So excited for our friends over at Hulger and their launch of Plumen! Back in the winter of 2007 they initially launched the concept of Plumen ~ designer energy saving compact fluorescent bulbs… and 3 years later, they are now in production! And ready for order! Sadly, they only work in the UK at the moment… “It’s strange that the bulb, an object so synonymous with ideas, is almost entirely absent of imagination.” ~ and for a few fun facts: “The name Plumen comes from ‘plume’ - a bird’s decorative feather, designed to attract attention to its’ prowess and beauty. We believe our designs do the same for the neglected low energy light bulb. The first Plumen concept design joined the very prestigious permanent collection at MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) in New York, while the second was featured at the Victoria and Albert museum in London. The Plumen 001 design was developed in collaboration with designer Sam Wilkinson.”

Best part of it becoming a real product? They’ve shared lots of pics of them in USE! … as photographed by Tom Mannion ~ so take a peek at the pics on the next page!

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We’ve got a gorgeous roundup this week from NOTCOT.org, full of beautiful packaging, stylish products and plenty of inspiration. Click the individual images to find out more about each post.

Scotch and Photography go together so perfectly! Is it any surprise that the Macallan is incredibly inspirational to photographers? And has inspired Rankin to make a breathtaking series of 1000 polaroids of their estate? The Macallan Masters of Photography collaborations are incredible ~ after Rankin, the latest is with Albert Watson! But back to the topic at hand…

Upon moving, many things i meant to write about got hidden in boxes, and have been resurfacing bit by bit! Amongst them, this incredible book, A Photographic Essay of The Macallan Estate ~ which includes the 1000 polaroids taken by incredible photographer Rankin! These polaroids were part of the 1000 bottle series of Masters of Photography Rankin edition 30yr Macallan project, each bottle with a different polaroid image on the label, and boxed with the polaroid itself. Truly one of a kind! But sadly, when viewing the bottles a few at a time, you simply don’t get the whole picture that Rankin’s photographs as a whole tell of the place! He shot photos all around the Macallan Estate ~ of the buildings, of the stills, of the greenery, of the cows… and in many his nude muse/wife posed amongst them. I love that Rankin sees this project of 1000 polaroids more as a poem than a narrative as he created an amazing portrait of the Macallan world. It feels so meta to be sharing photos of a book of photos with you, but you really must see how amazing some of these images are! And i can’t wait to experience it all first hand! Take a peek at some of my favorites from the Rankin/Macallan experience on the next page!

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Here’s the third post in our Inspiration 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? Circles!!!

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Ok, in addition to my so called “packaging fetish” ~ i have a fascination with marker renderings. Yes, digital is fun and all ~ but there’s something so gorgeous and amazing about marker rendering too… and then when you mix the analog and digital for even cooler outcomes (more on that later!) Well another fun discovery while down at Oakley HQ ~ i got to check out the sketches behind the box and new shoe design they just launched with Chip Foose! Foose is known for his amazing hot rod designs (Youngest to be inducted into the Hot Rod Hall of Fame). In fact this weekend, Oakley has just released the Oakley Three Palms shoe at the National Hot Rod Association’s US Nationals where Foose is the grand marshal. So take a peek at the design behind the packaging and shoes on the next page!

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On fun new toys this long weekend ~ playing with the Pentax Optio W90 as a life-proofed backup camera to my big dslr. It’s cold proof to 14 degrees, showckproof to 4 ft, mud+sand+dustproof, waterproof to 20 ft, and heat tolerant to 104 degrees! Basically meaning it’s hopefully kidproof, adventureproof, cookingproof, poolproof, petproof, and more! And it even has a “microscope mode” which is basically a super close macro mode… so you can shoot from 1cm away from the lens. It can also shoot 720p HD video! (But no zooming while shooting, thought you can zoom before you start shooting) Hard to believe this is Pentax’s 11th generation of these everything-proofed cameras ~ i had one of the 2nd gen models back in the day ~ perfect for fishing/shallow water adventures! Honestly, i can’t wait to try this one out as my primary kitchen camera i dont have to worry about when getting messy! Perfect for my latest food project (Eep! Shhhh, more to come on that SOON!) Take a peek at closeups on the next page ~ as well as a few test photos of the super macro microscope mode, experiments in the shower, and some video tests at LAX while i was waiting to pick someone up…

p.s. It’s pretty cheap on Amazon relative to list price! I impulse bought it friday, and had it show up saturday!

