Gifting
Our baby niece Lir is pretty much the apple of YZ’s and my eye, making it hard to resist buying her every little cute thing that we come across. But, when we stumbled upon a beautiful striped bunny by Tel Aviv label Timo in a boutique in Jaffa, we just had to add the critter to Lir’s collection of toys. Totally in line with Lir’s parent’s philosophy of hugging (not mugging) the earth, each toy is…
Despite all our efforts here at Lo’s List to bring you the best of art, design and commerce on the internet, there should be little doubt of what the world-wide-web, regretably, is really for: the sharing of sneezing pandas, short-sighted manatees and, now, these adorable, tottering baby sloths. Shot at the Aviarios Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica, this video features our Folivoran friends doing what they do best: sleeping, yawning, falling over, eating, sleeping, hanging from stuff while asleep, eating stuff while apparently asleep, scratching their butts and sleeping. No other creature that we know of has evolved quite this degree of somnambulatory excellence.
Oh Japan, you’ve done it again: perfect concept, perfect design – even the packaging is drool-worthy! Following the age-old tradition of Japanese hanko (判子) stamps (the first of these dates back to 57 AD!!!), Tokyo-based design firm Kawamura Hideo Activity / Rezon has created Otete & Anyo: a service for making custom hanko stamps of your baby’s hand- and footprints…
The Dutch really know how to pinch a penny — something I learned over and over from my mother growing up. Sometimes the philosophy doesn’t work (ie. having to sport knock-off Converse All Stars from Payless during the painful years of junior high) but other times hits it on the nose: like these adorable polka dot- and garland-clad vintage plates, pitchers and other kitchenwares by Nina Invorm. The buck doesn’t stop there: check out her brighter-than-a-rainbow blog for eye candy galore!
The sun is doing its thing and from our desk here at Lo’s List we can hear the magpies, bluejay and cardinals in the garden singing up a storm. As a city dweller, the return of these birdsongs is a sure sign that spring is here and, thus, summer around the corner! So, in honor of this warm-weather heraldry: a bright collection of our top ten birdhouses and feeders! Hang your favorite on your fire escape (or sprawling porch) and you’ll be sure to lure some local feathered friends right up to your window — a perfect reminder of the world out there beyond your computer screen / twitter stream / MyFace feed, etc…. (and a great distraction for Goobie the Cat!)
I am so embarrassingly addicted to office supplies. From the run-of-the-mill manila interoffice folder to every kind of stickie page marker, I love it all — perhaps it’s a residual childhood librarian/teacher obsession… Thus, it was with childish glee that I scoured the Present & Correct online shop: discovering a cornucopia of office must-haves. The company’s collection of workroom thingamabobs spans from vintage melamine desk trays to quirky notebooks and writing utensils…
Just right for springtime, Alessi’s whimsical line, A di Alessi, is full of impeccable housewares that balance function with fun. Although their website is a royal nuisance to browse, the plethora of goodies, from plant-like toilet brushes (so much less depressing) to the perfect kitty bowl for Goobie the Cat, are sure to brighten up so many of those daily dreary to-dos!
Totally in love with these stippled porcelain wares from Robert Siegel’s Etsy store! The small selection of hand-thrown and hand-painted polka-dotted vases, mugs, plates, and bowls are a downright bargain and a great addition to any spirited kitchen. After a year-long residency at the Sanbao Ceramic Art Institute in Jingdezhen, China, the ceramicist moved back to Philadelphia where he set up his studio and…
“My imaginary wonderland is a land where everything is made of soft wool, trees are knitted and instead of growing leaves, pom poms sprout out, strange knitted creatures eat cup cakes and doughnuts sprinkled with stitching. The creatures are different shapes and sizes like odd socks, some have extra long legs, some have two heads, some are grumpy or shy and all are not what they seem. Scale and proportions are stretched or squashed, there are no rules.” — D.W.
For those of you that caught the edge-of-your-seat action of the Super Bowl last week (yay Saints!), you might have noticed a ROTFL commercial for the Kia Sorento that involved a sock monkey, an alien Gumby cyclops, a windup tin robot, teddy bear, and the peculiar looking, prison bird-striped, shaggier-than-thou character from Blabla, Mr. X. I’ve been a huge fan of this childrens toy company since I stumbled upon the site a while back and was thrilled to see the little hairy monster soaking up his 15 minutes of fame. And, it reminded me that I should share the Blabla wealth with you all…
Who doesn’t like rope!? From worn, dirty-white sailing rope to neon mountain climbing rope to… baker’s twine. Red baker’s twine is pretty common, I actually finagled some out of the Something Sweet Bakery on First Ave…
Just wanted to post a little OTOTO update (check out the intro post here!) – since their latest product, the Tea Sub tea steeper, is LOL genius. Get the kitchen trinket here for approx. €10 or head over to OTOTO to check out the Tel Avivi design house’s full inventory! Don’t know where to buy loose-leaf tea? Check out my good friend Jodi’s amazing online mega-teahouse, Sympathy for the Kettle! Try the Harlequin Blend (Label designed by yours truly »pat pat«) – a smooth black tea with blackberries, elderberries and nettle leaf.
OTOTO Store
Levontin Street #7
Tel Aviv, 65111
Israel
Winter is in full-swing here in New York: with two snow days so far and plenty of biting winds. So, instead of griping about having to trudge to the bodega for a pint of milk, grab this frosty opportunity and expand your cold-weather accessory collection! I adore busting out my winter hats, and add a few more trophies to the stockpile each year. What’s more, I’m one of those lucky people who’s coiff reacts rather well to hat hair… Etsy, queen of crafty commerce, is an endless trove of caps, cloches, balacavas and berets. Aside from curated top ten below, be sure to check out Dadaya’s exquisite embroidery with a Japanese-Scandanavian flavor, Yellow Field’s collection of 1920’s flapper gear, Rima Designs’ adventures with tweed, and Afra’s off-the-hook caplets and cowls!
To top off all the gifts from Santa, our very good friends and neighbors Lili & Thomas welcomed their son Louis Verzeaux Brodin into the world on December 27th. So, as any proper Tata would do, I headed out shopping for a care package. Fortunately, our neighborhood (Williamsburg) has some top-notch childrens’ shops and YZ & I, after much contemplation, settled on a trio of super-soft accessories. The Angel Dear Owl Blankie is softer-than-soft with tons of other friends to choose from (the hippo, pony, dino, and lion are some of our favorites). The company also makes larger, blanket versions of the design which are downright coo-inducing. The apple green sherpa booties from Zutano are equally cute and, with two snap options for the ankle strap, will grow as Louis does while ensuring his little piggies won’t slip out in the cold. Lastly, we discovered Trumpette’s line of themed baby sock 6-packs. Obviously we were drawn to the monkeys, because, well, monkeys make everyone laugh, but there’s a theme for every family – from golf to environmentalism!
