Dwell's Sweetest Contest Ever!
Hey Dwell readers: Remember Coolhaus? They're the new architect-owned ice cream truck that's been driving around LA from sweet tooth to sweet tooth delivering ice cream sandwiches named after modern architects and architecture. They offer flavors like Frank Behry, Mies Vanilla Rohe, Richard Meyer Lemon Ginger, and most recently Neutrapolitan. Today we're launching a contest to ask you, pun-savvy designophiles, to invent Coolhaus's next ice cream sandwich flavor!
Story by:
Sarah Rich

The Rules:
1. Your submission must include both the name of the sandwich and the type of cookie and ice cream it describes.
2. The name must reference modern architects and designers or their work. Contest ends on June 19!

A Little Help:
To give you a head start, the Dwell team began batting a few ideas around and before long a flurry of puns had swept through our office. (If only coming up with magazine headlines were so easy!) Here's a sampling of our least—and most—cringe-inducing ideas:
Caramel Rashid Pink animal cookies with caramel ice cream (Jordan)

Walter Grapeious Walnut cookies with grape sorbet (Justin)
Cherry Bertoia Cherry ice cream between two waffles (Miyoko)
Shigeru Banana Banana ice cream between sugar cookies with sprinkles (Tiffany)
And in honor of our Dwell on Design 09 keynote speaker: Daniel Pinkberry (Aaron)
Coolhaus owners Natasha Case and Freya Estreller, along with editors from Dwell, will select one winner from the pool of submissions. The winner will be announced on Friday night, June 26, at the Dwell on Design opening reception.
The Prize:
Coolhaus will produce the winning flavor! The newest sandwich will debut on Saturday, June 27, at Dwell's Dinner and a Movie event at the Geffen Contemporary Museum in LA.

Your turn!:
Submit your ideas to coolhauscontest@dwell.com. Feel free to submit more than one. Please use the subject line Coolhaus Contest and be sure to include your name, email address, and phone number. We'll announce the winner on Dwell.com for those of you who can't make it to Dwell on Design. But if you're in LA, please join us!

And to get your wheels spinning, check out this video of a Coolhaus encounter as the ladies serve Honeyhock Ice Cream at the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Hollyhock House in LA!

Dan Marty Designs.........Things that make me happy
I needed to get my monthly dose of design inspiration. So today I introduce you to a company I love. It wasn't until earlier this year that I came across Dan Marty Designs. I fell in love with their classic vintage inspired designs that use natural fibers. While their colors are not that bold, the designs sure do make a statement. It is the combination of simple elegance and comfort that I love so much. Their price points are bit pricey but I am sure worth every penny.

Eco-Friendly Holiday Decorating.....
As a business that has always been considerate in the kinds of products we sell to our customers. I would like to introduce a wonderful new product , Benjamin Moore's zero-VOC paint, Natura. With the holiday season creeping up on us, many people are looking to decorate their homes and freshen things up to make their home look nice for holiday entertainment and family gatherings. With the economy being what it is, families are looking for an inexpensive way to get their homes prepared but in an economic way. While natural paints are more expensive then the ones filled with toxic chemicals. Painting is still an easy way to re-decorate on a budget. Nothing changes a room and makes a home seam fresh and clean then a fresh coat of paint.

At the moment the new paint line is so new that it's only available in California, Oregon, Washington, and Texas.

Something about Pure Linen......
There is just something about pure linen from Belgium that makes me melt inside just from the site of it in a picture. It's pure and elegant, comfortable and relaxed properties just bring thoughts of happy living. One of the best qualities about linen is that it is cool in the summer with its light and breezy look and feel and usual light and bold colors. Then autumn and winter come and just the change in color to the grays, browns, eggplant and deep oranges bring out the cozy, warm and nesting feel of the fabric. It's elements of sophistication and luxury in a basic down to earth feel and look are just intoxicating to my soul.

"Linen is crisp, clean and comfortable. Soft, yet strong and durable. The more it is used, the softer and stronger it becomes. It can absorb up to 20% of its weight in moisture before it feels damp, and easily releases moisture to the air to remain cool and dry to the touch. Flax remains colorfast and launders beautifully. It has the additional advantage to be non-allergenic. Flax requires considerably fewer pesticides and fertilizers than other crops. The fibers are recyclable and eventually biodegrade." (quote from libeco)

We carry the Libeco line of fine quality linen from Belgium. Libeco is one of only 2 remaining authentic linen companies in the world. Their tradition of producing the finest quality linens goes back to the late 1800's.
The new fall collection will be in shortly and we still have some of the summer line still available at a discount.
Email or stop by for more information.

Live with Style
Give with Style
Shop Botany's Desire Boutique

New French Soaps from Provence
We finally have a new inventory of fabulous
triple milled shea butter rich natural soaps.
There a many new scents to try. $4each
matching hand and body creams will be
in shortly.

THE WONDERFUL VETIVER

This just made my day. The UPS man showed up today with my order of vetiver rugs from Bali. I could smell the delicious natural aroma instantly as he walked into the store. I found these while on my buying trip to NYC earlier this month. I have always admired this unusual grass for its rich somewhat masculine earthy scent.

For several centuries vetiver has been commercially cultivated for the scented oil that can be distilled from its roots. This is a treasured ingredient in some of the world's best-known perfumes and soaps and, largely because of its potential as an export commodity, vetiver can be found in at least 70 nations but only a handful of countries produce the oil commercially. The grass is best known for its use for areas with soil erosion problems. These naturally beautiful mats may be used in any room in your home and the natural scent is really soothing and calming to the senses. If the scent begins to fade after a while just wet them and let them naturally dry and the scent comes right back.

Personally, I have been using vetiver for many years. My families French West-Indian background is the reason I was introduced to this wonderful plant. Many years ago when I started making my own natural skin and body care products from home, I began experimenting with several perfume blends using vetiver as the top note. I would blend it with other essential oils such as grapefruit, patchouli, rose, vanilla and tangerine. Since opening the boutique back in 2003 I really have not had the time to spend blending oils and making product. I do feel quite inspired now for some reason to go mix up some great body butter or bath salts with a wonderful oil blend with of course some vetiver oil in it. So make sure to return to see what I may come up with shortly.

Vetiver mats are available now for only $69.00. They are a pretty large size. I am willing to mail these to our customers that are located out of Ridgecrest, CA area.

We are Back!! Oh boy what a rush the last 5 days have been. We are tired, sore and stuffed after visiting NYC. We had a wonderful time finding all kinds of new products for the summer and fall. We just know you are going to be quite thrilled with all the new goodies that will be coming. Now, if you think this trip was all about work your wrong.

We ate and ate and ate. We started at the food show and worked our way through Manhattan and Brooklyn. We started uptown and worked our way down. I took lots of photos to share but please be patient.

I do want to give you a quick taste of what is to come. One of the products we are most excited about is the Hint natural waters. As many of my regulars know, I have been working on adding more and more natural drinks to the boutique especially since we added new spa services in the boutique. We always offer our clients and customers hot tea samples after having a treatment but since it is officially summer and tempartures here in the desert are about 100-108 degrees and rising we thought it would be nice to also offer more cold natural drinks.

We hope to have an order in by next weeks so just look out. Remember, if you remember to mention you read about a new product from our blog we will give you 15% off your first purchase.