I was browsing for bags (as usual) ~ and ended up on the Lamarthe Paris site, and beyond falling for their products, i also love their web design and the film on it! The layout of the whole site is based around an old hardcore (dust jacket and all) book, and you can flip through the pages of the various sections (more imagery below). The film is just too cute, and you must check it out ~ “Elettra in the City” is “A story that ends with the word handbag.” by Zoe Cassavetes (actress, director, and producer - daughter of Gena Rolands and John Casavetes) and stars Elettra Rossellini-Weidemann (international top model and daughter of Isabella Rosellini and Jonathan Wiedemann). I love the voiceover ~ and if you flip to the script section, it really does feel like a 4th grade reader. More images of some of my favorite ‘pages’ below.

Also, i just love the idea of defining a film in one line by the word it ends with. Especially if that word is ‘handbag’.

Pardon my premature posting earlier (previous Nike Gone Running Clock post) ~ i was too excited to be playing with the real thing in my hands i forgot to hunt down more info. Luckily for you (and me) Rob over at I Love Substance left a note that the online Women’s Nike Store with the Interactive Gone Running Clock ~ best part? You can drag the hands around, and they have an anti-excuse for any time you pick about why you should be running. Some of my favorites are below. AND? For all of you that wanted your own, you can register and get one.

Also, above is my favorite one of all - “The internet will be here when you get back. Promise.” I think thats my cue to back away from the laptop… and perhaps run a little.

Question of the day i’m posing to all readers: What camera bag do you use for your dSLR? The reason i ask? I got a new lens for my “much overdue for an upgrade to the 40d” digi-rebel, and it got me hunting again for camera bags. What IS the nicest, most elegantly designed camera bag? I couldn’t find any. I went through every camera store online, and then the brands official sites from there, and even trailed around through all the randomness on amazon. The nicest looking options really are going the messenger bag route which moves you away from screaming “there’s a camera in here” slightly. But the issue i’m having is, i want the protection for the body and lens, but i dont want to have to sacrifice needing to schlep yet another bulky thing around (usually i’ve just been sticking it in whatever purses i have that it barely fits in). So i’m curious what you use or recommend?

My solution of the moment is my Botkier Bryant “Camera bag” Satchel. just wide enough to fit it nicely (as well as all the other contents of my purse, which usually include my smaller digicam and huge wallet, etc)… and i’m thinking of making a light foam insert for the bottom and around the lens. So i’m just curious, am i the only one who doesn’t treat my dslr with the loving care i know it deserves and just sticks it in my purses? Isn’t it about time someone designs some bags for those of us who take our camera everywhere with us, but don’t want the hardcore photographer look? (I’m no photographer, but i do love taking the random snapshots at gallery openings and such for here) Ok i’m done griping… time for solutions!

Gone Running, will return at: _____. Great little signs that they were giving out in the Portland airport Nike store a while ago (thanks, mom!). Too cute not to post - close ups below. They also had HUGE versions of these in the niketown windows in downtown SF last time i wandered by there. Love that the rambling text on the back ~ fonts, layouts, simplicity.

UPDATE: if you like THIS (or want one of your own) check out the follow up post on the interactive version and how to get your own.

Muzi Tea ~ as incredibly good for you the tea is… i’m smitten by the accessories and the vibrant green color of the tea powder… also the packaging of the gift sets! (see below). And take a look at their new chocolates, i love how seemingly random the pieces break off (unlike those perfect Hershey’s rectangles, where’s the fun in that?). For the complete process you need the whisk and whisk holder (what great curves), the bowl, and the tea. Take a look at the gift pack below, beautiful minimalist packaging.

This might be exactly why i stick with a flat panel and laptops… Mainframe ~ the brain child of Dean Bradley seems like something fresh out of my nightmares… an axe and keyboard wielding COMPUTER coming to get you. Luckily there is also something kind of cute about these little guys. See him in action (if animated gifs count as action) and some of the paintings this awesome character started out as. Now available over at our favorite purveyors of peculiar ~ StrangeCo.

On relatively unexpected surprises in snail mail ~ just got this package from Chanel with their latest, Coco Mademoiselle, and a DVD preview of the upcoming film starring Keira Knightly. Their ads have been popping up all over with her lately (and by all over i mean in the expected 850 page fall/sept issues of every fashion magazine) - and there’s been the drama over how those aren’t her real ones. Seems like quite the launch in progress, with the “big event” launching at Mademoiselle-Forever in 2 days, and to top it off they are inviting a group of international bloggers to Paris weekend after next for the full experience. I’ll keep you posted on that how that goes…

As for interesting packaging ~ the interior box resembles a pack of cigarettes when i first opened it up… and i love the detail of the little wax seal with the Chanel logo and string on such a tiny bottle… and nice touch to have the hand written calligraphy on the note.

Here are my snapshots of the unboxing… click to view larger.

On fun mysterious emails i get with great design pics, this one just showed up. I grew up being shown images of how you shouldn’t throw away these plastic rings that hold 6 packs of cans together without cutting them up because dolphins and seagulls would die in them, etc… Well it looks like Adam Johnston has found a great use for them! (Although it doesn’t look like you should sit on this one naked, or in short shorts, b/c this would leave quite an impression)

Kate Van Zele “Visited a design student friend of mine this weekend at the University of Cincinnati and was introduced to his newly designed chair. I’m convinced the underlying reason was for the beer, he holds tight to the environmental and sustainability story. Made of 6 pack rings that decompose after 3 months in direct sunlight, and the frame can be deconstructed to apply another layer of rings when needed. Seems like a good use of reinventing a common object with a new application.”

UPDATE: check out the Hammock!

I’m a warm weather kind of girl. I’m not a rain kind of girl whatsoever. And for some reason i desperately want Welly Warmers and some adorably simple Hunter Wellies right now. I didn’t even know Welly Warmers existed until about 5 minutes ago! So i blame Free People Blog for my new craving. Look how cute and cozy these look? More images below as well… Unfortunately Hunter’s official site isn’t quite ready yet, but these UK Boot folks seem pretty serious.

Ninja Town! The Wee Ninja’s of Shawnimals have come a LONG WAY since we first started writing about them. [You can see all the posts here]… apparently they are now well on their way to becoming a Wii Ninja (ok ok, i couldn’t resist)… but they have a Ninja Town game coming out for Nintendo DS soon! (Trailer below!) And even more incredible… look at this cast! I can’t stop laughing from the description of the Ninja Consultant… yes, he has one arm. And “For a fee, with powerpoint presentations and flow charts in tow he’ll show you ways to make your business process more efficient by using side steps, smoke bombs and stealth hugs.” The new Ninja Town site is now up, with bios, icons, wallpapers, etc. And more images below as well for you.

On design stories worth noting… where need and passion drive the design of some really thoughtful products, i just noticed these previews of legendary Michael Graves’ Solutions line with Drive Medical over at MocoLoco. The exclusive relationship between Graves and Drive Medical was announced in 2005 (see press release) - a nice quote “In addition to the experience of his architectural practice and its broad interest in accessibility issues, Michael Graves, who is a paraplegic, will bring his personal insight into this new area of design. Now back at work full time, Graves says, “I have a new outlook on how improved design can add ease and dignity to life for all people who are concerned with safety in the home and coping with disabilities. I am delighted to be working with a company as vested in innovation and value as Drive Medical.”“

These pictures have popped up on flickr via Ecumenweb, and its fascinating to see that he’s designed a hand-held showerhead with built in brush, a tub rail that can be adapted onto any tub, and a bathseat. I must say they all feel a bit little tikes to me, in their inherent rounded, colorful, plasticy, simplicity.

