Mine, All Mine

Nothing says you own something like a red hot brand perma-seared into a surface... not that you would, of course, but for a measly $20, now you have the option! Serve dinner party meats with your very own logo etched into the side with this lovely, DIY branding kit. Don't want anyone touching that chicken breast? Brand it! Show your love for that wooden side table? TSSS! Jealous that your uber-hot significant other may have roaming eyes? Okay, maybe that might go a bit too far, but you get the picture. Upload your own logo and for $20, a specially-made metal cap for just about any lighter will be wending its way to you in just a few weeks, and then you can show the world just how zealously protective you are of your things! Lighter not included. From shapeways, via BLTD.

Is it me, or have I been focusing too much on heated items of late?

That's Really Hot

I normally don't post things I can't find a retailer for, but this is definitely one for the wish list.

It's the height (or is that depth?) of the winter cold and everything is freezing. When the mercury dips below ice-making levels like it has today, I'll often sacrifice sleek looks for warmth. I must confess, my pre-war building's heating isn't coping well with the current 18∘F chill (which is likely feeling more like single digits with the wind) and even indoors it's a bit on the frosty side. But the tray-like items pictured above are the coolest solution I've ever seen for all the cold. Dubbed Bag Portable Space Heaters because of the minimal handle grip configuration, not only will they provide necessary heat when central heating doesn't quite warm up your tootsies, but they'll look amazing with any modern interior. Slim, portable and available in six different wood finishes, they're designed in Italy by Enzo Berti and distributed by i-radium. When I saw this written up in Elle Decoration UK, I couldn't wait to find out where to get me one. Unfortunately their website doesn't explain whether or not these are readily available and where, but with something that looks as hot as these do, it's only a matter of time before I get my hands (and feet, and the rest of my chilled bod) on one. Find out more here at i-radium.com.

Candle-Wit

It's the Christmas season and thoughts can turn to Christmas stories of happiness and death, as epitomized by The Little Match Girl. Who the hell thought that that story was uplifting? She fricking died in the dead of winter. Hell, she was selling matches! What kind of living can you make by peddling something you can get for free at the local deli? Methinks if she sold these witty candlebooks by Poketo, that sad waif would have made more money off those design aficionados.

I first saw these matchbook candles by Poketo at either the Gift Show or the ICFF, and thought they were really fun, but wasn't sure what to apply them towards, but who can resist the clever idea? They'd make a great instant birthday celebration. Of course, you'll need a real book of matches to get them lit, so you may want to ferret out some poor waif on the street (or better yet, pass by the deli or news stand and get them free). You can get 4 packs of these candles for $6 at Yanko Design store, though!

Bit Hot

8 Bit, to be precise.


This winter season sees many of us enjoying the pleasures of baked goods - whether making or consuming them (likely the latter). I haven't baked in years, unless you count microwaving things I pulled out of a box. Still, microwaved t.v. dinners come out pretty hot from the oven, especially when you're bringing the tray to the computer monitor to watch videos online (I've revealed my normal mode of dinner by myself... so sad). So this mitt should come in... ahem... handy. For that matter, it's also quite apt, given my choice of online viewing entertainment. Conveniently, the next time I'm chewing on Lean Cuisine in front of Hulu, I can shop for protective, ironic oven mitts from Think Geek. Those nerdy rascals think of everything. Buy it here for just under $25.

Image Application

So they finally found a way to make those Photoshopped image changes stick in real life.

These refrigerator magnets rock my world, and not only because I know these palette windows so well (it's been over 15 years since I first started using Photoshop). I love them because they're so inherently geeky and post-modern, anyone who's clone-stamped a zit off their Facebook profile pic has got to appreciate these analog renditions of the Photoshop tool set. And with these holding a slew of photos on to your fridge door, it brings new meaning to the command "Paste Into" (okay, so maybe that was a bit to insider~geeky, but so am I). Get them for $25 from those clever monkeys over at ThinkGeek.