NOTCOT Note: This is the first in my series of Ultimate Accessories posts which have been sponsored by the new Infiniti G Sedan! Don’t worry, as with any sponsored content ~ they basically give me an excuse to do a fun series of posts - my way - my product choices, my content, and they help keep the site free! And in all honesty, i’m kind of excited to be sponsored by Infiniti’s new G Sedan… i’ve been lusting after the G Coupe for years…

So to kick off this new series, here is a product review i’ve saved specially for this occasion! The sleek, sexy, new Acuity office chair from Allsteel! It is the first chair design by Design Continuum Italia, the Milan-based product innovation firm headed by founding partner Bruce Fifield, and from the look of the video on the design story (embedded on the next page), they really put the users first and designed around the needs of your body.

First impressions? Out of the box, the luscious white leather and the gorgeous metal curves looked incredible ~ and on my first spin, i instantly felt more productive - it gave me this Dr. Evil meets retro first class airplane seat feeling. And then i looked down and saw the controls, simple, adorable icons just where you needed them, allowing you to shift up/down, forwards/back, and a variable lever for the level of resistance tilting back. And the CASTERS! Looking closely, the icons and the caster are my favorite design details of this chair… Skip ahead and you can see many a product shot as well as close-ups of my favorite details on the next page - including the buttoning system used to attach/remove the leather jacket.

P.S. Can you believe this gorgeous chair is also Cradle to Cradle Certified Silver by MBDC? No PVC, Recycled content above 45%, more then 90% (by weight) recyclable, fair labor practices and socially responsible initiatives are followed…

As you browse these images, remember that the Allsteel Acuity is ready for all types of custom colors/combination to suit your office interiors - Using their design tool, you can choose finishes of Polished Aluminum, Silver, or Graphite; for the back you can choose from Titanium Carrer with Luster or Mist Mesh or Graphite Carrier with Mist or Dusk Mesh, and optional Jacket; and for the upholstery you can choose from a rande of leather and perennial fabric colors!

Here is the video walking you through the design story of the Allsteel Acuity - fun to see some of the sketching… and hearing the designers’ thoughts and goals with the chair.

Here is a series of images i took to show you my favorite details of the chair that weren’t shown in the press images and Acuity site.

These are the controls to your right that you pull upward on to adjust the seat. Adorable icons!

This is the slider to your left to adjust the resistance

Side view ~ you can see the slight finger dimples on the slider…

Here are the casters i love ~ something so beautiful about the way they taper in towards the center ~ reminds me of those old duncan butterfly yoyos…

Below the armrests, on the exterior, are the adjustments for armrest height.

On the interior of the armrests are the adjustments for forwards/backwards/sideways.

Here is what the jacket looks like removed from the chair backing - it attaches with simple buttons which are discreet and unnoticeable when the jacket is off.

This is where the jacket loops around the steel frame to be secured

And finally, on the bottom of the jacket is secured with two more buttons at the base of the back.

Conclusion: The Allsteel Acuity a beautiful piece of office furniture - irresistible to anyone who loves the strong look of the metal exoskeleton - and they aren’t kidding that within a few minutes, you simply sink into how comfortable the mesh/leather conform to support your body as you go about your work.

Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs came out last week, and i only just had time to grab a copy of the DVD today, perfect for lazy sunday watching while working. This is the second of 4 feature length epic DVDs (the first was Bender’s Big Score, Bender’s Game is coming Nov 2008, and The Wild Green Yonder in April 2009)… what struck be besides how fun the cartoons always are, were the great DVD packaging design and poster graphics of The Beast with a Billion Backs - in perfect retro sci-fi fashion, particularly loving the Metropolis poster parody for Bender’s Big Score! Also cute are the “Carbon Neutral” Stickers on both this one as well as the first… see all the pieces in high res on the next page!

Here are the cute carbon neutral stickers!

For more about HOW green this all is - read the case study here

Click any of the below scans to view in high res!

These are the postcards of the posters for Bender’s Big Score and The Beast with a Billion Backs

Oooooh and here’s the trailer for the 3rd DVD movie, Bender’s Game! It looks really fun:

NotCouture Roundup! You know the drill, click the images to find out more!

4th of July weekend is coming up, so we thought we’d pick some stuff that you can wear to all those upcoming backyard pool parties and BBQs. From cute poolside attire to lightweight shirts and jackets, we’ve got you covered!

We can’t go Whaleless! The Strychnin Gallery London will be opening the international group show, Whaleless, on July 11th! It contains a fun selection of pieces all reminding us how much we love whales, and that we need to help save them ~ a portion of the sales will be donated to Greenpeace. I’ve rounded up some of my favorites from the show on the next page for you to preview!

left: MKlane
right: Marco Trovato

Cupid Leung

Left: Sea Invaders by Andrea Gregis
Right: Sara Lando

Catalina Estrada

Both photographs by Sara Lando

Marie Emmermann

View the full Whaleless Preview HERE!

When at the Wall-E midnight showing on Thurs ~ walking out at nearly 3am, i felt like we were nearly venturing into the world of Wall-E as we lined up to feed the ticket in the machine to validate, then lined up in our cars again, sitting, idling, waiting to get out… and the other thing that stuck in my mind was ~ enough cross over Apple placement, Pixar? From the sound every time Wall-E had to reboot, to the ipod he played his movies on… and why was i SO drawn to Eve? And then i was reminded… Eve is a product of Jonathan Ives… Apple helped design the robots of the future… and remember the Automator icon? How cute is he? He looks like he might be Eve’s grandpa, they certainly have quite a few things in common ~ that glossy white skin, and that face looks like she could definitely have evolved from him! See many more images of them all on the next page ~ as well as some Eve icons for Adium.

Adium icons of Eve are adorable ~ get them here

SPORE! SPORN [nsfw]! And all the madness that has flown around the internets over the launch of the Spore Creature Creator. Since the Spore folks asked us to make a creature for the Spore Vote site - no, i’m no Sporelebrity, just a mere More Spore if i ever get my creatures sorted out and sent in to them. On a side note, how funny are their Sporelebrities? You have the webby kids from Digg, Arrington, iJustine, Scoble, Veronica Belmont - and then tv actors like the OC guy, Alias guy, Sabrina the teenage witch, old saved by the bell guy… and stan lee and emeril… Yes yes, i know they have names, but just surveying the group made me laugh this lazy Saturday.

SO, back to the Spore Creatures ~ dan started challenging me to make “cute” ones that weren’t what nightmares were made of… and then creatures with “fewest vertebrae possible” (turns out that is 2)… and other silly tasks, so in trying out the high res picture taking and video capturing… check out a few of my silly creatures (and vid!) on the next page… i’ve also added the video of the f*ck slug, which is a great example of Spore Typography!

This was the “as few vertebrae as possible guy” and he has one leg ~ and for a symetrical foot i gave him the tri-suctopods thingies ~ that from the front kind of make it look like he has two little feet… its a pity he can’t flap his wings…

And yes… that pot belly he has is all… CALF… or THIGH… those joints were all smooshed up on each other…

This guy’s face started feeling very Carnivale mask like… meets Gonzo?

This guy became our stoner wizard with the crazy shiny/plasticy/was once a balloon animal look and grass hair…

This was one of my first ~ word of advice, throw some arms or legs on FIRST! so you can figure out which side is supposed to be the HEAD… lets just say i was having too much fun with the head and feathery wings, only to put legs on and realize it was the butt……….

Really this poor cute 4 leaf clover headed good luck of a red birdy was SO close to being cute, until her wings didn’t move… at all.

TYPOGRAPHIC SPORE CREATURE! (found on youtube)
Sure, it may be a bit crude, but step back, and conceptually, the idea of spelling with spore creatures is quite intriguing… can’t you see sesame street puppet skits being made with this next?

Today has been a day of constant, “What happened with TasteSpotting?” - “What do you think of her clone?” - “What do you think of the other clones?” - “Do you approve of these copies?” - “Are you ok?” - and you can imagine how its gone on. Well now that the legal mess is done (*fingers crossed*), i think the quote above says a lot with regards to many of those. And as to the rest ~ TasteSpotting is no longer a part of the NOTCOT Network, TasteSpotting ended its 18 month run on Friday June 13th, 2008, and i’ll miss it! The domain and archives/banner are now owned by Sarah Gim ~ and she’s doing her thing independent of us. We’ve learned a lot over the last few months, particularly from this whole process, and actually quite admire what Chuck popped up at FoodGawker so quickly! He will definitely be my go to spot for random food porn cravings! So, to everyone, thanks for your concern, and to those who were mourning TasteSpotting as it was with NOTCOT, we’re right there with you!

