Evite, the online invitation service behind those visually challenging email party alerts we’ve been getting since ’98, needs to die. That thought probably should have struck me around 2002, but it didn’t really hit home until this morning, when a newer, shinier and smarter invite service gently clued me in to the fact that Evite is- for lack of better words- washed up.

So come hence, thou Evite disillusioned, and let me introduce you to Crusher, a fresh and free invite service that will give you everything you never knew you wanted and more. Design layouts! Network! Add a map! Add a video! Add pictures! Ads… never!

So, Evite, here’s a friendly heads up: You might consider shaping up, because Crusher was founded by veteran designers and developers from Yahoo, Ofoto and Frog Design (ruh-roh). And you know, from a business perspective, nine years is a LONG TIME for something to exist without some serious competition. In other words, you had it coming. Insert evil laugh with multiple exclamation points [here].

For those not in the know (ie: living under a rock), an atelier is a workshop or a studio. Atelier BLINK is a Belgian design company founded last year by Emilie Lecouturier and Céline Poncelet. With the stated objective of creating “unexpected features in familiar things which are not always detected at first glance,” BLINK has cultivated an aesthetic that is at once surprising and traditional. Even one of their quirkier productions, a rug with a photograph of flea market finds printed on it (shown above), is tastefully done in black and white. It’s just as likely complement the rest of the room as it is to draw attention to itself. But my favorite Atelier BLINK product"”and the one that is getting the most press"”is their patterned wallpaper. I’ve been in many old houses that have similar wallpaper, but to walk into a newer, younger space and see this wallpaper would certainly be unexpected, though not unwelcome. I mean, who doesn’t want Kama Sutra wallpaper in their bedroom? It’s a whole lot classier than having centerfolds taped up there for “inspiration.”

Aaron Feiger and Ashley Marcinczyk, the ridiculously talented duo behind Popjunkie (also, Romantic Static) have just released a tonne of new merch into their online store, and the nautically-inspired, historically whimsical offerings are definitely worth checking out. I love that their women’s shirts come not only in the standard baby-tee, but also in super-flirty babydoll and v-necks as well; the guys shirts are so rockin’ they have me doing the standard Carmel/Heather lament “if only I had a boyfriend to buy these for.” And, if you’re a total weirdo and tshirts aren’t your “thing,” you can also scoop some prints for your barren walls or throw pillows to cushion your uptight ass on. Score!

At any given time I have between fifteen and forty playlists that I actively listen to, each of them slightly different and tailored to fit exactly what mood I’m in, and generally the only time I actually share these with other people is when I’m tending bar and playing the iPod-DJ. Every now and then, though, I get inspired and/or get in one of those sappy-generous moods and start making mixtapes (okay, more like mix-zips or mixcds, but you get my point) for people left and right — a lovely tradition originally started by my friends Angela and Eric. I shared a playlist with you earlier this summer, and it got such a great response that I thought I’d do it again. This one’s a mix of some artists I consider go-to’s (The Wrens, Cold War Kids, Built to Spill) and some amazingly terrific new stuff pilfered from the goodness that is Peel (Spoon, Pinback, John Vanderslice). My full playlist is after the jump; you know what to do in the comments*.

*Addendum: You’re supposed to go ahead and post a playlist of your own. Sorry for the confusion.
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There’s not much to love about standard office-issued fluorescent lighting. It makes your skin look sallow and your eyes tired, generally is pretty ugly and doesn’t exactly set the sexiest mood for clandestine workplace hookups. Ross Lovegrove, it seems, has sought to remedy these issues by collaborating with Yamagiwa to create the SystemX interlocking lighting system. A variety of different connectors allow for numerous patterns and web-like arrangements, which are sure to transform once depressingly-lit workplace ceilings into luminous pieces of art.