FEATUREDFor now, this is as close as you are going to get to the perfect NOTCOT store - A+R Venice just opened... here's a quick tour in pictures you can't miss.

FEATUREDOpened gift bag, found this Maria White Mebane Porcelain Tealight, lit it with CITIZEN:Citizen matches... and i was mesmerized.

FEATUREDBrooks Salzwedel (a notcot fav for his layered resin belts and artwork) has launched Shane, jewelry that has the tiniest resin masterpieces hidden in woody metal pieces... Click to see inside that log.

paper carrier bag design for Olympic Games

Interesting and ultimately coveted jewelry from Verameat. It is definitely worth the pretty penny.

FEATUREDBilly Chasen has exploded an ipod, encased it in resin, and plays music off of it. Could you imagine a cooler art piece/present for this season?

Designboom has this great piece on a boxset of "instructions for the earth" oh how to use various aspects of it, all packaged up like the info packed monotone inserts that come with your meds...

Beautiful severed head sculptures made of felt! Adam Parker Smith's "Bold As Love" Exhibition happening in NYC right now until January 19th.

Tannis Hegan Bags available at mooncruise* gallery. Simple and Stylist!

Ladies and gentlemen, Ms Barbra Streisand. Making the plasticene portraits of Karen Caldicott

The new Sucklord Toy by Suckadelic is hilarious. Inspired by Boba Fett it comes with Boombox, cape, lasersword and turntables. Cannot stop laughing!

Speaking of sleek, logo-less, technical clothing, Nau (#2435) has a beautiful collection of pieces, all made from recycled and organic content. Also, 5% of sales go to organizations like Kiva.org (#7137)!

De-stress with this hi-tech rejuvenation capsule offering a spa, computer controlled aroma therapy and even an iPod compatible entertainment system.

Hand-screened christmas cards being sold as a fundraiser for the Shama Foundation, a nonprofit organization providing educational opportunities for children of the African nation of Madagascar.

"A group of 18 artists (including famous Barcelona artist Catalina Estrada) have produced 27 unique designs called the Artist Series for the Zune Originals store."

In a tribute to Normal Mailer and the definitive book on graffiti, Complex compiled some images and excerpts from the groundbreaking book, "The Faith of Graffiti."

FEATUREDNorth Face's new 845 Collection is where "Artistic design meets extraordinary performance." And these sleek silhouettes for men and women can actually withstand all kinds of insane unexpected weather.

Boyfriends beware... fights with girlfriends just got a tiny bit more dangerous thanks to XKCD's love note concept that got made into a real "virus".

The British Design Council has a great series of articles on Managing Design ~ including input from Alessi, BT, Starbucks, Microsoft, Lego, Sony, Virgin, Yahoo, Whirlpool, Xerox and more

BaObab by Philippe Starck.

FEATUREDRight Gin ~ beautiful bottle, impressively intricate crest of many precise elements showing all they stand for, and designed by perfectionist who hated the tastes of all the gins they've tasted before.

Brushwood is a new rug by Loginoff that reminds me a lot of Tord Boontje's rug made of felt leaves...

FEATUREDNYTO presents the American Comfort Quilt ~ embodying all that a brand hopes to provide for its consumers - handmade limited edition of 5

Ball of Life Cremation Urn

Self Healing Tape ~ by Draw Me A Sheep

"Six Pack Wine Rack" (I like saying that!) from Etc Media, at Elsewares

New Caixa building by Herzog & de Meuron in Madrid. Rusted steel plates make the new building dissapear between the old brick construction.

Who knew Cartier was so hip? They've launched their newest watch, the Ballon Bleu, with comic strips, movies and art by different artists. Very cool and the watch is stunning as well!

Awesome ad for Lecithin, made in Germany by Scholz & Friends. Finalist in print category at London International Awards.

Fire is simplicity and beauty united in harmony. »shaker« is not only a stove; rather, its form also reflects the cosiness of a household fireplace. Skantherm.

An exclusive limited edition print of 40 by Brooklyn based artist,Caroline Hwang.

The cell phone booth by Nick Rodrigues, should be required in public.

Sitting Comfortably? wallpaper by mini moderns can be enjoyed alone or colored in like an adult coloring book. With nice line art, it even includes the Eames Elephant Chair!

Puma and W Hotels join forces. Now guests of W Hotels can design their own sneakers and get them delivered home. A special tray with choices of colors and materials has been made. Great concept and idea!

I <3 ARTREBELS the multi-creative Danish collective has everything from Music/Fashion/Visuals/Design and more.

And if donating a few grains of rice is not enough [see #7136] the you can always loan a few dollars so a farmer can buy a bag of seeds to grow his own. The best thing is that they will pay you back! Kiva Charitable Loans.

FREE RICE: feed the world and learn new words!

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences just released the list of movies submitted for considerations in the Animated Feature Film category for the 80th Academy Awards.

Shot in an Argentinian mountainside village, this Guinness ad features a game of dominoes which escalates to include suitcases, tyres, oil drums, fridges, wardrobes and cars.

Been wanting this Walter Knoll Lazy Island/Corner Sofa since i first laid eyes on it... totally reminds of of the couch forts we used to build as kids.

We are all made of meat! And so are some of our iconic objects, according to Italian artist Simone Racheli. Here's the chair, but don't miss the other objects

Really? INDIE-LECTUAL? Granted i found this on elle.com, but it was too funny not to highlight... this can't possibly be the new trend can it?

FEATUREDThe Brand Pharmacy just filled my prescription of Design Therapy... curious what's inside? And what CITIZEN:Citizen has been up to with Jimmy Jane, All Purpose, and Filius?

Father/Son Furniture Design team John and Andrew Raible. Featured in NYTimes.

Pop Surrealism artist Scott Musgrove displays amazing work at Roq la Rue in Seattle. They look like objects from a cabinet of curiosities.. strangely wonderful!