Now this post ~ is really a big thank you to Electric Artists, who for their 10 year anniversary sent over this adorable inspiration/quote book (with room for you to add your own on the flip side even!) bound simply by a rubberband for easy flipping… and the reason i owe them a big thank you ~ i lost focus a bit today, got wrapped up in all these silly emotions, and reading through these quotes over dinner, i realized, it’s the web! it’s the creative, ever evolving, always innovating, lightspeed-moving internet lifestyle we live and play and thrive in… and this was just the kick in the ass we needed to leap forwards, run with our new projects, innovate further, and really push the limits with our existing (and upcoming) sites! And they really have some awesome quotes in here, see the booklet and some of my favorites as they applied to life today on the next page!

And as their nice little note said: “We are fans of your work and NOTCOT. It inspires us daily - so here’s a little something that we hope will inspire you.” ~ Jinal, thank you, it did. =) So, farewell, TasteSpotting, hello, Liqurious, new features, new adventures, new events, and more i haven’t even thought of yet!

NOTCOT Note: Love these awesome necklaces that Anna from Sub-Studio found!

Bernadette Deddens is a London-based accessories designer who views accessories as props that can add small-scale drama to daily life. Her work is playful and often has multiple narratives, requiring interaction by the user. For instance, a necklace that begins by mimicking a checkered linoleum floor but that can be transformed by the wearer into hundreds of configurations, or a bracelet that is both sculpture and bracelet. Check out her shoe accessories after the jump - it’s a great collection of add-ons that dress up the shoes that you already have.

A shoe sock, a slingback cat mask, golf shoe lace protector, and a shoe mustache.

Braided shoe accessories.

A leather bag in the shape of an A6 notebook, with a chained pencil for the handle. I can’t tell from the pictures if this is meant to function as a bag or as a notebook…UPDATE: The bag is indeed a carrier for an A6 notebook. It is made from an A4 sheet of vegetable tanned leather.

A series of necklaces using miniature turned wooden legs.

I’m mixed on how to feel ~ so watch it and share your opinions. Improv Everywhere ~ they get large groups together and go… take off their shirts in Abercrombie, carry DESKTOPS into Starbucks, wear blue shirts into Best Buy, and even froze time at Grand Central Station (embedded on next page in case you’ve missed it!)… and NOW… Taco Bell loved the concept so much, they hired Charlie Todd of Improv Everywhere to pull off the latest prank at the grand opening of the Taco Bell in Flushing. It’s hilarious watching the reactions of the people (video on next page!) - and a bit sad to watch that being frozen for a few seconds, there are people who are already poking at you, eating your food, and cutting you in line! So… thoughts? I think its great to see guys like Charlie getting paid to do what they are already doing so well! And great exposure to share the fun with people who may not be up on their internet memes… and nice to have some entertaining adverts… but i’m not sure, how do you guys feel about these corporate virals?

Here’s when Grand Central got frozen!

My fascination with porcelain and the way light dances in and off of it has yet to subside… latest to catch my eye was in C magazine, the Lynn Lanterns from Williams Sonoma Home. “Hand cut in a beehive motif, our lanterns cast light and shadow in lacy patterns on tabletops and terraces. The glazed white porcelain has tea-stained wicker handles and removable bottoms that allow for easy placement and lighting of candles. Candles not included.” See larger image on the next page.

My brain isn’t quite sure how to handle it when two completely separate obsessions merge ~ today i was on Dezeen and it was Olivia Lee’s “Limited Edition Designer Dolls” ~ bringing together my love of toys and designers - who are now like designer super heroes?

ZAHA! Empress of Architecture! KARIM! King of Plastic! JAIME! Chief of Ceramic!

I want them all. I also want the animated series to come out… Olivia’s site says: Have you ever bought something only because it was ‘designer’ regardless of practicality or cost? Do you faithfully attend the various furniture fairs around the world from Milan to Shanghai? Do you have a favourite designer? Do words like Icon, Blueprint and Wallpaper mean more to you than a random string of nouns? If so, then welcome to The Cult of Design.

Limited Edition Designer Dolls pokes fun at the Design cognescenti. By carefully studying the visual languages and distinct personalities of some of the Design world’s most formidable designers, this project is an observation of how designer personalities are literally becoming synonymous with the objects they design.

Not sure about you ~ but “pokes fun”? I think it’s more like it embraces the obsession, and creates even MORE for design lovers to buy. See more pics of them in the making, packaging, sketches, etc on the next page!

Karma Balls! I am in love with the packaging for these Nike Karma Golf Balls ~ apparently, for the golfers, these are more forgiving on slower swings - they are ” Nike’s softest compression ball designed for added feel and distance.” You can read a review on the balls from 07 over at The Sand Trap… i discovered this fun grassy/cardboardy/vectory packaging over on BeSportier. Larger image on next page!

When Urban Daddy ~ mentioned that these “luxury teepees in the Yukon” has Solar-Powered DVD Players, i had to look twice. And any location with wifi is immediately flagged for me as somewhere i can work from! But aren’t solar dvd players a bit much? So i had to research more to see what life in a luxury teepee suite are like… (pictures on the next page!). And its looking pretty sweet! They even have outhouses that compost…

These luxury teepees are one of the few options available from Perfect Earth Tours - other options including their spa and log cabins. As for the specifics on the Teepees: “Each of our guest Teepees are furnished with two queen sized luxury beds and bedding. We exclusively use mattresses, bedding’s, linen and accessories from the worlds most luxurious organic suppliers. The rooms also include an individual sitting and reading area, a fireplace center piece, personal dresser, original art, complimentary stocked bar, a variety of non - alcoholic drinks, a vanity table, two DVD players with wireless headsets, satellite radio and wireless internet access. First of all, each teepee has their very own personal “outhouse”. They are state of the art organic composting toilets with absolutely no similarity to the old fashioned “outhouse”. They are odorless and extremely easy to use, just like your your toilet at home.” I’m so intrigued! See more pics on the next page…

“In his former life as a tracker of dangerous game in the unforgiving Australian outback, the Sniper would spend months by himself. Prolonged isolation taught him a valuable lesson: You don’t have to rely on other people if you never miss.”

On gorgeous video games, and teaser vids ~ loving this one of The Sniper for Valve’s Team Fortress 2! Nothing like this rational animated aussie sniper… Watch it on the next page…

Team Fortress 2 : Meet the Sniper from Béranger Roussel on Vimeo.

Woohoo! Viral videos finally have better quality, are more thought out, and have great music. Ok, so i’ve been waiting for this day for a while, and i’m glad we’ve entered into that era lately… Moving along… Let’s kick off this monday with the viral set of Levi’s genius… First - they gave us “Guys backflipping into jeans” (SO good). Second - came “Super chill monkey does Hollywood” (I can see how it works for some people…)…

And today i’m excited to show you the third - “Guys fill their jeans with helium”! Yes, jeans, duct tape, and helium… add a dash of some awesome music (the song “YADNUS” by Chk Chk Chk)… some playful guys… toss them in downtown LA… finish off with the creatives at UnbuttonedFilms… and *poof* the perfect viral for Monday, which i suppose is in a way a backwards sunday! SO, without further ado, click to the next page to see all three vids!

p.s.
well produced ridiculousness is far too fun to get me going this morning!

Here’s #1 - Guys Backflipping into Jeans! (my FAV by far! Although i think it ties with the helium)

#2 - Super chill monkey does Hollywood (By monkey, they mean orangutan - which is an ape not a monkey)

The Ojon Rare Harvest Takawa “Ball” - as it popped up on Sephora, and all around the beauty sites, the stock photos of it intrigued me to no end… I needed to know how they packaged that ~ what it was ~ and ultimately, what does it feel like to rub what is essentially a giant dark chocolate ball on your body like a mud mask???

SO, i bought one for NOTCOT’s sake ~ to indulge and share my curiosity with you. The packaging is awesome, from the cardboard tube, to the saturn/ufo looking molded papery holder, to the foil wrapped baseball sized cacao ball, to the wooden bowl (made in china)… its not to be missed! So it has definitely won me over as far as packaging and presentation/experience - and after trying it out in the shower, my skin feels pretty amazing as well… so full unpackaging walk through on the next page, as well as more info/vids on what it actually is!

The Ojon Site describes it as:
“A powerful antioxidant-rich, cleansing full-body scrub treatment.

