Bookbook

This might just be the incentive for me to finally upgrade my iMac to a MacBook Pro. Check out how cool the Bookbook is. It is a hardback leather case for MacBook and MacBook Pro. Slip your Mac inside the velvety soft, padded interior where it’s nestled between two tough, rigid leather hardback covers for a solid level of impact absorbing protection. The rigid spine serves as crush protection for an additional line of defense. Each BookBook is brought to life with hand craftsmanship and distressing, ensuring no two are exactly alike. Sitting on a coffee table, dorm room or desk, BookBook looks like a vintage piece of literature, not an expensive laptop thus reducing the risk of being stolen. Available at Twelve South, a company that loves Macs so much, they design accessories just for them.

Bookbook

McFancy

The Cool Hunter is indeed cool. Those of you in the design world would know them as one of the ‘go to’ site for all things creative, cool, thoughtful, innovative and original. They have just released Access Agency, an entity in creating highly original, transformational, yet eminently practical and results-oriented strategies for companies to stage the kinds of offline brand experiences that will increase the economic value of their offering. First up is McFancy, an upmarket temporary McDonald’s store that launches at Fashion Weeks 2010 around the globe. McFancy is part art installation, gathering spot and, of course, a restaurant that offers a traditional McDonald’s menu but packaged in a way that makes a playful yet stylish nod to the lifestyle of the highly desirable, influential consumers that attend Fashion Weeks.

All McFancy images created by Amy Moss from Eat Drink Chic and photographed by Marija Ikovic.

Mast Humidifier

This little eco-friendly contraption is actually a humidifier. Called a Mast Humidifier, it is shaped like a yacht sail (hence, mast) and the water left in the boat portion will moisture the air and allow the cypress (hinoki) to slowly release its fragrance. Why cypress, you may ask? Because not only is it considered a more upscale & beautiful wood with its rose-pink hue, it is highly resistant to antimicrobial activity and its fragrance is said to have a calming effect on people.

Available from Masuza.

Mast Humidifier

Mojo For Your Photos

If you are a photography enthusiast, you will love Photojojo. They are brimful of gifts, ideas and gadgets related to photography. These are my personal picks:

The Perfect Pano – it’s the ultimate weapon against gaps in pano frames, crooked horizons and frustration behind the Photoshopping wheel. Simply twist it onto your camera’s tripod and rotate with each snap. The Pano clicks into place at every 30-degree mark so you can take even, overlapping shots. Take it from me, it will save you stitching sanity.

White Balance Lens Cap – You may think automatic white balance is good enough. But if you’ve ever had to fix dozens of photos with just slightly different colours, one-by-one, you know the true meaning of pain. Simply flip your camera into custom White Balance mode, snap a photo with your White Balance Lens Cap on, and your camera creates a perfect profile of the actual lighting in front of you. Best of all, it works with all SLR camera brands. I think I need one of this.

Monsterpod – a gravity-defying, mind-boggling tripod that sticks to and peels right off just about anything (brick walls, trees, marble, cement, steel, sheet rock, wire fences, metal poles, plate glass windows, upside down, etc). Just screw your camera (up to 20 oz) onto the adjustable pivoting tripod mount, then use your hands to mold the Monsterpod to any surface or object.

The Super-Secret Spy Lens – It’s the ultimate accessory for any time you want natural, unposed shots. Meant to fit the end of your SLR’s zoom lens, it has a secret cut-out on the side and a precision mirror assembly inside. In short, you can shoot left, right, up, or down (it swivels 360 degrees), all while appearing to shoot straight ahead. Snap away!

Lather Bee Rich

El Designo is an environmentally conscious design studio located in Edmonton, Alberta Canada. They design anything from logos to corporate identities to (in this instance) packaging for Lather Bee Rich Soap Company. Since authenticity is the guiding principle in all of Lather Bee Rich’s creations, the ingredients used are all natural, not synthesized or chemical. The soap is made using authentic recipes from the 1920s and for each of the six scents, names and photos of the soapmaker’s actual ancestors were incorporated: Blazing Betty, Corky’s Cute Patoote, Dapper Dan, Dollface Darla, Lusty Lu-Lu and Papa Bob. Tin was used for the packaging because not only does it lend authentic credibility to the design, it is a strong environmental choice for the 21^st century. and is recyclable.

Lather Bee Rich

Incense Pot Lodge

This mini lodge with chimney is made from wooden mortar and houses incense cones to help one relax. Just sit back and feel your stress melt away. Handmade from Sempre.

Sempre

Air Umbrella

A great concept from Je Sung Park & Woo Jung Kwon – the Air Umbrella has no canopy and the barrier between the user and the raindrops is a sheet of steady air that is blown out by a hollow pipe. Think this would work?

Air Umbrella

De Cabeza

This series of photographs on makeup and lighting by Jorge Miguel entitled De Cabeza is simply stunning. See whole suite here.

Jorge Miguel

Slow Cow

Slow Cow™ is a relaxation beverage that helps in the improvement of concentration, memory and learning capacity without causing drowsiness. The ingredients include L-Theanine to promotes relaxation and concentration, Chamomile to treat insomnia, Passiflora to induce relaxation & Valerian, Linden and Hops to help reduce nervousness as well as sodium and potassium. Hmmm…

Slow Cow

Tastebuddies

Just for fun – Tastebuddies searches for the most interesting and unusual culinary combinations. From now till 28 Feb, you can vote for the most popular combo. Here are some interesting ones that I stirred up.

Tastebuddies