Google SKY! It’s actually been difficult to get myself to stop browsing and just take a screenshot already to write this post… there are SO many places to keep exploring. The latest version of Google Earth lets you flip to Sky Mode and see the sky from the place you were centered on the earth. It’s an incredible way to explore and travel from your desktop… there’s something absolutely mesmerizing about how beautiful it is. This is in collaboration with NASA/Space Telescope Institute, Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and Digital Sky Survey Consortium. Check out the video below with Sally Ride. Also a nice touch are the constellation overlays, hubble showcase images, user’s guide to the galaxies, life cycles of stars, and viewing the timelapsed movements of planets.

Coudal Partners has teamed up with Draplin Design Company of Portland to bring you Field Notes Brand Notebooks… and the first batch has been shipped out this week! “We just wanted people who had shown an interest to be able to pre-order our initial Field Notes product, a durable made-in-the-USA notebook inspired by vintage farmers’ planting books and other practical, historic, mostly-midwestern American design.” They are also 3 for $9.95. I don’t know about you, but Moleskine are getting a bit played out, although these do pretty closely resemble the Moleskine Cahier Journals (also in three packs, similar look)… these are pretty fun (loving the font, naturally). Spotted these over at Notebookism. And for one of the first pics in the wild, see below.

Kitsune Noir’s Bobby got his already!

Click pics to see more! Ahhhh there’s something so satisfying to me about seeing all these great posts from NOTCOT.org together in mini form. RUGenius picked these out as her favorite 15 of the moment ~ quite the random assortment of paper folding (for transformers or in silver) - laundry shaped like Europe - naturally inspired illustrations - kids in viking beanies - an inflatable twist to a classic chair - bioshock tee - you know, the usual at .org. And the site is only ever as interesting as what YOU help contribute… so don’t hesitate to share the great things you find in your everyday!

Click the pics to see more! As you can see, my vacation is currently just relaxing which inevitably leads me to end up posting and tweaking code and this lazy saturday afternoon - making roundups! So here is a pile of delicious looking pictures i loved from TasteSpotting to inspire you to go hunt and forage for some gorgeous delectable delights this weekend.

Click the images to see more! Yay! My roundup tool has been fixed to deal with the new databases, etc. So here’s my weekend roundup of what’s been going on at NotCouture… top row mens ~ middle row accessories ~ bottom row fall coats for the ladies!

vedaPURE - on my late night packaging/branding finds… how sweet is this logo? And check out the stuffed elephant that comes in the gift set below. And with product names like Butt, Butt Plus, and Butter…. as well as Supple, Nurture, Scrumptious… and for vedaDUDEs: Glide, Chill, Splash… this is a family line… ok, mostly targeting moms and dads to be, as well as new parents and babies. But nice packaging, and definitely a great go to gift for all those baby showers, etc.

“vedaPURE uses the most pure, high quality ingredients. Our promise and commitment to our customers is simple: we bring nature’s best ingredients together to make safe and effective skincare for the whole family. The vedaPURE collection is formulated with organic plant and fruit extracts, soothing oils and gentle ingredients. No hidden chemicals. No misleading labels. Natural pure beauty.”

Juliette Has A Gun. New fragrance line i first posted over at NotCouture as #457, but back then i hadn’t tracked down the website, and fallen even further for the packaging! I’m just in love with the branding and the logo of this whole line… luckily the west coast launch of this is available over at Fred Segal, so no excuses not to pop over there and check it out this weekend (being under 5 min away and all) - for you east coasters its at Henri Bendel - for euros and canadians, check the website.

So what’s the story with this new line? It is the brain child of Romano Ricci, the great grandson of legendary couture designer, Nina Ricci… and grandson of a great perfumer. .. and he has recruited the “untouchable master of perfumery”, Francis Kurkdjian, the brilliant creator of classic scents for Dior, Lanvin, Acqua Di Parma, and Davidoff… So how can they go wrong? Their site description of the line: “Juliette has a Gun creates perfumes made out of rose. Fragile but thorny, the romantic flower comes in different versions. Classy and sophisticated in “Lady Vengeance”, she can also appear sweet and fragile with “Miss Charming” Its Ambition? To lead a new rock & elegant trend in the perfumery world by creating romantic and original creations.”

Rich Tuzon at Gallery 1988 - it’s something i’ve shown you before (here and also his zorro sketches)… and i know how bad it is to compare artists, for each is incredible for various reasons… but his work grabs me (and doesn’t let go) in a similar way to Audrey Kawasaki’s (who i’ve written about enough times, that you must know her work by now)… something about the gorgeously mesmerizing acrylic woodiness…

Anyhow, Rich Tuzon’s pieces at the Guy’s Guy show at Gallery 1988 LA are an incredible mix of Greek Mythology, Japanese and Wild West motifs, and his beautiful use of wood. And seeing as i am personally often won over by any of those… in combination i’m speechless. Go see the images below… Hercules as a Sumo Wrestler… Achilles as a cowboy (with Chiron as a big cowboy Centaur)… Pandora in traditional Japanese wear… Odysseus’ journey home, with an adorable pup (and LOVE the waves on this piece)… Medusa’s incredible tattoos… poor poor tiny Icarus… i blame oO for reminding me of this great show and the octopus tree by Roland Tamayo he shows off on his blog is adorably cool as well.

Rich Tuzon, “The Fall Of Icarus,” 5 x 7 inches, acrylic on wood

Rich Tuzon, “Artemis And The Bathing Nymphs,” 11 x 14 inches, acrylic on wood

Rich Tuzon, “Hercules And The Nemean Lion,” 11 x 14 inches

Rich Tuzon, “Medusa And Perseus,” 8 x 10 inches, acrylic on wood

Rich Tuzon, “Odysseus’s Journey Home,” 9 x 12 inches, acrylic on wood

Rich Tuzon, “Pandora,” 8 x 10 inches, acrylic on wood

Rich Tuzon, “Achilles And Chiron,” 8 x 10 inches, acrylic on wood

Rich Tuzon, “Orpheus And Eurydice,” 8 x 10 inches, acrylic on wood

You’d buy it. (You = all designers reading). I mean how could you not? I just kind of caught myself laughing out loud a little to this one… and also realizing that i WOULD actually be able to beat my gamer friends at Photoshop Hero (versus playing backup/bass on coop Guitar Hero), and if not, i should be ashamed to own Photoshop. Ah, Penny-Arcade.

Confession of the day: i totally google and google blogsearch ‘notcot’ (and tastespotting and notcouture) and get giddy when i find links and mentions to NOTCOT that are adorable, or from sites and people I end up totally hooked on. It is a guilty pleasure that people claim you’ll get bored of, but that’s such a lie. It just gets more exciting ~ especially all of the different languages, and its actually part of how i discover some incredible sites and designers. So today’s find that has me grinning like an idiot?

Mari Santos does magical things with giant tshirts… i found this DIYThing interview with her about her, her life, her inspiration, her Urban OutFitters Urban Renewal Project - “Urban was looking for 20 artist/designers to work on some pieces for their Urban Renewal line, so I submitted some of my designs to them. A couple of days later, I received an email asking me if I’d be interested in working with them–I said yes, of course. I’ll be customizing some sweaters for their Urban Renewal Artist Customized project, and they’ll be sold in select Urban stores sometime during the holidays, so I’m really excited.” (CONGRATS!)

Basically - long story short - she mentions her love of NOTCOT.org in her interview, and then i also noticed she links us on her page as well! All of which i noticed after completely falling for how adorable her Tshirt surgeries are (see her Urban Renewal Entry page)… and i’m so blown away i had to share it with you… more that i love below.

