All posts filed under: Things for Fun

Cleverly Designed Obama Campaign Swag

Published by

The folks behind the New York City shop KioskKiosk have come up with a clever way to help support their favorite candidate for president. From now until Election Day, they are selling Obama re-election souvenirs in their shop and on their site, with all proceeds going to the Obama campaign. Those who prefer to volunteer their time are in luck, as the shop has opened up an “Obama Call Booth” during store hours, where you can earn credit for the items depending on how many calls you make urging folks to vote (10 calls gets a “We Shall Over Comb” comb, 15 calls gets a “Our Guy is Fly” glider, etc.). And if Obama doesn’t win, supporters can still console themselves drinking whisky from a glass with his face all over it, or by playing with the irreverent “Gawd Dam” Mitt paddle. KioskKiosk is open Monday to Saturday from 12-7 pm. 95 Spring Street, 2nd Floor, NYC.

Takenaka Bento-Box

Published by

While walking around this summer’s New York Gift Show, i spotted these colorful and glossy Bento Boxes. Handmade in Japan by Takenaka, these adorable containers have removable partitions and come in 13 colors and seven styles, making it easy to remember which one is yours when you have to run out the door in the morning. The color choice can also make sure one is only used for veggie dishes or kosher dishes, if so desired. Dishwasher and microwave safe.

Nendo Designs a Library & “Books” for Starbucks Pop-up Shop in Toyko

Published by

For a clever pop-up shop concept in Tokyo, the Japanese design firm Nendo designed a library-like space where visitors could review “books” in nine different colors that correspond to a different espresso drink. Once a visitor finds a drink that they want, they would “check-in” the book for an actual espresso drink, but keep the “book” cover with info on their beverage. The reverse side of the book cover can be punched out and used as an insert for tall or short size tumblers. The shop only lasted for a few weeks in Tokyo in September…but perhaps we will see one popping up in another city soon?

B.B. Billosaur Bank

Published by

This half bank/half dinosaur from le mouton noir & co. isn’t interested in your pennies — in fact none of your change will fit into the B.B. Billosaur as it’s designed specifically for saving bills. For this redesign of the classic piggy bank, the traditional slot for coinage has been replaced with seven small holes to insert rolled-up bills. Don’t have enough cash to stash away at the moment? The bank comes with little cork plugs that give the bank a stegosaurus-like appearance. The 5”1/2 wide x 5 3/8” deep x 6 7/8” high bank is handmade in porcelain in matte black, gloss white, silver metallic, and matte pink.

Magical Magnetic Jewelry

Published by

Since the first time i spotted Uno Magnetic jewelry at the New York Gift Show in New York City, i was intrigued. Created by Miami-based architect/interior designer Luis Pons, the jewelry is made of a brightly colored chain and a small magnetic ball that work together to form bracelets, anklets, necklaces, rings, and anything else you can imagine. When a sample arrived in the mail a week before this summer’s Gift Show, i was psyched to try it out for myself, and wore it to my day job at a design magazine. During the course of the day, my pink/green Uno got noticed by several colleagues (i was wearing it with a navy blue dress, and it stood out.) The hardest part is keeping your hands off of it once you have found a design you like – i found myself playing with my necklace all day (to the point of distraction). That being said, i think playing with these chains is a stylish, stress-busting replacement for other nasty habits, such as nail-biting or hair twirling. …

SkateBacks for iPhone 4 and 4s

Published by

Each week, enough waste material is thrown away from one skateboard factory to fill a city bus. To help find another use for the leftovers from a Costa Mesa, California-based skateboard factory, the Portland, Oregon-based iPhone and iPad accessories maker Grove collaborated with designer Lindsay Holmes of MapleXO to create a 100% post-industrial product for the iPhone 4 and 4S. While there are three general colorways to choose from, no two SkateBacks are identical — making them more desirable for those of us that don’t want to have exactly what everyone else does. The 1/16”-thick back protector easily attaches to the back of your phone with a peel-and-stick 3M adhesive that Grove claims is removable without residue. While you’d probably want something tougher to protect your phone if you are actually skateboarding, this will do just fine for those of us that gave up that pastime longer ago than we’d like to remember (mine was black and white — what color was yours?) $49.00 U.S. Ships in 2-4 weeks from Portland. All photos ©GroveMade