Pop Some Bubbly, Make A Chair. It's That Time Of Year Again.

To inspire you, last year's winners are shown below:


1. Grand Prize: Cantilever Block by Adam Weisberger of Louisville, Kentucky
2. Second Prize: Kleeko Chair by Stacie Matrka of Columbus, Ohio
3. Most Popular Award: Chair Squared by Edward Cristman of San Rafael, California
Click here to see all of  last year's finalists.

Timeline:

• All entries must be sent to champagnechair@dwr.com by Monday, January 7, 2007, 5pm PT.
• Fifty (50) chosen finalists will be notified, via email, by January 9, 2008 and must send their chairs to the DWR office (225 Bush Street, 20th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94104; attn: Champagne Chair Contest) by Friday, January 18, 2008.
• Online voting will take place during the week of January 28–February 1, 2008.
• Winners will be announced online on or around February 4, 2007.

Judging criteria:
Entries will be judged on the following criteria:

• Craftsmanship
• Creativity
• Character
• Innovative use of materials

Prizes:

• Grand Prize: One Grand Prize winner will receive a $1,000 DWR Gift Card and be featured on DWR's homepage.
• DWR Staff Favorite: One Staff Favorite winner will be selected by DWR employees and will receive a $500 DWR Gift Card.
• Popular Vote: One Popular Vote winner will receive a $500 DWR Gift Card. Winner of this award will be selected by an online poll.
• Fifty (50) contest finalists will be featured on our website and will be included in a traveling exhibition . showcased in DWR Studios across the country.

Click here for details.

Chris Sickels of Red Nose Studio & His New Look Book.

I'm a big fan of Red Nose Studio. And have been for several years, since I first saw their work in the Sunday New York Times magazine editorials. I'm so enamored of the look and genre, that I have attempted to sell their work to several of my clients who, for whatever reason - some stated it was too dark-, have opted to decline.
Their loss.


Because Red Nose Studio, which is really just one super talented man named Chris Sickels, is about to become a household name, well...at least a design studio name. His work is a combination of puppetry, stop motion animation, art and soul. His stories are full of whimsy and tenderness and his characters are sweet, silly and a little strange.

Just last September, Chris released a beautiful new book for both adults and children alike,that makes use of his 3D characters that Red Nose Studio is known for.

The Look Book by Chris Sickels:


As siblings Ian and Ann try to keep themselves entertained during a long and boring summer day, they learn that the world around them is more exciting than it first appears. After they leave the house on a quest for amusement, they come across an unusual array of characters and scenarios that make them see the world in surprising new ways. From exercising priest to priests exorcising, and kitchen sinks to sinking kitchens, everything depends on how you look at it. Creative word plays grace every spread and teach the duo that there’s plenty to see if you open your eyes to the world around you.

The book measures 8"x 8″and has 64 color illustrations. The cover is die-cut so you can see through the spectacle ‘lenses’ to Ian and Ann on the inside.




Below are two spreads from the interior (click on them to enlarge and see them as you should):






Chris' own blog shares some wonderful background and sketches for the book.

In his own words:
"here are two sketches that were in the first group of roughs that started it all taken from a sketch book while flying out to NY to meet with a publisher. the idea got some laughs but nothing serious came from it. the sketches got filed away back in the studio and from time to time i would sit down and make myself laugh coming up with sketches and word pairs. several months later i get a call from Megan Patrick an editor with HOW books that asked about any ideas i might have for ‘fun’ books. after a phone conversation where i run through several ideas and getting not much of a response, the one idea about a twin sister and brother that see the same thing in their own way written with homonyms, was the one that she liked and asked that i work on some more. after going through hundreds of homonyms we weeded it down to a resonable (sic) list that i started doing sketches from. out of those about 10% made the cut and that was how the book started."

And as of recently, these 2 characters, Ian and Ann are making a big appearance, literally, in Indiana's Mass Avenue Cultural District . This past summer The Arts Council Indianapolis asked Chris to submit concepts and sketches for a 26×9 foot outdoor lightbox as part of the Public Art Indianapolis project. The piece they chose is titled See Saw.

Chris describes it as :
"In this scenario Ian sees what Ann saw, hence the title See Saw. You, the viewer, can't exactly see what they see, but my intention is that you will be encouraged to take the time to look at things differently and also enjoy the varying viewpoints of others."

