Artsy ladles

Ladles are are one of the most practical utensils in the kitchen, but unfortunately they are confined to either a drawer, a tin with other utensils or if they are lucky, a hanging pot rack. Well one designer has created a beautiful and striking way to store and display your beloved ladle.

Free-standing Ladles

Designed by Mikiya Kobayashi these ladles have a flat bottom which allows them to stand upright on a plate or any other flat surface. Perfect for creating a whimsical element in your kitchen. Unfortunately I cannot really read Japanese so I have no idea who much these cost or if they are even on the market, personally I would love to own one.

[link via tokyo mango]

Pac-Man Oven Mitts

Thats it, I can retire from blogging now because the greatest geeky domestic tool has been invented.

Pac-Man Oven Mitts

From domestic goody guru Fred comes heat handling silicone mitts that will satisfy your inner geek while you cook. Best of all is that inside the mitts they are textured with a Pac-Man course for texture and extra geekness. These babies launch in mid-April for a steal at $15 a pop.

I have a birthday coming up in late April…I’m just sayin’ ;)

<3 seanalyn

Rapid beverage chiller

While trolling about the internet today I came across this product…

The Cooper Cooler HC01-A Rapid Beverage Chiller

This contraption boasts the ability to take a room temperature can of juice, beer, soda or even a bottle of wine and make it a thirst quenching 44 degrees in just a matter of minutes. The product costs about $50 on sale at Amazon which to me is a bit pricey for the product. However there have been many times (like Tuesday night) where I just served dinner only to realize that I forgot to chill the bottle of white wine. Lucky for me my freezer is a beast and can chill things about twice as fast as most other freezers. Still, I can definitely see the appeal of this product especially for parties and entertaining. I think I’ll wait until it drops another $20 before I consider picking it up thought.

If you too dont feel like shelling out $50 for a chilled beverage, check out this episode of one of my favorite shows, Mythbusters, where they look into myths about how to rapidly chill a 6-pack. If you feel like wasting your fire extinguisher (those things are expensive to refill) you can chill a beer in a matter of seconds by blasting it with the extinguisher.

<3 seanalyn

DIY automated litter box cleaner powered by Mac Mini

Yesterday my boyfriend sends me an AIM stating, “blog fodder http://gizmodo.com/5050641/automated-litter-box-powered-by-mac-mini” and then stating that he would not waste his Mac Mini on this thing.

As awesome an idea as this is, I agree that I wouldnt waste our Mac Mini on this because frankly this thing looks terrifying. Im afraid it would freak out and either suck my cat into the vaccum tube or somehow freeze her in carbonite.

Oh well, its an interesting idea but considering automated litter box cleaners are available for less than the price of a Mac Mini and also less frightening looking, I cannot see modding my cat,s litter box any time soon.

Geek Gear: Museum of Modern…Appliances?!

Who knew that the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art sold ridiculously chic and sleek kitchen and home gadgets?! And here I thought it was just Dutch Renaissance notepads! Well heres my wish list of gear from SF MoMA

Sorapot

A sleek simplistic teapot that looks like a work of art. Swoooooon. Now if only I could justify dropping $200 on a teapot when I have a perfectly good $25 on on my stove.

Paradise Birds Salt and Pepper Shakers

I never thought I would see the day where I actually desired bird shaped salt and pepper shakers! Hell I never thought I would want any sort of decorative shakers because it seems like something my grandma would collect. But lo and behold, I want these innovative and cute shakers to sit aside my penguin set, my grandmothers vintage porcelain set and my 1UP mushroom set. To my boyfriend, Im sorry, I swear I wont start collecting doilies!

Drop Bottle Opener

This hopelessly chic bottle opener claims to be lightweight and ergonomic … I dont know it looks like you could bludgeon someone to death with it which makes it a multi use item! I love items with multiple uses!! I can open a beer and slay a burglar all in one swift motion!

Salad Servers Plant

Yet another kitchen item that I dont need but desperately want. I could only justify this purchase because they would match my 1UP mushroom salt and pepper shakers perfectly.

Cubix Lamp

Im not much of a lamp person but theres something about this that is so elegantly simple and comforting that I just love it….well either that or it just reminds me of Jenga.

To drool over and or purchase these items and more, head over to the SF MoMa shop.

Twittering plants?!

I read about this DIY project a while ago which will apparently allow your plant to Twitter and tell you when it needs to be watered. It utilizes a system call Botanicalls in which a plant can be rigged up to call for “help” when it needs water or other condition changes. Now this is kind of an awesome idea, especially for someone like me who is busy and has multiple plants. Often I forget which ones need to be watered and when. However, the Botanicalls mission statement takes a sharp turn for the creepy in their “about” section.

An excerpt if I may

Botanicalls was developed to provide a new way for plants and people to communicate in order to develop better, longer-lasting relationships between them. Instead of using an automatic watering system or developing methods for plants to text or email people, the Botanicalls team has created the means for a more personal relationship. Each plant has a unique voice based on its botanical characteristics, and each has the ability to tell people when they are in need of assistance. They’re also polite: they make sure to call and say thank you when they get a good watering.

Longer-lasting relationships?! I dont know, but to me thats taking a green thumb a bit too far. But hey, who am I to knock a plant or tree hugger/lover?

Here are directions to rig up your plant to the Botanicalls Twitter system if you feel that a phone call from your plant is a bit too personal.

While its overall a really cool idea, I feel its a bit creepy looking for my home.

I just get an Akira vibe going from this plant….