Ojon® Tawaka™ “The Ball” contains a high dose of wildcrafted Ojon® oil, rich in essential fatty acids, Omega-3, 6 and 9; Omega-3 fatty acids are essential components for skin’s functioning. Omega-6 fatty acids are essential components of skin’s structure. A deficiency of these essential fatty acids is the most common and can cause dry, flaky skin.

This exclusive skin smoother is inspired by a ball only available in the Tawaka™ villages found in the remote tropical rainforest of Central America - that is, until now. Ojon® offers you this luxurious beauty sphere for use in your very own home. Ojon® Tawaka™ “The Ball” is produced in small batches, with each ball taking up to 2 days to produce.

A beautiful fact: The rare, wildcrafted Tawaka™ Cacao blend in “The Ball” contains the same antioxidant amount as 2,834 lbs of blueberries! “

You can view a video on the making of the Tawaka Ball on the Ojon site as well! It walks you through the story of the Tawaka (a tribe as old as the mayans), through the difference between the man manipulated cacao tree pods and the natural ones (smaller and green and far more potent), the roasting of the beans and hand shelling, the addition of other tribal herbal remedies and processes, the grinding and mixing of it all together, and the hand molding of the balls…

Really it feels like a GIANT chocolate ball ~ and for those who like dark chocolate, the smell is divine ~ and not too food like, and its not at all sweet (and yes i licked it, as dared) - before the first use you have to essentially wash of the chocolatey outer layer that lacks exfoliating chunks… and to do so you run it under warm water for a few minutes - turning your bathtub into the flowing streams at the Wonka Factory… After that, you feel like exfoliating nibs, and on your body it really feels like quite the massage rolling it around.

Here it is AFTER its initial rinse ~ pretty much looks the same as this after the first use as well…

Here are the Ojon and Sephora images for comparison…

Yes, i’ve been a bit quiet the last few days ~ and the last week or so i’ve been flickering in and out of posting spurts ~ but as i’m sure you know by now, the foodie stuff has been eating into my mental and posting energy, and learning about legal quickly and making business decisions - and pretty much catching up on what everyone else seems to have learned in mba/jd programs, has been a bit exhausting! But today ended up being a perfect complete break from that. In this socal heatwave, we stuck to the beach, cruising further up the coast through Malibu up to Point Dume, where we found ourselves with about 100 others to celebrate the big birthday of the incredible Rose Apodaca at the houses of Fred and Betty Hayman (of Giorgio Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive legend) which are at the point of Point Dume, and the two houses overlook one of the most spectacular views in all of LA. On such a gorgeous day ~ we were able to get my favorite joy ride up PCH, run around with friends old and new - sharing in a wonderful (and impressively large) pan of paella - sitting out on blankets on the grassy lawn - wandering down to the beach to run around in the surprisingly warm waters - finding starfish/crabs/anemones and other critters - and really it always just came back to that view - staring out so far along the coastline and out at the horizon…

Anyhow, the break, the location, and catching up with people i was long overdue to see - was apparently JUST what i needed to snap out of the stressed funk i was finding myself in, and on the drive back i think i’m finally getting a better sense of where we’re going with NOTCOT, and ultimately, learning to think about that “business” stuff a bit better! SO, just for a fun 5:30am (sunrise is GORGEOUS today!) post ~ here’s a peek at the views and scene that were Saturday.

Click the images to find out more! Today is a scorcher up and down California ~ Linhchi (SF) and i (LA) are dying in the heat, and i’m about to head out to Point Dume (where unfortunately that amazing Iron Man house fictitiously exists) for a birthday bash… but while we were trying to figure out what to wear to beat this weather and still look good… we though a proper roundup was in order! So top row we have sun dresses and shorts for the ladies, middle is sandals and sunglasses ~ and bottom row is all boys! If you feel like contributing to the cause, come add your summer survival wear to NotCouture!

Hey everyone, sorry i got quiet ~ legal messes aren’t quite my specialty. And how odd that doing a roundup of the popular stuff from the last week is filled with Crying Men portraits, girls getting things “dumped” on them, crazy futuristic architecture, ikea’s pop up apt in a box, and i LOVE those spacey looking images of bubbles and real images of space! It’s been an odd week, but almost through it ~ so apologies for slowing down here… but i have lots of fun stuff to post coming up, just a few more things to take care of! So please feel free to click through any of these pics to find out more, and check out .org and NotCouture for more inspiration… also feel free to take a sneak peek at my unlaunched new project where i’m drowning my sorrows at the moment.

Incase always has the best packaging experiences… as much as i love their products, opening the press packs they send always leave me giddy all day. Today they sent over these new Incase iPod Touch Slider Cases - in the starburst like colors of Summer Rose, Rummer Red, and Summer Orange - these were wrapped in tissue paper, tucked with giant paint chip like info cards in black Incase envelopes, which fit perfectly on some padding in the gift box… and on top of that was a card with their motto when you opened the box: “A better experience through good design.” *swoon*. I love these guys… living up to a motto like that makes them a pleasure to interact with. The cases are great - they are incredibly thin but durable plastic - with my favorite soft touch rubberized coating! So take a peek at the unboxing pics and close ups on the next page… and keep an eye out for these to be available on their website! (Currently you can only find the black and white high gloss ipod touch slider cases)

Classic Italian yacht maker, Riva, (yes, the ones that you can stick a Lamborghini engine in) teams up with Veuve Clicquot in their latest beautiful design collaboration, that makes me dream of living the dolce vita lifestyle, and has me desperately yearning to hop a plane back to Italy to relax on Lago di Como.

They have launched La Grande Dame by Riva Collection which includes three products in mahogany, chrome and leather - the Cruise Collection, Cruiser Bag, and ice bucket ~ the Cruise Collection contains 4 bottles of La Grande Dame 98, 2 magnums of La Grande Dame 88, 6 champagne flutes Riedel and 6 water tumblers, plates, table mats and cutlery ~ the Cruiser Bag contains a bottle of La Grande Dame 98 and two champagne flutes. Full photo spread to help you fantasize about the Riva/Veuve Clicquot lifestyle on the next page… as well as some background on the incredible story of Riva… and i found some amazing original sketches of the various Riva boats over the last 40 years worth taking a peek at!

p.s.
no, i’m not condoning drinking and boating ~ have a designated driver?

And on a side note ~ for those of you unfamiliar with Riva… to be honest it was vaguely familiar with it, and upon a call to my dad, i’ve suddenly spent the last few hours flashing back to the 70’s hearing his tales about Riva’s in their prime, family friend, Gino Gervasoni, who was partner to Carlo Riva since 1950 and took over in 1971, how the owner of some of the hottest Singapore nightclubs now used to be the main Riva rep for all of asia… so, surprisingly, i must say, one of the awesome perks to running this site, is getting a chance to find out more of the secrets in my parent’s pasts!

As for Riva - the story dates back to 1842 Lago di Como (see the full story at the bottom of the post) ~ It stays in the family generation after generation ~ they start mass producing in the 50’s as waterskiiing begins to take off ~ and it really becomes seen as the Ferrarri/Lamborghini of the sea in the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s when they capture the attention of the film world (yes that’s Brigitte Bardot in ‘68 in the bottom left of the top image) ~ in the 70’s they introduce Fiberglass production ~ in 1969 Carlo Riva sells the yard to the American company Whittaker ~ and Gino Gervasoni, his partner since 1950 takes his place ~ in 1991, Rolls Royce takes control of the company and Gervasoni (married to Carlo Riva’s sister) steps down, ending the family legacy with the company ~ and in 2000 Italian Yacht powerhouse, Ferretti, takes over and continues to run Riva today. Going through the history in pictures is a fascinating quick study on the history and evolution of the luxury/speed boat industry, and the images and stories of the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s seem like such a romantic, nostalgic, fun era to have missed out on!

1) Cruise Collection: a “made to measure” piece and costs $80,000 - comes with 4 bottles of La Grande Dame 98, 2 magnums of La Grande Dame 88, 6 champagne flutes Riedel and 6 water tumblers, plates, table mats and cutlery.

2) Cruiser Bag: Limited Edition piece (only 300 pieces available) - includes a bottle of La Grande Dame 98 and two champagne flutes. Available from July and costs $425

From a design standpoint, i can’t not share some of the gorgeous sketches of Riva’s boats as well!

I love this “myth” of Riva:

The Riva myth starts on the banks of Lake Como, in Laglio, in 1842. One Spring day a fisherman arrives from Sarnico, a village on Lake Iseo in the province of Bergamo. Stunned by how the young Pietro Riva, born in Laglio on 12 March 1822, is repairing his boat that has been damaged by a load of bricks, the visitor proposes he go to Sarnico to repair two boats that have been damaged by the Oglio River bursting its banks and throwing them against the rocks on the river bed. Covering the seventy miles that separate the two lakes marks Pietro’s emancipation and the birth of Riva’s history.