Oh - and who is she? “I’m an artist and an indie designer from Toronto that is inspired by just about everything around me. I get quite happy when I’m able to turn hideous things pretty, and my favourite conversations usually involve my 3 year old sister. I also like naps and raspberry jelly.”

Dolce & Gabbana Metal Corset Belt. Wow. I just noticed this insane metal corset on the cover of Wired’s Fashion Rocks supplement at Dan’s house and snagged it. Curious to find out more, i found it at Bergdorf Goodman - it is $8,800 with the Metallic Lace Dress and $1,995 with the Black Chiffon Dress over at Neiman Marcus. But really check out the image below of JLo wearing it over a grey tank and p/leather pants? I think its hard not to stare at it ~ kind of over chromed medieval styling?

Pocket Shot… just got imed a link to Wired’s blurb on these single serving alcohol packets. And it just made me laugh… especially when you see how poor the design on their page is… but this Wired image makes them look pretty sweet. Once you get past considering every situation where you would use these, sneak these in, recycle these, refill these, etc. This is an interesting packaging design to consider. And sadly, look below to see their various displays (as well as what was apparently a Maxim party)! Currently i can see these next to the gummi bears by the gas station cash register… can’t you imagine a classier sleeker designed version? The concept has so much potential ~ team up with real brands, replace the mini bottles/flasks, alcohol in space? But visually there really was much that could be done here… the inspiration? “Pocket Shot developer Jarrold Bachmann devised the idea for the product after seeing the workers at his farm in South Africa buy simple, crude 25 ml plastic sachets of alcohol to celebrate payday.”

Steven Nicholson is a 2yr student at Plymouth university in the United Kingdom studying Graphic communications with typography. And apparently he is a genius with a hole punch? Check out this self portrait using 10 different sized single hole punches on a a1 piece of paper that he just sent over. Can you imagine the patience? It reminds me a lot of the Rasterbator… only if you laser cut the holes instead of printing them? More images below!

Oh Murakami, how you never cease to amaze me. The latest news on Murakami, Louis Vuitton, MOCA, and pop up stores…. apparently along with the new Murakami exhibit running at MOCA (10.29.07 - 02.11.08 at the Geffen Contemporary), with a LV pop up “boutique offering limited-edition handbags and small leather goods featuring Murakami designs. The estimated prices of the bags, ranging from $875 to $920, represent about a $300 markup over the $575 to $665 that consumers would pay for the same line without the Murakami designs at the Vuitton store on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.”

Most interesting thing to note? As Murakami continues to blend high/low art - and commercialism of every scale… The store seems in and of itself to be a part of the art… “Unlike the traditional gift shop or museum store outside the exhibition area, or a shop set up for a traveling exhibition such as the 2005 King Tut show at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Vuitton shop will be situated approximately in the middle of MOCA’s Geffen Contemporary space. It will be among about 20 rooms featuring paintings, sculpture and animation.” Read more about it at the LATimes.

Apologies for two self referential posts back to back. This whole “vacation” thing has kind of equaled more of a “coding+design” thing the last two days… and as i’m sure you’ve noticed by now i got the new Navigations (top top and below the main content) as well as the new Footers (easier access to see what’s going on on the other sites! Although we haven’t gotten to coding it to pull the latest from each yet… so i’ve hand coded in the top Nice/Starred ones for the moment). I feel silly saying this ~ but it feels like the old days of NOTCOT, when it started as a css/html experiment ~ so being the transparent designers/coders that we are, this is a work in progress (still) , so if you find bugs please tell us, we’re working on it!

Also, weird RSS issues seem to be popping up across the web… we’re trying to learn about Atom feeds, and this whole UTF situation… if anyone has some insight, feel free to leave a note.

Hello, world. I am here to officially say that i am ON VACATION. To do things like stare out the window at that view above… perhaps wander into that world a bit more… hopefully go back to my usual jetsetting and beach bumming while wandering the shops. Ok ok, in all seriousness, that’s what i WANT to be doing, but probably will not be doing as soon as i had hoped… and i just wanted to give you all a little update on the status of things here at NOTCOT. For those interested click through below… if not, keep going about your day! I’ll have more posts up shortly (because posting IS what i do for fun… its all the other stuff i need a vacation from!)

Ok, so you may have noticed some design evolutions happening across the sites… nav bar up top here… nav bar and ad spot over at TasteSpotting… RSS feeds freaking out and not showing pictures… sites got extra slow Friday morning…. lets call them a quick burst of NOTCOT growing pains.

Contrary to what many may guess, its pretty much me and Dan (who, keep in mind has his ridiculous full time gig at one of the internet giants)… with a little help from our friends (ok mostly Linhchi for incredible illustrations and mockups)… who deal with our coding and tweaking and designing and user experiencing. And we’ve been doing a lot of that lately behind the scenes, and are just starting to test out and slowly roll out the parts that you will see. So Friday - new backend went up… you can now use the same username/password on all of our sites! (Single sign on, in the works… coming soon!). TasteSpotting got part one of the new ad spots… and you’ve already seen the thin top nav here… well those and a few other surprises in the footer are on their way as well.

While i have a moment - regarding ADS - they are part necessary evil (if we want to try to afford the luxury of being able to expand our little world here and make more fun new features and find more content instead of devoting those precious hours to doing work for others) - and part exciting benchmark to reach (we’re getting lucky enough to be approached by brands i’ve long admired - you can’t even IMAGINE how giddy i was when those Adobe ads started *swoon*)

So i’m really glad you guys are kind enough not to get too pissed with us for putting ads up (i’ve been scared). Its been a hectic last few weeks of trying to budget and figure out what it is going to take for me to be able to pull Dan on full time and finally give up that archaic day job thing of his (he’s got SO many ideas of features and fun technical ideas to take your user experience above and beyond… and i could just really use more help these days!). And trust me, you know we’re incredibly picky about all things visual, so we’re fighting hard to keep the ads as pretty as we can, while trying to transform this into something more (without taking outside money, unlike many sites who’ve started mingling with the VC’s, we’re not ready for that yet - we’re takin’ it slow).

OK - so just wanted to get that off my chest ~ and let those who wanted to know, in on what’s been going on over here. Currently i’ve been doing content, business, design, pr, marketing, and whatever else you can imagine, so we’re trying to figure out how to shuffle that around a bit - get this redesign up - and ease the load so i can go back to focusing on finding the fun stuff that i LOVE to post about.

SO consider me on VACATION (i needed to post this to make it real). I will keep posting, naturally. But i’m taking a break this week from all the emails, ims, business goo, the social networks, and will come back to thinking about it next week… Oh, and if i get a bit quiet on posts (like today) its probably because i got totally wrapped up in cleaning up graphics and tweaking CSS to no end on these mockups that should be live sooner than later.

It was only a matter of time… all trendy ingredients seem to end up some kind of liquid beverage. So its almost impressive we’re finally getting one featuring Goji Berries… Gloji - in two mixes: Gloji Mix which is part goji and part pomegranate, for all your antioxidant overdosing - and Gloji Gold which is “100% Pure Premium Power” - from wild grown goji berries, ripe harvested from the lower desert of Tibet. “Drink in the power of the most potent antioxidant known to man.”

Ok ok, but honestly, we both know why this is being posted… that’s some awesome packaging they’ve got going on. The light bulb bottle is a *brilliant* idea, and i’m curious to see one in person… is it completely rounded? Does it sit flat on a table? Or does it have a special stand?

i-delicious is the portfolio of illustrator Lesia Chernish, and it’s just that delectably delicious that it feels like a perfect blend of NOTCOT and TasteSpotting’s passions. I must admit i’ve tried hunting for more information on her, but she only seems to exist on her site: i-delicious! A few more of her pieces that i love below.

