The ISA 120 Luxury Yacht Really Floats My Boat

click on the images to enlarge


The ISA 120 really is one of a kind. The sophisticated looking and technologically advanced yacht was built in the 45,000 square foot International Shipyard in Ancona, Italy. It is a streamlined, slim design with 3 decks and spacious, well-designed interiors. The ISA 120 has avant-garde propulsion and stabilization systems, and truly exceptional performance in addition to its stunning looks.



Now three years since its debut, the ISA 120, fiberglass planning yacht is the absolute jewel in the crown of the Ancona shipyard. This is the 9th incarnation of the yacht.



The yacht has exceptional peak speed - 36 knots, for a 120 foot yacht: The engine is a 3 Mtu 16V 2000 M93, each 1790 kW, coupled to 2 KaMeWa hydrojets and 1 central booster makes the boat extremely agile and maneuverable, with quick acceleration, gentle deceleration and turning.



Under the scope of constant innovation, the shipyard has chosen to develop and install the new stabilization system Quantum Zero Speed™ on the latest ISA 120. The active fins react instantly to the demands of the wave movement, contrasting it and reducing rolling during cruising to a minimum, making the yacht very stable also at anchor, thanks to the fact that when the yacht is moored the fins unfold to a wing, thereby increasing the active surface area by one third.



Another important feature is the use of Quantum stabilizers even in speedy cruising. There is no perceivable reduction in speed, as the yacht easily maintains speeds in excess of 33 knots.



There is a balanced ratio of external and internal space: large sea terraces with teak decks, the cockpit and flying-bridge are offset against the enormous light and airy indoor lounge area and the spacious cabins.

click on the images to enlarge

Aft deck and alfresco dining:



Foredeck:


The interiors can be fully customized. The owner’s cabin, for example, laid out on two floors, makes the best possible use of the bow area of the main and lower decks. Below are some shots of the interior.

click on the images to enlarge

Living and lounging areas:


interior dining:


Guest cabins and baths:





Crew cabins:

galley:

The Saloon /Kitchen:


The Master Cabin and bath:






Wanna buy one? Go here to purchase.
Wanna charter one? Go here to do that.

If drooling over mega yachts is your thing, be sure to see this previous post on the Wally Power 118 Superyacht of check out the wild Oculus Yacht here.

Jason Higgins' Hog Shop. Pearls For Swine.

above: Blogworthy cookie cutters, Fetal bites are shaped like embryos.


Hogmalion & Company is the fun and twisted wit of one man, Jason Higgins. Self described as embracing a Trinitarian philosophy, bowing down to Amy Goodman, John Waters, and the late, great Mr. Whipple (1916-2007), his online store has products to match his obviously sick, but sophisticated sense of humor. Playing on politics and pop culture, The Hog Shop offers gifts guaranteed to make cynics smile.

Here are a few of my favorite products from The Hog Shop.

Fetal Bites cookie cutters:

His homemade soaps, packaged as Christ Butter, Love Butter or Satan Butter:



various corks and wine stoppers:



Che-a-pet: Che Guevara Chia pet

The Wine Monkey:

Barackas:

Pet Barack:

Overdue postcards:

Sani-Claus:

The Soft Klub:

While You Were Out Cold notepads:

And there's more to see at the store.

All products hand-made in Charm City, Maryland.
Shop the Hog Shop here.

ArchiTech's Future Perfect: Mid-Century Modern Design Drawings

above: Henry P. Glass, Wacker Plaza Lobby - View From Entrance
Pencil on tracing paper, 1955, 16 x 21 inches

ArchiTech is a historically comprehensive commercial gallery of architectural art, in Chicago's River North gallery district. Their recent show, Future Perfect: Mid-Century Modern Design Drawings opened January 9 and ends this weekend on May 30, 2009.



The majority of the works in the exhibition are those of late Chicagoan architect and designer, Henry P. Glass (for which the gallery also serves as the representative of the estate) but the show also includes a few works by Vincent Raney, Bertrand Goldberg and R.G. Martelet.

David Jameson, the gallery owner, describes the exhibit as follows:

Mid 20th Century Modernism's most flamboyant designers. Industrial and architectural drawings from post-war to post-moon landing.

Utopian visions were nothing new to America's architects and designers after World War II. However, triggered by an explosion of affordable real estate and hopeful consumerism, manufacturers of the post-war era followed an entirely different design approach. This new philosophy of sensuous shapes envisioned furniture, lamps and radios as almost living beings that could run out to the buyers' car.

Henry P. Glass was perfectly suited to this new visual language. Freed from his Nazi prison camp, he began his design career in America with drawings that practically walked off the paper and into production.

Television and tourism helped transform the new reality away from wartime into the future and that's where we wanted to live. Bertrand Goldberg created theaters, hospitals and apartment buildings that could have come from colonies on the Moon.

In the era when a man's vehicle could resemble his rocket ship to get there, Ron Martelet drew speedboats that could transform into their own transport trailers. His Jet-Skis of the 60s looked to be straight out of "Goldfinger."

What began as atomic nightmares transformed into space age dreams in "Techni"-colors that were no longer army drab but instead, pink, aqua and hues never before classified. Mid-Century Modernism was something completely different.

Here are some drawings from the gallery exhibit. Please click on the images to enlarge:


above: Henry P. Glass, Kling Studios Lobby
Pencil on tracing paper, 1946, 18 x 23 inches

above: Henry P. Glass, Kling Studios Director's Office
Pencil on tracing paper, 1946, 18 x 23 inches

above: Henry P. Glass, Hotel Flamboyant Typical Cottage,
Graphite on Paper, 1949, 21 x 42 inches

above: Henry P. Glass, Hotel Flamboyant
dimensions unknown

above: Henry P. Glass, Design for Hairpin Chair
Pastel and ink on toned paper, Circa 1940s, 9 1/2 x 15 inches

above: Henry P. Glass, DH1 Laminated Plywood Chair
Prismacolor on paper collage, 1966, 10 1/4 x 12 inches

above: 1958 Chair, Graphite on tracing paper, 1958
11 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches

above: Henry P. Glass, Night Table Lamp
Graphite on tracing paper, Circa 1949, 16 x 13 inches

above: Henry P. Glass, Desk Lamp
Graphite on tracing paper, Circa 1949, 16 x 13 inches

above: Henry P. Glass, Swingline Desk and Armchair
Pastel and colored pencil on tracing paper, 1949, 16 x 13 inches

above: Henry P. Glass, Eastern Knitters Sales Room
Watercolor and collage on toned paper with shaped mat, 1946, 20 1/2 x 30 inches

above: Vincent Raney, Detail of Theatre for Los Banos
Pencil on drafting linen, 1947, 15 x 16 inches

above: R.G. Martelet, Detail of Design B (Boat/Trailer Combination)
Prismacolor and chalk on toned paper, 1961, 16 x 30 inches

above: Bertrand Goldberg, Architect; Henry Gould, Delineator, San Diego Theater, La Jolla Marker on artist's board, 1969, 12 1/2 x 17 1/2 inches

click here to see more of David's notes on the Exhibition:


above: ArchiTech Gallery Owner David Jameson, photo by Jay King

ArchiTech Gallery
730 North Franklin Street
suite 200
Chicago, IL, USA
60654

Making Wit Of Waste And Light Of Weight: Wendy Gold's Art de Toilette

In 2007, I wrote a post about Wendy Gold's witty bathroom scales. As did many a design and trend blogger. Since then, Art de Toilette (which consists of her bathroom seats and covers in addition to scales), has grown and evolved, and the design of the bathroom scales changed as well, so it was time to do an updated post on her products.

Many a mommy blogger has mentioned her scale for pregnant women (shown later in this post) and you may have seen some of her other scales at various boutiques and galleries, but her special custom toilet seats are really worth a look.


In 2001, professional artist and graphic designer, Wendy Gold launched her toilet seat line with a high profile art opening in San Francisco. Since then she's been commissioned by art collectors, hotels, restaurants and businesses worldwide. Gracing art de toilette™ seats are such famous buttocks as Jack Nicholson, Billy Joe Armstrong of Green Day and Fred Segal. They make great unique gifts and commemorative items - even celeb Sean Penn has commissioned the seats as gifts for Jude Law and John Travolta.

Wendy's seats are hand made and one of a kind and she'll work with you to come up with the concept and design. Contact her for pricing and more information.

To date Wendy has sold over 200 toilets seats and covers. Here are some examples (courtesy of Wendy):














Wendy expanded her line of bathroom art to include eight custom-designed bathroom scales in 2003. The line now contains ten (three of which have no numbers) and can be found at select boutiques and gyms across the country. The 'Bun In The Oven' scale, designed to put some levity in the sometimes harrowing weight gain of pregnancy, seems to be one of her most popular and is the first scale shown below.

Bun In The Oven:

Affirmation Station:

Bittersweet:

Down For The Carb Count:

The Confessional:

The Moment Of Truth:

Ignorance Is Bliss:

Shrine To Sweet And Salty:

Willpower:

Work It:


Prices for the bathroom scales are $95.00 USD. You can buy them online here.

Some of the other online stores that carry her scales include:
Jennifer Kaufmann
Uncommon Goods

Wendy holds a bachelor of arts from San Francisco State University and runs art de toilette™ from her studio with her dog "slim" as her chief creative consultant. Visit her design site here.

Art de Toilette

Modern Mementos Of Macabre Moments in History By Boym

Boym Partners has a different idea of a souvenir than you may be used to. No romantic recollections reproduced in miniature, no glorification of heroes on porcelain plates, no picturesque renditions captured in snow globes.

Instead they have created tabletop architectural miniatures of tragic sites, blueprints of buildings that were the subject of murders, bomb threats and other disasters, and miniature half-built skyscrapers in bright colors interrupted during their construction due to lack of funding. They even have a birdhouse fashioned after the Unabomber's cabin hideaway in Montana.

Since 1998, Boym has chosen to honor buildings as symbols of political or human catastrophe rather than for brilliant form or important client. Hence, their best-known work, Buildings Of Disaster. Made from a specially bonded metal, each architectural miniature cast monument is made in a limited edition of 500.

Initially, it was Boym Partners' innovative three year project, Souvenirs of the End of the Century, a mail-order catalog that went out in November 1988, that spawned their ' Buildings Of Disaster', which is the best selling independent design project of all time.

Described by Creative Director Constantin Boym:

"The end of a century has always been a special moment in human history. While we no longer expect the world to come to an end, we all still share a particular mood of introspection, a desire to look back and to draw comparisons, and a sense of closure and faint hope. Above all, the end of the century is about memory. We think that souvenirs are important cultural objects which can store and communicate memories, emotions and desires. Buildings of Disaster are miniature replicas of famous structures where some tragic or terrible events happened to take place. Some of these buildings may have been prized architectural landmarks, others, non-descript, anonymous structures. But disaster changes everything. The images of burning or exploded buildings make a different, populist history of architecture, one based on emotional involvement rather than on scholarly appreciation. In our media-saturated time, the world disasters stand as people's measure of history, and the sites of tragic events often become involuntary tourist destinations."

above: Once they've sold out, they're gone (as is the case with The Twin Towers Monument, The Texas School Book Depository, the site of President Kennedy's assassination, November 1963) and the Unabomber's cabin. But they continue to add to the collection.