Pietro’s skill is noticed once again in a wooden hut on the River Oglio and his ability as carpenter finds an environment willing to offer him boats both to repair and build. The first commission he receives is for a “fishing boat and Comacine type rowing boat”, probably a streamline “inglesina” for one, two and three rowers. The young Riva is able to set himself up and, ten years later, marry Lucrezia Taroni. They have five children: Angelo, Francesco, Ernesto, Erminia and Luigi.

Ernesto is sent to Laglio to learn the trade and on returning to Sarnico joins his father as a skilled carpenter. He senses engines are the future and proposes they build larger models. A new yard is needed, built on the other side of the bridge over the River Oglio: it is the so-called “tesone”, due to the particular type of roof. Business increases rapidly.

In 1881 Ernesto Riva marries Carolina Malighetti, with whom he has six children: Francesco, Angelo, Serafino, Mauro, Anna and Pierina. In the meantime Ernesto is commissioned to make the first motorboat. Success encourages him to build one of his own. He proposes the first tourist trips on the lake with this boat that he calls Sarnico. In particular the trip to Montisola, the largest lake-island in Europe, includes a visit to the shipyard at lunchtime. Mrs. Riva’s kitchen turns into a restaurant that honours the local gastronomic tradition and livens up holidays in particular.

NOTCOT Note: Here’s a fun find from Anna over at Sub-Studio ~ and a HUGE congrats to her, on taking the plunge to give up the day job, and take Sub-Studio full time! We’re so excited for her!

Mystake is a new brand by Dima Komissarov of Plus Minus (#061). The presentation of the brand reminds me of Atypyk - cheeky one-liners that are polished and pretty.

The Candle Bulb Candle, as Dima writes on his website, “looks like a candle bulb, but it’s not a bulb, it’s a candle, which looks like…you know”. Modeled after the old chandelier candle bulbs - I would love to have a chandelier over my dining table that could take one of these. Mostly, I’m just really into the idea of a candle modeled after a bulb. I’d love to see this series expanded into a bunch of different bulb types (compact fluorescents, anyone?).

The Icetris.

Notmy Bag.

Howtie - step-by-step instructions on how to tie your necktie.

Two of my favorite vices - dark chocolate and scotch… combined?!?!?! K Chocolatier by Diane Krön’s K HIBALLS filled with Blue Label Scotch and Ketel One Vodka - a more sophisticated variation of the recipes of chocolate once exclusive to Emperor Franz Josef of Austro-Hungary, that i’m sure the Emperor would adore were he alive today - will absolutely raise the bar for any chocolate/liquor experience. But first, let me fill you in on the background of the most delectable chocolates you may ever feast on. Food Network calls K Chocolatier by Diane Krön “the Rolls Royce of Chocolates”.

These chocolates have blown my mind since childhood, and i can’t believe i forgot about them the last few years! Thank goodness i rediscovered them today while wandering in Malibu… as far as things exclusively found in LA, this is one you absolutely must try. For a quick background on K Chocolatier by Diane Krön…

“In 1973, Diane and Tom Krön established Krön Chocolatier in New York City based on recipes from Tom’s great grandfather, chocolate-maker to Emperor Franz Josef of Austro-Hungary. They soon became very famous for the quality and novelty of their chocolates (Tom invented the chocolate-covered strawberry) and opened many Krön stores across the U.S. Diane and Tom Krön sold Krön Chocolatier in 1983 and retired from the chocolate business to travel and raise their family. New management took over and the company went in other directions. Now Diane Krön is back ! Lured by the excitement of Beverly Hills, Diane decided to develop a new company, and in 2000, created a new brand of luxury chocolates with new combinations and more sophisticated recipes. K CHOCOLATIER is based on those secret Krön family formulations of cocoa powder ratio and viscosity, but with a difference: using as little sugar as possible.”

Still family run (we met one of the sons at the Malibu store) ~ they produce these chocolates locally in their Gardena factory, and create daily batches in limited quantities. They are available exclusively in their Beverly Hills and Malibu boutiques, and if you are anywhere near the area, stop in - even if just to try the samples - and luckily you can now also shop online with them, since they ship nearly everywhere See more images of the beautiful packaging, some other variations… and i couldn’t help it, so a little rant about my childhood memories of K Chocolatier by Diane Krön as well.

As you read this ~ i suggest you take a listen to this KCRW/NPR interview (i’m listening to it now as i write this, its such a sweet story - and hearing people come into the store and taste these, is drool worthy… you might need to hear it to see what i mean)

That red box ~ contains truffles ~ the exact recipe that was loved by everyone from Emperor Franz Josef to Jacqueline Kennedy…

Rediscovering this childhood memory when wandering in Malibu has made my week. My bag of scotch hiballs are keeping me giddy and working away happily… you MUST try these!

My mother loved K Chocolatier by Diane Krön in Beverly Hills when i was a kid ~ this may be the first place i started liking vodka… truly one of the best gifts for any occasion, i always looked forward to going with her when she went to buy presents, because Diane would encourage us to sample any and everything, and it was literally mind blowing. My favorite used to be their vodka caviar, tiny spheres of dark chocolate with a crispy lining holding in a few drops of vodka - down a handful and you were buzzing nicely. And their K Bears are legendary, in dark, milk, and white chocolate - they are just perfectly crispy enough to make them ridiculously addictive. I also remember back in the beginning of the Sex and the City days when Cosmos and mixed drinks were trendy again, they experimented with encapsulating various cocktails (including the cosmos) into chocolate balls as well.

Also, for the ultimate gift for girl friends, weddings, vday, or just for fun… she’s gotten quite a bit of press for her K Sensual Chocolates ~ which contain a special selection of herbs in order to heighten sexual experiences for women ~ and although i have yet to try them, they are apparently effective enough that many women come back and buy boxes after box for their friends!

Anyhow, that’s enough ranting for now… So, you get the point, these chocolates are like nothing i’ve ever experienced, and i’m so so giddy tonight for having rediscovered them!

On ridiculous, unexpected things that made me actually lol… my new Panasonic 42” plasma showed up yesterday, the amazon white glove guys set it up, took the box away, and left me with the bag of manuals, etc… and as i start setting things up, i’m flipping through what’s in there, and i see this boring looking technical page about “MAINTAINING THE SHINY PARTS”… and as you read on, it’s really quite sad? funny? i’m not sure, so i had to share it.

NOTICE: This unit has some shiny parts. Being shiny, these parts tend to show dust and fingerprints easily. Wiping these parts or rubbing them vigorously with a hard cloth may scratch their surfaces. When cleaning or otherwise maintaining these parts, use the cleaning cloth provided with the unit, and bear in mind the following points… you can click the image above to view larger… Is “Shiny Parts” now a technical term? How much fun did some guy have writing that?

And for your multilingual amusement, i’ve scanned the other languages on the next page!

Flipping through a free issue of Malibu magazine that i grabbed from our usual thai place… i noticed an ad for Surfmonk… and while i have managed to live in many a beachy cities/towns, i never did manage to get on a surfboard, but do feel most at home bumming out on the beach… (the TasteSpotting drama that has yet to die down has been tormenting me for about 2 months now… maybe that’s why i’m suddenly finding myself hunting for cozy, comfy, relaxing products/environments lately).

Anyhow, Surfmonk! A line of eco-friendly bamboo terry robes, cover-ups, blankets, and more for men, women, and even kids! They range from full length friar tuck/jedi robes to these shorter cover-up hoodies i’m coveting, and i love the way their cozy looking beach blanket has a padded shoulder strap… also check out the cute knee length fanny wrap and more close ups on the next page! So tempting, to grab some, a good book, and road trip down the coast stopping and laying out on the beaches all the way down…

Spotted over at The Ministry of Type ~ gorgeous 1975 Israeli Stamps depicting three major environmental concerns - Air, Water, and Noise pollution. Design by Eliezer Weishoff. See larger images on the next page.

Firstly ~ look down to the left corner! How cute is that little orange bouncy raccoon balloon? Secondly, this is not a paying advertiser of NOTCOT, yet i put it on all my sites for free… because i’m in love with the genius of this campaign.

