Cognitive Surplus drinking glasses are so tempting (even as educational vases?) - especially loving Above the Earth, Beneath the Waves, and the Solar System designs.

Koko Cardboards Super Heroes Play House - minimal cardboard doll house that you can fill with their matching furniture. (Seems like fun inspiration for a laser cutter project...)

Birthday Girl Greeting Card Series at Rifle Paper Co - love the big reflective glasses and headwear.

Play Maysie - mini doll house play spaces inspired by vintage tin lunchboxes and filled with interchangeable magnetic rooms with fixed wooden furniture. Launching soon on kickstarter.

Piccolo Seeds! Such bold, lovely, graphic packaging for this Italian seed company.

Fred has been killing it on the puzzle front... and they just added 15 more! Love the Scott Listfield Graffiti, Shitshow, and colorful Candy and Beach Trash ones!

Moon Picnic's A Dozen Bird Eggs in a box and Forest Mushrooms in a box are adorably packaged and so lovely in their minimalist painted solid beech wood... also cute in basket form! Created in a collaboration between Moon Picnic & Erzi, made in Germany.

IYKYK & If Not, Now You Do - new zine from The Infatuation looks interesting. This "limited-release zine for people to learn about foods they may not know about and also instill pride and excitement in those who do." First issue is about Cha Chaan Teng.

Sneaker seeding by Adidas via Boston Dynamics 4 legged robot! Delivering Pharrell Williams’ Hu NMD sneaker, to Pusha-T. Details at HighSnobiety.

Dodgy Dogs - the puzzle version! Illustrated by Jean Jullien. Limited edition, 1000 pieces

Sherwood Hockey Artist Puck Challenge! Fun inspiration to kick it off like this example from Alvaro Ilizarbe - Eat, Sleep, Practice, Play, Repeat. Also check out examples from Kevin Lyons and I <3 Stencils.

Scott Listfield "This Is America" Exhibition Catalogue from Thinkspace! 48 page limited edition exhibition catalog. Edition of 200

USPS Star Wars Droid Stamps featuring IG-11, R2-D2, K-2SO, D-O, L3-37, BB-8, C-3PO, a GNK (or Gonk) power droid, 2-1B surgical droid and C1-10P, commonly known as “Chopper” coming in the Spring.

Pom Maker! Beyond making simple yarn pom poms, you can make adorable animals, houses, cars, ghosts, eyeballs, and so much more.

Ooni Fyra 12" Wood Pellet Pizza Oven. Aesthetically and functionally, we love this for wood fired pizza! Along with the right tools and dough recipe, this has become a NOTCOT favorite over the holidays, and we can whip up delicious pizza in no time.

BAGGU x Where's Waldo? Reusable Bags! At the beach, on the slopes, and in the future! Nostalgia overdose and perhaps the perfect fussy little kid activity to keep in your purse/car?

Flaming Lips Space Bubble Concert in OKC looked other worldly. From the setup photos to the instructional video for concert goers to the concert videos - wow. Explore them at Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne's instagram.

Londji Wooden Spinning Tops (including some that turn over) - Sun & Moon, Little Worlds, Produce, Fish, and more...

Abrams Block Book Series By Christopher Franceschelli with delightful art by Illustrator Peskimo are a favorite here! Fun chunky format, nice thick pages and popping colors. Star Wars Block and Alphablock especially!

Diptyque Photophore adorned with a thousand black lines will multiply the optical illusions and shadows when you place it over the limited edition Graphic Collection's dancing ovals and rotate it. (hopefully the link for the product page works one day)

The Diptyque Graphic Collection candle collection features hypnotic black lines that pull at NOTCOT heartstrings hard... the patterned backgrounds and animated gifs on the page are stunning! (Especially Berries!)

Maison Francis Kurkdjian Paris' Les Bulles d'Agathe - "Scented bubbles designed to introduce children to smells..." Perhaps the most luxurious bubbles you could blow... A Rose is a Rose, Cut Grass, Cold Mint, Pear, and Violet

Cocktail Critters have adorable pins combining cutely illustrated drinks and creatures!