Linda Hale writes:
The Buildings of Disaster project emerged as a response to the end of the tumultuous 20th century. Boym drew inspiration from media repetition, as did Andy Warhol in his own disaster series. Boym acknowledges “one common precedent” but says, “My buildings are commentary not so much on disaster, but on the reflection on the disaster. They have a different sensibility.” The list began with Chernobyl, the Texas School Book Depository, the Watergate complex, and the Unabomber Cabin. A miniature Oklahoma City federal building, its center cratered by a bomb blast, was the first to freeze-frame the impact of terrorism. After Sept. 11, Boym sculpted the Twin Towers scarred by attack, but standing, and a gouged Pentagon. Proceeds went to relief funds. (source)

At present, on their site, the series is consisting of these models:

















At Design Miami 2007, Constantin and Laurene Boym showed a limited edition 24k gold plated version of their Buildings of Disaster in honor of the 10th Anniversary of the infamous architectural model collection:




You can purchase some of these Buildings of Disaster (including other editions not shown here) online at Velocity Art and Design or at Unica home or at New York Gifts or Minima and finally, but most costly, at MOSS online.

But that's not the only way Boym is immortalizing disasters. It may not be as glamorous as Princess Diana's tragic accident or as perversely fascinating as Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch debacle, but today's economic situation is certainly a tragedy that affects all. Boym has created a new series of souvenirs, Recession Souvenirs to be exact, that capture the building of skyscrapers interrupted due to lack of funds, one of the first causualties of the worldwide recession.

Recession Souvenirs: Interrupted Skyscrapers

The collection includes Burj al Alam in Dubai, The Russia Tower in Moscow (planned to be the largest tower in Europe), the Busan Lotte Tower in Korea (designed as the world's tallest hotel), Herzog & de Meuron's Condo Tower in New York at 56 Leonard, and the controversial Cheesegrater Tower intended for the heart of London.



Price is $95.00 USD each, limited number. Available here until sold out.


Bitter Blueprints:

Yet another way Boym has chosen to capture historical calamaties is by printing up digitally offset blueprints of venues such as The Bundy Residence (the scene of the murder of OJ Simpson's ex-wife Nicole) and the Oklahoma City Building. These can be purchased framed in black metal or if you buy four, in a special collector's portfolio.

8.5" x 11" digitally offset blueprints signed and produced in a limited number of 500 each.










They've even recently introduced a limited edition birdhouse based on the Unabomber's Lincoln, Montana shack.

The Unabirdhouse:


Buy the Unabird House here.

The real thing is a macabre memento of its own:

Above: the actual unabomber's cabin after being removed from Montana (photo by Richard Barnes) Check out a video of the real cabin here.


above: Boym Partners; Constantin and Laurene Leon Boym

About Boym Partners, Inc:
Boym Partners Inc was founded in New York in 1986 by Russian born Constantin Boym. In 1989 he earned a Masters degree in Design from Domus University in Milan, and then became a registered U.S. architect in 1988. Laurene Leon Boym has been a part of Boym Partners since 1995. Prior to that she was a Designer in Residence at The Cooper Hewitt in 1993. In 1992 she founded AWID (Association of Women Industrial Designers) and she presently teaches in the MFA program at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.

In 2008, the Boym Partners were Finalists in the Product Design Category, National Design Awards, Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum. Their work is published, sold and exhibited worldwide and is in many museum collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, NYC.


See all their work and shop their online store here.

The Victorinox 125th Anniversary Special Edition Airstream Trailer

Airstream, the proud manufacturer of the world's finest travel trailers, has combined creative forces with Victorinox Swiss Army to produce the Victorinox 125th Anniversary Special Edition Airstream.

This limited Special Edition 19 foot travel trailer is unlike any other Airstream ever produced, featuring Victorinox-inspired design elements coupled with Airstream's famous quality construction. The result is a stunning and unique travel trailer that represents the pinnacle of both design and functionality.

Like the legendary Swiss Army Knife, the details of the trailer are precise, clean and sure to last a lifetime. From the solid surface countertops, to the cutting-edge cabinets and hardware, to the luxurious custom bedding ensemble with embroidered wool blanket, and much more. And to ensure you're fully equipped, a collection of Victorinox Swiss Army timepieces, kitchen cutlery, Swiss Army Knives and accessories are included to enhance your camping adventures.

Only 125 have been made. And the cost is $59,000.00 USD







front to back:

bath:

bed:

dinette:

wall clock:

optional rear awning:


The special edition trailer also comes with all these fun Victorinox goodies:




floor plan:



BASIC SPECIFICATIONS
GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) 4,500 lb.
Sleeping capacity 2 to 4
Actual length 19'2"
Width exterior 8'
Height w/A/C 9'5''
Net Carrying Capacity (NCC) 700lb.
Unit Base Weight (UBW) 3,800 lb.
Hitch Weight w/o Options
or variable weight 580 lbs.
Water Heater (gallons)
w/Electronic Ignition 6
Gray water (gallons) 21
Black water (gallons) 18
Fresh (gallons) 23
LPG (lb.) 60
A/C (BTU) 13,500
Furnace w/Electric
Ignition (BTU) 16,000

about Victorinox:
The pioneering spirit of the company founder, Karl Elsener, as well as his love of his native Switzerland, have been the driving inspiration of Victorinox over the last 125 years. Today, that inspiration takes form in a full selection of Swiss Army Knives, professional-grade kitchen cutlery, beautiful, Swiss-made timepieces, fashionable, functional apparel, rugged travel gear and unmistakable fragrances – each embodies the spirit of the legendary Swiss Army Knife.

About Airstream:
In 1931, Wallace Merle Byam built a small camping trailer in his back yard in Los Angeles. He received so many requests from neighbors that he soon started a small company to build travel trailers that "cruised down the highway like a stream of air", and Airstream was born. The lightweight, aircraft-inspired design soon caught the imagination of a nation eager to explore the open highways and byways that beckoned.

For nearly 80 years Airstream has represented freedom and adventure, providing the perfect outlet for the wanderlust that still is central to the American spirit.

Other fabulous Caravan and trailer designs worth noting:


Tabbert's Paganini Caravan


Airstream's 75th Anniversary Bambi Trailer by Designer David Winick


The MINI and Airstream Trailer by Fritz Hansen.

Modern In Mallorca: Minimalist & Mediterranean Mansions On the Market

Not that I'm thinking of moving to Mallorca (or Majorca), but let me tell you, if I did, I would have many gorgeous modern homes from which to choose (not afford, just choose). Who would have figured Mallorca, Spain to have so many modern homes on the market? The following three homes are all priced under 10 million dollars (barely) and presently listed for sale.


Check out these three properties, listed by Engel & Voelkers:

Modern Minimalist Masterpiece in Sol de Mallorca


from the listing:
This state-of-the-art, contemporary villa has an artful combination of exceptional design and first-rate comforts. Set on a flat garden plot it is overlooking the Mediterranean sea and a vast protected forest, surrounded by beautiful grounds, walking trails and secluded beaches. This newly built villa, located in the quiet residential area of Sol de Mallorca, has an entrance hall which leads to a spacious living room with high ceilings, fireplace and integrated dining area.

The large panoramic windows allow light to enter the room and offer spectacular views of the garden, the infinity pool and the sea. Also, on this ground level you will find a modern deluxe kitchen. The additional room on this level could be used as staff accomodation or as an office. Most of the bedrooms have direct access to the terraces, others come with dressing room and Jacuzzi bathtub, but all are with bathrooms en suite.

The upper floor additionally has two capacious sea view terraces, one of which would be ideal to entertain guests due to its 210 m² size. Further features of this stunning property include air-conditioning h/c, double glazing, fitted wardrobes, summer kitchen and BBQ area, partly wooden flooring, under floor heating throughout, irrigation system, solar panels and a 4 car garage as well as plenty of exterior parking facilities. The whole villa is considered 'intelligent' since it can be remote controlled via computer from any country in the world.
Price: Approx. $ 7,115,250.00 USD















Modern Mediterranean Mansion


from the listing:
This breathtaking property lies close to the sea on the rocks in the Costa de Canyamel in the north east of Majorca. The house was built in 2001 in a modern and Mediterranean style with top quality materials. The property is in perfect condition. The large and spacious rooms are distributed over 2 floors. This property also features a second guest house, a perfectly maintained garden area, a garage, terraces and a swimming pool.
Price: Approx. $7,920,750.00 USD










Modern Mallorca Mansion


from the listing:
Newly built Mallorcan Mansion, surrounded by amazing countryside and set in one of the most commanding points of the valley. The house has been designed with a traditional stone facade blended with an open, modern interior offering a high standards of accommodation. The reception area is the central point of the house and upstairs is one of the four guest bedrooms and the spacious master suite with its own dressing room, full ensuite bathroom and huge private terrace offering views across the land and out to sea. The ground floor holds the three remaining guest bedrooms all with ensuite facilities, they share a second lounge/TV room and access to their own private garden. The kitchen is situated close to the main terrace which is the setting for the grand swimming pool, summer kitchen/barbeque and sunken chill out zones. The lounge is a vast room, with high ceilings and a fireplace.
Price: Approx. $9,397,500.00 USD













Man, I'm moving to Mallorca.


special thanks to First Mallorca and Engel & Voelkers for the photos and info.

A Gold Plated Wii For Her Royal Highness

Press Release (PROVIDED BY GAMES PRESS):

HRH The Queen of England received an unusual surprise last week as a gold-plated Wii was delivered to Buckingham Palace.



Finished in gold, the unique Wii console was specially commissioned for the Royal Family to mark today's launch (may 21st) of brand new Wii game BIG Family Games - the perfect game for all the family to play together from publisher THQ Inc.



As the UK's ultimate family, the Royals also received one of the first copies of BIG Family Games to road-test their shiny new console.

Danielle Robinson, Product Manager at THQ, said: "BIG Family Games is the ultimate Wii game to get all family members, from grandparents to young children, playing together. The Royal Family is arguably the most important family in the country so we felt that they had to have a copy of the new game.

"But we thought that Her Majesty the Queen wouldn't want to play on any old console, so an extra-special gold one was commissioned. We hope that she and the rest of the Royal Family enjoy the game!"




The Queen and other members of the Royal Family will be able to use their new gold Wii to play 24 unique twists on classic family games including golf, tennis, ladder golf, lawn darts, horseshoes, bocce and more.



Her Royal Highness will be able to play through the game as a single player or get Princes Philip, Charles, Harry, and William, and even Camilla, involved when playing in multiplayer mode. HRH will even be able to create customisable characters for herself and the rest of the family."

What I wouldn't give to see the Queen playing Guitar Hero!

About Big Family Games:
BIG Family Games is the newest release under the 'BIG' range of titles which launched with the highly successful BIG Beach Sports in summer 2008, selling over 600,000 units in Europe (Sources: Chart Track 2009 & GFK Chart Track 2009).

Funky Find Of The Week: Clone-A-Willy Kits

That's right, your own (or your boyfriend's or husband's) personal penis crafted from a mold. You can turn that private part into chocolate, soap, a candle, even a vibrating glow in the dark dick. Clone-A-Willy from Empire Labs in Portland, Oregon, are DIY kits that easily allow you to make a detailed copy from a mold of the male member.

The Candle:


The Soap:


Chocolate:


Vibrating Glow In The Dark:



Wondering if you'll fit in the tube?


Don't fret, you Magnum sized boys can buy extra mold material.
And they have how to videos as well.


Purchase all the kits here.


