FEATUREDThe unofficial NOTCOT guide to parenting... aka collage brain dumps of products that have worked for us has continued @GrowAndExplore. Hard to believe the NOTkid is now 2!

FEATUREDTonies! The Toniebox is a modern music box for kids - a padded speaker cube that responds to NFC figurines placed on top. Peek at my unboxing of the new GoNoodle x tonies Mindfulness Starter Set!

VIDEOTimelapse in Google Earth is a stunning zoomed out look at our world's changes since the mid 80s. Here are a few of their feature videos - mesmerizing!

FEATURED@GrowAndExplore is the NOTCOT Parenting/Toddler Experiment (on instagram, because i couldn't decide where to put it) See what products work for us or share your wisdom as we navigate this phase!?! This is hard!

VIDEO"A Tale of Two Slings: Peak Design and Amazon Basics" Is brilliantly funny, and highlights a growing issue of Amazon knock offs... and don't forget, you (usually) get what you pay for.

VIDEOCholula x SimpleHuman Hands-Free Hot Sauce Dispenser! Battery powered to go anywhere... pandemic friendly (assuming people don't touch it anyhow?)

VIDEONineteen Eighty-Fortnite #FreeFortnite ad recreates Apple's iconic "1984" ad, only Apple is the one to rebel against. Will be interesting to see how Epic vs Apple/Google stores will play out...

VIDEO"You Can't Stop Us" Nike Ad is a beautifully cut minute and a half celebrating sports and humanity as we find our way back to a new normal...

VIDEOKids See Ghosts - The Kanye West/Kid Cudi collab goes animated with a new show directed by Murakami, with Kanye Bear (Kanye West) and Kid Fox (Kid Cudi) - Preview looks fun!

FEATUREDNOTkiddo Board Book favorites (so far and growing!) There are the books we want him to love, and the ones that he actually loves... this Amazon list contains the latter! Any recommendations?

FEATUREDColoring Pages! They are popping up from many of our favorite artists these days to help destress adults or inspire/amuse kiddos. Here are some from Audrey Kawasaki, Pete Fowler, James Jean, Jacquelin de Leon, and perhaps more to come...

VIDEOSuper Bowl 2020 - the ads are rolling in, here are some favorites so far! (Porsche, Amazon Alexa, TurboTax, Michelob Ultra, Sodastream, Snickers, and Doritos Cool Ranch)

FEATUREDNOTCOT Baby List! For those who have asked what has worked for us. Pregnancy - 4 months with regular updates. [Made this list an Amazon affiliate storefront, because we've been using Amazon Prime a lot for the convenience during exhaustion!]

FEATUREDHappy Mother's Day - first proper NOTCOT.com feature in nearly 1.5 years! An update on life, our latest project in the making, and a few things i couldn't have survived pregnancy without... and a peek at things to come.

VIDEOSesame Street x Game of Thrones and Westworld. Fun HBO crossover spots to teach kids (of all ages) about respect! Featuring Elmo and Cookie Monster.

VIDEOThe Yjumper Project - A massive trampoline effect from 42 bungee cords, 400m webbing and a 2m bamboo icosahedron structure in the centre of the cooling tower in Meppen/ Funpark.

VIDEO"For All You Love" 2019 Subaru Forester Advert - interesting to see the way they have the dog lead you back through time through a path of objects...

VIDEOEtherborn Announcement trailer. A video game inspired by classic masters such as M.C. Escher, Piet Mondrian, Chillida, and more.

VIDEORaspberry Pi has opened it's first retail store in the Grand Arcade in Cambridge, UK. Peek inside with the video.

VIDEORodrigo y Gabriela - Echoes (Pink Floyd cover!) from the upcoming album Mettavolution released 26th April 2019.

VIDEOA Coke Is A Coke - lovely new animated ad inspired by Andy Warhol from Wieden+Kennedy Portland for Coca-Cola. (Love the illustrations - especially bigfoot!)

FEATUREDLet's connect on LinkedIn! As I work on what's next for NOTCOT, so curious to know more about YOU! Link up? Or drop me a message! Would love to hear what you're up to and what inspires you. ~ jean

VIDEOIsland by Max Mörtl & Robert Löbel is an adorable stop motion & 2D animated short sharing how "On a small island a bunch of exotic creatures run across each other."

