Magic Potion

Recognizing that evocatively named crops such as Long Island Cheese Pumpkins, Double Yield Cucumbers, and Mammoth Grey Stripe Sunflowers are ripe for illustration, Hudson Valley Seed Company has created Art Packs, a set of seed packages that feature the work of 11 artists from New York’s Hudson Valley. Bridge to Paris Pepper -- born of a hybrid pepper called Paris and produced by Phillies Bridge Farm -- features an antique photograph of the Eiffel Tower, while rodent-loving artist Ayumi Horie leapt at the chance to illustrate Rat’s Tail Radish (named for its distinctively curled edible pods). Designed by Sarah Snow of Treeo Design, the colorful packages unfold like flowers and are printed using earth-friendly inks on recycled paper. At $3.50 each, Art Packs are an economical gift for anyone with a green thumb and an appreciation for art in unlikely places.

Postcards. Paperbacks. Mix CDs. A heart-shaped ice cube mold. Dried and pressed four-leaf clovers. Through photographs and terse descriptions of these items and hundreds like them, Leanne Shapton depicts a relationship gone south. Designed as an auction catalog, her new book chronologically records the Important Artifacts and Personal Property from the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion, and Jewelry. An illustrator, writer, publisher, and the art director of The New York Times op-ed page, Shapton encourages readers to imagine subplots through the stuff accumulated and exchanged by the erstwhile couple (think: Griffin and Sabine, the estate sale). A leather backgammon set (lot 1246) has a “slightly charred” corner (was Harold smoking again?) while a white noise machine (lot 1306) bears “irreparable damage to top and sides, as if struck by a hammer.” Maira Kalman, who knows from heartbreaking whimsy, professes to be "nuts about" the book: "This is the stuff of life, literally. Oh, love. Oh, despair. Oh, stolen salt shakers.”

Lucida Sky with Diamonds. Bauhaus (in the Middle of Our Street). Rock the Caslon. I Wanna Bold Your Sans. No, this isn’t the set list from designer Chip Kidd’s latest Artbreak gig -- they’re fontsongs, a Twitter thread (#fontsongs) that challenges pun-loving design types to insert typeface names into popular song titles. Call it Textual Healing. The typographical phenomenon is going strong, with recent gems such as Goudy My Dreams, Get into my Car, and Garamond (My Wayward Son), but don’t delay in Tweeting a fontsong of your own soon, before the trend changes cultural course: One Twitter user is advocating a switch to fontfilms. First on the list? Back to the Futura, of course.

Happy first official day of spring. Now that you're slowly emerging from winter hibernation—or smugly bragging that you live in a warm climate—we dug into the still semi-frozen tundra of the web for stuff to keep you current. This month Adobe Youth Voices and Worldstudio launch a feel-good project called Design Ignites Change, which encourages high school and college students to make the world a better place by designing public projects. Want to help? They're looking for creative professionals to mentor underserved high school students. Or you can just browse this cheery site for inspiring projects—from planting gardens to repurposing museum banners.

by Michelle Taute

Nothing makes our mouse-clicking fingers twitch like a good remix, and three in one week equals pure delight. First up, the meatloaf cupcake. Yes, this perfectly portioned comfort food cleverly replaces sweets with tasty meats. You won't get your mid-afternoon sugar fix, but you may discover that the next best thing to frosting is mashed potatoes. Please direct all thank you notes for this stroke of culinary genius to The Meatloaf Bakery in Chicago. They'll bake you a filling meatloaf cake or cupcake in a variety of meat/topping combos ... and there's even a vegetarian version.

by Michelle Taute

The Brush & Rinse Toothbrush has been around the online block a few times, but now—drumroll, please—you can actually order one up for your bathroom. To use, stick the backside of this brush under your faucet to create a delicate offshoot of water that resembles a drinking fountain. This allows you to rinse out your toothpaste-filled mouth without disposable cups or, ahem, lapping water from your hand. Pre-order now at Moq7.com to help reach the 50,000 minimum required for manufacturing ... if it doesn't happen by year's end, you get a refund.

by Michelle Taute