Marcel Wanders is at it again with a playful creation with Droog Design. The seat of this swing can be filled with soil and seeds planted inside. It is designed so that vines will grow up the ropes. The swing is made of polyethylene with a nylon rope and comes in white, black or green. It can be used indoors or outside but will cost you more than a rope and a board, it sells for $550.
Azimuth is a relatively new watch company, founded in 2003, but they already have created a variety of intriguing designs. Their designs span the watchmaking spectrum from their Militare - 1 collection which are inspired by the pilot watches from World War II, to their angular and quirky Gauge Mecha-1 BMF designs. My favorite has to be the SP-1 Mechanique concept watch. The so-called spaceship watch has a rendition of Earth as seen from space which rotates every sixty seconds. It has a jumping hour display powered by a Unitas 6497 movement. It has a rotating disc which is at the base of a minute hand. The dial is decorated with small dots to resemble stars and the 45mm stainless steel case is capped by a domed sapphire crystal.
Beach house season is upon us and Figure Eight Island is one lovely place to spend your summer. The private island in North Carolina has around 450 homes and is reached by a guarded causeway bridge.Today's home on the island is a new build. It has a reverse floor plan with the main living level on top floor. The home has four bedrooms including a large master suite that includes a steam shower in the master bath. The home has large porches and decks and is built for entertaining with a chef's kitchen, wine cellar, family room with a wet bar and an elevator to all three levels. This home is listed at $4.595 million.
Most of the companies that offer charms shaped like pets offer just the most popular breeds but Meche goes the extra mile. Their dog charms cover all current AKC breeds and they have begun working on the cats, starting with the most popular. The pieces are three dimensional and free standing. They can be ordered in 14K white or yellow gold and customized with diamond collars and eyes and finished with custom colors.
There are few places more idyllic to be on a summer holiday weekend than Nantucket, the beautiful island of the coast of Cape Cod. Now there is a new way to experience the Nantucket getaway without owning property or staying in a one of the island's inns. Harborview is a string of 10 intown, waterfront, urban-chic cottages with concierge service. There are one-, two- or three-bedroom units available. The units are available in one-eighth shares ( six weeks ownership) and prices range from $550,000 to $950,000. Potential buyers who want to own an entire unit will be paying $2.4 to $4.6 million depending on unit size.
Usually when not shoved on top of my head, my sunglasses end up thrown on a table but a new sculpture provides the perfect resting place. The Schnoz from Lush Life is a bronze statue that provides a surrogate nose to rest your sunglasses on. The amusing statue sits on a table or shelf, keeping your sunglasses in easy reach. The sculpture is available with either male or female features and sells for $350.
The Boston Beer Company has created a unique program to benefit low and moderate income microentrepreneurs seeking to make their fortune in the food and beverage industry. Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream will provide these entrepreneurs with the tools they need to help them grow and succeed. Boston Beer has partnered with Accion USA which is the country's leading not-for-profit micro-lending organization providing critical capital and other types of assistance to small businesses. Boston Beer has made an initial $250,000 commitment to establish the Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream Micro-Loan Fund at Accion to provide much needed capital for lower and moderate income microentrepreneurs whose businesses would not be approved for a bank loan. Accion USA business loans range from $500-$25,000.
Boston Beer also plans to develop and execute a series of business education and financial literacy seminars aimed at the educational needs of food and beverage entrepreneurs and offer microentrepreneurs access to the advice and expertise of Samuel Adams employees through regular events. Brewer and founder Jim Koch says he was driven to create this program because he was one of the "little guys" when he started Samuel Adams back in 1984. He's shown above handing a check to the first recipient of the program, Carlene O'Garro, a Boston baker who runs Delectable Desires, a dessert bakery and caterer.
Today's home is located in a prime area off Dupont Circle in Washington D.C. This home was built in 1890 and is a stately townhome on Massachusetts Avenue next to many other similar homes which are embassies, cultural institutions, foundations, associations and private residences. The first floor of the home is given over to grand public rooms for entertaining including double formal parlors and a large dining room with a fireplace. There is also a catering kitchen and a custom wine cellar . The second through fourth floors are the family space including a family kitchen, living room and five bedrooms. The home is done in a luxurious and formal style that would befit the family of a senator or dignitary. It is listed at $17.5 million.
Summertime in the sweltering South calls for that thirst relieving concoction known as sweet tea. Now a South Carolina distiller has created a liquored-up version. Firefly Sweet Tea vodka is an infusion of American Tea and Firefly Vodka which is a muscadine grape vodka. The new flavor is a huge hit in Charleston where local bartenders are creating new tasty drinks for summer sippers. The vodka is sold in South Carolina, Colorado, Nevada, New York currently and will soon be making its way to other states but it's perhaps best experienced in states where sweet tea is already a beloved drink.
Thistle & Bee sells a variety of luxury objects including jewelry, picture frames, home goods and baby gifts. The company has a full range of sterling silver products including a large range of enameled pieces such as cufflinks and keychains. The American flag keychain shown above has handpainted enamel detail and sells for $250.
