Instant Mashed Potatoes On Thanksgiving? You Betcha!

Toby — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:29:45 -0800

I rarely eat mashed potatoes except on Thanksgiving, and maybe Christmas. Of course, I always mashed the potatoes myself. It would kill my family to think that I'd whipped up instant mashed potatoes to serve to them. But, guess what? I'm going to serve instant mashed potatoes this Thanksgiving - the same kind my husband made for me....

The 5 Darkest, Sexiest Pin-Up Calendars For 2010

Toby — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:58:34 -0800

Fascinated by strange and sometimes too-real images of beautiful but gory women? By obscure references in artistic disguise? Love sexy goth? Boy, do I have a collection of 2010 wall calendars for you!

Designer Piggy Bank Holds $10,000: Buy Two And Save $20,000

Toby — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:29:30 -0800

A stunningly realistic pig, gilded or polymer coated in hot pink, by a world famous designer, would look smashing on her dark cherry server. She would love it, even be encouraged to shove dollar bills through the cork opening and look forward to saving $10,000....

Interior Designer's Mr. Potato Head: Mr. Light By Tomás Alonso

Toby — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:44:17 -0800

You may not get the similarity between Mr. Light, by designer Thomás Alonso, and Mr. Potato Head, by toy company Hasbro... not right away.

12 Fun And Memorable Holiday Gifts Between $4 and $40

Toby — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 05:00:00 -0800

Even in lean financial times, when some of us are iffy about our jobs, our homes, and our savings... the holidays are still pressing. What small but meaningful gift can you buy for your best friend, your brother, the baby-sitter...?

Hold On To The Light Bulb While You Climb The Stairs

Toby — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:59:30 -0800

Minimalist and eco-friendly, these cool hallway and stair lights do double-duty as hand rails, so you can see and walk at the same time!

11 Not-Too-Tacky Novelty Lamps Make Fun Holiday Gifts

Toby — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 12:56:58 -0800

As more sophisticated technology has made lighting design a central focus of interior design, a lamp is not just something to improve sight in the dark; lighting is its own statement, expressing style, mood... even humor! Mood and play lamps are totally welcome in modern interior design, as long as they're not too tacky. Some of them even make useful gifts...

Grenade Christmas Decorations: Pretty, Glittery, And Political

Toby — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:29:15 -0700

Partnering with Suck UK, Britain's inimitable producer of both the humorous and seriously absurd in design, Ctrl.Alt.Shift will use the proceeds from its Grenade Christmas Tree Decorations to further efforts to call for world attention to the "silent majority."

Let Them Eat Cake With The Schleckfingerbesteck

Toby — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:59:13 -0700

Now, Marie Antoinette, wild as she was, would never have hesitated to run her pretty little index finger through the creamy icings of these Viennese (or French) pastries....

10 Ghost Chairs That Will Scare The Living Sit Out Of You!

Toby — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:44:45 -0700

You know the feeling of readying yourself to sit on a chair that someone else is guiding? You're never sure which way he is going to move the chair -- toward you or away from you. In the case of these "ghost chairs," it's not another person's intent that scares you, it's the illusion that the chair may not really be there at all. If you're inebriated or just klutzy, better stay away from these....

Decoupage Anyone? My Best Design Gift For Valentine's Day

Toby — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 10:14:20 -0800

For Valentine's Day, Cardboard Safari has created a Heart Pattern Gift Box Puzzle and a Heart Pattern Wreath. While they are lovely as is, the heart puzzles make a super base for a decorate-it-yourself project. That you can paint, wrap, glitter, and paste-upon the puzzles while they are flat, make this DIY project an ideal one!

10 Best Gourmet Chocolates All Dressed Up For Valentine's Day

Toby — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 16:50:18 -0800

Gourmet chocolate is every bit about the taste, but presentation is a very close second. Designing a chocolate -- it's shape, color, markings, dust, sparkle, even it's inside layering -- is an art in itself. On Valentine's Day, the biggest day of the year to celebrate CHOCOLATE, it's also about the dressing!

7 Ways To Clone Your Lover For Valentine's Day

Toby — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 13:57:23 -0800

Customized designs and products are certainly not new, but 5.5 Designers has taken "custom" to a new level by cloning its patrons to make products for their exacting specifications!

6 Furniture Designs With Split Personalities From The Palindrome Series

Toby — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:29:14 -0700

The way to perfect 3-D symmetry is the mold and cast. British designer Peter Marigold has achieved just that in the split-personallity furniture he calls the Palindrome Series.

What To Bring To Your Next Dinner Party: Christ Blood

Toby — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 12:59:30 -0700

Many bring a good bottle of wine to a dinner with friends, but how many hosts get a bottle of Christ Blood?

Cafards: Not Just Creepy On Halloween!

Toby — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 10:57:06 -0700

I wonder what Juliet would have said about cockroaches. Would she say...

"What's in a name? That which we call a cockroach by the name 'cafard,' is it not still creepy as hell?"

