Remember the Crumpled City Maps we first found at Selfridges? Now Palomar have created a new series of Crumpled City Junior Maps featuring illustration from Alvvino and designed by Emanuele Pizzolorusso! The soft, light, waterproof maps for young urban explorers currently come in 5 cities: Amsterdam, Berlin, London, New York and Paris… what does that mean? These maps have lots of fun young must see destinations from monuments and parks to circuses and more! See more photos of these great crumpled maps on the next page!

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Happy Holidays! 2011 is flying by, and we’re finishing the year with some great coupons from our favorite stores as well as 30 giveaways from now through Christmas!

Giveaway #6 is here ~ and the guys at Baxter of California are giving away their latest trio of White Wood Candles! Of course, the awesome packaging is designed by Mark Atlan ~ and the scents are as follows - One: Patchouli, Vetiver, Oak moss, Liquid amber, Rum. Two: Bergamot, Mandarin, Mission Fig, Santalum, Vetiver. Three: Birch Tar, Leather, Guiac Wood, Rosemary Oil, Cedar.

For a chance to win a trio of White Wood Candles from Baxter of California, leave a comment with what your favorite scent is (whatever that means to you!) before midnight PST on Dec 5th, 2011 and we’ll notify the winner by email! Take a peek at more pics of the candles and a coupon on the next page!

CONGRATS to our winner Kelsey of Minneapolis, MN!

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Cubist martinis, delicately sugared cranberries and pears dipped in chocolate are all part of this week’s roundup from Tasteologie and Liqurious. To find out more about each delectable delight, click on its individual image.

Here’s a super rare advertisement post ~ but you’ve got to admit, that’s a pretty awesome picture up there! Thank you, SOREL, for your support of NOTCOT!

Brave the Winter With Fearless Boots - As fall winds down, it’s time to look ahead to the chill of winter, and for women who love to shop, that means one thing: shopping for boots. SOREL’s new bold and modern fall/winter 2011 line is a great place to start your search, especially if you’re looking for something that isn’t afraid of a little snow.  

The beauty of Sorel’s new line - highlighted by the Tofino™ and SOREL 88™ pieces - is it’s ability to work a feminine fashion statement and to just plain work. With the Tofino, you’ll get eye-catching and sophisticated style that oozes from its soft faux fur trim and the smooth leather that overlays canvas. Its available in hot colors, too, including the very sexy chili pepper (red) - who says boots can’t make you feel seductive? No one has to know they’re super comfortable and fully waterproof.  

SOREL ‘88 is for the hard core winter outdoor adventurist as it will keep feet warm and toasty, and dry and steady (even on ice) thanks to the rubber outsoles. And the bright and bold color choices can heat up even the coldest winter days.  

To get your SOREL boots, head to Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, or shop online at www.sorel.com/fearless, where you can also check out the entire Fall/Winter collection. 

Beautiful packaging ~ and when it comes to the holiday season, one of my favorite things is to see all the fun gift set packaging skincare/cosmetics brands do! This year Aesop went with a Daring Cases in Favour of Science theme! Each set has the products are housed in a black case with a sturdy zip ~ easily reused for whatever your science lover deems fit. There is the Theory of Evolution, Accelerating Universe, States of Matter, Special Relativity, Laws of Motion, Centre of Gravity, and Celestial Mechanics. Of course the hardest part will be shopping by theme… versus shopping by contents! Take a peek at the fun packaging graphics on the next page!

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Animals. Cars. Amazing illustrations. Ok i’m pretty much swooning already. Just in the inbox, Zoom Zoo from Mike Yamada, a designer/illustrator, artist at Dreamworks Animation, and an Art Center Graduate. These flashcards are his take on the classic Richard Scarry’s animals piloting retro 60’s type vehicles. (Anyone else picturing that worm driving an apple?) While sure these could be for kids to learn the alphabet, what adult wouldn’t have fun dreaming up the stories and worlds behind these creatures in their fantastic automobiles while teaching kids the alphabet? As adorable little works of art ~ they are playfully inspiring! I can’t wait to see the full alphabet… You can buy the Zoom Zoo Flashcards here. Take a peek at more details on the next page!

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Happy Holidays! 2011 is flying by, and we’re finishing the year with some great coupons from our favorite stores as well as 30 giveaways from now through Christmas!

The latest giveaway is the 3 in 1 Back2Back Laptop Bag in All Grey from our friends at Hard Graft! Made of premium italian cow leather and premium german wool felt, this bag has you covered for everything. As they describe it, “This really is a multi-functional bag. 100% rucksack. 100% messenger bag. 100% briefcase. Both sides of the bag have an extra layer of super padded protection for your iPad or laptop and two identical hidden zipped pockets measuring 25 x 33cm. On top, there are two robust handles, inside there’s a padded divider and a deep zipped pocket. Comes with a fully adjustable, removable shoulder strap.”

For a chance to win the Back2Back Laptop Bag in All Grey from Hard Graft, leave a comment with what you’d use this bag for before midnight PST on Dec 4th, 2011 and we’ll notify the winner by email! See more pictures of this gorgeous bag on the next page!

CONGRATS to our winner Ryan from Portland, OR!

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Apocalpyse kits, brinecicles and conductive velcro are all part of this week’s roundup from NOTCOT.org. To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.

This post is part of NOTCOT Having Fun In The Dark series sponsored by Canon Powershot’s Your Second Shot While taking pictures in the dark often means standing super still, you may still end up with more graininess than usual… armed with Canon’s low-light HS SYSTEM, you can trust the tech to help you capture the perfect shot the first time!

