The Honest Kitchen has launched a holiday scratch & sniff story… for dogs! The free storybook packed with samples, Is that my dinner?, does not actually have scratch & sniff DOG FOOD (like i initially would have guessed)… but rather scents you can find around the holidays… and people food! After all, The Honest Kitchen is all about people quality food for dogs. The agency behind this cute holiday story is RTO+P, according to Adweek.

Take a peek at the promotional holiday storybook up close on the next page as i let Bucky flip through it… the hard part was keeping him from trying to jump right to the ending.

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Another dose of inspiration from NOTCOT.org! All the things that keep me giddy and fueled to come up with crazy ideas get stored there - click the squares to find out more!

Sometimes you just need to get away… catch up with an old friend… take a day trip… for tacos… and donuts on the beach… and check out some fun new shops… and that’s just what we did! Day trip to San Diego to see the new spots in North Park… and cruising up the coast to see what’s new in Del Mar, Solana Beach, Encinitas, Carlsbad, Oceanside… and stopping off in the OC for soup dumplings and puffles! Check out the inspiration and goodies we found along the way on the next page!

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On hilarious food trends happening at Tasteologie… FOOD WITH EYES! Some adorable, some creepy… all amusing! To find out more and make your own - click the squares!

Parabo Press recently launched from the folks at Photojojo, and of course the whole experience has the same fun, happy vibe. Through an app on your phone, Parabo Press lets you pick phone/instagram photos to turn into things like engineer prints (the big black and white architectural floor plan type pages), risograph prints, newsprint, accordion zines, shaped prints and more. So far my favorite thing to turn phone pics into have been Social Print Studio’s Tiny Books, and with Parabo Press’ unique offerings of larger, lower res prints combined with magnetic wood poster rails, i had to try it! They were nice enough to offer me a $30 coupon, and i just wanted to make something HUGE to see how it all comes out… so found my favorite pic of the NOTFZJ with roof top tent popped open on its first camping trip and turned it into a 3’x4’ engineer print paired with wooden rails.

As for the experience - the app is pretty straight forward (though not as robust as Social Print Studio… yet?) and about 2 weeks after ordering, a fedex arrived direct from Mumbai with print and rails! In those anxious two weeks - i finally told Shawn what i ordered (his inner architecture student came out and reminded me that those are the types of prints we could make easily and quickly!) and i saw far too many DIY Engineer Print options… basically you can get a 3’x4’ engineer print at Staples for about $7! And while doing so much milling and playing with wood while waiting… once they arrived, we were instantly dreaming up other variations of magnetic wood poster rails we could make even from the gorgeous hardwood scraps and lots of rare earth magnets lying around NOTlabs! So all in all - fine, it probably would have been cheaper and faster to DIY for a similar outcome - but it was still fun to have Parabo Press send me down an internet rabbit hole about Engineer Prints and Wooden Rails… and for a customized gift, it’s a nice set up! See all the details and unboxing on the next page!

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There’s a magical place hidden in plain sight in San Francisco right on the water… between the Ferry Building and the Exploratorium, you will find Autodesk Pier 9. You’d never guess that half of this pier is filled with the ultimate creative workshop for design & fabrication - a dreamy, lust-worthy space filled with designers, engineers, artists, fabricators, and every machine they could need - from rooms filled with huge CNCs and water jet machines to 3D printers of every variety, sewing machines, photo studios, welding setups, test kitchen, electronics, industrial robot arms, and much much more. It’s also no surprise that this is where the Instructables team lives. Launched in 2013, it was designed as a state-of-the-art digital fabrication work shop to dissolve the boundaries between software and hardware while inspiring Autodesk to develop tools for the future of making! If you are interested in making something (anything!) odds are good that they will have what you need to make it from start to finish - on the pier!

Shawn and I were invited to review projects from the current group of Autodesk Pier 9 Artists-in-Residence (AIR). (Thanks, Madeline and Vanessa!) What started in Instructables, grew and evolved once they became part of the world of Autodesk. Today, every 4 months, 1-2 dozen artists, designers, engineers, scientists, etc. come to Pier 9 to bring their ideas to life. They get 24/7 pier access, $2000 monthly stipends and project supply budgets, and retain IP and physical work created during the residency… in exchange they must publish their work on Instructables and make a presentation at the end of the program. Not a bad deal, right? The current group will be presenting on November 12th. If you’re in SF, they will definitely be worth a peek - they actually shut down the workshops and present the pieces throughout (Yes, possibly even on or near the machines that made them!)

While there, we had a chance to tour the facility before the reviews, and it is pretty mind blowing. So as we walked and talked, i snapped iPhone pictures along the way for all of you to get a peek inside this wondrous place. Ready? Dive in to the pictures on the next page!

