Happy Holidays!

We will be taking a blog break until Jan 2, 2007...We would like to wish everyone a very, very happy new year and holiday season and want to leave you with a pretty Christmas design by Betty Bo Ra Kim...Check her out...In the meantime, feel free to email us with news, submissions, or just to say hi! We love hearing from you. Happy holidays, all!

Time Is Money clock

Nice piggy bank. The Time Is Money clock. Available at Atypyk.

Via BLTD.

Vanpey

A smart way to be able to hang out on the couch and have a drink as well (especially if you don't have a coffee table or side table like me - doh! small nyc apartments!). This is the SofaHanger, by German designer Ralf Paul Schmitz for Vanpey. It's custom made to fit your sofa, and is made of aluminum with a walnut veneer. I also like the little side table with the hidden storage...Very nice.

Via Designspotter.

Be Open Bottle Opener

The Be Open Bottle Opener is something I first saw Kevin and Alex use on Diggnation. You put it on the top of the bottle, push down and the bottle cap pops off and is held to the opener by the magnetic ring on the bottom. It's seriously a great way to open a bottle. Watch any of this year's video episodes of diggnation and you will see how it works. The stainless steel version is $25.00. I'm waiting for one with the Digg logo.

The Sawfish

While this may sound like a pretty ridiculous idea, The Triton Logging Company is a company that specializes in harvesting underwater lumber. The underwater forests are created by flooding due to new hydro-electric dams built throughout the world. There are an estimated 300 million trees that are now underwater and waiting to be harvested around the globe, worth some $500 Million USD.

Their primary tool is The Sawfish, a proprietary hybrid of an Unmanned Underwater Vehicle a logging machine. It is real and is actively harvesting underwater forests in British Columbia, Canada.

Bravo for unconventional ideas.

Jason Sho Green

I love these paper doll gift tags from Jason Sho Green. Very cool.

Via NotCot.

Cero Designs

More pretty bracelets! These are made of various wood veneers and are lined on the interior with sterling silver. Designed by Tadd Sackville-West of Cero Designs, the bracelets come in two widths: the 1.25" Maru and the 2" Kyasha.

Emiliano Godoy

A beautiful shelving unit made from recycled Cerelac cans by Emiliano Godoy. Maybe it's more difficult to fabricate these than I imagine, but the fact that the cans are held together by glue is a bummer - I wish they were attached to each other with screws or rivets or something nicer than hot glue. At any rate, this is an attractive, versatile storage unit and the nicest part of the idea is that it is DIY.

Laura Bethan Wood

Another cup that makes the most of stains. These are from British designer Laura Bethan Wood. Designed in anticipation of the damage caused by use, a graphic emerges as the cups slowly stain over time. This is one cup that looks better with age.

Via Cool Hunting.

Half Shark Alligator Half Man

The Alligator Lopper, by Black & Decker, is the sickest looking yard tool I have ever seen. It's a mini-chainsaw(!) with a jaw to grip and chop large branches or small logs.

Bleach Design

A cork vase from Portuguese design firm Bleach Design. I like the contrast between the glossy porcelain on top and textured cork on the bottom. The cork base keeps your tabletops safe. I think the cork stool is pretty cute, too.

Yabettasupadont

I don't have a name other than yabettasupadont for this jewelry designer but check out these cuffs! I don't normally wear bracelets, but I like these a lot. I love the recycled fabrics. Very nice.

Chad Oppenheim

Chad Oppenheim is a Miami based architect (and cornell architecture grad - yeshimesh). The majority of the images on his website are renderings rather than pictures of built works, but regardless, what I like about his work is his interest in the facade. His facades become skins, layered to filter light, air, public and private. Responding to Miami's climate, he often incorporates exposed interior walkways and gardens by pulling the building's skin away from the building's main mass.

Via Inhabitat.

David Wiseman

Beautiful ceramic work from David Wisemen...This particular shape finds its way into a lot of David's work - there are bronze and glass versions as well. These pieces seem to refer to terrain - both remind me of aerial views of a mountaintop. Lovely!

Via Shiny Squirrel.

We Are Engaged!

After midnight on a beautiful and warm night in December, at the reflecting pool of Lincoln Center, I proposed and Anna accepted! The rain on the ground was reflecting the lights in the trees and the plaza was all ours. There was a dance to an old Etta James song and a little bottle of champagne for our first toast as an engaged couple. It has been a long time coming and we are excited to begin our new lives together.

Happy Holidays!

K. Talis

Gorgeous jewelry from Katie Covington of K. Talis. Katie pairs vintage finds (keys, glass buttons, shoe buckles, enamel flowers) with fine metal work.

Via Oh Joy!

