We love all of the amazing independent designers out there. In order to find out more about just what makes all of these creative types tick, we present to you an ongoing segment called Indie Designer Interviews.

Todays interview is with Callie Micks, who creates eco-friendly, fashionable kitchen aprons for women and kids. Callie proves that aprons aren't what they used to be, and one of her customers went so far as to say her apron was "so dangerously cute I would wear it in and out of the kitchen."

OK dude. So, let's pretend you've been playing the James Bond routine all night, trying to meet that special someone by wearing expensive suits, looking mysterious, dropping pithy one-liners into every conversation, and playfully hinting that you just might be dangerous. And let's pretend that, miraculously, you found a woman who was charmed by your shtick. After you've taken your lady back to the man-pad, impressed her with your voice-activated mood-lighting and enormous collection of Barry White LPs -- then somehow managed to get her to spend the night -- you'll have to make her breakfast. It's the gentlemanly thing to do.

So, 007. What are you going to cook? My recommendation is that you opt for something simple -- like fried eggs, for instance. These are almost impossible to screw up, and at least you can say you made an effort. But to really make an impression, ditch your lame old frying pan and cook those eggs in a gadget befitting an International Man of Mystery.

Introducing the Gun Egg Fryer. It does pretty much exactly what you'd think -- fries eggs in the shape of a gun. Sure, it's a little over the top, but so were you last night, and she came home with you anyway.

You can look like a million bucks in that Milly dress entertaining guests at your dinner party. You'll even be the hostess with the mostess with that luxurious set of linens and gorgeous dinnerware on the table. However, when it's time to put all that food away, are you going to out yourself as a cheap with those "disposable" storage containers that you keep washing?

Of course not.

French Bull makes charming storage containers for food made of 100% melamine, so they're dishwasher safe and shatterproof. Most of their designs feature bright colors in geometric patterns, but they even have classic black and white. A set of three containers is $26.

There's a whole new batch of college freshman heading off to school this fall who are leaving home for the first time, and trying to make it on their own. While most dorm-dwellers won't have room for furniture and other household staples, chances are they'll have access to a kitchen, which means they'll need stuff to cook and eat with.

And while they could buy every single piece individually (or inherit an old set from mom and dad), it'd be far easier just to pick up a Kitchen in a Box.

This is a good idea for multiple reasons. First of all, it means not having to be embarrassed or creeped out by the stains and stale bits of ancient, impossible-to-wash off food attached to the rents' old stuff, and secondly, this is way easier to move than assorted bits of kitchen stuff that weren't designed to fit together into one box.

The safest bet appears to be the Chefmate Kitchen in a Box First Apartment Starter Set, which is full of everything any college student would ever need and only costs $29.99. IKEA also makes a set, which is probably nicer in quality, but also costs $89.99 -- and no self-respecting freshman is going to care about the quality of his or her cookware.

When I was in college, the girls in my first year dormitory consumed approximately enough cereal to feed a European city-state (the Vatican, Lichtenstein, Monaco) for an entire year. Aside from the fact that cereal is relatively low in calories, part of the breakfast bowl appeal had something to do with its presentation at the dining hall. Imagine if you will an entire wall filled with dozens of colorful cereal containers. It was truly a refined corn product wonderland!

I relay this story only to let you know that when I came across the Indispensable Dispenser from Zevro kitchen products, I immediately thought of the few dozen women I knew who would surely appreciate a double-barreled storage container on their kitchen counters. The Indispensable Dispenser would probably expose secret Lucky Charms habits to friends and family, but hopefully by now they've all upgraded to adult cereals like All-Bran and Kashi Good Friends.

But maybe not. Either way, I've got a new go-to wedding present for all my old classmates because deep down I know that while you can take the girl out of the dining hall, you'll never take the dining hall of out the girl.

Today's artists have to look pretty hard to find a blank space that hasn't already been screen-printed, stamped, or branded with a logo. I wonder if the designers for the new TVS Esprit line were just sitting around in their kitchens one day when suddenly the plain copper bottoms jumped out at them and screamed - paint on me!

I love these fun pans with their eye-catching, modern art undersides. But my first thought after seeing them was "Can you really use them? Won't the design be scuffed and ugly after a few burner flare-ups from a loose macaroni noodle?"

Maybe I'll just have everyday pans, and then hang a few of these somewhere as my "company pans" like those lacy hand towels your grandma has hanging in her bathroom but never uses.

Additional suppliers should be coming soon, but if you need one of these flashy pans today, some of the over 20 designs (in addition to solid color pans) from the TVS Esprit are available starting at $12.99 from Target.

[via: Coolhunting]

Compared to your hand-thrown ceramic coffee mugs or your sleek Italian serving platters, Tupperware containers are certainly not the most interesting items in your kitchen. As practical as the plastic storage containers may be, they leave a lot to be desired when it comes to style. But after Tupperware's recent design competition, you might have to reconsider your storage containers' position on the kitchen pecking order. Participants were asked to use the plastic containers in a new and innovative way. Entries in the contest included a kaleidoscope, an illuminated sculpture and a model race car. The winner, which was announced last week, was a lace-patterned sandwich container that doubled as an evening bag.

No, that header isn't an assertion that I'm making, since I have no idea what your house looks like. It's the title of the blog My house is cuter than yours in which a fabulous retro-chic blogger does has parties, makes aprons and all sorts of other crafty things. She knows what style she likes and she fully embraces it. One of my favorite posts on her blog is the photo tour of her house - which really is cuter than mine. Have you ever seen such a perfectly outfitted retro kitchen? I simply love the look and think that her use of vintage/old-looking food containers and boxes adds a really interesting touch to the decor.

More pics after the jump.