Ooooh too excited to try these out in real life… variations of the stick on mini lenses have been floating around for some time - like Jelly Lenses, i had quite a bit of fun with a wide angle one for a while, but honestly the jelly bit that sticks gets less sticky, and even washing it, it stops to hold as well! Also the cheesy plastic never was quite as appealing as could be…

Enter these adorable mini camera phone lenses over at PhotoJojo that really look like MINI PRO LENSES! Too cute, right? But the genius part? Stick a magnetic ring on your phone… and the lenses can snap right on and off stably! Now if only they came with extra rings, for various phones, cases, etc… if they work as well as they could, these could definitely make for some fun stocking stuffers… ordering now to poke at in person. See more pics on the next page!

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There are plenty of drinks to whet your appetite over at Liqurious. Here are just a few selections to get you started. Click the individual images to find out more.

What’s more adorable than gorgeous wood animals? Gorgeous wood animals that are also BOXES! New from Areaware ~ ‘Animal Boxes’ by NY based designer Karl Zahn as part of their Fall 2010 Collection! Love that the eyes double as hinges! See pics of the whole collection on the next page…

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Still in moving chaos mode over here ~ but here’s a quick impulse buy i’m adoring from yesterday! Situation: peer pressure of a good deal with new Directv package… got a second receiver BEFORE second tv… thought it might be a good one to have dedicated to the Slingbox? But as i was itching to test it out, AND for some reason my ancient apple monitor (the pretty silver one!) broke (hoping it’s the adapter, haven’t confirmed yet)… while picking up an 8-port switch, fell for this gorgeous 23” SUPER thin Samsung PX2370 LED monitor ~ basically the monitor version of the TV i adore. And it’s SO thin and pretty with the clear edge… simple thin clearish black base… and LOVE that it has hdmi inputs as well as a headphone jack audio out! So its perfect as a second TV as well as a monitor for backup mac mini in the guest room! The details in the design are just so thoughtful and clean, had to take pics to share ~ take a peek on the next page!

p.s. just noticed i’m actually running Samsung LED ads! So maybe the ads worked. But the monitor is also the prettiest/awesomest option i ran into… so maybe both? awesome ads and awesome product?

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This week’s NOTCOT.org roundup has an understated elegance, combining simplicity and style to perfection. To find out more about this week’s picks, click on the individual images.

It’s moving time! And taking a moment to slow down, pop up north for my college friend’s wedding, organize/clean through all of my stuff to get sorted for the move! BUT, no worries, amongst the much needed breather… inevitably, still finding all kinds of unexpected inspiration to share (while sitting here waiting for the DIRECTV guy to show up)!

…. like BLINDS! I had no idea how much the world of blinds, etc have evolved over the years, and i’m now sitting here in my nearly finished kitchen (waiting for kitchen table to show up tomorrow!) playing with my new silhouette blinds! With a far softer fabric like texture, but still having a horizontal mini blinds look… it softens up the space, and allows for three amazing options. Closed, i still get great ambient lighting… open but down, i get a mesh like look where i can pretty much see everything going on in the yard, but you can barely see in, and the usually fully opened! Then i discovered these other metal reveal blinds with “magnaview” for the office, where the WAY they open is mesmerizing… two to one!!! When you open them, the blinds nest into pairs instead of just angling open… so much larger viewing gaps in between! Honestly, these are hard to describe… the little videos and pics on the next page will have it make more sense! And last but not least for today… PAPER BLINDS! I wish i knew about these earlier, i had no idea that while you wait for your real blinds, they give you fake paper blinds… folded paper stacks that mimic real blinds from afar… you simply cut them to the width you need, pell back the sticky top strip, and stick it to your window! As for the bottoms, or holding it up? Clips! So simple. So genius. And tempting to leave up when you’re just not sure what you want yet… So take a peek at the blinds that have been installed so far on the next page! Hope the vids help them make more sense!

p.s. The guys at Hunter Douglas Gallery dealer, Home: Carpet & Window Treatments, near Santa Monica are super nice, incredibly patient, and will totally let you wander and play with the MANY displays to your heart’s content…. and then wander around staring at different swatches in different lighting… Ask for Ron or George!

