Ice Ice Baby

I've been through every single ice cube shape offered by IKEA and have found a major flaw in living with silicone ice trays: you have to be pretty coordinated not to wear their liquid contents as you manoeuvre from sink to freezer.  

Ice Lotus is a functional improvement, giving a bit of structure and a handy ice storage container all in one.  And I like it.

Verdict: Frosty reception or warm reception?

Panting For Pantone

I love green and I love that I own a vintage pantone fan deck for colour perving whenever the mood takes me.

What I don't love is that the genii behind iPhone cases seem to have only started flexing their creative muscles since the iPhone 4 came out, leaving us iPhone 3 owners to suffer in our obsolesence.  Find them at Case Scenario

Verdict: Panting or Pants Down?

You Say Mutato, I Say Mutato

This.  Is.  Wonderful.

A year or so ago I was introduced to the idea of arranging household items by colour by some anonymous contributor to the blogosphere, and unable to execute it in my bookshelves (due to a combination of multicoloured book spines and a determined, if rigid adherence to sorting first by genre, second by author) I applied the technique to a t-shirt collection.  The itch was scratched... somewhat.  As I work my way through the rest of this angst-ridden day (a nephew is imminent), I may turn my eye for colour to the products in the kitchen cupboards... because i've already cleaned the windows, dusted the venetians and cleared the cobwebs from the corners.

A print is available of this work by Uli Westphal, and I am going to have to SERIOUSLY think about snapping one up.  Thanks Swiss Miss for the post.

Reminiscent of Rubik

My favourite of all the Rubiks' was the snake.  Apart from a brief period in about 1990 where I had mastery over the 'rings', it was the only puzzle I could consistently solve without the removal of stickers (look it's a stick... now it's a ball... now it's a stick again... tah dah!).

I've been on the hunt for a good-lookin' set of shelves, and these certainly fit the bill... however function is of equal importance and as I am not looking for a place to display origami, stick like pot plans and vintage cameras, I think sadly the search continues.

Verdict: Shelve It or Hang It?

Vegan Fun

From the days when wasting 'perfectly good food' was encouraged.

It is hot hot hot outside so I am spending today in a dark, cool room scouring the interwebs for what interests me... and a blog about vintage kids books is the first cab off the rank.  The above illustration comes from a book called 'McCalls Golden Do-It Book' and there are more activities pictured here.

No verdict sought this time... for this is just something that tickles me.

Shhh... They're Made of Wood

These wooden framed sunglasses are either the most pretentious thing I've ever seen or the most awesome.  Judging by the retro TAB cola styling of the photo gallery on the Shwood site, it's probably the former.

Verdict: High-waisted jean short eyewear equivalent or cargo pant?

Waste Not Want Not

One day I would like to have a dining table and chairs made in the image of these Offcut Stools by Ben Edwards from Edwards Moore Architects.  I would really like that dining set to be in a funky warehouse with towering walls adorned with unique commissioned artworks ... but I guess I could live with just the dining set.

I can see myself beginning a little collection of offcut wood in a corner of the backyard, not unlike my little collection of discarded plastic paraphernalia that I hope to one day turn into something cool.

Verdict:  Cut it off or Count Me In?

Thank Heavens for Herringbone

I like this wallet and I like that it seems to be called a Trouser Wallet... I guess because it is made out of trousers or material that you might usually see in the shape of trouser.

Not much more to say about that.

Toaster Coaster

Coasters... perhaps another addition to the coat hook/bookend/wall clock list of redundant things?  I've owned a few sets in my time yet still have no qualms about putting my water glass straight onto a table.

But these ones are funny... not the least for the fun you could have with members of the ageing population... right up until the point that they smear devilled ham all over your funky cork coaster and ruin the fun for everyone.

Verdict: Coast or Toast?

Tetris Made Tangible

It's never too early to give a child the gift of obsessive tetris hallucinations - you know, those delusions circa 1991 when you just wanted one of the L-shaped pieces to slot into that air gap between two tall buildings in the city skyline?  No?  Just me?

Anyway, blocks are timeless... Tetris is somewhat timeless (not pre-nineties, but that doesn't count), and here they are... together at last.  Good Wood blocks, as seen on Notcot.

Verdict: Tetris or Mario?

Walk This Way

Look at the little people!  Look at them.  All exuberant and happy... as if on their way home from a fair... full of fairy floss and other stick food. 

If I had a trendy minimalist warehouse office space in Surry Hills, I would definitely want these little guys around to keep me company.  Walk This Way wall graphic via Supermarket... and all I have to say to that is 'Supermarket, where have you been all my life?'.