The piece was installed on October 2nd and will be up for 12 months.
Below are shots of the installation.

Check out the work of Chris Sickels here.
And sometimes his art and actual puppets are for sale.

His animation is amazing and he has produced several sort films, like the Red Thread Project below, so please be sure to check out the quicktime movies on his site.

Above left: A poster for his short film "The Red Thread Project" Above right: A framed print of "Temptation"

You can inquire about these and more by contacting him at chris@rednosestudio.com

He is represented in LA by Magnet Reps.

A Twisted Christmas by Rob Sheridan

Above: Presents Opening Children, by Rob Sheridan.

22" x 15", signed and numbered. $70 USD. Buy it here.

Merry Christmas From If It's Hip, It's Here.

Original photo of Indie by Monika Hummer. Card composition by Laura Sweet.

Funky Find Of The Week: Porcelain Airsickness Bag Vases

Disposal Series

Air-sickness bags were the inspiration for a series of vases and dishes designed by Hedwig Rotter of Vienna for Mano Designs.

The silk-screens are old designs of asian airlines, india airlines and thai airlines.
This project is part of a continuous work themed material 'transformations'.
Each piece tells a story allowing different associations - a humorous look at a common object.
And yes, they are available for purchase. (see link below).





Material: porcelain, screenprint
Dimension (H/W/D): big vase: 19 cm x 10,5 cm x 8 cm, small vase: 13 cm x 14 cm x 7 cm, bowl: 27,5 cm x 10 cm x 6,5 cm
Weight: big vase: 850 g, small vase: 520 g, bowl: 500 g

Buy them here (under accessories)

My 15 Minutes of Fame

Above: the photo by Jay Clendening, accompanying the article in the LA Times

In todays' Los Angeles Times, reporter Alana Semuels did a story on social shopping networks for which I was interviewed. Imagine my pleasant surprise at the color 5" x 7" photo of myself (and my dog, Indie) accompanying the article, smack on the back page of the business section!

Here is the article:

By Alana Semuels, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
December 24, 2007

Laura Sweet may be the Internet's Oprah Winfrey -- for objects shaped like guns, that is.

Just as millions look to the billionaire talk show host for tips on books, health and beauty, hundreds turn to Sweet's "gun-shaped stuff" page on www.thisnext.com for hair dryers, television remotes and vases with the contours of firearms.

Sweet, who trolls the Internet every day for cool and wacky things that might be worth acquiring, has recommended 1,590 products on the Los Angeles-based website. "It has kind of pointed me out as a design maven," the 42-year-old Beverly Hills resident said as the holiday gift-buying season entered its final days.

So-called social shopping websites like ThisNext are uniting people the world over through their love of conspicuous consumption. By mentioning a product, a self-appointed authority can convert it from unknown junk to a must-have in moments. That's made superstars like Sweet popular with manufacturers trying to spread the word about their products.

So far, ThisNext has recorded more than 155,000 clicks on items based on Sweet's recommendations alone.

On Kaboodle, another social shopping site, members can check out recommendations from "featured Kaboodlers," who have lists of things they want, including "things for my cat" and "accessories and jewelry." The site had 4 million unique visitors in November, up from 1 million in June, and has sold ad space to major brands such as Crest and Visa.

"We're drawing on the wisdom of the crowds," said Manish Chandra, Kaboodle's founder and chief executive.

The crowds have eclectic tastes. Among the products made popular by online advocates: Walkie Bits, which are little turtles that move across tabletops; a faucet that changes colors based on the temperature of the water coming out of it; and a $50 watch that says NOW on its face instead of giving the time.

Morgan Bennett, creator of the watch, said sales spiked after the public relations director of ThisNext persuaded him to post the watch on the site. It hadn't been advertised anywhere else.

"One guy picked it, and then boom, some guy from Norway was looking at it," Bennett said. "Now they're pretty much sold out."

Although the sites provide links to places online where shoppers can buy the products listed, many members use them for getting ideas rather than shopping. When they intend to buy something, nearly 70% of U.S. consumers start their online shopping at a specific merchant's website, and only 0.08% start at Kaboodle, according to research firm EMarketer Inc.