Looking for other erotic and fun gifts?
check these out:
Randy Wood's Erotic Homewares
Outlandish Creation's Nasty Teacups and More
Sexy Gifts for Designers

Bring Your Zyrtec: The 8th Annual Tulips & Pansies Headdress Affair

April showers bring May flowers. And what do May flowers bring? The Annual Tulips and Pansies Headdress Affair.

Fashion designers and florists, 17 duos in total, teamed up for the 8th VCNY event, The Tulips And Pansies Headdress Affair. The annual event showcases amazing floral millinery by fashion and floral designers and benefits Village Care of New York, an organization that provides care for New York citizens living with AIDS/HIV. This year it took place on Thursday, May 14, 2009, at the Edison Ballroom in New York.



The event is fabulous eye candy. Drag queens, pirates, giant birds' nests, stunning models.... some of the wildest flower arrangements you've ever seen, which are secondarily followed by beautiful fashions. And yes, I've got all the photos for you here.

I blogged about the 7th one last year, and this year you'll be hard pressed to find a better image gallery than here. The event was hosted by James Aguiar (again) from E! Entertainment, Full Frontal Fashion and the Style Network and featured apparel designers including Tory Burch, Thierry Mugler, Lily Pulitzer, Pamella Rowland, Ralph Rucci and Cynthia Steffe.

All the participating designers:

Hosted by James Aguiar:


The runway show:

Pamella Roland, in collaboration with Jorge Cazzorla:



Hunter Dixon, in collaboration with Rachel Cho:


Lilly Pulitzer, in collaboration with Aristocratic Design Co. by Tammy Polatsek:



Form New York, in collaboration with Preston Bailey:


Cynthia Steffe, in collaboration with Event Design Incorporated:


Tory Burch, in collaboration with Linda Ferrando Floral Design:


Jordi Scott, in collaboration with Verde Custom Flowers, Inc:


Imperial Court of New York, in collaboration with Brian Fischer for Morningside Greenhouse:


Alvin Valley, in collaboration with Gotham Gardens:


Thierry Mugler, in collaboration with Michael Gaffney for NY School of Flower Design:

Michael Volbracht Designs, in collaboration with L'Olivier:


Chado Ralph Rucci, in collaboration with Zeze Flowers:


Imperial Court of New York, in collaboration with Tara Fischer McInerney for Morningside Greenhouse:


Zang Toi, in collaboration with Golf Srithamrong of Tantawan Bloom:



Sara Claire & Esther, in collaboration with Fleurs New York:



b. Michael, in collaboration with Cote Fleurie Studio:


Bridget Vizoso for The Designer's Co-op:



Here's a few 'behind the scenes' images for you:






special thanks to VCNY, Matthew Peyton and Randy Brooke for Getty Images and Keith Lew and Guest of a Guest for the wonderful images.


Village Care of New York
154 Christopher Street
New York, NY 10014
212.337.5600

Be sure to check out the images from last year's Tulips and Pansies Headdress Affair here.

Designers Knuckle Down. Fashion, Furniture & More Inspired By Brass Knuckles.

Brass Knuckles, also referred to as Knucks or Knuckle dusters are weapons originally designed for use in hand to hand combat. Some derivations of them go as far back as ancient Rome. In World War I and World War II, they were incorporated into knife handles and blades. If you didn't know, the possession of and use of these are illegal in all 50 states in the US as well as in several other countries.


above: Knucks Tatt by Justin Bolonski, Integrity Tattoo/ Wizards One, Royersford, Pa

But that hasn't stopped them from serving as inspiration for many a designer. Cast as belt buckles and fine jewelry, as ornamentation on furnishings, incorporated into mugs, umbrellas, purse handles, paintball guns and as heels for shoes-- various designers and artists can't get enough of the classic weapon. See for yourself.

The Umbuster: Umbrella with Brass Knuckles handle:

buy it here.

Knuckle Duster Mugs:

buy it here.

Want a 24k gold plated one? Then check out the Gold Knuckles Mug:

Available in black, red or white with 24k gold plated knuckle handle
buy it here.

KNUCKLED custom brass knuckle stiletto heels from Tattoo Apparel:

buy them here.

Saddle shoes with brass knuckle heels from HowCool:


buy these here.
Howcool.com also carries brass knuckle hair bobbles (ponytail holders), brass knuckle scarves, earrings, bandanas, belt buckles, hats and more. See them all here.

Rihanna AND Beyonce rocked the same pair of killer brass knuckle boots by DSquared:


The above boots by Dsquared have been lusted after by many, but were either or custom design or are no longer available.

Need some accessories to go with those Brass Knuckle Heels and shoes? Then how about these handbags.

The Peacekeeper 300 is a leather purse with Brass Knuckle handles by James Piatt:


buy it here.

The Punch Bag by Freedom Of Creation is a laser sintered polymide mesh bag with a Brass Knuckle handle that comes in 2 sizes and is available in black or white as well:


buy it here.

Looking for a dressier bag? Ther Knuckle clutch by Akademiks may be just the thing:

no longer available.

Felon Clothing brand makes everything from Zippo lighters, belt buckles, patch wallets and shirts with their Knuckle Duster "Drink, Fight Fuck" logo:



buy the lighter and buckles here.


buy the wallet and work shirt here.

Brass Knuckles Wine opener by Vest Collective:

I can't seem to find the Vest Collective bottle opener anywhere anymore... good thing a reader brought the one below to my attention-- The Bourgeois Brass Knuckles by Ministry of the Interior in Canada (thanks Warren!):

purchase info at the end of this post.

Clean up and kick ass at the same time with the glycerin soap in the shape of Brass Knuckles:

Buy it here.

Bad Boy designer Ted Nemeth uses brass knuckles as accessories on many of his wicked furniture designs:




learn all about Ted Nemeth here.

Fist Fire makes a Brass Knuckle metal chair available in 2 finishes:


learn more here.

There are many brass knuckle pendants, earrings and more, but these solid 18k and 14k yellow gold brass knuckle pendants by Pnut are my favorites:



They also have sterling silver and blackened knuckle pendants too:

buy them here.

For those who don't have the coin to drop on real gold brass knuckles jewelry, here's an alternative. Good Wood NYC makes a bunch of fun affordable wooden knuckle duster rings:


buy them here.

Doja clothiers of Santa Cruz makes and sells T-shirts black or white with their Brass Knuckle logo on it:

buy it here.

Cute and Cozy Brass Knuckles? You bet.
Brass Knuckle Bob and Silver Knuckle Sally are even Plush Toy Brass Knuckles!Made by Michelle Valigura and produced by switcheroo.



You can buy them here (if still available).

The Knuckle Comb designed by Ewa Bochen and Maciej Jelski of Poland was an entry into Designboom's Beyond Silver competition:



learn more about it here.

For you paintballers, there's even a Brass knuckles knob for your Halo rip drive:

buy them here.

The FatJab is a handheld graffiti paint sprayer based on the brass knuckle design by Vincent Leclerc. The FatJab allows artists to print patterns and stories on any surface in the physical space. You simply hold it on your fist, point it against a surface, select a pattern with the thumb joystick and spray away.



learn more about it here.

Zazzle has over 263 items featuring brass knuckle art including skate decks, ties, aprons, hats, ties and tees:



See them all here.

Last minute addition! (thanks to reader Warren)
The Bourgeois Brass Knuckles are a cross between two iconic objects whose cultural and socio-economic associations lie at opposite ends of the spectrum. Originally designed by Jonathan Sabine, the BBK is being produced in a numbered limited edition of 50 by the Chromoly studio in Toronto. Chromoly is a collaboration between designer Jonathan Sabine and art director Adam Pickard.



Each chrome plated Bourgeois Brass Knuckle comes in a laser etched handmade walnut box. They'll be released at Ministry of the Interior, Friday May 20th 2009. They can be picked up for $120.00 CAD. learn more here.

Amd there you have it. Tons of items that kick butt.



UPDATE: MUST SEE the new 2009 Alexander McQueen Knuckle Duster Clutches here!

Smellavision: New Chanel No.5 Film (quotes, stills, casting and more)

Chanel has just released their latest promotional film (shown at the end of this loooong post) for their classic fragrance, Chanel No. 5. This is the third in a series of films for Chanel Fragrances. The two previous were Baz Luhrmann's starring Nicole Kidman in 2004 and Joe Wright's starring Keira Knightly in 2007. The two and a half minute film will soon air in edited versions as tv commercials.


above: Not so coincidentally Audrey Tautou plays Coco Chanel in Anne Fontiane's 2009 movie Coco Avant Chanel.

Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, who has shot 40-50 previous advertisments as well as films like Delicatessen and Amélie, talks about his experience filming the latest Chanel No.5 film with 33 year old French actress Audrey Tautou, which also stars model turned actor Travis Davenport.



Here's the upshot:
The 2 minute and 20 second film (Jeunet says it's "not an ad") for Chanel No. 5 is about chance meetings, fate, romance and more. In the behind the scenes interviews, the director makes it clear that he loved working for Chanel, he was given a great deal of freedom on the script, he knew he wanted to cast Audrey Tautou (Jean Pierre and Audrey have made 2 previous movies together) and Audrey helped him to choose the male lead from several actors in the running; Travis Davenport.


above: Chanel No. 5 bottles through the years.

The director had always wanted to shoot on a sleeper train, so when he got the brief from Chanel, he was surprised at how well it fit with what he'd always wanted to do. They wanted black dark images with reflections of light and emotion.

The film was shot in Istanbul.

If you're like most people, you don't really have the time to fully investigate the depth of the nice site where Chanel posts the film, along with many interviews, behind the scenes stills and more. So, I've abbreviated the info for you here. By choosing particular screen grabs and comments (albeit truncated and out of context), I can share with you the basic gist of the project.

Below are screen grabs and visual sound bites that sum up the experience as shared by director Jean-Pierre Jeunet and actress Audrey Tautou.

"It's a real film, it's cinema. It's not really an ad."

"It's like patronage: a short movie financed by Chanel."

"...the emotions induced by a scent is an interesting challenge"

"I love stories of fate and chance"

"so I wrote in missed encounters and regrets"

because "years later you say, I should have taken a chance."

"the editing was a nightmare...

..because there were so many great moments."


On casting Audrey:

"It was obvious Audrey would be my first choice"

"I needed an extremely expressive actress for very the short shots"

"just her eyes, which I know so well..so I suggested her to Chanel"


On casting Travis Davenport (apparently Audrey chose him):

"we wanted a young man with a certain femininity and also sincerity."

"Travis, the young man in the movie with me,

isn't an actor, but he's wonderful in the film."

"He had to look like he'd fallen head over heels in love...

under the perfume's spell"

"He portrayed it beautifully."


On the set design of the sleeper train:

drawings of the sleeper train compartment


" all the components were brought in from Venice"

"we recast them and did the chrome and inlay"

"Real luxury craftsmen's work."


On product placement and branding:

The director says it was his idea to actually put the bottle in the film because it worked so well in producing light and reflections.


"I won't use (the word) 'product' as it sounds very commercial..."

"...but I put the bottle in the story since it was on a sleeper train..

... and used it to cast light and reflections."

The bottle did create lovely reflections and according to Audrey, this was her favorite scene to shoot:


Of the ending of the mosaic of the 2 Cs in the Chanel logo (shown below in drawing and final shot) , Jeunet says, "ideas like that immediately won over the House of Chanel."




On filming in Istanbul:

Did you choose Istanbul because Venice was too obvious?

"I wanted to discover Istanbul and this was a great chance."