BLOB OPERA! This is the hilariously bouncy dose of happy we need this 2020 holiday season. From Google Arts & Culture these four AI blobs will sing christmas songs and you can grab and bounce them to sing anything you want!

Craighill Eyewear Stand - a lovely, minimal cast brass pedestal for your glasses!

Goober Crayons - cute illustrations on matchbox style packaging with lego-esque crayon blocks

La Bouclée makes lovely, minimal, single piece leather bike carriers for your beer, wine, and more. Beautifully simple designs. (The 4 pack carriers look great too!)

Sophie Allport has adorable melamine egg cup saucers for kids - space, dinosaurs, flamingos, farms and more.

Neue Freunde Corkodile is an amazing, adorable wooden CORK PISTOL!

Maine Lobster Rope Swings at Bella Luna Toys. Woven from real lobster trap rope (nylon).

EDIMAXASTOR Concert tiles - look closer. These patterns! The black with black grout. The details!

Bookends/Book Stands by FCTNDSGN. Made of powder coated steel. These handmade, multi-functional bookends can be used to hold books together or prop them (or an ipad) up.

Tip Top Proper Cocktails - Manhattan, Negroni, and Old Fashioned. I'm a sucker for a good tiny can... and a giraffe with a monocle!

Typodarium 2021 Calendar - a different font for every day

11 U.S. National Scenic Trails Puzzle from Brainstorm Puzzle Co. Chunky colors and winding pathways highlight the best features and hotspots along the 11 U.S. National Scenic Trails. 500 pieces, 18x24" frame size!

Cirque Colors THERMAL collection of nail polishes change color when warm/cold, and are sensitive enough that your tips can often show the cooler color when you're warm.

Antonio Mattei's holiday biscotti tins are always so beautiful! The latest two have just arrived...

VIDEOCholula x SimpleHuman Hands-Free Hot Sauce Dispenser! Battery powered to go anywhere... pandemic friendly (assuming people don't touch it anyhow?)

ACLU Camera Privacy Cover comes complete with fact sheet! A perfect stocking stuffer - pair it with the Constitution Stress Ball?

Dodo Banana - adorable happy illustrated prints on these GOTS 100% organic pima cotton kids pjs. Favorites - Shapes, Ornaments, and Clouds! Collaboration between artist Alessandra Olanow and retailer/designer Fiona Montgomery.

Powell's City of Books launches a fragrance tucked inside a book! "Invoking a labyrinth of books; secret libraries; ancient scrolls; and cognac swilled by philosopher-kings..."

Rex London Record Microfibre Cleaning Clothes - cheeky, fun stocking stuffers

Baggu now has WINE BAGGUs!!! Complete with mini flat pouches with keychain loop. (Loving this black and white mushroom print)

BRIK! A brick to smash open... to find a box with a knife inside... as well as a code to see if you win a second more valuable knife. (Sold out, but could inspire some interesting DIY gifts?)

CLAE Bradley Cactus Collection - shoes made with a 100% Organic Cactus leather upper!

Project Feeder Watch - A list of almost 100 common feeder birds and cross referenced what they like to eat and where they like to eat it.

Origami Simulator built by Amanda Ghassaei. "It may look a little different from what you typically think of as "origami" - rather than folding paper in a set of sequential steps, this simulation attempts to fold every crease simultaneously."

"Men" the latest video from The Lincoln Project. Regardless of where you fall politically, it has been a fascinating project to follow, the satirical ads are so well done, and the swag is pretty good too.

Good read in the New Yorker - Taking Back Our Privacy: Moxie Marlinspike, the founder of the end-to-end encrypted messaging service Signal, is “trying to bring normality to the Internet." By Anna Wiener

Great twitter thread from Rebecca Boyle sharing unique Social Distancing signage - love how many use animals to help people understand what 6ft/2m looks like.