Orange (the mobile phone guys in the UK) are launching the “World’s First Internet Balloon Race” in 6 days - and essentially it is kind of like their own stumble upon race… users register their “balloon” and they can race from site to site trying to get as “far” as possible to win a trip to Ibiza… as for where they go? Sites like this one, can register on their page and put up little balloons, so when people are racing, they go through your sites! (and who knows, some might come back later!)… SO, free advertising for the sites, which give free advertising for Orange, and fun exploring the internet for the users… AND super cute raccoon balloon flash 9 animation for me to have bouncing on my screen. On the next page, i’ve compiled all the info on what happens and how things work ~ and FYI my balloon is named NOTCOT, feel free to give it a boost and i’ll boost you back when the race starts.

So, take note advertisers, if you make it cool enough, you’ll definitely get around… and future advertisers, lets break out of the IAB ad boxes, i’d love to work with someone who wanted to sponsor the next little balloon or critter to hang out somewhere non intrusive and unexpected on our sites!

NOTCOT Note: Ironically, this is an event i was actually super excited about cross posting to NOTCOT/TasteSpotting when i was planning for it… and now that i finally get it up… that whole TasteSpotting thing happens (will tell you guys more when i can, but for now, know that it had nothing to do with images/copyright/or any of the other bizarre rumors flying on the web)… but still an incredible experience mixing food and design so perfectly - i suggest you jump ahead and see all the pics then scroll back up and read!

Two words. Bread. Lamp. How could we not venture into williamsburg after party hopping through ICFF/NY Design Week to see what this mysterious Dine On Design dinner that promised an edible lamp made of bread and other “designed” foods?

Ok the first version of this post got a bit too rambly… so i’ve moved the full story to the next page with the TONS of pics to take you through the 8 course prix fixe Dine on Design dinner at Monkeytown in Willamsburg with us! It is an experience not to be missed. And it really was quite the experience… i must admit it did feel like a bit of an art school project - and we had a blast at the dinner, particularly in its contrast to all the usual ICFF parties, openings, and open bars we had passed through earlier in the night! We found ourselves in a square room on low futons, strapped in with bibs to our table, watching crazy video installation on all four walls of clips from old foreign foodie films, 60s and 70s snack/cereal commercials, footage of Julia Child chopping chickens and fish apart… all while eating some very interesting dishes… on some very interestingly designed dishes… SO, you have to see the pics!

I miss that Bread Lamp ~ it was so delicious. It was also the start of one of the most bizarre meals of my life, and i’m not even sure quite where to start… perhaps that is exactly why i’ve been so slow to get this post up… this was back during ICFF/NY Design Week! So while i’m catching up, this one had to go up next after the Conran party… it was actually that same night, only after the Conran party we went to the Housewarming party that took over a not yet finished 34th floor of condos in chelsea (by I.D., Smallpond, Matter - showing Established & Sons, Tom Dixon, and Thorsten Van Elten), then crashed the Samsung party in some artsy warehouse space where chow mein was served in mini plastic chinese take out containers, THEN we fought for cabs in the rain to take us out to Williamsburg… where with some surprising amount of organization, the week before i had called this bar/supperclub/performance space, Monkeytown, nearly every day to expand my reservation for this mysterious “Dine On Design” supperclub like experience that i knew somehow involved a Bread Lamp that i had to try!

By the time we made it over to Monkeytown for our 10pm “Dine On Design” dinner “experience” we were a large and rowdy creative bunch of 9! (out of 30 available spots!)… It was an 8 course prix-fixe meal that our few vegetarians were intrigued enough by that they tagged along having snacked before hand - we were promised a dining experience where design was applied not only to what the food was served on, but to the food itself… Curated by Parson’s grad, Eliza Axelson-Chidsey, here’s all we knew going into it:

“Where do design, supper clubs and the avant-garde intersect? How does design engage food politics? Who will start the next food trend? Is there a different way to eat? What can a change in presentation do? … “Dine On Design” is committed to the experience of dining through design… By pairing dining and design in short-lived gastronomic events designers, artists, chefs and performers are able to present new and event specific work in a dynamic setting.”

Our menu to guide us through the 8 course prix fixe experience of the night…

Attaching us to the tables were our tablecloth/bibs… each had a different image printed on it, whether it was a bra or buttoned down shirt/bow ties… and they had magnets as the clasp! Designed by KNS - Kameron Gad, Sara Musselman, and Nicole Nadeau.

As you can see, we were on very low seating (like ikea futon/couch things) all around a square room - with video projections going on every side, which was contributed by Orphic Project…

1. First up was the BREAD LAMP ~ that i can’t stop craving… it was seriously deliciousness, Andy would yell at our table not to be like the others with blindingly bright lights because they at all their bread, so we tried to eat it creatively… until we just couldn’t resist - and devoured it and threw a napkin over the light for some ambiance…. This is designed by Kimberly Hu.

Smoked Sea Salt Butter ~ aka Candelicious - that was in the shape of a scoop of ice cream, and had a lit candle wick coming out of it… this bread and butter as lighting theme went all the way… also by Kimberly Hu.

2. Next up was:
Papaya and Mango Salad with Ginger Flower and Black Sesame
Bay Scallop with Parsley Jus and Cauliflower Foam, Aged Balsamico
Little Neck Clams with Salsify and Shitake Mushroom
… All in textures porcelain shell spoons by Andrea Miranda Salas

3. Gnochetti with Trio of Spinach Puree, Smoked Mayonnaise and Spiced Crème Fraiche
This divided plate and sauce bowl were by Daina Platais. (Gnochetti = mashed potato tatertots?)

4. Chilled Melon Soup, Serrano ham, cabrales cheese
This bowl with a skewer spoon is called Epee from the Amuse Collection by Irina Kovlovskaya and Aaron Tsui.

5. Trout with Salad of Fennel and Oregano, Caremelized Apples and Beurre Blanc Sauce
The gold dripped plates were part of the luxury collection by Kathy Erteman.

6. Puerco pibil, rice and beans bowl, wasabi guacamole

Ok, as you can see, as more and more of the wine pairings work their way into my body, and the dinner party gets a bit more out of control, as do my pictures… but i still tried to get at least one shot of each dish for you guys to see!

7. Rajasthani Veal Cheek Curry with Daal Foam and Mash
This bowl with a lid and grate is called Aroma from the Amuse Collection by Irina Kovlovskaya and Aaron Tsui.

8. Chocolate flavormat, saffron chocolate fondue, blueberry chantilly, lemon curd ~ also by Kimberly Hu of the bread lamp and candelicious butter. (We flashed this in part because i couldn’t figure out what we were eating, since they had turned our bread lamps off!)

Here are some pics i snagged from Rose Apodaca’s awesome post on our dinner party… definitely worth a read! Here is Eliza, the curator chatting with us… and OH! I forgot to tell you about our “guides” who were seated in the center of the room, and attached by their tablecloth/bibs, who we were supposed to look to, in order to figure out what to do…

Click below to view this screencapture of the MonkeyTown page on Dine on Design (captured, just incase years from now i look back, and the page is gone!)

Before i talk about the subject of this post… how fun is that pic above? I think it’s one of my favorites from ICFF this year ~ a kids perspective - laughing/clapping at bright red styrofoam feeling “expanded polypropelene” butts/crotches of ramon ubeda and otto canalda on a tord boontje/nani marquina rug with the jamie hayon showtime chair in the background… ahhhh, icff.

From the Conran Shop’s ROJO party, so far i’ve shown you - Foosball Tables - TAST.ES Catering pieces - Luis Eslava’s velcro pieces… well, since this was one of my favorite events while in NY, just wanted to give you a peek at some of the rest of the pics! So take a look on the next page to see what other red themed spanish designs were present!

We got there in the pouring rain…

Trying desperately to balance holding an umbrella while shooting and keeping the lens dry… or as dry as possible!

For those of us who forgot our splash of red to wear… Nani Marquina has us covered with fabric buttons matching one of her rugs!

There is the Luis Eslava velcro Face to Face lamp… and Ramon Ubeda and Otto Canalda’s Cul is Cool stool for ABR on the Tord Boontje’s Little Field of Flowers for Nani Marquina.

These Cul is Cool Stools were hilarious, i loved just watching everyone react to them - kids/adults, it was fascinating… i totally tried sitting on it as well, and they were surprisingly comfortable, but far too embarrassing to post a pic of!

Here is the Jaime Hayon Showtime chair for BD Barcelona design

This umbrella - “En Sombra” by Odos Design for Gandia Blasco - was seen all around NY Design Week ~ and we even spotted one that was installed with the propeller like pieces upside down in one party we wont name…

Here are Dedal stools by Emiliana for Punt Mobles…

The Foosball Tables i

Along with the press kits, we got a nice little souvenir from Nani Marquina in the form of a mini rug… which we drove up to vermont with us and added to the log cabin.