p.p.s. i wish the design could be sleeker ~ and that i could peel off all the text on the front ~ but the rugged grippiness is awesome.

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When you think bad ass girls smoking while wearing head gear and a few pounds of eye liner, probably with a sash of bullets… it’s hard not to think of Brian Viveros. (Though, somehow my favorite print of his ~ is hatless, and her hair reminds me of tord boontje…) The Thinkspace Gallery has a Viveros solo show, The Dirtyland, coming up on Oct 2nd, and have taken some amazing pics of him at work in his studio! The teasers of the pieces to come are torturous ~ even promising his “largest painting to date ‘Samur-Rizing’”… see their sneak peek ~ and my favorites are on the next page!

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This week’s Notcouture roundup is effortlessly stylish, bringing you a glimpse of fashion’s finest. To find out more about each post, just click on the individual images.

Got to love the random inspiring emails that show up. Today’s from Alessandro Loschiavo Design just said “Hi everybody … believe me: it’s hard to forget a holiday in Andalusia! Alessandro” ~ and then attached a ton of pictures. And i couldn’t stop staring at them all! So here are peeks at some of the lovely design details, patterns, and colours he spotted on vacation! See more collections on the next page!

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Dominic Jones Jewellery always pushes the boundaries between the natural, the elegantly fashionable… and that crazy edgy look that will scare off a few folks. The latest collection has beautiful rhinoceros beetle rings i’m lusting after… an incredible shark’s jaw envelope clutch… and some intense gator jaw cuffs… see some of the most intriguing designs on the next page!

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Retro designs keep coming back lately! And remember the fun fact that Oakley started in 1975 with BIKE GRIPS? Well, their initial product was made of a special material, Unobtainium ~ and this also crossed over into their eventual eyewear lines, but it started first with the B-1B ~ and they’ve brought the design back in an extremely limited edition run, with an updated newer, softer rubber compound - and a 2010 stamp is embossed on the ends of the grips ~ they will be available in 5 colors, here’s a peek at blue and white and the black and grey… and more to come! In fact they even used fun retro inspired packaging! They gifted me a few pairs when i popped by their HQ today ~ and it was such a gorgeous day out, and we were joking around that “B-1B Guidance System” sounded like it could be for missiles… so naturally, had to take some pics of them in front of their huge missile before i left! See closeups of the packaging, the grips, and a peek at vintage models on the next page!

p.s. UPDATE! Check out the super limited edition NOTCOT black and white grips here.

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Took a little field trip down to Oakley HQ today in Foothill Ranch, CA ~ and am smitten with the new collaboration - Oakley Artist Series Fuel Cell sunglasses by Don Pendleton. There’s something so awesome about the simple lines ~ the green, blue, black, and white ~ and best of all, the adorable creatures hidden within! You keep finding more and more of them as you stare into the patterns… see more close ups of the sunglasses, the packaging, and even the skateboard designs on the next page!

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A bold roundup from an exciting week at NOTCOT.org includes so much fun design. To find out more about each post, just click on the individual images.

New from Aurelien Barbry for Normann Copenhagen ~ beautiful cork wine stoppers and wine pourers! Both designs are sculptural ~ there are 4 stopper designs, and most intriguing is the pourer, which hides the metal spout within the cork! see close ups of them all on the next page!

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What a gorgeous round of drinks we have over at Liqurious. To find out more about each post, click on the individual images.