We know, selling scented candles online is quite a difficult task, as scent and the internet doesn’t really go together, but Jonathan’s Destination Candles are simply too good to skip, so we’ll try to be as descriptive as possible.
All of his candles come in superbly stylish etched brown glass containers and are individually boxed, making them perfect as gifts. So here we go:
Savor the sublime charm of ‘Aix en Provence’ amidst soft floral, soothing lavender and smooth white amber & musk. This combination reminded us of a warm summer day in the hills surrounding beautiful Aix, with Lavender everywhere and a soft and refreshing wind blowing.
‘Southampton Garden’ and its elusive Ivy notes paired with nostalgic summer florals remind us of an elegant picnic near a lake, with beautiful food, children playing in the grass and a lot of fun towards the end of summer. It is a beautiful candle for late afternoons on a lazy Sunday.
‘Shelter Island Ocean’ is our current favorite. Fresh ocean notes, sea moss and sand grains, combined with hints of sage makes it feel like a gorgeous day on the beach. Early in the morning, it’s not hot yet and promises to be a great day in the sand and surf!
And lastly there’s ‘Palm Beach’. Just like the original, it’s a delicious mix of sparkling citrus, juicy lychee fruit and white rose petals. It makes us feel like a sun-filled afternoon with our friends at a beautiful pool, cocktail in hand…
So many choices, such great candles!
Price: $38 / 30€

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Oh when it comes to placemats we are picky! We adore our Pop Up Placemats, and our vintage linen, but there isn’t much modern that we really like!
But when we came across this set of four felted place mats, we had to add them as a Soupe, they are simply adorable! Designed by Gabrielle Lewin, these placemats are not just easy to handle – just clean with cold water – but are also super pretty on the table. They are just the right blend of casual and elegant, so no matter what the occasion, they will look great on your table!
Dinner is served!
Price: $24 / 18€

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And once again our favorite commuter mug is back in stock. You constantly buy all of the pieces we are stocking making it sell out on a regular basis, but a new shipment just arrived today, so you can start all over again and get as many as you like, we have plenty!
‘I’m Not A Papercup’ doesn’t really need any explanation now, does it? It’s the ubiquitous coffee mug that we have most likely all had in our hands, but this time it is made of double walled porcelain and the plastic lid is replaced by reusable silicone. It is the perfect accessory for every tea lover, because it is made out of porcelain, so no aluminum to stain the flavor of your subtle teas. So much fun and such good news for the environment. Why use a throw away cup that will only end up in landfill, when you can use this over and over and over again? It is truly the perfect solution for all you commuting coffee and tea lovers out there! Any thing else? Oh right, dimensions: 3.5″ (9 cm) diameter; 6″ (15 cm) tall.
Price: $20 / 18€

Here at the C&M HQ, we like a good cocktail and there is always a reason to mix something up. But when it comes to the measuring part, that’s when we realize why some people are mix masters and we are only beginners, nothing more.
But with Josh Owen’s Jigger Cube, we can now slowly nudge our way into the realm of the mix masters, as there is no easier tool to create the perfect drink. It’s a breeze to go through even the hardest of combinations for the most complex concotions, as every side holds a different amount needed for any recipe, just turn the cube and add the booze. At 3″x 3″x 3″ (7,5 x 7,5 x 7,5 cm) there’s also no smaller tool, as the 6 sides of the cube provide the most space effective combination possible. And because it is cast Aluminum it also feels great in your hand.
Now, let’s get back to that question: Shaken or stirred?
Price: $25 / 19€ plus shipping

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Sometimes it takes time to develop a great product. The latter is definitely true for Mark McKenna’s Betty Lou lamp which took over 1000 hours to develop. But the result is simply stunning both visually and from a technological stand point.
Visually it looks like a large Riedel wine glass with a large glass dome and a small silver or gold ‘flashlight’ providing the illumination through a handful of high intensity LED lights and a reflective base in the ‘glass’. Simply gorgeous!
Technologically it is a real stunner, all you need to do is insert the charging funnel and set the ‘flashlight’ on top, and voila, it’s done, it’s charging away, so the next time you turn them on, you’ll have an easy 7 hours of continuos illumination.
Unlike your Riedel glasses, Betty Lou is made out of Polycarbonate, so it’s a lot safer than glass, but it looks identical. It’s simply a very uncomplicated and elegant lamp, perfect for any dinner setting.
Colors: Gold, Silver
Price: $260 / 190€ plus shipping

