*notcot - 12.12.08 , 03:26 -

Mad Scientist Alpha-blocks

mystery0.jpg“A Young Mad Scientist’s First Alphabet Blocks” laser etched wood blocks from Xylocopa ~ when first spotted as .org #16975 ~ there was that instant “OMG! Must see closer!” and then the frustration of not being able to see the illustrations for every alphabet, while teased with the list of what each letter stood for… so i bought two sets… and a “mystery item” (how can you resist?)… and it is SO AWESOME!

Granted the blocks are a little smaller than i’d pictured in my mind, the detail is incredible… best use of a laser engraver ever perhaps? And i magically ended up with an Angler necklace, as if they knew it’s exactly what i wanted… SO, i’ve taken the time to photograph each and every letter of these blocks for you on the next page, in anal alphabetical order even… check them out, and long live the young mad scientists!

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*notcot - 12.11.08 , 12:10 -

Gift Guide: Indulge Those Vices

VICESguidePOST.jpg This gift guide is all about pleasure ~ indulgence ~ luxury ~ and fun toys to go with it all! It has kind of become the theme of the day… and there’s more to come! So take a look at the collection on the next page and as usual, click the products to browse further… also see more coupons!

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*notcot - 12.10.08 , 02:33 -

Copernicus Compact Curiosities

compact_curiosities.jpg I think i’ve found the perfect stocking stuffer for kids!!! Or it’s what i’ll be resorting to when i need random little gifts, that are not only really fun and amusing but educational and awesomely packaged! Copernicus Toys is a wondrous playground of all the fun sciencey toys and gizmos and puzzles i loved as a kid, and they’ve recently launched this great line of Compact Curiosities! Adorable packaging ~ nice clean fonts/graphics/colored labels on the translucent 4x6” pouches… definite points for the shiny object factor…

And it gets better! Inside these packets are old favorites from Monster Balloons and Vortex devices (you know, the ones you put between two 1L soda bottles!) to dissectable Owl Pellets and Geodes to crack open! Also incredibly affordable ranging from 3$-12$ (most are 3$-6$)! See closeups of the whole line on the next page!

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*notcot - 12.09.08 , 15:46 -

Gift Guide: NOTCOT Wishlist

notcotwishlistPOST.jpgsponsored by Seagate Ok, calling this a wishlist probably isn’t fair ~ in reality, you have to understand that everything i ever post is stuff i am obsessively loving… and everything in ANY of the gift guides is pretty much like my wishlist or my *already have* list… Additionally, just want to take a sec and say ~ OMG Gift Guides are really hard this year! And slightly less fun! It feels like there are far less (if any) true *IT* gifts, those big ticket toys or tech items that everyone has been counting down the days until… technology and gadgets in general are disappointing for shopping (hence my really really delayed electronics/gadget accessories guides i keep wavering on posting)… tech this year as far as bigger ticket items really feels like all upgrades ~ cheaper TVs, better priced deals on console bundles, upgrades of cameras (and the ones i’m dying for are all back ordered), it’s just not nearly as fun! Also, you’ve got to understand last year’s gift guide is still totally applicable for shopping, most of that stuff is pretty timeless, and i ran through years of archives and obsessions for that one! So not having repeats from last year has been a tough one! =) You can still browse that here! That’s why this year’s gift guide feels a bit more silly and playful! Anyhow, been wanting to tell you guys that! Also ~ it’s been a blast doing so many giveaways, and really all the giveaways are like super gift guide features of stuff i’d totally gift someone… hence, giving it away to all of you!

Ok ~ but that being said, there is still tons of random stuff that has been fascinating and tempting me ~ so here’s a super random list of stuff i’ve been wanting (or have bought ~ like the Fusion Pool Table!!!! Counting the days till that shows up at the new house! yay!) or tempted by in one big silly random collage with no real theme… Browse the madness on the next page and click to find out more info!

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*notcot - 12.08.08 , 14:16 -

Birthday Monkey Balls?

monkeyballs1.jpg Ok, Marcia, you win. Best birthday surprise ever ~ mysterious creepy flower guy tapping on the glass door ~ card in handwriting i can’t recognize with just a “Happy Birthday Jean. Here’s to another year of fun!”… signed Marcia? But it looked strangely more like Maria? (Florists! You need better handwriting!) And then there’s the flowers ~ awesomest mix of orchids, roses, moss, and…. WTF is that really awesome hairy ball? Do i have to feed it?