The director describes the city as "hard to film, not always a graphic city"

"we filmed on the Bosphorus amid billion ton tankers"

Stills from the set:








and earlier this month, Sassybella shared these storyboard frames with us:

The 2 and a half minute film:

To see the complete interviews, the film in HD and lots more video of the making of, visit the official site here.

New LEGO Architecture Series By Adam Reed Tucker

The LEGO© Group and Brickstructures™, Inc. have just unveiled a new product line called LEGO Architecture, an unprecedented collaboration between The LEGO Group and Architectural Artist Adam Reed Tucker of Brickstructures, Inc.

Initially, in 2008 LEGO Architecture featured a pair of Chicago's most famous landmarks: The Sears Tower and the John Hancock Center. Showcasing America's West and East coasts in 2009 will be Seattle's Space Needle & New York's Empire State Building.

Also, just added is the Frank Lloyd Wright Collection, thus far consisting of two of his most famous buildings; Fallingwater and the Solomon H. Guggenheim Museum.

As an Architectural Artist my desire is to capture the essence of a particular landmark into its pure sculptural form. I first and foremost do not view my models as literal replicas, but rather my own artistic interpretations that harness the landmarks overall appeal. Beyond its identity as a toy, The LEGO Brick is not initially thought of as a material typically used in creating art or used as an artist's medium. It is the pure sculptural form that I have translated from reality using The LEGO Brick.-- Adam Tucker

The Frank Lloyd Wright Collection:

Fallingwater

details:

Guggenheim

The Landmarks:
John Hancock Tower

Empire State Building

Seattle Space Needle

Sears Tower


Each Building Set Includes: Specially printed Landmark name plate. Inspiration Booklet containing: Skyscraper Facts, Architectural Significance, Points of Interest. Model Instructions and Artist Statement.

Where To Buy Them:
Lego has not yet put them up for sale, but you can buy each landmark separately or as a set of four and the 2 Frank Lloyd Wright building sets online here.

UPDATE: My autographed set arrived! Here's some photos and of course, I'll post the finished product as well!



Buy these from Adam Reed Tucker here.

DVF, Maharishi, Steiff, CB2 and More Still Worship Warhol

Andy Warhol, despite no longer being with us, continues to decorate the world with his iconic images adorning everything from luggage to beachwear. For the past decade, several manufacturers and designers have collaborated with the world's best known pop-artists' foundation to create products for the home and fashion for the body. And the collabs just keep coming.

Of course there are tons of Warholesque amateur creations on sites like Cafe Press and Zazzle, but I'm talking about actual authentic Warhol collaborations or Limited edition Warhol items.

Here's just a few of the recent collaborations:

Fashion diva and designer Diane Von Furstenberg has a beautiful line of swimwear this summer in which she has 2 Warhol inspired flower beach towels and 2 cover ups.



The towels:


Which go perfectly with her wonderful Warhol Flower Beach Cover-ups:


all of which can be purchased here.

Maharishi gets together with the Andy Warhol Foundation (again) as part of their Spring 2009 Collection. Using Andy's famous dollar graphic, filled with an Andy Warhol camouflage:


buy the t-shirt here.
buy the hoodie here.

Maharishi's previous Andy Warhol tees:


Maharishi and the Andy Warhol Foundation also collaborated with Medicom Toys to bring us some fun kubricks, designed to stand on their heads:



you can buy them here.

Dupont has some special limited edition Warhol lighters and pens:


buy them here.

Hysteric Glamour of Japan has a full line of Andy Warhol products with some new additions:



check out the full line here.

Hysteric Glamor and the Warhol Foundation also teamed up with Medicom toys to bring us a Warhol Bearbrick:

no longer available, check ebay.

Steiff's special Classic Teddy Bear Margarete uses the original Steiff owner's image in a Warholian pop art print:

buy it here.

CB2, Crate and Barrel's hip sister store, carries Warhol plates:

buy them here.

Warhol Marilyn Umbrella (Brolly):

buy it here.

Not so recent collaborations:

Nearly 40 years after Andy Warhol transformed Campbell's soup cans into art form, Campbell celebrated the pop artist with limited edition soup cans bearing his colorful renditions of the classic tomato soup label. Campbell unveiled a special four-pack of Campbell's tomato soup at Giant Eagle supermarkets. The pack features the Warhol-inspired labels instead of the trademark red and white labels that have adorned the can for more than 100 years.

Almost impossible to find now, try ebay.

German porcelain manufacturer Rosenthal has various lines of Warhol dishes and vases:



Visit Rosenthal's site here.
Or buy them here. Or here.

Hip perfumer Bond. no.9 has used Warhol's images and name for some of their fragrances and bottles:


buy them here.

Launched in 2006, the Warhol Factory X Levi's label paid tribute to the pop-culture art made famous by the late American artist Andy Warhol. Priced between $190-$250 for jeans and $80-$300 for tops, the said collection is only available at such high-end stores as Barneys New York, Fred Segal and American Rag.




In 2007, Burton snowboards and ski wear collaborated with the Warhol foundation to come up with a limited collection that included softgoods and hardgoods like parkas, bindings, luggage and snowboards. Mostly sold out, you can still find some items on ebay or in various ski stores.
Here are a few examples from the collaboration:





And there are Andy Warhol puzzles as well. Marilyn, 24 Marilyns and Shoes Galore:


buy them here.

Andy Warhol Elvis Duvet and pillowcases:

Warhol's Campbells soup duvet and pillowcases:

buy them here.

There are 100% wool Andy Warhol Rugs made by Sphinx for the home:

You can purchase the 2 rugs above and more from the Andy Warhol Collection here

Below is a previously auctioned off Andy Warhol rug original:


Betterwall has a wonderful Museum Banner from a past SF Moma Warhol exhibit for sale:


buy it here.

And if you, too worship the pop artist/filmaker/celebrity, you can have your choice of Andy Warhol Dolls.

Plush Designer Collector Doll, 2000, limited to production of 5,000:

buy it here.

Oddfellows makes a miniature Warhol figure clutching a soup can:

buy it here.

A collaboration between the founder of Maharishi and Medicom yeilded detailed 12" "Ultra Detail Figure" Andy Warhol Dolls from the sixties, seventies and eighties. They sold out long ago but you can find some vintage ones on ebay or various collectible toy stores.



Medicom also makes a little Andy Warhol Kubrick set:

buy it here.



Of course, the Warhol Museum store carries tons of authentic Warhol products from watches and dinnerware, posters and calendars, nite lights and more:

you can browse or buy them all here.

For real Andy Warhol originals, check here. And here.
To learn about the origin of Warhol's soup cans, check this out.


The Warhol Foundation
The Warhol Museum

Andy Warhol on Wikipedia
www.warholstars.org
www.andywarholposters.org

Buy Andy Warhol Books, Films And Items Here

Cannes Film Festival; Classic Cannes Photos - Then And Now

The 62nd Cannes Film Festival began last week on May 13 and runs through May 24th. The glamorous tradition has always attracted high profile celebs, models and film folk. Bikini clad beauties lounge on the beach, luxe shopping and an unbeatable venue have always made the festival a destination for the Uber cool.

Many bloggers and sites have great coverage, from the fashions to the films, videos, live feeds and more. All you have to do is google it. So, instead of covering that, I wanted to share with you some classic and fab historical photos from LIFE magazine and Getty Images over the years.

First off a few comparisons between then and now.

The very first Cannes Film festival Poster:


This Year's 2009 Cannes Film Festival Poster:

above: the official poster of the 62nd Festival de Cannes is inspired by a photogram of l’Avventura (1960), the timeless masterpiece of that master of film, Michelangelo Antonioni. The poster was created by Annick Durban. Poster Credit: L'Avventura - M. Antonioni. Société cinématographique Lyre - Cino del Duca ©AFFIF

A brief history:


The Festival International du Film was supposed to begin in Cannes in 1939, but due to the war, the launch date was put off. Finally, on 20 September 1946 the Festival de Cannes opened its doors, the first great international cultural event of the post-war period.

The Festival was organised as a non-profit organisation, managed by a Board of Directors and was to become "state-approved" as in 1972.

It has taken place every year - with the exception of 1948 and 1950 - first in the month of September, then in May as of 1952. After years of "Grand Prix", the Palme d'Or was created in 1955.

Here's a few photo comparisons of then and now for you.

The venue (Carlton Hotel) then:

The venue (Carlton Hotel) now:

At this years' festival:

The beach then:

The beach now:

Paparazzi then:

Paparazzi now:


factoid: The number of journalists has grown from just 700 in 1966 to 3541 in 2008.

Now, here are some classic Cannes photos from the days of true Hollywood glamour. The photo titles and captions are courtesy of LIFE.com:

Bardot on the Beach

French actress Brigitte Bardot sits on the beach during the Cannes Film Festival in 1953. The festival was started in 1939 as a response to the way the fascist governments of Italy and Germany interefered with a film festival in Venice. Photo: RDA/Getty Images, Jan 01, 1953

Arnold and the Cannes Starlet Flex

Arnold Schwarzenegger finds a unique way to promote "Pumping Iron" on May 19, 1977 at the 38th Cannes Film Festival. Photo: AFP/AFP/Getty Images, May 19, 1977

Grace Kelly Adores Boats

Grace Kelly poses dockside during the Cannes Film Festival on May 6, 1955. The first film festival was planned for September 1939. A little inconvenience called World War II nixed that idea. Photo: RDA/Getty Images, May 06, 1955

Easy Rider Kickin' Back

Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda, and Jack Nicholson form up a kick line at the Cannes Film Festival to promote "Easy Rider" in 1969. Six years later, the Palm d'Or would finally be reintroduced. Photo: RDA/Getty Images, Jan 01, 1969

Sophia Loren Summons Her Inner Juliet

Sophia Loren poses with flowers on the balcony of her Cannes hotel on May 13, 1959. Years later, another Italian sex symbol, Monica Bellucci, would say, "When I have to go to Cannes, that is boring to me." Photo: RDA/Getty Images, May 13, 1959

Otto Preminger and Liza Minnelli Eat Cannes Up

Otto Preminger, Liza Minnelli, and Ken Howard enjoy a repast in between promoting "Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon" at Cannes on May 12, 1970. Photo: RDA/Getty Images, May 12, 1970

Alain Delon Goes Topless

Alain Delon and Bella Darvi go boating during the Cannes Film Festival on May 5, 1958. The festival was launched for real in 1946, and made a secret agreement to take alternate years off so as not to compete with the film festival in Venice. Photo: RDA/Getty Images, May 05, 1958

Jane Birkin on the Other Side of the Lens

Jane Birkin takes up photography at Cannes in 1975. Twenty years earlier, the festival had introduced the Palm d'Or award for the first time. Photo: Keystone/Getty Images, Jan 01, 1975

Merv Griffin Interviews John Lennon

Talk-show host Merv Griffin interviews John Lennon at Cannes for his show in May 1965. The year before, the festival had stopped handing out the Palm d'Or and resumed the Grand Prix award, because of a copyright issue. Photo: RDA/Getty Images, May 01, 1965

Natalie Wood Looks Up

Natlie Wood smiles upward at the Cannes film festival in 1962. That was the first year of the International Critics' Week sidebar. Photo: Paul Schutzer./Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images, Jan 01, 1962

Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty Step Out

Warren Beatty and Natalie Wood are caught by the paparazzi at the Cannes Film Festival in 1962. Photo: Paul Schutzer./Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images, May 01, 1962

