Blackbird Fly Twin Lens Reflex Camera

We're as guilty as the next person when it comes to falling in love with the digital photography revolution. Hell, we're guilty of buying a camera because we loved the fact that it fit into an Altoids tin. But we have to agree with our music-loving, vinyl-hoarding friends when they say that something is lost when we move completely to digital; when a photo is just a collection of pixels on a tiny screen that are just as easily deleted as created. But don't you fret, friends and neighbors, we've found just the thing: the Blackbird Fly Twin Lens Reflex Camera.



With a design hearkening back to the early days of photography - when many believed having your picture taken might mean the loss of your soul - Blackbird Fly gives you instant street cred and a variety of options to exercise the artist in you.



Unlike other twin lens reflex cameras which use 120 format film, the Blackbird Fly uses readily available 35mm film. The twin lens design allows you to take photos either from waist height looking down into the viewfinder or use the "sportsfinder" for quicker shots. Couple this with the (provided) masks, and you can take photos in the regular 35mm format, square format, or remove the masks entirely for the larger square format that allows the image to fill the entire width of film, including the sprocket holes (our personal favorite). For shooting during the day, you can alternate between apertures f/7 and f/11, with a shutter speed of 1/125. At night, you can switch the shutter to B-mode to let in as much light as you might need, or you can also attach a flash for even more possibilities. In the webshop

Stanley Classic Vacuum Bottles

When I was a kid there were few things that excited me more than the prospect of going on a day trip to the mountains with my dad. I'd like to say that it was because I thought the outdoors was cool, but if I'm honest the scenery itself never entered the equation.




My interests were directed towards the fixins; a huge maple donut for breakfast, and to wash it down piping hot chocolate, housed in my Captain Caveman thermos. But no matter how much I loved Captain Caveman (and the Teen Angels), my dad's Stanley thermos always pulled a Joan Crawford: it was bigger, it was stronger, and it would always beat mine. I’ve always coveted that thermos; then for its sheer capacity and ability to maintain the warmth of that chocolate for hours, now for both that and the nostalgia factor. Okay, you got me, it’s still for the sheer capacity, sweetened by the lifetime guarantee.

These days I’m no longer reduced to coveting; finally I've said goodbye to Captain Caveman and have embraced at least one thing my dad and I have in common: an appreciation for a product that can house a whole lot of chocolate, coffee, or any other beverage - and keep it hot or cold all day long. See our Stanley Classic collection in the webshop.

Oohhh... Nesting Boxes - Lok Ming Fung

Whether you collect shoes, books, toys or jewelry, one of the greatest challenges any collector ever faces is answering the Storage Question. Too often our collections end up in attic boxes, stuffed beneath the bed or pushed to the back of a drawer, and this inability to keep them in any accessible order severely limits our ability to enjoy them to their full potential. Marie Antoinette solved the Question as it pertained to her immense jewelry collection by commissioning two monumental cabinets, one of which is still displayed at Versailles and the other at Windsor Castle.


While most of us don't have to answer the Display Question on such a grand scale, it's still rewarding to find solutions that are just as elegant as Madame Antoinette's cabinets but that aren't too large to transport nor barricaded behind velvet stanchions in ancient castles. When we saw Lok Ming Fung's "Oohhh..." ceramic nesting boxes we knew we'd found just such a solution; bedecked with beauteous barnacle-esque bits and equipped with varying numbers of trays and compartments, these handmade works of art will not only provide you with the perfect place for prized possessions, they'll become one. See available boxes in the webshop