Sooooo that turns into an adventure calling the florist, who of course says they know nothing and got the order through the internet… but does say that those hairy green balls of awesome are… MONKEY BALLS! And then a few more back and forth emails, Marcia confirms it’s her, but the florists calls her to confirm she can tell me her name, and then calls me back as Marcia emails me to say the florist called… in between all of that i shot a bunch of pictures of this incredible bundle on my desk to share with you.

I’m also currently googling Monkey Balls, which is not coming up with many things that look at all like this… anyone got a scientific name for these things for me? Enjoy the pics on the next page! And Marcia, thanks again!!! SO awesome, best way to get me to stop working and get totally giddy… hehe. THANKS!

UPDATE: Jump to pics of the opened up balls!

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*notcot - 12.03.08 , 20:15 -

Gift Guide: Flora & Fauna

pet-guidePOST.jpgsponsored by Seagate This guide is partially for pets, partially for green thumbs, partially for nature enthusiasts, and really just a scramble of nature inspired/related amusement floating around my lists! Click the products to browse the next page as usual!

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*notcot - 11.27.08 , 18:59 -

Gift Guide: Gifts that lean Green

GIFTGUIDE-greenPOST.jpgsponsored by SeagateGift Guide! Gifts that lean green… so i’m not at all stating all of these are the most eco-conscious things out there, but they are certainly leaning in that direction and are fun, useful, and gorgeous! See the list on the next page! Click the images to browse!

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*notcot - , 16:32 -

New from Black + Blum

blackblum1.jpgI’ve become a Thanksgiving shopaholic today… i can’t seem to stop shopping now that the emails and ims have subsided as everyone else is off feasting (we turducken/champagne’d in a very low key lunch feast this year)… i’m even addictively shopping off the holiday coupons!

Anyhow, amongst all the shopping, ended up at Black + Blum ~ early friends of NOTCOT ~ and totally smitten by some of their latest designs… Desk Tidy? A fun porcelain mix of merged cups that i’m totally wanting (also perfect for gifting!) ~ And how i wish i had the ski pole inspired Spudskis! Really you need at least two, right? and a big bowl, or hill of potatoes to mash and ski through? And most gorgeous of all ~ back in April they made a gorgeous glass polar bear sculpture for WWF Faces in The Wild. Their design sold for $35,000, with Humanscale matching ~ so proceeds of $70,000 went to the World Wildlife Fund! It’s made of profiles of glass for the polar bear on a frosted glass surface upon a blue mirror for the glassy sea… Anyhow, check them all out in more detail on the next page, and you can purchase at Black + Blum

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*notcot - 11.26.08 , 14:18 -

Gift Guide: Designer Randomness

GIFTGUIDE-DesignPOST.jpgsponsored by Seagate Gift Guide! So this started as almost being another Thanksgiving Survival Guide (like last year’s) but devolved more into some designer randomness… from crazy showerheads to blooming tea to living necklaces and wine quivers ~ browse the guide on the next page and click images to find out more!

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*notcot - 11.21.08 , 13:39 -

Gift Guide: Gifts for the Kids!

KIDSguide-post.jpg
sponsored by SeagateGift Guide: all the goodies for kids! And really, i’d want the majority of stuff on here too ~ and there is also stuff for little teeny tiny kids (aka new parents) ~ as well as stuffed toys, toy toys, cardboard forts and airplanes, to toys to chew on and playful woody cars and blocks! Click on through to check out the massive collage of a gift guide!

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*notcot - 11.15.08 , 17:57 -

All the NOTCOT 2008 Gift Guides

You found it! This is a secret post with all of the NOTCOT 2008 Gift Guides in one giant page! Sorry not so organized, but just scroll away to check them all out!

And don’t forget all the deals and discounts in the NOTCOT Holiday Coupon Book! And the ~30 giveaways!!!