NOTCOT Note: Here’s another article from Anna Corpron of Sub-Studio!

Looking to turn heads? The iconic faces that adorn the hoods of these sweatshirts are undoubtedly more famous than your own, so why not steal some of their limelight? Snuggle with a gorrilla or a creepy clown. HeadHoods hand-prints each hoodie in their small Brooklyn factory. There are lots of different heads to choose from (Audrey, David, Deck-of-cards Royals!) and each is sure to garner lots of attention.

So while doing my usual daily online shopping/browsing (NotCouture is my excuse…), I can’t help but notice some trends. Today fingerless gloves grabbed my attention because I came across like 10 different pairs. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many before in past seasons. Jean theorizes it’s because of the proliferation of Blackberries and iPhones and whatnot, and it’s very difficult to txt using regular gloves. I think it’s perhaps for those fashiony types who need to keep their hands warm while going out for a smoke in the cold winters of NYC..? But I don’t have an explanation for why I suddenly want a pair of these… I don’t smoke and I don’t have a Blackberry or iPhone! Pictured above (from left to right) are the Whitney arm warmers by Marc by Marc Jacobs, Dior Homme runway sleeves, and fingerless gloves by Generra.

Even more fingerless gloves after the jump!

Martin Margiela tube gloves | Marc by Marc Jacobs Whitney arm warmers | Cacharel knit tube gloves | 3.1 Phillip Lim fingerless gloves with leather-covered buttons & 3.1 Phillip Lim fingerless gloves with gold cone button

The Breed fingerless gloves | 3.1 Phillip Lim fingerless gloves

You know the drill, click the pics and see more! NOTCOT.org has been really inspiring to me lately, and really the only thing that chills me out when the businessy stuff and personal life takes over the fun designy side of life… you guys find some seriously incredible stuff. So here’s a quick dose of stuff that i loved this week… (and yes i know some of the ones i picked are things i posted, but well, i really wanted to post them here but was too busy earlier!)… and that last corner post, i don’t know why it surprises me anymore, but people LOVED clicking on it… i guess turning your underwear into the ui for your video games really interests people. And can you believe that icy BMW art car? Or the videos of that top row middle black and white piece? I guess i just kind of wanted to say thanks to everyone for reading, posting, sharing such incredibly cool stuff on all of the sites ~ i don’t think i ever imagined how much FUN this could be, or that it had the potential to take over my life full time (in a good way)!

Crumley. Gorgeous jewelry line out of NY ~ and i think Refinery 29 has helped them spread across the internet today ~ as the Peace Under Fire collection has been making its rounds… (images below!). BUT, i can’t seem to stop staring at these glass bubbles. And on odd random associations, these glass bubbles remind me a lot of some of the strange body modifications you see… when browsing page after page of body mods last night which was incredibly inspiring and artistic. And also there’s something so precious about the seemingly fragile nature of the bubbles…

If you recall, i was hunting for coat hooks a few months back for a skinny hallway i didn’t know what else to do with… and since then have found even more options than the initial collage of links (as well as these)… and it seems that Delta Design made a similar collage for their “competing products” section (see image below).

Well to add to that list, check out the new Bach Coat Hooks from Delta Design - The Art of Storage. They are minimalist - modern - and they even have customizable covers for the screws… but MOST importantly, they are designed not to stretch what you hang on them. They’ve also been kind enough to give you guys some coupon codes if you feel like shopping. notcot5 gives $5 off any order over $29 and notcot10 gives $10 off any order over $49 - ok, and i usually try to refrain from such comments, but i can’t help it! Please tell me its not just me, my only draw back from this design is that looking straight on, its kind of phallic? More images below…

It’s not just me is it? (insert *blushing* here if you don’t see it)

OH! So, i LOVE StrangeCo, and the other day Jim sent me over a pdf of the upcoming Pete Fowler Monsterism 4: Pets & Owners collection, and i’d been meaning to post it, but… well anyhow, the HP Toyrama reminded me, so here it is! These little guys will be coming in special cylindrical pet food cans - and both pet and owner will be in there! (I can’t wait to see the finalized packaging!) But for now, take a peek at the adorable pairs and their stories below. My fav pair? Hattie & Mr. Pasty: “Being a natural born beach kid Hatti likes nothing better than doing nothing.”

This one goes out to all the Monsterism fans out there ~ apparently Pete Fowler has teamed up with HP and created HP Toyrama. I just spotted this over at StashMedia Feed and started making silly little movies. Far too fun and nicely done flash stop action movie making where YOU TOO can animate some Monsterism creatures… and win things. (LOTS of screenshots below of you’re short on time.) According to the press release:

Singapore, Aug 2, 2007 – Embarking on magical adventures is not just for Shrek-like ogres and furry animals from Over the Hedge anymore as HP kicks off a unique contest that invites digital animators across Asia Pacific to create, design and direct short, animated skits using high-performance workstations and graphics tools.

Christened the HP Toyrama Contest, this online competition developed by Arc Worldwide Singapore challenges the best digital content creators in the region to create innovative and rich multimedia stop-motion animation starring five toy characters named Sancho, Farm Girl, Ranger, Jogger and Green from Monsterism Island, designed by cult toy designer, Pete Fowler. The contest has two categories – the Open segment, for enthusiasts, amateurs or students with a passion for animation; as well as the Professional segment, for the more proficient animators.

Now how do you actual make your OWN stop action Monsterism’s movie?

And is this guy they use for page loading… not the awesomest?

So, i was just gushing about the incredibly designed Porsche Design Edition 1 Cayman below, and as much as i love the car, i was incredibly curious what that accessories case is like… Just got this high res image from Porsche of the contents of that case. Close ups below. Although not as 007 as i’d imagined when you opened the case… those are some impressive black designer accessories in a zip leather briefcase… interesting how even your key comes in the case. Can’t you just imagine a man in a dark suit and those dark glasses walking up and handing you this case as he nods his head towards the car parked across the street as he strolls away? Ok maybe now i’m just dreaming about great ways to have your Porsche Design Edition delivered to you.

Here they are: “The Cayman S “Porsche Design Edition 1” standard equipment thus includes an elegant briefcase containing the Flat Six Chronograph, a pocket knife, a pair of sunglasses, a pen, and a key ring – all in black, even the knife blade, in keeping with the vehicle’s styling. The number of Cayman S “Porsche Design Edition 1” units is to be as exclusive as this series-production luxury package: only 777 are being built, and each will be identifiable from a badge on the lid of the glove box.”

Download the high res image

“Stuttgart. Dr. Ing. h. c. F. Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany, is to expand its mid-engine coupé model range with the launch, in November 2007, of the Cayman S “Porsche Design Edition 1”, a limited-edition special series. Porsche has incorporated various design disciplines into this very special mid-engine coupé: the black exterior emphasizes the purist nature of the 295-bhp sports car and, at the same time, is a nod to Porsche Design and the famous Chronograph 1s designed by Ferdinand Alexander Porsche precisely 35 years previously.” Just announced today ~ the new Exclusive all-black special edition Limited-edition Cayman S as Porsche Design Edition 1. This is making me drool more than TasteSpotting.

