Today is the first day of December and you know what that means… this month’s favorite three! These are three of my favorite blogs this month:

My friend Dylan (a fellow OK Great blogger) got me into Picdit pretty recently, and this week he’s actually guest blogging! Everything on Picdit is top-notch, and stuff I don’t usually see elsewhere.

Paper Crave feels like an old favorite at this point, although it was only earlier in the year that I “discovered” them. Full of beautiful paper goods, product reviews, and posts for people in the business, Paper Crave is always a fun stop.

Tea for Joy is one of those all-around good design blogs, featuring interiors, illustrators, designers, and more. Author Lynne has fantastic taste, and is a talented designer herself.

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You can see past blog favorites in the archives (better organization of the archives is on the to-do list, I swear). And, in case you forget which blogs are being featured, scroll down the right-hand sidebar and you’ll see their banners displayed for the whole month. Thanks for being awesome, you three!

photo credits: 1. Sean Alexander via Picdit 2. afavorite via Paper Crave 3. Amy Blackwell via Tea For Joy

Alex Keller uses recycled, vintage jewelry to create these new, unique pieces. Right now she’s having a sale (many items are 20% off!) and new pieces are added all the time.

Thank you, Alex!

If you’re interested in becoming a Mint sponsor, please email me at mintdesignblog (at) gmail (dot) com for more info.

I’m trying to get my work done, really! I am! But with great stuff like Molly Meg landing in my inbox, it’s easier said than done. Molly Meg is a new, UK-based online boutique selling classic modern furniture and objects for kids. Do those chairs come in big-kid sizes, too?

I hope you all had wonderful Thanksgivings! Or, for those of you visiting from other places, a wonderful weekend. I came down with a stomach bug last weekend (ick) so posting might be a little light today and tomorrow. Got to get started on the post-holiday catching up now that I’m feeling better.

These beautiful (and fun) photographs are by Laurent Champoussin, a photographer who is most definitely French but of whom I know little else. Guess those years of French classes weren’t worth it!

Felt Gallery is a great shop with felted brooches, necklaces, hair pins, and more. These are a great way to dress up any outfit, and the perfect accessory for winter. Wouldn’t you like to find one of these under the Christmas tree?

Thanks, Felt Gallery!

If you’re interested in becoming a Mint sponsor, please email me at mintdesignblog (at) gmail (dot) com for more info.

I didn’t have to search very long for this photo (by Fine Little Day)… it just screams Thanksgiving to me. My grandmother used to always serve chocolates and cookies on pretty tiered dessert trays like this one during the holidays. It makes me a little sad for the loved ones we’ll be missing, but thankful for happy memories. Another thing I’m thankful for? Brendan accepted A JOB yesterday! It’s an art director position in Raleigh, where he’ll be able to share his talent with some national clients and learn a ton. I’m so proud of him!

Wishing all of you a Happy Thanksgiving (with safe travels), and I’ll see you again on Monday. I’m already in the Christmas spirit, so get ready!

Last Friday Vamp & Tramp, a bookseller from Alabama who specializes in handmade artist books, came to the UNC Art Department to show off some pieces from their collection. I drove to Chapel Hill (a whole 30 minutes, geez) to check it out, and spent about an hour and a half pouring over the 50 or so books they toted from Birmingham. They ranged from a few hundred dollars to thousands.

One of my favorites was an oddball of the group, an altered book which seller Bill Stewart tends to shy away from. This one is by Zena Zipporah, an artist from Philadelphia. It’s a collage of famous women, created in an antique photo album.

A Field Guide to Irregular Birds by Katy Dwyer and illustrated by Jody Arthur was another favorite. It’s full of imaginary birds, with hilarious descriptions and absolutely beautiful illustrations. From Jody Arthur, via the Vamp & Tramp website:

“This book grew out of a fascination with the way that European explorers and naturalists described and catalogued the natural world. When I started working on this book, I was reading the journals of ornithologist John James Audubon and studying nineteenth century bird and animal prints. I began making collages using clip art of old etchings of birds. I felt like a mad scientist, creating bizarre creatures by pasting ears or fins on illustration so sparrows and sandpipers…. We strove to mimic the formal yet catty tone that tone might find in an old informational book. The introduction, with its delusions of grandeur, set the scene for the absurd birds to follow”

Sylvae was hard to photograph, but it was a jaw-dropping book about trees by Ben Verhoeven & Gaylord Schanilec. The 53 engraved illustrations were so beautiful, and the pictures just don’t do it justice. (Yes, a book about trees can make your jaw drop). More here.

And some other favorites:

Havana: A Living City

Anything From Anywhere by Emily Tipps, High5 Press

The Gardens of Delight by Jim Machacek and Sibyl Rubottom

O is for Opera by Jim Machacek and Sibyl Rubottom

(lots more on flickr and the Vamp & Tramp site)!

thanks to yulianna for the heads up