Yves Montand Captains His Ship

Yves Montand regards his passengers on board his yacht at Cannes during a holiday on the Cote d'Azur on July 28, 1965. Photo: Keystone/Getty Images, Jul 28, 1965

Alfred Hitchcock Slays Himself

Alfred Hitchcock stages a suicidal pose on May 27, 1972 at Cannes. The master of suspense never won the Palm d'Or. Photo: AFP/AFP/Getty Images, May 27, 1972

Barefoot Bardot

Brigitte Bardot runs barefoot on the sands at Cannes in 1956. That year she appeared in the film that launched her to international stardom, "And God Created Woman." Photo: George W. Hales/Getty Images, Apr 28, 1956

Lollobrigida and Her Dalmatians

Gina Lollobrigida arrives in a dress that kind of matches her three dogs on May 17, 1972. She was there to promote "King, Queen, Knave," the film adaptation of the Vladimir Nabokov novel. Photo: RDA/Getty Images, May 17, 1972

Anita Pallenberg and the Rolling Stone

Anita Pallenberg and Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones attend a party in Cannes on May 6, 1967. That year, Pallenberg left Jones for bandmate Keith Richards while on holiday in Morocco. Photo: Keystone/Getty Images, May 06, 1967

Jayne Mansfield Shows Off Her Chihuahua

Jayne Mansfield strolls on the beach with her chihuahua on May 11, 1964. The year before, Mansfield had become the first mainstream American actress to appear nude in a film, in "Promises! Promises!" Photo: RDA/Getty Images, May 11, 1964

Geraldine Chaplin Smokes a Cigar

Geraldine Chaplin smokes a cigar at the Cannes Film Festival on May 2, 1967. Two years earlier, she was at Cannes to promote "Dr. Zhivago." "Although I went all over the world promoting it, I'd never got to see more than the credits before being whisked away. Finally, at Cannes, I was to sit through the whole thing through. When I appeared for the first time, I fainted from the shock -- and woke up in the ladies room," she said. Photo: RDA/Getty Images, May 02, 1967

Michael Caine Gives His Stamp of Approval

Michael Caine poses with models while promoting "Alfie" in 1966. That year, the Grand Prix was shared by an Italian movie and a French movie with very similar titles: "Signore e signori" ("Ladies and Gentlemen") and "Un homme et une femme" ("A Man and a Woman"). Photo: RDA/Getty Images, May 01, 1966

Kirk Douglas Lets His Feet Do the Talking

Kirk Douglas lets his feet do the talking on May 9, 1966. The word "ciao" ("hello" or "goodbye" in Italian) is written on the sole of his shoe. Photo: RDA/Getty Images, May 09, 1966

Hitchcock Amazes at Cannes

Alfred Hitchcock casts a spell at the Cannes Film Festival with his wife, Alma Reville, and actress Tippi Hedren to promote "The Birds" on May 11, 1963. Photo: RDA/Getty Images, May 11, 1963

Esther Williams Stays Dry

Esther Williams, famous for her swimming movies, throws autographs off a balcony to her fans during the Cannes Film Festival on April 27, 1955. Photo: RDA/Getty Images, Apr 27, 1955

Kim Novak Suffers No Vertigo

Kim Novak looks like she could use a break from the height of fame at the Cannes Film Festival on April 24, 1956. Photo: RDA/Getty Images, Apr 24, 1956

Robert Mitchum Keeps Hands Off Silva's Surprise

"Miss Festival" Simone Silva poses topless with Robert Mitchum during the Cannes Film Festival in April 1954. This pose caused a rush in which one photographer broke his arm and another his leg as the paparazzi scrambled for pictures. Actress Silva was subsequently asked to leave Cannes. Photo: RDA/Getty Images, Apr 01, 1954

Bergman Gets Ready

Ingrid Bergman adjusts an earring as she sits at a cocktail table at the Cannes Film Festival in 1956. Jacques Cousteau's "The Silent World" won the Palm d'Or that year, the only documentary to do so until 2004, when Michael Moore won for "Fahrenheit 9/11." Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images, May 01, 1956

Brigitte Bardot Arrives

Brigitte Bardot arrives at the Cannes Film Festival amid a flurry of admiring men in 1956. A few years later, tired of the scrutiny that her celebrity brought her, Bardot moved to southern France and became a recluse. Photo: Haywood Magee/Getty Images, May 12, 1956


The Official Cannes Film Festival site

Ten Fun New Finds For The Home

Ten fun items to add some design, humor and whimsy to your life or home. Clock wise from top left:
• Tord Boontje's bare bulb covers are flat packed and come in three different designs

• Gold Knuckles mug. Glazed mug in white red or black with 14k gold plated brass knuckles handle! Packs a punch.

• Building Blocks Candles (can't call them Legos- copyright and all).

• Stainless steel backgammon set by Yap

• Stainless steel skull doorbell

• Plush Sweet Meats (for you or your dog)

• The Moo lamp, glowing moose light faux trophy

• Flaming skull doorbell (you know... in case the plain skull doorbell just isn't enough)

• Sausage rugs (in 4 different cold cut designs)

• Filigree Skull Money Box in porcelain

Click on each photo above for more info and the place of purchase. And be sure to check out my over 3,200 hip items posted on thisnext.com here.

The Puppet Show By Photographers Winkler + Noah

above: detail of Giacomo, 2008



In the photographers own words:
How can we forget the scent of dolls? A smell of plastic mixed with vanilla, with an after-taste of Roberts talcum powder, that enchanted you at the first encounter. You felt you could eat them. Their names were Sissy, Corolle, Dennis and Stellina. There they were in the play-room, you pressed a button and like magic some sang, some walked and others did a pee.

They had blue or brown eyes, with those mechanical eyelids that closed when you laid them down. But sometimes they stuck and the eyes stayed open even when they slept. Their hair was curly or straight, red, black, fair or blue. Until the day a jealous little brother cut it all off.

Now, years later, you find the same faces here. They look at you with the same big eyes.


above: Edouardo, 2008

Their names are Sofia, Luigi, Filippo, Melissa, Giordano, Gioia, Lucrezia. They talk, laugh, dance and joke… like children. Because that’s what they are.


above: Sara, 2008

Children we ask too much of, to be perfect, like dolls.


above: Cristina, 2008

Who speak at least two languages correctly, go to lessons in riding, dancing, swimming, judo, singing, fencing and athletics.


above: Julia, 2008

Children who behave themselves at the table, who know when to speak and when not to. And who don’t whine too much.


above: Lorenzo, 2008

Children who have become sons and daughters of perfection, pretense and image, manipulated by the media and the social context and who are inevitably losing their naturalness.


above: Liera, 2006

This is The Puppet Show, the new artistic project by the photographers Winkler+Noah: 30 portraits of children from two to eight years old, taken very naturally and transformed into dolls by a subtle play of retouching.


above: detail of Beatrice, 2006

The photo of Beatrice, the blonde child whose portrait is the symbol of the show, has already received two of the most important awards on the international photographic scene: American Photography of New York and publication in the volume “200 Best Photographers Worldwide” by Luerzers Archive.

The proceeds of the works displayed will go as charity to Epsilon, the non-profit organization which has always dedicated itself to the defense of children in the most distressed areas of the world.

The project will be transformed into a travelling show in Europe, collected into a book with all the photos, the credits and the stories of the protagonists. An exhibit which becomes a starting point for reflection, sociological research and introspection, to better understand ourselves and the world around us. And to understand that the best present we can give to children is to let them be children.

Here are all 30 images from the project. Please click on each photo to enlarge:






Each print is available in a limited edition; signed, numbered and embossed:




The book (shown below) is a signed, hardback bound, 80 page book limited to 500 editions, contact them to purchase.



Winkler + Noah Photography
WINKLER + NOAH
ph. +39 348.56.68.284
wn@winkler-noah.it

Funky Find Of The Week: Four Of The Wurst Rugs Ever From Flachbild

There seems to be no limit to the unusual forms that area rugs are taking on thee days. And this project by a German company has got to be one of the least appetizing, but certainly fun for a kitchen or deli.

Flachbild of Germany has created their interpretation of sausage for the home in the form of four different area rugs (Wurstteppiche).

The first collection consists of four different cold cuts (or sausages) as round area rugs: salami, ham (pimento loaf), mortadella and black pudding (also known as blood sausage).

Mortadella:

Blood Sausage:

Salami:

Ham (or pimento loaf):

details:


The carpets are made of pure wool, round and available in sizes ranging from one meter to five meters in diameter. The carpet thickness is about 1.8 centimeters.

Available for order from Germany online, the prices are based on model and size. Please ask for further information or a quotation here.

contact info:

Flachbild
Ritterstrasse 12
50668 Köln
Telefon: 0221 / 250 84 38
info@flachbild.de
www.flachbild.de

The Winners Of The 2009 Cooper Hewitt National Design Awards

On April 30th, Cooper-Hewitt Director Paul Warwick Thompson announced the winners and finalists of the 2009 National Design Awards, which recognize excellence across a variety of disciplines. The Award recipients will be honored at a gala dinner Oct. 22 at Cipriani in New York.

The 2009 National Design Awards nominations were solicited from a committee of more than 2,500 designers, educators, journalists, cultural figures and corporate leaders from every state in the nation.

Nominees must have at least seven years of experience in order to be nominated, and winners are selected based on the level of excellence, innovation and public impact of their body of work. This year’s jury—a diverse group of former National Design Award winners convened by Cooper-Hewitt—reviewed the nominations and chose Lifetime Achievement and Design Mind recipients, and selected winners and finalists in the Corporate and Institutional Achievement, Architecture Design, Communication Design, Fashion Design, Interaction Design, Interior Design, Landscape Design and Product Design categories. This year the new Interaction Design category was added to the Awards, celebrating exceptional work using digital technology.

The 2009 National Design Award recipients are:

Lifetime Achievement: Bill Moggridge



Design Mind: Amory B. Lovins


Corporate and Institutional Achievement: Walker Art Center



Architecture Design: SHoP Architects


Communication Design: The New York Times Graphics Department

Fashion Design: Francisco Costa for Calvin Klein Collection


Interaction Design: Perceptive Pixel Inc.



Interior Design: Tsao & McKown Architects



Landscape Design: Hood Design



Product Design: Boym Partners




The 2009 jury was composed of a diverse group of previous winners of the National Design Awards, including:
John Maeda, chair, president, Rhode Island School of Design
Stephen Frykholm, vice president and creative director, Herman Miller
Michael Maharam, principal, Maharam
Marissa Mayer, vice president of search products and user experience, Google Inc.
Sigi Moeslinger, partner, Antenna Design
Monica Ponce de Leon, dean, University of Michigan (TCAUP) and principal, Office dA
Ralph Rucci, principal, Chado Ralph Rucci
Margaret Stewart, user experience manager, YouTube, a subsidiary of Google Inc.
Marc Tsurumaki, principal and co-founder, Lewis.Tsurumaki.Lewis
Michael Van Valkenburgh, principal, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates

About the awards:

The National Design Awards were conceived by the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum to honor the best in American design. First launched at the White House in 2000 as an official project of the White House Millennium Council, the annual Awards program celebrates design in various disciplines as a vital humanistic tool in shaping the world, and seeks to increase national awareness of design by educating the public and promoting excellence, innovation, and lasting achievement. The Awards are truly national in scope–nominations for the 2009 Awards were solicited from a committee of more than 800 leading designers, educators, journalists, cultural figures, and corporate leaders from every state in the nation.

