This beautiful image is one of two brand new, limited edition artworks available starting today from Paperwork.  Titled “San Francisco, CA 2010″, it is by photographer Alex Greenburg, and is printed on archival quality bamboo fiber art paper.  Yep, bamboo!

Of course, the best part is…

These artworks are not only sustainable, they are AFFORDABLE.  As in, only $20 for an 8″ x 10″ print!   So if you like today’s other new artwork, “Green Boots” by artist Maryam Gaber, (above) you can go to their website, pay your $20, and within 7 days, the 8″ x 10″, numbered print will arrive at your door with a certificate of authenticity and a brief biography of the artist. Many artworks are also available in editions up to 30″ x 40″, although that can set you back a bit more at up to $500 for a print.

Every Tuesday, at 1PM EST, Paperwork offers two new artworks by emerging artists, as well as any remaining prints from past weeks offerings.

Even though this can mean a fairly small selection is available at any one given time, with such an eclectic mix of styles and mediums to choose from, it would be hard not to find something you liked.  Personally, I’m really digging this colorful sketch of buildings in Portugal, “Bairro Alto 01″, by Brazilian artist Christina Guerreiro.

As an added bonus, starting today and running through Labor Day, Paperwork is offering free shipping on all purchases.  Just use coupon code laborpw at checkout.

I love that you can be a patron of the arts for only $20, and be environmentally conscious too.  What do you think?

they usually look like this. Hmmm…  not the most inspiring look for a room, is it?

Now this is a bit more like it!  Designed by European firm Tell Me First, these Art Glass Radiators are fully customizable with any image you provide.

The image is enclosed in glass, which then provides an effective screen for the thin line radiator concealed behind it.

They also make a clear glass floor and wall mounted radiator, which looks like it would work beautifully in a bathroom.

Since radiators are still pretty rare in Southern California (although my 1925 Spanish Revival house looks like it was originally plumbed for them), I don’t have enough knowledge to say whether these are a great solution or not.  If any of my Europe based readers have seen these, I’d love to get you opinion in the comments below!

I was killing time, wandering around while my son tried to convince a very overstuffed koi fish to take one more piece of fish chow, when I ran across a lovely sight…

A loom!  Now, I’m not a weaver, but I did once take a class, and I find the whole process fascinating.  As I stood in front of this loom and stared at the work in progress, I wondered what on earth the yarn was made of.  I couldn’t figure it out.  Was it jute?  No, not rough enough.  Was it wool?  No, no fibers sticking out.  Well, what the heck was it??

After dragging my family back over to the loom, textile artist Susan Lei, whose lovely work this is, was kind enough to ease my curiosity.  This strange, mysterious yarn was,… mulberry paper!

Through an painstaking process of carefully cutting rolls of Japanese mulberry paper into long strips, winding them up into a cotton thread wrapped yarn, and then hand dyeing them in tea to attain a warm, aged color, she was able to make a beautiful, natural fiber for her latest work.

As we stood and talked, my son became completely fascinated with the working of the loom, including the foot peddles Susan Lei used to lift and lower the warp threads.  He had a barrage of questions for her about how everything worked, and in the end, I had to practically drag him away.  That loom might as well have been a Wii game system.

It got me to thinking about how distanced we have all become from the way everyday things are made, much less works of textile art such as this.  Many people, perhaps most in fact, don’t even know what the terms warp and weft (woof) mean, even though without weaving, we would all still be running around in animal skins.Musings on our cultural disconnects aside, I wanted to take a moment to show you just how lovely Susan Lei’s work is.  The piece on her loom is the very beginning of a kimono she is creating for a show at CSULB.  The kimono takes its motif from a tree, hence the beautiful knotholes and leaves.  I hope I get an opportunity to see the finished piece, as I’m sure it will be breathtaking.

Susan herself is also lovely, but I’m afraid the one image I took of her managed to be one of those “oops you blinked” moments, and if she’s like me, she would probably not appreciate it being made public. So you’ll just have to imagine a tall, slender, talented woman in a beautiful blue kimono, standing by her loom, enticing adults and children alike into learning the warp and woof of life.

