One of the toys that I remember most from my childhood was the awesome art easel that Santa brought me one year for Christmas.  On one side it was a dry-erase board, and on the other it was a chalkboard (where Santa left me a note, in his famous block handwriting). It was fabulous – one of the best presents that I ever received.

So, you can imagine that when I spotted the P’kolino Little Ones Art Easel here at Design Public, I found myself overcome with a little twinge of nostalgia. I immediately added it to the list of things I was planning to buy for my kids, pronto. I mean, c’mon – how great is this?

Thanks to our friends at P’kolino, Design Public will be the only place that you can find this easel in white.  Did I mention that you can also use the easel for puppet shows?  It even comes with two “coloring book scenes” that your kids can use as backdrops for their big production!  Oh, and it’s a complete steal at $89 and free shipping.

To celebrate this exclusive product, we also have two deals going on with P’kolino that you’ll only find at Design Public.  With the first option you’ll get 10% off of the Little Ones Table and Chairs (also in white) with the purchase of the easel.  Or, purchase the special deal that includes the Pkolino Little One’s Art Easel in white, the Little One’s Play Table and Chairs set in white, AND the Clothes Tree in White and you’ll get 10% off of the Table and Chairs and the Clothes Tree.

You really can’t go wrong with any of the products from the P’kolino line – I especially love the P’kolino Storage Chest with Chalkboard lid (hey – my kids like to color on everything already, so why not beat them at their own game!), the P’kolino Elephant Wall Easel, and the P’kolino Craft Table.

Like what you see?  Check out the entire P’kolino Line at Design Public.

Happy Tuesday DP Peeps!  Looking for some early-week inspiration?  I’ve got to say, this video from our friends at  MASH Studios totally made my day.  Remember a while back we told you about their new, awesomesauce storage platform bed?  Well, not only do they make these awesome, kick you-know-what products, but then they go and make videos like the one below. As if we needed anything to make us want this bed even more!   How great is this?

If you haven’t checked out the new MASH Studios LAX Storage Platform bed, then you definitely should.  While you’re there, check out the gorgeous LAX headboard to go with it (also pictured in the video, above).  You won’t be sorry!

I have a confession. I’m in love with Pinterest. I can’t stop pinning. I can’t help that I find so many PINteresting things over there that I spend all of my spare time on it.  I think I may need a PINtervention.

Too many puns?

Anyway, the whole staff here at Design Public has had so much fun with Pinterest in the last few months, we thought we’d launch a contest to bring our favorite peeps into the mix (that’s you)!  Introducing Design Public’s first ever Pin It To Win It Contest!

Interested?  Here’s how it goes down -

1. Create a board on Pinterest titled “Dream Home with Design Public”.
2. Pin a minimum of 10 things to your board that show us what you’d love to have in your dream home (or what your dream home looks like!).
3. At least 5 of the items on your board must come from Design Public (meaning products on our site – not items on our Pinboards.  The whole site is your oyster – we have thousands of products.  Check it out.) – the rest can come from anywhere you’d like.
4. When you’re done, fill out this short form to submit a link to your board and you’ll be entered to win $250 gift card to Design Public.

That’s it.  Super simple, and totally fun.  Be sure to spread the word – we’d love to see as many boards as possible!

By the way, be sure to check out our very own “Dream Home with Design Public” board for some inspiration to get you started!

And don’t forget – the only official way to enter is to submit your link to our form when you’re done building your board!  Happy Pinning!

Take a look around your bathroom. What’s holding up your toothbrush? Lately I’ve found that all the fat-handled toothbrushes I buy don’t fit into those traditional toothbrush holder holes anymore, and mine tends to sit sadly over the sink. A cup tends to get a weird cement-like mixture of water and toothpaste in the bottom, turning it into yuckola.

However, all that can change. The Viktor Toothbrush Holder by Kontextür makes a great gift and will add some shine to your bathroom. We are holding a flash sale for the next four days (that’s December 12-16) for 35% off all Viktor Toothbrush Holders. These come in a set of three fun shapes, and you can choose from 18K gold, real silver…

…or black nickel. They also can hold your razors the same way!

To celebrate our fun sale, we’re also giving away two other awesome Kontextür products – one lucky reader will win a Kontextür Rubber Duck (a new twist on a classic!)…

and another will win one of these chic and modern Kontextür Tissue Boxes!

