Famous OTO

Tomorrow morning kids all over the world will be waking up eager to rip in to layers upon layers of wrapping paper, and if you've got 'em one of these bad boys you better be careful they don't tear clean through the cardboard. 

Famous OTO are a small, New York based toy company who aim to bring enjoyment to kids with nothing more than illustrated cardboard. These cardboard playhouses for kids offer unlimited hours of play with their top quality prints and easy assembly and storage capabilities. So now those hooligans you love to hate can sell ice-creams and taco's galore with these awesome playhouses. 

Each truck comes with a fold-down window for kids to serve food from and they are plenty spacious so your little one's can set up shop and play for real. And if you want to get your hands on an OTO Taco Truck or OTO Ice Cream Truck then all you need is £40. And if you're not a kid person and cats are more your bag, then they even do a smaller sized OTO Ice Cream Truck for your cats to burrow away in. 

Survival Laces

I'm a bit of prepper, it's nothing to be ashamed about, and when the apocalypse does finally come around don't turn up on my doorstep expecting me to sleigh your zombies. Na, uh, get your own survival gear. And the latest in the line of cool Survival gear I've unearthed on the internet are the Survival Laces. 

Survival Laces are exactly what they say in the name; laces to keep you well equipped in any sort of survival, adventure and wilderness scenario. They're a way to carry important emergency equipment without lagging down your bag by carrying extra weight. The Survival Laces are made with 550 paracord  - which as any camper knows comes in handy everywhere and anywhere - and one strand of fishline in the core. 

Each set of Survival Laces also comes with an ingeniously covert fire starter; consisting of a one inch ferrocerium rod in the metal aglet and a four inch strand of tinder that's extremely flammable and waterproof so you can light a fire with ease. Survival Laces aren't only full functional, they're made of high quality material and come in a stylish array of red, khaki and black that can go in either your shoes or your hoodie, perfect for carrying around without making it obvious you're packing a lot of equipment. 

Prices for the Survival Laces start from $8.50 and if you're still new to starting a fire then you can get your hands on the Deluxe Survival Laces which have a full length strand of tinder in the core of the laces so that you'll never run out of fire. 

Saving the world one beer at a time- casually

How much energy is wasted each year powering our fridges and keeping our soda's, beers and ciders cool? Well I know it's a lot when you consider that you could be keeping your beverages cooled naturally.

eCool is a product developed by four guys from a small town in Denmark that utilizes the damp and cold of the earth to keep your drinks chilled. The eCool system is placed deep in to the cool earth (about a metre underground) and uses the natural dampness and cold atmosphere of the soil to keep each 33cl can refridgerated all year round. 

The eCool is a perfect camping accesory for those who want to crack open a cool beer in front of the fire with their friends, and it would also be perfect for storing fizzy drink cans at a family barbeque with its 24 can capacity. It's a convenient and organic way of storing and cooling your drinks and as it requires no electricity think of all the oil you're preventing from being fracked. All you need to do to get a cool drink is crank the handle and rotate the belt that keeps the cans stored, and suddenly all the cool berevages you could possibly want all for the cost of $369.

Rock, Scissors, Paper!

As Nerf has proven you don't have to be a kid to enjoy shooting a plastic gun and playing army with your friends, and with PaperShooters there's now a better way to get even with your buds and sharpen up your shooting skills. 

PaperShooters is a construction kit that lets you build all the components of your weapon; including the air chamber, springs and trigger mechanism. You can interchange the cardboard skins on your plastic 'skeleton' so that you can blend in with your battle field as you go to war. 

The ability to construct your own 124 piece weapon will give you extended fun before you do get round to mastering your weapon, ready for firing rounds at objects up to 65 feet away. 

No more collecting your plastic ammo after an intense shooting battle, because PaperShooters ammo is ultra safe, mess free and 100% biodegradable because the pellets are made out of paper, therefore no more ouchies when you do eventually get hit. 

And you'll never run out of ammo because each PaperShooters kit comes with a mold so that you can continuously make soft splat ammo, giving the perfect blend of functional and fun all in one innovative package. 

And you can get your hands on a PaperShooters 'Zombie Slayer' for just £30, which includes the authentic looking plastic and cardboard weapon as well as a wall target for accurate shooting and endless fun. 

Oh SNAP!

Freedom to create is probably the best gift out there, and with SNAP you have the freedom to turn anything in to a coffee table, auxiliary table, desk or side table all with a simple assembly system that allows you to design your own furniture and change any space in to what you want it to be.