OCTOPODES! Print by Zoe Keller for Pangea Seed featuring Giant Pacific, Ghost, Caribbean Reef, Starry Night, Octopus Wolfi, California Two Spot, Coconut, Larger Pacific Striped, Greater Blue Ring, with Pacific Red Octopus eggs and hatchlings.

Crystal Head Vodka ONYX! Onyx is a unique new expression of Crystal Head Vodka, crafted from premium Blue Weber Agave and sourced from a single farm in Mexico.

Solange Jewelry - currently mesmerized by this British jewellery line. Lonestar Cosmic Spinner Ring, Pisces Anglerfish Ring, Memory Bank Brain Locket, and fuck off handwriting ring.

Dog Lovers For Joe - "CHOOSE YOUR HUMANS WISELY. Red State or Blue State, we can all agree on the power of dogs." Apparently it's the first time we haven't had a White House dog in a century. Cute video.

United States of Letterpress is the latest limited edition memo book collection from Field Notes. Three sets of books feature covers designed and printed by nine letterpress artists and studios.

Schoolhouse Lunar 2021 Calendar - "Beautiful, hand-drawn graphics are created by Katheren Belle, while the dates used to chart the lunar phases are from the Nautical Almanac Office at the U.S. Naval Observatory."

Mophie Powerstation All-In-One contains a 8,000mAh wireless portable battery with built-in Apple Watch charger. Nice design detail where the watch magnetic charger flips out.

Rise Up. Show Up. Unite! Is a new campaign started by Jessica Hische and 20+ amazing artists. The instagram tag #RiseUpShowUpUnite is growing fast with lots of inspiring art.

PangeaSeed "Vote The Environment" Campaign - A global get-out-the-vote campaign that calls on artists and creatives from around the world to create artworks that inspire voters to cast their ballots with the welfare of the planet and people in mind.

It's SCIENCE! The latest comic from Diesel Sweeties sums up science vs beliefs so nicely...

SF Mercantile's classic I Love You California Bear - Firefighter Collection

Guidecraft's Contemporary Kitchen Helper is keeping our active, curious NOTtoddler safe and happy! Unlike most others, it folds up well, has a nice non-slip surface and a removable mesh backing.

San Diego Design Week! September 9-13, this is the first of hopefully many to come!

Nintendo updates the nostalgic 1980 Game & Watch for a special edition that includes the original Super Mario Bros. game, a digital clock, and Ball game. For digital clock mode, 1 of 35 different animations may play!

How To Destroy Surveillance Capitalism by Cory Doctorow is a fascinating long read on OneZero in response to Shoshana Zuboff's book, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power.

Bombol Bamboo 3Dknit: Bounces softly under the smallest newborn, yet carries the weight of children up to 5 years old. The dynamic backrest lets babies choose their position. The breathable fabric makes it stronger and comfier than traditional bouncers.

Yummy Toddler Food's Zucchini Carrot Banana Raisin Muffins have become a delicious, healthy staple for the NOTtoddler (and adults!) - definitely recommend using white whole wheat flour, raisins, and making them full sized (bake time 18 min).

Brew Perfect by Chemex is a pretty adorable game filled with fun bitmap animations... catch deliciousness in your carafe to brew Coffee Perfection! By PlayGood Games for Chemex at the 2019 Specialty Coffee Association expo

IKEA x LEGO = BYGGLEK collection! It contains two sets of buildable storage containers and a set of specially curated Lego bricks.

Amazon Dash Cart - now in LA at the first Amazon Fresh market in Woodland Hills. It lets you "skip the checkout line and roll out when you're done" - complete with build in grocery list screen, scanner, scale, and more.

IKEA Catalogs from 1950 to 2021 are now online at the IKEA Museum!

Prosthesis: Mech Racing | Alpha Mech Pilot Program Kickstarter. The video itself is worth a watch, and the swag is pretty fun... maybe monstrous mech exoskeleton racing is exactly what we need the way things are going?