Velcro. We’ve all used it, but have you ever thought about what you can build out of it? After getting settled from all the traveling, and finally having some time in the midst of this TasteSpotting situation (which i’m sorry i can’t talk about yet, but will try to tell you what i can when possible)… i finally manage to wrangle my lost ICFF images out from Aperture (it kind of ate them in the midst of the madness) ~ so here i’ll be catching up on some of the fun stuff i wanted to share from ICFF 08.

Back to velcro, though, when at the Conran Shop’s ROJO Exhibition party curated by Nani Marquina and Luis Eslava ~ everything was red! And i was enamored by Luis Eslava’s Face to Face lamp constructed of velcro strips ~ as well as his velcro space dividers which were used in both white and red throughout the exhibition. See more images from the exhibition as well as close ups of the velcro on the next page! I’ve been really curious to go buy velcro strips and have fun with them for new office dividers lately…

P.S. if you think Luis Eslava sounds familiar… remember his Maria USB?

NOTCOT Note: Here’s another post from our friends at Sub-Studio!

Keeseh Studio is a design studio run by two talented RISD grads, Asher Dunn and Shane Richards. Both graduated this year - I was impressed by the quality of their student work and am looking forward to see what comes out of their studio this coming year.

Above is Asher’s Upholstered Chair - I love the bent laminate chair shell - how the back curves to form the rear legs and how it sandwiches the cushions together. Also shown is his Serving Utensil, a nice translation of a common household object.

Asher’s Expanding Chair - it collapses for easy transport and expands into a full seat when needed - and the Stacking End Tables, which look like little jellyfish. I love the painted side edge.

A collection of very creepy/cool marionettes by Shane Richards.

Check out more Keeseh Studio work at their website.

Ok, so i’ve obsessed about Emil Kozak’s work back in dec 2006 ~ as well as his wallpaper in the last post… but as i continued browsing his site, i remembered what brought me there in the first place ~ i was sent the link to check out his incredible Whale Surfboard collab with Kelly Slater ~ and there is also the amazing tree filled with action that i’d love to see up close someday! Kozak says on the site “Artwork for Kelly Slaters Pro models. Kelly and I came up with the tree-idea. I made the illustrations and Al Merrick at Channel Islands shaped them. Cross your fingers, that he will get his 9′th world title this year!”

I just spent about a half hour staring at a full screen high res image of WALLPAPER. And no wallpaper has ever held my attention THAT long. I think i have found the wallpaper of my dreams… Emil Kozak’s Barok’n’roll Wallpaper for WallCollection - Here’s the clincher ~ it LOOKS like a pattern… and from a distance it is… but when you get up close with it, you just sit and find all these hilariously awesome little details that are worked in all over the place, from submarines and whales, to skulls and horses… from dangling people, to ships riding curves that only suddenly look like waves. I found this while browsing Emil Kozak’s site.

AND it comes it white on black, black on white, and white on red. I would love to hide this in the backs of bookshelves, in the bottoms of drawers, or filling a bathroom? Where would you put it? See more close ups and the various colors on the next page…

Oooooh on things to look forward to, the Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City will be showing Carlos Ramos’ “Natural History Museum Part I” with the opening on June 28th! It’s his first solo show! I’ve been looking forward to this show for a while, and Boing Boing posted a link to the preview ~ so i had to share after gushing over them for a bit…

For those who don’t know - he’s a Burbank native with a character animation degree from California Institute of the Arts, and has worked with Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, and Walt Disney Studios… he was even an art director for one of my favorite cartoons EVER - Dexter’s Laboratory! Also worked on Chalkzone, Time Squad, and more… for the ultimate inspiration - check out his sketchbook on his site… on the next page are some of my favorites i’m looking forward to seeing at the show!

This might sound silly, but we were totally that “fun/education in every aspect” household as kids - and my sister and i grew up eating on various educational place mats, learning much of geography and planetary systems that way! So, when i saw this tablet of 50 paper placemats featuring city maps of London, Paris, Tokyo, and New York - i instantly imagined throwing a large dinner party with these! How fun would that be? Now if only they weren’t so wasteful and were made of tyvek or something more durable and reusable? Semi-closeups of some of the maps on the next page! Seletti’s World Map Paper Placemats

Actually, you know what would be even cooler? If the D!REKTRECYCLING Recycled Maps into envelopes people made recycled map placemats!

I found myself browsing the Moët & Chandon site, and quickly pulled into their gorgeous section flying you through their heritage (fascinating stuff…) as well as the behind the scenes video of the new “be fabulous” campaign that was shot in NY by photographer, Roxanne Lowit. And then from a product perspective, i had to share the new Moët Rosé Indulgence Coffret ~ you know how i can’t resist the sleek glossy black lacquer… and although not usually a huge pink fan, i do like my Rosé, and there’s something so appealing about this “18th centure boudoir, a world of indulgence and richesse…” inspired coffret… nice touch having it under lock and key - complete with big pink tassel. More close ups on the next page…

Catherine Ledner is known for her incredible animal portraiture that gorgeously paired with beautiful wallpapers and color palettes… in fact she’s even been featured twice on .org - her site as #4667 and her NYTimes Slideshow with images from her book “Animal House” as #7345. Now, i’m excited to announce that she’s created a new site Catherine’s Animals where you can order limited edition prints of these animal portraits!

Each image is available in 4 sizes - 100 of 11”x14” at $250, 20 of 16”x20” at $500, 20 of 20”x24” at $750, and 10 of 32”x40” at $1700. See more of my favorites on the next page!

The Fabulist never leads you wrong… and today she led me to the work of Dan Hiller, who manages to merge the style of old style engravings of tentacles and humans… to create the most mysterious imagery of couples, mother, father, and what looks like alice! These incredible “altered engravings” are available not only in prints and wood… but also engraved on moleskines at Modofly! You can see images of these and more on the next page…

p.s.
Londoners can pick up his works at The Sunday Upmarket at the Truman Brewery on Brick Lane…

September 4th - 8th in fforest farm, Cardigan, West Wales ~ Howies will host 75 people with free food and accommodations at the DO Lectures

How could anyone say no to that? And what do you have to do in return? Simply DO something ~ with your life, with your abilities, with yourself… all they want is to bring together some brilliant minds, great speakers, musicians, and more for 4 days of pure inspiration while taking in some gorgeous wilderness. I want to go!

We change nothing by just talking and moaning. words need actions. They need Do. Dick Dastardly was right, ‘don’t just stand the, DO something’.

So how do you get into this seemingly life changing experience? Read all the info on the next page, and sent a letter to apply!

So this engraving trend has been huge lately… grab a laser engraver and you can throw everything from moleskines to macbooks to…. well, you name it! Joe from EngraveYourTech and EngraveYourBook, sent over one of his creations, and it arrived while i was out of town, so by the time i got back i was so jetlagged and tired that when dan and i first looked at the moleskine, it took a second to remember that it was laser engraved. In fact first we were there touching it and looking at it up close arguing whether it was engraved or just silkscreened in this matte brownish color, since you could barely feel the indentation…

So we did the only thing we could do… get SUPER up close (200x) shots to see what was really going on… and here you can see, its clearly engraved enough just to scrape that black layer off… and then we even cut a tiny chunk out of the corner to see the colors underneath (you can also see pics of that, and slightly less upclose pics on the next page)… and if you still aren’t convinced, there is also a video on the next page of this exact pattern being engraved on a moleskine…

The press release starts off “In these days of soaring gas prices, yelps of cash crunches and real estate depression, the last thing anyone would do is destroy money. Well, anyone but Yoko Devereaux that is. Launching for spring/summer 2008, Old Money, is a collection of coins hand cut into works of art Yoko has attached to aged sterling silver necklaces. As Creative Director, Andy Salzer, explains, “It is about taking something that is so relevant in our society and then destroying it.”

Somehow, i think the destruction of pennies, to turn them into 88$… is not exactly the dumbest way to “destroy money” in a recession, but that’s just me. Personally, i have always admired some of the more gorgeous designs to appear on money, and this is a beautiful way to isolate those elements… now if only they would make one with that one pound coin that has the dragon on it! See a close up on the next page…

On fun ways to kick off your Monday, i’m sure most of you are familiar with Andrew Bell’s Creatures In My Head. For those who are not, he has the most incredible doodles of critters he dreams up, and they amuse me daily! Well, on great uses for $18, i’m in love with his adorable new book! DO NOT EAT: a collection of creatures by Andrew Bell… a glossy magenta softcover filled with glossy pages of his daily creatures, sculptures, paintings, illustrations… and an awesome set of pull out postcards! My favorite postcard is definitely the “Hey Everyone, it’s TAC O’clock!” one… which i’ll give you a sneak peek at on the next page!