Not just any Porsche… but Porsche utilizing the resources of their incredible industrial design studio… so they are also having designer accessories (unfortunately i haven’t found pics yet) - “The Cayman S “Porsche Design Edition 1” standard equipment thus includes an elegant briefcase containing the Flat Six Chronograph, a pocket knife, a pair of sunglasses, a pen, and a key ring – all in black, even the knife blade, in keeping with the vehicle’s styling. The number of Cayman S “Porsche Design Edition 1” units is to be as exclusive as this series-production luxury package: only 777 are being built, and each will be identifiable from a badge on the lid of the glove box.” Mmmmmm.

UPDATE: I have found the accessories!

The Press Release
The high res pics at Autoblog

And then there’s always that gorgeous 911 GT2 *swoon* - see the microsite here.

Nalgene - its not just a container… now they are using it as packaging! Brilliant and noteworthy move by nalgene which has already spread into so many markets - for being basically a container manufacturer… so its for scientific purposes, then outdoors, then travel/airport security checks, then kids, then various caps and kits and flasks… and now you can get Auto, First Aid, Preparedness, Heat Stress, Dog, and Kid kits! All in your usual 32oz classic nalgenes… each with a signature color for branding naturally. All of the contents of each kit are listed after the jump as well as more pics… and if you don’t find something like the First Aid or Preparedness kit as tempting as i do to leave in the car, etc… well it’s just an interesting idea… make your own! I’m sure you have a bunch of nalgenes unused around the house too.

Auto Kit
* Slate Blue 32oz WM bottle
* Product description label
* 1pc - distress flag
* 1pc - accident report form
* 1pc - rescue blanket
* 5pcs - 3/4x3 plastic bandages
* 2pcs - antiseptic wipes
* 2pcs - first aid/burn cream
* 2pcs- sting relief wipes
* 4pcs - motion sickness tablets
* 4pcs - ibuprofen
* 4pcs - antacid tablets

First Aid Kit
* Ruby Red 32oz WM bottle
* Product description label
* 16pcs - 3/4x3 plastic bandages
* 3pcs - 2x4 plastic bandages
* 2pcs - fingertip bandages
* 5pcs - antiseptic wipes
* 2pcs - cold pack (disposable)
* 5pcs - first aid/burn cream
* 3pcs - 2x2 gauze pads
* 2pcs - sting relief wipes
* 2pcs - PAWS hand wipes
* 1pc - tape ½ x 2 ½ yards
* 2pcs - gloves
* 1pc - scissors
* 1pc - tweezers
* 1pc - first aid fact sheet

Emergency/Survival Kit
* Amber Ale 32oz WM bottle
* Product description label
* 1pc - light stick
* 1pc - surgical face mask
* 1pc - food bar
* 1pc - water pouch
* 1pc - whistle
* 1pc - rescue blanket
* 5pcs - 3/4x3 plastic bandages
* 3pcs - antiseptic wipes
* 2pcs - 2x2 gauze pads
* 1pc - ½” x 5 yards

Dog Kit
* Moss Green 32oz WM bottle
* Product description label
* 2pcs - dog Food
* 1pc - water Pouch

Heat Stress Kit
* Sunny Yellow 32oz WM bottle
* Product description label
* 2pcs - cold packs (disposable)
* 4pcs - electrolyte tablets
* 2pcs - thermometers (disposable)
* 2pcs - water pouches

Kids Kit
* Sage Green 32oz WM bottle
* Product description label
* 2pcs - fruit roll ups
* 2pcs - granola bars
* 1pc - wet naps (3 pack)
* 1pc - water pouch

I just lost a huge chunk of my day doing the annual browse through the new IKEA catalog - come on, everyone does it - designers especially… can you help it? Even if you aren’t into IKEA, its just one of those necessary rituals to know what they are up to. And since this year i saw the digital before physical, instead of dog earring pages i screen shotted away and decided to share some things that stood out to me. Some are nostalgic, some are just fun. That above is the new extended Klippan that everyone and their mother has/had - now double in length! See more below.

The Klippan couch is classic - every college student i know had one (including myself back in the SD days, and then there’s even another one in the current SF apt, and my sister even had one at Yale, and i even was crazy enough to buy a cover for mine in Singapore one time, and almost bought another one for the apt in Italy) - they were cheap, simple, fit in the back of my car (so easy for moving)… but they were TERRIBLE for anyone over 5’ to sleep on… SO… i had to point out that they now have a fourseater, and here you can see how it looks relative to the normal one… and ottomans too!

Just as classic and ubiquitous as the Klippan… the IKEA pick a table top and pick some legs, and you have a unique TABLE! By unique, i mean, a really nice combination that everyone else probably got too, as you will see if you wander your apt building or dorm. But these two new sets of legs caught my eye… a fun nod to the curvier older styles that have been popping up lately. I’d love to get that table combination coated in a nice black lacquer. Also the curved wood legs were interesting as well.

This bowl had a slight hint of tord boontje-ness and grabbed my eye, it also reminded me of the melted toy soldiers fruit bowls… definitely one that needs to be seen in person before making a judgment on whether this is a fun bowl. Nice image on the black and white page though.

These little ghosty nightlights made me giggle - especially the part where it says that you turn them on and off by pressing the ghosts head! Made of plastic/silicon.

On new super cheap shelves - these powder coated steel Lerberg shelves are ridiculously cheap… and could be nice?

Anyhow, now you’ve been dragged along to take a peek into how i read/browse the IKEA catalog (which is quite similar to how i read magazines as well)… and i’ve often wondered whether i should do something like this scanning in random tidbits of magazines that catch my eye for those of you who are interested to see what else i’m finding inspiring and amusing beyond what is on the internet or trapped in my camera.

Remember building periscopes as a kid? Either to pretend you had a submarine… or to spy around the corner at neighbors and siblings… that excitement of tracking down empty paper towel rolls (or emptying paper towel rolls) and finding some mirrors… of chaining together complex structures of mirrors and cardboard tubes just to see how far you could push it? If not, go do it, you were deprived. If so, keep reading.

Well take that “technology” and apply it to these silly fixed direction webcams (particularly on the mac laptops) with with two mirrors and a mount…. *poof* you can now record whats on the *other* side of the laptop. This is precisely what ecamm has done with their Huckleberry… and they’ve smartly packaged it with their iGlasses software (the one that lets you tweak your ichat videos to your hearts content)… unfortunately neither the design (although simple), packaging, or their web page leave much to be desired.

Now to take that one step further - according to Gizmodo, “Ken and Greg Aspeslagh [the ecamm guys] claim that they created the application at the C-4 Developer Conference’s Iron Coder Live this weekend, winning first prize.” And thus video chat on iPhone is now possible… Read more about it on the ecamm-ers blog Mac Daddy World.

Click the images to find out what it is! Thought i’d give you a mix of design, food, and fashion to kick off your week. From Audi pedal cars and Flickrvision… to ooey gooey choc chip cookies and a gourmet grilled cheese… to an adorable jovich-hawk top on sale and fornarina’s Gotham Girls harley quinn hoodie. Happy Monday!

If you recall Fusion Brands’ Food Loop that i wrote about back in December of 2005… It just came to my attention that they’ve REALLY expanded the line… and there are some very impressive colorful brilliant uses of silicon to add more color to your kitchen. There is now a Mini Food Loop… a Poach Pod (boil water, and float this with an egg in it)… the Food Loop Lace (letting you play surgeon with silicon thread and built in needle)… the Drizzle Stick (prettier than any honey stick i’ve seen in a while)… the Cook Hook (magnetic clasp with a hook… an alternative to my use of cable ties to create loops on the dish towels)… and the Tender Press (to tenderize and flatten). More images below, and view the full line at Food Loop.

