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

Lampersand. An Ampersand Lamp Keeps Type Lovers Illuminated.

The new Ampersand Lamp (or Lampersand) from Goodwin and Goodwin will illuminate any type lover's life. Made in England, it's white powder-coated metal with a red cord and makes a perfect bedside or table lamp for the font-friendly.

details:

Dimensions: W23cm H25cm D12cm
price: £124.95 ($186.50 USD)

Buy it here

New Bic Ballpoint Pen Portraits On Ephemera By Artist Mark Powell

Sure I doodle on old envelopes, documents and newspapers, but my doodles consist of shaded cubes and poorly drawn body parts. Not those of artist Mark Powell, however. Like the work of Spanish artist Juan Francisco Casas, Mark uses a Bic Biro pen to draw and shade realistic portraits. His canvases are various vintage envelopes, maps and newspapers dating back to 1819.

The stunning Angophora House by Richard Cole Architecture, a small design based studio located on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, Australia, was just shortlisted in the Australian 2013 Houses Awards in the category of New House over 200 square meters. And I've got a thorough look at both the exterior and interior for you.

You may have heard of Kombucha. It's a fermented sweetened tea beverage said to be a powerful probiotic. Filled with antioxidants, it's a low sugar, carbonated drink that originated centuries ago and controversially claims to 'detoxify the body and energize the mind.'

Whether or not you are a Kombucha-believer, this interesting product/project dreamed up by commercial photographer Michael Faye combines his lifelong love of dogs and his holistic beliefs in one bottle.

After coming up with his own Kombucha brew through much experimentation, he built a factory from the ground up to produce the bottled beverage. He then decided to photograph homeless dogs and put them on the label to try to help them find homes - and voila! KOMBUCHA DOG was born.

Each dog pictured on their label is available for adoption now at a local no-kill fostering program and can be contacted through their website. The website lists the dogs presently looking for homes, along with lovely multiple portraits of each sweet canine by Michael Faye. I really wish I could take all of them home.

At present Kombucha Dog you can find Kombucha dog here).

And here's a look at some of the beautifully photographed dogs by Michael Faye for the project:

Humphrey Bogart:

Molly:

Mimi:

Donut:

Stewart:

Captain Jack:

Emma:

Chalon:

KOMBUCHADOG

Michael Faye

Mexico Unveils A New Supercar, The Vuhl 05. And Here's 40 Photos Of It.

The VŪHL 05 is a brand new street-legal road car being built in Central America by the Echeverria brothers. Details on the extremely lightweight, six-speed manual Supercar have just been released and I have the "official" photos that all the car mags have PLUS lots of unofficial images of the vehicle for you.

Lest you think only tacky folk and rednecks chew on toothpicks, let me correct you. Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Zac Efron, Robert Pattison, Ashton Kutcher, Jude Law (and son Rafferty), P. Diddy and Chace Crawford are all toothpick chompers.

AriZona Beverages has teamed up with Shaquille O'Neal to launch an all-natural cream soda line. SODA SHAQ, named for the basketball legend known for his personality, has hit the market in AriZona's signature single-serve 23.5oz. can from Rexam.

SODA SHAQ contains real vanilla from Madagascar, is sweetened with pure cane sugar and has just 90 calories per serving. Like all AriZona products, it is made with no artificial colors or preservatives and is available in Original Vanilla Cream, Orange Cream, Blueberry Cream and Strawberry Cream flavors.

"We are excited to expand our offerings to include a great carbonated beverage innovation based on a soda shop classic," said Don Vultaggio, Chairman of AriZona Beverages. "With nearly a third less calories than the competition, SODA SHAQ's great-tasting and all-natural cream sodas are perfect for consumers looking for variety. And through our continued partnership with Rexam, we are bringing them to market in another great version of our iconic big cans."

The new can designs (of which there are 8 for the flour flavors) include the tagline "A Big Can for the Big Man" and prominently feature Shaq's famous likeness.

Rich Grimley, president and CEO, Rexam BCNA, says, "As the industry leader in 24oz. 'big' can production, we continue to grow our relationship with AriZona Beverages, supporting this brand extension with an ideal packaging choice that delivers superior recycling and environmental benefits as well as filling and distribution economics."

SODA SHAQ is currently available at retailers nationwide at a suggested retail price of $.99 per can.

www.drinksodashaq.com

Cross Dressing Portraits Make A Point In The Men Under The Influence.

"The men under the influence..." is a series of portraits by photographer Jon Uriarte that address the recent change in roles in heterosexual relationships and how those changes have affected men in particular. The project consists of full-length portraits of men wearing the clothes of their girlfriends or wifes, taken in the space shared by the couple.

The photos attempt to capture men's sense of loss reference, now that women have taken a step forward and have finally come into their own as equal partners.

Below are all of the images from the project.

Carlos wearing Nina's clothes:

Victor wearing Ana's clothes:

Santi wearing Sabela's clothes:

Javi wearing Gabi's clothes:

Guillermo wearing Beatriz' clothes:

Nick wearing Reiko's clothes:

Marcos wearing Lucia's clothes:

Matias wearing Sarah's clothes:

Steve wearing Fonlin's clothes:

Lastly, the photographer himself, wearing Ainara's clothes:

photos and project description courtesy of Jon Uriarte

A special thanks to Feature Shoot for bringing this project to my attention

Jon Uriarte

Better Living Through Chemistry. Contemporary Capsule Sculptures by Edie Nadelhaft.

BLTC: Limited Edition Sculptures
Better Living Thru Chemistry is a limited edition sculpture series consisting of over-sized glass and mixed media capsule-shaped objects emblazoned with text messages, abbreviations, acronyms and slang. A snarky commentary on our over-medicated society, Edie was inspired in equal parts by the ubiquitous presence of social media in contemporary culture and the simultaneous rise of direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical marketing. This collection pokes fun at the alternately amusing and depressing correlations between the two phenomena as both are enlisted to over-simplify the human condition and expedite contentment.

Most American flag related home furnishings are either very country or cutesy in style. But here's a selection of nicely made, well designed furniture with the Stars and Stripes motif from various designers and companies, all of which are available for purchase.

Andrew Martin's Armstong leather distressed sofa with old American flag: