John Gushue . . . Dot Dot Dot

Mega cube

 Many of my good friends know I have a thing about ice cubes ... although cubes are actually not involved at all. I have ice sphere makers (perfect for keeping certain drinks very cold without diluting them at all), and a wide range of novelty items that pop ice out in shapes ranging from hearts, Han Solo (a la carbonite) and skulls-and-crossbones. Arrrr...

I saw this product this week, and I'm tempted. Williams Sonoma sells these ice cube trays, with the annotation that the cubes are two inches on each side. Each set, thus, makes two. These are pretty big cubes, and as with the spheres, the idea is to keep something very, very cold without it getting watery. It's why those stones also sell. 

I can't believe it's not Buddha

A clever little tag line, no? I snapped this at Living Planet a couple of weeks ago. 

Start your decomposition

With school starting tomorrow in St. John's, I'm quite we're not the only household getting supplies ready tonight. Martha spotted these notebooks the other day; I came close to buying them, just for the cover. 

 

Start your decomposition

With school starting tomorrow in St. John's, I'm quite we're not the only household getting supplies ready tonight. Martha spotted these notebooks the other day; I came close to buying them, just for the cover. 

 

A bit of old-school high-tech for the couch

This is a throw pillow. Really. A lot of people will find it funny, to have such a symbol of, say 80s and 90s working life. Their kids will not have a clue. As seen here.

Romantic candles, with an explosive appeal

Something that will appeal to both the hopelessly sentimental and the hopelessly sarcastic.

When you absolutely, positively have to work out like Darth Vader

Star Wars has been a licensing behemoth pretty much from day one; long ago are the days when manufacturers like Kenner got caught short of product amid hefty consumer demand. Personally, I would have thought that Brand Star Wars had reached every product that would work.

Um, no. Adidas has signed on for an official set of products. The sneakers, I kind of get - each set is inspired by an element of the films. But athletic togs in the manner of Darth Vader? Really?

More here, from starwars.com.

A radio for die-hard CBC Radio fans

The radio in my home office is tuned one station: CBC Radio One (640 in St. John's). Because I do some work from home in the morning (I'm on leave now, but head back in just over a month), I need to be focused on what's happening ... and I'm too lazy to lean over and change it. In other rooms, and especially in the car, my loyalty flies out the window.

All the same, I got a kick out of this newly revealed design that makes life easy for CBC Radio fans: program your stations, and then just flick between Radio One and Radio Two. (If you like Radio 3, you'll need a computer, but this gadget can hook up to an MP3 player.) 

Vases with an industrial feeling

How's this for repurposing? As seen on this post on Design Milk, a company is taking previously used materials - like piping - and turning them into home decor pieces.    

A Mad Men item for both couch and potato

My wife spotted this hand-adorned pillow on Etsy this week. It mimics the already iconic silhouette of Jon Hamm from the opening of Mad Men, albeit with a Manhattan skyline added. A cool item, although I don't think I'm too tempted to get it; after all, what would Don Draper think?

For the golfer with a discerning love of cheese

As much as I love Wallace & Gromit, I wonder how many serious-minded golfers would want to cover one of their clubs with their own private Gromit. Interested? You can buy it direct from the Aardman store.

Spice post

Our kitchen is a busy place, but a small one, which has meant we've had to be practical with fitting things into tight spaces. The Kitchn (yep, that's how it's spelled) has a how-to on making your own magnetic spice holder, which is an option I'd pursure - if I had enough wall space.