So i’ve been hearing about the Sony Bravia play doh bunnies running around NY all weekend, and finally sat and tried to dig up whatever info and images possible (thank goodness for flickr… particularly dennyliem and davidwatts1978 who had great sets up from the shoot)… and i’ve compiled them below for a quick overview (and they just make me smile ~ i wish i could have seen them in person!).

So here’s the story - its the third of the Sony Bravia “Color like no other” campaigns… the first being the bouncy balls in SF and then the paint explosions in Glasgow… and coming soon, the play doh bunnies in NY! I can’t wait, check out what people have seen so far below. According to TV Ad Land, “Play Doh is being staged in New York by Frank Budgen of Gorgeous Enterprises, working with a creative team from Fallon, including creative director Juan Cabral.”

Just when i thought the Insurgent Wilderness Gruppo couldn’t get any more enticing… they add Series 6, the IWG Baby CUBS! Each one will come with a sharp stick, marshmallow, and eyeball. Hehe. Also there will be FOUR additional Special 100 pc Editions of each character, including baby Nanook, son of Peary! Can’t wait, and they were too cute not to share.

Scarf+Hoodie+(pocket & fun fabrics)+Kasil = SCOODIE! Ok, stop giggling, its actually pretty comfy. Especially as it gets chilly and windy in this so called summer SF weather, its a fun idea. And a nice touch with the ipod (or credit cards/id or cash, or whatever little things you want to stash in a place where few are likely to look) pocket, with button and kasil logo. So on unique new hybrid fashion pieces… here’s one i had to point out — and i was skeptical initially, but after having played with one a bit, its growing on me thanks to Matt of Plopculture - the Secret life of a Product Placement Surfer in LA - which is really one of my few basic template blogger sites that i read frequently (no offense, matt!), and yes my blog reading in tabs really is that superficial when it comes to design sites (why, why, why have an ugly design blog?). Anyhow, i digress, clearly this week has gotten to me a bit… more images below! And you can find the scoodie below over at Revolve Clothing… and its not just for girls.

NOTCOT Note: Here’s another article from Anna Corpron of Sub-Studio!

While Joom’s current collection is limited to just a few pieces, what they lack in quantity they more than make up for in quality. Joom offers a playful, South African-inspired take on children’s furniture and accessories. I would love to see them expand on the Mooj Cowcase so that I could have a whole zoo of animal bookshelves.

The Animirrors are for “anyone who’s ever drawn funny faces in a steamed-up mirror, or made two-fingered bunny ears behind a friend’s head in a photograph”. The Springbuck is a dynamic alternative to the tired rocking horse.

This is a random LEGO intermission ~ it’s been a quiet design week… and it the majority of emails i send result in vacation auto-responders… so its just that quiet leisurely time of year! So here are some random lego pics from a today’s stop at the Lego store. So here’s my $1.50 duplo dragon… and below are the crazy angler and divers (complete with glow in the dark fangs, scuba masks & flippers, and spear guns!)… and the Star War’s Legos magnets and tetris magnets… (the secret of how they stick is a bit disappointing sadly - they just jammed magnets up their legs… and with any hair/helmets/backpacks, they have to lean off the fridge/white board a bit)… anyhow - go take a break! and play with some toys! I forgot how amusing/calming it can be to sit and build some legos… and then take it all apart and make something completely random with it.

Check out the full gallery.

Here are the star wars magnets ….. and some tetris magnets

Click the image to see full res… its kind of fun.

Art Lebedev’s Matryoshkus showed up as NOTCOT.org #5562 from Fukudo, and this image struck me enough to feature it here as well. A playfully simple way to get kids (or adults) to catch up on a new way to visualize the sizes/naming of our digital forms of measurement which are difficult to visualize. It feels very much like a Montessori tool…

Adam Gault’s Lantern Fish is an incredible short film that will suck you out of your world for a few minutes… with mesmerizing music, and visuals that will take you on a journey through the evolution of these various crazy fish of the deep from around the world. Screenshots of some of the fish below…

This comes from my latest obsession the Feed at StashMedia.tv there are SO many incredible shorts and ads they showcase there it blows my mind… like that Chemical Brother’s Salmon Dance video! (it was on org but if you missed it, the youtube is after the jump as well)

Jana Feifer’s latest line, Love Luggage Joint, made me smile today ~ you can choose various colors (black, white, brown, blue, etc) and which symbol you like (skull, crown, peace sign)… and how cute is that skull on the toiletry case and coin purse? Oh also watch out for the music, its just cute and retro enough to embed itself in your head.

Love Blows. Stressed Out. Ciao Ciao. Not feeling so well in bed today, and not finding anything that takes my breath away (other than all the goodness that you guys are finding and contributing to .org!) So here are three fun little somethings that are new at Kid Robot that sum up today so well.

Sauces ‘n Love ~ my recent packaging discovery at the market… although not the ONLY reason i purchase something, its definitely big on my first impressions, so i grabbed this Sauces ‘n Love Tuscan Vodka Scarpetta, and was pleased to see that they come in these nice Re-usable screw cap plastic containers that are microwave, freezer, and diswasher safe! Also nice clean typography on the label ~ and its “Healthy ‘n Love - Gluten Free. Vegetarian. No Sugar. No Preservatives. Low count on Carbs, fat, and choesterol.” And the best part ~ this sauce was incredible. So fresh and delicious. Mmmmm… Close up images of the labels and container below!

Click on the image to view larger:

p.s.
here’s their cute story of Scarpetta:
In Italy, Scarpetta is the way to show appreciation for a homemade meal. This tradition is performed at the end of a meal when there is still a bit of food left on the plate. Do Scarpetta by dragging a piece of bread across the plate to soak up the last flavorful taste. Scarpetta is a way of complimenting the host on the meal, so remember to ask if you may do Scarpetta before savoring the last bite. They will love you for it!

Congrats to Catalina Estrada ~ (we featured her gorgeous illustration mets fashion here earlier). Apparently Paul Smith shed his signature stripes and collaborated with her on this collection for Japan. More images below.

Click the images to find out more! Ok just one more before i settle down to make real posts ~ there’s been a lot of great technology showing up on NOTCOT.org ~ so here’s a quick roundup of some of them. The iphone to xbox conversion is funny… the unboxing of the O2 Cocoon is really sweet… new wii straps are cute… the pleos wassupping is pretty funny… i would be in heaven on that hydroplaning sailboat… the idea of 3 liters of wine and a DVD changes my view of “dinner and a movie”… tinted contacts instead of sunglasses, anyone? Anyhow, feel free to explore.

Click to find out more! Sorry its been a ridiculously hectic monday ~ so before i catch up on some posts, here are some fun roundups to overdose you in visual tempations… NotCouture has had quite its fill of gorgeous bags lately!

Click images to find out more! Here’s more deliciousness to kick off your week. Looking at my picks after the fact, looks like chocolate was looking particularly enticing… also the way that nutmeg looks like a brain is a bit of a trip. And can you believe that bottom row, second from the left is Brownie Tiramisu? Or Tiramisu Brownie? Either way, interesting idea.

Mmmmm fall is coming. Well as far as fashion is concerned anyhow, seeing as it’s barely August in the real world. Was browsing Italian Loro Piana’s latest collection and it just felt like how i always imagined fall to look - love the way their catalog shows you the gorgeous sketches and then the actual pieces. Definitely time to find that perfect fall/winter coat… and then run away to somewhere other than socal.

Ludo Escrime - an impressively overwhelming splash teaser page by Le Coq Sportif for Ludo Escrime. For those who pay close attention, it is not often that fencing and design cross paths, but when they do we also feature it specially for RUGenius (Sr. Editor of NOTCOT.org and resident international fencer). Can’t wait to see what this site becomes in November - and interesting to roll over and see how the images bounce around in 3D? And with the green and red glow - it feels very star wars… meets robot chicken?

