Spring is in the Air

Yes, I know it's fall here in North America but we're feeling awfully spring-y because of these great new Valve Spring Paper Weights we've just received. These are part of our Reincarnations line which is made up of functional metal pieces created from recycled engine and auto parts. They're painted with sparkly metallic automotive paint and then finished with clearcoat, just like your car. I'll let you in on a little secret....our Dad is the mastermind behind all of the awesome Reincarnations stuff. He ran his own automotive repair business for over 30 years and has the discarded parts to prove it! We love that he's doing his part to upcycle by creating useful things from old parts that would otherwise end up in the landfill. And since we have a "no frills or bows" policy here at Four Idle Hands we're especially partial to the industrial look of these pieces.

We'll be adding the spring paper weights to the store in the next week or two. You've seen the spark plug pencil holders right? We'll have those back in the store shortly too.

Teapots Get Disturbing

I am one of those people who is drawn to teapots. It is hard to explain exactly what I find so appealing about them. Part of it is the overwhelming design possibilities for something that seems so straightforward. They can be very clean and simple all the way to over-the-top elaborate. This all explains why I sat up and took notice when they showed Richard Notkin's teapots on the PBS special "Craft In America." (Ok - it aired several months ago but it took me a while to find the time to watch the recording.) Of course I love skulls so it is no surprise that these caught my eye. But I was also intrigued by the shapes he uses for the skulls. I find the cube-shaped skulls particularly captivating. Gives a whole new feeling to afternoon tea.

Be Still My Beating Heart

Have you seen this adorable PINK vacuum cleaner from Dyson? Now, truth be told, I probably wouldn't actually plunk down hundreds of dollars for the pink one, purple would probably be my first choice, but something about this lovely shade of bubblegum pink on a vacuum cleaner is very appealing to me. (Maybe it just reminds me of my totally cute, circa 1980's, pink Reeboks that I wore all the time.) They're available only at Target and $40 of every sale will go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Target will also give you a free $100 e-Giftcard when purchasing online.

Graphic Design Makes a Difference

Here's an interesting article about graphic designer Deborah Adler's thesis project: redesigning prescription pill bottles. I really like her idea to use colored rubber rings that attach to the neck of the bottle to differentiate prescriptions for each family member. Amazing that someone hadn't thought to improve prescription packaging before now.