*NOTCOT in playful - 02.22.06 -

Feng Shui Creatures

WEB05_176827_W.jpgFeng Shui is one of those things i lump in with horoscopes… its about believing in something more, but not quite to the level of a religion. And it can’t really hurt, there is no punishment, but there are rules and reccomendations. This sleek little set by Red Envelope has three creatures to help bring better fortune through desk placement. The description reads “dragon represents new beginnings and opportunities; phoenix symbolizes positive perception and recognition; and the tiger helps with completing projects” Can’t go wrong with any of that, and it certainly is a cute set of white-resin creatures ideal for those backup or random gifts. [does the phoenix remind anyone else of the flamingos from alice in wonderland disney-style?]

*NOTCOT in food+drink -

The Cocoa Room

cocoaroom.jpgStumbled upon these beautiful colorful boxes of what looked like it could well be poupouri or confetti, but it turns out to be the playful sweets of The Cocoa Room. Their tagline is “Cool Chocolate, No Drama”, personally, i’m not accustomed to chocolate being dramatic, but quite the opposite to most. None the less, i’m impressed by the packaging/design of these chocolates which come in a range of colors, and then mixed to create themed collections appropriate for Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, 4th of July, and other color coded holidays. Take this “Green Eclectic Dragee Mix” for example, it is an assortment of pistachios, almonds, and sunflower seeds all of which are coated in chocolate followed by a colorful candy coated shell. They remind me of M&M’s, but the various sizes of the pieces with well chosen color palletes makes for a prettier playful selection.

*NOTCOT in wearable - 02.20.06 -

Vampire Bands

bittersweets.jpgRobin Adams makes the ultimate irony in her Bittersweets NY collection… we’ve shown you some of her pieces before and while we are still huge fans of the silver and gold versions of those plastic cocktail swords and vampire teeth, Shade Elaine and i simply can not get over these adorable little vampire teeth bands… and they separate! (yes it comes in the pair) Can you just see them as the new “best friends forever” charm that kids would break in half? Or as *gasp* a goth/edgy/funky/sleek promise ring set? A unique take on the wedding band? The possibilities are endless. 140$ for the silver pair, 230$ for the gold.

*NOTCOT in tech -

Cell Catch

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The designers at Tray6 have come up with these interesting and pretty little cell phone catches… think clutch meets cell dangle? But these two color/bead shape combinations caught my eye, and if i had a smaller phone, i would be temped to use it on those days you just grab your phone and car keys and run out the door… or when you’re the phone but need that hand so can let go, and it doesn’t completely fall. Pretty bracelet like approach to the functional cell phone dangle.

You probably remember Tray6 from their great umbrella’s we told you about previously.

*NOTCOT in wearable - 02.18.06 -

For your eyes only

guerlain_liner.jpg What is this thing? Is it a vial for storing poison? Or maybe it’s a little concealed weapon for when you want to stab someone discreetly. And why am I only imagining deadly uses for this thing? Well it’s actually just eye make up by Guerlain Paris in a sweet package. So it’s not so deadly, unless you use it to create looks that kill.

“Terracotta Loose Powder Kohl Liner :: An exceptionally elegant eye makeup innovation, this ultra fine, loose powder, with a touch of iridescence, can be applied as an eyeliner using the wand applicator or applied as an eyeshadow using the brush.”

UPDATE: Just poked at the real deal at sephora today, it’s not as fun as it looks, cheap plastic… if it were metal and glass it would be a whole different story. Also the gold on the plastic was all scraping off already as well. And as a liner, wasn’t a fan of the texture. Great idea, bad implementation…

*NOTCOT in playful -

Peace Bombs

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PeaceBombs. Quite a work of art: made of high priced relief wax, hand poured, hand wheted, hand dipped, and printed in a pad printing process. “International aid organizations try for years in vain to forbid the blanket-bombing of areas in war zones. With peacebombs, the senselessness of such weapons should be brought to attention… Peacebombs should suggest a peaceful dealing with one another; portraying the attitude of the purchaser towards war - because peace is too serious an affair to leave it in the hands of politicians.” For 40 euros you can purchase one through their website, it comes in english, hebrew, and arabic. Also available at UpToYou in Toronto.

*NOTCOT in wearable -

INDIE - (joe’s)

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Indie - another newbie on the high end denim bandwagon… but i’m not complaining. Just did some research and these are another product of Innovo Group who owns Joe’s Jeans. Indie’s biggest highlight is probably its price point being set at a “reasonable” 80-100$ range, versus Joe’s - Paper Denims - Sevens - Citizens - True Religions - Rock and Republics - you know the types that goes for closer to 200$+… So i took a quick pic for you of the great bird embroidery i fell for, and the cut is a great casual fit that reminds me of the joe’s but keep in mind you do get what you pay for with the denim.

Graphically speaking, i’m loving the playful nature of the tags and visuals… but what is up with their UFO fetish? I guess we will have to wait and see on that one. My one complaint however is the button - its a pain to do/undo esp quickly… the rose petals aren’t smooth so it tends to catch. You can check out more images of this particular pair at RAW.

