Merry Christmas

I’m off for Christmas! Our tree is up and so are the lights. We’ve got about a foot of snow on the ground and are ensured a holiday that’s perfectly decorated by Mother Nature.

We’re sharing the holidays with a group of friends from around the globe. Can’t wait. Afterwards, we’re going on a well-deserved vacation to sunny Belize. I hear the bird watching is great and the Mayan ruins splendid. So I bid you farewell until after the New Year.

Jack, the noble Border Terrier, joins me in wishing everyone a happy holiday and a wonderful New Year. See you in 2009!

Santa’s Got A Brand New Bag

I read an article which considered the physics involved in Santa delivering toys to households across the world. Taking into consideration the timeline involved and the number of Christian homes requiring delivery (minus the naughty kids) it seems that Santa has 1/1000th of a second per house to park, deliver gifts, eat cookies, and depart . The speed requirements also do nasty things to Rudolph’s nose.

It seems that Santa needs a new sleigh to handle the work. The Club of Pioneers have things in hand. They asked several designers to come up with some alternative design approaches to sleigh design. Each designer was given ten minutes to design. Here’s what they came up with.

The Bionic Reindeer is the work of automotive designers, Jean-Arthur and Madelaine-Advenier.

Tattoo Sleigh looks fierce! I don’t think the flag will stand up to the wind velocity required. But it’s a nice touch from Berlin tattoo artist, W.T. Norbert.

California Santa Sleigh (check out Santa with the shades and his “elves”) is from another automotive designer, Patrick Faulwetter.

The Swarm Sleigh. “In the future more resilient means of transportation will be enabled based on swarm theory,” reports architect, Matthias Hollwich.

I’m giving my award to Matthias for the use of a theory no one in the real world understands. Therefore, it must work! What’s your favorite?

A Really Green Christmas Tree

Have you decorated your tree yet? Most of us have had ours up for weeks. Here at the Mitchell’s, we save ours for Christmas Eve. “That’s the way it’s supposed to be done,” reports the traditionally minded Misterarthur.

If you are also a traditionalist, and haven’t decorated the tree, here’s an idea that accomplishes two missions. First, you have a nice tree. Second, you get to use all those bottles you’ve been meaning to put in the recycling bin.

Nothing says “Christmas Cheer” quite like a tree made from beer bottles. They’re green, and in these recessionist times, you save on the cost of a tree. Of course you need to drink over 1,000 bottles of beer. That’s the cheer part.

What’s on your tree?

via: metaefficient

Chair of the Day: Saci Chair

This chair is a tribute to one of the most popular folk characters in Brazil. Not that I know anything about Brazilian culture, but I sure sound cultured, don’t I?

I actually learned this from Rafael Morgan, the designer of the Saci Chair. Apparently, Saci is a one-legged black elf with holes in the palms of his hands. “An incorrigible prankster.” Yikes. I wouldn’t want to meet Saci in a dark alley.

Rafael is producing the chair in Brazil, but the license for producing and selling it anywhere else is still available. Check out his site to learn more.

Pillows from The Scarlet Fig

Designer, Laurie Wis, makes up these appliqu?©d pillows for her Etsy shop, The Scarlet Fig. Let’s take a peek.

They come in two sizes, 12″x12″ and 18″ x 18″ and retail for $25 – $40.

Laurie also designs her own fabrics and has them printed up at Spoonflower. The chair pattern, below, is one of hers.

Toss pillows are a great way to change the look of a room – and for very little money. Pick up a new accent color from other fabrics in a room as your starting point for a new look.