All images - Will and Jane Fowler

Created by Will and Jane Fowler out of used surfboards, and then covered in glass and mirror mosaics, each shower is completely unique.

Combining whimsy and functionality, these surfboard showers are also beautiful works of art.

You really couldn’t find something that evokes summer on a sandy beach more than this.

To find out how to order your own bit of righteous recycling, you can contact Will and Jane Fowler here.

Just launched today, Redefine Home is the ambitious and amazing interiors shop belonging to Linsi Brownson and her husband David Betz.

Filled with artisan crafts and vintage finds, there is something to please everyone.

Redefine Home sees decorating as an ongoing process, more of a cultivation of things you love and things you need.  We strive to offer a collection of beautiful everyday items mixed with one of a kind treasures and furniture designs inspired by just about everything.  We recognize that some things are a splurge and some are a steal, and we like it that way. – From the Redefine Home website

From the simple, rustic feel of this grain sack throw rug,…

to this charming print, done exclusively for them by Paper Cut Industries, there is a quite a lot to recommend.

Of course, some of you may even remember this table from a guest post Linsi wrote for us awhile back.   Yep, it’s the Bob Hope table, so named due to its (possible) origins from Bob Hope’s Palm Springs estate.  Even if it never actually belonged to “Old Ski Nose”, it has such a lovely character that it should surely belong to you!

Right now Redefine Home is offering free shipping on all orders over $50.  So what are you waiting for???

As a side note – I had the pleasure of being Linsi’s first employer when she completed her degree in Interior Design, and I am really looking forward to the day I can say “I knew her when…”.

So, congratulations Linsi!  No one deserves success more than you.

My name is Specioza Mukobwuteta Brown. I am from Rwanda. In 1959, my country experienced a civil war (genocide) and my parents ran away into exile in Tanzania. I was brought up in Tanzania. This is where I went to school. I cam back to my original home in 2003 after Rwanda was liberated from genocide by RPF…  I am seeking a Nest loan for the growth of my business and also I need a market for my products. I started my craft business in 2004 working with women’s groups in handcrafts…. Nest loan will not only help me grow my business, but though the loan, Nest will provide women survivors of genocide and war with the tools and resources to move from crisis and poverty into stability and self-sufficiency.

Women in developing countries around the world are often among the poorest of the poor.  Microfinance organizations have had great success in providing small loans to assist these women in overcoming poverty, and gain independence.  But microloans must be paid back in cash, which can sometimes create a cycle of debt, as new loans are used to pay off the balance of earlier ones.  The loan recipients must also find a market for their wares in time to earn enough to pay off the loans.  This where Nest comes in…

To address some of these limitations to microfinance, Nest has developed a new way to assist women; we call it “microbarter.” We provide women, or cooperatives of women, with loans that allow them to purchase the supplies, training, bazaar space or raw materials needed to make their crafts. However, rather than requiring repayment in cash, we encourage women to repay their loans in product, which we would market and sell in the United States.

And such beautiful products too!  There is something very special about knowing the story behind each item, and although the emphasis is more on clothing and accessories, there are still a large number of items for the home. Nest also offers many great eco-friendly items by domestic (U.S.) designers, who donate a portion of their sales to provide additional loans through Nest.  They often donate time as mentors to loan recipients as well, giving advice on business practices, marketing and design.

With artisans based in countries all the way from Guatemala to Togo, Nest is having an impact on lives around the world.  Care to join them?

It also runs $629 for a new one from Herman Miller, and originals are well over a $1,000!   However, this wonderful, handpulled Linocut print by artist Eric Rewitzer of 3 Fish Studios is a mere $25, and although you can’t sit in it, it has equally lovely lines.

I love artists who work on a small, sustainable scale, and handpulled prints are a great example of that.  No mass produced posters, or over priced lithographs of cheesy cottages.  This is art by someone who loves working with their hands and having a connection with their craft.

There are ten different icons of modernistic seating in Eric Rewitzer’s series, all equally stylish.  Each print is signed and numbered as part of a limited edition of 100 prints.   You can purchase them individually at $25 each, or purchase the entire set for $200.  What an amazing gift for an interior design student when they graduate.

Hmmm…  well, I was thinking of going back for a masters….