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Keren Richter, a visual artist educated at Parsons School of Design and Columbia University in NYC, is the genius behind our website of the week, Keren's portfolio (www.notkeren.com).  Keren specializes in illustration and art direction, and has a client list that includes Microsoft, Urban Outfitters, Sephora, MTV, Vans, Ford, Nylon, Casemate, Boost Mobile, and Rocketdog, among many others. Her illustration style is very distinct, but her range is very broad. Her site includes illustrations, advertisements, art direction, collages, and a "things" category, which includes everything from a casemate iPhone case to a sneaker for Vans, both decorated with her signature illustration style. There's no doubt Keren is talented, that's for sure! We pulled some of our favorites below.

For more of Keren's inspiring work, visit www.notkeren.com.

All images via Not Keren via Design Work Life

It may be 65 degrees in LA, but that's not stopping us from making our office a little warmer (and cuter!) We're pretty sure this is the cutest little white stove we've ever seen. We can't stop staring at it! And how perfect is this for the holidays? I think we're in love...

Photo © JW

Thanksgiving is only a few days away and we've already got cravings for pumpkin pie! There are hundreds of recipes that claim to make that perfect pumpkin pie for your Turkey Day, but we've put together a list of delicious looking pie recipes that not only look delicious, but meet different Thanksgiving dinner needs depending on what kind of cook you are (or aren't...).

1. Easy - The Impossibly Easy Pumpkin Pie from Betty Crocker is perfect for the cook whose strengths lie outside the kitchen, but who wants to try out a homemade pie instead of the usual store bought kind. It takes only 10 minutes to prepare, 40 minutes to bake, and really boils down to pouring, stirring, and putting in the oven. Since it has no crust, It's the closest to being mistake proof we've seen!

2. Clever - The Pecan Pumpkin Pie from Gourmet.com is a clever find because it kills two pies with one recipe. Instead of needing two kinds of pie at your Thanksgiving dinner (because you know not everyone can agree on just one kind), this crafty pie combines the tradition of pumpkin with the deliciousness of pecan, thus saving you time and money.

3. Deceptive - The Maple-Candied Pistachio Pumpkin Pie from Gilt Taste is the go-to choice for a host that doesn't have much time to prepare, but still wants to impress the guests. This recipe calls for a store bought pie  - all you need to do is dress it up with baked pistachios, and finish it off with a deliciously rich mascarpone and bourbon concoction. You'll fool everyone into thinking you put a lot of effort into making this fancy schmancy pie, even though it only took you about 15 minutes in the kitchen. Win, win!

4. Chocolate - The Triple-Chocolate Pumpkin Pie from Martha Stewart Living is a foolproof choice for those families that really just can't get enough of anything chocolate. Remember all those years you ended up with almost an entire pumpkin pie leftover because everyone chose to devour the chocolate pie instead? Look no further - the answer is here: one pie that satisfies your family's need for all things chocolate, while still respecting the tradition of the all -powerful pumpkin.

5. Adventurous - The Texas Hill Country Spiced Pumpkin Pie from Martha Stewart Living is the perfect way for more adventurous cooks to spice up this year's Thanksgiving meal (pun completely intended). The secret ingredient? Just a bit of chipotle-chile powder added into the mix will surprise and delight your taste buds, and your more adventurous guests will be excited by the break from tradition.

6. Non-Traditional - The Pumpkin Parfaits from Gourmet.com are the answer that those of you who are completely bored with traditional pumpkin pie have been looking for. These parfaits can be made in advance, and combine the tastes of pumpkin pie and gingersnaps into one tasty dessert that's more of a mousse than a pie. And what's even better? Prep time for this delight-in-a-glass is about 30 minutes for 8 desserts, meaning you have more time to spend outside the kitchen arguing about Occupy Wallstreet with your family. Amazing!

Mrs. Lilien (aka Kelley Lilien) is the graphic designer, stylist, and blogger mastermind behind The Mrs. Lilien Styling House, our website of the week (http://blog.mrslilien.com). Mrs. Lilien: "applauds luxury and anything red-letter. She delights in the good life, because it's just better. With boundless enthusiasm and an exuberantly sunny disposition, she just might knock your socks off with her MRS intuition." We're hooked already.

This blog stands out not only for the content, bright colors, and diamonds (love!), but also for the awesome rhymes. Mrs. Lilien, unlike any other blogger we've ever seen, writes her posts exclusively in rhymes. Like this post (below) about hair styling - it reads: "I consider myself a bit of a vanity ritualist - in other words, a serious beauty habitualist. There are few things as satisfying than holding court at the vanity - and playing the '...who's the fairest of them all?" fantasy. Mirror questions aside, this ritual is rather paramount - it's honoring the pleasures of beautification on every account. I have my coveted pleasures, some of which I'll share - these ones in particular are centered around my hair." How awesome is that?!

The look of each post is fantastic. The entire blog looks and feels fun, professional, and stylish - and like a single post may have taken HOURS to research and create. Having a blog of our own, we really respect that! It's a time consuming process to maintain a blog, and to keep it looking fabulous. Our hats off to you, Mrs. Lilien!

