*NOTCOT in wearable - 12.16.05 -

Rob a Bank

skimask.jpgkittystole.pngAh, Emily the Strange. Ok wait, before you pass any judgement, these two pieces just made my night for some reason. I can’t imagine robbing a bank in anything else… she’s changed the way i will forever see ski masks… and that kitty stole. It’s just so cute, in a ridiculously amusing way. So it needed to be put up.

[please note: now that i have said this. i will never follow through with robbing a bank in this mask. So if someone does it. it wasn’t me. i’d have to find something better, and then resist the need to share it with you guys =P wow i’m getting deliriously tired tonight.]

*NOTCOT in design -

Art Therapy

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“BREAKING UP SUCKS AND PEOPLE SUCK AND LIFE SUCKS” — We’ve all been there… and if you haven’t, well, kudos to you, you’re either extremely lucky, or perhaps it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all… but you wouldn’t know.

I’m speechless at these new pieces by Shade Elaine, and when i tried to ask her in that cliche “what would you say about these pieces?”… she gave me “they’re about the opposite extremes in life… finding the good in the bad, the ugly in the beautiful, and the happiness in the pain?” They are brutally honest, and gorgeously delicate. I might need to buy one for my wall, or beg you guys to help me convince her to make tshirts/posters or just to keep making more like them…

*NOTCOT in design -

Metz

metz.pngOk last one, but i needed to share this last quote from one of the articles i was reading about Ban…

Which brings us back to Ban’s own monument. The new Pompidou Centre in Metz will not be made of paper. Instead it is based on a Chinese hat made from bamboo strips and oiled paper, that he bought in a Paris market six years ago. “I thought it was very architectonic,” he explains. Scaled up, the hat design will form a giant roof woven out of laminated wood and covered in translucent Teflon. The gallery spaces underneath will be enclosed, but the building is essentially a luminous tent separated from the outside only by glass. “I wanted to make a building that’s totally open,” he says, “to make this a gathering place for all the public, not just people who love art. Also, this location, Metz, is very close to Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland, it’s almost in the middle of Europe, so it was very important to be open to other countries. That’s why instead of having an object like a box, I designed just a roof.”

Ah, inspiration is truly everywhere. I love reminders like these not to listen to the people who think you are crazy when a simple idea recontextualized can come up with such innovation.

*NOTCOT in design -

Shigeru Ban

shigeru.jpgContinuing the story from below, this is the mind blowing studio of architect Shigeru Ban (who designed the Nomadic Museum as well)… this studio is on the TOP of the Pompidou. [ref]

Ok once you have gotten over fantasizing about having that studio… Ban is an architect who’s taken design to so many new levels, and while his style and modernist looks are impressive, i can not get over his incredible use of cardboard — especially his use of it in creating shelters for victims of natural disasters and others in need… His paper log houses have been shipped around the world… paper emergeny tents… even paper churches.

It started 20 years ago when he was designing an exhibition of the work of his hero, Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. “I couldn’t afford to use wood like Aalto would,” he explains, “so I looked for some alternative, and paper tubes were all over the studio. When you finish a roll of tracing paper or fax paper, there are always paper tubes left over. They were so strong and so nice, so I kept them. Then I went to the factory where they made them, and I saw they could make any length and any diameter.”

His innovation takes leaps and bounds beyond his use of materials… when the UN lost momentum with his cheap temporary housing, he founded the Voluntary Architects Network, which is helping to build temporary houses in various international disaster zones from Turkey to Sri Lanka.

*NOTCOT in design - 12.13.05 -

Nomadic Museum

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Ok, so i’ve been a bit quiet because chaos has come (and not quite gone) and in the midst of it i drove up to SF on monday, and worked my way back down slowly then quickly Thurs (back in SD now)… BUT of more interest to you, is what i saw on the way up and down at the parking lot on the beach next to Santa Monica Pier… cranes stacking shipping containers strangely on the way up. Odd enough i figured. On the way back down they had become giant barn like structures… Apparently the Nomadic Museum is coming and will be exhibiting the more than 100 incredible large-scale photographic works and an accompanying 35mm film by artist Gregory Colbert’s Ashes & Snow exhibit of animal/human juxtapositions you need to see. This was originally exposed in Venice 2002, and again in New York earlier this year. SM Mirror Article [note: the pic is an old one of the NY installation… SM one isn’t quite ready yet]

*NOTCOT in food+drink - 12.11.05 -

IRON wine

ironwine.pngWine in a box we all know (and i must say you need to check out Target’s new line of wine in a box which also has purchasable accessories like neoprene covers for the box… and the packaging is graphically playful cardboard cubes)… But this is now Iron Wine (in a can). The description on the Malbec- Cabernet is “Thousands of years ago wine was stored in clay amphorae. Finally it has evolved to this unique blend that combines Argentina’s best grapes with the latest evolution in wine packaging. Flavors of cherry, blackberry, leather and cocoa abound… smooth and comfortable on the palate. Unabashedly modern.” Wow. not sure what to make of it, but curious enough to give it a try.

