House Blend

Magnetic poetry gets a pictorial twist with Glyphits, small square magnets of hand-drawn images that can be used to create messages and puzzles. The rebus-making materials are the brainchild of San Francisco-based Celia Hoffman, who turned to Kickstarter to make her concept a reality. "I have been obsessed with language and play for most of my life and I am happy to be continually finding new ways to marry the two," says Hoffman, who has already attracted hundreds of backers and exceeded her original funding goal. You have until October 2 to register your pledge—just $15 will get you a set of Glyphits, which will be shipped in mid-November.

When Portland-based architect and artist Don Lee received his first iPad, he quickly lightened his daily load (sketch pad, chalk, paints) and used the tablet as a portable digital sketchbook and canvas. But something was off. "I found that drawing with my finger was awkward," says the RISD grad. "There was too much friction, and it didn't feel natural." After scouring the stylus market and coming up short, he developed the Nomad Brush, the best tool we've tried for painting, drawing and sketching on the iPad. The expanding line of brushes ($18-$35) have soft bristles that work on any capacitive touch screen device, including the iPod Touch, Android and Kindle Fire.

Try your hand at gravity-defying gardening with the Boskke Sky Planter, designed by Central Saint Martins Grad Patrick Morris. Suspended from a ceiling or wall-mount, the planter locks the plant and soil into place, where it is watered gradually from a reservoir hidden in the top. Priced from $17.95 (for a small version made from recycled polypropylene), Sky Planters are an elegant solution to fussy orchid pins and a nifty way to use plants as design elements, particularly in small spaces. And if your plants object to hanging upside-down or claim to have a fear of heights, just tell them how good they look in hats.

We've got a bad case of Olympic fever! To pass the time between Michael Phelps's races, beach volleyball drama, and intrusive close-ups of sobbing Russian gymnasts, we stare at the mysterious sky-colored cup on the desk of Bob Costas and break out the playing cards—and no ordinary Hoyle deck will do. In honor of the Games, we shuffle up and deal these national flag playing cards from the design champions at IDEA International ($12.00 at neo-utility's new online shop). Featuring 52 flags and a jet-setting bellboy joker, this durable plastic deck is bound to last through Sochi, Rio and beyond.

A number of companies have made eyeglasses more affordable and even added a philanthropic "buy-one-give-one" twist, but what happens to all of those specs when they're replaced by more stylish models? Enter eco, a line of eyewear that is proudly "earth-conscious" as well as reasonably priced. The eyeglasses and sunglasses, available for men and women, are made from recycled stainless steel and repurposed plastic. But that's only the beginning of the brand's commitment to sustainability: eco plants a tree for each frame sold (through a partnership with Trees for the Future) and makes it easy to donate your unwanted eyewear.

The latest print-meets-digital innovation? Newsprint-style nails. Fledgling beauty company The New Black recently introduced "Times Late Edition" and "Weekly Journal," manicure sets that allow users to top their digits with tiny panels of black-and-white text. Simply swipe on the base coat, two coats of polish, and let dry for five minutes before brushing on the transfer solution and applying the text decals. If that sounds like too much work for an effect that suggests a morning spent with an uncooperative Sunday paper, check out The New Black's other offerings, including a rainbow set of ripped-from-the-runway hues.