Remember when “toy stores” used to be for kids, then there was that shift of “toy stores” like kidrobot and giant robot… toys for grownups and saved in boxes as collectibles and untouchable toys when that vinyl toy trend kicked in hard? Well, due to some combination that i’m getting old and more of my friends are having babies, or its that time of year, i’m suddenly finding myself shopping for baby gifts more and more lately… and what’s been really fun, is watching these vinyl toys transform back into stuffed toys for our little ones!

We all know that gifts for kids under 3 are really more gifts for their parents, seeing as the kids will barely remember them as they grow up anyhow. So for all the playful parents with a love for vinyl toys, various cheeky, slightly twisted characters, and designs from incredible artists… here’s a little roundup of stuffed toy options which i am considering toys that have come full circle, and are perfect for the babies of parents who loved the originals that inspired them… break down of the toys above on the next page!

Tokidoki Plush: Mozzarella
She’s one of the first two Tokidoki characters to make it into plush form, and currently she’s my favorite. While i’ve never been a huge Tokidoki fan, i’m quite liking this one for gifting… i have been playing with one in person, and its adorably soft and plushy, and with that doe-eyed look and the plush tommy gun… what toddler wouldn’t look adorably hardcore toting this Moofia critter around?

Memo Wee and Oink Le Rouge
These two plushies are from the Somewhere City line of critters that started as vinyl toys with mix and match parts by Goran Lelas and made in collaboration with MoMA. I love the Memo Wee in particular for its fun to grab ears and feet and trumpetting nose for kids. As far as size goes, when playing with them in person, they were larger than i expected… they are slightly smaller than a soccer ball - so as the kids grow up, definitely expect these to join the ammo pile in a faceball fight.

Tokidoki Push: SANDy
This is the second Tokidoki plush, and with the hair and more animate eyes… i feel like she’s more ideal for a slightly older child… while i see Mozzarella as perfect on a 1-2 year old, i could see this one for 3-6 year olds. And with those edgy spikes (which aren’t at all dangerous, they feel like a heavy felty material)… its all too fun.

Shawnimals’ Wee Ninjas, Moustachios, and more
Everyone loves the crazy, simple, adorable creatures that come from Shawnimals ~ infact i even wanted to send my friend’s dog a Wee Ninja to play with!

Andreas Linzner Terry Cloth Animals
On really coming full circle, i just love these and had to include them ~ for those parents who are less into the characters/toys, but a bit more crafty/homemade/vintage ~ these always do great… adorable designs and prints! “The Hamburg-based designer earned a following because of the small runs of vintage terry he continues to use for his menagerie of cloth animals. But he also has his own original prints. The elephants here are dressed in his signature green print (which he calls “leaf”), and the blue print (he dubs “ocean”).”

Highlight of the Dwell on Design LA exhibition… the STORE! Design superstore, A+R, and the best art+architecture bookstore, Hennessey + Ingalls, made up the Dwell on Design Store in front of the west hall of the LA convention center ~ and it made the trip worth it. While i spent about 5-10 minutes wandering the show floor, it was the store that really grabbed me… Andy forgot to tell me how many more of my favorite products were being added to the store (unfortunately not on the online store yet!) for this special pop up store! And Phillip of Citizen Citizen was here with more of his fabulous collection than is usually found in their stores as well!

As anyone who ran into me over there knows… i was like a kid in a candy store, oohing and ahhhing and dying to buy things i’ve been posting about, that A+R now has… so if you’re in LA and bored tomorrow, perhaps pop by the pop up store in front of the exhibition… it’s before you even have to register for the actual show (Free Ticket To the Dwell on Design Exhibition: BDODEC). Take a look at the pics of the store and a few of the hottest items available!

Here’s Phillip of Citizen Citizen at his table of goods ~ *finally* i got to see the packaging of those golden coke spoons!

Citizen Citizen ‘s Murdered: Ju$t Another Rich Kid & Tobias Wong’s 18K gold dipped cast bronze skull pendant studded with CZ on solid gold chain - FAR more adorable (and tiny) in person than the pictures led me to believe…

Citizen Citizen’s golden bic pen cap cast in gold - Cokespoon 01 by Tobias Wong

Citizen Citizen’s Playboy gold plated swizzle stick by Tobias Wong

Direct Design’s Notebook Portable Grill - This incredible flat packing grill was selling like mad! And if i was more of a griller, i’d need one, it literally packs down to nothing… such a great design, and with a mere $50 price tag! Awesome summer time gift if you need to do any housewarmings.

I’m Not A Plastic Cup double walled porcelain mug with silicon lid… i fell in love with this when i posted it to .org ~ and this was the first time i got to see it and feel it and really want one! Only $20!

Also many other goodies that aren’t in their online store yet, but will probably show up soon…. Geneva Lab’s speakers (they had the red one i’ve been smitten with since i discovered it in Copenhagen years ago!), Blue Lounge’s new cable organizing pieces, the zippo sized 30 gig la cie hard drives… and more to come!

Freshly back from the Veuve Clicquot Los Angeles launch of the Globalight designed by Karim Rashid ~ and many a glass of bubbly later, i’m excited to share some fun pics of the Globalight up close and personal with you! As for the event ~ it was held at the W in Westwood, and it really brought me back to freshman year of college days… it was Thurs, so all the frat parties were in full swing, although driving over, it seems like one had a bit of a disaster quite early, with 3 fire engines and 4 cop cars and a sidewalks’ worth of overdressed college kids anxiously waiting… and when we arrived at the party on the terrace of the W, it seems like much of the same crowd had overflowed… from the girl manning the door list to the many guests we asked about what they thought of the Globalight and the party… the crowd was a very clueless LA mix of so called actors, musicians, real estate agents, male models, and even biochem profs ~ all who seemed taken aback by being asked what they thought of the event, and quickly came to explain that a friend of a friend brought them or fwded them an invite… the best rumor of the night - (heard second/third hand) apparently word from the guy who represented the product - the Globalight will be produced with speakers built in soon, and a special stand, so you can simply tilt the Globalight itself to pour it… i guess we will wait and see!

Also, in the main bar downstairs, we saw a crew setting lights in the backroom in the lounge before popping up to the Veuve party… and stopping by on the way down, we found it was because Sunsilk was shooting a documentary on DJ Tatiana ~ a model turned international DJ, who not only is the music director for Bebe, but also runs her own music studio now…

See pics of all the maddness on the next page, including a youtube vid of DJ Tatiana and her Sunsilk winning vid…

As for the Globalight itself, it was really nice to see it in person, and as bizarre as the humanity present was, i enjoyed having a chance to get hands on with the piece, and play with the light switch and see how it held the bottle up close. Also the furniture was interesting, and the mirrors were a nice touch in the small outdoor space… my favorite detail is definitely the clawfoot tables! (I have a thing for those clawfooted legs… always wanted a bathtub with them…)

Here’s DJ Tatiana doing her thing for Sunsilk in the lounge downstairs… SOOO many giant lights and cameras everywhere…

Oh, and here’s the invite…

I did a double take when i saw Kacper Hamilton’s theatrically sinful 7 Deadly Glasses over at Dezeen, and had to see more pics!

Here is Kacper’s description: “These red wine glasses are based on the 7 deadly sins. Each glass encapsulates a sin, which is revealed through the ritual of drinking. The ‘7 Deadly Glasses’ are about celebrating passion and encouraging the user to be sinful in a theatrical fashion. Handmade in England. Limited Edition. Available to order.” See the full set and all his gorgeous photography on the next page!

WRATH

GREED

PRIDE

GLUTTONY

LUST

ENVY

SLOTH

A gift from Cartier ~ Assouline published “les must de Cartier” and describe it: “1968—the year all certainties were shattered, it was in good taste to burn what one loved and to trample underfoot the values of yesterday. If, in this new world of dissent, luxury was no longer appropriate, the taste for beauty didn’t completely disappear. No, luxury was not dead! It simply needed to be reinvented. In the midst of this new counterculture, which burned all belongings and luxury markets by creating a lighter that landed with the impact of a bomb - “Les Must” de Cartier saw the light of day. Hovering somewhere between tradition and modernity, Cartier’s lighters, pens, watches, glasses, jewelry, leather goods and perfume engulfed the world. Cartier justified luxury by offering a more perfect modernity. Protected by a panther-skin slipcase, this limited-edition volume invites you to visit the delirious parties that followed every new “must”.”