Technorati Tags: Charles & Marie, decoration, design, lighting, Modern living, Soupe du Jour

The AK-47, also called the Kalashnikov after its inventor, is one of the most successful industrial products of all time. Since its introduction in 1947, an estimated 80 million AK-47s have been built. Its success is based not only on its resourceful construction, but also its affordable production, dependability, functionality and high demand. The AK-47 is one of the icons of the twentieth century, but it is also a deadly weapon.
For a new art project, the designer Martin Postler has investigated the history, the aesthetics and the lethal seductiveness of the Kalashnikov. He has freed the AK-47 from its terrible capacity to injure and kill by deconstructing it into a paper model construction set. When putting the detailed model together, the builder is automatically confronted with the Kalashnikov and its significance – both historical and personal. At the end of the construction process each person can decide if they would like to hang their own AK-47 on the wall, paint it, customize it with stickers or simply burn it. Then ultimately this AK-47 thankfully remains a piece of paper.
Some words of advice:
Not recommended for people under age 18. Recommended for experienced crafters only. Construction time depends on handcrafting abilities, it takes a while, that much is clear. Does not contain glue and cutter.
And lastly: If you’re gonna play with guns, use paper one
IMPORTANT: This week will feature brand new products from the fair, so they won’t ship until next week when all the designers return to their offices!
Price: $35 / 25€ plus shipping

Technorati Tags: Charles & Marie, design, Soupe du Jour, toys, Tragically hip

Here’s another one straight from the NY gift fair: Alphabet Ice Trays. Really nothing much that we have to say about those, they are pretty self explanatory, made out of black silicone, pretty much everything can be turned into letters here… The set includes three trays for the entire alphabet!
IMPORTANT: This week will feature brand new products from the fair, so they won’t ship until next week when all the designers return to their offices!
Price: $30 / 21€ plus shipping

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Fresh from the NY Gift Show comes this beautiful modern teapot by the good guys over at Vincent Reardon. Made locally here in the US by Boehm Porcelain, this version of the teapot caught our eye because of its unusual three-legged stance. Well, turns out that you can simply slide a votive candle underneath to keep it warm, no trivet or stand needed, so we like that. But even better, just tilt the teapot forward and start pouring, you don’t even have to lift it from its base, its unusual stance makes it easy to tilt and the ergonomic handle is placed in just the right angle, for a super easy use! Sweet! Currently only available in white, but we’ll update you when the black version comes out!
IMPORTANT: This week will feature brand new products from the fair, so they won’t ship until next week when all the designers return to their offices!
Price: $150 / 110€ plus shipping

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Remember the PopMats we brought you last February? Well, it just so happens that we were speaking to Liam for the past months about some holiday scenery Pop Mats and as if we knew it, here they are. Now granted, it’s throbbing summer here in the big city, but as we are planning to bring you a daily Soupe directly from the fair this week, we thought it’s a good way to start the week off. If you don’t know them, here’s a little intro:
Easy: pop-out placemats. Think of them, as placemats with a name card built in, cool, no? We simply adore them! They are made out of a beautiful, fiber rich paper, 13″ x 17″ (33 x 43 cm) in size and they are available in a wonderful cream color and a soft, warm white.
Three variations are available: The Deer, the Fire Place and lastly the Table Setting and all have a designated space to put the name. A set comes with 10 place mats and all you have to do is pop them out and fold them up, done, that’s it.
Not quite actually, you still have to conjure up a fab dinner to go alongside these fab placemats!
We know that you’re probably not thinking about the holidays yet, but you know that it is never to early to start preparing, it’ll be here faster than you think!
IMPORTANT: This week will feature brand new products from the fair, so they won’t ship until next week when all the designers return to their offices!
Price: $25 / 18€ plus shipping

Technorati Tags: accessories, Charles & Marie, decoration, Modern living, Soupe du Jour

There’s really not much that we can say with this unusual USB stick. We had to chuckle when we first saw it, a 2 GB USB stick – works on Macs and PCs equally well – shaped like one big, very big nail, looking like you just jammed the latter into your computer…
Pretty funny!
Price: $37 / 25€ plus shipping

Technorati Tags: accessories, Charles & Marie, gadget hip, Soupe du Jour, Tragically hip, USB stick