The Kim Family Benefit Art and Craft Auction

This is really nice: Lisa Congdon, Stephanie Barnes and Gerrie Congdon have organized an arts and craft auction to benefit the Kim family. There are over 40 artists and designers who contributed items to the auction, with products raging from paintings, prints, ceramics, soft toys, jewelery, paper goods, and home decor. 100% of the money raised will go to Kati Kim and her kids. Bidding will begin January 3rd and end January 7th. Please check out this great cause!

Via Design*Sponge.

April Star Davis

Lovely jewelry from April Star Davis.

The Wave Hanger

The Wave Hanger, designed by Nanni Holen, is a simple bent metal hanger for your house or apartment. Clean, durable and fun, it would look great in any kid's room or schoolhouse. The hangers are sold in pairs for ~$60USD from Design House Stockholm.

Richard Saja

I just came across Richard Saja via the Oh Joy! blog. His work is super cool - among other embroidered products, he takes toiles and reinterprets them with his embroidered details. I love it! This particular piece was for The Future Perfect in Williamsburg.

Oeuf

Super sweet knitwear for kids from Oeuf. A scarf that you don't have to worry about losing, and a two-in-one mitten.

Via Inhabitat.

Starbury's (In)Conspicuous Consumption

Stephon Marbury, whose 2006 NBA salary was listed as $14,625,000, has taken it upon himself to start a footwear line. Like many other pros, his name is the draw and appeal for the new brand.

The big catch is that the shoes and clothing are priced below $20/pair. In a culture that favors the more expensive and more flashy, it is commendable that Marbury has created a company that allows everyone to engage the 'premium' genre of star products. The Crossovers above cost only $10(!). The shoes are available at Steve and Barry Stores throughout the U.S.

Nidhi Malhotra

Nidhi Malhotra is a California-based graphic designer. I like her contour drawings, and her use of white space in the top image.

Edwin Gardner

This is a beautiful idea: bullet lights by Edwin Gardner. He proposes reusing the shells of old bullet-riddled buildings in Beirut by turning them into light boxes throughout the city. I like the idea of taking a remnant of war and transforming it into a positive memorial of sorts.

Via bldgblog.

Flexicado

The kitchen is the realm of fringe gadgetry like melon ballers, olive pitters and garlic presses. The Flexicado by David Holcomb for Chef'N is no exception. The tool is run through the halved avocado, and the green fruit is peeled from the skin and sliced into wedges in one motion, ready to eat.

Modern Bamboo

Beautiful bamboo chairs from Modern Bamboo. I like the simple lines and the texture of the grain.

Designimdorf

I hate incense, but these are cute, especially this time of year...reminds me of the miniature town models that seem to spout up at this time...From Designimdorf.

Via HFHA.

Wobble Salt and Pepper Shakers

I've always loved these Wobble Salt and Pepper Shakers. So cute! They rock back and forth but never fall over. and can be easily unscrewed for refills.

Pimp your bike

This is so cool! Pimp out your bike with electronic images...It comes with software that allows you to upload bitmaps, or to create your own. It's too bad it's such a battery sucker - it goes through 3 AA batteries in 10 hours. Maybe someone can come up with a way to use kinetic energy to charge the batteries or something. I'm not smart enough but I'm sure someone else is!

Via Core77.

Flöz Design

This is a nice Tea Stick Infuser from Flöz Design. I love drinking tea, but in the case that I don't want to drink a whole pot, this is a nice alternative...

Monika Strasser

Monika Strasser makes beautiful jewelry from antique silverware. These rings are gorgeous!

Modus Design

This is a not the best image, but I love the idea of the double ended vase. Very cool. From Modus Design, a ceramic studio in New York City.

Wappa Cup

This Wappa cup is made from the traditional Japanese technique of bending cedar wood. The cedar wood acts as an insulator, which keeps your drinks cooler or warmer longer. Water enhances the cedar's smell, and hot water brings out the scent even more.

The Art Dump

The Art Dump is the collective of artists responsible for the creative direction of Girl and Chocolate skateboards. There are a few monoprints available on the Foundation Gallery for sale for only $50 ea. A monoprint is a non-reproducible print that is one-of-a-kind. Snap them up while you can.

Naef Toys

Such a great puzzle from Naef Toys. It's six puzzles in one! You can put together an elephant, monkey, lion, owl, hare or bear, or even a hare-bare or a lion-key. It's an exquisite corpse puzzle.

Via Swissmiss.

Sigrid Widmoser

Beautiful jewelry from Sigrid Widmoser. I love the rough quality of both the metal and the stones that she uses. The organic rings are pretty nice, too.

Via Hoping for Happy Accidents.

Muji - NYC In A Bag

Muji's New York in a Bag is a wooden toy set of NYC monuments like the Chrysler Building, Statue of Liberty and The Guggenheim. A gift for kids and adults.