Sonder Space Crystals! ("Popping Cannabis" aka Pop Rocks?!?!) Their website, packaging, and instagram are filled with such fun, happy graphics.

VIDEONineteen Eighty-Fortnite #FreeFortnite ad recreates Apple's iconic "1984" ad, only Apple is the one to rebel against. Will be interesting to see how Epic vs Apple/Google stores will play out...

ImportYeti! Search 60 Million U.S. Customs Sea Shipment Records Instantly! Fun logo and it's quite the internet hole to fall into. It searches bills of lading to figure out companies' suppliers, and from there you can see who else those suppliers supply.

June & December Tea Towels! Pretty, delicate illustrations inspired by plants growing wildly and in our gardens. Favorites are Solstice, Endangered Ferns, Wild Berries and Nuts, and Edible Wilds.

Dayglow Art Studio stained glass made by Dayna M Anderson in Savannah, Georgia. Lovely bubbles, ice cream cones, and power + peace BLM pieces.

Camelbak Eddy+ Kids bottles. Amongst a sea of candy colored bottles (often with terrible graphics) it's nice to have clean black/clear and black/stainless options in kids sizes (12oz/14oz) that are easy enough for our one year old to drink from!

Theragun Elite - ultra-quiet smart percussive therapy device. Like the Dyson of massagers, it's great for workout recovery, but also new parents! Bluetooth pairing with their app makes guided therapy a breeze (The Sleep Routine is NOTCOT recommended!)

Fast Company has a look into the origin of Dandelion Chocolate's facets - their version of the perfect chocolate chips, designed by industrial designer, Remy Labesque.

Janod Kubix 70 Archi Blocks. Modern wooden blocks complete with 13 vehicles and an urban playmat that folds up into a carrying bucket of sorts.

Friends With You STICKER PACK! Could this be better than googly eyes?!?!?! Their instagram video showing them off is too fun! (And if you haven't played with it yet, their cloud head instagram filter is pure happiness.)

Dunkin' x BARK for Dunkin' Joy in Childhood Foundation (along with their cute black lab/golden mix Cooper Dunkin') have launched dog toys! Hot coffee and a box of Munchkins donut holes.

Safework Signs is a great side project from the folks at at Oxford Pennant. Stickers, signage, and more to help businesses keep people (and staff) safe!

VIDEO"You Can't Stop Us" Nike Ad is a beautifully cut minute and a half celebrating sports and humanity as we find our way back to a new normal...

patRIOT by Abell Octovan x Mighty Jaxx. Limited edition of 300.

Ring Juicer by Object Rights over at Generate. Handmade ceramic double finger rings!

Ombre Pine Tree Puzzle from the Brainstorm Puzzle Co. is 500 pieces with a final size of 18"x24" for easy framing. Made in USA.

David Ambarzumjan "Brushstrokes in Time" show at Antler Gallery looks stunning. "Juxtaposing what was, what is and what may be, exploring different times and places to show how the force of nature and above all, how humanity shaped our earth."

"Every Night Is Pizza Night" by J Kenji Lopez-Alt. This adorable kids book comes out in Sept 2020, and Kenji just did a reading of it on instagram. So fun, delicious, scientific, and beautifully illustrated (with the dog, Mozzarella hidden on every page!)

Mondraker Grommy e-Balance Bike... for toddlers and little kids! Feeling a mix of wow and wtf, but the "Charge Your Imagination" video is definitely worth watching! It's like a crazy ebike kid music video.

Studio PAULBAUT designed "daycare-at-home" watch is the result of two very busy parents, featuring a dial that displays recommended school activities and reminders for their 3-year old son throughout their work from home day.

SYNTAX is a socket system for s14 tube bulbs created by studio RLON. Speak a new language of light with tube bulbs.

Cliques are wooden peg dolls in such cute packaging! Each has three elements that are held together with tiny magnets to mix and match and come in house-shaped boxes that can be customized with beautiful backgrounds.

Toccata by Optical Arts (and the making of clips) is filled with completely mesmerizing slow motion destruction (and in reverse at times!) set to Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.

