Rebecca Ridsdel: Art vs. Craft

English ceramist Beccy Ridsdel quite literally dissects the layers of debate between craft verses art, with surgical instruments that delicately strip away altered bone china to reveal ... even more floral china. Ridsdel explains: "I chose to make a series of definitely craft objects — bone china plates, mugs, jugs — and 'dissect' them to see what was beneath. Turns out, they are craft through and through" ... " This work forms part of an exploration of the differences between art and craft, and ceramics’ relationship to them. After a lot of research I realized that despite the best efforts of many ceramicists, in most people’s minds working with mud is pretty much always seen as craft, and therefore somehow lower than art. This work is a wry look at this attitude."

Read the full article at FavCraftsBlog. More at BehanceNetwork.

William Chambers Millinery: Spring/Summer 2010

Just 3 short years ago, Scottish textile designer William Chambers took a hat-making class at Metropolitan University, creating a collection that was shown to great acclaim at Glasgow Fashion Week in April 2007. Fast forward to his Spring/Summer 2010 collection, shown here, and it is easy to see that Chambers is taking this fashionably antiquated craft to new elevations, posthaste. It is a happy marriage of old meets new, where traditional materials such as felt and synamay join forces with contemporary materials like latex, plastic and metallic leather to create these modern, often sculptural, always feminine creations. [Thanks, Candice, for the link!]

Best Made Co. Axes

Best Made Co. was founded by designer and author Peter Buchanan-Smith, and outdoorsman and environmental entrepreneur Graeme Cameron. The two promote the merits of craftsmanship and self-reliance through their remarkable custom axes, a product of loaded symbolism — "indispensable and sublime, the epitome of fortitude and strength, a perfect design object, a timeless instrument." The heads are made of fine-grain steel, the handles of Tennessee Hickory, and each one is hand-painted, varnished, and polished in downtown Manhattan. All axes come securely packed in a hand-made wooden crate. [thanks, Rugg, for the link!]

Maum Tea Bags

In Korean maum means the mind, soul, or spirit. There's definitely some spirit in these amazingly playful tea bags from the designers of the Korean company wdaru. Each themed box set comes with an assortment of quirky characters from which to choose. How could you refuse? [via Toxel]

Emily Miranda

Barnacles, snails, shells, rhinestones, freshwater pearls, gilded alligator feet ... It is as if Neptune proposed to a Sea Witch on a full moon. New York artist Emily Miranda has a neoclassical flair for the decadent and macabre. She also makes incredible sculptural cakes. [via Shiny Squirrel]

Vintage Coke Cans

Serious retro eye candy from Andrew at Inspiredology.

Matt Brown: RFID Laser Cut Radios

Recently, I've been looking into laser cut creations to help brainstorm new projects for a friend. Thus I stumbled upon Matt Brown, an Interaction Designer/Idustrial Designer from Michigan currently living in Genova, Italy, and his RFID systems — Hello lover!

The basic idea is this — "you would have a speaker with an RFID reader, and laser-cut paper radios with RFID chips inside. The radios themselves are designed by musicians, charities, brands, and designers. When the paper radio is placed over the speaker it changes the radio station to what the artist has chosen ... This system tries to add a little bit of fun to internet radio, and give people a connection with the artists they choose." [via Design Milk]

Frank Buchwald: Machine Lights

German designer and manufacturer Frank Buchwald creates sculptural, handcrafted lights which adhere neither to form nor function, though light and statements they do make. Using burnished steel, brushed brass, textile cables, and blown glass, Buchwald's forms anthropomorphise the inanimate, calling to life the evergreen romanticism of machines, à la steampunk (though I'm not sure that's an association he would make). The Machine Lights series comprises 12 different models produced in low volume production.

 Each object is manually produced from up to 200 individual parts and requires a manufacture time of 4 weeks and more. Custom work available.

Matt Stuart: Happy Accidents

London street photographer Matt Stuart kicks it old school with "a small Leica camera, patience and a lot of optimism," waiting for those opportune moments when things are not quite as they seem. Stuart has a show at KK Outlet in London 'till February 26, 2010. More at In-Public. [via Creative Review]

Harvey Faircloth: Spring/Summer 2010

There's nothing like a little French nautical revival to make a girl get excited about spring! Harvey Faircloth has got the goods, and the model to show it. HF is comprised of long-time friends Katie Hatch (style editor at Martha Stewart), Abby Clawson Low (former Senior Art Director at Kate Spade), and Mara Papa. I love everything about them, except the complete lack of NorCal representation. [via {frolic!}]