Wow. Our Tasteologie Editor (and resident photographer), Jackson Stakeman, was in Albuquerque, NM for the holidays and while wandering around in search of awesome holiday lights ~ ended up discovering this insane holiday light show at the New Mexico Biopark Society ~ they turn their botanic gardens into the “River of Lights”! Even better ~ as far as how much energy it takes to power this glittering installation, their site says, “the River of Lights crew, which works year-round to design and build new sculpture, in addition to repairing and refurbishing old ones, has begun using more LED lighting in the construction of new pieces and replacing incandescent bulbs in some of the older pieces.” Take a peek on the next page at the spectacle of lights in the form of gardens, whales, octopi, t-rexs, cars, and so much more… and there’s even a video at the end to give you a feel for the experience!

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Fresh in from our London-based editor Justine Aw.

We were honored to receive bottle 1/100 of Saint beer, a British made craft lager from The Saint Brewing Co. The gorgeous green bottle came in a cozy box snuggled up against a wintry Nordic Knit Scarf from You Must Create (YMC). Once chilled to perfection, the lager was crisp and hoppy without being too bitter or too bubbly. If you too “…want to go down in history as one of the first 100 people in Britain to experience Saint, please enter your email address below.” ~ well, not quite below, but on their website… you can also see some of the bottling pics at Selectism. Take a peek at the beautiful design and handwritten note up close on the next page!

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Happy Holidays! 2011 is flying by, and we’re finishing the year with some great coupons from our favorite stores as well as 30 giveaways from now through Christmas!

Happy Monday! This one is an amazing giveaway from the new store House & Hold from our friends at Fawn & Forest. Picture it ~ curled up in an Original Fatboy ~ next to you is a Design House Stockholm Tablo (a fun tray on a wooden stand), where you can have your Design House Stockholm Barbara Carafe of wine, scotch, water (picture what you wish!) and/or your tea/coffee and a snack on Nuance Snack Set, and an adorable wooden Karl Zahn Rhino box!

I love the way House & Hold describes their vision - “Our world consists of a vast collection of compelling products from modern furnishings and contemporary lighting to the lovingly handmade home accessories you will find nowhere else. House&Hold is here to help make your home an inspired place of creativity, sophistication and love. The brands and products we carry are ones that we are passionate about, and we aim to translate that passion to our online store and outstanding service.”

For a chance to win the instant relaxation nook bundle of an Original Fatboy (color of your choice), Design House Stockholm Tablo (choice of tray color and stand height/wood), Karl Zahn Rhino box, a Nuance Snack Set, and a Design House Stockholm Barbara Carafe (color of your choice) from House & Hold, leave a comment with what you do to relax before midnight PST on Dec 3rd, 2011 and we’ll notify the winner by email! See more pics and details of the goodies on the next page!

CONGRATS to our winner Leanna in Vancouver, BC!

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Just noticed these cute DWR exclusives, Moderne Wood Animals, designed by Linnea Gits and Peter Dunham. The description reads, “The founders of the Chicago design firm called Uusi, Linnea Gits and Peter Dunham are graphic artists who have produced work for Herman Miller®, Sharpie and Prismacolor. Their Moderne Wood Animals (2011) are crafted from American black walnut and white oak veneer that’s finished with nontoxic, odorless mineral oil. The designers selected these woods for their beautiful grain and because they are materials that have a rich history in the production of American-made objects. A lot of attention goes into how the direction of the wood grain falls across the form of each animal, making each sculpture a unique piece. The Bear, Bull and Horse were inspired by the Chauvet Cave paintings discovered in France and believed to be artwork from 30,000 to 33,000 years ago. Each animal is packed in a box featuring an illustration of what’s inside. Very simple assembly required; the animals are comprised of a few pieces that need to be slotted together. Made in U.S.A.” ~ I love the shapes! It’s like the simplified/modernized version of those old wood toy skeletons of dinosaurs and such that you’d pop apart and slot together! Take a peek at the details on the next page!

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Happy Holidays! 2011 is flying by, and we’re finishing the year with some great coupons from our favorite stores as well as 30 giveaways from now through Christmas!

Lets get those Christmas Trees and Hanukkah Bushes decorated (or your desk, or anywhere really) ~ Reiko Kaneko always has such a playful twist on the usual housewares… Here’s a chance to have one of her Twiggy Snowmen Ornaments - “Bone china snowman has real twigs as arms - all it needs is a carrot for a nose. It can sit as a table decoration amongst other festive foliage or hung on a tree as a bauble. All individually different with its own twiggy character. (kawaii as they say in Japan)” Personally, i can’t imagine not taking a dry erase marker to these guys and having fun decorating and erasing and decorating them again as the mood strikes!

For a chance to win one of the 10 Twiggy Snowmen Ornaments from Reiko Kaneko, leave a comment with what you’d do with a Twiggy Snowman before midnight PST on Dec 2, 2011 and we’ll notify the winners by email! See more twiggy’s on the next page!

CONGRATS to Sandee in Austin, TX, Oliver in Nottingham, England, Cecile in New Brunswick, NJ, Joyce in Ottawa, Canada, Christian in Los Angeles, CA, Kathryn in Piscataway, NJ, Natalie in Richmond, VA, Jess in Park City, Utah, Natasha in Ellenton, FL, and Dana in Covington, KY.