VIDEO"Twist" is a 3D printed pendant light that transforms to adjust the brightness with a simple twist.

VIDEO"A Look Inside Art of Play's Secret Showroom" - A brief and mysterious glimpse into the magical world of Art of Play in San Diego.

FEATUREDToday, NOTCOT is retiring NotCouture (est 2007), Liqurious (est 2008), Tasteologie (est 2010) + NotVentures (est 2010) to refocus on design. it's been a fun adventure, but all experiments eventually come to an end...

FEATUREDJust in the NOTCOT mail - A closer look at Jacquelin DeLeon's stunning prints and stickers featuring Plants + Ladies and more...

VIDEOTrunk’s Layla Atkinson has created a wonderful short film about the importance of fungi, for the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew.

VIDEOThe Weather Channel's green screen visualizations of the dangers of the current hurricanes and typhoons are fascinating.

VIDEOImaginative Guy on YouTube makes impressive shrimp lures out of plastic drinking straws and catches cuttlefish and more!

FEATUREDMax's Sandwich Book by Max Halley + Ben Benton of Max's Sandwich Shop in London is as beautifully designed and illustrated as it is mouth-watering. Here's a peek inside and a quick flip thru.

VIDEOMade of Mettle: The Leatherman Documentary

FEATUREDSadly Norris Hardware, our local hardware store, is closing down after nearly 100 years... so we made an offer on this entire hardware aisle! Which is now moving into our NOTCOT workshop!

VIDEODisenchantment! Matt Groening's third animated series is coming to Netflix in August following the misadventures of a hard-drinking princess, her feisty elf, and personal demon.

VIDEOBBC Earth's Open Ocean: 10 Hours of Relaxing Oceanscapes. Mesmerizingly beautiful... leave it on like a screensaver?

VIDEO"Smoooth" advert for Lurpak Butter by Wieden + Kennedy London is a mesmerizing way to start the week (and morning!) Directed by Kim Gehrig.

VIDEO"Squared Away" - Director Tim Wilson is a huge fan of The Far Side and wanted to bring a his favorite comics to life. Check out Tim’s vision of the set up to these two classic punchlines.

VIDEOMTV Group Hug by SEHSUCHT.

VIDEOPhysicsFun shares this arrow 3D optical illusion that is always pointing right! Ambiguous objects designed by mathematician Kokichi Sugihara of Meiji University.

VIDEOFrog fish! Zefrank is back with an episode of True Facts all about NOTCOT's favorite little dive buddies Frog Fish!

FEATUREDMilan Design Week 2018 inspiration experienced vicariously through instagram...

VIDEOCoach Hop's new music video is an utter delight to the senses, inspired in equal part by surrealism and the iconography of recorded sound.

VIDEOSpaceX Iridium-5 Mission is launching at 7:15am PST March 30 - Watch the Falcon 9 launch of the Iridium-5 NEXT mission from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

FEATUREDHochstadter's Slow & Low 'Rock And Rye' is 84 proof and can come in the cutest pull tab 100mL cans... Straight RYE Whiskey, Raw Honey, Navel Orange, ROCK Candy & Bitters. Love the packaging!

VIDEO"Only Slightly Exaggerated" advert for Travel Oregon by Wieden Kennedy with animation by Psyop and Sun Creatures and music by the Oregon Symphony. It's like a Miyazaki wonderland!

VIDEOHomePod — Welcome Home by Spike Jonze for Apple

VIDEOThe Hater Box by Parse/Error

VIDEOInstravel - A photogenic Mass Tourism Experience by Oliver KMIA. (Great inspiration to take more unique photos and enjoy the travel moments!)

VIDEONike Korea "Run It" in collaboration with Jay Park ad/music video. Part of the "Impossible to Ignore" campaign celebrating rule breakers.

VIDEOTHE RED STAIN (La Macchia Rossa) by Francis Ford Coppola Winery. Young American brings a red-stained shirt to the dry-cleaning business of an elderly Italian couple, and they wonder how it came to be... chess boxing? affair? Beautiful intriguing film!

