There’s GLAMPING (Glam-camping) and ATHLEISURE (Athletic looking leisure wear)… and there’s been a fascinating, growing space of what we’ve been referring to as GATEWAY CAMPING Gear… that bright, happy, playful, hipsterific, instagram-ready camping gear that transitions easily from apartment/patio to mountain top… it works just as well for a picnic/hike as it does for extra party seating… and it all folds right up to pop into your car or pack. Don’t get me wrong - i’m a fan. (In fact, my fascination with the space may be part of how Shawn convinced me into building the NOTFZJ Project!) It’s fun, colorful, and i love seeing more well designed, efficient, multipurpose products as well as more technical materials making their way into our everyday lives. It’s been mesmerizing to watch it all unfold! These are the products that are easier to justify to a “once in a while” camper - because you’ll probably end up using it at home and in the yard and it won’t look too out of place. It’s the perfect ‘off to college’ gift genre since it works for your dorm room and outdoor adventures.

If you’re still trying to picture the brands that embody this - think of Poler, Alite, Nomadix, and Rumpl - maybe even aspects of Snowpeak, Biolite, Treeline Outdoors, Best Made Co, and Camp Brand Goods. It is all about the lifestyle! The perfect lovely, tranquil, mosquito-free, lakeside, tree-surrounded campsite - curled up with your closest friends around the camp fire with no one else in sight… as the birds tweet around you and a gourmet meal is being prepared. You know - that ideal postcard/instagram moment! Where all is perfect with the world - and maybe you have cell signal/wifi and proper bathrooms nearby. Another example? That resurgence of enamelware mugs and more permeating our kitchens… as well as our camping kits.

I know, it may sound cynical, and i certainly don’t mean it that way - it has just been fascinating to watch the emergence of this Gateway Camping Gear that helps ease the transition from city kid to the outdoor adventurer - just like Glamping took camping to the luxurious extreme, and Athleisure made it ok to run around in workout clothes (without working out) - Gateway Camping Gear is helping made the slide from urban living into woods easier! And you’ll notice more and more traditional outdoor/adventure brands leaning towards less hardcore, more playful, lifestyle products to pull people in. The latest is definitely REI’s evrgrn collection (yes, fashionably named with arbitrary vowels dropped even). Take a peek on the next page at REI’s new evrgrn collection - it’s not hard to see where their inspiration comes from!

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Here’s the latest from London-based editor and resident zoologist, Justine Aw!

I always love visiting Clerkenwell Design Week and discovering design on my own doorstep here in East London. This year was no exception. The show has certainly grown since 2011 with new venues and exhibitors. See a few of the beautiful pieces and displays that caught our eye from CDW2015 on the next page!

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Inspiration of the week!!! Click the squares to find out more! As usual, this is just a taste of all that’s been inspiring me that’s over at NOTCOT.org!

A magical thing happens when plants get legs. They take on a whole new character! While dividing up some overgrown succulent pots, i was hunting for just about any vessel that could be a new home for the little guys… and when i came across some Android Rainbow Minis that had been rescued/adopted after some casualties at comic-con long ago, drilling a quick drainage hole or two made them the perfect bodies for these little succulents! They even get posable arms! And would probably be pretty fun as a desktop/planter army. This got me researching what other clean, simple, little vessels give plants legs - so take a peek at some of my other favorites found on the next page!

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The new Element x Jeremy Fish Summer Collection is so fun! If you’re a fan of Jeremy Fish’s zipper creatures you’ll love these! They also made an adorable animated video - check it all out on the next page!

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Every now and then, you need to be your own client. And there’s nothing quite as mind clearing as manual labor… or as satisfying as making something you love and get to see and experience daily! So Shawn and i recently decided to set aside some time and energy and be our own clients working on a redwood gate and bench/top for our triangle that matches the fence we made! Somehow starting this all… also turned into reorganizing and sprucing up the garage shop (with the help of Bucky the trusty shop dog, of course!)… acquiring some new tools… and enjoying the jacaranda’s purple flowering season! Even as we started working on it all - it has quickly become our favorite spot to have coffee, relax, and grow a few new experiments! Take a peek at what we’ve been sharing on the NOTlabs Instagram on the next page!

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INSPIRATION!!! Click the pics to find out more…

I haven’t been able to get these Lotus Belle Tents out of my head since i ran into one while exploring Mercado Sagrado. They feel part “normal” tent + part yurt + part awesome inflatable structure looking shape… that all fits in a duffle bag (or two! depending on size) - and it’s SO spacious! They come in 16ft and 13ft sizes - and “The 16ft Lotus is 56% bigger in size than the 13ft and fits everything but the kitchen sink!”

