Showpony: Original, Organic and Very Clever Products

Emma Henderson launched Showpony in 2006 with the aim of producing fun and engaging printed products for the home and accessories market.

Self described as being "passionate about creating new products but remaining committed to sustainable design, all of Showpony's products are made using organic cotton which is hand spun and woven by a fair-trade cooperative."

Emma's designs are clever and unique. Inspired by honesty in nature and poking fun at real life she creates products that are functional and beautiful.

Kippen, her beautiful dog, takes a more passive role.


Now, the products:
Vintage Shoppers



These totes are simple bags made of fair trade organic cotton, but printed upon them are images of Victorian and antique handbags and purses that give the product both a fun illusion and unique style:






"Hiding Place" pillows and purses contain a secret of their own.





What appear to be seemingly sweet floral pillow and purses, these "Hiding Place" products by Showpony have a fun little twist. The fabric between the pleats reveals a darker side:


Above: between the pleats lurk spiders and ants

Hot Dogs:



The Adorable Hot Dog Water Bottles feature a bulldog named Daisy and an airedale named Jack. Filled with heat and lavendar, these puppies are microwavable and will hold their cozy heat for up to two hours.




Kitchen Commandments




Another product that makes you look twice are her fair trade organic cotton kitchen towels.
Upon close inspection, one can see that the text on 'Keep it Clean' and 'Do The Dishes' are made up of crawling ants and dirty dishes, respectively.




So, where can you buy these cute, clever and politically correct products?


In the US, you can purchase them at her Etsy store here.
In the UK, you can by them from All Things Original here.

Lovegrove & Repucci Now Do London Delft!

If you're a hipster, chances are you are familiar with Lovegrove & Repucci, the creative duo about which I've blogged before. Their latest "must have" is their new dinnerware, London Delft, a follow up to their very hot New York Delft Dinnerware.

The classic tradition of Dutch Delft craftsmanship now has a London calling. The ‘London Delft’ Porcelain dinnerware collection, new from Nicholas (Nick) Lovegrove and Demien Repucci. Each place setting is made of fine porcelain and has five pieces; a dinner plate, side plate, soup bowl, cup and saucer.

$100 for each five piece place setting.

above: the 10.5" dinnerplate from their latest London Delft Dinnerware

Above: dinner plate detail

Above: the 7.5" side plate

Above: side plate detail

Above: the 8" soup bowl

Above: the cup and saucer

And for those of you who have not seen the original New York Delft Dinnerware, here are some images from that collection:


above: New York Delft Dinnerware set


Above: Dinnerplate from the New York Delft Dinnerware

Buy either fabulous set of Delft Dinnerware here.

Noon Solar Fashion: Bags That Take Charge

Noon Solar creates bags for people who are equally conscious of style and sustainability. Their bags combine durable solar power charging capability with sustainable design and American based, socially responsible manufacturing.

Their previous collection (which is sold out):



.... and a sneak peek at some of the new, soon to hit the market, styles (courtesy of Goldarths):




Noon carefully chooses materials for their sustainability, longevity, and beauty, to design and create the next generation of totes and satchels. Using natural pigments, we hand-dye our hemp and cotton fabrics in house and feature only chrome-free leathers which have also been naturally dyed and tanned. Because natural dyes can vary from dye bath to dye bath, each bag is one-of-a-kind.

Their Noon Solar line integrates a flexible solar panel into the body of each bag, allowing it to charge your cell phone or iPod. By integrating solar panels into our bags, we offer not only the convenience of portable power, but also a means to incorporate renewable energy into your daily life.

As stated above, the following styles are all sold out, however, their new 2008 Spring Collection is supposedly available any day now and you can sign up to be alerted as to when, by signing up on their website.

The Cortland:
available in black (shown below) or chocolate



The Willow:
available in steel (shown below) and chocolate



The Logan:
available in chocolate (shown below) or black and chocolate



Solar power:
On the outside of your bag, there is a paper thin, flexible solar panel. This solar panel charges a battery pack located inside the bag to supply power for your cell phone or iPod, day or night. Simply place the solar panel in the bag towards the sun to collect usable energy.



Put it in your window at work, home, car, or on the train; face it towards the sun at a café; or walk/bike around town with the panel exposed. Even on cloudy or rainy days, energy is collected through the UV light of the sun.

On a bright, sunny day the battery should be fully charged in 6-8 hours. On a cloudy day the battery will require a bit more time. The battery pack will hold the sun’s energy for several days.



Included with each Noon Solar bag is a user manual explaining the specifics of solar energy and how to access and use it.

Specs:


Power Bank
* Selectable output voltage of DC 5.2V, 6.2V, 7.2V. Max output current is 1.8A, working current is 1.1A.
* Internal battery is 3.6V, 3600mAH.
* The battery box will change to power saver mode to conserve the battery while the output cable is NOT plugged in. If the output cable is plugged in, the battery box will change to work mode and will drain the battery even if your device is not plugged in.
* The Power Bank has overload and short circuit protection.
* FCC certified and CE approved.

Solar Panel
* Output is 7.2v, 300mA.
* The solar panel is completely water and weather proofed, and will continue to work even if it wears with age.
* You will not be harmed if the solar panel gets wet.

Precautions
* Do not damage the battery box or solar panel
* Do not burn or expose the battery box or solar panel to fire
* Please recycle the battery box, dispose of it properly, or mail it to us for recycling
* Do not open or dismantle the box

In addition to the solar bags, they plan on launching a collection simply called "Noon" this coming fall that offers the bags without the solar panels. Find out all about Noon Solar here.

Funky Find Of The Week: Randy Wood's Rubber Pillows & Erotic Homewares

The 12" square pillows made by Randy Wood are three dimensional and cast from a single mold. Available in red or black, you can choose from nose, face or... a dick.



Made with rubber, canvas and filler, they are bizarre but beautiful in their own weird way.


above: The face pillow

above: The nose pillow

above: The dick pillow

He actually has some G-rated ones like wings and hearts (shown in the first picture in this post) which I found over at urban peel. Those sell for $75.00 a piece, but the site is presently under construction.



Want to see the Randy Wood website? Check it out, but be forewarned, you should probably be 18+ because he clearly has a fixation with the male anatomy. The site sells erotic homewares (knobs, wall hooks, trays, candleholders, leather notebooks... even carving knives) all with the cast head of a penis as the design element:




The site proclaims that Porno vases and table Lamps are coming soon!

Buy the pillows and the above erotic items here at Randy Wood's site.