Nine New Neat & Nifty Notables

Click on any image below for details and purchase info.

From the Icon Crucifix (a rubber jesus who comes with four nails) to the edible Vanishing Living Creatures (Chocolate Mounted Animal Heads) here are nine relatively new items to hit the market.

They range in price from 10$ (the ChilliChilly pocket ashtrays) to $720 (the Chinook hanging pot rack in stainless steel) and all are available for purchase. Just Click On The Pic.

Need more gift ideas? See more of my If It's Hip,It's Here. list at ThisNext.

Square, Metal, Knit, & Modern:Anything But Traditional Wreaths

For those of you who don't want your front door looking like the White House or a Department Store, how about trying a wreath that isn't the traditional pine with poinsettias?

For those less adventurous, how about a square wreath or a snowflake-shaped wreath?
And for those who want anything but traditional, try a metal op-art wreath or recycled street sign wreath.

Below are some cool wreaths, that are anything but traditional, available this season.


Above left : Fresh myrtle box wreath
Buy it here.
Above right: Snowflake Winter Wreath
Buy it here


Above left : Real Frasier Fir Pine Peace Wreath from Emilie's Wreath Factory.
Order here.
Above right: Real Pine Peace Wreath from Organic Bouquet
Buy it here.


Above left: Snow white feathers fashion this elegantly simple wreath, creating a stunning centerpiece or wall accent. 13 1/2" diameter.
Buy it here.
Above right: Lime green feather wreath, 20" in diameter
Buy it here.



The above stunning "angel" wreaths available here.


Above left: A white flocked pre-lit wreath. 15"
Above right: Gold, Silver and White ornament wreath 16"
Buy either one here.


Above left: Keith Wingard's metal op art wreath of powder coated steel. 16"
Buy the Mod op-art wreath here.
Above right: Laser cut steel wreath by Atelier Lzc with birds and berries, 23cm x 24cm
Buy it here.


Above left: Garnet Hill offers a Sleigh Bell wreath in ivory or lime green. 11.5" in diameter
Buy it here.
Above right: A merry hand crocheted striped wreath, also from Garnet Hill. . 14" in diameter.
Buy it here.


Above left: Boris Bally's Metal Art wreath made of recycled street signs, available in 5 different color combinations. larger size 22.5"H x 15"W
Buy it here.
Above right: Boris Bally's Metal Art Wreath, the smaller size. 16.5"H x 10"W
Buy it here.

Finally, A Truly Luxe Bean Bag Chair: The Cowch

Goodbye Fatboy, Hello Cowch!

Awhile back I wrote a post about Fatboy products. And it wasn't the most flattering. Why?
Because I saw FatBoy as the New Millenium version of the 70's bean bag chair. And very overpriced.

But now I've spotted the Cowch (no pun intended). And this, in my humble opinion, is a bean bag chair worth buying. (by the way, these are not the "cowches' that are made to look like real stuffed animal toys, that's a different company)

Not only does it look incredibly comfortable, but it looks expensive ---and it is-- and as though it won't end up in rec rooms and flea markets in several years.



Above: Each one is unique and large enough for two people.





Cowches measure 140cm x 170 cm and are made with real cow skins on the upper side, Bisonyl on the under side. They have quality four time stitching and are filled with 100% recycled polystyrene.


You can choose from multiple real skin options:


Above: available skins and Walter Bak, the designer and founder of Schaalwerk

Made in Holland, they ship to all countries!

"Cowch is developed by Schaalwerk, a young designers collective based in Utrecht, The Netherlands. At Schaalwerk we aim for designing and creating usable durable products. Besides designing our own products we also do interior decoration projects and custom handmade furniture. Besides creating the designs and the conceptual studies we also manufacture/realize the products.

Cowch, is one of our original designs. It is a tough and sturdy beanbag that can be used in many ways and in all kinds of locations. The used materials make it a unique product. Cowch is already sold in countries all over the world.

They are made in Holland cost 699 euros each (approx $1040.00 USD).
Buy it here.
Or here.

or contact them directly for any questions here.

Bonus Post: Number 31 Bean Bag Chairs

If the Cowch (see post above) is too pricey for some of you.
And Fatboy is too boring for some of you, then how about Holland's Number 31 Artist designed bean bag Chairs?

They come in 16 fabulous limited editions by various well-known artists. Below are two examples (click to enlarge).



Below are more examples from their collection:



And here's the really fun part, they are on sale right now here.


Or direct from the manufacturer here.

Be Hip, Green & Merry Simultaneously: WOW's Vinyl Artist Christmas Tree

I introduced you to the Art Production Fund's Works On Whatever last year when I first told you about their artist beach towel series and then again , this past week when I introduced you to the new 2008 artist series beach towels.

Now, in addition to the cool beach towels, WOW has come out with this fabulous vinyl Christmas Tree wall sticker in collaboration with Wallpaper LAB and designer Marilyn Minter.