And who can forget her home site, www.mrslilien.com? Although the blog is more fun, we love the look of her styling site (and all the work she's done!). Major kudos to NYC based Peniferella Creative for the website design. We love it!

All images via Mrs. Lilien

What a fun job! Dana Tanamachi, a graphic designer living in Brooklyn, makes her living as a custom chalk letterer. Yep, that's right - she makes awesome, large-scale, custom chalk art for a living. She's so good that she's been commissioned by big name clients like West Elm, Rugby Ralph Lauren, Google, Addidas, Every Day with Rachael Ray, and more. We love it! We want something for our office!

All images via DanaTanamachi.com

Melancholia, a 2011 film written and directed by Lars von Trier, is billed as "A Beautiful Movie About the End of the World." We agree - but for us, Melancholia stands out from other movies not because of the plot (this is not your typical disaster movie, trust us) but because of the stunning visuals. Although lead actress Kirsten Dunst won the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival for the film, we can't help but feel that her (albeit impressive) performance was a little upstaged by the combination of directing by Lars von Trier, cinematography by Manuel Alberto Claro, and art direction by Simone Grau. The Ophelia reference aside (the first picture below that was used to market the film), the visuals throughout the film (especially in the first 15 minutes) blew us away. This is something we haven't seen for a long time, and we hope it inspires filmmakers to remember that film is a powerful art form, not just a way to make money by producing less-than-inspiring, blockbuster films for the masses.

To read more about Melancholia, click here.

Images via

1. Melancholia website  2. hnphim.com  3. About.com  4. Screened  5. Zap 2 It  6. The Neat House blog  7. Movies Pad  8. Film O Filia

This week we're loving a new discovery: BHLDN by Urban Outfitters Inc. (www.bhldn.com). It's basically Anthropologie for weddings and other special occasions, so obviously we're obsessed. Here's how the company describes it: 

"BHLDN offers brides, party goers, and party throwers an inspired alternative for life's most anticipated milestones. Catering to a small coterie of smart, creative women and focused on personalization, BHLDN goes beyond the wedding dress — bringing together inspiration, community, and a compelling, original product assortment."

Launched in February 2011, BHLDN is still really new, but we like what we see! So far, only one physical store exists, and it's in Houston. But more are coming soon (we think Los Angeles is an obvious choice!)

We love the look they've created for their brand. The bride they cater to is obviously not your typical bride - she's eclectic, creative, and non-conformist. 

BHLDN creates moodboards to give brides inspiration - we pulled two of our favorites (above). The photography throughout the whole site is really strong. It's similar to Anthropologie, but it's a little more artistic.

We couldn't resist - here are a few of our favorites!

All images via BHLDN

Bravo, W. You totally got us on this one. Flipping through the November 2011 issue of W, we were surprised (and a little horrified) by a few of the ads we saw. The almost completely nude model for "La Femme" perfume was a little offending, the "Pizzazz Collection" with a Toddlers and Tiaras-esque beauty queen (maybe 6 years old) was unbelievable, but we drew the line at "Tantrum Intimates", showing not one, but five men posing like dogs with big slap marks on their butt-cheeks. No. Just no. We were so horrified that this brand (whatever it was - we had never heard of it) had gone that far for an ad, so we hopped on Google. Searching "Tantrum Intimates" brought us to an article on the W Magazine website explaining that the ads were completely fake - shot by photographer Steven Meisel starring a "who's who" of today's pop culture. Touche, W. Touche. (And take another look at the La Femme perfume ad - notice anything strange? We didn't either. That woman, Carmen Carrera, is actually a man. Holy wow!)

All  images via W Magazine

Photographer Anne-Laure House sees illuminated windows at night as living pictures. Her Pictures of Intimacy series includes windows in New York City, Paris, Amesterdam, Ile De Re (France), and our favorite, Prague (below). Anne writes: 

"At nightfall, the windows of the flats that are lit up attract more attention than the façade of the buildings that frame them. Lit interiors become real tableaux vivants. The interior takes precedence over the exterior, and we can glimpse moments of people’s intimate lives. I am not actually interested in their intimacy as such, but rather by the space itself – the warmth of a particular light, the twinkling of a Christmas garland or the shimmering glow of a television, the corner of a painting. All these details stir my imagination and inspire my work. When I gaze at these windows, I like to tell myself a story. I capture these intimate moments and build my own structures.” - Anne-Laure House

Image via Wall 30 and Kateoplis

Digital printing has become a very popular technique for high-end designers in the last year. In the past, complicated prints were usually done using screen printing - a long, labor intensive process that could take weeks to produce even one piece. Digital printing used to be used mostly for putting photographs on cheap t-shirts, but with better technology that has improved the quality of the printing process, it has been adopted by the fashion world as a fast, cheap way to make custom, luxury-quality prints. Designers can now use literally anything as inspiration for a print - as long as they can take a photo of it (even with an iPhone).

 As far as designers that specialize in digital prints go, our favorite is duo Basso & Brooke. Celebrities like Michelle Obama and Katy Perry have been seen wearing their bold, abstract designs, and we imagine they're about to get a lot more popular.

Images via

1, 2,& 4. Style.com  3. Elle  5. First Lady of Style blog  6. Whos Dated Who

To read more about digital printing in the Wall Street Journal, click here.