SNAP allows you to turn boards and surfaces in to tables that are portable, versatile and easy to create. There's no need to drill holes or make table legs, all you do is pull down the flexible portion of SNAP to fit around your desired table surface, then tighten the cable until your SNAP is securely in place. And voila!

SNAP is set up in seconds and you've got a sturdy table at the ready. That surfboard that gets in the way a little bit? Now it's a funky coffee table. An old chessboard sitting in the cupboard unused? Now a quirky side table to compliment your room.

SNAP has endless possibilities and easy set-up so that you can personalize your living space in a few, simple steps. And you don't have to use the conventional four SNAP's in making your table, you can use three for a more conventional feel, or two if you plan to rest your surface against the wall. You don't have to worry about it falling apart because it is literally fall proof. Prices start on Kickstarter from $60 for two SNAP's, to $80 for three and $110 for four, depending on what you want to do with your living space.

Take a hike

There's good weather on the way so there's no more excuses to stay indoors wrapped in in your duvet watching Youtube when there's a whole world out there ready to be explored. And if you do plan to be putting miles of gorgeous countryside and wilderness under your feet than you should go prepared by picking up some of these awesome, compact hiking and camping essentials. 

First up for handy camping gear is the Gerber GDC Essentials collection which feature assorted blades and tools that attach easily to your zips for quick access and light carrying. They feature a clip for easy removal and are a perfect carry companion for daily use; attaching to virtually any zip with a small, sleek form made out of durable stainless steel. In the GDC essentials collection there is a Hook Knife Ring, LED Light and Bottle Opener, Mini Key chain Knife, Hex mini multi-tool and Driver Mini Multi-tool. Anything you could possibly need for a camping expedition all within reach and perfectly compact. 

This next product is an all in one item that features anything you could probably think of needing. The Kelvin 23 Ninja (cleverly named for it's twenty three functions) is unique and designed for the everyday jobs, including; an ultra handy screwdriver, a bright LED light, a tiny yet nifty spirit level, a five foot tape measure, a powerful magnet to hold loose screws, a tiny hammer and 16 essential screwdriver bits to fit practically every fixture out there!

A Kelvin 23 Ninja on your key-ring or in your back pocket means you no longer have to scramble around looking for your hex key to tighten up the book shelf; probably the ideal gift for the college kid or new home owner who will encounter DIY for the first time. It may not be much of a camping essential but you're sure to find a use for it if you plan on getting crafty with nature.

The final tool on my list is the LighterBro which literally means you have to carry around a back pocket tool roughly the same size of a lighter. The LighterBro Multitool clips around your regular lighter to provide on the go tools such as; a micro Phillips screwdriver, a Flathead screwdriver, a super sharp knife, scissors, a bottle opener and a key chain attachment so that you can keep all your essentials in one place.

LighterBro is the perfect tool for camping/hiking with it's durable metal case and compact body; it's perfectly affordable and clips to your average Clipper Lighter. Even the reviews rave about how useful you'll find it and screaming praises for the swiss army style tool that wraps easily around your lighter; brilliant!

There's a point to pointie

You never know nowadays who's following you down the street and you can't premeditate an accident so when you're in need of a self-defense and survival tool that's practical, tactical and concealable then the Pointie Self Defense Marker is where it's at, and should be in your handbag for simple peace of mind.    

Simply put, Pointie is a hardened stainless steel spike inside of a marker body (concealed as our favourite David Beckham endorsed marker pen) that can be used for anything you think of. Use it as a self-defense tool, take it hunting and hiking, use it as a hole punch, an engraving tool or a glass breaker; it literally can be whatever you make it; except a pen, it'll never be a pen. 

Pointie comes in two different styles; the 'signature head' which features the iconic pointed Pointie shaft inside the pen body, or the 'concealed marker head' which has just the tip of the Pointie inside of a marker shaped body with an extended plastic piece to further enforce the 'marker' appearance of your self-defense tool. And for this compact multi purposed it'll cost roughly $30, a great bag companion for those times when you just don't know what'll happen. 

Utilize the outdoors

It's always important to have critical supplies when venturing out in to the wild (I mean the forest, not the streets; it's not that wild out there, jeez) and there's no better way to carry what you need in a compact way than with a VSSL canister of outdoor utility tools. 

A flashlight is one of the most primary camping tools out there; so it's essential for a VSSL to have a high efficiency LED light attached to the end of the canister for quick and easy use. And within the canister you'll find all sorts of useful equipment perfect for your camping, hiking and outdoor adventures all in mini capsules; Such as first aid kids, a compass, candles, a razor blade, aqua tablets, a wire saw, an emergency whistle, water proof matches, tinder (not the app!), fishing gear and a punch of other stuff. Everything you could possibly need in a crisis. 

