The Modern Materialist : round up

Roundup: Andy Warhol Is Stalking Me

Laureen Mahler — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:36:00 GMT

It's the truth. Warhol is everywhere. Sure, the De Young is having a big Warhol exhibit, but it goes way beyond that. On Friday, a friend of mine returns from the bar with a cocktail that sports half of a banana floating in it: welcome to the (definitely not worth $11) Warhol cocktail. Later in the weekend, I open my CB2 catalog, and there's Warhol-themed partyware. A little after that, I visit a friend who just purchased a catnip-stuffed, Warhol-banana-shaped toy for her cat. WTF?

So fine, Andy Warhol. You're not the only one who can be a stalker. In honor of your apparent obsession with me, here's a roundup of some of the best Warhol products out there:

[$1.50 each, CB2]

The world fascinates me. And thanks to these plates, so does your dinner.

[$350, Uncommon Goods]

The iconic Campbell's Soup can gets bigger, taller, more porcelain, and perfect for flowers.

[$11 set of 2, Warhol Store]

Banana shaped... banana split dishes! Totally deep.

[$15, Etsy]

And finally, a little reminder of why we love Warhol.

I suppose this is better than the time that Salvador Dali was stalking me. That was just creepy.

Roundup: Internet Porn

Laureen Mahler — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 17:59:00 GMT

[$18.50, NerdyShirts]

I love the internet. And the internet loves me back. Know how I know? It brings home (some of) the bacon, keeps me informed and organized, and never fails to entertain me when I'm bored.

Maybe it's time to show the internet just how much I care...

... with a roundup of clever internet fan gear. (And no, it's not that kind of porn; think kitten porn, or design porn.)

[$11, Atypyk]

The WiFi fan: for when it's hot and wireless.

[$16, Etsy]

Internet bling is totally OMG.

[$13, ThinkGeek]

Ah, internet puns: geeky and true.

[$11, Xtreme Geek]

Never be without your keyboard, especially when there's seasoning to be done.

Round Up: You're Making Me Sexist

Laureen Mahler — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 15:28:00 GMT

Ah, Bret and Jemaine: you've returned to us, and I couldn't be happier, what with my hardcore FOTC habit that causes frequent Season One benders and more than a few unnecessary run-ins with fruit vendors. So, in honor of Season Two of the beloved Conchords, here are a few products essential for any true fan. And the best part? They're all made by fans as geeky as I am, but with way more spare time on their hands:

[$5.50, Etsy]

The "Most Beautiful Girl in the Room" compact mirror is the perfect way to say that you are indeed hotter than any other female in the immediate vicinity. Plus imagine the convenient conversation starter if you run into another Cutest Person in the Room who is also a Conchords fan.

[$20, Nerdy Shirts]

Business time is everyone's favorite time, right? So whether it's Wednesday night or Monday morning, pants on or socks off, show 'em that business time is anytime.

[$20, Cafe Press]

Who's the boom king? You are, baby -- in the kitchen at least -- with this simple but effective design. Strap it on, make a sandwich or two, and you've got a serious boom sale happening.

[$14, Zazzle]

I often dream of turning my little home office into a replica of Murray's consular abode, and now the dream can be a reality. I just need a "New Zealand... Cool" poster, a band agenda and a leggy blonde, and I'm all set.

Now does anybody out there know how to score a free HBO subscription?

Round Up: Tiny Living

Alex Zalben — Thu, 22 May 2008 18:30:00 GMT

Here’s a must browse for anyone living in a New York apartment: Tiny Living, a furniture and furnishing store located at 125 East 7th Street, between 1st Avenue, and Avenue A in Manhattan. Why is it a must check out? Because they specialize in furnishings for small spaces, compact, to flexible, to organizational, to my favorite, multi-functional. You know, all the stuff people living in New York apartment need?