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Another sophisticated and stylish roundup of fashion’s finest from Notcouture. To find out more about each post, simply click the individual images.

Here’s the second post in a fun new series! Sponsored by Veer.com ~ we get to have some fun and go image researching across the internet around random themes inspiring us at the moment.. and share what we find! Today’s theme? With so many in desperate need of a vacation ~ and so many off running around actually ON vacations… Leo and i decided to explore places we’d love to get lost in. No tech. No people. Just gorgeous surreal scenery to fill with your imagination… see more on the next page!

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Another stunning week at NOTCOT.org means we bring you yet another gorgeous roundup of posts. Click on the individual images to find out more about each post.

Have you been as mesmerized with the Spinning Top Totem in Inception as i have? Separate the object from any meaning the movie may have added to it… and don’t think about the plot frustrations (though the movie was incredibly stunning!)… bottom line, its a gorgeous object! Incredibly iconic ~ and beautiful! (Ok, so in the recent year, i’ve also been a bit spinning top obsessed - see here and here) So in a little random research burst ~ i was surprised (though in retrospect it’s SO obvious) ~ to find so many replica tops popping up on the internet/ebay, that the cast and crew all received special ones, keychains, totem kits, shirts, animated gif icons, and more are all popping up all over… even guesses that future DVD releases may include one… And then of course, there’s also the college humor video mocking the top spinning finale… see it all on the next page!

p.s. So curious who actually designed this… any ideas?

p.p.s. looking at all the images together ~ it looks like the one in the film is the prettiest ~ with a nice sleek, slimmer top and better proportions? ~ all the replicas look… bloated?

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Firstly ~ i love that the British Central Illustration Agency goes by CIA. And their first book, License to Inspire just arrived as perfect Monday morning inspiration to share with you ~ (please pardon the mess behind the photos ~ mid move!!!) ~ on first impressions, i barely wanted to open the box, i was so enamored by knight in shining armor on his horse! And then within… the partial dust jacket looks lovely too! The CIA have been representing some of the most amazing illustrators and designers for years ~ (and they do the BEST weekly calendars!) and it’s incredible to see, flip through, hold, and read about their inspiration and see work from some of their stunning artists in print form! To fully appreciate all the goodness, you definitely need to check out a copy yourself, but for a quick preview, take a peek at the pics on the next page!

p.s. “It’s about allowing the artist the freedom to interpret the concept, to allow them to do what they do best and contribute in such a way that is truly inspirational…” ~ love the introduction of the book going through the history and philosophies of this amazing group!

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This week’s Liqurious roundup is an interesting mix of bright and summery with dark and cool. You can find out more about each of these posts by clicking on the individual images.

After spending much of the day packing, moving, unpacking boxes ~ and spending quite a bit of time deciding what goes where… i’m loving the Wallee for subtle wall mounting of iPads, where you can easily hang it vertically and horizontally… and comes off easily to use it in hand too! Perfect for the kitchen!!! Or as they show it on their site and their blog - in bathrooms, by the phone, inside an old record player…. see more pics on the next page!

p.s. now if only they would release the Slingbox iPad app ~ it can nicely double for the kitchen TV?

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Fascinated by this since i saw it on Gizmodo… The INTIMIDATOR PUZZLE PISTOL is is a single shot 45 caliber muzzle loading pistol. Hidden disassembled in a 125 piece puzzle which can be put together to form a 8”x4”x5” brick of a sculpture weighing in at 40 lbs… designed by GarE Maxton. It’s incredible and took him a year to build! See more pictures of the stunning puzzle on the next page, as well as a video of it being taken apart ~ and even seeing it SHOOT!

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Oh, Uncrate, you’ve stirred some serious knife lust in me with these new Porsche Design P’3700 Wegner Swiss Army Knife. In matte black with a sleek, ergonomic, bean like body… and all your usual tools and gadgets… as much as i adore my leatherman wave, this would look incredible whipped out at a picnic to pop open that bottle of wine… see more pics on the next page!

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