Designer Fly Swatter, A DIY Halloween Mask In Waiting!

Toby — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 16:43:54 -0700

Phillip Starke, prolific French designer of everything he imagines, from ktitchen gadgets to tall buildings, has created a darling fly swatter, masquerading as a mask!

Beautify Your Interiors With Deadly Bacteria: Bev Hisey's 8 Dirty Dishes

Toby — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:43:19 -0700

Bev Hisey, Toronto textile artist, has created quite an interesting group of carpets for home interiors... Dirty Dishes. Not your left over chicken bones, broccoli spears, or potato skins; no, we don't want to see that... Hisey's Dirty Dishes are hand-knotted, all-wool representations of magnified deadly bacteria and viruses on petri dishes. Did you ever think you'd see an e coli rug?

7 Classy Glassy Spirited Designs For Your Halloween High By Lolita®

Toby — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:58:39 -0700

If you're sick of all the schlocky Halloween stuff, take a look at this hand-painted glassware by Lolita®. As if the lady's artistry were not enough to enjoy, each wine, martini, and hot beverage glass comes with one of Lolita's fun spirits recipes painted under the base of the glass. One or two of those will definitely get you in the spirit of Halloween... or something!

Who Needs Animals When You Can Grow Your Own Beef? The Cocoon Grower & Cooker

Toby — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 08:58:14 -0700

The thought of eating genetically grown veggies is one thing, but meat and fish grown from pre-mixed muscle cells and nutrients...? I just can't bring myself to say hmm...yummy.

7 Modern Animal Figurines Have Fans, If Not Collectors!

Toby — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:59:16 -0700

These animal figurines are metal-crafted sculptures that are real breeze-making fans, the kind that won't stick out of your decor like you took them home from the office.

Airline Seating Follows Airline Food... Bye Bye!

Toby — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:59:13 -0700

Interior designers in the airline industry are clearly charged to create seating designs that work... for the airlines. Pack 'em in must be the industry's motto now, as designers create drawings of face to face seating (a là city bus), stand-up seating (a là torture chamber), and stacked seating (a là someone sits in the luggage rack).

9 Ways To Die By Doughnut With Killer Voodoos

Toby — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 12:14:20 -0700

When Voodoo Doughnut casts a spell it's the salacious, salivary kind. So temper this read: what you are about to see may make you uncontrollably crackers for a Voodoo Doughnut... and you'll have to drive to Portland, Oregon to get one!

Yucky Or Yummy? Deep-Fried Butter & More At The Texas State Fair

Toby — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:43:35 -0700

Apparently there's no end to what can be deep-fried. Just ask state fair concession chefs... or anyone who's ever been to a state fair. Texas, not just king of barbecue, but ultimate connoisseur of deep fry, has a contest at its state fair, where concessionaires compete every year for best deep-fried concoction. Stand aside heart valves: here comes deep-fried butter.

America's Best Restrooms...The Top Five Winners Of 2009

Toby — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:25:40 -0700

You're not alone if you never knew there was an America's Best Restroom contest, but some must of known about it because these winners were voted for by an online public. It may be that you also never heard of the 2009 winner, the Shoji Tabuchi Theatre restroom, or the location of the winner, Branson, Missouri. But now that the theatre has won the America's Best Restroom (ABR) Award, a lot more folks will know about it and may visit it just to use the restroom!

If High-Fructose Corn Syrup Kills Honeybees, What Does It Do To You?

Toby — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:14:03 -0700

Watch your soda intake... and your juice intake.... Don't drink bottled iced tea or lemonade or eat candy bars or packaged frozen dinners.... They're full of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which scientists have postulated is responsible for the mysterious Colony Collapse Disorder that has killed off one-third of the honeybee population in the U.S. See why this study affects you!

8 Awesome Futuristic Gadgets For Y 2100 Are Design Lab '09 Finalists!

Toby — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 19:28:56 -0700

If you're wondering what kinds of home gadgets we'll be using in the year 2100, here are 8 finalist entries of the Electrolux Design Lab 2009 competition that reflect their designers' futuristic concepts. Everything from a robotic greenhouse for life on Mars to a rain catcher and purifier that flies to your glass to pour your drinking water! Drop in and read about these super neat home gadgets!

Where's Mom? Robots Prepare, Cook Food & Even Feed You!

Toby — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 09:43:40 -0700

With the recent robot factory layoffs, the Japanese are again using their ingenuity to retrain robots for household jobs. For example, here is our chef robot...

Great News For Chocolate Lovers: New Study Tells All!

Toby — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:14:17 -0700

You've heard that chocolate looses it's flavonols, or antioxidants, when cooked. I've reported that myself. But a new study says that's not necessarily true.... and here's why....

The Elegantly Simple Wine Wedge Keeps Wine Stacked In Your Fridge

Toby — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 17:58:40 -0700

Seldom do you see a simply designed, inexpensive gadget that's easy to use and functions perfectly... But here we have the Wine Wedge, which is all of the above, plus it's easy to keep clean!