Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. You’re serious about this one, so drugstore chocolate in a heart-shaped box won’t cut it, but you definitely want to treat your girlfriend like a lady - problem is, you’re something of a tramp in the financial sector. What to do? Easy; whip up a romantic, DIY-style Valentine’s Day dinner with a twist. This little kit is sure to blow her mind and preserve your wallet - and save you the time it would actually take to do it yourself.

I just looooove all the lighting recommendations on ThisNext.  In September, I was bedazzled by stylish chandeliers, and today I’m basking in the ambient glow of dreamy, warm-light lamps.

We just fell forward (in case you haven’t changed you clocks), which means darkness falls early.  The good news: warm fires (gas of course), lots more candles and mood lighting galore to warm the cuckolds of long, cold nights. 

rugenius knows how to glow, he’s shopcasted some gorgeous lighting alternatives like my new obsession, the Luau Portable Lamp.  It’s so pretty and warm and bright…It feels like I’m carrying my own jar of fireflies. The boogie man will never get me when I carry this through a dark forest.  Plus, as it’s portable, you can easily carry it from room to room, which means saving a bundle on that electric bill.

...continued: Glow in the Dark

This past Wednesday, style and design writer Anh Minh Le (who also contributes to decor8) recently wrote an article for the San Francisco Chronicle about the beautiful artistry of lighting designers Marcia Zia and Paul Priven of Zia-Priven Design. On her blog she featured this gorgeous Italian glass chandelier which is part of their couture collection.

Thanks to forward thinking designers like Zia-Priven- like much in the design world today- chandeliers are undergoing a massive and varied transformation. No longer limited to entry ways and dining rooms, today’s “chandelier” can be made with anything from paper to light bulbs themselves. Though lots of chandeliers will set you back several hundred to thousands of dollars, the contemporary market is also full of amazing amounts of affordable and creative lighting accessible to anyone searching for a beautiful way to dress up a room. Even this month’s Lucky Magazine lights up with a host of fun chandeliers.

Naturally, the curators on ThisNext have shopcasted many many beautiful chandeliers as well.

...continued: Let Your Light Shine Down

EcoGeek has found another breakthrough product: LED lamps that can replace even more incandescent bulbs than ever – these for decorative purposes.  Mule Lighting’s new LEDison series of LED lamps fit into standard Edison-base sockets, and can replace 10 to 60w incandescent bulbs in commercial applications (like shopping malls). “The LED lamps have ten times the service life of the incandescents they replace, and use only one watt!” Phillip Proefrock tells us. “An even greater cost savings is realized when the annual maintenance costs of replacing incandescent bulbs is considered.  Unfortunately, they’re not yet being mass produced and are probably pretty expensive (since they wouldn’t tell us how much they cost.)  They don’t quite produce the amount of light we usually expect from household lamps, so compact fluorescents are still probably a better choice, for now. But progress continues, and these are another neat little step along the way.”

It’s no secret that we love Juniper Designs - this jewelry designer and blogger spots mouth-watering clothing and accessories just as well as she spots luxurious interior design must-haves. This Cellula Chandelier has already been added to my wishlist, along with Junper’s great ideas:

Swarovski crystal pendants hang from an aluminum rod; completely interchangeable, the crystals can work in numerous ways to create varying effects.  I first saw this piece in person while visiting family in Portland… it is stunning and could easily become a focal point of a dining space.  I thing I would use it somewhere a bit more unexpected – maybe a galley kitchen or long bathroom – adding just a bit of glam to an otherwise utilitarian space…

Keep ‘em coming stylish shopcaster! 

Mod*Mom is totally cool. No, actually, she’s more: she’s space-age. This Weplight Bruna Pendant Lamp is only one of a parade of cool designs, from airports to vacuum cleaners, that fit Mod*Mom’s groovy aesthetic and show that –as ThisNexters know — a well-realized life can be expressed through the products you buy, use, admire, and unearth.

Are you low on space, but high on style? Clean freak? Design spotter?

BBlinks points us to an uber cool space saver. The Spruce. It’s a floor sweeper. It’s a groovy floor lamp.

Better Living Through Design always shopcasts the best design products. These sticky lamps are great for homes without a lot of outlets, or for any dweller who isn’t into permanent fixtures.

…and they’re a steal at $25!!! 

At ThisNext we love living a life less ordinary…and finding products to fit that life perfectly.

Like these whimsical, modern, lacy pendant lamps from storelight.

via design*sponge

Katey Nicosia is doing just what we’re doing: exploring the web for product discovery and then blogging like it’s hot.

Ok, That’s Hot.

While we don’t have any major issue with Paris Hilton here at ThisNext - we appreciate the disclaimer on this otherwise unpretentions shopping blog: “That’s Hot is in no way affiliated with Paris Hilton, nor do I ever say the phrase “that’s hot” with a serious face.”

Now that we’ve cleared that up - how about drooling over this lamp by Mark Cox, these juicers at 2Jane, and these paintings by Gina Triplett.

Like ThisNext, shopping/design blog Modish is obsessed with all products fresh.

Like this lantern I’m in love with: such a fresh use of a summer BBQ/cocktail party staple, it’s one of those kind of genius things you look at and wonder why no one ever thought of it before.