The aluminium VSSL tube is 9" by 2"; perfectly compact and totally durable with its military grade aluminium casing which is weather resistant. 

VSSL come in four forms; the Supplies canister, First Aid canister, Shelter canister and the Blank/Empty canister. The latter of which allows you to store all your emergency items securely with the VSSL flashlight on the canisters head. Prices for VSSL's range from $49-$105; a great price for a small and easily accessible emergency pack. 

Unofish

If you've got a bit of a basketball obsession and you've got money to splash then maybe you should invest in a handcrafted leather basketball that takes swag to the next level. 

Unofish are the designers behind these sexy basketballs who use a range of different patterned and treated quality leathers to make these striking basketballs that'll make you feel like a queen or a king. Several of their 'crocodile' inspired balls feature alligator embossed leather, whilst balls like 'the state' have cross sections of pony hair leather which add an elegant edge to the material. 

With an Unofish basketball you're paying for great quality and finish to beat all others. And although your game might not be on your ball game definitely will be with everyone marveling over your basketball as you will stand out and above all others with your £160 basketball. 

Let it Grow!

Bring the outdoors in with these awesome terrariums from Urban Outfitters as part of their Urban Grow movement. 

Terrariums are the perfect way to give your home some fun and fresh furnishings; these glass and metal planters are futuristic, almost like a tiny rocket-ship for your plant, with their geometrical forms and striking edges that give an outer-space vibe to your home. These Urban Grow planters come in all shapes and sizes ideal for letting you keep all of your favourite plants only a breathe away, and for little green fingers to create their own fairy gardens.

You don't have to be a botanist to use Terrariums either, as all it takes is some sand, bark and a couple of air plants to get your Terrarium set up. Easy as. And all because the air plants are self sufficient; surviving on nothing but the moisture and nutrients in the air so that you don't have to water them frequently or give them much attention except for when you want something pretty to look at.

And if you don't mind giving your new little house plant a little love, then you can get your hands on some pretty succulents and cacti. There are many health benefits to having plants in the house; for example in increase in oxygenation in the environment, terrariums allow for you to close them during the night time so that you're not breathing in all that carbon dioxide again. Also air plants filter dust out of the atmosphere; less dust equals better air or something like that...

These terrariums by Urban Grow are sleek and attractive with their metal and glass composition, suitable for any room be it on a table, in the corner of the room or hanging from the ceiling. By far my favourite terrarium is the Large Star Terrarium, which features only sixty facets, creating an intricate ornamental piece that allows you to build your own little garden in the comfort of your own home that needs nothing more than a quick spritz for maintenance.

Beer with me a second

Enhance your Summer garden experience this year with a super cold cap on your beers thanks to the Frozen Beer Slushie Maker by Kirin Ichiban. 

The Frozen Beer Slushie Maker is designed to add a whipped and frozen foam top to your beers, keeping them cool this summer. And if you don't believe it's potency, the Frozen Beer Slushie Maker was a big hit for Kirin (one of Japan's top drinks manufacturers) when it opened its beer gardens in Tokyo. 

The Frozen Beer Slushie Maker would be the perfect accessory for any garden party you've got planned, helping to keep friends and family refreshed during the heat. I'd also love to see these in restaurants up and down the country, and to see if you could add different liquids to the machine to make slushie caps for all sorts; maybe margaritas and other cocktails. Any how it would be a good companion to have this summer!

Wig out

For those of you who want to get some blooms in to the house over this spring and summer than the Wig Vase sounds like the perfect solution to bring sophistication and modern design to your flower arrangements. 

The Wig Vase is either a matte or gloss finished ceramic head vase that allows for you to place the stems of your flowers through the series of holes in the head and arrange them as if to arrange a floral wig over the vase's head. It's artistic and fun and encourages you to get creative with nature by either making an Afro, a Mahican or a number of other crazy styles to jazz up the home with. 

Slightly Art Nouveau in style, these chic vases work with a detachable neck base which pulls away from the main head piece to allow you to fill the inner vase with water to keep your 'do' healthy and refreshed. 

This home decor by Tania da Cruz transforms flowers in to one wild head of hair and the ceramic vases are hand made coming in a choice of either white or black with the option of a gloss or matte finish. 

You are here!

Google Maps' landmark icon is recognizable by literally everyone nowadays, and the clever designers behind the Google Birdhouse have found a way to encourage nature watching by forming the landmark icon in to a birdhouse. 

