On continuing this year’s trend of doing things i’ve never done… just knocked 3 more states off the list! This weekend we flew into Chicago, spent a night, and road tripped through Wisconsin and into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for a lovely wedding in the woods, with pit stops in Chicago, Sheboygan, and Milwaukee and explorations around Iron Mountain, Norway, Vulcan, Faithorn and more. Ready to see what inspiration we found? To the next page!

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The NOTFZJ80 Project is being sponsored by our friends at AutoNation: America’s largest auto retailer with 270 stores selling 33 brands nationwide backed by industry-leading policies like SmartChoice pricing and no-hassle money back guarantee. They are helping us turn our 1996 Toyota Land Cruiser into an overland adventure rig to go discover inspiration off-grid! Follow the progress here as we build up to our first trip.

So for Part I of the NOTFZJ80 Test Trip, we focused on Camping… in Part II, it’s time for off roading! And in this case, we decided to explore the Forest Service Roads around Big Bear further and really put the NOTFZJ80 through its paces. So from paved roads and highways… we headed down Forest Service Roads to find our campsite. They varied from paved to dirt to rocky… as we used the yellow post sites as an excuse to weave our way through the mountains as we checked out a few more spots, we arbitrarily picked service roads to explore! The result? everything from easy scenic routes to steeper routes… super steep rocky routes… weaving from peeks of lake views… through once burned forests starting to get lush with new growth… coming across a surprised family of deer… and more! Most importantly? It was fun, relaxing, and the NOTFZJ80 handled like a tank! you can see our route on the map above - the X is where we camped, and the rest is where we wiggled before popping out in Fawnskin. Take a peek on the next page…

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The NOTFZJ80 Project is being sponsored by our friends at AutoNation: America’s largest auto retailer with 270 stores selling 33 brands nationwide backed by industry-leading policies like SmartChoice pricing and no-hassle money back guarantee. They are helping us turn our 1996 Toyota Land Cruiser into an overland adventure rig to go discover inspiration off-grid! Follow the progress here as we build up to our first trip.

I can’t believe we’re finally at this stage… TEST TRIP! For our first quick test trip there are two big things that need testing: #1 Camping! #2 Offroading! It still blows my mind how quickly we’ve gotten here, and how much we’ve done. It looks like such a different car from when we first brought it home. Looking back for a moment - we’ve been asked “Why THIS project car?” quite a bit, and without a doubt, it’s all about the experience for me. This isn’t exactly the type of setup you can just rent - and there’s something different when you do it all yourself bit by bit to make your ultimate setup! And as NOTCOT closes in on 10, I can’t even count how many incredible experiences i’ve been exposed to as i’ve run around covering events, exploring brands, testing (new) cars all over the world, but what has been lacking are the random vacations and goal free explorations I used to have. So the NOTFZJ80 is our way to do something that none of our other vehicles can do, and a reason to simply venture out, get lost, and get inspired by the unplannable unknown. Will it work? I can’t wait to find out!

So back to first test trip… having just gotten back from Atlanta, and heading to Iron Mountain, Michigan tomorrow… we didn’t have much time to squeeze in a little test trip. So it had to be close to home! A bit of research landed us on Big Bear! Only 2.5 hours away, gorgeous lake, and an easy spot to camp for a night and off road a bit… so take a look at part one (Camping!) on the next page!

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So it all began with the adorable Mexican Loteria espresso/shot enamelware set our friends gave us… combined with the NOTFZJ80 progress and camp gear shopping… which lead to Shawn admitting his nostalgic side wanted some old school enamelware… which lead me down an internet rabbit hole of all things enamelware… so since i fell all the way down there ~ what i found was everything from gaudy to adorable, hipster to classic, and even the Polish manufacturer that seems to be behind many of the recent ones popping up now! Is enamelware the new mason jar? Take a peek at some of the best ones i found on the next page… they come in all shapes and sizes, with printing around the exterior, interior, handle, and even base!

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INSPIRED! Here’s a peek at some of the many things inspiring us over at NOTCOT.org and Tasteologie! Click the pics to find out more…

The NOTFZJ80 Project is being sponsored by our friends at AutoNation: America’s largest auto retailer with 270 stores selling 33 brands nationwide backed by industry-leading policies like SmartChoice pricing and no-hassle money back guarantee. They are helping us turn our 1996 Toyota Land Cruiser into an overland adventure rig to go discover inspiration off-grid! Follow the progress here as we build up to our first trip.