MARILYN MINTER "MERRY MERRY" TREE
A self-adhesive vinyl sticker

No more watering a dead tree, no more fire hazard, no more vacuuming up pine needles well into April. It's a truly 'green' Christmas tree: reduce, reuse, recycle this vinyl sticker year after year. Save the trees, save water, save your back from schlepping it all the way home. No religion, no broken ornaments. It's a Christmas tree for the moderately wealthy and super lazy.

Minter will collaborate with Wallpaper LAB and WOW (Works on Whatever) to create a six-foot die-cut vinyl wall-sticker that addresses the powerful and ubiquitous symbol of the season: The Christmas Tree. Minter styled a small tree with her own eclectic collection of shiny ornaments, lighting and photographing it in a way that merges crisp detail with gauzy soft-focus radiance. The photograph is further transformed on the way to the decal: the image is enlarged and an archetypical Charlie Brown cartoon die-cut shape is enforced as the template for the tree.

The self-adhesive vinyl tree can be applied directly to the wall, by either removing the paper back or simply pinning it; a boon to the space-challenged apartment dweller with a sense of humor. Each limited edition "Merry Merry" tree comes rolled in a tube with four decal ornaments and a star and retails for $180. The "Merry Merry" star can be purchased separately for $25. 1/3 of the proceeds go to support public art through Art Production Fund.


About Wallpaper LAB:

Wallpaper LAB is a publisher of limited edition artist wallpaper. Founded by Ron Keyson in 2006, WL collaborates with contemporary artists to translate their studio works into conceptually heroic wallpaper and wall stickers. From freeze framing the entirety of Douglas Gordon's video masterpiece Play Dead, Real Time to digitally super scanning Phoebe Washburn's plywood blowout Wood Wall sculpture, invited artists are challenged to pull the domestic world of wallpaper into their own aesthetic gravitational center. The inaugural exhibition at Lennon Weinberg Gallery in 2006 wrapped the entire 3000 square foot gallery space with fifteen original artist's wallpapers, the result being a seamless visual battle of the bands. Wallpaper LAB is represented in New York City by Artware Editions.

For more information and installation views please see: www.wallpaperlab.com or www.artwareeditions.com

About WOW:
WOW (Works on Whatever) is a unique collection of everyday items designed by artists. The revenues from sales go into public art. APF invites artists to experiment with the latest commercial materials and techniques to bring art off the walls and into homes as everyday objects. WOW introduces contemporary art to a larger community, with profits supporting Art Production Fund�s mission dedicated to producing ambitious public art projects, reaching new audiences and expanding awareness through contemporary art. Projects include: SHOW, Vanessa Beecroft, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 1998; FISCHERSPOONER: LA, performance, 2001; Keith + Farrah, collaborative exhibition by Keith Edmier and Farrah Fawcett, Los Angeles County Museum of Art and The Andy Warhol Museum, 2003; PLAN B, Rudolf Stingel summer 2004, Grand Central's Vanderbilt Hall and The Walker Art Center; Prada Marfa, Elmgreen & Dragset, Valentine, TX, 2005; Greeting Card, Aaron Young, Park Avenue Armory, 2007. APF Co-Founders : Yvonne Force Villareal and Doreen Remen, Director of Operations: Casey Fremont.

For more information please see: www.worksonwhatever.com


just the star
12 inch removable vinyl sticker- $25.00
Buy it here.


full tree kit
(1) 58 x 48 inch vinyl tree sticker (1) 12 inch star (4) ornaments

Buy it here.

Try Your Hand At Handbag Designing And Win A Murakami LV Purse!

This is your chance to win a thousand dollar purse for the price of postcard postage.

How this contest works:
You send Imprint Culture Lab an original handbag design on this template by midnight of Monday, January 21, 2008.

They will post all submissions here.
Then, everyone votes for their favorite designs.

The design with the most votes wins the handbag that started all this commotion (seen below, only the Louis Vuitton Alma bag is covered with the special murakami LV fabric "superflat" which includes the eyeballs).

You know, the one designed by that famous Japanese artist (Murakami) who made being an otaku at least as cool as carrying a high-end French luxury purse?



Above left : the design that started it all, Murakami's Louis Vuitton Alma Handbag.
Above right : The actual Murakami fabric on the winning handbag. Click to enlarge

FAQs:
You can submit as many entries as you wish
You can mail hard copies to them at:

Imprint Culture Lab
555 East Ocean Blvd, Suite 900
Long Beach, CA 90802

Or submit your design via email to: info@imprintlab.com
Be sure to include your name and contact info with your submissions.

perhaps the following two entires will inspire you:



I don't know who designed the above left, but above right is clearly an entry by one of my personal favorite designers, Scott Rench of Yosoh.

About Imprint lab:
The IMPRINT Culture Lab was founded by interTrend Communications to investigate, promote and curate Asian-sourced and inspired consumer culture. IMPRINT’s mission is to foster creativity and innovation in the business segment by connecting the cultural dots between various elements, which includes inspiration from art, media, food, fashion, product design, technology, architecture and pop-culture phenomena.

The imprint lab enables collaborative idea generation between corporate marketing and development teams and artists, designers, and entertainers who are leading and shaping global pop culture.

IMPRINT engages consumers and clients through various methods including an annual culture conference, private collaborative workshops, as well as custom consultancy and research products and services.