The National Design Awards is one of the few programs of its kind structured to continue to benefit the nation long after the Awards ceremony and gala. A suite of educational programs will be announced this summer in conjunction with the Awards by Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum’s award-winning Education Department, including a series of public programs, lectures, round tables, and workshops based on the vision and work of the National Design Award winners.

Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum is located on Museum Mile, at the corner of 91st Street and Fifth Avenue in New York City.


cooperhewitt.org.

Transsexual / Tranvestite Beauty Pageant Crowns The New Miss Tiffany Universe

Above: transsexual beauty pageant winner Sorrawee Nattee (L), aged 20, winning the Miss Tiffany Universe contest on May 16, 2009 in Pattaya, Thailand.




The Miss Tiffany Universe contest has been running for 12 years, with all contestants transsexuals or transvestites, aiming to promote human rights for the transgender population in Thailand. In Thailand transsexuals are considered a third gender given the Thai name "Katoey".



On the night of 15 May 2009, at the Tiffany Theater, Pattaya, the Tiffany Company accompanied by the Pattaya Office of the TAT and Chonburi Provincial Administration held the final competition of the Miss Tiffany Universe 2009 Contest with the 30 most beautiful women-of-the-second-category contestants. This year almost all the winners were students.

Miss Tiffany’s Universe contest regularly provides variety and spectacle in an otherwise relatively dull period between tourist seasons. This year, in particular, is a very tough year for Pattaya and Thailand due to the political crisis, but the Miss Tiffany Universe’s management did their utmost to present a bold face to the world. Their annual contest numbers high among the large number of enjoyable activities Pattaya has to offer its visitors and the locals.


above:Wirittorn Narapatarapimol (Belle) is interviewed by a television network during the Miss Tiffany Universe competition on May 15, 2009 in Pattaya, Thailand.

The committee of Miss Tiffany 2009, like every year, had great difficulty in selecting the most beautiful contestant, judged according to her quality and beauty.



above: The Winner, Sarawee Nattee (Nong Jazz), celebrates her win

However, this year, the title, Miss Tiffany Universe 2009, went to No. 26, Nong Jazz, Sarawee Nattee, [20] ,a student from Ratchapat Suan Sunauta University. Nong Jazz was crowned with 100,000 baht prize, a Honda Jazz, a sash, a trophy and she also received a 20,000 baht prize for winning the Most Beautiful Costume category.




The first runner up was Wirithorn Norapatpimol or "Nong Bell", [20] a student from the North Chiang Mai University. She won 80,000 baht, a sash and a trophy.


above: Wirittorn Narapatarapimol (Nong Belle), aged 20 cries during the final stages of the Miss Tiffany Universe contest in which she finished runner-up on May 15, 2009 in Pattaya, Thailand.



above: Wirittorn Narapatarapimol (Belle) , the runner-up, tries on an evening gown in a private dressing room with her two trainers.



above: Sorrawee Nattee (Nong Jazz) also won the title of Miss Unlimited Sexy Star, sponsored by Central Festival Pattaya Beach, and received 10,000 baht for having the best looking swimming suit.


Above: Wirittorn Narapatarapimol (Belle) , the Miss Tiffany Universe runner-up winner, tries on a wig in a private dressing room before the pageant.

The second runner up was Napusawan Chonakorn or "Nong Nut", [21] who got 50,000 baht, a sash and a trophy and 20,000 baht for winning the Most Beautiful Complexion title - beautiful skin - as well.


above: Sorrawee Nattee(C) embraces the other contestants, Wirittorn Narapatarapimol (Belle) (L) won the runner-up position in the contest and Napatsawoan Cholakorn (R) took third place after winning the Miss Tiffany Universe contest

The mass media popular vote went to no. 16, Lerluk Lertworapong or "Nong Nat"[18] a student from Thaimitr Wittayalai, . She got 10,000 baht. Miss Cordiality went to Preerada Maneeket or “Nong Aui”, [25].


above: A contestant shows off a bikini during a bathing suit competition in the Miss Tiffany Universe contest on May 15, 2009 in Pattaya, Thailand.

source: Pattaya Daily News

A Transformation So Hip, It's Criminal. Police Station Turned Home.

Okay, I'm feeling some serious love for Apartment Therapy these days. Just this past week, they featured my sister's home AND they featured If It's Hip, It's Here on their Behind The Blog series.

First off, I hadn't done a story on my own sister and her husband's cool home in San Francisco for fear of coming off as the nepotistic blogger. But their having turned an old San Francisco Police Station into a modern home is certainly blogworthy, at least Apartment Therapy thought so. They posted a very nice article and interview on the home in their House Tours section so now I figured it's safe to share it with you.

They did such a nice job I'm gong to reprint their post, only include all the slide show shots here with the article and break them into categories. Yes, my whole family is quite hip. I'm a lucky girl.

Name: David Tomb and Susan Sweet
Location: San Francisco
Size: Living area 1700 sq. ft., office/studio 700 sq. ft.
Years lived in: 10 years owned

Back in 1996, the architect Bruce Tomb heard about a 1950s dragnet-style police precinct coming up for public auction in San Francisco. At the time, Bruce's brother, the artist David Tomb, and his wife, Susan Sweet, were living in New York, but hoping to come back to the Bay Area to start a family. Together they bought the building at auction—Willie Brown's signature is right there on the deed—and Bruce redesigned the police station, envisioning a kind of compound with live/work spaces for both brothers' families. The result of the two-year renovation is a gorgeous, light-filled space unlike any home we have seen before.

Front entrance and main space:



Living room:


livingroom details:



Dining area:


Kitchen:




Visitors enter the "compound" down a long driveway lined with flowering vines. The live/work spaces are arranged around a parking lot that's been converted into a garden courtyard (with space for parking, too). A native plant garden offers inviting, dappled shade, and nearby a wide glass door leads into David and Susan's home.

exterior and parking:

Front door:

Atrium in the middle of the home.


The quality of the light inside is so spectacular that it almost feels like you're still outdoors. With its soaring ceilings, numerous well-placed skylights, and open central lightwell, the home is designed to take in natural light from every possible direction. David and Susan have arranged their space to make the most of their abundance of sun and space, painting the walls in bright but soothing yellows and greens and hanging large artworks (some of which are David's own) that would hardly fit in a room with standard ceiling height. They embrace the open plan of their living space, eschewing room dividers and closed-off vignettes in favor of an uncluttered layout in which one space flows easily into the next. Even their son's room, the smaller of the two bedrooms, has a wide-open feel, with an outer playroom leading into a skylit sleeping area.

Master Bedroom:



master bath:

My nephew's room with front playroom:






David's studio and Susan's office are just a short walk away, down an outdoor hallway. The arrangement seems ideal, though we're not sure how anyone could work with such an inviting place to relax nearby!

David's Studio:


To see David's stunning artwork, visit his site here.

AT Survey:

My/Our Style: Modern eclectic.

Inspiration: The building was the starting point—a modern utilitarian building.

Favorite Element: Open floor plan and amazing light quality, plus conversion and design of parking lot into California Native garden.

Biggest Challenge: Continuum of building maintenance (good luck in the boiler room).

What Friends Say: Where are the jail cells? (They’re still here, in the other part of the building.)

Biggest Embarrassment: Oh yeah, there was that time the neighbors didn’t really like the concrete cutter noise decibels at 8am.

Proudest DIY: Interior color design.

Biggest Indulgence: The custom-made bookcase in the family room.

Best Advice: Everything will take double the amount of time and money to complete that you think it will, but ultimately is hugely gratifying.

Dream Source: Bruce Tomb, designer and architect; David Tomb, artist; Matarozzi and Pelsinger builders.

Resources:

Main Room:
Knoll furniture (Barcelona chair, Gehry chair)
Herman Miller (Eames chair)
Umbra (Karim Rashid Oh Chairs)
Anthropologie (pillows)
Electric Works Gallery Store (ceramic owl piggy bank)
Marble 1965 dining table salvaged from East Bay bank

Main Room Art :
David Tomb (portraits and birds)
Cathy Liu (volcano print)
Lynn Beldner (sculpture, plaster with objects)
Steve Briscoe (glass bullhorn, pimp drawing)
Matt Gil (ceramic and metal sculptures)
Mata Ortiz (spider pot)
Donald Tomb (salvaged lighthouse lenses)

Atrium:
Yerba Buena nursery
Flora Grubb Gardens

Child’s Room:
Bachmann and Lionel Trains
Oakland school district salvaged map
Steve Briscoe (lamb print)

Master Bedroom:
Turn of the Century Fine Arts (Jane Bench)
Herman Miller (Eames chair)

Master Bedroom Art:
Barry Simons
Merav Tzur
Kenney Mencher
Jurek Bitter
Ethel Sweet
David Tomb
Lynn Beldner

Master Bath:
Bruce Tomb, Infinite Fitting (bronze cast sinks)
Steve Briscoe (plaster bear)

(Images: Susie Nadler for Apartment Therapy)

Wanna see The 'behind the blog' article on If It's Hip, It's Here?

It's on their Unplggd section here.

More on David Tombs' Art:

•Meet David Tomb (His work is the Bomb)
•David Tomb's First Non-Portrait Show in 20 Years Opens In San Francisco
•Art That's For The Birds (Literally). And A Peek Into A Painter's Project Room.
•Better Flock To David Tomb's Next Art Show: Birds Of The Sierra Madre

All Artists On Deck! Okay, More Like 16 Artists On Deck Chairs

above: detail from Sorrentino's deck chair

Below are sixteen original deck chairs, created by 16 different artists for the International Vulcanology Music and Art Festival in Italy in 2006.

Each is a unique piece with canvas dimensions of 145 x 25 cm. The canvas chairs fold for storage and open easily, immediately ready for use. And each is available for purchase.

please click on each image below to enlarge.

above left, Aldoberto Abbate; right, Erika Akire

above left, Andrea Buglisi; right, Darlo Arcidiacono

above left, Giordano Currieri; right, Massimo Caccia

above left, Fluvio diPiazza; right, Andrea diMarco

above left, Massimo Giacon; right, Natalie du Pasquier

above left, Nino Mustica; right, Fluvia Mendini

above left, Sergigno Cartoons, Inc; right, Enzo Rovella

above left, Sandra Verlinzi; above right, Antonio Sorrentino

Each chair is hand-painted in acrylics on canvas, is available for 2,200 euro ($2,818.34 USD) and can be purchased at Italy's Design Design Online shop here.

Grow House Grow! Narrative Hand Silk Screened Wallpapers

Grow House Grow specializes in narrative-inspired wallpaper design. Each charming design is available in three colorways (variations) and their style and appeal works in all types of rooms from dining and children's rooms to adult bedrooms and living areas.

The collection (with the descriptions from the site) is shown below. Each style is first shown in situ, then a detail, followed by the available colors.

Cattle Kate:
the hardworking and wrongly accused homesteader, is decorated with nooses and lassos.



Aleister Crowley:
the infamous occultist, gets a sumptuous, seance-invoking damask.



Captain Smith:
the first and final captain of the RMS Titanic, has a fluid, jungenstil-inspired style straight from the Atlantic.



Christopher:
who believed in a world so deeply that everything around him came to life.



Nellie:
with curly hair and sharp wit, is pure mischief with a side of tea biscuits.



Cottontail:
where a cotton sprig is transformed into the playful garden “where bunnies come from.” The neighboring alfalfa farm never saw it coming.