For those who post on such sites, the lure of being known by peers as a person of impeccable taste is irresistible. Emily Boss, a member of ThisNext, said it's an ego boost when people e-mail you to compliment you on your fashion sense or mark your review as funny. She's part of the new ThisNext Maven program, selected by the company's staff as one of the site's more prominent tastemakers.

"There's definitely a feeling of being influential in a community that has a celebrity aspect to it," she said.

The sites have even made shopping celebrities out of fictional characters. Lizzie Nichols, a character in a series of novels by Meg Cabot, has a ThisNext fashion-and-beauty-favorites list, which includes underwear and fake eyelashes. (Fake shoppers, apparently, need fake eyelashes.)

Cabot's own list doesn't tell people to buy her book, but she is one of many people on the sites who have products for sale. Boss, the ThisNext Maven, works for an e-commerce company and sometimes recommends things her company sells.

Indeed, it can be difficult to tell whether an expert who suggests a purchase has a special interest in promoting it. Most of the websites try to block companies from posting -- rather than advertising -- their products.

But such companies as L.A.-based Marketingworks, which sells word-of-mouth marketing services, sends its "brand ambassadors" to various websites, including social shopping sites, where they set up profiles and talk about products the company is promoting.

Brand ambassadors "don't just go in there and converse," said Marketingworks Chief Executive Chas Salmore, "they have a loose, structured script to use to talk about the value of a particular promotion."

For Classic Media's "The Original Christmas Classics DVD Box Set," for instance, brand ambassadors were told it might be effective to say something along the lines of: "What's your favorite Christmas Classic? A lot of people really love 'The Little Drummer Boy.' 7 Christmas Classics are together in one DVD Set called 'The Original Christmas Classics.' I have the inside scoop because I work for them."

Salmore said the company wasn't spamming, but rather providing useful tips and inside information about things like upcoming sales and sweepstakes.

Many members and recommenders on social shopping sites say they don't care if someone has a vested interest in a product as long as he or she is honest about ties with the company.

As a popular recommender on ThisNext, Sweet gets lots of offers of swag and has accepted a free gift from a company she later reviewed. But she said her word-of-mouth couldn't be bought.

"I'm very particular about what I post," she said. "I'm not shilling for anyone. I'm just talking about things I like and admire."

alana.semuels@latimes.com

And congrats to Matt Condron, David Buckingham and Thisnext!!!

Since this nice little bit of press, I've been fortunate enough to receive some more wonderful mentions. For more recent press or an If It's Hip, It's Here press kit, please contact me.


Thanks so much!

Ego Lifestyle's New Galaxy Collection. Another Addition To the Luxury Notebook Line

Mention luxury and laptop and most people think Tulip's Ego Lifestyle Notebooks. As they should. Portable laptops with built-in chrome handles covered in exotic skins and lacquers, as well as studded with diamonds. But now, they've come out with yet another luxe edition, the Swarovski crystal-studded Galaxy Collection.

As their own press release reads:
"Glitter and Glamour. The Ego-Galaxy collection has a glittering appearance as it is embedded with hundreds of Swarovski crystals. The leather on the skins originates from Italy and has been treated with a special laser technique, resulting in a unique decorative pattern. The Ego-Galaxy collection contains four samples: orphine (set with transparent-, opal- and champagne-coloured Swarovski crystals), cosmos (with green-, purple- and emerald-tinted Swarovski crystals), celestial (with the spring colours of 2008, yellow-, opal- and sea green-coloured Swarovski crystals) and aura (white and purple tinted cow skin, with deep purple coloured Swarovski crystals)."


Above: One of the new Swarovski-studded paisley leather Galaxy Collection notebooks by Tulip Ego. Sold exclusively through www.ego-lifestyle.com



About us (in their own words)
The company, established in 2003, is engaged in the design, production, distribution and marketing of luxury lifestyle products. To that end, Ego Lifestyle works closely together with leading international companies and organisations in the fashion, luxury and lifestyle sectors.



We came up with a totally simple idea a few years ago: a notebook that you can carry like a bag. The idea was transformed into a full-scale and unique project and after years of research and development we are proud to present 'ego': the world's most luxurious notebook and portable dvd player in one.

Cornerstones
The Ego brand has been built around three main cornerstones, (1) Easy Going (easiness of use), (2) Luxury and Design and (3) Mobility. These cornerstones form the basic elements around which each Ego product is build.




