======= year 1 in review =====

365 days ago, december 31st 2010 ---
after a particularly long day of working in jen's old studio we took this photo with the last remaining photo in our polaroid camera. standing in the snow, having just worked for a few months on things we liked but had no idea how the world would respond to... we held our breath, snap, and lept. we'd been thinking about working on a project together for a while and after months of making, talking, dreaming, editing, conversing, making decisions about color and shapes and backgrounds and language- finally we launched out into the world: dullDiamond opened it's proverbial doors for business on January 1st, 2011. we had no idea what was in store. one whole year has passed and we're happy to say this is still our pleasure to be making these colorful bits for you all to enjoy (and of course for us too!)

so, on our one year anniversary tomorrow, we're opening again. all fresh and new pieces in the shop. check back then.

+++++++ H A P P Y  N E W  Y E A R  T O  Y O U  A L L  +++++++

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making spirits bright ---

dual blooming christmas cacti. our first year we've had them bloom. its a sign.

see you in 2012!

/ love, emily & jen \

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BOW BIN

"Designed by Cordula Kehrer and commissioned by fair trade NGO Preda, these whimsical wastebaskets are made by the indigenous Aeta people of the Philippines using traditional basket weaving techniques. Made with sustainably harvested rattan, they achieve simple and unpretentious shapes that catch the eye. This project, which combines hand-woven and natural wickerwork and colorful plastic, also asks us to consider larger questions about the nature of design, the role of the hand-made, and the place of craft-based cultures in a globalized economy."

beautiful A N D functional. at areaware.

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1,2,3,4,5,6 days until the shop closes

alright, hello! we just added 4 new beaded strands. all bracelets + all full of color and shape combinations of your dreams. this might be the last time we update the shop before christmas and from dec 22nd - jan 1st the shop will be closed and we'll be quiet and resting with our families. we'll re-open on the 1st --- OUR 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY! --- with a bang. so, that leaves you with less than a week to gather all your dullDiamond favorites.  go go go !

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one and one

we just finished one of our necklaces for the necklace exchange (thanks to rebecca from big things for telling us about this). one is off to jennifer in san francisco (we hope she likes it) the other, is now in the shop. check it out.

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In Our Nature

lets not forget to have that connection with nature during these months we feel like fleeing from it. a new book by takashi homma. found via a drawing diary

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please, santa

"This thing is the Cadillac of hammocks or the Maibac or whatever is your measure of luxury and I don't know why cars get to be the ultimate measure of luxury but I'm not setting the rules here, just delivering the truth. One of the things that gives hammocks a bad wrap is the depth that you sink into it, your back just becomes a big banana. Not so with this baby, the lovely wood frame takes care of that. Sink just so far into it and take a nap in a few minutes or finish that wonderfully crappy novel, this is like a relaxation machine, back yard or beach side magic. Made the same way as always by a husband and wife team trained in optical engineering. They make three models. They started making them because in 1982 they saw potential in hammocks and people asked them for a chair. Hence the hammock chair was born for you to swing in and do your thing."

 from kiosk 

our shop news: this weekend we added 314 and 315. fun, huh? more coming this week ---> a necklace or two!

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we're in!

today's the last day to sign up! maybe you'll draw our name? or we'll draw yours?!

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pia design

we are very intrigued by these substantial and attractive vessels. the "stacking vessels" (& stacking vessel soldiers) are a series of functional sculptures for the home. each one consisting of a wood top or bottom, blown glass middle and ceramic base or top. a snippet of pia's manifesto reads:

"My aim is to design objects to contain stories I perceive as relevant today: juxtapositions of materials, surfaces, textures, symbols and colours can unfold to tell new stories through objects, just as letters and words make up the stories in a book."

read more about pia and her other projects here. ohh that folklore teapot, so dreamy.

found via from there (jens sis)

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going going gone

handmade holiday wraps up in a few hours --- just a couple of these remaining.

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#313

for your BFF for xmas, don't you think?

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bracelet kabob

the other night we sat down to bead with absolutely no expectations and with every intention of letting go and witnessing what unfolded with color and shape- that's when the outcome is really exciting. all these will be added to the shop this weekend. one thing they all have in common is the element of wood. great.

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+ only 1 of these left

+ pink cactus! 

+ have watched this many times 

+ NEWS: there is a brand new shop in echo park, los angeles called shop myrtle and we're happy to report they will be carrying our stuff !exclamation point! (our goods are en route). it's so thrilling to be included in their line-up of goods made exclusively by independent female designers.

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repetition of objects is attractive

its a new sight for us to see our pieces in multiples. and we have to admit, its kind of fun to shut off the brain and just count the beads to make the consecutive pieces. some of these are for a new shop order (!), the other ones are for handmade holiday (launching TODAY. this very second! get over there to see our 1, 2 and 3 pieces) and the rest is for our shop. we're keeping up, just barely.

T H A N K S to Y O U &  A L L  Y O U

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