Verdict: Walk this way or talk this way?

Good Design, Flat Out

Desile Folding Chair thanks to Better Living Through Design... but being from a family of ample rumps, I suspect this one is for the slim-hipped and skinny jeaned alone.

Verdict: Flat or Flexed?

A Slice Of History

There are a lot of wall clocks doing the rounds of design stores these days.  With almost every home appliance offering an accurate digital representation of the time all day, every day, I've wondered whether wall clocks are another thing like bookends and coathooks that are nice and all, but functionally obsolete.  But this one captures my imagination... because a big antique grandfather clock is too much for most homes, but the essence is still kind of cool and quaint.  And this clock slice preserves that essence but eliminates the clunk... yes?

Verdict: mice run up the clock, or the mice run down?

Out With the New, In With the Old

I just want to take the opportunity to publicly worship George Nelson Bubble Lamps, having privately done so for quite some time.

Some years ago, our collective hearts skipped when we saw one of these in an overpriced retro furniture store in Annandale (not for sale, I might note) and the pursuit began.  Sure, I could get it for a reasonable price with free shipping to anywhere in the US... but getting it to 'us' was a labour of love... and exorbitant postage.  But once my love's heart has skipped, there is no unskipping it, and with thanks to a heavily pregnant and patient friend stationed helpfully in Boston, the lamp was shipped and took up residence pride-of-place in our entrance hallway and not a day goes by where I don't look up and think every cent was worth it... even though it does make me feel a bit like one of those twats you see on Grand Designs who spends way over their budget for some minor designy detail from an artisan based in some remote region of Scandinavia.

Why a US$269 lamp should be sold here for AUS$650+, I will never understand.

Little Boxes on the Hillside

They ARE made out of 'ticky tacky' and they DO look just the same, but they're created from recycled 'houses' (whatever that means) and in a more useful shape than traditional post-it notes (when it comes to flagging pages in books anyway).    Created by Japanese architects Jun Inokuma and Yuri Naruse, these would make a delightful addition to one's stationery cupboard ... and came my way via Swiss Miss... Core 77... Spoon & Tamago etc.

Verdict: Little boxes of goodness or little boxes of badness?

... Or Be Square

A deviation from the 'beautiful' to the 'bizarre'... found while trying to find a link to the 'clack'.

I can safely say that at no stage of my life have I thought 'geez, I like eggs... I just wish they weren't so round!'.  But in case you have, here is where you can find the Egg Squarer.

More Eggciting Egg Cup Developments

Is this the most beautiful way to present a boiled egg?  Admittedly, it would be quite the uphill battle decapitating and eating an egg with the provided fork, but lets not punish the designer for the sins of the photographer/stylist.

Perhaps a better companion piece to this 'birds nest egg cup' by Studio Gijs would be the 'Clack', a simple, beautiful, yet somewhat useless device that I stumbled across in a snobby culinary megastore recently that essentially performs a neat circumcision for your boiled egg.  Now THAT would make for a picture perfect breakfast product shot.

Verdict: Fork It or Spoon Me?

Make A Wish

I've recently joined Etsy, both because it seems like an online community I'd like to be part of and to help Materialist Australia with a little online visibility in the craft realm.  There are some real treasures to be found, such as this beautiful letterpress Dandelion card from sweetharvey, and I am very touched to have already been included in a 'Partridge in a Pear Tree' related 'treasury' with my funny little pears.

I'm not sure about stocking cards in the store... but then again, I do have a 'Stationery' section already...?

Grand Designs

My love of papery things goes beyond my ever increasing collection of pop-up books for adults, and as a result my new favourite blog is Upon a Fold, an Australian blog/shop/designer that worships at the alter of Origami Architecture (an expression i only read for the first time ten minutes ago, but that I intend to drop into conversation gratuitously throughout the Christmas season). 

I've made my fair share of paper cranes in my time, but the pictured work by Ingrid Siliakus is one of many on this site that makes me go hmm... and ahh.  And 'Add to Cart'.

Verdict: Paper or Plastic?

Bananas for Bananas

I am in deep smit.  Along with the above ceramic interpretation of lolly bananas, I've seen artist Katie Jacobs' lolly teeth and jelly babies and I would quite like to own a whole set... perhaps based on Allens 'Classic' Party Mix currently taking the nation's confectionery aisles by storm (not to be confused with the 'Retro' mix that contains sub-standard gummi coke bottles).

Verdict: Sweet Tooth or Salty Snack?