Crystal clear Expansif Mugs are crafted out of sturdy heat-resistant Pyrex, so you can enjoy your morning fix without burning yourself. But I am wondering just how easy it would be to grab that piece passing itself off as a handle. My luck it would slip from my grasp and I’d end up scalding myself anyway. Oh, the price we sometimes pay for grand design!
Introducing Smart Spice. These spices, herbs, and kitchen essentials are of the highest quality. They’re fresh, organic, and packaged in pre-measured, single-use packets. Just tear one open, toss it in, and the unused packets stay freshly sealed awaiting their turn. Instead of having a crowded spice cabinet with bottles of spice growing stale and tasteless, cooks have on-demand freshness.
A more than genius idea. As much as I love my spice rack it doesn’t get as much love as it deserves. I’d love to be able to buy top shelf goodies to fill its jars, but because I don’t use them all the time things tends to end up clumpy and stale. So what’s the point? Problem solved. Each of the Smart Spice packets is pre-measured into one teaspoon. Each box contains four packets. I love the design as well and that the prominence rests on the name of the spice.
NOTE: Smart Spice is not available yet. Hang in there for Fall 2008!
:: via Cool Hunting
Posted In food, grand design, packaging
Genius. I love it. And my fingers are cross that I don’t ever eat an entire pan of brownies and feel obligated to send it myself!
:: via design is mine
Posted In cards, paper goodsFerry Staverman creates incredible art from cardboard, paper and string. That’s it. No bells and whistles, just talent. Her pieces look like they walked out of a grocery store or toy shop and I love that. These pieces are only a small portion of her work, so make sure and check out her site for more goodies.
:: via Design Milk
Columbus, OH-based Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams is well known for its creative flavor combinations and quality ingredients used in all of their ice creams, sorbets and frozen yogurts. All flavors are inspired by local dairy and fruit. It’s also interesting that Jeni’s uses NO eggs because she believes they distract from the flavor of the cream. Instead she uses small amounts of corn starch and gelatin as thickeners.
There’s nothing better than a quality product in equally outstanding packaging. Jeni’s is spot-on, relying on clear plastic containers and a handwritten font that really allows the ice cream to be the star. At the same time it also reminds you that all of Jeni’s frozen treats are handmade in small batches.
Founder Jeni Britton is featured in this month’s Food & Wine magazine in How to Make Ice Cream Like an Artisan. I’m pumped that the article contains lots and lots of her recipes as well.
Posted In food, packaging, recipesAlmost all of my good girl friends are married, most of them with at least one kid or onto number two already. I wish I’d known about these fill-in baby invitations when they were having their baby showers. Then again, they’re pretty non-descript with no rattles or ducks or anything, so you could just as easily use them for a party of your own. I would!
Dan McCarthy is an artist.
He lives in Massachusetts with his Boston terrier (ironic, no?).
He likes skateboard decks and sweatbands.
Oh, and he does kickass work. 
Cassettes From My Ex is a brilliant idea.
They were into you, so they made you a tape. Today you don’t have a cassette player, but you still can’t toss that mix. We share the stories and the soundtrack to your earliest loves.
The stories are really well written and I spent a good thirty minutes yesterday afternoon being sucked into others’ pasts. Slightly voyeuristic, but who doesn’t love that?? And I love seeing the song lists and connecting my own memories to certain tunes.
Posted In music, onlineI first heard mention of artist Thomas Allen in Chip Kidd: Book One. I was so impressed with his cut-out 3D pulp fiction cover art that I tracked him down. Turns out he’s a tough man to find and the closest I came was a gallery showing of his work. There you can check out 27 pieces of his amazingly detailed “collage” work.
