Yes, you plug these slippers into a USB port in your laptop or desktop to keep your tootsies warm. Do take the slippers off or unplug them before you begin to walk. Do not do use this item while drunk or if you’re under age 18, as both circumstances present a limited memory span. See more at USB Warmer Slippers if you dare.

Australia’s Powerhouse Museum has several volumes that contain thousands of bright, unfaded samples of fashionable fabric designs, braids and laces ranging from the 1830s to the 1920s. Some of these swatches, like the one shown above, are available through their Electronic Swatchbook. You can zoom in so close that you can actually see the weave in these fabrics.

The patterns on this site are in the public domain in Australia. All images and patterns on this site can be used for any commercial or non-commercial purpose without further permission. Copyright in these images and patterns cannot be revived under any circumstance within Australia. If you wish to use these patterns in a country other than Australia the museum recommends that you seek legal advice.

I spotted some interesting Harley Davidson ads at Hammer Uncut - they’re amazing. Carmichael Lynch, Harley’s advertising agency, created the images with motorcycle parts. Catch the larger image for the one shown and two more at Hammer’s site.

I don’t know what my deal with fashion is lately - probably because I haven’t been out much. But this boot caught my eye, and not just because it’s getting chill outside. Other than the fact that the boot is a damn good-looking design, what else would entice you to purchase them? Price? Well, the pair costs $404, which might be a bit pricey to some, but perfectly logical to others.

The real deal behind these boots from Terra Plana is their materials and construction. On this particular boot, the upper is folded over the mid sole and then stitched through. The boot, therefore, has a smarter look than the stitch down method and an extra layer of stitch through the folded upper for strength. The leather in these boots is vegetable tanned, a natural alternative to chrome tanning. The leather is prepared by using vegetable extracts that create beautiful rich colors. Finally, where possible, Terra Plana tries to source materials local to the factories where these boots are produced, thus minimizing on transportation. And you should see the list of materials they use to create their shoe and boot designs… Read the rest of this entry »

I ran across this offer at A&E (Arts & Entertainment) and I wanted to pass it on to you…you have until 27 November 2007 to get the entire first season (eight episodes) of INKED, the saga of the Hart and Huntington Tattoo Company for only $13.97US. You know the nice thing about DVD’s don’t you? That’s right…you get a lot of extra glitz with the glamour on this one, including cast biographies, scene selections, interactive menus and shop talk. Just click on the Inked logo shown here to snag this deal.

Tejo Remy, one of the first and most influential members of the Dutch Design group Droog, has recently split from the collective to launch a project-based firm called RemyVeenhuizen with cohort Rene Veenhuizen. Their Leaf Project, whose cascading waterfall of leaves create a fluid series of shelves, benches, and wall coverings, is a great example of witty, innovative, and engaging design. Inhabitat loves the flora motif made structural and functional. I love the way that the shelves can become part of the wall pattern when they aren’t needed for books and graphic clutter…

Clark Sorensen has created some of the most amazing and beautiful urinals one is likely to ever see. Each is meticulously hand built and one of a kind - formed from high fire porcelain and fired to cone 10 (2300° F). These pieces are magnificent works of art but they are also fully functioning vitreous porcelain fixtures that can be plumbed and used in a bathroom. They are made of the same material as a commercial toilet but the similarity stops there. Clark hopes that his sculptures can be exhibited as art and installed as urinals in galleries and bathrooms around the world. For more visuals with a lot of imagination, visit Clark Sorenson’s site.

Gustave Flaubert’s erotically charged and psychologically acute portrayal of Emma Bovary caused a moral outcry on its publication in 1857. But, it was deemed so lifelike that many women insisted that they were the model for his heroine. Despite all the frantic claims to fame, Flaubert declared: “Madame Bovary, c’est moi.”

Now Bovary has a facelife - or perhaps a footlift - thanks to shoe designer Manolo Blahnik and Penguin Designer Classic Books. In celebration of their 60th birthday, Penguin asked Blahnik and four other artisans - designer and architect Ron Arad (The Idiot), fashion designer Paul Smith (Lady Chatterly’s Lover), video artist Sam Taylor-Wood (Tender is the Night), and graphic design partnership Fuel (Crime and Punishment) - to design new book covers for old classics. Three of the five books are sold out at the moment, but more are on the way.

The designer covers have worked well for sales, and it could be that each book represents one way to own a designer product at a minimal price. Blahnik’s book, Madame Bovary, goes for £100.00 ($190.93US). Don’t gasp! His strappy little sexy sandals with jeweled embellishments shown here, exclusive to Neiman Marcus, go for $830.00US (£434.64).

Oh, but Bovary would have loved ‘em!

John Holt, 38, is a self-taught metal bender who, 10 years ago, designed and built suits of armor that were sold at Sotheby’s auction house in New York City. He also makes custom metal parts, including weights for tractors and decorative items for tables. So why would Holt want to create the Bone Bike, which tops a rider out at 90 miles an hour on an aluminum seat that (mercifully) has springs but that doesn’t contain padding?

“I wanted something different”, he said. Read the rest of this entry »

A new company called Digital Vector Maps (http://digital-vector-maps.com) has released more than 900 new maps of the World, the United States and US States. The maps are available in a number of different styles and projections, from blank outlines to detailed, multi-layered versions.

The maps have been made available in Adobe Illustrator and editable PDF formats, and use the latest map data available. Maps are scalable to virtually any size without loss of detail and quality, thanks to their vector nature. The royalty-free maps are fully editable in Adobe Illustrator 8 or higher, with all major map features residing on intuitively labeled layers to make possible separate editing of such map elements as lines, colors, symbols and text. Such objects as geographic place names, country borders and reference text are provided as separate editable objects. Read the rest of this entry »