Bloom of the Month: Hellebores

While shopping my local garden center I stopped short when I spied an entire shipment of hellebores in all different varieties that had just arrived. I’ve long admired these blooms but hadn’t purchased any for my garden in the past. I couldn’t resist their allure, bought two plants, and promptly planted in them in pots when I got home. In the fall, I’ll move them into the ground.

These magical cup shaped blooms belong to a special club. Hellebores bloom in winter which increases their appeal because their blossoms arrive long before other perennials bloom in spring.

Often called Lenten roses, or...

Delft Tile Revival & Factory Tour

The appeal of rural living in the countryside continues to play out in interiors, with pastoral kitchens and cottage style surging in popularity as a respite from a modern world consumed by technology. Delft tile is also experiencing a revival in kitchens and bathrooms where the delicate blue and white motifs are popping up again as a classic choice in design.

The traditional hand-painted in blue and white tiles originated in the Netherlands in the 17th century and often feature delicate scenes of a simple life. The classic blue-on-white palette remains fresh and timeless, pairing beautifully with everything from quartz countertops...

Bloom of the Month: Amaryllis

We fill our homes with evergreens this time of year, and one of my favorite things about December is the botanicals that are also a part of the traditions of this season: poinsettia, paperwhites, and amaryllis.

This year my red amaryllis had three separate blooms, props to Trader Joe’s for whomever they chose as their amaryllis supplier, I’ve had flowers for weeks from a single bulb.

I love a vivid solid red bloom, however amaryllis is available in several varieties and colors including pink, white, and variegated striped petals.

Interestingly, the trumpet shaped flowers we buy for their holiday blooms are forced...

Holiday Sale – 20% off

It’s time for our annual sale! Take 20% off most items with the code HOLIDAY20 (ends on Tuesday 12/2/2025). The coupon code must be entered and applied in the shopping cart. The sale includes all our puzzles including custom puzzles and most jewelry. However, certain items are excluded from the sale including engagement rings, wedding bands, and Radiolaria sculptures. 

It’s crazy to think we’ve been doing Nervous System for 18 years now. This has been a challenging year for small businesses like us. We’re deeply grateful for everyone who chose to bring a piece of our work into their...

Lighted Tree Canvas Art

Nostalgia is always at its height this time of year. Did you ever play with toy Lite Brites as a kid? I remember my cousin had a set we would play with. And those retro light up ceramic trees have made a comeback as well, I’m seeing them everywhere. This lighted holiday tree canvas art reminds me of both the Lite Brites and the lighted ceramic trees.

I had the idea of lighting up a canvas art print so that in the evening hours the wintery tree on the canvas looked like it was strung with lights. I created this canvas...

New puzzles: Bioluminescence and Ocean Tapestry

Every holiday season we release new puzzles, this year our new puzzles feature art by Franz Anthony, a scientific illustrator whose work I’ve been following for a long time. Bioluminescence ($60 with 141 coral cut pieces) Ocean Tapestry ($120 with 436 pieces in wave and coral cut) are in the shop now.

I’ve been following the work of Franz Anthony (@franzanth on bluesky) for many years now. Franz is a scientific illustrator I first encountered on Twitter back in the day, thanks to his hilarious and intriguing posts about invertebrates. He also founded #InverteFest, an online event celebrating invertebrates...

Crafting Radiolaria Sculptures – from microscopic life to art

https://invidious.privacyredirect.com/watch?v=Pti1uavUIG4

We’ve created a set of 4 limited edition Radiolarian sculptures that are now available in our shop. These limited edition sculptures are inspired by Radiolaria, microscopic unicellular sea creatures that create skeletons from silica. Their skeletons are among the most beautiful and complex natural microstructures, resembling elaborate filigree or latticework. Artists like us have long been fascinated by Radiolaria dating back to Ernst Haeckel’s drawings in the late 19th century. We studied his drawings alongside scanning electron microscope images to create a series Radiolaria-inspired sculptures exploring their diversity of form.

The video above goes over the process of...

Sources for Keepsake Table Linens

I look forward to it every year, planning a dining room tablescape in anticipation of Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. For the holidays, I prefer classic patterns like tartans or leaf motifs, or something with a little metallic sparkle, but there are no rules as you can scatter festive decor over just about any pattern and make your tablescape chic and unique.

Having a tablecloth or a runner you can decorate with then put away and return to again in seasons to come is a wonderful tradition. I bought a new set of neutral plates recently, these Coupe Dinner Plates in Sand...

Meet the Flummoxagon

https://player.vimeo.com/video/1124590990?dnt=1

We’re excited to announce Flummoxagon, a new geometric puzzle game that might just leave you flummoxed. Imagine a mash-up of Pentominoes and Sudoku. Your goal is to fit all the pieces into the hexagon frame but there’s a twist, pieces of the same color can’t touch.  

It’s a fiendishly fun mix of Tetris-style block packing and logic-based constraint solving. The game ships with 13 gameboards, featuring puzzles from beginner to advanced, and new boards are added weekly to our website.

You can buy Flummoxagon now in our shop for $45. For the first month, take 20% off with the...

Forest Ghosts Printable Art

Fall is here and Halloween is approaching! I created these three printable forest ghost scenes for decorating your spaces. The first print is ‘Forest Ghosts I’ with autumn colors and a vintage vibe, the second print, ‘Forest Ghosts II’ is a bit spookier in black and white, and the third print ‘Curious Ghosts’ is for the kids.

To start decorating for Halloween, download any of these prints, print and frame, then display them on your shelves or mantel. You can download the smaller sizes for free (8×10” and 11×14”). If you want larger sizes, they are for sale for a few...