Kimberly Baker’s newest collection takes 7 old adages and transforms them into these gorgeous 18kt gold vermeil or sterling silver coins. “A bold way to glam up jeans and a vest, an original addition to your black cocktail dress, the classic coin, inscribed with the parable, is proof that old fashioned adages are made to be broken by a modern girl.” The only thing more precious than these necklaces are the descriptions of them - pasted below, so i don’t forget.

“A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush” - Whoever said ‘A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush’ was a tad too complacent. You’ve always known that you can have your cake, eat it too, and sweat it off at the gym later on. So it’s delicious irony that your Bird In Hand necklace has gotten you so far. A bold way to glam up jeans and a vest, an original addition to your black cocktail dress, the classic coin, inscribed with the parable, is proof that old fashioned adages are made to be broken by a modern girl.

“Money is the root of all evil” - Money is the root of all evil. Sadly, it’s also the root of your rent, you’re new coat, your night on the town and your taxi ride home. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Gone are the days of glossy shopping bags full of treats, luckily your favorite accessory is as resourceful as you. Paired with that stunning Grecian gown you’re returning tomorrow, or with the flats you keep in your bag for the long walk home, the Root coin necklace is perhaps the best money you’ve ever spent. And irony is priceless.

“Don’t put all your eggs in one basket” - You were high school sweethearts. He took you to prom. Your future was all white picket fences, PTA meetings and two car garages. Now that’s all gone. Good riddance! This is your time to stay out too late, embarrass yourself on the dance floor, hit on the bartender and max out your credit cards. Who needs a ¼ carat, pear cut ball and chain, when you’ve got your future mapped out on a gold coin medallion. Fun and wise, just like you, it’s a constant reminder not to put all your eggs in one, dull, old basket.

“Revenge is a dish best served cold” - You tried a homemade voodoo doll. Put a hex on their heads. Badmouthed them to all your friends and posted snarky little tidbits on their myspace page. But like the Haagen Dazs you’ve been medicating with, Revenge is a dish best served cold. And right now you are hot headed. Don’t blow your top, blow out your hair, rock the too tall shoes, and work your metallic clutch and golden Revenge necklace. It’s sharply cut knife will do more than keep away the riff-raff, it will prove that the best revenge is looking great.

“Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth” - You made it to the top. You’ve got your own secretary, your own agenda, your own life. Plus you’ve paid off that Neiman’s card. Just like your Cosmo horoscope promised, its smooth sailing from here on out. Treat yourself to a gift, the Gift Horse coin pendant. It’s classic message and Grecian horse, cast in smooth gold reminds you not to look a gift horse in the mouth and to remember what a lucky girl you are.

“All that glitters is not gold” - The guy turned out to be a jerk. The job interview turned out to be a joke. And the Hermes Bag, well that turned out to be a fake. So when they say ‘all that Glitters is not gold’ you say ‘ain’t that the truth’. Still you keep going; all you need is a good pair of boots and your lucky coin necklace. Sparkling but weathered, just like you, it’s inscribed with a stylish reminder that things aren’t always as they appear.

“Birds of a feather flock together” - If birds of a feather flock together, how do you explain your gaggle? There’s Olivia the Owl, so wry and wise. And Bonnie’s a Bluebird, benevolent and bright. In her patent boots and vintage cape, Peggy’s the Peacock of the group. Neurotic Wendy’s always wound-up like a Woodpecker and Emma’s your Eagle, your rock and your strength. So you must be the Magpie with an eye for bright young things, including your brilliant carved coin feather pendant. Its secret message and delicately rendered feather are lovely reminders that the plumage doesn’t matter as long as the bird can fly.

Crunchers - the latest ad campaign from Crunch from Curious Pictures. I tracked down 5 of the hilarious animated commercials on youtube for your viewing pleasure below. Also, i must admit, i’ve never been much of a gym goer… but i’m impressed with Crunch - you know the one with the crazy classes like surfing fitness, stiletto strength, pole dancing, BOSU balancing, Cirque du soleil like stunts, and boxing… (not to mention i got my ass kicked by a trainer today, so i’m extra sore and indulging in watching videos and posting from the couch right now)… beyond the simply awesome ad campaign (you will love them) - the SF location i gave in to has a nice, fun, funky feel - doesn’t smell like a gym, nice machines, like the layout, 3 story rock wall - and i swear every time i have been in the locker rooms they are cleaning or have just finished cleaning the showers. Anyhow, if anyone else wants to try it, let me know and i’ll email you a guest pass.

p.s. just added a bunch of their wallpapers at the bottom too - the dodgeball one is pretty cute.

So, i was just watching this old Sesame Street clip over at Crave ~ nothing quite as awesome on a saturday afternoon as watching Cookie Monster’s Green brother (?) “eat the hell out of a computer” as Tim so nicely put it. And this got me thinking… so about NotVideo, responses were all across the board (and hey, for a made in 3 hour pilot - it was pretty fun!) ~ but hardest thing that kept coming up was “who will be the face of NOTCOT?”… wouldn’t it be incredible to bring back something a little more sesame street and less rocketboom/webbalert meets ze frank/ask a ninja? Or something with a little of all of the above mixed in one? Well, let me know what you’re thinking, or if anyone wants to play around with making some videos that lean more towards the crazy fun artsy side of things… but for now: check out the Green Cookie Monster guy consuming a computer as it rambles on below!

Just noticed this piece about the NOTCOT sites over in Time Out Chicago! Margaret Lyons did a really nice write up on us for Time In: Geek Out section, and it was the first im interview i’ve done ~ quite fun actually. Anyhow, take a look, and if anyone’s feeling nice and can help me track down a print copy of the Time Out Chicago Issue 122: June 21–July 4, 2007 ~ i’d owe you big! Thanks everyone for the help, I think we’ve found a copy now!

LaLaLand presents Hot Lunch! A series of metal lunch boxes - complete with matching thermoses! And you can’t imagine how much i wish i was a kid and needed one of these suddenly. My four favorites are from Shag, Bigfoot1, Amanda Visell, and Kristi Gushiken’s Can Cam! More views of these below. View the full collection at LaLaLand.

Well, it had to end sometime… NotCouture’s launch week is drawing to a close. But not before we hook you up with one more discount! On Friday, August 3rd starting at midnight (pacific time) you’ll be able to save 25% off all regular priced items at Raw Clothing with the code: NOTCOUTURE. Of all the stores featured, notcot and I have a more personal experience with this one because their physical retail space is actually in San Diego, where we met in college. (Aww…) Here you can definitely get your fill of jeans and tshirts (the cream of the crop, of course) . Think of this as our way of helping provide you with some clothes for a nice, laid back, summery San Diego-type weekend. Dunno what I’m talking about? Check out some of our picks below after the jump!

Also! A reminder: We’ll be picking the winner for our Kasil giveaway this Friday night (August 3rd)!! You have until just before midnight (like, 11:59:59 PM on Friday) to enter the contest!

Just checked out Gallery 1988 SF’s latest show Skate Life: Skateboard Inspired Sculptures and Paintings by J. Shea and Freddi C and it is unlike any show i’ve seen. Definitely worth stopping by if you’re around (opening is on tonight until 10!).