All their wallpapers are hand silk screened with care on vinyl-coated paper. The rolls come untrimmed and unpasted (they suggest professional application). All of their papers are wipable and strippable.

Roll: 27 inches wide x 5 yards long, Sheet: 27 inches wide x 36 inches long



Grow House Grow is based in Brooklyn, NY, and is cared for by illustrator and designer Katie Deedy.

Katie Deedy Robison
c/o grow house grow!
442-D Lorimer St. #127
Brooklyn, NY 11206

The 2009 Clio Grand Print Winning Ad Campaign & The Other Winners

The CLIO Awards, one of the world’s most prestigious international advertising and design competitions honoring creative excellence and innovation in the industry, today announced the winners for the Communications Awards, which recognize Print, Direct Mail, Radio, Poster and Billboard mediums, as well as the new Strategic Communications/Public Relations medium.

This year, thus far, they've awarded 77 CLIOs Awarded (1 Grand, 12 Gold, 22 Silver, 42 Bronze)

The most pretigious award is called the Grand Clio and this year it went to a charming, simple print campaign done by CLM BBDO for Alka- Seltzer called "Dissolve Your Problems".

The 2009 Grand Clio Print Campaign Winner:

Bear:

Paparazzi:

Magician:

Prison:


Print campaign: Dissolve Your Problems (Campaign)
client: Alka-Seltzer
agency: CLM BBDO, Boulogne-Billancourt
creative directors: Jean Francois Sacco and Gilles Fichteberg
art director and illustrator: Paul Kreitmen
copywriter: Alex Benoit

Here's a list of the rest of the GOLD winners:

Gold CLIOS for Print:
• Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, London, Corporate/Institutional, "Inner Child" for Museum of Childhood.
• AlmapBBDO, São Paulo, Brazil, Automotive, Volkswagen Customized Trucks "Volkswagen Customized Trucks - Beer Box, Volkswagen Customized Trucks - Fruit Box, Volkswagen Customized Trucks - Milk Box, Volkswagen Customized Trucks - Egg Box" for Volkswagen Trucks.
• BBDO, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Automotive, Two Worlds "Bushman & Eskimo, Husky & Camel, Mountain Goat & Crocodile" for Jeep.
• Clemenger BBDO, Wellington, New Zealand, Public Service, Crashed Beds "Bridge, Tree, Creek" for Driver Fatigue.
• Del Campo Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi, Martinez, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Health Care Services, "Children - Tree" for Hospital Alemán - Kinder Plan.
• Leo Burnett & Arc Worldwide Thailand, Bangkok, Home Furnishings/Appliances, "Chicken, Fish, Lobster" for WMF.
• McCann Erickson, Madrid, Spain, Public Service, "Woman Shoe" for Greenpeace.
• Miami Ad School Europe (Student - Sandra Nicolas), Hamburg, Germany, Student, Inspired by Life "Porridge, Brother, Aunt" for Ikea.
• Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, Public Service, "Stop" for Guinness.
• TBWA\Paris, Boulogne-Billancourt, Household Products, Mir Black "Mir Black - Spider, Mir Black - Arms" for Henkel.
• TBWA\Paris, Boulogne-Billancourt, Household Products, Mir Laine "Mir Laine 1, Mir Laine 2, Mir Laine 3, Mir Laine 4" for Henkel.

DIRECT MAIL, 13 CLIOs: 2 Gold, 4 Silver, 7 Bronze

Gold CLIOs:
• Lowe Limited, Bangkok, Thailand, Dimensional, "Torture Test" for Breeze Excel Washing Detergent.
• Philipp und Keuntje GmbH, Hamburg, Germany, Collateral, "Balloon" for Chubb Nord-Alarm Security Systems Company.

RADIO, 23 CLIOs: 6 Gold, 6 Silver, 11 Bronze

Gold CLIOs:
• DDB, Chicago, Beverages/Alcoholic, Real Men of Genius "Mr. Rain Delay Tarp Roller Outer, Mr. Golf Quiet Sign Holder, Mr. Football End Zone Painter, Mr. Football First Down Marker" for Anheuser-Busch.
• Grey, Melbourne, Australia, Public Service, Pictures of You, "Anne, George, Martin" for Anti-Speed Message.
• Grey South Africa, Sandton, Public Service, "Shark Attack" for Shark Life.
• Grupo Gallegos, Long Beach, Calif., Media, Subtitles "Epic, Robinson, Horror" for Comcast CableLatino.
• Network BBDO, Johannesburg, South Africa, Travel/Tourism, Plain Insanity "Ferret, Dancer, Dog" for Virgin Atlantic Airlines - Upper Class Suites.
• Saatchi & Saatchi, New York, Business Equipment/Services, Compression Radio "Soap Opera Romance, Eating Candy, Calling Tech Support" for StuffIt Deluxe.

POSTERS, 42 CLIOs: 6 Gold, 17 Silver, 19 Bronze

Gold CLIOs:
• Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, London, Corporate/Institutional, "Inner Child" for Museum of Childhood.
• BBDO Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Automotive, Two Worlds "Bushman & Eskimo, Husky & Camel, Mountain Goat & Crocodile" for Jeep.
• Big Ant International, New York, Public Service, "What Goes Around Comes Around" for Global Coalition for Peace.
• Contract Advertising India Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai, India, Public Service, "Family Name" for Aadhar Association.
• Del Campo Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi, Martinez, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Health Care Services, Children "Tree, Cookie, Stairs" for Hospital Alemán - Kinder Plan.
• KNARF (Students - Annie Chiu, Anna Echiverri), New York, Student, "Subway Bench" for Victoria's Secret.

BILLBOARD, 20 CLIOs: 2 Gold, 7 Silver, 11 Bronze

Gold CLIOs:
• DDB, London, Media, "Global Downturn" for Financial Times.
• Leo Burnett, Toronto, Beverages/Alcoholic, "Share Our Billboard Campaign" for James Ready.

STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS/PR, 9 CLIOs: 2 Gold, 4 Silver, 3 Bronze

• Edelman, Chicago, Consumer, "FilterForGood: Better Water, Less Waste" for Brita.
• Ketchum, San Francisco, Consumer, "Haagen-Dazs loves Honey Bees: Let's Lick This Problem" for Haagen-Dazs.

The CLIO Awards are produced by Nielsen Business Media, part of the Nielsen Co.

Congrats to all!

Trendir's Goof Is My Gain: Pressalit Toilet Seat Art Gallery

Someone over at Trendir, one of my favorite interior design sites, was asleep at the wheel..or keyboard, when they wrote their post about what they thought were interesting toilet seats and covers from Pressalit. What they actually did was show you the fun 'created' seats designed for the website (and as postcards you can order ) to explain the features of the Pressalit line (for example, green, luxury, sustainable woods, quiet, etc.)


above: the seats misrepresented on Trendir as actual products

I only know this because once I saw those images, I thought to myself, there's no way those are actual toilet seats and, upon further inspection, I found I was correct.

Pressalit does carry colored and wood seats as well as one heart shaped wooden seat and one special edition soccer ball/football seat. And they can customize seats with a logo or line art for you as well:



But all those fun looking seats shown on Trendir are not Pressalit's actual products. They do make auto-close seats that function smoothly and quietly as well as contoured seats, but frankly, they're nothing to write home about... or in this case, blog about.

The Pressalit line:

Available colors and finishes:


What is of interest, however, is their 2007 project in which they asked 20 different designers to experiment with their core product - the toilet seat. Now, I'd never have found this if I didn't explore their site based on Trendir's goof up. So thanks to them, you can now be privy to this unusual art project.

The 2007 project “Pressalit Art Gallery” resulted in unusual solutions and interpretations of toilet seats in just as many different and untraditional materials.

The result of the designers interpretations were among others a football seat (which they now sell a variant of), a disco seat designed for Madonna, a floating hot air balloon seat and an actual turtle seat.

Here are the images of various toilet seat covers from the project for you:

designer: Tchai Munch
material: glass

designer: Carpenter Borge Aaby
material: wood

Several different designs were created by designer Nis Ollgaard in the project;
Hair used for Punk, a mohawk on the lid. Heart shaped wood seat and cover:

His tribute to Madonna with the 'disco' seat:

And his hand stitched leather, grass and dirt Football seat:

designer: Jefsper Kofoed Thomsen
materials: balloons and colored removable ribbons

designer: Bess Kristoffersen
materials: aluminum

designer: Babro Aaberg
material: ceramics

designer: Bent Vinkler
material: wickerwork and metal

designers: Nis Ollgaaard and Vagn Iversen
material: turtle as lid

About the designers:


A limited edition book of this art project is available:

for the book above e-mail lbt@presalit.com (book price is 40 euros)

website

Factory
Isagervej 30
Dk-8680 Ry

Despite this one error, Trendir is a terrific and informative site.


Now, if it's wild toilets you want to see, check out these colored, chromed and Swarovski studded toilets here!

Design For Swine: Artsy Fun Fashionable Face Masks For Sale

There have been lots of fun 'photoshopped' phony designer protective face masks on the web as a result of the world's fixation on this potential pandemic. But, someone has actually created and is selling some truly fun ones.

Designer/Art Director Irina Blok has designed a fun series of 9 fashionable protective face masks given the present state of swine-flu panic.

You can click on the images to enlarge.

Leopard print, pill-popping and zipper:

Beard, duct tape and piggy:

Oink, skull and lips:


One little factoid: She originally had included a cute 'Domo' mask (shown below) but Domo asked her to remove it suggesting that it was 'damaging their brand'.



She will produce a very limited edition of these in about 4 weeks (according to her site) and they will cost about $10 (plus $3 S&H). E-mail her here to get your name on the list.


Big Bonus: Proceeds will be donated to Children International to help Mexico fight the swine flu epidemic.


Irina Blok's website

What To Do With Old Biz Cards? Creative Self-Promotion At Cards of Change

So, you were laid off. You're certainly not alone. In the advertising industry alone, over 32,656 people have lost their jobs according to BNET's Ad Agency Layoff Counter.

Sure, they all rushed onto linked in, requesting references from friends, co-workers and superiors. They've joined every free online job site, are frequently checking job postings, updating their online portfolios, working all available online networks and frantically googling possible new job options. All of these things are the painful necessity of the newly unemployed.

Is there anything positive about losing your job? Well, Cards Of Change has come up with a fun user generated way to connect the recently unemployed (hopefully to the employed with power to hire). A creative way to self-promote, the site encourages those who've recently lost their jobs to upload old business cards altered to indicate their present status with a positive spin.

I simply had to join in the fun and add my own (shown below). Although it's been over 4 years now, that was my last actual staff job (and the reason I was in Detroit), and since becoming a freelancer, I was able to start this blog amongst other things that have all contributed to a more enjoyable life.



Some are creative, some are hopeful, some are inspirational, some are humorous and some are simply informative. But all are better then using old cards to stabilize a rocky table. Take a look at a few examples:










Adweek describes the venture as "Tom Van Daele, a former creative director at TBWA\Chiat\Day, heads up Unknownlab, an "ideas company" launched by recently laid-off TBWA\C\D employees. One of the lab's projects is Cards of Change, an "upbeat online database" dedicated to collecting business cards and stories of industry folks who have been shown the door. The idea is to take your old business card and scratch out the contact info, replacing it with a new e-mail address along with a story of positive change."

Tom's own card is shown below:


On the site, their 'about' section reads as follows:

There's more talent out on the streets than ever before. Brilliant people looking to reshape their country, build their career and perhaps even grow your business.