Wow. We’ve so much has changed since the last update on our NOTFZJ80 Project. When you last saw it, we installed the front bumper + winch and were in a holding pattern as it got some work done at TLC. Well - it’s back! It’s had front axel, transfer case, bushings, and differential rebuilt and new Old Man Emu suspension, DBA brakes, radiator and rear bumper installed. Since it’s been back we’ve also installed a 40” LED light bar and snorkel on the front - awning off the passenger side and annex under the rooftop tent - and filled the rear bumper with jerry cans, spare tire, MaxTrax, and grill! Needless to say - we’ve been busy, and we’re just about ready to go test out camp with the NOTFZJ80. Check out our progress on the next page.

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Concept cars are like mythical creatures. Stunningly beautiful, comprised of so many things you wish you had… packaged up in a way you’re not sure would survive in the real world. Often you see them poised spinning on a platform at car shows, behind the rope on the Pebble Beach putting green, raced as renders in a video game… So I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to go play with the updated Toyota FT-1 when they offered a chance to put it anywhere I wanted at Calty Design Research, their North American design studio in Newport Beach, last week before it headed to Pebble Beach. With all the stunning (usual?) press photos coming, I was thrilled to imagine what it would be like if it was a real car, in real life, that you could really drive home… to look at the details, as if imagining them coming out of your driveway as you head up the coast along the beach…

The Toyota FT-1 second edition that Toyota just unveiled last night… is not a new car. The Second Toyota FT-1 Concept LOOKS a lot like a new car, but it’s really a second styling of their FT-1 Concept that was launched in January 2014 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Calty Design Research. The original was an experiment in what they love to call “functional sculpting,” where everything you see is contributing to the function of the car. They designed it around beautiful puddles of color, which is apparent in every mesmerizing reflection.

For this second edition, the Interior and Color+Trim designers were challenged to make the maximum impact with minimal changes, and wow. Unlike most cars - which start out designed and rendered in silver/grays, the FT-1 was always designed in RED, and has gone back to the more traditional for its second edition in Graphite. The Graphite Exterior with Saddle and Black Leather Interior couldn’t make it feel more different than the racer reds of the first edition. The look and feel have taken the Speed Racer feel of the first and made it more Bruce Wayne. It still screams sporty superhero, but with a bit more of a luxurious, understated twist. Ready to dive into the details of this stunning new colorway on the next page?

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Just a taste of what’s been inspiring us lately over at NOTCOT.org and Tasteologie! Click the pics to find out more…

The NOTFZJ80 Project is being sponsored by our friends at AutoNation: America’s largest auto retailer with 270 stores selling 33 brands nationwide backed by industry-leading policies like SmartChoice pricing and no-hassle money back guarantee. They are helping us turn our 1996 Toyota Land Cruiser into an overland adventure rig to go discover inspiration off-grid! Follow the progress here as we build up to our first trip.

Seems about time for a NOTFZJ80 Project update! This update is a combo of accessorizing and… waiting. So much patient waiting… as the Land Cruiser heads in to TLC to get some work done. But just because the car isn’t here doesn’t mean there aren’t NOTFZJ80 Project related tasks to be done. In this update we’ve got the front bumper + winch installed, dropped it off to the shop, started the scavenger hunt for parts (which even brings us over to AutoNation Toyota in Irvine), amusement with jigger siphons, jerry cans, MaxTrax, D-ring shackle bracelets, marine grade battery and more… check out the latest progress on the next page! We are nearly adventure ready!

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I’ve been curious to see a Formlabs desktop stereolithographic 3D printer in action since they blew up on Kickstarter back in 2012. Since that time they have now launched the second iteration, The Formlabs Form 1+, and i’ve been learning far more from Shawn with our NOTlabs experiments and projects about the trials and tribulations of consumer desktop 3D Printing - so it has been quite a treat to spend the last few weeks experimenting with the new Formlabs Form 1+!

Physically, the design of the Formlabs 3D printer is a stunning iconic object that you can’t help but be drawn in any studio. It’s a piece of art! That glowing orange acrylic cube, that opens and closes so nicely (I particularly love how precisely tiny the gap is between the cover and the build plate when you open it!) and there’s a single button on the front - all the details are so well thought out! And the quality of the prints - wow - the resin layers can get down to 25 microns now! So thin, they are nearly undetectably smooth. The prints are lovely!