Thistle & Bee has now expanded into gemstones and fine jewelry with new collections of gold pieces featuring diamonds and colored stones. Examples and prices are in the gallery below.
In the summer months the American Red Cross often struggles to collect much needed blood because many potential donors are on vacation and colleges are not in session. In southern New Hampshire, International Cars, Ltd. and the American Red Cross have a unique solution to this problem. They are offering the Drive of a Lifetime, a summer promotion at the grand opening event for the new Porsche of Stratham and Audi Stratham. The care dealer is raffling off a one-year lease of a new Porsche to presenting blood donors in New Hampshire this summer. Those who donate between now and Sept. 30 will have the opportunity to enter to win. All who donate blood and visit any of International Cars' five New Hampshire locations can get a second entry through a test drive or vehicle service.
It's a bit bulky but if you your weekends involve a lot of tailgating, the Party-A-CarGo just might be for you. The Party-A-CarGo is a hitch-mountable, self-contained beer kegerator/entertainment system. It can pour up to 160 ice cold beers, play 12 hours of music and TV without having to recharge the battery. It has its own power source, a deep cycle marine battery, and a built-in battery charger. It also includes a five pound CO2 tank, a keg tap D-system, faucet wrench and drain tray. The entertainment package includes 230 watt, 6 X 9 speakers, a 10" subwoofer, 2 or 4-channel amplifier, CD player, satellite radio and a LCD screen with TV tuner. The dimensions are 50 w x 35 h x 26 d with 10" hitch post and it weight 80 pounds empty. It sells for $2,900-$3,800 depending on options.
Here in the U.S. real estate woes have been common for a few years but lately it's not so rosy overseas either. The IHT reports that luxury-home prices in central London, the world's most expensive location for prime real estate have fallen for two months in a row. Knight Frank's analysis reveals that the average price of houses and apartments in London's nine most expensive neighborhoods fell 1.7 percent in June from a month earlier which cut the annual increase to 7.5 percent, down from a peak of 38 percent in August.
Like other markets, the peak end is doing well. In the London market homes costing more than £10 million did fall for the first time in three years on a monthly basis bit values are still 23 percent higher than a year ago. The market for the prime properties at this level is partially fueled by international buyers, especially from Russia, India and the Middle East, including billionaires like Roman Abramovich and Lakshmi Mittal.
Today's grand estate is located in Malvern, a small town that was once the end of the Mail Line railroad in Pennsylvania. Today's home is located on a quiet country road and expands over 19 acres. The six-bedroom home has an original part that dates back to 1755 but had a major addition six years ago. There are 40 rooms total including a home theater, a large kitchen, hand-carved Parisian paneled living room and a billiards room in over 18,500 square feet. The grounds include a pool, tennis court, pond and there is a beautiful terrace that looks out over rolling green lawns. This home is listed at $10.5 million.
Rapper Lil Wayne is the latest celebrity to announce his own booze brand. Lil Wayne is partnering with Milestone Brands and French grower Voirin-Jumel to create Halo Champagne. A bottle of the appeared in the video for his song "Lollipop." The Halo Champagne will be available in four styles, Brut, Brut Vintage, Rose and Halo Pinnacle and will be out this fall. He joins a long list of actors and musicians with their own wine-related projects, check out the gallery below.
Marcel Wanders is at it again with a playful creation with Droog Design. The seat of this swing can be filled with soil and seeds planted inside. It is designed so that vines will grow up the ropes. The swing is made of polyethylene with a nylon rope and comes in white, black or green. It can be used indoors or outside but will cost you more than a rope and a board, it sells for $550.
Usually when not shoved on top of my head, my sunglasses end up thrown on a table but a new sculpture provides the perfect resting place. The Schnoz from Lush Life is a bronze statue that provides a surrogate nose to rest your sunglasses on. The amusing statue sits on a table or shelf, keeping your sunglasses in easy reach. The sculpture is available with either male or female features and sells for $350.
Summertime in the sweltering South calls for that thirst relieving concoction known as sweet tea. Now a South Carolina distiller has created a liquored-up version. Firefly Sweet Tea vodka is an infusion of American Tea and Firefly Vodka which is a muscadine grape vodka. The new flavor is a huge hit in Charleston where local bartenders are creating new tasty drinks for summer sippers. The vodka is sold in South Carolina, Colorado, Nevada, New York currently and will soon be making its way to other states but it's perhaps best experienced in states where sweet tea is already a beloved drink.
Rapper Lil Wayne is the latest celebrity to announce his own booze brand. Lil Wayne is partnering with Milestone Brands and French grower Voirin-Jumel to create Halo Champagne. A bottle of the appeared in the video for his song "Lollipop." The Halo Champagne will be available in four styles, Brut, Brut Vintage, Rose and Halo Pinnacle and will be out this fall. He joins a long list of actors and musicians with their own wine-related projects, check out the gallery below.