Start designing!

It's black friday, the busiest shopping day of the year.

Perhaps I can help?

Today is purported to be the biggest shopping day of the year. Some stores opened their doors at the ungodly hour of 4 a.m., others had people camping out the night before. According to early news reports this morning, Nintendo Wii, Zune and other mp 3 players as well as games like Halo 3 and gadgets like iphones and ipods are the hot sellers.


A Wal-Mart shopper loads up her cart with Black Friday bargains.


Midnight shoppers rush into the Altamonte Mall in Florida.


The parking lot at the Hamilton Place Mall in Chattanooga, Tenn., was 85 percent full shortly after 9 a.m.

If you are one of those sane people who, rather than getting your car door dinged by a thoughtless shopper in a crowded parking lot or losing your cell phone in the local mall, would prefer to shop from the comfort of your home and personal computer, then I am here to help.

Nowadays, most of the 'great deals' people are clamoring for the day after Thanksgiving in malls are also available online.

And the savvy shopper does better to buy out of state (no tax) and find an online coupon code for free shipping!

I suggest checking these sites before you hit the 'check out' button to be sure you're not missing out on any promo codes or special deals:

http://www.keycode.com
http://www.retailmenot.com
http://www.dealhack.com
http://www.fatwallet.com
http://www.edealfinder.com
http://www.couponmountain.com
http://www.couponcabin.com/
http://www.couponheaven.com/
http://www.dealcatcher.com/
http://www.onlinepromotioncodes.com/
http://www.currentcodes.com/


First and foremost, The Apple Store (who rarely ever has a sale) does have a sale today. AND Only today!

Apple gifts this year, you had better act fast--the sale is of the one-day variety. Highlights include $51 or $101 off MacBooks and iMacs (sadly, you're out of luck if you're trying to justify a MacBook Pro purchase), $21 off the AirPort Extreme Base Station, and $21 off the iPhone Bluetooth Headset. Three iPods are on sale: you'll save $31 on an iPod Classic and $11 on either the Nano or the Shuffle. Lots of other products and accessories are on sale. See them all here.
So now's the time to get that iphone or ipod.



Click here to go to the apple store online sale.

Go here to see Jonathan Blum choices for the top ten tech toys this year.

Watch a CNN video on hot toys this christmas season here.

Check out Buy.com (they have great deals all year and even better today). Especially on things like external hard drives and Zune media players, as well as books and tvs!

Got a serious Sports Fanatic in the house? According to Money Magazine's Charles Passy, Noah Rothbaum and Wilson Rothman, here are The greatest gifts ever for sports fanatics....

My personal top 5 choices for gifts that no one would return:

For anyone, male or female, young or old, the following five gifts are my favorite things to give this season.

1. The Flip Video Ultra 30 minute recorder


Above: The Flip Video Ultra, a pocket sized video camcorder (available with 30 minutes of recording time or 60 minutes). Even my grandmother can use this one. Record and plug it into the tv (cord comes with) or into the computer via the built in usb.
This rocks! I bought four earlier this year and am giving them to my whole family (who are not tech savvy!)

Here's a money saving hint. No one really needs 60 minutes of recording time unless you are making an actual movie. So if it's just for "you tube" fun or to see keep up with your growing nephews and nieces, get them the 30 minute recorder.. they will be thrilled.

Available online at www.theflip.com or target, toys r us, amazon, buy.com, etc.
Be sure to check out all the stores, prices vary on this one. Also available in black or colors.

2. Netflix movie rentals and instant computer movie downloads.



So easy, affordable and who doesn't rent DVDs? Plus the options for the amount of time or number of rentals makes it easy to purchase this for anyone regardless of how much you want to spend.

How it works:(click to enlarge)

Buy it here.

3. Pottery Barn's Fabulous Fur Throws on sale today only!!!!!!!!!!



I get so many compliments on the luxurious feel of this throw from men and women everytime they visit and see it !
Comes in four nice options. Usually $150.00, it's on sale WITH FREE SHIPPING today only for $99.00
Buy it now.

4. Money no object? Spoil your child or yourself with the $345.00 PLEO by Ugobe.

Learn more about this adorable interactive toy here.

5. A Bluefly gift certificate.



Lots of people have heard of Bluefly but haven't actually checked it out. They are unaware that in addition to having designer clothes at a discounted price they carry great home decor items like Thomas Paul Pillows and luxury bedding at prices that are hard to beat anywhere. Shoes are a great find here as well...and as many items for men as women.

And for Project Runway fans, they actually sell the "wall of accessories" here. Luxury and designer handbags, belts and more.

Also, a bonus is that no one makes it easier to return items than Bluefly. They provide you with the free return sticker, just put it in the box, seal it up and set it out for the postman. Costs you nothing and you get full return credit.

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Ready to hit some of the stores who have sales and free shipping today?
Here are a few you can access from the comfort of your home instead of braving the heinous crowds.

Click away...
Apple store
Bluefly
Target
Buy
Toys R Us
Amazon
Bluefly
Pottery Barn
Walmart
JC Penney
Kohls
Best Buy
Circuit City
Sharper Image