Happy 2009!!! I must say i’m extra giddy about this year starting ~ it feels like a good one! To kick it off we decided to do some of the things we’re hoping to do more of this year! So Dan, Linhchi and i started it off by sleeping in… waaaaaay in… then cooking fluffy delicious waffles, eggs, and veggie sausages that we enjoyed out on the deck… and then off to an adventure wandering on a trail in Topanga for a few hours… with our cameras, random ideas, and not much else… So now as we relax (they are playing Little Big World + i’m posting this!) ~ i think we’re ready to do 2009 right! Basically my resolution is to do more of what i love, and less of what i don’t. What are yours?

And as for adventures ~ check out the massive number of pics to see what we found on our wander ~ amazing sunset and fun crazy darkness pictures playing with our led flashlights… as well as closeups of teeny tiny flowers and moss… and more!

--> to more images

It is a total trip (for me) to open a magazine or website and see myself on it ~ i am definitely a behind the camera kind of girl? Remember that photoshoot i showed you back in august at A+R? Well the Lucky Magazine Nov 2008 issue is now out, and i’m in the Webpages section on page 54! Also on the main Lucky website and the Sites We Love section. Scans and screenshots on the next page for those who want to see! It’s awesome to be featured in a magazine i’ve actually read since inception, and has inevitably influenced NOTCOT throughout the years.

--> to more images

Hi! So, here’s the deal, i’ve been slightly overworking lately, and have been getting ready for gift guide ideas, holiday season, new features, playing with new projects, and keeping up with the high speed stream of goodies at NOTCOT.org, NotCouture, and Liqurious… also off to a wedding next week up in Sonoma… and the Federated Media Conversational Marketing Summit (i was asked whether i wanted to do ticket giveaways, any of you interested in meeting me at the summit and chatting conversational marketing?) on the 15th-16th.

While running around someone has been poking me about how i haven’t taken a “real” break in about 3 years - but that’s what doing what you love and having it turn into your job means right? Apparently, wrong. So i’m going to try and take a breather for the next week, and have a quick favor to ask you… Help me out with a few questions? 1) When i take a break, and in general, would you rather have me hire writers to just run around the net showing you things here on NOTCOT.com? Versus having this be more of my personal blog? (I’m slightly biased, as it’s pained me to watch some of my favorites hire a ton of people and the content gets old and not nearly as fun, but there’s probably a way to find a balance?) 2) What stores for designer and fashion goodies can you not live without that we should take a look at while researching for gift guide? Which includes everything from scouring their stores for products, seeing if they’d be interested in discounts for readers, etc etc (ideas?)…

OH, and you know me, “break” can sometimes = more posts. I get excited, i post. But since i’ve been slowing down the pace the last few days here anyhow, thought i’d make it official. So i may still be posting, but consider this the heads up for the next week and a bit if i miss a day or two… but just check into NOTCOT.org to get your creative juices flowing! Here’s a quick roundup of some of my current faves over there…

Click the images to see more, as usual ~ and would you believe there’s something new going up there practically every few minutes?!?!?!

So far, NOTCOT has really been growing by pulling in my close friends ~ but over the last few years, we’ve had a lot of requests from people wanting to be our interns or joining us as a day job (which blows my mind, since this is still so much fun it’s often hard to think of it as a day job!). Anyhow, so many fun opportunities have been coming up, to the point where i have started to even turn some down (!!!) that i thought maybe this winter is the right time to try taking on some help. Some fun, design loving, energetically curious, internet savvy, shopaholic, kind of help! So if you’re interested, i wrote a letter to you on the next page… if not, keep browsing, flipping pages and what not…

And as for that “office” up there ~ well NOTCOT is run out of wherever dan and i happen to be ~ we’re all digital and very nomadic ~ although primarily LA based at the moment… so wherever you are, if you have the time, energy, and super fast internet connection, let’s chat! And that office, is a peek at the newly revamped Manerba Spa’ furnitures for ATM Milan that just showed up in my email, it felt very “work” like… and pretty much the complete opposite of what life with NOTCOT will probably be like!