Flipping through the 400 pages images in this Cartier logo embossed leather bound, gilded paged, panther print covered slipcase of a book… i just relived the decadence of the late 60s, 70s, and 80s… and it looked like a hell of a lot of fun. Take a peek of some of my favorite pages on the next page… from a young christopher walken in bond flicks, to elephant polo, to warhol and studio 54… good times.

So. Cute. Adfunture has teamed up with quite the lineup: DITA Eyewear, Staple Design, Suitman, Revelator, Black Cross, GUE and Puma, to create this 100 piece limited edition series of YOKA SC Edition. The 10-inch tall vinyl figure will be put up for sale on June 12th, 2008. $100usd each, and only 100 pieces will be available. All sales will be donated to Red Cross Society of China. It’s absolutely beautiful, and a gorgeous gesture on all of their parts to help with the tragedy in China… i particularly like the puma branding on his feet. More images on the next page…

So glad i found this on Vinyl Pulse this morning…

With all this traveling the last month, it’s been far too long since i’ve done a roundup, so here’s an intense little brick of 100 of the top NOTCOT.org posts in the last 2 weeks! Also 100 of the tops of TasteSpotting and NotCouture on the next page as well! So check them out to see what’s new, what you might have missed, and as always - you can always submit your own finds to share by clicking the “add next pic” icons in the top left corners! Click the tiny pics to find out more!

Cartier is taking on love ~ and was kind enough to surprise me with a DHL package this morning with a little gift in it (more to come on that later) ~ in part announcing their new Love.Cartier site. Today i learned the story of their classic “love” bracelet - the iconic piece with the screw heads along the band - and a screwdriver to lock you in - “In the 1970’s, imagination soared to new heights and any folly was possible. Cartier created the ultimate symbol of loving commitment: in the manner of handcuffs, the famous bracelet closes with a tiny screwdriver. Its humorous impudence appealed and was immediately adopted by legendary couples as a cult jewel. Love is a provocative talisman, a rallying cry for modern love, totally free from convention.”

In their marketing comeback, they have created a site dedicated to love - manifested in music, art, and film. The music is nice if you’re into that romantic mood setting stuff… and the art seemed a bit buggy on their flash site for me… but i was surprised that the films are what really caught my eye, and i actually sat here going through all 12 in order and loved them. The filmography is absolutely breathtaking ~ the black and whites, playful uses of light, gorgeous parisian backdrops… *swoon*… and they go through 12 tiny fragments of love stories tackling: The Declaration, Forgiveness, The Kiss, Infinite Love, Hero of Love, First Love, A Life of Love, A Loving Liaison, Love on Hold, Knowing How…, Seduction, and The Decision. Personally my favorite are First Love, Seduction, and Love on Hold - i’m sure you’ll see why - if you have the time i recommend you go through them in order though, renowned director, Olivier Dahan, ends every pieces with a hint of what you see at the start of the next ~ and weaves them all together in such a beautiful way… see a few screenshots on the next page…

NOTCOT Note: Here’s another lovely post from Anna of Sub-Studio ~ and i totally had this on my list of things to post when i got back! I guess that’s why she’s a perfect fit for NOTCOT =)

Gregory Buntain is an Industrial Design major at Pratt Institute. Currently working for Brave Space Design and developing his own projects at Pratt, he exhibits a great design eye and really great carpentry skills.

My favorite project is Carbon, a set of diamond-shaped salt and pepper shakers. My only gripe with the project is that they are made of injection molded plastic (I would love to see them in wood). Gregory’s website showcases a bunch of different projects, many of which begin flat-packed and are assembled by the user. He includes lots of great photo-diagrams on how to assemble or use each piece.

(intension) - a flat-pack side table held together in tension by a rubber o-ring.

Optimus - a space-saving, adjustable height side table made out of bamboo plywood and aluminum.

*Phew* ~ i’ve been running around since May 15th, and finally got back home, and as fun as the trip which ended up taking me through 9 states… it sure feels nice to be back. Been a long day driving up from charlottesville to DC then flying back to LA, unpacking, feeding myself, and trying to make sense of the slew of emails… yay for virgin america though, it is far to fun to watch loads of current tv, cartoon network, and Ocean’s 12 on the way back - hope you don’t mind if i call it a night and try to get back on track tomorrow… it’s going to be a busy week with events popping up to fill this whole week already!

This is a quick pic out the window as we started descending into LA ~ the mountains looked awesome at sunset.

Polyface Farm ~ it was one of the few pit stops we’ve made here in Virginia while visiting family… and WOW. While i will openly admit, i know little about sustainable agriculture and farms - dan has been raving about this place and their philosophies and systems ever since he read “Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Michael Pollan (where the author actually lived on the farm for 2 weeks to fully understand their incredible process!)

“At Polyface, we want every animal to eat as much salad (green material) as its full genetic potential will allow”

Knowing i can’t do the full story justice, consider this post a launching board to poke those of you who are remotely interested to find out more… but here’s my quick version. First thing to grab me driving up was definitely the logo ~ such a cute entrance sign! With the fish in the chicken in the cow in the tree! Poly-face certainly makes a lot of sense with its multifaceted farming. Essentially the beauty of this farm is its earth/life centered approach, which thrives on a fantastic sense of balance achieved through understanding what these animals and plants need to thrive year round ~ instead of optimizing for speed or fattening things up, they’ve managed to create a sustainable farm in harmony. Most of their species are in a rotation - to keep the cows from overgrazing and consuming their own waste, to give the chickens a chance to pick through and find all the best grubs as well as feed, to turn pigs into “Pigaerators” (tasty corn ferments encourage them to aerate all fertilizer for the farm naturally), water that is collected in their various ponds and wells from winter runoff keep them self-reliant, and so much more i can’t even begin to explain. And from a design perspective, i was fascinated reading about the ways they utilize mobile electric fences and Eggmobiles to facilitate this whole process!

Bottom line? The eggs, sausage, and bacon i tasted were truly incredibly tasty and worth the drive (if you go out there, def get the apple juice too, we thought the jug was HUGE, but it disappeared in about a day - who knew even the toddlers would love it so much?)… the family running the farm was intelligent, kind, and passionate about every aspect of their process, and eager to share their wisdom. If you make it to these parts, you definitely want to roadtrip over and try some of the goods - since they are only available there, and in select restaurants nearby! So, continue your journey, read more about Polyface Farm here!

p.s.
i was out wandering far out in the fields visiting some chickens and their adorable, huge guard dog ~ and got caught in a thunderstorm, which left me completely drenched in a little green sundress ~ so not as many pictures as i would have liked to show you on the next page - but i was a bit preoccupied with the wetness and protecting the camera! Still - some fun ones! (and big thanks to Robert Frysinger for contributing some of his pics as well.)

Next on the fascinating food related reading list? Dan has been happily devouring “The Jungle Effect” by Daphne Miller - claiming its the perfect book to read following Omnivores Dilemma…

Have you noticed that when i go on “vacation” and attempt to take a break, it doesn’t exactly mean a complete break from posting (versus other sites)? Rather, it’s more like you get dragged along on the break with me ~ and get to see “vacation” content of sorts? Well i hope you don’t mind, but here’s one more to amuse you!

So i’ve been in Virginia the last few days ~ Earlysville/Charlottesville to be precise ~ and its been interesting, i never thought i’d find vermont so designy and inspiring ~ but Virginia, not so much. It has however been an incredible place to run into TONS of critters of all shapes and sizes ~ from gaggles and gaggles of canadian goslings/geese, deers - eating and running through the forest, a huge Northern Black Racer - Coluber constrictor (it was getting attacked by mocking birds in the driveway when we got back!), an awesome little toad, turtles (big and little! attacking a half fish), tons of fish, a heron, caught some frogs eggs, put some reservoir bryozoans in the fish tank, chipmunks, squirrels, bunnies, blue tailed skinks, beaver dams (but no beavers…), chickens, cows, and other livestock… and much more as we went on a canoe trip on the reservoir, little hikes and walks, and just finding things in the yard!

I think i’m also getting sick possibly, and/or ready to get back to socal (its been about 3 weeks away now i think)… so i wanted to do more posts for you tonight, but really just having a hard time staying awake and upright at the moment. So next best thing? I thought perhaps you’d like a little photo series on the next page to get a feel for what Virginia has been like for me, and how pretty and nature filled the trip has been! Enjoy! Theoretically i’ll be driving up to Washington DC and hopping a plane to LA on the 3rd…