ThisNext Blog

I’ve you’ve ever experienced a home-pickled cucumber (or pepper, bean, or beet) from someone who has put a little thought into the project, you know it’s a science that mass-production just can’t replicate. The handcrafted, slightly-idiosyncratic touch of the home-pickler will offer you flavor combinations and an overall quality of freshness that cannot be matched. Of course, the right combination of creativity and a sense for what makes a good-old-fashioned pickle is key.

Bred from a youth spent pickling, Rick’s Picks walks a fine line between respecting tradition and pushing its boundaries. Sliced dill pickles with garlic (“Slices of Life”) and zesty pickled asparagus (“Whup Asp”) share space on Rick’s roster with green beans in a soy-wasabi brine (“Windy City Wasabeans”) and pickled beats in a rosemary-scented brine (“Phat Beets”). Recipes incorporate vegetables and herbs produced local to the brand’s New York City home, where Rick’s Picks has set up shop since 1997.    

The recipient of a variety of pickling awards, including the Rosendale International Pickle Festival’s “Best in Show” honor in 2001 and 2002, Rick’s Picks has never strayed from its original goal of handcrafted, personalized pickling. In fact, you can stop by Rick’s Picks Lower East Side headquarters any day of the week and say hello to Rick himself.

Foxy lady! Jimmy Hendricks had the right idea (and now I have that song in my head).

According to coolhunter, the above home has the coolest outdoor theater. The home which is owned by architect Hagy Berg, was designed by him with the help of  his entire team  at Belzberg Architects in Santa Monica. The home which is overlooking Hollywood and downtown LA features glass walls, a lot of modern/ upscale detailing, a 65 foot infinity pool & spa among others. (via)

If the outdoor home theater doesn’t work for you, check-out Jeremy Kipnis amazing $6 million Home Theater. The theater has state of the art equipment which includes: a Sony SRX-S110 Professional Video Projector (resolution 4,096-by-2,160),  a 18-by-10-foot Stewart Snowmatte 1.0 Gain Laboratory-Grade Motion Picture Screen, a Sony BDP-S1 Blu-ray Player, a Sony PlayStation 3 Gaming Console, a Toshiba HD-XA1 HD DVD Player, and a JVC HMDH-5U D-VHS Recorder among others. The speakers! You wouldn’t believe; 16 sub woofers, 8 tower speakers, 10 super tweeters, and 3 center channel speakers (via)

  

More pics at Kanye’s Blog

This extended desk organiser dubbed the “Spacestation” will conceal all the cable clutter leaving you more room to work with. The spacestation has an internal 4 port USB hub that keeps all the peripherals connected. For your convenience, the cords run to and from the “Spacestation” at any point.

It has a rubber pad on top that provides a good surface to place your laptop, phone, stick it notes, business cards and other small accessories that you might need to do your work better.

With your laptop raised at the back, the spacestation makes it easy to use and allows airflow underneath the laptop. Available in white or black, and for $80.00 you can avoid this>> (below)

I have never met a hoodie that I didn’t like, but meeting one that I love doesn’t happen everyday.  Last night I feel in love with this hooded jacket by Marc Jacobs from his Marc line.  This magical hoodie stopped me dead in my tracks while shopping on Nordstrom.com.  The only thing I could do to snap me out of my love spell was recommend (on ThisNext of course).   

There are still a few chilly days ahead of us before we can really bare it all, so I think taking the plunge by buying this jacket wouldn’t be the worst I idea that I have ever come up with.  I have purchased my fair share of Marc Jacobs jackets and I have to say, they never go out of style.  A crazy hooded jacket like this will rake in the compliments like no other basic hoodie could.  Plus if you ever get sick of the hood you can easily hide it in the zippered collar.

Buy it a Nordstrom for $398.  

These days, there’s absolutely no reason you can’t find a stylish coffee maker that visually matches the design-savvy tone of your kitchen. The real trick is tracking down a machine that creates a cup that is as satisfying as the device that produces it. Enter the Senseo Coffee Pod system.