Sun Bum's Baby Bums! In addition to the adorable Sonny gorilla of Sun Bum branding - Baby Bum has a whole cast of characters - and turned them into stuffed toys and these bath/beach toys!

Pyrex x Star Wars decorated glass containers - The Child Snack and Yumm designs are pretty cute, but look at those deviled eggs!

VIDEOKids See Ghosts - The Kanye West/Kid Cudi collab goes animated with a new show directed by Murakami, with Kanye Bear (Kanye West) and Kid Fox (Kid Cudi) - Preview looks fun!

FEATUREDNOTkiddo Board Book favorites (so far and growing!) There are the books we want him to love, and the ones that he actually loves... this Amazon list contains the latter! Any recommendations?

Jeep Easter Eggs! Car and Driver "We Found Over 30 Easter Eggs on the Jeep Renegade" and they are adorable happy little treats tucked all over the car! [if you have ideas for more, they just launched a contest at - TheNextJeepEasterEgg.com]

Quut Quutopia Toys bath puzzles and building sets elevate classic foam bath "stickers" into 3 dimensional play sets!

“Hellos Without Handshakes” is a new public service campaign to discourage the practice of handshaking as businesses across the country begin to reopen. It includes a collection of free, downloadable posters. Created by High, Wide, & Handsome.

Rilla Alexander's IDEAS! (In red, yellow, or blue hats!) Wooden Idea toy based on Sozi's Her Idea book. Wood body and head with rope arms and legs. Made by hand in Prague in a traditional Czech style.

The Gogoro Eeyo 1s electric bike is beautifully minimal and weighs in at 26.4 lbs with full carbon frame and fork as well as carbon fiber seatpost, handle bars, and rims.

McKenzie Fisk - "Good Luck Don’t Die" show at Thinkspace! The preview looks stunning, love all of the cheeky kid and creature juxtapositions.

Porsche Taycan Collection Kids White / Red Wooden Toy Car

Halfway between art and design, OOO My Design Studio presents Nomino Post. It’s a peg board storage system, which allows different compositions on the board and countless configurations to organize an decorate your home with a flare of optical art.

Janod Spirit collection of animal racers made of wood, beautifully painted, and their springy necks let their heads bounce as you race around.

LIGNOLOC wooden nails - can be shot from a unique nail gun and sanded down easily! "Heat generated by friction when the nail is driven in cause the lignin of the wooden nail to weld with the surrounding wood to form a substance-to-substance bond."

Vanessa Gade Jewelry - "Modern minimal metal contemporary architectural jewelry" - Interesting use of delicate chain woven through the pieces!

Jonas Claesson for Reef (KIDS!) - 4 adorably illustrated surfer creature printed flip flops for big kids and tiny kids.

Lauren's All Purpose Salve in a limited edition ceramic vessel by Erin Louise Clancy, and even includes a tiny ceramic spatula.

Plastique Fantastique iSphere might be the most amusing DIY face shield/mask design yet.

InkMeThis Dual Point Seam Ripper with hand turned acrylic handle. Each seam ripper has two ends, one smaller and one larger, that pull out and store neatly inside the handle. Handmade to order and there are 19 acrylic choices.

Earlybird Claycup limited edition featuring the artwork of Nanami Cowdroy. Available in 8oz and 12 oz, Claycups are lovely textures ceramic reusable coffee cups!

Mattel 'Thank You Heroes' collections of superhero (doctors, nurses, delivery drivers, EMTs) and 'Community Champions' set of Little People (a doctor, a nurse, an emergency medical technician, a delivery driver and a grocery store worker)

Printmakers from MT, NM, OR & WA collaborated to make a set of pre-stamped postcards that celebrate the USPS. From Power and Light Press, Michael Buchino, BT Livermore and Julia McNamara.

Arthur and Friend's Karl Chair - adorable wooden cube chairs with two seat heights and can be flipped to be a table (or nightstand)

DSPTCH Face Covering and Face Covering Strap (that can be used with any mask with ear loops) - nice detail that it can be easily tightened and uses a magnetic buckle.