*NOTCOT in food+drink - 12.10.05 -

Chocolate Shavings

Y317000013.jpgAs far as experiences go, this one has made my night. I wandered next door to Whole Foods in search of hot chocolate (even swiss miss would have done at this point)… and could only find this stuff… “Old World Drinking Chocolate” Hmmmm ok well gave it a shot. As i popped open the canister and was faced with these incredibly cute chocolate shavings (imagine perfect pencil shavings)… in DARK CHOCOLATE… popped a few in my mouth. Delicious… melted some in a pot with milk… the apt smells incredible. You need some. It is too much fun, and gorgeous, and the whole sensation of the little shavings and the scents are just an incredible experience. Lake Champlain Chocolates, VT.

*NOTCOT in playful -

iCar… *sigh*

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I’m a little mixed on how i feel on this one. But i LOVE playsam, and was always a sucker for their great red/black/silver/brown laquered woody pieces… this is still gorgeous though. And i definitely see the crowd that gets targeted by them. Ahhhh toys.

*NOTCOT in me -

Tag. Yahoo got it?

Yahoo bought del.icio.us. Saddest line in the SF Gate article “The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company didn’t disclose how much it paid for New York-based del.icio.us because the purchase price wasn’t large enough to have a significant impact on its finances.” So yahoo is buying out all the tagging guys? (they got flickr) and gearing up for a war against google?

*NOTCOT in tech -

EASY.

easy.png“That was easy.” It is a silly thing to post, but it amused me while i was in Staples waiting in line with a friend. And i’ve always had this soft spot for big red buttons… (long story short, some day my car will have a flip panel red eject button. many ideas what i may do, or not do)… and that human nature iressistability to pushing it. What is that all about? So here is the Staples $4.99 “EASY button” about 4” in diameter and made in plastic, another bizarre manifestation of a marketing ploy for the xmas season… see the fun commercials too. B/c somedays you just need an easy button.

UPDATE! I actually got hands on with an EASY button, FACIL button, and Yahoo! INSTA-YODEL button… videos, pics, etc.

*NOTCOT in home+decor - 12.08.05 -

Justincase - portable bar

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Friend just sent this over… and it blows my mind. First - YOU HAVE TO WATCH THE FLASH ANIMATIONS ON THE SITE. Now… This is a portable bar… in a case ready to be flown/put in the back of your standard rental car/carried by YOU the lone bartender of the night. It’s edgy simplistic design combined with brilliant functionality… not to mention flexibility in branding/customizing… is just incredible. “Our portable bar weighs approx. 27kg and can be completely set up in less than 3 minutes. After all you want to use your mobile bar, not spend time setting it up. And the best: The bar comes in three pieces only, no tools are necessary to assemble it, no screws or other small parts can be lost.” JustinCase They also just won the Austrian Design Award 2005.

TO PAGE 2 of "Justincase - portable bar"! ----->

*NOTCOT in design - 12.05.05 -

Tastemakers - ID gods.

1206taste_162.jpg Just read through this Forbes’ article and slideshow on some of the most influential industrial designers of today… all people you ought to know… but always nice to refresh your memory and read the blurbs on what they’re known for and where they came from,… the number of press mentions for each is quite fun to take a look at as well (i think it looks quite hard to beat Starck)…

*NOTCOT in me - 12.01.05 -

My BDAY present to you…

SAMPLE SALES - SAMPLE SALES - SAMPLE SALES - SAMPLE SALES - SAMPLE SALES Ok i guess you got the point. It is that time of year again, and here is my master list for the moment of invites and events that have floated past my inbox for the next two weekends in SOCAL…drop me an email if you know of more… these silly sales straddle my 23rd bday, and just wanted to share my finds with readers this year… Enjoy!

… yea i think the sample sale scene is getting a bit out of control this year… but shopping/cocktails/art/music is always fun… gift bags are usually amusing… and you meet some great people and fun little designers.

TO PAGE 2 of "My BDAY present to you…"! ----->

*NOTCOT in wearable -

Woody Clutch

ceroclutch.pngClutch. Sleek. Modern. Like a furniture piece thats part of your outfit. Handcrafted in Brooklyn. They are “committed to the creation of simple, elegant designs whose beauty is magnified by the inherent qualities of the natural materials” Also a large selection of gorgeous woody bracelets and trays available in various thicknesses and materials. Cero Design. I love the design, and this clutch is something definitely gift material for that eco sensitive design conscious person in your life. (ok yes. i want one. =P )

*NOTCOT in wearable -

Om Gnome

omgnome.pngOm. Found this great little company at last weeks Fashion Co-op. Picked up a great Alternative Apparel sheer kelly green tee with the signature Om Gnome on, that i’ve been living out of the last week, and it just raises my spirits every time. He’s just so chill. And relaxed. And eminates that “everything always works out” vibe… just go with the flow? Definitely looking forward to seeing their upcoming line of Gnome yoga and active wear.

NOTA BENE for all NOTCOT readers :: They will be exhibiting at this Sunday’s ThreadShow in San Diego at Balboa Park, which should shape up to be a fun filled day of shopping, art, music, and hopefully gorgeous weather (and the perfect christmas shopping spot?) Anyhow, i guess i’m trying to say it’d be fun to meet readers/design enthusiasts/new people, so drop me an email if you’ll be there.

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