Before we jump into the unboxing and look at the printing process and outcome - I just want to address a few key things i’ve learned as i’ve been playing with the consumer 3D printers and the questions that keep coming up. Yes things always go wrong, prints will fail, tweaking is always needed - be it in your file, the hardware, some tiny overlooked detail (from the tape you put down to the resin you poured in) - there is ALWAYS something. I’ve accepted that as just part of it at this stage in the maturity of consumer 3D Printers. But they are getting there! Every new machine we play with impresses me more and more - but for something to get plugged in and have everything consistently churn out perfection - I know that patience and learning with each print is key. We’ve played with a slew of printers for various projects - from Objets to Makerbots, Z Corp to Stratasys, and more… so just know that going into this review, i’m approaching it with patience and curiosity!

That being said - to the unboxing and test prints on the next page!

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It feels like it’s been summer here since february or so… and when we were checking out at the supermarket, had a nostalgic moment when i spotted Smashball - that beachy wooden paddle ball game thats been around since the 70s with such an adorably iconic logo. It also seemed like a fun one to experiment with in the Laser Cutter! Remember the hexagon experiment from the laser challenge? Well we threw some of those patterns together and played with painting and etching it into the paddles and toying with some custom colored plastidip. Take a peek at more details of the experiment on the next page!

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Happy Saturday! Here’s a peek at what’s been inspiring me daily over at NOTCOT.org and Tasteologie! Click the pics to find out more - and yes, that’s a waffle/quesadilla.

So excited to announce that The NOTFZJ80 Project is being sponsored by our friends at AutoNation: America’s largest auto retailer with 270 stores selling 33 brands nationwide backed by industry-leading policies like SmartChoice pricing and no-hassle money back guarantee. They are helping us turn our 1996 Toyota Land Cruiser into an overland adventure rig to go discover inspiration off-grid! Follow the progress here as we build up to our first trip.

On NOTFZJ80 updates - the truck is currently in the shop at TLC and we have put in an order for some OEM parts over at AutoNation Toyota Irvine - so big updates to come in the following weeks! Currently the biggest update is the addition of our ARB Simpson III Roof Top Tent we received, installed, and climbed around in… (No, i haven’t spent the night in it yet!) I’m still in awe of it - so fun, so BIG, and i love the way it opens and closes. While rooftop tents have long been the norm in places like Australia and Africa (keeps you up above the creepy crawlies and such) - they are starting to pop up more and more in the US lately. It took Shawn a bit to convince me it was the way to go - until our adventures at Overland Expo where i got to climb in and around a few models to fully understand how this was so different from camping in a regular tent… and picked this one!

So what’s so different? Firstly, THE VIEW! Everything looks so different peeking out from the windows up above the car. And they say a shift in perspective can do wonders - i’ve even heard that taller beds often changing the way you dream! There’s also something treehouse like about being perched up there. Secondly, the nearly queen sized foam mattress! Yup, this isn’t just sleeping on a sleeping pad in a sleeping bag. You can even close it up with your bedding in there. And thirdly, the way it opens and closes with ease - just pull off the cover, slide out the ladder, and pull it open! With a little practice, we’re getting faster and faster with it!

Oh, and yes the cantilever is super secure - and no the ladder is not structural. (First thing everyone asks as they climb up in there!) Ready to see all the details of it up close? To the next page!

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I’ve been noticing a lot of shifting and balancing in my life recently - as NOTCOT closes in on turning the big 1-0 - we’ve been trying new projects, larger experiments, and still constantly collecting/sharing what inspires us on our digital studio inspiration board of sorts that has always been NOTCOT.org… but the biggest thing i’ve realized is having to shift my priorities time wise! So as i’ve focused on more PHYSICAL projects - time spent writing feature posts definitely definitely wavers more - BUT for those of you who want a peek into what we’re playing with and working on before they turn into features, we’ve been sharing more and more of that on our NOTlabs Instagram! From products we’re in the midst of trying out (Like the new Formlabs Form 1+ 3D Printer and Ignoble Bags), to the continued adventures of Bucky, the NOTpuppy, to the NOTFZJ80 Project and more… feel free to join + chat with us there!

More of what inspires us daily over at NOTCOT.org and Tasteologie! The busier i get in real life - the quieter features can get (often we’re working on slower larger features and projects!) - but our daily inspiration is always stored and powering us over on the grid sites! Click the pics to find out more…