Cardsofchange is a place where the glass is always half-full. A destination where all the bad news of the day takes a back seat to stories of individual success.

Our mission is to collect as many business cards and stories of positive change of people who have recently been laid off and connect them with new opportunities from potential employers, business partners and people who make the effort to look on the bright side of life.

Will it do anything other than provide good photo fodder for tweeps and FB users? Maybe not, but I can't think of a much better use for those old business cards.



Check them out, or better yet, if you've got one to share,upload it here.

A Great View. When The Shade is Down.

Surface View is a company that started out creating and selling bespoke (custom) wall murals, but that didn't interest me nearly as much as when they added their digitally printed window shades. With a vast online library of imagery -1000 images- you can choose from several collections and find the perfect match for any mood or style. For any room or architectural genre. Whether you like vintage maps, maritime ephemera, etchings, religious art, portraits, florals, textiles, patterns, classic art and sculpture, pop art, photography, nature, astrology, history, comics, foods, landscapes or citiscapes (just to name a few), they've got it. They will also create custom shades from your own art or photos upon request and at an additional cost, of course.

The collections include the following:


It's great when companies consider the user experience on their site and nothing is more engaging and gratifying that the you-can-see-what-it-will-look-like-instantly feature. As you can tell, I really enjoyed 'playing' with their roomsets which enable you to choose from a series of various rooms and try different any of the available images on the large 'blank' blind. You can do this with their wall murals and prints as well.



For your infotainment, I chose a few examples from some of the collections that I felt were appropriate to that particular sample room, so you could get an idea of the numerous options.

Meeting:



Working:



Eating:


Living:



Sleeping:



Playing:


Entrance:



You can also choose between making the line art image a pattern or a single image in their ehemera category, as well as tint it with a color, like the 2 examples of the beetle shown below:




details:



Surface View also offers many specialist services, go to the site to learn more.

Interesting Facts, Figures, and Tidbits About Mothers And Motherhood

Here are a bunch of interesting statistics about Mothers and Mother's Day for you from the US Census Bureau:

The first Mother’s Day observance was a church service in 1908 requested by Anna Jarvis, of Philadelphia, to honor her deceased mother. Jarvis, at an early age, had heard her mother express hope that a day to commemorate all mothers would be established. Her mother had also expressed the sentiment that there were many days dedicated to men but none to mothers. Two years after her mother’s death, Jarvis and friends began a letter-writing campaign to declare a national Mother’s Day observance to honor mothers. In 1914, Congress passed legislation designating the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.

82.5 million
the estimated number of mothers of all ages in the United States. (From unpublished Survey of Income and Program Participation data.)

68%
Percentage of women in Mississippi, ages 15 to 44, who are mothers. This is among the highest rates among states. The national average is 56 percent.

82%
Percentage of women 40 to 44 years old who are mothers. In 1976, 90 percent of women in that age group were mothers.

New Moms

4.0 million
Number of women who have babies each year. Of this number, about 425,000 are teens ages 15 to 19, and more than 100,000 are age 40 or over.

25.1
Average age of women when they give birth for the first time [PDF] — a record high. The average age has risen nearly four years since 1970.

40%
Percentage of births that are the mother’s first [PDF]. Another 32 percent are the second-born; 17 percent, third; and 11 percent, fourth or more.

35,000
Number of births in 2002 [PDF] attended by physicians, midwives or others that do not occur in hospitals.

Remembering Mom

above flowers by Floral Creations of LA

23,094
Number of florists nationwide in 2002. The florists’ 119,117 employees will be especially busy preparing, selling and delivering floral arrangements for Mother’s Day.

The flowers bought for mom probably were grown in California or Colombia. Among the 36 surveyed states, California was the leading provider of cut flowers in 2003, accounting for more than two-thirds of the domestic production ($306 million out of $425 million) in those states. Meanwhile, the value of U.S. imports of cut flowers and fresh flower buds in 2004 from Colombia, the leading foreign supplier to the United States, was more than $385 million.

$5 billion
Revenue of greeting-card publishers nationwide in 2002. The 15,859 employees of the 119 greeting-card publishing companies are especially busy creating Mother’s Day greeting cards.

152 million
Number of Mother’s Day cards expected to be given this year in the United States, making Mother’s Day the third-largest card-sending occasion.
(Source: Hallmark research)

1-in-32
The odds of a woman delivering twins. Her odds of having triplets or other multiple births was approximately 1-in-540.


Single Moms

10 million
The number of single mothers living with children under 18 years old, up from 3 million in 1970.

Expectant Mothers

August
The most popular month in which to have a baby, with 359,000 births taking place that month in 2002. July, with 358,000, was just a shade behind.

Tuesday
The most popular day of the week in which to have a baby, with an average of almost 13,000 births taking place on Tuesdays during 2002.

How Many Children

2
Average number of children that women today can expect to have in their lifetime.

3
Average number of children that women in Utah and Alaska can expect to have in their lifetime. These two states top the nation in average number of births per woman.

Only about 10 percent of women today end their childbearing years with four or more children- that compares with 36 percent in 1976.

Working Moms


55%
Among mothers with infant children in 2002, the percentage in the labor force, down from a record 59 percent in 1998. This marks the first significant decline in this rate since the Census Bureau began calculating this measure in 1976. In that year, 31 percent of mothers with infants were in the labor force.

63%
Among college-educated women with infant children, the percentage in the labor force.

Among mothers between ages 15 and 44 who do not have infants, 72 percent are in the labor force.

More than 687,000
Number of child day-care centers across the country in 2002. These include nearly 69,000 centers employing close to 750,000 workers and another 618,000 self-employed persons or other companies without paid employees. Many mothers turn to these centers to help juggle motherhood and career.

About 2 million
Among more than 10 million preschoolers, the number who are cared for in a day-care center during the bulk of their mother’s working hours.

Individual source links for each statement herein may be accessed on the Internet at
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/004109.html>.

I'm A Fool for Smool: Robert Bronwasser's Newest Ceramic Designs

Last week at Salone del Mobile, smool of the Netherlands introduced a new design collection of tabletop ceramics by Robert Bronwasser for Royal Goedewaagen.



above: smool booth at Salone Del Mobile

The new collection includes

his fun little ceramic people:


modern money pigs (piggy bank or coin box):



ceramic paper trays:

the tuliptile vase in new patterns:




new tableware:

and nautical service (dinnerware with skulls) for DLS:






Smool
Royal Goedewaagen

That's Not Banksy Who's Coming For Dinner -The Truth Behind The Hoax-Now-Film.

The news is out that "Notorious graffiti artist Banksy stars alongside movie legend Joan Collins in Banksy’s Coming For Dinner; a new film written, directed and produced by Ivan Massow." But is it really Banksy in the film? Nope.

Described as a film within a film, where the viewer can "Experience the clash of celebrity as Hollywood royalty Joan Collins and husband Percy meet Banksy, the most famous living artist in the world. Banksy’s Coming for Dinner is a film within a film and questions the very nature of 'reality' at every level." the entire story is an elaborate hoax, albeit a filmed and edited hoax.

According to the Daily Mail, the entire story was a falsehood designed to dupe the Dynasty actress – and the rest of the world.

In reality, the ‘Banksy’ who Miss Collins spent five hours entertaining was actor Bryan Lawrence – whose career includes bit parts in The Bill and adverts for the Corby Trouser Press – not the controversial guerrilla artist famed for his stenciled, anarchist graffiti works that can sell for up to £250,000.


above: Actor Bryan Lawrence plays Banksy in the film.

The bizarre plot was dreamt up by former Tory adviser Ivan Massow, a colourful character who made and lost a fortune selling insurance to gay men, and a familiar face on the London social scene, who has known Miss Collins for 20 years.

He filmed the charade in the hope of hoodwinking a TV broadcaster into buying the footage, promoting it as the first time Banksy had revealed himself on camera.

In reality Ivan Massow was not really fooling anyone. He knew that his hoax would be discovered. After all, he arranged to have Sam Bloom, sister of actor Orlando Bloom, to be the waitress for the event. In fact, the chef for the dinner was also staged-- actress Helen Lederer played the role. Massow has stated, after being exposed,that he wanted to “investigate the nature of what’s real and what’s not real”. Of the event Massow has stated, “To pull off what was such a massive art fraud would have been really quite spectacular.”.

Massow had originally intended to use the real Banksy in his film. The artist's spokesman confirmed they had been approached last year, but 'turned down his request'. Massow said: "I still think he might be Banksy. Prove it's not him."

Knowing all that, and assuming it doesn't put you off from viewing the upcoming film, here's the Press Release, stills, trailer and info:

Hollywood royalty Joan Collins and husband Percy hold a dinner party for a few of their friends/acquaintances. Among the invited is the acclaimed artist Banksy, renowned for his aversion to the spotlight. Inviting him is fraught with social risk; will he come? How will he behave at table? This would, after all, be the first time he's revealed himself on camera.



The preparations, the dinner and the goodbyes… the characters speak in the shared language of the famous. Or do they? Perhaps they are commenting on this language, creating a second film within the first; the first being a drama, the second a satire.



As a study of our crazed adoration of celebrity and society’s overwhelming need to consume, Banksy’s Coming for Dinner questions the very nature of 'reality'. The film stars Hollywood icon Joan Collins, alongside her husband Percy and daughter Tara, with dinner guests Tamara Beckwith, Stephen K Amos, Paul de Freitas, Ann Mitchell and, of course, Banksy.



Banksy’s (who we now know is played by actor Bryan Lawrence) face is pixelated and his voice is distorted throughout the film, which was shot on location in London and Oxfordshire in June 2008, with post-production in Barcelona and Los Angeles.



The dinner party is shot in ‘real time’ over a single day at Joan’s country estate, within its spectacular, rolling grounds with deer and peacocks. The dinner guests are filmed throughout the day as they prepare and travel from their homes on this perfect summer’s day.



Joan is every inch the glamorous Hollywood mogul throughout, accompanied by her suave, debonair husband Percy. Her perfectionist nature gets the better of her when Ann Mitchell arrives 10 minutes early, complaining, “It’s terribly rude to be early.” Daughter Tara, dutifully helping the staff in the kitchen, predicts, “Mum’s going to have a shit-fit!”

Percy remains calm throughout, explaining, “It was a hard decision to make, opening up our lives, our home to the cameras. It’s rather undignified, quite frankly. But we decided to go with the way of the modern world.”

Banksy had agreed to pick Tamara Beckwith up from her smart Chelsea townhouse, though nobody could be sure he would arrive at all. At the appointed time, he turns up outside in a London Black Cab driven by his driver Julie, a middle-aged housewife. “Blimey!”, exclaims Tamara, “are we going all the way to Oxford in that? I hope he’s paying!” Having cleared a space for Tamara to sit amongst the discarded sweet wrappers and mess in the back of his cab, they set off, and Banksy chats about art, attacking Tracey Emin’s infamous ‘unmade bed’, saying, “that’s not art, that’s a thought.” Tamara nods in agreement.

Stand-up comedian Stephen K Amos sets off from his London Council Flat, enthusing, “If Banksy’s here... I’m getting some art. That’s my mortgage!” He’s picked up by Paul de Freitas, the exuberant casting director, described by his driver John as “a typical person who likes the nightlife”. Meanwhile, award-winning actress Ann Mitchell sets off from her home in leafy Hampstead commenting that Banksy’s, “Somebody who doesn’t want to