VIDEONintendo Switch LABO! Amazing variety of (customizable with coloring) cardboard add ons for the Switch coming 4.20.18.

VIDEOMercedes-Benz has encased a first production year (1979) G-Wagen in the world's biggest installation of synthetic resin to look like amber! 44.4 tonnes cast in 90 days!

VIDEOKohler Konnect Smart Home Products - Amazon Alexa voice enabled shower, bathtub, toilet, smart mirror, and smart faucet. The video feels like something you'd see in the beginning of a Black Mirror episode...

VIDEOAudi's Ever After - adorable animated short that puts quite the twist on Cinderella for our future car racing princesses. By Proximity Barcelona.

FEATUREDBreville Sous Chef Food Processor. We've been amazed + impressed with this in the NOTkitchen (So had to share!) The mini bowl and large main bowl as well as the adjustable thickness slicer + box full of tools have been magically efficient!

VIDEO"As Told By Emoji" - Disney's animated emojis retell classic stories/movies from Guardians of the Galaxy to The Little Mermaid, Star Wars and more!

FEATUREDHowliday Surprise just arrived from TCB Studio (Taking Care of Business Elvis & Aretha style) - the brainchild of Charmaine Choi in collab with illustrator, Annie J Lim. Check out their print, tote, notebook, wrapping paper, dog treats and more!

FEATUREDThe NOTCOT Amazon List ~ if you're still last minute holiday shopping from your couch, here are some (mostly prime) inspired gift picks that i have + love, have gifted, or played with + want!

FEATUREDApple Store Offline Exclusives at Apple Park and One Infinite Loop Stores in Cupertino. Both have a different selection of Apple goods from t-shirts and mugs to totes, cards, baby onesies, notebooks and more.

FEATUREDUnboxing the YETI Loadout Bucket with Lid + Caddy. It's more amazing than i imagined... from product and packaging down to the surprising design details!

FEATUREDUPDATED NOTCOT Collection Of Stuff For People!!! There's no need for labels or categories. Just amazing things we love, want, or think about gifting... (Now with more stuff!)

FEATUREDTiffany Bozic's solo show "Spectrum" at Joshua Liner Gallery features stunning juxtapositions of creatures in acrylic on maple panels! The way she integrates the wood grain into the imagery is gorgeous!

VIDEORusty Squid, a studio for robotic art and design, reveal their unique robotic design process which takes them back to first principles in a short 4-minute film: How We Build a Robot

FEATUREDYoskay Yamamoto's Homebound show at Giant Robot! Stunning in person, the pictures barely do it justice. My favorites are the brightly colored houses filled with so many possibilities! (I'm itching to make minis of our houses now!)

VIDEOOK Go Obsession Video = 567 Printers and so so so much paper! By Damian Kulash, Jr. and Yusuke Tanaka.

FEATUREDNOTCOT Collection Of Stuff For People!!! There's no need for labels or categories. Just amazing things we love, want, or think about gifting... I supposed you could call it an impromptu gift guide of sorts?

VIDEOPinglr (a short film + android app) from Andrew Jasperson gives you a truly unique look at life in Silicon Valley...

FEATUREDVicki Sawyer illustrates beautiful birds adorned with party hats and more made of leaves and flowers. She has a great collection with Hester & Cook of cards, placemats and more.

FEATUREDORCA Chasertini - it's a martini glass meets super insulted travel cup meets… medieval chalice? Perfect for your martini loving outdoorsman that has everything.

FEATUREDUniquely J - the new private label line from Jet.com designed by Elmwood is boldly graphic! Possibly polarizingly so? Here's a look at some of my favorites.

FEATUREDNucleus x Brendan Monroe Collectible Growler! Love the blobs... especially animated as it spins around.

VIDEORobots + Toilets... love this Kohler ad for the Never Too Next campaign. Just found the making of! Great work by JAMM Visual.

VIDEOOtohiko - the slurping noise canceling fork by Nissin Cup Noodles. See everything from the slurping sound data collecting to the 3D printed prototypes to the final NFC/phone app combo that masks your slurp.