Focusing on optimal user experience, Ego concentrates on keeping close control on all of its activities. Therefore, each Ego is handmade in their own European Ego ateliers from the finest handpicked and superior quality materials.

Heritage
Ego has strong roots in development and marketing of electronic technology. Ego Lifestyle B.V. originated from Tulip Distribution and International Holding that was entitled to the exclusive rights of the Tulip brand from Tulip N.V., Europe’s leading computer manufacturer in the 70’s. Tulip N.V. still holds the first European license of Microsoft Corporation.

Building on this past technology know how, Ego started developing independent activities in 2002. Founded by Huub van den Boogaard, the Ego concept engendered immense press attention from all over the globe as turning the market around.

Completely breaking with traditional design and use of computers, Ego became the first to integrate luxury materials and groundbreaking design into highly functional handmade luxury electronics.

Each Ego is a unique handmade lifestyle piece of electronic jewellery equipped with the latest proven technology.



Handmade
Every ego is manufactured at our high-quality atelier using dedicated craftsmanship to make sure that every ego is unique and features unsurpassed excellent product quality and finishing. Completely personalised to match your desires, it could be your ego.

Changeable skins
The notebook's changeable skins mean you can always make it match your successful contemporary lifestyle by simply changing the outer skin using the clever locking mechanism. The skins are available separately in leather or with a lacquer finish.

Our design team selects only the finest quality materials to ensure every ego meets the highest standards of excellence.

Truly personal
The current world of mass production triggers the desire for exclusivity and personalisation. Ego enables fulfilment of this desire by offering a large selection of choices in finishing, artwork, fabrics and the finest quality leather. Unique, because every ego is handmade at our own high-quality atelier.

Ego Lifestyle B.V. is located in an historical building in Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands.


Above: their least expensive cover.

Above: a special diamond studded cover that sold for $30,000.

Below are just some of their exotic skins and leathers (click on pic to enlarge):





Diamond and Platinum Collection


Ego Diamond & Ego Platinum, a remarkable lifestyle piece of electronic jewellery equipped with the latest proven technology.

The skins of the Ego Diamond & Ego Platinum are made of superior quality leathers. Ego features a broad selection of leathers that can be selected to create the ultimate personal luxury experience. All skins are set with gold ornaments set with sparkling diamonds.

Based on the Ego Signature, the Ego Diamond and Ego Platinum provide you with the ultimate personal experience. Like an haute jewellery piece, both the Ego Diamond and Ego Platinum can be tailor made to your specific desires. Use of materials like 18 carat white gold, polished platinum, and Top Wesselton V.V.S. 1 quality diamonds make the Ego Diamond and Ego Platinum articulate luxury statements.

Truly unique, as the skins can be encrusted with a gold or platinum logo, letter or initial set with diamonds. The Ego Diamond carries your personal signature on the inside on the spacebar.





Limited Editions

Monique Colligon


An exclusive fusion of unique fashionable design and ultimate functionality.
Ego MC, when haute couture meets technology.

Following its roots, Ego joined forces with famous Dutch Couturier Monique Collignon to establish the ultimate link to fashion. This cooperation resulted in the Ego MC, a completely personalised electronic fashion statement.

With outer skins specially designed by Monique Collignon with the Collignon logo embossed in four different colours and leathers, the signature of Monique Collignon on the keyboard, the special limited edition number and name engraved in two 18 carat white gold ornaments and the personalised handwritten card by Monique, the Ego MC is a fusion between haute couture and luxury electronics.




Jan des Bouvrie
Ego by Jan, the premium luxury notebook designed to embody your expressive style.
A fusion of two revolutionary brand synergised into a unique cooperation ego by jan.
Dedicated attention has been given by jan des bouvrie to add functional design to the already revolutionary design of the ego notebook.




Special handpainted/ airbrushed and signed Spiderman edition by artist Andy Davis:


Please visit their site for technical specs and additional information.

Buy any of the above ego notebooks here.

Update: Their newest Ego for Bentley:




available in various colored leathers, learn more here.


And then you've got to check out their hip versions with sayings and more here.

Ego Lifestyle B.V.
Parade 15
5211 KL 's-Hertogenbosch
The Netherlands
T +31 (0)73 692 95 00
F +31 (0)73 692 95 09
E question@ego-lifestyle.com