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Here’s the latest from London-based editor and resident zoologist, Justine Aw as she shares more awesome happenings in London!

There’s no arguing the fact that Sam Bompas and Harry Parr are passionate about food… and architecture, technology, experiences, and where they all intersect! Their projects have dabbled in the cutting edge of food and food science as well as its history and role in our culture, and you can we’ve been covering their incredible adventures for the last 5 years. They are now embarking on a new adventure, the British Museum of Food with the tagline “from field to table, mouth…and beyond”. Get a first peek inside the opening in London’s Borough Market on the next page! You won’t believe the British menus, stunning buttferflies, massage chairs and more…

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OSTRICHLAND USA! Last time i stopped off here was on a spontaneous roadtrip in 2008… and i’m SO HAPPY we decided to pull off highway 1 and check it out on the way home on the latest LA-SF-LA roadtrip! I was hesitant to drag Shawn over, but we were too curious not to stop.

Good thing we did! Since i was last there, it has gotten fancier signage, seems to have far more ostrich/emu pens to wander and feed… and we got lucky getting to see a lot of 1 month old babies!!! Did you know ostriches grow a foot per month until they reach around 8-9 feet tall? And they live until 75 or so? So if you’re ever cruising up or down the CA coast, hop off at Solvang (even if you don’t make it into the funky town) and check out OSTRICHLAND USA (especially if it’s summer baby season) - it’s definitely worth the $4 entry fee and $1 per dog-dish-glued-to-dustpan of food. See what we found on the next page!

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Here’s another 25 things that made me happy this week from NOTCOT.org - click on the squares to find out more.

So far we’ve loved everything Teenage Engineering for years… from afar… or through the internet. The design, photography, and ideas are always incredible! But between getting in to SF and meeting friends for dinner, we managed to squeeze in a few stores in the Mission, one of them being the unmissable Dijitalfix. Drawn in by the Freitag pop up in front, and sucked further in by so many design brands we adore… before i knew it, i lost Shawn. Turns out he ended up in the backroom completely engrossed by all the Teenage Engineering toys. And while he was busy pushing buttons and learning how they all worked, i couldn’t stop staring at the products themselves… and the packaging… and the displays! So that was settled… we had to buy one! While it was tough decide, we’re starting with the PO-12 rhythm

And of course, in the small amount of time between procuring the PO-12 and meeting for dinner… we couldn’t resist buying batteries, parking, and unboxing it in the car so we could play with it! So here’s a first for me… an iphone camera unboxing in our car parked on the street at night. Ready to see how awesome it is? See the pics on the next page!

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Just home from roadtripping since wednesday… and going through @NOTlabs instagram and the pictures on my phone, i can’t figure out where to start! So many different adventures from catching up with old friends and making new ones while reviewing Artist in Residency projects at Autodesk’s Pier 9 and running around to see whatever surprises we could find in between! Shawn and i drove from LA up the 5 (through the middle of CA) to SF, then worked our way back down the coast. We stayed in Potrero Hill, Oakland, Santa Cruz, and Cambria. Played with 1 month old ostriches (and some beastly adults and emus too!)… unboxed Teenage Engineering Pocket Operator in the car… watched sunset over Sutro Baths… lusted after robot arms, CNCs, water jets, swing conference tables and so many more toys at Autodesk Pier 9… discovered the craziest central california glazed almond treats… have a CW&T Pen Type-B we’re putting through the paces (donut magnet!)… discovered Bravo Farms with the Flavor Farmer, Doc Burnstein’s Ice Cream, BBQ, market and more as quite the pitstop… buying more rare succulents at Grow… and so much more. See why it’s near impossible to sum up quickly? But one thing is for sure - we’re home, we’re rested, and thoroughly inspired to make more awesome happen!

So to get a taste of the most inspiring randomness, robots, packaging, views, creatures and more from LA to SF and back… see the next page!

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Just pulled into a little seaside hotel in Cambria, CA as we slowly make our way down the coast from SF to LA… this road trip has been filled with little adventures squeezed in between official work commitments… including the discovery of Stewart & Jasper Orchards company store in a little strip mall off the 5 freeway in Central CA - filled with locally grown and produced treats and gift baskets. Their website says “Stewart & Jasper, a family-owned almond company on the West Side of the San Joaquin Valley, is well known for its commitment to product quality and customer service. We are an almond grower, huller/sheller, processor, exporter and retail marketer with over 60-years experience in farming and food production.” They’ve been doing their thing since 1948 and is still run by 2nd and 3rd generation family members.

