Now that I’m living in Portland and surrounded by bikes, I’ve become fairly obsessed with integrating my bike into my daily routine. Bicycles are fun, practical, and such a great way to slow down your pace and truly experience your surroundings.

But what if you ride a single-speed and you want to carry bags and groceries without corrupting the clean, simple lines of your bike? Meet the Bike Porter by Copenhagen Parts, an integrated handlebar and basket that is a combination of cool aesthetics and practical function. Available at Mission Bicycle Company in six colors.

I love classics with a modern spin—like this Boston Swivel Chair that Community Furniture recently presented at NeoCon 2010. The chair gets new life with an injection of color selected from the most popular hues from Sherwin-Williams to make it even easier to color coordinate with a room.

Hunger features 200 pages of Bleed designers interpretations of the concept of Hunger. Limited to only 500 copies, this beautiful book also includes a foreword by yours truly.

Hunger is a word that defines Bleed well. In their 10 years of existence, much has changed in the design world. The studio’s spirit, however, is a constant. They are restless, intuitive, and contemplative. They defiantly question convention and the very definition of graphic design. And although they are always thinking—more importantly, they are always doing. Their output is astonishing both in quantity and quality.

Organic and fluid, Bleed is perfectly suited for mutable times. Their culture and environment encourage a strong relationship with nature. This seems to somehow inform their dynamic range and give them an unparalleled flexibility. While many designers appear to feel weighed down by tradition, they never do. With eyes firmly set on the horizon, they continue to blur design, art, and technology to create a visual language that is distinctly Bleed.

San Francisco-based art director Tor Weeks always had troubles figuring out the personalities of fonts. So one day, she decided to create A Field Guide to Typestaches. I don’t know about you, but I think she nailed it with her anthropomorphic interpretations of typography. Available at Old Tom Foolery in an 18×24 screen-print by Henley-Mpls.

Each Lítill terrarium is an original art piece lovingly crafted by former florist, Lauren Coleman. Arranged in handblown glass from the Pacific Northwest and named for plants, friends, and songs, there’s something about these miniature compositions that is simply magical.

Monsieur Dress Up is a smart product collection by Anna Thomas of the Loyal Loot Collective that can wear your jacket, scarf, umbrella, and mail. Made from bent maple veneer, Monsieur Dress Up is available as a tailored collar (shown here), cuff, and pocket. Formed in 2004, Loyal Loot Collective involves the individual and collaborative work of Doha Chebib, Carmen Douville, Dara Humniski and Anna Thomas.

I simply can’t get enough of the Partners & Spade blog. A daily log of visual research, inspiration and digital ephemera. I love that you can browse the posts by chromatics too. Is there anything they touch that doesn’t turn to gold?

It’s no secret that I’ve developed a serious crush on Best Made Co.—and for obvious reason. This time, I’m swooning over Axe Art, a selection of limited edition wood block prints on vintage maps. Simply stunning.

Via Ampersanderson.

Cork To Be Alive is a bicycle helmet design by Kévin Goupil, a student at l’École Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs de Strasbourg. Inspired by the design of a vintage French Army Helmet, this eco-friendly and lightweight helmet was part of an interesting helmet design competition earlier this year. While I don’t think I could wear one, I definitely like the form and materials.

Via Notcot.

Perrocaliente is a Japanese brand created by Hiroki Yoshitomi and Yasumasa Imaizumi that I’ve been keeping my eye on. You’ve gotta love the simplicity of Dress, a cutlery pattern designed by Hiroki Yoshitomi. Dress features delicate laser engraved graphics that are very smooth and do not fade or wear. Produced in Tsubamesanjo Niigata Prefecture, home to the most eminent silverware manufacturers in Japan, Dress is available in three patterns; Stripe, Polka Dots, and Check.

If you’re in search of inspiration, the Inspiration Pad might help. This fun twist on the traditional notepad was created by Marc Thomasset and is available to purchase here.

Via Swiss Miss.

Craig Oldham just informed me of the third edition of his fantastic booklet, 12IN12. The honesty and sincerity of the booklet has been well received by students and educators worldwide. I was so inspired by it when I read it that I posted about it here. And now, the non-profit educational charity D&AD have decided to publish a limited edition version of the booklet. Created exclusively for New Blood 2010, it is printed on yellow newsprint and is available for a donation of £1. Simply lovely.