If It's Hip, It's Here (Archives)

Icon Bricks Are Sterling Silver And Gemstone Lego Like Jewelry & Cuff Links.

above: Icon Brick necklaces are an elegant version of the classic Lego toys

A lot of crafty people (and I mean skilled craftsmen not deceitful or underhanded people) have created jewelry inspired by or made from Lego® blocks. But many of them are either plastic or metal, giving them a novelty and juvenile look and feel.

above: sterling silver Icon cufflinks are the grown-up and upscale version of Legos for men.

The sterling silver Icon collection by jewelry designer Max Steiner is one of the more elegant and tasteful versions of the jewelry homage to the childhood favorite. Available with real gemstones, the sterling silver pieces are fine jewelry with a fun flair.

Available as thick or thin Icon Brick pendants /necklaces, cufflinks and earrings, the Legos aka blox aka bricks are cast in sterling silver and faithful to the classic toy's design in front and back:

The pieces are available in plain sterling silver or inset with emeralds, rubies or black diamonds:

In addition to the actual pieces, the packaging for the necklaces and earrings is a custom hand-crafted and laser engraved Mahogany box:

Shop for them here

A Macabre Mouthful. Beautiful Silver Skull Spoons By Tom Sale aka Pinky Diablo.

Combining the imagery of death with an instrument used to nourish is an artistic juxtaposition found in the hand-crafted spoons by Dallas artist Pinky Diablo, aka Tom Sale. He has taken vintage silverplate and sterling silver spoons of various sizes and creatively turned them into Skull Spoons, or Skoons, if you will.

The original and individual skulls spoons vary in size, texture and some even have engraved words on the back. Some have a twist in the handle, some are teaspoons, others are serving spoons. And in addition to the human skulls, Tom has created cow and cattle skull spoons as well. Each has what appears to be either a bullet hole or a gash in the heads of the skulls (undoubtedly the cause of death).

Now, I wouldn't attempt to eat peas with these suckers, but you can display them in a shadow box, on a table or simply suspend them from a string like the artist has exhibited them:

If you'd like a spoonful of spookiness, the individual pieces of flatware, which are only $45 a piece, can be ordered directly from the artist via e-mail. He will choose the skull spoon for you. I can't wait to see what he sends me!

all images in this post are courtesy of artist Tom Sale

Clever and Cool Curling Container for Häagen-Dazs Ice Cream by Cedric Ragot.

To celebrate its 50 year anniversary, Häagen-Dazs ice cream brand invited several artists to imagine exclusive objects celebrating the tasting ritual of a Häagen-Dazs ice cream.

The 28'18" Moment (28 minute, 18 second) designed by Cedric Ragot, is a take off on the ice sport of Curling. The name is a result of the average time it takes to eat an entire pint of Häagen-Dazs, according to Ragot, although I'm pretty sure I could do it in half that time.

The curling tub contains a tub of ice cream, an Ice Twist, a spoon imagined as a "tool of tasting", along with a DVD of the movie, 28 minutes and 18 seconds by Thomas Lélu with music by SomethingALaMode.

above: the design protoypes by Cedric Ragot

above: the Ice Twist Spoon

In addition to being a design item that was unveiled at the Salon du Design in Milan last April, the Curling is also isotherm, portable and durable. Perfect for summer picnics, its rotational molding design offers all the necessary features to be faithful to Cédric Ragot's first drawing: respect of the handle's oblong shape, no molded screw for a secure closure. The Curling needed 6 months of technical development and two months for the design of the mold.

The unique commemorative package design is available throughout France only in a limited edition of 250 pieces, but you can pre-order it online at Colette.

While researching for this post, I came across this totally fun Curling ice cube tray:

You can buy the curling cube tray here.

Ah, the Sweet Smell of Design. Pantone Candles. Pantone Toothbrushes, Too!

Ah, so that's what PMS 15-5217 smells like.
Pantone Universe (the company behind the Pantone Matching System of colored inks) just keeps pumping out the products - this is actually my thirteenth post on Pantone-related products.

The latest Pantone-branded item for the home from the color inks standard are scented Pantone candles in three sizes and 10 PMS colors. Apparently the candles are created by Belgium-based Ilanga for Pantone and like many of the their products for the home, they do not seem to be available in the US, at least not yet.

Although there is a dedicated website, it is not up and running, but you can purchase some of the candles at Vinçon (only Honeysuckle and twilight) and at Colette (where they carry 7 of them in two sizes).

Pantone Toothbrushes & Pantone Contact Lens Cases

In addition to the candles, other new offerings from the Pantone Universe are Pantone Toothbrushes in a set of five and Pantone Contact Lens cases.