Emergency Break Glass, Money box

"Add coins at your own risk: only by smashing the glass can they be retrieved. As you watch your money literally build up, you will be torn between the desire to save more or cash in. With money rapidly disappearing into plastic cards and online transactions, the physical presence of ‘In Case of Emergency' money box will make you think more carefully before you decide to splash out. What will be your moment of need?" SuckUK

Designed by Becky Miller, a recent graduate of the University of Brighton. Good enough to be scooped up and sold by SuckUK. I really like it, especially the fact that you can see the money inside.
(via ItsNiceThat)

Wooden Radio, by Magno

Flip I love this radio by Japanese company Magno. It seems almost like a childs toy, very simply made out of wood. I can imagine it would be quite hard to tune, as it looks like there aren't any digits on the dial. But I love it none the less.

tu-tu r.t.d. Flower Packaging

I find it hard to believe that the "vases" above (designed by Rock, Paper, Scissors) are actually just the packaging, they look so sculptural, so final.

The design integrates a vase directly into the the packaging for flowers. The concept is by ishii yoji and hattori ayako and it is produced by Suntory flowers, and was presented for the first time during the Tokyo design week. designBOOM

Initially I thought it was a white porcelain base, and clear glass sides, but when I investigated, it turns out the clear sides have a pattern etched onto them, and the base has a natural/fiber looking texture.
I prefer the above picture, looks far more clean, and reminds me of that flower (magic rose) container from Disney's Beauty and the Beast. via DesignBOOM

The Great Wave off Kanagawa, Tatebanko

I recently came across Tatebanko, which is a "forgotten Japanese art of creating amazing dioramas and scenic perspective from paper." Tatebanko was popular and widely admired from the Edo period ( 17th century ) to the early 20th century. Then it all but disappeared.
The site Tatebanko.com is now attempting to revive it, above is a sample of a tatebanko made from the famous Japanese painting The Great Wave Off Kanagawa.

I've seen this technique used before, for a CD cover, but for the life of me (and despite my ever expanding bookmarks folder) I cant find the example...sorry. But I'm definitely going to put in on my list of crafty techniques to experiment with.
Stumbled upon via CoolHunting.

Etsy of the Week, Smosch

Meet mini Mr Winterlips, one of the many "Buttcrack characters" designed and crocheted by Sandra of Smosch.com. They're all brillliant, but the one above caught my eye more than most. check out her Etsy Shop or her blog, Smosch.

Is Print Dead?

A very cool article about the fate of printing, as we know it...
Dam dam daaam.
But I really like the origami "illustrations" on the article are really cool. Illustrated by Jennifer Daniel and Erin Sparling. Check it out at A Brief Message : An Inconvenient Truth. I recently made a origami squirel of which I'm quite proud, I'll try remember to post it some time. via The Serif

Park Planters (18+)

"Drawing inspiration from the bonsai, park planters were created to elevate the common household plant to the status of full grown tree. The potted plant becomes the backdrop for an urban park scene. Ranging from dog walkers to flashers and muggers, no two scenes are alike ensuring the autonomy of each piece." Science & Sons

The seemingly innocent white porcelain plant pots mould into a variety of not-so-innocent situations, featuring hookers, johns, dog walkers and hold-ups. Crafted by Science & Sons, who bought us the Phonofone I and II, I really like the humor and irreverence offered in something as unassuming as a flower pot. via Josh Spear

Fill in the cat, Chair

"Three characters disappear from large, solid white blocks, and their absence suddenly makes them important. The resulting emptiness is filled with the user's belongings and through this action the silhouettes' meaning shifts." NEL

I came across these pieces at 72dpi (A very cool blog), I really like the way the chair and table retail their minimal shapes, whiles the silhouettes cut out the bottom provide the detail and interest. Very cool. One thing I'm not too sure about though, is how long the polystyrene retain it's shape.
Participants: Ricardo Casas, Héctor Esrawe, Emiliano Godoy, Cecilia León de la Barra, Óscar Núñez

Ice Lolly

"Water that floats freely and makes contact with minerals is able to regain its vitality and its crystal structure. This was the inspiration for Dutch designer Nienke Vording to develop a series products for water consumption." via Core77

Its a very "Nice" idea, not sure if it goes much beyond that though, I cant help thinking its a little contrived... although that sounds a bit too harsh. Whilst I applaud those people that drink natural water, I can hardly see how the "Ice-lolly" is making it more accessible or practical. But to be fair I'm not sure what the designer's original intention was (His website is in Dutch). It's a "Nice" idea, but not sure whether it's much more than that.

Lori Nix - Accidentally Kansas

"In Accidentally Kansas I offer viewers the terror of the terrain—found not in the image itself, but in their own imaginations. Through the mind's own processes of massification my Dixie Cup sized pieces of wood and miniatures become large and looming, such as a nuclear reactor meltdown, even if it's just for a couple of seconds."

A wonderful collection of work by Lori Nix mixing photography and model making. Pictured is an extract from the series ‘Accidentally Kansas’, which explores Nix’s memories of growing up in the state combined with her love of 1970’s disaster movies.

The Lucile Ceramics

Lucile Soufflet is the current guest exhibitor at the Atelier A1 in Brussels. The Lucile ceramics are a series of cups whose handles represent the handles from the history of the Royal Boch earthenware factory. via MocoLoco

Pierre Vanni

These amazing paper sculptures by French graphic designer, Pierre Vanni, are brilliant, check out these and other cool pieces in his portfolio at www.pierrevanni.com.