Creature Comforts. Cute Cozy Hot Water Bottle Covers By Janice Yan-Yan Wu

Artist and designer Janice Yan-Yan Wu of Montreal has turned recycled fleece and vintage fabrics into fun and functional hot water bottle covers she calls Hotties.



The line of products has one of those annoying names that requires lots of punctuation and only serves to confuse people, [from:to:from], but the products are adorable. An earth-friendly way to keep warm, ward off muscle pain and cramps or just cuddle with a cozy creature.



Each hottie is made from a mix of first hand fleece fabric and recycled cotton and vintage prints collected from her community in Montreal. Each comes with the rubber hot water bottle insert and can be easily, filled, cleaned and stored. The covers can be removed and stuffed and used as pillows if you prefer.









The unusual photos shown above were shot by photographer Michael Abril.

She sells them on Etsy as well as at the following Montreal stores:

Arterie Boutique
176 Bernard Ouest
Montreal, QC H2T 2K2
(514) 273-3933

Galerie Zone Orange
410 Saint Pierre
H2Y 2M2
Montréal, QC
Tel) 514-510-5809

Other hot water bottle covers worth checking out are:



•Disaster Designs Hot Water Bottle Covers

•Heal's luxury fur hot water bottles

•Beautifully woven hot water bottle covers are designed and produced by textile designer Angharad Mclaren, in Shetland.

Welcome To Longoland! The Curious Creations of Joshua Ben Longo

Well, there truly is no lack of unique talent to be found out there in cyberspace.
Meet artist/designer Joshua Ben Longo and Welcome to Longoland





I stumbled upon this site (not literally using Stumble Upon, however) and to my delight found some of the most curiously cuddly creations; fun furry monsters - complete with anatomically correct poopers and some radically whimsical furniture and clothing done in brushed woven wool and cashmere.

Apparently many of the items shown here are available for purchase upon inquiry, but Longoland plans to open an online store soon. Yay!

"Brooklyn Designs 07"
To successfully portray the Longoland world, Joshua had to not only make the monsters but design and build an evironment to house them. Everything in the image below was designed and built by Longoland.



Some more images from Longoland at brooklyn Designs 07:






"Monster Skin Rug"



Materials: Brushed Woven Cashmere & Wool, Polymer Clay
Dimensions:
Small: (approx 18in x 26in)
Medium: (approx 36in x 50in)
Large: (approx 50in x 70in)
Price: Available upon request.

"Monster Skin Chair"

Materials: Brushed Woven Wool, Antique Wing Back Chair
Dimensions: Available upon request.
Price: Available upon request.

"Beau"



Materials: Faux Fur, Wool, Polymer Clay, Polymer Stuffing
Dimensions: Approx.15in x 11in x 10in
Price: Available upon request.

"Macho"




Materials: Faux Fur, Wool, Polymer Clay, Polymer Stuffing
Dimensions: Approx.15in x 11in x 10in
Price: Available upon request.

"Grumpus"


Materials: Faux Fur, Wool, Polymer Clay, Medium Density Furniture Foam, Wood
Dimensions: Approx.15in x 11in x 10in
Price: Available upon request

The following fabulous pieces are sold:

"A Dictat on Etiquette"


Materials: Faux Fur, Wool, Polymer Clay, Polymer Stuffing
Dimensions: Approx. 36in x 20in x 20in
Price: Sold

"Mano Efferus"


Materials: Faux Fur, Wool, Polymer Clay, Polymer Stuffing
Dimensions: Approx. 15in x 11in x 18in
Price: Sold

I spoke briefly to Joshua via e-mail and asked him if there was anything else I ought to know about him. Amongst some other information, he had a comment that really stood out.

"I make art and design objects that make noises and speak to there owners. I talk to every piece I produce and when they talk back I know the piece is alive and ready to go their new owner." –Joshua Ben Longo

How wonderful is that?
There's a lot more to see on his fun site, be check out his archive of past work.

Joshua Ben Longo is also an Industrial Design Drawing instructor at the Pratt Institute & NJIT and home design consultant. He has an upcoming exhibition in May of 2008 at the Shelburne Museum in Vermont.

You can reach him here.