Of course the part that was intriguing me next - HOW do you assemble it? And of course they have an adorable instructional video… and the cutest hand drawn pdf instructions! It’s also surprisingly simple to assemble, even alone (though i’m sure help would speed things along nicely.) Basically you lay the waterproof floor down, pop the walls up, pop the roof up, poke the pole up to hold the center up, and velcro wall and roof together… and you’re done! Depending on your needs, they have a few variations - adding various doors, screens, and other luxuries. Take a peek at it all on the next page - i’m so tempted to pop one up in the yard, or for our next adventure!

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I can’t imagine a lovelier way to spend a Sunday than laying out on a grassy field in a Malibu vineyard filled canyon surrounded by chill live music, delicious treats, happy people, horses, ducks, and more… while being inspired by unique artists and the incredible structures they’ve popped up! This was the scene today at Mercado Sagrado - a relaxing festival founded by photographer Heather Culp and artist Carly Jo Morgan - spread out in the Oak Grove at Saddlerock Ranch. Our highlights were definitely seeing more of the geometric wood sculptures of Aleph Geddis (also - his instagram is amazing) and getting our aura photos taken in a geodesic dome by Radiant Human (which has only sparked a fascination with the 70’s polaroid tech behind aura pics. Apparently the tech hasn’t changed much?!?!) Take a look at the relaxing inspiration we found on the next page…

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Loopholes designed by Fermetti & Oskar Vermeylen for Atelier Belge - currently smitten with this clean, simple, modular wall panel system! Starting with a rectangular grid system, you have a range of options to mix in - wood, metal, acrylic shelves, boxes, lights and more. Take a peek at the lovely details on the next page - and the full pdf cataog here.

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Another week - another dose of inspiration! Been spending a LOT more time offline getting hands on design projects and getting quite the tan doing construction outside to turn our ideas and sketches into reality! More to come on all of that as it finishes up… but for now click the pics to find out more about any of the inspiration above!

Another week - another dose of inspiration! Features are still quieter as we work on more real world projects… more to come on that soon! For now, keep sharing what inspires you, and we will too! Click on the pics to find out more!!!

Another inspiring week! Here’s a taste of what i’ve been loving (and sharing!) over at NOTCOT.org!

“IF IT’S BROKE, FIX IT!” That’s the motto of the Patagonia Worn Wear initiative. While the creation of new things can not be 100% waste/harm/etc-free, we can do our part by using things for as long as possible and consuming less! And a huge part of that comes from taking care of the things we have - from cleaning and caring to repairing when needed, especially when it comes to clothes! So yesterday we joined Patagonia at their Ventura, CA HQ for the launch of the Worn Wear TOUR!

The incredible Delia is setting off across the US - and this stunning Worn Wear Rig designed and built by Jay Nelson is a biodiesel ‘93 Dodge Cummins D250 fitted with salvaged redwood wine barrels and sewing machines inside! It is also being followed by a truck with an adorably woody store of used/vintage Patagonia goods inside! Meet up with the tour across the US and bring your broken clothes and they will help you fix it up - from rips and tears to broken zippers and more… it doesn’t even have to be Patagonia. Take a peek at the great design details on the next page…

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The iBRIDGE from Leef just arrived! Mobile memory for your iphone/ipad! This little gadget ranges from 16-256GB, and has a USB 2.0 on one side and an Apple Lightning connector on the other. Think of it as a super USB key.

Just like the Mophie Space Pack we tried out before, you need to download an iOS app to be able to interface with iOS 8. This basically means you can transfer photos between the iBRIDGE and iOS device with ease, take photos straight to the iBRIDGE, and even play music and videos off the iBRIDGE!

There’s a very specific use i’m most interested in the iBRIDGE for… transferring a few photos between my phone and laptop for posts! Currently my options are… Airdrop (it works once in a while, but not consistently enough not to be a pain), syncing all photos into iPhoto/iCloud (but i like Lightroom to manage photos - and if i plug in and import from lightroom, it takes forever to scan 10,000 photos), emailing myself (ugh), dropbox/google drive (slow), and ultimately i end up messaging myself (which still needs wifi/data! not always possible traveling or on a plane)… so ideally, i’d use the iBRIDGE to choose travel photos to transfer on to the stick to my laptop! So far for that - it is AWESOME. Also as a USB key to fill with movies/music for travel and sharing across iOS devices, it’s perfect!

My one problem so far… my phone had ~11,000 photos on it. So testing out their backup took quite some time! (Make sure your phone is fully charged, since you can’t charge and transfer simultaneously.) Also now when i try to load up the photos in their app to see the photos in the backup - it takes quite a bit of time (likewise to load up the photo preview of the ones on my iphone). The backup function doesn’t currently copy videos over, though select/transfer does move videos. I assume i need to either not use the backup function, or if i backup and move the file off the iBRIDGE, then it loads up pretty fast. It’s also nice that you can ‘move’ files from iOS to iBRIDGE and have it delete them… so maybe it’s really time for me to clear off a few years of photos from my iPhone?

Take a look at all the details on the next page!

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