Diane from Pure Contemporary emailed me asking if I would forward the news about the "Think Spring!" contest they're currently running.

It's a very cool idea with an even cooler prize - a signed piece of abstract art - so why wouldn't I let you know? Here's the copy she sent me:

Write about modern outdoor and WIN!

Are your walls looking a little bare these days? Tell us about a hot
modern outdoor product --- and enter to win a signed piece of original
artwork.

Send your entries to Think Spring Contest by April 2, 2007. Include the
product name and where readers can find it. Don't forget your name,
phone #, and email address. We'll announce our winner on April 4th.

Not only am I passing on the word, I'm also entering. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. And hurry up - you've only got 2 days to get your entry in!

I was doing a little Googling for some ideas, and I come across a great Boston Globe article on local street art phenom Pixnit. Yes, it's nearly three months old, but it's still new to me.

Pixnit is a graffiti stenciler. For obvious reasons, she doesn't reveal her true identity (I am digging the Zoro mask and fedora). She came to Boston to get her Master's degree from Tufts and the School of the MFA, so she's obviously smart and talented.

From her MySpace page, "These delicate images are influenced by floral and ornamental design historically used within the home to create a sense of comfort, bring representations of nature inside and portray a sense of beauty."

Funny, I was thinking about how great it would be to get her to do one wall in my house. Bringing the outside-that-was-taken-from-the-inside in.

Last November, I posted on the proposed 1,000 foot tall tower in Winthrop Square. Well, those plans may have changed a bit: Architecture Magazine reports that Renzo Piano, the renowned architect that designed the planned building, has quit the project. "A senior executive at Renzo Piano Building Workshop in Genoa, Italy, yesterday said the split involved a dispute over creative control of the tower." Boston-based architect CBT/Childs Bertman Tseckares Inc. will take the project over. What remains to be answered is what may change now that Piano is gone. As they say, time will tell.

...and one makes five.

That's right, there are now five (Greater) Boston-based blogs. Kat left a comment on my post about Yellow Bell Pepper Design to tell me about her blog, Taylor Made Designs.

Kat is a graphic designer with 6 years experience on Newbury Street. She now has her own design studio "south of Boston" that allows her to work while enjoying her two little ones.

Kat says, "My blog is a mixture of design, crafts + my kids :)" As a proper business person, she makes sure to highlight her own products (which she sells via her Etsy shop). Her kids... they are just terribly cute. It looks like her hands are full, but it's a fun time.

Kat, thanks for letting us know about Taylor Made Designs!

Wrapables is a company with a lot more to offer than bedding, but that's what I'm in the market for, so that's what I'm showing.

I'm only showing three styles that caught my eye, but they have a lot more (four pages of duvet covers alone!) so be sure to check out their website.

The Urban Circles Bedding Collection is part of the Urbanite series from bedding designer in-fusion. I love the coffee/aqua/white that is in the picture (It's also available in white/aqua). Featuring "320 thread count, 100% cotton sateen", it's sure to be as comfortable as it is good looking.

The Oxygen Bedding Collection, from Inhabit Living, in this blue and silver hue, is absolutely stunning. It is made of 250 thread count, 100% cotton sateen.

Lastly, the Soak Bedding Collection, also from Inhabit Living, has probably the most visually interesting design. The waves of blues and brown are arranged in a way to make your eyes see vertical rows. Like the Oxygen Bedding Collection, it is made of 250 thread count, 100% cotton sateen.

If you're looking for bedding (or home decor, fashion accessories, dining accessories, even pet gifts), Wrapables is worth a look.