--> to more images

What a bizarre morning, definitely one of those, surreal, “this isn’t my life” kind of mornings… up at 6:30, over at A+R store in Venice for a Lucky Magazine photoshoot (nov issue) by 8 (and you know i don’t really do mornings!)… honestly so bizarre being on that side of the camera. I think its definitely safe to say i’m most comfortable behind the lens! And fascinating to watch pros in action ~ we worked with photographer Joe Schmelzer and make up artist Asia Geiger. Funny thing was the iPhone 3G fest at the shoot, and the many complaints and comparisons about mobile me, black vs white, cases, etc. Anyhow, few people asked for pics, so dan snapped a few of the process you can check out on the next page!

p.s.
While we were chatting, i learned about a new blog that Elise Loehnen, Lucky Editor At Large, who set this all up, just launched - check out Style Steals.

--> to more images

Happy 4th of July ~ sorry posting went quiet, i popped down to Laguna Beach yesterday to see some old friends ~ and relaxing out at the beach house was perfect. BBQ, beers, and ironically playing rockband next to a wall of Rickenbackers, while watching all the beach goers frolic down below. So here are a few fun fireworks shots (some looking a bit more apocalyptic than festive!) to share!

--> to more images

You know the drill ~ click the images to find out more! I’m kind of kicking into SUPERearly long weekend mode ~ yay for 4th of July coming up on Friday (seriously, is it just me, or doesn’t today just feel like a Friday?)… and as a result, i’m consuming info and images like no other, yet i can’t seem to focus enough to sit down, photoshop, make proper posts, or respond to emails well… SO, that naturally leads to much .org-ing ~ so here is a selection of my personal post obsessions the last few days!

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!

--> to more images

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.

--> to more images

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.

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!

--> to more images

*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.

So, the rumors are true. NOTCOT has gone where no tech addict chooses to go… there is NO CELL RECEPTION and NO INTERNET. *gasp*. After much mocking about how i “probably can’t remember the last time i’ve been off the grid” (and no, i can’t remember)… today we semi-spontaneously checked out early from NYC, grabbed a rental car (4WD black 2007 rav4), and cruised up to Peacham, Vermont… to a log cabin dan’s parents built back in the 70s, and no one has really lived there since (brief visits, but little more than that) - can you see it peeking out from between all the trees?

It’s adorable, the surroundings breath-taking - who wouldn’t be in love with that lush greenery and fast moving fish filled creek all around after the urban concrete/smells/sounds of NYC? The cabin is going to take a bit of work though, and after so much tech-tethered work, i guess a little manual labor and communing with nature can’t be all bad. So if i get a bit quiet this week, you’ll know where i disappeared to, and if i’m quiet longer than that… well, send a search party?

As for how i’m posting this? Well we’ve got to get the water running again, sort out some new furniture/matresses/etc, and hook up a phoneline (and yes, high speed dsl is on its way)… so, thanks to the kindness of friends, i’m getting a warm bed and my internet fix for the day. Few more sneak peeks on the next page - probably loads more to come as i wander and take more pics the next few days!

--> to more images

I couldn’t help sharing… so i’ve spent the whole day in my room in a sea of press kits on my bed… trying to sort through all my notes and photos, trying to catch up… then i wandered into the bathroom, and the view out the window took my breath away. Silly ipod ad matching the sunset is a bit annoying though… but how gorgeous out is it? Click the pic for the full sized image… unphotoshopped, because i was too lazy (and saving photoshopping energy for the rest of the posts!)

p.s. just added a few more as it got more dramatic on the next page…

p.p.s just added some dark shots! One here (click to view larger) and one more on the next page… SO nice out!

--> to more images

Click the images to find out more! HAPPY MOTHER’s DAY to all the moms out there! And for all the kids- don’t forget to call mom.

Tonight i went themed on our roundup for the week ~ top row, unusual frozen goods were trendy on TasteSpotting, from margarita popsicles and frozen eggs to Raw Banana Mango Malted Ice Cream with Agave Caramel… in the middle row, from NOTCOT.org had quite a nice selection of Architecture showing up this week… and finally, from NotCouture here is an assortment of bags, trunks, and ‘waterproof backpack reviews’!

Top 25 from each site last week on the next page…

--> to more images