FEATUREDTray Tables! Tray + Legs = Table! With a versatile modular tray that can be used for serving and flipped to easily keep the top clean when outdoors. Here's a roundup of a few that have caught my eye lately. IKEA is particularly good at them.

FEATUREDIKEA Vinter 2017 Gift Wrapping has great patterns from super fun gnome/elf/santa folks to adorable woodland creatures! (Even though it feels too early for the holidays, it made me smile!)

VIDEOMeet Molly, the Kid Who Never Stops Inventing - GE Commercial - such a smart, fun, playful and inspiring ad!

FEATUREDUnboxing the AbsoluteXtracts and Jeremy Fish premium limited edition FISH TANKS! Beautiful little fishy details and artwork through the packaging, cartridge, battery, velvet case and more...

VIDEOIKEA - The Changing Catalog advert. 10 boring, creepy and absolutely absurd fake covers designed to protect your new IKEA catalogue from anyone who wants to steal it. The idea comes from DDB Group Italy agency.

VIDEORobots Vs. Music by Nigel Stanford, his new album Automatica is out now.

VIDEOMercedes-AMG Project ONE Show Car - a 2 seater supersports car with efficient, fully-fledged Formula 1 hybrid technology and over 1,000 hp to celebrate AMG's 50th anniversary.

VIDEOBoots UK no7 Advert - Olympic medallist Monica Aksamit battles against an opponent in a new ad for no7. Despite being covered from head to toe, Monica wears make up under her mask and considers beauty as part of her pre-game routine.

VIDEOThe Great British Bake Off Trailer by Blink brings baking to life with adorable stop motion animation and singing!

VIDEODissolve's "This Is a Generic Millennial Ad, created with And/Or studio, shows how easy it is to appeal to anyone born between 1980 and 2000." Poking fun at overly used millennial cliches with stock footage. (So let's move on from this style already?)

VIDEOOASIS Modular Plant System by Michelle Kartokusumo. The magnetic modules can be hung or placed on desktop stands or on the wall.

FEATUREDCrushing Beer Bottles into SAND! DB Export – Sand Made From Bottles, Not Beach. Machines were placed in bars where you could crush your bottles into sand.

VIDEOGame of Thrones: The Frozen Lake. From bears to wights, see how the icy battles in "Beyond the Wall" were captured.

FEATUREDIn the path of totality for the Solar Eclipse tomorrow, Nashville's creative scene has been quite inspired - from Eclipse cotton candy cocktails and smoothies to cookies, tshirts, gig posters and more!

VIDEOIngo Mauer's Blow Me Up inflatable LED light. Packaged in a can - just open, inflate, plug in, and suspend!

VIDEOHonda Range "Over The Rainbow" ad by Simon & Stephen uses neon karaoke to share Honda's pursuit for better.

FEATUREDMade by NOTCOT: Coca Cola Invitations! On the theme of human and robot symbiosis, these are part invitation and part desk object and perfectly suited to hold your phone or business cards. See the details and making-of.

VIDEOLush Jelly Bombs - Freshly launched in the UK, coming to the US in fall. I'm as mesmerized by the photo/video shoots as i am by the product concept.

VIDEOYoung Explorers examines "What happens when kids explore the world on their own terms?" A film project by Jacob Krupnick

VIDEOÉric Nado's collection of Typewriter Guns are stunning. From vintage typewriter to sculptural weaponry.

VIDEOSurreal! "Perspective" Directed by Fernando Livschitz/ Black Sheep Films.

FEATUREDInteresting Hurley x Pendleton collaboration collection debuting at Agenda Show in Long Beach this weekend.

VIDEOIndian Motorcycle Ink is composed of carbon ash collected from Carey Hart’s legendary Indian Super Hooligan motorcycle. America's first motorcycle company has created the world's first tattoo ink composed of carbon ash from a burnout.

FEATUREDThe Confidence Game: Why we fall for it every time by Maria Konnikova. NOTCOT recommended reading! Lately, i've been fascinated by the way behavioral psychology can inspire and influence great design.

FEATUREDNOTCOT Passiflora Experiment. Our trellis/L-bench designed for passion fruit vines to cover the exterior, while creating a comfortable, lush oasis inside! See the process from start to finish!