So, you’re asking yourself – what do I have to do to enter this contest?  Well, here is how you can win!

Mandatory Entry

• Leave a comment telling us why you’d like to win.  Maybe you like design.  Maybe you have a kiddo that would love the duck.  Whatever it may be – we want to hear it!

Bonus Entries (1 entry each)

• Head over and like the Kontextür Facebook Page.  Leave a new comment letting us know.
• Head on over and like Design Public’s Facebook Page.  Leave a new comment letting us know.
• Like any 3 of the posts on Design Public’s Facebook Page. Leave a new comment letting us know.
• Pin any of our items to Pinterest.  Leave a new comment with your Pinterest username letting us know.
• Follow us on Pinterest.  Leave a new comment with your Pinterest username letting us know.
• Follow us on Twitter.  Leave a new comment with your Twitter handle letting us know.

Legal disclaimer:  Thanks for entering!  This contest ends at 11:59 pm PST on December 16, 2011.  A winner will be chosen at random using random.org.  No purchase necessary to enter or win.  Please enter a valid email address at time of entry so that we may contact you if you win.  Winner has 72 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.

We don’t often talk about ourselves here on Hatch, because this blog really isn’t about us – it’s about modern design and about you — our awesome customers.  But if we’re being honest (and we’re in the habit of doing so) our team here at Design Public is amazing with a capital A — so we thought it might be nice to highlight them this holiday season!

So why is our team so awesome?  Well, they love our customers.  They love our designers.  They love modern design.  Most of all, they are passionate about the intersection of those three and it shows in their work every single day.

Of course, when you see amazing design day in and day out like we do, it’s almost impossible not to develop a few favorites.  So, this holiday, we thought that we’d bring your our staff’s top picks for the holiday season!  Hopefully you’ll find some inspiration for the design buff, the love of your life, or even that hard-to-shop for person on your list.

Happy Holidays!

Ali, Merchandising – Loll Designs Cabrio Lounge Chair

“I’m a fan of any gift that has a built in bottle opener on it!”

Matt, Business Development – Modfire Urban Gasfire

“I do a lot of outdoor entertaining and inevitably, people like to huddle around the Modfire as soon as the sun sets.  It’s always the centerpiece of our summer BBQ’s.”

Karlie, Customer Service – Petunia Pickle Bottom Boxy Backpack

“I would love to have a diaper bag like this for when our son is born! The vibrant colors and backpack like style would make it easy to tote around all my little ones things!”

Morgan, Product and Marketing – Vitra Eames Elephant

“These elephants are fun, sturdy and add a touch of whimsy to any room. The kids love them and I love the playful design.”

Erika, Public Relations - Carl Mertens Slate Fireplace for the Tabletop

“I’m head over heels in love with the Carl Mertens Tabletop Fireplace. It is both elegant and unique, and makes an incredibly impressive conversation piece. Romantic dinner, anyone?”

Vic, Customer Service - Gus Modern Lightbox

“I love it. My cat loves it. One of these little guys defines ‘mood lighting’. Three or four and you’ve got yourself a party. It’s like a luminescent Transformer! It’s a table; no, it’s a lamp; no, it’s a stool! Awesome!”

Laura, Customer Service - Tocky Alarm Clock by Nanda Home

“Shhh!!  It’s a Christmas present for the kids – I can’t wait for them to start getting themselves up in the mornings!  Bonus – your purchase includes a donation to Global fund. How cool is that?”

Todd, Operations - Blu Dot Buttercup Chair

“It’s super-comfortable to sit in and I love the character of the wood. It goes great with a lot of different room environments.”

Michelle, Customer Service – Thomas Paul Lighting “Olivia Pendant Lamp”

“We actually have this lamp in my 3 1/2 year old daughter’s room and it is just gorgeous. We get compliments on it all the time! We installed it with a dimmer light bulb – and it’s just perfect. Bright when we need it to be, dim when the kiddo is sleeping, and beautiful to look at. It really brings the whole room together. Now all I need is a pendant lamp in every room!!”

Matt, Marketing – notNeutral Intelligentsia Cappuccino Cup and Saucer Set

“Co-designed by the fine people at Intelligentsia, need I say more…?”

Becky, Blogger – Vitra Butterfly Stool in Maple

“This elegant, sculptural and minimalist stool is on my fantasy wish list. Designed back in 1954 by Sori Yanagi, it has proven to be a timeless modern icon that is well worth the investment.”