Because a winter holiday is always in style. We have plenty of vintage travel posters, but these could convince me to find more wall space. Or to buy an airline ticket and pack my skis. From International Posters.

These days I am all about people following through on their ideas and making something happen. Here’s one for you. Yale design student Benjamin Critton is selling one “unused, underused, inessential or redundant” object from his home on sale every day for 100 days. He calls it “Day In, Day Out: A Workshop in 100 Parts”.

On my first visit I found three things I wanted, to add to my own collection of too much stuff. I’m trying to show some restraint by blogging instead of buying.

Check out the site. We all have good ideas (admittedly, along with plenty of not-so-good ideas), but you have to love it when someone makes the idea happen in a simple, elegant and disciplined way. Extra points for a sense of humor.

Just a little help for the holiday, courtesy of re:design. You’re welcome.

I Miss My Pencil by Martin Bone and Kara Johnson (of IDEO)

What if doorbells used smell instead of sound? What if watches told time more slowly on weekends? Designers at the ground-breaking firm IDEO ask seemingly outrageous questions like these every day. I Miss My Pencil takes a voyeuristic look at what designers do daily, might get to do once, and sometimes only hope to do.

More Things Like This by the Editors of McSweeney’s

More Things Like This explores the intersection of text, humor, and illustration in art created by cartoonists, writers, musicians, and fine artists. A refreshing mixture of high, low, and sideways, the selection features nearly 300 images from dozens of contributors, including David Shrigley, Kurt Vonnegut, Leonard Cohen, Chris Johanson, David Mamet, and many more. Insightful interviews with the artists further illuminate the shared and divergent approaches they take in creating this smart, funny, and engaging work.

Pictorial Webster’s by John M. Carrera

The 1500 engravings that originally illustrated the 19th-century dictionaries of Noah Webster are a remarkably rich resource — one that lay buried in the bowels of Yale University. John Carrera has made an amazing book, collecting and restoring these illustrations from the original engravings. Collected together they tell a new story of knowledge, of nature, discoveries and innovations.

The Principles of Uncertainty By Maira Kalman

There is nothing uncertain in our full-tilt recommendation of Maira Kalman’s latest book — a series of illustrated essays combining the author’s whimsical drawings with her refreshingly unpretentious observations about — well, pretty much everything under the sun. A must-read for the whole family: or as Maira might say, mishpucha.

Thanks to Design Observer for the original reviews.

Isn’t she lovely? The new Tuex Deux online calendar, from the wonderful design blogger, Swiss Miss, also known as Tina Roth Eisenberg. It am test-driving it now, and think it’s great. You can try it too, right here.

There aren’t many things that make me happier in the morning than a strong cup of coffee with a side of clean calendar.

Add restrained typography, easy to use, manipulate and change…and I am smitten, for sure. A clever name…over the moon. In lieu of an iPhone, between home and the studio I have four calendars and the same number of to-do notebooks. This one will replace my work to-do, for sure.

Try it out. It’s more fun than one deserves on a Monday morning, I promise.

More wonderful, fabulous, really delightful letterpress posters for anyone on your list who loves art, especially affordable art. Can’t miss gifts (and if you don’t have anyone on your list, feel free to purchase any of these for me).

From Roll & Tumble Press.

From Keep Calm Gallery.

From Because Studio.

From Yee Haw Industries.

There, didn’t that make you happy just seeing those? Multiply your happiness, and keep craft alive.

It looks like Pantone is ready to take us away…to the tropics, where the clients are trusting, the deadlines are flexible and the ideas flow like, well, like umbrella drinks served in coconuts by cabana boys. But I digress.

Pantone has declared Turquise as our go-to trend this year. Here’s their narrative on why it’s the right color right now:

“Combining the serene qualities of blue and the invigorating aspects of green, Turquoise inspires thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a comforting escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while at the same time restoring our sense of wellbeing.

In many cultures, Turquoise is believed to be a protective talisman, a color of deep compassion and healing, and a color of faith and truth, inspired by water and sky. Through years of color word-association studies, we also find that to many people, Turquoise represents an escape, taking them to a tropical paradise that is pleasant and inviting – even if it is only a fantasy.

Whether envisioned as a tranquil ocean surrounding a tropical island or a protective stone warding off evil spirits, Turquoise is a color that most people respond to positively. It is universally flattering, has appeal for men and women, and translates easily to fashion and interiors. With both warm and cool undertones, Turquoise pairs nicely with any other color in the spectrum. Turquoise adds a splash of excitement to neutrals and browns, complements reds and pinks, creates a classic maritime look with deep blues, livens up all other greens, and is especially trend-setting with yellow-greens.”

Lady Gaga redux. A clever four minutes to lighten your day.

As a follow up to the charity: water post…what if you bottled the dirty water, the same kind of water that a billion people in developing countries drink everyday, labeled it with the diseases you’d get as a bonus, and sold it? Sometimes I am very proud of my profession of designers, marketers and changing the world problem solvers.

Almost a billion people on the planet don’t have access to clean drinking water. That’s one in eight of us. charity: water is a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations.

Bono was the first. Selling cool stuff to promote good work was redefined (no pun intended) with the (red) campaign. I rushed out for my inspi(red) t shirt and have been wearing it ever since. Lots of folks are doing lots of great work, but some groups have a level of design and  marketing savvy that make their projects even more accessible, and dare I say it, cooler.

Check out charity:  water.

Their projects are important…but what is equally impressive, at least within the context of this blog, is their approach to marketing. The website is clean and intuitive. The video is powerful. And they sell stuff, lots of stuff.

I have a small issue with the fact that their “store” has a higher web presence than the information about clean water (and I hope that’s about holiday fundraising). But they make it easy to support their work, and to add their banners to your blog or website. They are using social networking for social good, and folks are truly excited about the opportunity to be engaged. I know I am. (By the way, that statement in bold at the top of the post….writing a clear positioning statement like that isn’t for the wimpy. The middle line “That’s one in eight of us”, brilliant. The us part. I have been part of defining what an organization does, so that it resonates with donors, and we weren’t this successful. Will learn from this.)

They’re smart. They’re doing the work.

And they are using design. Simple type and a clear message. And a pathway for us to be part of their passion. Sure, it’s slick. But it’s really, really good.

Check out this video. I promise, you will appreciate your next glass of clean water.

For a little more on the organization’s start and their really, really good promotional hook (hint, it will change your concept of a birthday party).

I know design works. And I know folks are doing great work for the world. And when the two of them join up, we’ll it’s something to support.

From Japan, of course.

Designed by the Japanese firm, d-barcode. Via The Dieline.

These came to me via The Food Section (thanks Ann).

It looks like these were designed by d-barcode’s US partner, Barcode Revolution. I’m still a little confused about who is who in the world of barcode design. But you can’t help but admire their imagination and vision, eh?