I know this poster from Change the Thought has been making the blog rounds, but the aesthetic and the sentiment are just really speaking to me right now.

It's $18 right here.

RSS users, click here to see my latest eBay picks.

(P.S. Is this new eBay widget working for you all? Please let me know.)

I've been kind of obsessing about vintage scissor lamps lately -- they're utilitarian but chic, and masculine enough to add a note of tension to an otherwise elegant room. This model in black lacquered steel was designed in the 1930s by Christian Dell, "master of the metal workshop at the Bauhaus," and has been completely restored.

Current bid: $1, plus $45 shipping from Germany. (The auction ends Sunday, November 23.)

Photo by .melissa.

Have a lovely weekend, everyone!

Tomorrow, November 15, from 5 to 8 p.m. Oakland art gallery Johannson Projects hosts an opening reception for Collapsitalism: The Holiday Recession Sale.

The exhibition "is an attempt to [visually] connect art prices to stock-market fluctuations beyond ... charts and indexes" -- not to mention giving strapped art collectors a break and helping to support working artists who are feeling the economic pinch. Nearly a dozen emerging and established Northern California artists, including Zach Houston, Marci Erspamer, Nathan Cordero, Hunter Longe, Eric Larson, Susie Grant, Carson Murdach, Joan Moment, Andrew Benson, and Alex Case will have new, original pieces available for less than $500 each.

Collapsitalism will be up in the Johannson Projects Project Space through January 2.

I'm positively drooling over the beautiful and unusual new lamps and light fixtures that Jeni just added to the shop over at RianRae. (If I ever win the lottery, I won't spend the money on fancy cars or designer clothes -- I'll blow it all on lamps.) Above: Annabelle Porcelain Lamp, $338

Riviera Iron Pendant, $387

Distressed White Driftwood Lamp, $397

Reeves Large Nickel Pendant, $598

Chunky Industrial Desk Lamp, $840

Industrial Hanging Pendant, $487

Click here to check out all of RianRae's brand-new goodies.

For its just-opened Repeat show, Portland's Olio United asked ten artists to create limited-edition products featuring "functional patterns." Each item is a piece of art in its own right, but can also "be used for something crafty, clever, and beautiful."

For those of us who aren't lucky enough live in Portland, Olio has made the products available on the store's website. Take a look:

Julia Rothman's Fabric Packs, $18 each

Joanna Bean's Teardrop Postcards, $5 for eight

Palindrome Press's Facets Print Poster, $45, and Facets Letterpress Card, $5

Pattern People's Under the Leaves Poster, $30

Katie Kulper's Handprinted Handkerchiefs, $10 each

Ashley Sheping's Blue Safari Card Set, $20

Katie Kirk's Packing Tape, $12 per roll

Robin Schmitt's Gocco Printed Fabric Panels, $20 each

See all of the exclusive Repeat products right here -- and if you're in Portland, be sure to swing by Olio United to check out the show in person.

It's interesting how traditional galleries are no longer the sole provenance of art shows -- more and more boutiques, it seems, are also turning their wall space over to notable local and even national artists.

San Francisco, of course, has several great home shops that double as stellar art spaces, including Rare Device, the Curiosity Shoppe, Park Life, BellJar, and others. Here in the East Bay, Relish at Home, Mignonne, FiveTen Studio, Vessel, and the Gardener also host regular art shows.

As far as I know, though, it's still pretty unusual for clothing boutiques to moonlight as art galleries. But that hasn't stopped August, a chic fashion retailer on Oakland's College Avenue, from featuring some really great local art. And although my skinny-jean-sporting days are long past, I often pop into August just to admire the store's lovely artwork and stunning decor.

This month, August hosts new work from British ex-pat Bella Bigsby (previously blogged here), whose melancholy landscapes and nature studies will take your breath away. There's an artist reception from 5 to 9 p.m. tonight, November 12, and the show will be up at August through the end of the month.

Check out more of Bigsby's art right here.

(RSS users, click here to see my latest eBay picks.)

I blogged Israeli industrial designer Yael Falk's (aka Etsy seller YooLa) delicate crocheted wire creations not too long ago, but I'm nuts about her new pendant lights (like the Pomegranate Lampshade, above, $90).

I love the webbed shadows the lights cast -- crazy cool.

Scheherazade Lampshade, $180

Each shade comes with a brass halogen light socket and a 78-inch electrical cord. Click here to see all of YooLa's Etsy offerings.

This is a guest post from my friend Linda Weber, a writer and editor, home stager and designer, and artist in San Francisco. Linda often pings me with great art finds, so I'm thrilled that she agreed to share some of them here. Take it away, Linda!

Two years ago, I was messing around online when I stumbled on San Francisco artist Jhina Alvarado's encaustic paintings. Instant art crush. (What can I say? We all have our design addictions, and art is mine.)

"Intuitive" was the first word that sprang to mind when I attempted to describe Alvarado’s work. And when I visited her studio recently, she echoed the assessment: Not only do Alvarado’s creations look intuitive, that's exactly how she works. "I never know what a piece is going to be when I start it," she says.

What I love about encaustic artwork – which is created with oil-based pigments combined with wax – is its dreamy, layered quality. That’s exactly what drew Alvarado to the medium. "You can build translucency and create depth with the wax," she says.

She also likes the way you can use the wax to transfer images. Alvarado draws leaves, branches, and other images freehand on paper, for instance, before laying the paper against the wax. She then applies pressure to the back of the paper, rubbing repeatedly until the markings transfer to the wax. I'm a fan of Alvarado’s pared-down color palettes, too – she gravitates toward turquoises, ambers, greens, and saturated blues against a white or soft gray background.

Prices for Alvarado’s originals range from $225 for an eight-by-eight-inch painting to $1,500 for a 30-by-30-inch piece, with various options in between. And while I can't afford a large one anytime soon, that doesn't mean I’m going to stop dreaming about them.

See more of Alvarado’s work right here.

I'm still on the hunt for a new sofa for our living room. Not that we have the cash to be buying major pieces of furniture right now, but hey -- that's never stopped me from looking and wanting before.

Almost all of the ones I have my eye on seem to share a few key traits: simple, relatively clean lines (though I am a sucker for a bit of button-tufting and perhaps a slight bohemian-louche vibe); tight backs; single-cushion seats; slim, sexy legs; and yummy gray velvet upholstery. My current faves: Long Snooze Sofa, above, from Ochre (No idea on the price, but I suspect it's steep.)

Jamie Dream Velvet Sofa, £2,075 (about $3,276) from Graham & Greene

Loring Sofa, $999 from Room + Board (I love the price and the look, but unfortunately this model wasn't that comfy when I tried it out in the store.)

Reese Sofa, $1,499 from Room + Board