FEATUREDDropbox has a Document Scanner! I had no idea, and had to send 10+ b/w text pages with just my phone, and it did a great job making a clean little pdf off existing photos.

VIDEOSeeSeekers = Snapchat Spectacles x Royal Caribbean #SeekDeeper Campaign where 3 divers snap underwater while exploring.

FEATURED1964 Supply Company - a new cannabis brand embracing artists like Jeremy Fish, Tristan Eaton, Katie So, Joe Wilson and Ben Tour for fun packaging artwork inspired by the strains.

VIDEOThe trailers for Okja are so fun. "Tilda Swinton, Jake Gyllenhaal and Paul Dano star in this drama about a girl who must keep a powerful company from abducting her pal, a gentle beast."

VIDEOInterpol’s Daniel Kessler shares his earliest music memory for Primavera Sound’s ongoing Memories series. Fantastic work by Barcelona-based Nice Shit Studio!

VIDEOCreated by Yuxi Liu, "Poet on the Shore" is a small autonomous robot that roams on the beach and writes poems in the sand.

VIDEOLacoste – Timeless, The Film (Director’s Cut.) Watch a beautiful history of Lacoste from 1933 to present as he chases her on the train through time...

VIDEOThe Nature Conservancy "Products of Tomorrow" - a dystopian warning/peek into the possible future.

VIDEOUndulatus Asperatus Sunset timelapse in Bowdon, ND 6/2/2017 by storm chasing photographer, Mike Olbinski is breath taking! Can't stop watching it over and over...

VIDEONIKE Unlimited Stadium in the Philippines. Beautiful running track design inspired by a shoe sole and infinity symbol, but more interesting is the digitized version of runners that run alongside (and challenge) the real runners.

VIDEOGravity Cat (and Making-Of) advert by Playstation Japan

FEATUREDNOTCOT in Nashville. A look at our latest Project House in Lockeland Springs, East Nashville and other discoveries and adventures - From Colt's Bolts to cute new bars tucked in adorable houses and more.

VIDEOKFC limited edition bucket sleeves create an interactive storytelling experience. When the phone is placed face-down on the table, the phone's proximity sensor automated the selected audio story, bringing the bucket to life with sound, light and vibration.

FEATUREDPatagonia Provisions! Unboxing, tasting, and a detailed look inside some of the growing offerings from Patagonia's food collection to help feed people well and repair the food chain.

FEATUREDItalian Design Magazines, French Newspapers, Tech/Business Mags, bestsellers and new cookbooks in eBook form... How did i just realize how many can be read and borrowed online for FREE? NOTCOT inspiration overload!

VIDEOLa Roche-Posay My UV Patch - wearable tech that you can scan with an app to see how much UV you've been exposed to. An interesting educational campaign to help us understand the need for sunscreen.

VIDEOPalette Swap Ninja: Princess Leia’s Stolen Death Star Plans. The entire Beatles album rewritten to tell the story of Star Wars: A New Hope — in order. Celebrating the big anniversaries of both Star Wars and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

FEATUREDNoseGo has an amazing series of 10 (so far) creatures painted on wood, with natural scenes hidden inside them! Lovely juxtaposition of styles, and fun to see the making-of.

VIDEOSalt Fat Acid Heat by Chef Samin Nosrat. NOTCOT's favorite cookbooks are the ones that teach you about the science behind cooking and give you the skills to improvise, and this one is a great read with fun illustrations too!

FEATUREDTokyo Smoke x Partisans launched two 3D printed pipes - one priced at $13,000. But then they made quite the Vice video, and have angered the cannabis community and designers - for good reason!

VIDEOThe BMO200 Fountain celebrates 200 years of the Bank of Montreal. 17’ tall, massive interactive kinetic sculpture of over 50,000 flip dots allows viewers to make a wish through their mobile devices and BMO will grant a variety of wishes.

FEATUREDGO420 Kit - complete with hmbldt x Mister Green "Celebrate Plant Power" tshirt, tote, and "420 ways to make this 420 the healthiest day of the year" - Interesting campaign to flip the view of 420 to focus on health + wellness.

