I absolutely love colorful handcrafted items, and Yulia's paper crafts are breathtaking. I am so impressed by how Yulia was able to create such intricate works of art by only using paper.

What do you think of these amazing pieces?

I know what you're probably wondering...turn of what century? Well these particular designs come from a magazine published in 1901 and 1902 called Shin-bijutsukai.

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This magazine was a monthly publication featuring "various designs by the famous artists of to-day," and as you can see, the pages are filled with wonderful colors and trippy patterns. I don't know about you, but after looking at all of the nature elements in these designs, I feel like going for a jaunt in the park.

Allegedly we're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but let's be honest, when you're browsing a bookstore (online or off) it's the good designs that catch your eye and draw you in for further investigation. And when it comes to catching people's attention, what better way than with a little bit of color.

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While there may not be one definitive "best of" list of books, there's still a lot of smart people out there that put out their own lists, so we decided to take a few of these and compile them into one colorful literary collection. Let's take a look at some of the best books from 2012 and the colors of their cover designs.

As we ease into the holiday weekend, it's starting to feel more festive than ever. Around this time, some people like to drive around and look at Christmas decorations. Internet nerds like myself like to browse around and see what awesome things people are creating online.

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When it comes to holiday patterns, there's lots of goodies to be found. Patterns are especially fun because you can use them as wallpapers or backgrounds or, heck, even as your own gift wrap. Some of these are just great inspiration, others are great foundations for your own designs, and all are sure to put you in the holiday spirit.

Agente Xmas Pattern by Vladimir Gorz & Xmas Pattern by Greg Christman

Rudyard Kipling's 'The Jungle Book' and his adventures character Mowgli have left an endearing impression on many people, including myself, but chances are this is due to the 1967 Disney animated version that we grew up with. In reality (and not unexpectedly), the Disney version and the original text are quite different. There's a great post that breaks down the differences between the two and it's definitely worth reading if you have an interest in learning more about both versions.

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From comic books to illustrations to animated films, Kipling's classic has been interpreted and reinterpreted by a variety of talented artists over the years. One version that caught our eye recently comes from a Russian publisher and is illustrated in watercolor by May Miturich-Khlebnikov. The illustrations are beautiful and have that warm, handcrafted feel that just makes you smile.

This guest post is written by Alex Black. Alex writes for printing experts Print Express. In his spare time he studies graphic and web design and is learning to code.

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For most people, it’s important to stay refreshed and inspired when they work – especially for people who do creative work. When you’re in an office that’s interesting, vibrant and colourful, it’s more likely that you’ll be inspired with the creative work that you do. The opposite, of course, is true – it’s hard to be inspired when you’re in a dull, lifeless cubicle. While large corporate businesses tend to have focus on a working environment like the latter, it’s the fun small businesses and startups – and those of us lucky enough to have home offices – who are opting for more fun and colourful working environments.

The artwork that hangs on the walls of the office can have a huge impact on the atmosphere and culture of the workplace, whether it’s the slogans used (Facebook famously has posters that say “Move fast and break things”) to the more subtle, beautifully designed pieces that improve the overall aesthetics. If you’re looking to liven up your office and help inject some colourful creativity, we’re here to help give you some inspiration. This collection of colourful, beautiful office artwork is sure to make an impression.

Print design speaks to us. Posters, flyers, invitations, business cards -- they're tangible, nostalgic, and because we can actual touch the designs, extremely personal. So much creativity and ingenuity can be packed into an 11x17" poster, or a 2x3.5" business card, it's no wonder I can get lost for hours and hours looking at amazing designs.

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For your viewing pleasure, here is a selection of great print inspiration from around the web.

Jessica Genest Identity by Nicolas Ménard

Orita Sinclair Prospectus by Bravo Company

Recently we shared a project that visualized the history of colors in movie posters from 1914 to present. Those visualizations showed a striking shift as blue has been feature more and more prominently over the years. It also highlights Hollywood's love of those complementary colors orange and blue. This is something that gets brought up and ranted about every so often, and when I went to browse through the movie posters of films released this year, I fully expected to see the usual orange and blue trends. What I saw was a little different.

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Yes, there are still a lot of blue posters out there, but we know blue is nothing new.

What struck me in particular about 2012 was how gray everything looked. Everywhere I saw dark, subdued posters, steely black & white images, and heck, there's even a film called The Grey. Just take a look at some of the of posters from this year.

Wes Anderson is known for his quirky characters and his colorful aesthetic. His films are often the subject of talented artists and designers and it's refreshing to see how the different interpretations can bring these characters to life.

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One of the more fun projects I've seen recently are these prints of original acrylic paintings by Laura Weiszer -- an illustrator, designer, and student from Philadelphia, PA. The prints are from her Etsy shop, The Wes Anderson Project.

I love these portraits because they bring a whole different kind of quirk and personality to these faces we know so well. The colors not only capture the feel of Anderson's films, but they also just look so vibrant and awesome.

What would it be like to be able to browse all of the world's colors with your fingertips? Artist Tauba Auerbach has helped answer that question in a really creative way.

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Auerbach, in collaboration with Daniel E. Kelm, has taken every color there is and placed them in three amazing 8 x 8 x 8-inch case bound books called the RGB Colorspace Atlas. Each volume contains a different color scheme and they were created with digital offset print on paper, while the cloth covers and page edges were airbrushed.

Feast your eyes on their colorful, cubic creations.