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*notcot - 11.08.08 , 02:08 -

Paper Magazine 24 Hour Store

paper0.jpgAt 6pm tonight the Paper Magazine 24 Hour Department Store 2008 opened its doors with a marching band (that we strangely managed to end up walking behind as we strolled over from the car not knowing what was going on… and turns out it was the LA High band) playing out front ~ and literally stopping traffic as people pulled over on sunset to see what the raucous was about. This year it’s in a larger space, and the set up is far more urban and grittty with Johnston Marklee designing this fenced cubicle extravaganza. Did you know there are going to be 24 bands in 24 hours playing? Follow the blow by blow reports at PaperMag.com!

We went by early (hence, catching the opening act) to get some fun pics before it got too crazed in there to show you and fun products… lots of pics - so you can see them all in the gallery ~ but for this post, i’ve given you my highlights and some my of favorites worth stopping by to shop for: Citizen:Citizen’s Peace shirt is awesome (so so so soft too), StrangeCo’s Bumble and Tweet Special Edition (the woody and green are adorableness - and magnetic birds and bees!!!), Royal-T’s golden tea’s that come with COCKTAIL RECIPES on the back! So take a look at the craziness on the next page!

We ducked out of there pretty fast (1hr?) since we were famished ~ and really i was just dying to go to the Audrey Kawasaki show which was even crazier! Pics to come after i get some sleep… can’t believe its 3 already ~ LA insomniacs should go buy up those adorable Tweets! UPDATE: i accidentally got thirsty and drank some of the RUBYY forgetting it was an energy drink, so now its 4:30 - too tired to post, but did clean up and put pics from the Audrey Kawasaki show up in the Gallery - click to view full sized… enjoy! sweet dreams…

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*notcot - 11.06.08 , 14:51 -

King Ken and Captain Coco

kingken1.jpgStrangeCo really knows how to keep the action going under my monitors ~ i am currently typing this staring at a rather large and colorful band of gorillas that look like they are attacking the current residents (some rabbids, a crazed mimobot, an overly jolly wish come true, and the rocketworld rhino that looks like its trying to fight back!)…

These new King Ken creatures are the the latest upcoming toys from Amos Novelties, from the mind of James Jarvis, as you can see, they sent over every colorway including the secret yeti/albino guy! The Mini King Ken series debuts worldwide on November 22, 2008! Just in time for stuffing stockings… (Also, LA kids, you can get them early at the 24 Hour Paper Magazine Dept Store tomorrow!!!)

monkey1.jpgAlso, the new Toki Doki Captain Coco, an adorable monkey with his pixelated camo and banana (with toki doki brand of course) in his coconut helmet… and his adorable sidekick pineapple grenade that i’m completely smitten by, showed up as well! I’ve already separated them, since the Captain is far too large for life under the monitors…

Check out pics of them all unboxed and in the wild on the next page! It’s been a crazy day, so i took this welcome distraction to run around the house and take pics of the little guys all over!

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*notcot - 10.11.08 , 21:31 -

IKEA Mini Blue Bags

ikeabag0.jpg On silly discoveries i was probably far too excited about today ~ IKEA now has minis of those giant blue bags! The big blue ones are still 59 cents, and perfect for everything from laundry, gardening, costco, moving and more… and these new mini totes also have the double straps (long shoulder length and short handles). These little ones are only 49 cents ~ and although they weren’t actually out with the other big blue ones, asking the check out woman, she had some in her station in a drawer! Unfortunately i didn’t have my big camera with me, but here are a few quick snapshots from the IKEA Emeryville store today, and a few more to give you some context about the size (its base is pretty much about the size of a dinner plate) ~ see the rest of the pics on the next page!

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*notcot - 09.24.08 , 02:59 -

Porsche Design for Kids

porschekids.jpgPorsche Design just launched quite a few new products for kids and the holidays, and they are adorable (and gorgeous)! Part of me is so glad i don’t have kids to buy these for, and the other part of me wishes i were a kid, so i could properly enjoy some of these! This is a selection of my favorites ~ from the baby boxster (SO cute) to the 911 Pedal Car to the Bobsleigh and Sledge to the 911 GT3 RSR racetrack set… it all looks so fun. See close ups and more details on the next page!

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