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One of my favorite things about traveling has always been hotel bathrooms and amenities. With such variety in bathroom fixtures and shower designs it always feels like shopping and testing bathroom layouts and details for my future home design… and the same goes for amenities! You get the chance to test so many different scents and brands and products as you bounce from hotel to hotel.

So while surprise toiletries are often a hotel luxury, when doing a vacation rental, there’s no reason to forego the playful newness and experimentation of toiletries! So instead of packing your usuals and making mini bottles of everything currently in your bathroom, why not have a little fun and grab a set from an awesome brand you’ve been curious about? On the next page i’ve rounded up some favorites, some i’m curious about, and an awesome site that’s bound to have something you’ve yet to try!

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Bubble-filled hour glasses, eaten photographic film and rattlesnakes like you’ve never seen them before are all part of this week’s roundup from NOTCOT.org. To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.

Catching up on things while hanging out in Nashville today, i found more fun inspiration lost in my camera from Maker Faire a few weekends ago… i love their branding for the faire this year, and the fun products with the adorable robot logo on it… as well as other Maker Shed goodies to see in person!

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While wandering around the Maker Faire a few weekends ago, one of the projects that stuck with us was the Fletcher Lab at the University of California, Berkeley, have designed equipment to turn the camera of a standard cell phone into a diagnostic-quality microscope with a magnification of 5x-60x. Cell-phone microscopy will enable visualization of samples, followed by capture, organization, and transmission of images critical for diagnosis. This technology is applicable in a wide range of applications beyond diagnostic medicine.”

We linked their project on NOTCOT.org earlier, and going through pictures from the faire, they were too fun not to share the detail pics! Take a look at it all on the next page!

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Whale-watching in Sri Lanka, breakfast with kangaroos and Scottish boltholes are all part of this week’s roundup from NotVentures. To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.

The latest from London-based editor, Justine Aw.

As part of Selfridges’ Big British Bang, the department store have turned their Wonder Room into a Big British Shop, full of all sorts of iconic celebrations of Britishness, and among them are a host of tiaras! Including this ‘Magic Crystal Tiara’ from Bompas & Parr. Watch a timelapse of our crystal tiara growing and more photos on the next page.

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The latest from London-based editor, Justine Aw.

Last summer, we rowed across the roof of Selfridges, this year, ahead of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and Olympics, I was invited for a round of golf on the roof! The festivities are all a part of Big British Bang on the roof of Selfridges. Boasting Oxford Street’s “highest tea” in a cafe from Daylesford Organic, the roof was also transformed into a 9-hole, 2,500sqft crazy golf course by the ever eccentric Bompas & Parr.

The course’s obstacles are designed to look like cakes, complete with fondant cladding and piped icing decorations. They are all celebrations of the metropolis, taking the shape of iconic London landmarks like Buckingham Palace (hole #7), St. Paul’s Cathedral (hole #4) and Tower Bridge (hole #6).

The cafe and crazy golf course are set to stay open all summer and will be open to the public soon. Book your rooftop tee time here and drop in for tea and cake in the cafe, which will be open to everyone on a first come first serve basis. See all the fun on the next page!

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If you’re going to be wearing a wristband for a few days in the hot sun of a music festival… the last thing you want is a plasticy bracelet (especially one that could be on too tight!) The adorable new wristbands for Bonnaroo just arrived and they are a nice compromise for their RFID readers… soft fabric, adorably fun illustrations, and only the RFID tag and the clasp are plastic. Only question now, is how it holds up to the elements… Take a peek at the details and the fun papers that came along with it on the next page!

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Sucked in by a gorgeous point of sale display, then the packaging, then the scents… and before i knew it, i was cruising down highway 1 with cherry bourbon lip balm and ‘excess’ hand cream… Tokyo Milk Dark is hard to resist!

After a delicious meal with always stunning views at my favorite, Nepenthe, in Big Sur, shopping Phoenix below was a must. So when i came across the fun black and white displays with cute cotton pouches and glass tubes… i was sucked in. And then upon smelling the scents of the Tokyo Milk Dark Femme Fatale and Fate & Fortune collections, they had me. Favorites became a mix of graphics (yes, packaging can make all the difference at times) and scents… absolute favorite being the Cherry Bourbon No. 77 lip balm (just sweet enough without smelling too edible). Take a peek at it all on the next page!

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Piñata cupcakes, freezing olive oil and the Strawberry Rhubarb Shrub are all part of this week’s roundup from Tasteologie and Liqurious. To find out more about each delectable post, click on its individual image.

Art In The Age has brought us delicious liquors: Root, Snap, and Rhuby (Rhubarb Tea!) so far… and it was amazing to meet them at their organic distillery (GreenBar Collective) in downtown LA last week to try the fourth flavor, Sage! And not to play favorites, but Sage is definitely coming in as my favorite after Root! It’s delicious ~ especially in the Sageside (SAGE, simple syrup, fresh lime juice, and mint) that renowned bartender, Charlotte Voisey, created! They describe it as “Instilled with organic botanicals including thyme, rosemary, lavender, fennel and, of course, sage. Warm on the tongue with a dry and splendidly smooth finish. Inspiring aroma with floral, woodsy notes. A deliciously unique way to reinvent vodka or gin-based cocktails.”

GreenBar Collective (previously Modern Spirits Artisan) is an organic distiller born and raised in LA and one of the first parts of the city of Los Angeles’ Clean Tech Corridor downtown. In addition to distilling the Art In The Age spirits, GreenBar is also home to the organic TRU, Crusoe, Ixå, Fruitlab, and Bar Keep brands. It was fun to be some of the first to taste the new Art In The Age: SAGE while admiring it’s beautiful still (it’s a copper beauty!)… take a peek inside GreenBar and at the details of Sage on the next page…

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Sculptures made from supersoakers, beauty in rotting vegetables and the sleek Lamborghini Ankonian are all part of this week’s roundup from NOTCOT.org. To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.

The latest dose of natural inspiration from our resident zoologist and London-based editor, Justine Aw.

In addition to showcasing beautiful displays, the staff of the aquarium at the Horniman Museum and Gardens also conduct fascinating research into the species in their collection, including coral reef diseases and embryonic development. The team have shared some gorgeous photos from their research into the breeding of Moon jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) with us and they provide a beautiful insight into this very complicated life cycle! More photos of the beautiful and otherworldly looking phases of developing jellies on the next page.

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This week’s roundup from NotVentures includes luxury in the Cloud Forest, diving off Honduras and getaways in the Balearics. To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.

The latest from London-based editor, Justine Aw. Today she caught up with the action at Clerkenwell Design Week 2012.

I love these plastic briefcases from Manzoni Design spotted at the House of Detention during Clerkenwell Design Week from the Italian design collective, Made in Bergamo.

The plastic briefcases are based on a 1965 design by Pio Manzù, the man behind the Fiat 127. The briefcases were initially designed as a promotional material for Fiat sales reps, but has been redesigned by Giacomo Manzoni. The plastic briefcases are made from a single mold with a 95% polystyrene and comes in the black, white and red. They are available through the Made in Bergamo e-store. See more pictures (and the packaging!) on the next page…

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