It also certainly made me homesick for LA ~ with scenes from Venice and Culver City… these skeletal/angelic skaters armed with some seriously adorable pipes, bongs, skateboards (check out the close ups in the gallery… just keep clicking through till they are HUGE - and look at the details… like the skateboard wheels) These murals are a brilliant blend of the vector/stencil like imagery painted on wood… mixed with penciled in song lyrics… and a refreshing contrast to the many super sleek resin/plastic toys and figurines trend. And beyond the great colors, themes, and artwork… the one thing that you absolutely need to see this in person for is the SHADOWS. With such a mixed media piece, you really get sucked into these mini mural/dioramas, and with the lighting its really fun seeing the shadows of these beings floating and jumping across the scenes. For the lazy, a few more of my favorite pics below for an overview, but really, take a look at the images i put in the gallery… at full res for the full effect.

My favorite picture out of the bunch:

Love the hoodie and bong made from screws:

Love the way they literally FLY through the paintings:

Here is a quick mini overview of the 5 murals: (but seriously, just go look in the gallery already!)

And an overview of the space: (i was there at 7 as it opened… i’m sure it’s packed by now!)

Go see the rest in the gallery at high res!

Product/Advertising mocks will never be the same again. Live Surface is incredible. Beyond its incredibly clean, well designed website, and the breathtaking demo video on how their files work… They have some of the most beautiful renders of everything from CD cases and hardcover books to coffee bags and spray bottles (even with transparency where appropriate). Even for outdoor advertising, there are more scenarios than you can imagine to show that client just what it will really look like. And they’ve made their files ready to drag and drop your graphics into using vanishing point in photoshop… go try their demo (the box i used up there, that literally took me seconds to drag and drop the logos and images that were on my desktop onto). I’ve seriously been floored by Live Surface since i found it on Swiss Miss this morning. And in all honesty, i can’t imagine a designer that can afford NOT to spend 30$ on one of these files when they need to throw something together quickly.

Symbaloo just popped up on NOTCOT.org thanks to John Hawkins, and it was kind of visually interesting, and worth a note for its user experience. First impression, overly web 2.0, and oh so bubbly… reminds me of a homepage version of that Optimus Keyboard… meets the periodic table? Another overly mashed pile of widgets, RSS feeds, searches, etc… but i like the icons (they remind me a lot of the PSP, PS3 navigation icons). And the way you can drag things to the trash in the middle. Also that you can customize the size of the grid you’d like, either based on standard browser sizes, or you can manually add/subtract them. Dan (my other half on all things UX) completely disagrees with my even posting this ~ but although i couldn’t imagine actually using this, i’m intrigued… particularly by what is in their Secrets/Work in Progress section (more after the jump)… like news images showing in the squares: “The latest headlines in a visual environment! It comes with text-rollover’s and deeplinks to the full story.” and also their tv guide integration and map searches with their icons on the maps. So nothing terribly new, but some interesting ways to visualize? I’m posting this one in the name of research on grid views and visual views of news/data… kind of like Yahoo’s OMG - i love how theirs have quick news pop up over the image, and leaves a check mark over ones you’ve read.

Funny how squares as image thumbnails are in isn’t it?

Hmmm Axe strikes again, with another hilarious ad campaign. This time is the “Get A Girlfriend” 3 step process to take you from the scenes shown to having the ladies hanging all over you in no time. And i don’t know what it is that struck me, but i gotta say, the frog leaping contest looks pretty fun/funny (see the closeup of the frog below, its expression is hilarious), the high score on the arcade game cracked me up, and damn thats a lot of legos. See more from the campaign at I Believe in Advertising.

Agency: Lowe Bull, Johannesburg, South Africa
Creative Director: Gareth Lessing, Rob Mclennan
Copywriter: Matthew Brink
Art Director: Adam Livesey
Photographer: Clive Stewart
Typographer: Adam Livesey

NOTCOT Note: Here’s another article from Anna Corpron of Sub-Studio!

Gorgeous light fixtures from Janne Kyttänen of FOC (Freedom of Creation). The 1597 is made from a series of tubes and was inspired by the growing pattern of the coneflower’s seeds. All of Janne’s work seems to be inspired by mathematical patterns from nature. I love that the fixtures sit on the wall without any visible cords or fasteners.

[NOTCOT Note: This was previously featured as .org #4116, but Anna (of the lovely Sub-Studio) convinced me that it was definitely worthy of a post of its own! And also, one of the most interesting and innovative things about FOC is that it is “a pioneering design and research company, specialized in designing for Rapid Prototyping!”]

The Dahlia was similarly inspired by the natural formation of a flower.

The Vasarely fixture is made from a weave that creates a beautiful graphic pattern. I like that you can mount multiple fixtures on a wall to create your own larger fixture.

I stop and swoon at Brooks Salzwedel’s belt buckles every now and then (seeing them over at Ron Herman just reminded me again), and i just rediscovered his art which i failed to post about previously. So here they are (more below) - and in the artist’s own words, from NY Arts Magazine Interview: “With the use of transparencies, including vellums, acetates, tape and resin, I see my work in layers. I ask myself what images should be in the foreground, and what images should recede to the back. I want all my pieces to have an overwhelming feeling of depth. A good piece, for instance, will have faded fog in the background, but still show detail in both its foreground and background. Most of the time, a piece will be a surprise to me, once I pull the resin out of its mold. The layers change—some images will become dull, while some will become crisp—which helps me feel like I’m not working in some formulaic way. It’s all still an experiment and so creates accidents.” See more of his buckles and work here.

More discounts coming at ya! On Thursday, August 2nd shopjake.com is offering 20% off all regular priced merchandise* when you use the code: NOTCOT. They’ve got pieces from some super cool labels like Loeffler Randall, Ksubi, Rogues Gallery (previously featured on NOTCOT), Mayle, Pedro Garcia, and many more. That, plus the clean and modern look of the store, makes shopjake.com one of my favorite destinations to shop/browse online. You know how wearing that one special article of clothing can boost your confidence? Maybe it isn’t super flashy, but it’s just that little something..? It’s like shopjake carries everything that could possibly make you feel that way. If I ever make it out to Chicago, I’ll definitely have to check out one of their three locations in person.

If you need some direction on where to start, check out some of the NotCouture picks below… also, for all you boys trying to win the Kasil Jeans - check out the ones linked below… somehow they are only $85 and not even on sale, so the 20% works! apparently it was a typo and back up to $185.

*Code is not valid on pre-order items and special orders. Free shipping on all domestic orders (48 states) with at least one non-sale item and always free international shipping over $300 USD.

Not sure where to start using that 20%? Here are a few things we found.

Anymails - i can’t stop watching the videos of this incredible flash/processing project that visualizes your email boxes as its own little ecosystem of organisms - moving, and blobbing about… linking up in groups… changing in size, color, speed, hairiness - depending on read, unread, responded, type, newness. The program uses Apple Mail, and the code is available, although i have downloaded and been too chicken shit to run it yet, that “be careful if you have a large number of emails” thing has me a little weary.

The project was developed by Carolin Horn (Design & Concept) and Florian Jenett (Code) during the MFA thesis “Natural Metaphor For Information Visuzalization” at the Dynamic Media Intitute Boston in 2007. You can see more images, download the full thesis and code, and watch some incredible videos of it in action at their site. For the flash bits with the gorgeously pulsating creatures, see more below as well. (via Information Aesthetics)

Just noticed these new polystrene bird houses over at Design*Sponge this morning, and when i went to see more of Benjamin Hubert’s work, just got giddy. These are some of his concept pieces made out of polystrene: HUG plant pots/ pot warmers that are both insulatory and encouraging as they “look after plants” with a hug shaped form (although to me they do look a wee bit pouty), and the Polynests, which are insulating bird houses with a twig for a perch! Also browsing through his older works, love the Crtl+Z eraser and the upside down umbrella fruitbowls (Yum Brella Bowls) which are below.