Cut&Paste NYC 2009

by Bailee Wolfson

It's about time for Cut&Paste NYC '09 and this year's event should be better than ever with multiple categories, higher stakes and DJ Rich Medina spinning. This year, the digital design tournament features competitions for 2D, 3D and motion designers. Challenged to keep up their creativity and speed to win over screaming partygoers and judges, winning designers then move on to the Global Championship on 20 June 2009. Furthermore, as usual there will be top experts judging the 2D, 3D and motion design events.

Don't miss the event at Webster Hall this Saturday, 21 March 2009. Doors open at 6:30pm and the show starts at 7pm.

Go to Cut&Paste's NY site for more information.

Parajumpers Outerwear

by CH Contributor

by Tisha Leung

Parajumpers is a new Italian brand inspired and named for the 210th Rescue Squadron in Anchorage, Alaska. The names of each of the styles—like Gobi, Denali and Kodiak —are names of legendary missions to which the Parajumpers dedicated their jackets.

Manufactured in Italy, the line of outerwear fuses function, highly technical components and chic looks, all expertly designed by Massimo Rossetti (formerly of Diesel, Woolrich, Valentino and Barbour among others). For the Spring/Summer 2009 collection, jackets come in lighter weights and feature special material that's both water-repellent and 8% metal, giving it a slightly wrinkled effect.

Multiple pockets and laces make transporting iPods, GPS devices and mobile phones in the Claimant pant (below right)easy, eliminating the need for carrying a bag when out adventuring, whether in the urban streets or back country trails. For even more functionality, zippers run along the inner leg that open to reveal a mesh lining providing extra ventilation.

See Parajumper’s website for retail locations.

Good Tastes Kitchen Mac and Cheese of the Month Club

by Bailee Wolfson

Good Tastes Kitchen, a Boston catering company that also ships pre-prepared frozen meals, now offers a club for Mac and Cheese fans. Mailed frozen (prices include two-day express service) on the second Monday of each month, flavors include options like truffled and cajun that vary monthly and on arrival require little more than thawing and baking.

We sampled this month's Mediterranean Mac with kalamata olives, feta, sun-dried tomatoes and pesto, a complimentary mix of quality ingredients, topped with breadcrumbs. Coated in a thin white sauce, the dish had a looser consistency more like pasta with sauce than a casserole.

Perfect as a gift for college students or anyone who's too busy to cook, order online from the Good Tastes Kitchen site with prices starting at $265 for six months.

Urban Dreams Pet Bed

by CH Contributor

by Kori Schulman

Hiding the hair-covered fleece pet bed when guests arrive is a thing of the past thanks to Chicago-based UDX Designs's Urban Dreams pet bed. With design cues making it at home alongside a Ligne Roset bed or other similarly sleek furniture, its an heirloom piece for pampering beloved animal friends.

Handcrafted of natural birch wood and stainless steel and upholstered in designer fabrics like mink faux fur, the Urban Dreams Pet Bed is a luxurious option for those whose love for their pets is on par with their appreciation of design.

In addition to other furniture options, UDX’s “soft" line of products includes pillow beds, throws and home-grown catnip pillows—all designed with the pickiest pets in mind.

The Urban Dreams Pet Bed can be purchased directly from UDX Designs for $685, with the other accessories ranging from $8-155.

Lee Harvey Roswell: Soup n' Crackers

by Jacob Resneck

San Francisco-based artist Lee Harvey Roswell returned to his home state of New York this month to make his solo debut in the Hudson Valley. Lee Harvey Roswell (such an inventive name should not be truncated) is a study in the playful and bizarre with such favorites as "Three Graces," his subversively silly behind-the-scenes take on the original, from his series "Stills are Still Moving."

”I've watched painters haphazardly spill their paints, splatter them around, make great messes and still end up with nothing more than nothing,” writes Lee Harvey Roswell in The Nothing Manifesto—an irreverent artist's statement that's more interesting than many to read. “That said, I've also seen painters so studied and accomplished that for all their acquired skills they show nothing after nothing after nothing and each time it still it amounts to nothing. An overeducated cookie-cutter shaped like a zero. However, a skilled hand attached to the right nervous system ... can elevate the very same materials, the very same nothing, to the loftiest heights of human revelation … and all out of nothing!”

Remaining more or less on the fringes of the official art world, Lee Harvey Roswell hawks his humorously macabre work, think Norman Rockwell with today's snark and style, online. In addition to the show in New York (details below), you can catch him in a couple group shows currently in San Francisco and NYC. Check his site for more info.

Soup n’ Crackers
Through 31 March 2009
Zahra's Studio
496 Main Street
Beacon, NY 12508 map
tel.+1 845 838 6311

Max Sprecher Straight Razor Services and Sales

by CH Contributor

by Tisha Leung

Max Sprecher's restoration services for modern and antique straight razors is a reminder of how some design is so good that never dies. Sprecher sharpens, hones and polishes the blades to look good as new no matter the brand, age or shape. If you want to update your scales (handles), repair damaged ones or get customs made in your choice of exotic woods, synthetics or other materials, Sprecher's is the place to go.

Die-hards from the States, Europe, Japan and Australia entrust theirs to be regularly serviced (for the flat fee of $20) or completely overhauled by the artisans at Sprecher's workshop. Despite living in the age of electricity and plastic, increasing numbers find themselves attracted to the traditional and masculine art of shaving and swear a superior shave from the larger blade and angle.

Unlike disposables, these old-school versions are passed to younger generations, not to mention the very active collectibles market. Considering this eco-friendly fact, maybe it's time to consider sparing the landfill of toss-away razors and using just one forever with intermittent tune-ups. Find antique straight razors from the 1800s and vintage from the 1900s available for purchase on Sprecher’s website starting at about $90.