*NOTCOT in gratis - 02.17.06 -

Headphones are off…

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Grazie mille to all who entered to win Aural Headphones, and to the 5 winners (you know who you are!) CONGRATS! The envelopes have been sealed, adressed, and off they go! So enjoy them, and drop me a line with a pic and some thoughts about them… as i’m sure the rest of the readers (and Aural too!) are curious to hear what you think of them.

*NOTCOT in design -

Emanuelle Jaques

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Today i stumbled upon the work of Swiss designer Emanuelle Jaques, and loved the tree saving and tree themes. To the left we have Tree’s Stool which first thought in my head is Sesame Street… and i love that its a multifunctional environmentally friendly design. Then we have the Chopping Board in an ingenius two levels, one for chopping herbs, second level to catch the bits. The Bottle Opener is one of my favorites. A snapped twig transformed into a bottle opener shape. Nice. And the Ladder is self explanatory enough, and just an adorable to round out this tree themed look at the work of Emanuelle Jaques.

Found via the Swiss Young designer group of In Out Designers - more great projects here as well, but that tree protecting chair got me the most.

*NOTCOT in home+decor -

Whimsical Baubles

bauble.jpgWord of the day may be Whimsy. Funkier than whimsical, still has that bizarre appeal. Menu has these great little hanging glass baubles (to the left), rightly named “Galerie Spheres” - and they evoke such a clean floaty feeling, ideal for holding or showcasing nearly anything from frogs on lily pads, to that random fingerpainting masterpiece your kid did … or even to just toss your keys into when you get home. The genius is that the shape and design of the piece will make pretty much anything look precious. I also love the sperical shape of the metal piece which attaches the glass to the cord (reminds me of those keychains where you could swap keys which were preattached with the little metal ball on a stick on and off).

Then to our right, CB2 has [for a mere $3.95!!!] a similar piece. Ok so it is similar in general visual feel, but the details are at a very different level. It has a flat bottom, air holes for the candle’s heat to escape, and a blown glass space to hang it from.

*NOTCOT in playful - 02.16.06 -

Massager Top

Produkt_3900039.jpg Some shapes just have that inexplicable appeal to people… and the smooth curves of this massager top have it. Without reading further into the psychological reasons why that may be, its minimalistic sleek playful shape make it ideal to leave on a coffee table… one of those objects guests won’t be able to resist playing with. “The massage top lies comfortably in the hand, and the two different massage surfaces are perfect for lovingly soothing both the large muscle groups and specific problem areas.”

Design: Pernille Vea
Use: Massage
Material: Stainless steel
By Menu - a Danish company since 1979

*NOTCOT in playful -

GTI FAST bunny?

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Hehehe. It makes me giggle - this insane little FAST rabbit creature of VW’s new GTI which i’ve been a major fan of since the LA Auto Show [remember the sweet flocked GTI posters? now THAT was a great bunny] It’s an interesting gimmick to sell the car - and i do hate that it is increasing my attraction to the car. Cute though - love the tee’d off tail. I need to get a new car in the next month or so - should i get a GTI?

*NOTCOT in design -

Ashes and Snow

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Here’s a sneak peak of what you will see when you enter that Nomadic Museum i wrote about below. I can not do it justice in this space what so ever… the videos and prints require viewing at a larger than life size. The work of Gregory Colbert is truly astounding, and your jaw will drop regardless of whether you even have the slightest inclination of being in the presence of greatness, love nature, realize the zen like juxtapositions created - get this - with out photoshop! “His 21st-century bestiary includes more than 40 totemic species from around the world. Since he began creating his singular work of Ashes and Snow, Colbert had mounted more than 30 expeditions to locations such as India, Egypt, Burma, Tonga, Sri Lanka, Namibia, Kenya, Antarctica, the Azores and Borneo.” Ashes and Snow

*NOTCOT in design -

Nomadic SM

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So i told you about the Nomadic Museum popping up in Santa Monica a few weeks ago (old posts here and also raved about the genius of the architect Shigeru Ban here)- and i also visited it the day before i left for Singapore. In the chaos i apologize for not having posted this sooner - but its never too late, since it is open until May. It, to put it mildly, blew my mind on more levels than i thought possible… the architecture! the incredible use of cardboard! (i stood and spun in circles in awe of the cardboard tube usage) and the lighting and precise shadow creation! the way the prints were hung! the way the prints were PRINTED! the transformation of space! the videos! and last but not least - all of that captivated me to no end… but the PHOTOGRAPHY and MOTION captured if printed on postcards i would have sat and stared at for hours and hours on end. Put that all together, and i am floored. Absolutely stunned and amazed at how moving, inspirational, and absolutely mind blowing this exhibition is.

*NOTCOT in me -

Post VDAY

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Shade Elaine was telling me about this anti-valentine’s day pillow fight flash mobbing that happened in SF - i wish i was there - Perhaps the most amusing thing to us though, was not the concept of the pillow fight so much, as the number of people still using down pillows… or does synthetic really float and fluff like that as well? Either way, pillow fights - they aren’t just for fantasies of slumber parties anymore. We need more of them and frequently - can you imagine how much stress reduction could come of this? Read more about it here in the SF Gate. Also a flash napping occured in the center of this pillow fight at one point. And i am also amazed that the fighters also helped clean up all the debris post-pillow-war. My faith in humanity is slightly heightened today.

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