The emphasis is on the individual cup of coffee with this machine, as it is designed for single-cup use. The pouring mechanism pours cleanly, extending directly over your cup, which rests on a handy warmer. For further convenience, the system utilizes single-serving coffee packets, which resemble tea bags and do away with the mess of coffee grounds and filters. A water reservoir in back holds up to 32 ounces of water and uses only enough for one 4- or 8-ounce cup at at time. 

The Senseo is as quick, tidy, and easy as any coffee machine you’ll use, and it produces a tasty, frothy cup. The only potential drawback is that you are tied to the Senseo brand coffee packets. Assuming you like the brew, this machine makes a morning cup of coffee remarkably convenient.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have been recommending good stuff from See Jane Work, and it seems like every week/ month they always have something new on their website. I agree with them, SeeJaneWork is “the destination for office style + organization.” Here is some of their new products:

Bella Document Envelope: It’s hand-made from Italian leather and features contrasting stitch detail. It will surely tell a good story about the person carrying it, that’s why it’s Ideal for holding resumes, presentation material and other important documents. It’s available in Black, British Tan, Lime, and Pink Hues. $48.00

Bella Pencil Cup: You can keep track of your pencil/ pens better while adding aesthetic value to your office at the same time with the bella pencil cup. $32.00 

Bella Desk Blotter: Add color and life to your working space with this desk blotter. Just like the other Bella products, the desk blotter is hand-made with Italian leather, and features contrasting stitch accents to add details. $40.00

This year at the Geneva’s 78th International Car Show, Alfa Romeo will be unveilling their latest charm, the  Alfa Romeo 8C Spider. The Spider is by far the most beautiful car from Alfa Romeo. It features a 8 cylinder 4.7 litre engine that unleashes 450HP, 6 speed robotic gear box, and it can reach 60 mph in 4.2 seconds.

The 8C Spider is based on the hard-topped 8C Competizione but with a twin layer fabric roof that disappears at the touch of a button. Expect a higher price tag than the 8C Competizione because the Spider will be limited to 500 cars. With this car I don’t see any reason one would buy a Porsche two seater convertible. (via)

     

Critics are calling Cashmere Mafia the new ‘Sex and the City’. We don’t know about that, but we do like what we see. Plenty of drama and great fashions are what we tune in for every Wednesday at 10pm on ABC.

The quickest way to score all of those fabulous Cashmere Mafia fashions is to tune in to ThisNext. Starting today, through March 1, Fashion Kitty (hey, that’s me) will be answering your Cashmere Mafia fashion questions on the site. Simply submit a compliment on my page that includes your question. On March 5, your questions will be answered on ThisNext’s Cashmere Mafia page.

Ever get the feeling that a candle is a candle is a candle? You’re not alone, but you are being targeted. Black & Light is taking aim at just such complacency, offering the field of candle design a sophisticated approach that incorporates eco-sensitive and reusable materials, stylish visual details and packaging, and a clean, long life span. A personalized touch to every Black & Light product makes for a little potential for a slow-burning paradigm shift.

The first thing you’ll notice about this candle is its handsome packaging. If you splurge for a little more on a candle than you might from another you can find at the drugstore, you want it protected and remaining in perfect form by the time you get home. This candle’s rigid box is an ideal cradle, but it’s also beautifully designed with a unique illustration (in this case, with a simple line drawing titled “Bring World Peas”). A removable sticker on the exterior give you the option of reusing the box, which is both handy and neatly fits into Black & Light’s green business model.

The candle itself is as beautiful as its box, featuring an engraved surface that you almost hate to see burn away. Fortunately, you’ll have a while to appreciate it, as the candle is designed to burn for up to 15 hours per inch. The burn itself is clean and unscented, as understated as its presentation. The candle comes with instructions for proper care, ensuring the candle’s long life, as well as a thank you note that puts this company’s personalized approach into perspective.