FEATUREDUnboxing the BioLite SiteLight Mini and XL! So fun and functional to light up any campsite or patio. My favorite is the macaron sized SiteLight Mini that stacks up so easily and plugs right into any USB battery.

VIDEOChase: The Ripple Effect Ad by Droga5. To launch the Chase Ink Business Preferred card they challenged Mark Isreal of Doughnut Plant to use 80,000 points from his card. Weirdly, it seems like a making-of parody, but is real.

VIDEOThe Punishment is an installation in which a robot executes a preventive punishment for its possible future disobedience. A reference to Isaac Asimov’s laws of robotics. By Filipe Vilas-Boas in collab w/ Paul Coudamy.

FEATUREDVertty Backpack - perfect for those who love triangles, facets, and popping colors! Here's an up close look at the everything from the fun lining and sifting net (to release the sand!) to great icons, triangular zipper pulls and more.

VIDEOSpheres of Influence by Curime Batliner and Jake Newsum for the Mextropoli Festival in Mexico City. Robot arms in bubbles! It employs a robotic system for layering grids of information, abstracted from the city, on a series of human size spheres.

FEATUREDMiiR Camp Cup - a stunning customizable update to the classic enamel camp cups. 12oz, double walled medical grade stainless steel with BPA free lid with clean matte powder coated ready for screen printing and laser etching!

VIDEO"Visualize This" by Aardman. Fantastic animation poking fun at the creative/client conference call...

VIDEOStephanie Pender 3D Prints GLASS with Robotic Arms at Autodesk Pier 9. Her mix of glass blowing craft and artistry mixed with technology resulted in this glass fiber Fused Filament Deposition Modeling Printer (FFDM)

VIDEOFuture Videogame Dance Party! SXSW Gaming Awards intro by Imaginary Forces.

VIDEOLG NCAA March Madness Mascot Ads. 'Mascots Knock' LG InstaView Door-in-Door Refrigerators and 'Messy Mascots' LG SideKick and LG TWINWash.

VIDEOSherwin-Williams "Color Chips" advert

VIDEONike W+K Amsterdam ads just in time for International Women's Day. Russia: “What Are Girls Made Of?”, The Middle East: “What Will They Say About You?”, and Turkey: “This Is Us”

FEATUREDUnboxing the Fidget Cube! One of the top funded (and perhaps most knocked off?) kickstarter campaigns, my Fidget Cubes are finally here. A peek at the product, and a look at some of the design lessons to learn from them.

FEATUREDDistiller Inspired: Stunning, delicious spirits! A look at some of the most beautifully packaged, well rated libations on Distiller - as picked by NOTCOT!

VIDEOXoc Doná Joc - a fascinating look into the making of their unique geometric chocolate molds.

FEATUREDNew York Times ad campaign about TRUTH. Nice work from Droga5. A good wake up call and reminder for everyone!

VIDEORaphael Vangelis uses stop motion to animate symbols for loading in his short "Analogue Loaders".

VIDEOLumigraphie "Un Parfum d'étoiles" by French artist Bastien Carré is a luminous sculpture made of hundreds LEDs soldered by hand.

VIDEORenault Scénic Kids brochure - Renault Spain has created a car catalog, made by children, for children.

VIDEOMcDonald’s introduces a limited-edition Suction Tube for Reverse Axial Withdrawal (the STRAW) designed by JACE and NK Labs to get the perfect combo of chocolate and mint in every sip of a Chocolate Shamrock Shake.

VIDEOThe Living Cactus by Elmer Duyvis is a short animated film about a variety of cacti/succulents.

FEATUREDMucha Liga Tequila. Fantastic packaging and branding - love their faceted luchador glass bottles (complete with colorful masks!) and they even have sets of minis.

FEATUREDCURVES: Soulful Driving Magazine is dedicated to epic road trips around the world, and filled with maps, stunning photography, and places to check out. Here's a look inside the California and Sicily issues!

FEATUREDUnboxing the hmbldt bliss dose pen. A new generation of cannabis products with beautiful, innovative product design as well as lovely packaging details, a unique experience and a science/quality focused approach.