the one shown above. I have always wanted one for an outdoor fireplace in my back yard. While this is probably one of the sweetest deals I've seen in a while, I am afraid that we are going to have to pass on it. If anyone else is local, and looking for an awesome fireplace this is your chance. Price is $300 OBO and it includes 20ft of piping.

via Utahmodern.org Classifieds

Available on KSL.com for $300 obo

Over the weekend we were able to get the rest of the painting done, and install our white rubber flooring. We purchased our flooring from Big D flooring, the local Roppe distributer. While there is nothing really unusual about rubber flooring, they looked at me really weird when I asked for it in snow white. A quick call into Roppe confirmed that we were doing something a little out of the ordinary. They said that they had never done a floor tile in snow white before. While I have a hard time believing that, I do know that the floor turned out nice. Some of the seams turned out a little more visible than I had hoped for, but we haven't given it a good cleaning yet, so it may improve. The install went pretty good. It basically consisted of spreading down some glue with a notched trowel and then setting the tiles in place. To finish things off I rolled the whole floor with a 100 lb floor roller. The bad news is that I was too tight with my measuring, and we ended up 3 tiles short. Luckily all the tile under the cabinetry is in place, so it won't hold us up at all. Rubber flooring available from your local Roppe dealer for $6 a square foot plus install. The kid approves.