The idea of the project is to get as much of these Google Birdhouses over the cities as possible so that wildlife is introduced to the capitals of the world, making people take notice of all the wildlife around them; as if the birds are saying 'we are here'.

The Google Birdhouses are navigating icons for the birds, so as they're soaring over the city - much like we do in Google maps - and they spot these landmark icons, they know they can stop to take a pit stop. 

196° Below

With the likes of Heston Blumenthal and other gastronomical chefs out there bringing science and art to food, it was only a matter of time before someone made artistic food that can be sold out the back of a van. 

Well, technically 196 Below operate out of a pop up store, but it's still fast food, right? 

196 Below are the geniuses that paired nitrogen with gellato-anglaise (basically liquid ice cream) to form almost instant ice-cream that has no preservatives, colors or stabilizers and is probably the creamiest texture achievable in an ice-cream. It's clever as it really is instant ice-cream that can be made on demand, and guess what? IT GLOWS! 

Yes, this nitro gellato glows like neon lights in the dark; giving ice-cream a clubbing vibe. This would be perfect for a summer party in the park and would be a great companion for night festivals. So here's hoping that it takes off in the UK. 

BeachBot

We've been wowed by the miraculous sand art drawings of artists such as Jim Denevan and Andres Amador, and we've longed for the ability (not to mention the patience) to be able to do this ourselves. Well, now with the BeachBot, it looks like a real posibility.

The BeachBot gets to brag that it's the 'worlds first autonomous sand art robot', that uses motors and rakes to cleverly sketch your intended patterns out onto a sandy surface. Using smart software it transfers images into sand art, and manages to look amazing as it performs your task. It's raking feature has the ability to change the thickness of your image lines, therefore adding to image detail.

With a shape similar to a sea turtle and the eyes to match, it's cute and great for livening up a miserable day at the beach. Sadly though it is still in it's concept and testing stages, but with funding and support from Disney Research Zurich, it's bound to go far and be ready for distribution some point this year and would be a perfect advertising tool for the new Finding Nemo film.

If you're interested in finding out how it looks in motion and to see some of their earlier prototypes in action, then watch this youtube video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBRrQBPtdak#t=47

Anamorphic Sculpture

Anamorphic Sculpture is the cleverly designed work of Jonty Hurwitz which consists of great mathematical thoughts and an eye for detail. 

Rather than have an object reflected in the mirrored cylinder like a fun house mirror, Hurwitz's sculptures instead make the reflective object distorted so that the reflection is accurate. This process involves a lot of thought and a lot of technical skill. 

Firstly Hurwitz has to scan a 3D object into the computer and then manipulate it in the computer using pie algorithms (I don't even want to think about how difficult this must be). With his computer model finalised, Hurwitz takes copper, steel and perspex and some how morphs it into a replica of his computer modelled sculpture.

Probably the best feature of these anamorphic sculptures is the way in which Hurwitz switches up expectations. You approach the sculpture wondering what it is, walking around it and observing it at many angles, yet it's only when you look at the reflection that you see the intended object, therefore highlighting perception as a key feature in interactive sculpture.

A pocketful of poses

Fantasy Wire is the amazing company behind these fairy sculptures that seem to be adorning many national parks, estates and homes all over the UK.

By twisting stainless wire, FantasyWire poses his fairies in dramatic and fun poses to suit your needs. They're magical and awe inspiring and perfect for natural trails for young kids who like all things mythical; we need more of these in our public spaces to encourage imagination.

What's more, FantasyWire have starter DIY kits so that you can have a go at making your own smaller, fun sized fairies. A perfectly cute gift for any crafter out there.

Wheely?

With collapsible bikes on the increase, it's about time that someone made the scooter more functional too. And that's exactly what designer Adam Torok did with his scooter by making it into a wearable belt. 

The plywood and iron frame only comes in at 1.7kg which is definitely a functional weight, and it's simplistic style means that it's about as discrete as it comes. But let's be honest; if we owned one of these we'd most likely want to boast. It's the next thing up from the penny board and is so much easier to carry around!

I'd much rather carry this onto the train in the morning than a collapsible bike that's for sure; especially because you can use this on the pavement too. 

Where's your head at?

Horse Head Squirrel Feeder

What does one do when they have no money whatsoever? Well, naturally you go online and do a little bit of window shopping! 

On one of my many explorations for unique and quirky gifts on the Internet, I found this phenomenal garden addition that doubles as a squirrel feeder.

Not only will this look absolutely amazing when a squirrel actually takes the bait, I can only imagine what it would look like to have a whole army of these things all over the garden.

Now I really can't wait for them to make the unicorn version!