If you’re not in New York, you can check out everything listed here, and much more, at their extensive online store. There’s probably enough there to fuel the next month of Modern Materialist posts, but I’ve decided to blow it all on one, mega-inventory post. Check out some of my favorite items, including the above doormat ($25), below:

Steph fell in love with this globe when I sent an e-mail to the ladies about this store, so Steph, this one goes out to you. [$15]

The vertical wine rack holds up to eight wine bottles parallel to your wall, securely. Looks awesome, and a great space saver. [$79]

It's a tiny, four cup coffee maker! I know that's about as much as I make every morning, and right now, the coffee maker takes up, oh, I don't know, 90% of the space on my counter. [$20]

I always thought your shower item options were limited to: get a shower caddy; leave 'em on your bathtub; or don't shower. This shower curtain has seven mesh pockets, which you can face into, or out of the shower. [$20]

Shut up. I think these suction cup toothbrush holders are cute. Leave me alone. [$5]

This multi-purpose over-tank TP/Magazine holder solves so many problems at the same time, I don't know where to start. [$19]

Okay, so you can't quite tell by looking at it, but this is most amazing item on the list. You can store the chairs in this solid wood table, then close the leaves, and push the table to the side of your room, letting it look like a regular, small cabinet, when you don't have people over for dinner. Pretty awesome, right? [$319]

Such a simple idea, I don't know why I haven't seen it before. [$9]

I actually own a cake tray like this, with the plates stored under the tray; but I like this better. Technically cappuccino cups, though really, there's nothing stopping you from using them for tea, or coffee. [$25]

Last, but not least, this tiny dishrack measures only 6.5"w x 14"d x 5"h, but holds up to fourteen dishes, has a flatware holder, and a draining tray. Plus, it won't rust. Lovely. [$25]

Round Up: The Cool Black Watch

Wendy Atterberry — Tue, 13 May 2008 19:00:00 GMT

[$145, Amazon]

While I'm not big on watches for myself, preferring instead to bug strangers on the street when I'm wondering how late I'm running, I do appreciate a good-looking time piece on the wrists on manly men. You know what I'm talking about — a hot watch on a lightly tanned wrist with a vein or two parralell to the face and maybe just bit of hair peeking out from under the band — hmm-mm, yes, very nice. Just to encourage some of you guys out there to adopt the look I like so much, I've rounded up a handful (pun intended) of sexy, affordable (all under $150) black watches:

[$125, Fossil]

[$130, Nixon]

[$150, UrbanOutfitters]

Round Up: Outdoor Accessories

Wendy Atterberry — Thu, 08 May 2008 18:30:00 GMT

[$24.95-$47.95, Home Infatuation]

Now that the weather has gotten nice, I've been spending a lot more time on our rooftop. I do a little yoga and various exercises up there in the morning and in the evening, Drew and I enjoy a cocktail as the day winds down. It's really peaceful and relaxing to be so highand away above the busy city street below, but so far, I'm ashamed to say, aside from moving a dinette set up to the roof, we haven't really done anything to make it as much as an oasis as it could be. So, this post is dedicated to those of us who could use a little push in sprucing up our outdoor spaces for the summer. These beautiful rugs pictured above are not only water-proof, they're resistant to color fading and soft enough to walk on barefoot. At less than $50, they're really reasonably prices, too, leaving enough cash for these other great outdoor accessories:

[$19.95, Crate and Barrel]

[$24.95, Wrapables]

[$24, West Elm]

[$47.99, Best Nest]

[$39 - $59, West Elm]

Round Up: Cute Laptop Cases

Wendy Atterberry — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:00:00 GMT

This is me. And my new MacBook. We just started seeing each other last week. We're very happy together, thank you. Blogging is about 10 times easier now that I'm working with a computer whose hard drive isn't on its very last leg, nay, toe. So now I need to get a bag for my new laptop, something I never did for my old one even though my parents gave me some money for one since I was in grad school and broke at the time. But rather than buy a bag, I spent the money on drinks out with friends and some lipgloss. Anyway, I'm determined to have a better relationship with this new one. I want to treat it right and maybe it'll stick around a little longer, put out a little more. If anything will make a laptop purr, it's got to be one of these:

[$124, Rare Device]

[$85, Etsy]

[$124.99, JCrew]

[$49.14, Amazon]

[$29.99, Office Depot]

Round Up: Six Spring/Summer Shoes for Under Sixty

Wendy Atterberry — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 20:00:00 GMT

[$55, Piperlime]

Besides the excuse to sip Mint Juleps from silver cups, the warmer weather is also an opportunity to don some super cute footwear. After the jump, a round-up of six of of my favorites for the spring and summer all under 60 bucks:

[were $90, now $19.99, Dolce Vita]

[$49.95, Nordstrom]

[were $80.75, now $19.97, Love My Shoes]

[$41.98, Love My Shoes]

[$38, Urban Outfitters]