On a quick gas stop in Patterson, CA, the store caught my eye and we had to pop in… I was so dazed from roadtripping for hours, i didn’t even think to take pictures, but Google Maps has it covered. You walk into the store, and you see wall to wall sweet nutty treats, beef jerky, jams, candies, and more… part of an old PICK UP TRUCK (also filled with treats and gift baskets)… and the whole back half of the store is an adorable wine/beer area! At first, I thought it was a Harry & David like brand - with fruits and gift baskets, until i looked more closely at the offerings and noticed a huge section of Glazed Almonds with flavors like: Strawberries & Creme, Cinnamon, Orange Creme Brulee, Caramel Latte, Peaches & Cream, Butter Toffee, Pralines & Cream, Birthday Cake, Caramel Apple, Snickerdoodle, Key Lime, Root Beer Float, Razberry Cheesecake, and more… and that was only the glazed almond wall! There were also quite a surprising variety of chocolate covered almonds (i.e. Dark Chocolate Chipotle, Coffee & Creme, White Chocolate Coconut), chocolate covered fruits in a range of colors, as well as more traditional basic nuts, jams, butters and far more than i can remember.

My curiosity couldn’t resist trying some Birthday Cake Glazed Almonds, Almond Smore’s Mix, and Yogurt Covered Raisins. By the time we nibbled on them up to SF, we were hooked. While I first picked them for sounding intriguingly amusing, we were more surprised by how delicious they all were! Sharing some with friends, we looked up the Stewart & Jasper Orchards website thinking it’d be easy to see the rest of the available flavors and order more online to try. To my surprise, the website only shows a slim selection of their offerings, and I learned they only have 4 stores all in the center of California. Their orchard/factory and store are in Newman (apparently you can get tours!) not far off the 5, and the other 3 stores are in Patterson (also off the 5), Modesto, and Monterey. So on the drive down, we took a little detour in Monterey to see that store, pick up treats to share, and find out more! While there we not only bought two bags full, but also learned more about the family run company, factory, and that even though they are far too busy to update the website regularly, you can call the Newman store at any time to find out more about seasonal flavors, custom gift baskets, and placing orders to ship all over the US. Since you can’t see much on the Stewart & Jasper Orchards website, take a look at some of their more surprising offerings on the next page!

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I have been far to obsessed and giddy about Brendan Monroe’s black and white 3D looking landscapes - they are magical as huge murals, mesmerizing online… and when i saw the limited edition 2015 XOXOfest Field Notes with his work on the covers, i couldn’t resist! For less than 10$, you get three amazing little pieces… and i love them all so much, after writing this post i’m off to find the staple remover so i can frame them up!

While ordering that set, i also gave in to the waterproof Expedition Edition too! How can you resist the ” hi-visibility “Antarctic Survey Orange” front cover and “Polar Night Black” back cover, with a subtle varnish effect featuring a topographic map of Antarctica.” And who doesn’t need a notebook made of Yupo Synthetic paper which is water- and tear-proof paper extruded from polypropylene pellets in Chesapeake, Virginia. So perfect for NOTFZJ adventures! And they even threw in their signature Clic Pen and the Field Notes Band of Rubber fits perfectly around a single notebook. So fun! See al the details up close on the next page…

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Fun packaging still makes me happy and totally brings out the little kid in me. My dad just got back from one of his Singapore trips and just dropped off these adorable ANA Samsonite Amenity Kits. Apparently Samsonite is the new Rimowa when it comes to first class amenity kits that look like mini suitcases. (See more on Rimowa Amenity Kits here.) In fact ANA used to have Rimowa ones until they switched. The new ones are minis of the Samsonite Cosmolite luggage line (which i think i might actually have the carry on of stashed away somewhere…) Inside the kit are all the usuals - eye mask, toothbrush/paste, ear plugs, and a large set of Shiseido Ginza Skincare. Take a peek at all the details on the next page.

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Mexico City!!! Yes, this trip was 2 weeks ago - but part way through i got a pretty wicked virus that took me out for the last 2 weeks… and until my body (and mind!) started feeling almost all better, i wasn’t quite ready to work on this post! But, that being said - feeling almost human again… so check out the fun, colorful, inspiration we found on our quick adventure!

The main reason we ended up in Mexico City on such short notice was… Shawn was invited to speak on a panel at design school CENTRO at the launch of their new building. While making our way down there, it was also the perfect time to catch up with friends and finally visit Publicis Mexico and see all the magical awards the Nescafe Cap Project won in person… as well as see the sights and indulge in some deliciousness along the way of course.

Coming from drought filled Los Angeles… what i was most in awe of constantly was the greenery and all the amazing vines and luscious moss covered trees… if only i could have brought it all back! See what caught my eye on the next page!

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