Bon Temps Tea - happy packaging illustrations for these non-toxic and plastic free teas. These tea bags are made out of non-GMO corn!

Safe Hand Fish! Those adorable little bento box soy sauce containers (usually with a red cap) are now used for hand sanitizer! The caps are blue as a symbol of cleanliness and the UN color.

Quentin Blake has lots of e-cards! And he's just added a series of rainbow ones for your friends that need a little happy boost. (Also check out the coloring pages.)

HOME! In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day (April 22), HOME is the world’s first stay-at-home environmental mural festival. Register as an artist, and/or check out the line up of virtual programming.

Barebones Living Edison String Lights come in 3's, in black, red, or copper. powered by USB portable charger (with on/off switch).

Ha - Samantha Geloso's "Brand From Brandtown, USA" spot nails every montage advert big brands are putting out regarding the state of the world and our lives right now.

MIIR "Alone Together" Camp Cup features such a fun octopus graphic by Kyler Martz!

WE LOVE LA is a growing collection of limited edition tshirts supporting LA partners by Family Industries

Lily & River Little Climber Pikler Triangle and Slide/Rock wall, for crawlers to 5 year olds. Impressed with the quality and details of this design (see vid at the bottom for a peek in their factory.) This has been a game changer for our NOToddler!

The House Industries Lettering Manual just launched - "House’s Chief Lettering Officer, Ken Barber, reveals the secrets for creating virtually any letter style in nearly every design scenario imaginable."

Factory Coffee in Kalamazoo is located in an old pattern shop that made wooden casting patterns and cast aluminum parts for folks like Gibson Guitar... and they had the grandson's factory make them adorable aluminum Monopoly Pieces of their BUILDING!

Tokujin Yoshioka's Easy-to-make FACE SHIELD - simply cut a clear plastic sheet and slip it on the arms of your glasses.

It's poppy season here in Southern California! And the CA Dept of Parks and Rec has put up the "Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve Live Stream" Stunning fields of glowing orange!

EVERYMASK by Roo Williams is a unique DIY mask design that uses a custom harness to tightly fit a sheet of filter material to a person's face. It follows NASA's ISRU principles, using common household tools/materials.

Lettera40 is a Sunday Büro limited print project filled with stunning illustrated letter/number prints to to raise money to help the Italian regions most affected by the Novel Coronavirus.

Designers Against Coronavirus - lovely collection of global posters/graphics curated by CaroselloLab

Pejac “It can’t rain all the time” - Magritte inspired, gas mask wearing, window paintings... a fantastic STAY ART HOME piece!

Nucleus Portland's store is filled with artistic temptations... here's their new TRANSPARENT Meyoco pin, Brendan Monroe tote, and Drink & Draw Society pin!

The WHALE CHALLENGE! From Two Thirds... here's one from their Creative Director (and a NOTCOT fave) Emil Kozak.

Paddywax's Spark Candle collection - a little dose of wishful thinking and lovely scents to help you at home (or for someone that needs a surprise pick-me-up?)

Design Observer: The Self-Reliance Project by Jessica Helfand is a daily essay column about what it means to be a maker during a pandemic. It's just the daily dose of calm, thought provoking inspiration I need these days.

'Gruffalo stayed in the cave': Axel Scheffler and Julia Donaldson's adorable coronavirus cartoons help teach kids (and adults) to stay safe!

SoraNews24 shows you how to make Rainbow Milk Gelatin Cake by twitter user @tsunekawa_

MIT Project Manus COVID-19 Face Shield is a single-piece design that comes flat and can be assembled into a 3-dimensional face shield. Ideally die cut (but could be laser cut on demand too.)

Foster + Partners prototype design for a Reusable Face Visor. All parts are laser cut - the 0.5mm optically clear PETG, an interlocking soft PP headband, and a surgical silicone rubber head strap. It is designed to be easily sterilized and reused.