First stop into vegas... UNICA HOME! The showroom/shop! Stepping into their new 3 month old 12,000 sq ft space felt like going to design heaven ~ so many things i've written about... beautifully laid out for hours of oooooohs and ahhhhhhs followed by debating and purchasing... i'm currently debating the Artimide Melampo Lamps! Unica Home in person manages to strike a delicate balance between being incredibly accessible and touchable, while still feeling as if you're in the presence of a museum like space versus a store, as silly as it sounds, you can feel the care that is taken in showcasing the products with the utmost respect. When you meet founders Bonnie & Hugh, you'll quickly grasp their passion for each and every object in the store, and their excitement over what is yet to come is infectious! And really, 12,000 sq feet is HUGE! They have one of their two warehouses in the back of the store, so don't hesitate to ask if there's something you've been eying online that you're curious to see in person... The Detroit natives have been running Unica Home for 10 years, and have surprising backgrounds ranging from molecular biology, advertising/marketing, and antique sales as well as serving on the board of the legendary Neon Museum... and Hugh pointed us towards some off the Strip spots to check out... you'll see more about Frankie's Tiki Room when i get the next post ready... but first ~ click on to the next page to see a tour of the incredible Unica Home, there are over 30 pictures!!! There was just far too much to show you! This is definitely a MUST SEE when you're in vegas!
(Want more visual goodness? See NOTCOT.com + NOTCOT.org)
CES time! And since i'm off to vegas in the morning, i wanted to leave you with this fun giveaway! Maybe if dan takes over and does some driving, i'll even have time to approve some comments on the googlephone on the road!
Remember the 
Heading to vegas tomorrow ~ CES time already! And so far, one of the things i'm most excited about seeing in person is the latest from 
Wow. 
Happy 2009!!! I must say i'm extra giddy about this year starting ~ it feels like a good one! To kick it off we decided to do some of the things we're hoping to do more of this year! So Dan, Linhchi and i started it off by sleeping in... waaaaaay in... then cooking fluffy delicious waffles, eggs, and veggie sausages that we enjoyed out on the deck... and then off to an adventure wandering on a trail in Topanga for a few hours... with our cameras, random ideas, and not much else... So now as we relax (they are playing Little Big World + i'm posting this!) ~ i think we're ready to do 2009 right! Basically my resolution is to do more of what i love, and less of what i don't. What are yours? 
On recent obsessions ~ 
The 
On silly holiday experiments, and with so much wine around combined with freezing (ok well not literally freezing, but cold for LA) weather... and seeing 
Favorite holiday card that has come this year is definitely this adorable one from our friends at 
Mmmmmmm.... it's definitely feeling chilly and holidayish here this weekend ~ so here's a roundup of delicious drinks ~ from mulled wines and punches to ciders and molecular mixology concoctions and more! All via 
*Phew* Merry Boxing Day ~ what a season it's been!!! Apologies for the slow down in posts, just been trying to catch up with my life a little after the gift guides, giveaways, and more the last month or so! As a result you'll be seeing a few more playful posts from my everyday life (like the 
Ok, so you've 
Vacation time is finally setting in ~ at least in my head! Freshly back from spending the day at the 
Here's the last of the 
New contest! This is all pretty new to me, and the whole NOTCOT world, but as you've seen the last month, we're learning to give stuff away more and more! Latest is a collaboration with 
