I wanted to give an extra-special congratulations and high five to Grace over at Design*Sponge for finally launching her dream project: An online shop where she can showcase and sell affordable, limited-edition designs by her favorite independent artists. Every piece in the D*S Shop is designed exclusively for the shop in a limited run– and get this, no item will sell for more than $100. 10% of the site’s advertising revenue goes to a charity every month and 100% of the sales (minus shipping) will go directly to the artist or designer. That’s right, no middle man, no mark up– pure design appreciation. “This site is about giving artists a place to sell their work and support their small business, not about turning a profit for D*S.” Congratulations spongie and bravo for stepping to the plate and truly doing this the right way!

For all of you bachelors and bachelorettes out there–wishful thinking meets textiles with Swedish designer Cecilia Lundgren’s scintillating pillow cases. A spot for your head, and a spot for your most recent shag’s head. How romantic! Just imagine the look you would get from that special someone when you lead them into your bedroom for the first time and they see these things! I think it would be classic. One thing bothers me about these pillow cases though–they’re not very realistic. The faces are WAY too close together. I think most people would rather not ’spoon noses’ while they sleep with someone they just met. Nevertheless, I think these witty, nose-proximate pillow cases would make for a great gift. They are handmade, come in male and female versions, and can be ordered directly from Cecilia’s website (179 Swedish Kroners, $24 U.S.).

Everyone is familiar with the classic and timeless peacoat, but maybe you didn’t know that the name ‘peacoat’ comes from the Dutch or Frisian word ‘pij’ for a type of cloth; or that a ‘bridge coat’ is the longer, gold-button-and-shoulder-epaulette-clad older brother of the peacoat; or that in the U.K., peacoats are sometimes referred to as reefer jackets (no pun intended). At any rate, fall is here, and winter is soon to follow–and our boys over at Trovata have your back with their version of the classic pea coat. The Concord Peacoat starts with classic peacoat styling (i.e. wool), and finishes with classic Trovata detail–including big brown buttons, silky floral lining, a buttoned flap at the shoulders, two buttoned pockets in back, a face-and-neck warming sherlock collar, sufficient length so that you don’t look like an idiot, and — of course — the signature narrative patch sewn on the inside to clue you into Trovata’s mysterious fall 2006 theme: A Mountain Spelled M-U-R-D-E-R. At about $400, you will pay for this Trovata rendition of the peacoat, but it’s astute details will set you apart from the rest, and you will be able to wear it for the rest of your life (after all, the peacoat has been keeping sailors like you warm since 1717).