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NOTCOT

a visual filtration of ideas + aesthetics + amusement.

So for some background ~ i've been in love with the work of Shag since i was a kid (early high school perhaps?) ~ and to stumble into Frankie's Tiki Room upon the suggestion of Hugh at Unica Home, and then to see not only all the amazing art/interiors, and the exclusive mugs... and in the corner there is this playful "VICE TESTER" machine calling out to me... and as i get closer, the whole thing is covered in Shag's illustrations! Every single side of it and all the options too! It's only getting in to the hotel and hooked up to some wonky internet that i got caught up on all things Frankie's Tiki Room, including the little snippet on their site that says "And the 'Vice Tester' carnival game, designed and built by Shag, must be seen to be believed." It's no joke, you really must see it... and since i can't show it to you in person, on the next page you will see a bunch of pictures of every side of it as well as a little *sideways* video (sorry, we did what we could between the very dark bar and the very strong

Frankie's Tiki Room MugsToday

The 8 exclusive ceramic tiki mugs of Frankie's Tiki Room are exquisite by any tiki loving standards. I showed you the space here, and the mugs and stirrers deserved a post of their own! So here are some close ups in the hotel room, and on the next page you have to check out their backs, close ups of the stirrer, images of all of the mug designs, and the adorable menu illustrations of them too!

p.s.
The exclusive tiki mugs are purchasable online for $15 each! And really they are so so awesome we might have to buy more. But if you go in you can get them for $20 with a drink (drinks normally $8)

TO PAGE 2 of "Frankie’s Tiki Room Mugs"! ----->

(Want more visual goodness? See NOTCOT.com + NOTCOT.org)

Frankie's Tiki Room Las VegasToday

From Unica Home we made our way to Frankie's Tiki Room... and WOW. Seriously. While in Vegas, wtf are you doing on the strip? Go to Frankie's! It is dripping with tiki bar lore, and art works from many of our favorite contemporary tiki loving artists (so much SHAG-aliciousness!)... and even an exclusive set of custom Tiki Souvenir Mugs! Not to mention the awesome old school neon signage on the front of this 24 hour joint that just opened last month! Soooooo, there will be three posts on Frankie's since there was too much to show you in just one!

First up ~ photographic look at Frankie's and my very strong drinks and giddy view of the tiki wonders... so go see the pics on the next page, and i'll slip more info in there, but you really need to see more first!

TO PAGE 2 of "Frankie’s Tiki Room Las Vegas"! ----->

(Want more visual goodness? See NOTCOT.com + NOTCOT.org)

Unica Home, Las VegasToday

First stop into vegas... UNICA HOME! The showroom/shop! Stepping into their new 3 month old 12,000 sq ft space felt like going to design heaven ~ so many things i've written about... beautifully laid out for hours of oooooohs and ahhhhhhs followed by debating and purchasing... i'm currently debating the Artimide Melampo Lamps! Unica Home in person manages to strike a delicate balance between being incredibly accessible and touchable, while still feeling as if you're in the presence of a museum like space versus a store, as silly as it sounds, you can feel the care that is taken in showcasing the products with the utmost respect. When you meet founders Bonnie & Hugh, you'll quickly grasp their passion for each and every object in the store, and their excitement over what is yet to come is infectious! And really, 12,000 sq feet is HUGE! They have one of their two warehouses in the back of the store, so don't hesitate to ask if there's something you've been eying online that you're curious to see in person... The Detroit natives have been running Unica Home for 10 years, and have surprising backgrounds ranging from molecular biology,

NOTCOT Giveaway: Steelcase LeapYesterday

CES time! And since i'm off to vegas in the morning, i wanted to leave you with this fun giveaway! Maybe if dan takes over and does some driving, i'll even have time to approve some comments on the googlephone on the road!

The nice folks at Steelcase were so excited about the post about the Leap chair that they've offered to give one away to a lucky NOTCOT reader, and with generosity like that, how could i say no? This is pretty much the perfect gift/upgrade to kick off 2009 with ~ especially if you're just getting back to work... this Leap might help make the work weeks go by a little more comfortably (and ergonomically!) While the base model retails at $850 and really its an investment in our bodies when we're overworking at our computers... here's your chance to win one!

So for this first giveaway of 2009 ~ i ask 3 little things of you ~ 1) What would you do with the massive box (it's big, i could totally make a fort with mine!)? 2) What is your New Year's Resolution? 3) How will the Steelcase Leap improve your life? For question 1, you should definitely check out the pict