We can no longer lie to ourselves; iliketotallyloveit.com is now overrun with shitty products. The quality of the products went down drastically as we saw a much welcomed increase in product submissions. iliketotallyloveit.com is no longer the cool and useful social shopping site it was when it launched in 2007. Back then our form of UGC (User-generated Content) social shopping was the next big thing, but unfortunately social shopping became social spamming.

photo credit: maistora

Sure we made a few bucks from affiliate marketing on spammers crappy submissions, but the site became more about S.E.O. than F.U.N. We didn’t solve any real problems beyond driving traffic to second rate sites that we would never shop from let alone find something unique.

I struggled with one very simple question for nearly a year; “What problem does social shopping solve?” I sat in my office, walked aimlessly around Berlin, stayed up nights thinking; Nada, Nothing, Nichts. Then one day in early August I just picked up the phone and called a small designer who had a very cool hoodie on our site and asked, “How can I help you?” For the next few months I called artists, crafters and designers all over the world that didn’t belong to any affiliate marketing scheme and asked the same question, “How can I help you?”

Based on those honest conversations, the submissions by passionate users that we’re lucky to still have and comments left on the Etsy forum we are abandoning the dream of untold riches from pimping boring affiliate products. We’ve gone back to the drawing board. We’re focused on helping small artists, crafters and designers with marketing, cash flow and selling excess inventory. By supporting them together we can help more people discover and buy cool unique products that get lost on mammoth marketplaces like Etsy.

Designer Julio Cesar has created an amazing way to recycle old cassette tapes — he turns them into ties! Comprised of 50% cassette tape ribbon and 50% thread, ties are handwoven, and music from the ribbon can be heard if a tape head is run over the tie. SO COOL.

It’s gotten great reviews, one buyer said that the ribbon/thread mix gives the perfect amount of sheen to the tie, helping it to stand out from all the other boring, businessman neck decorations on the market today. I may even jump on the “girls can wear ties, too, as long as it’s ironic and stylish” bandwagon and buy myself a recycled tie!

Check out the product page and support a designer who is both creative and environmentally conscience. Viva la Recycling Revolucion!

Today’s product of the day has a bit of Spanish flair, if you couldn’t tell by my awesome bilingual title… A new designer-pair is on the horizon and they are fresh from sunny Barcelona — La Consentida. They describe their designs as having  “femininity, subtlety, tendency, force and fragility, sweetness and audacity.”

They are in the process of building an online shop to sell their wares, and I for one cannot wait. El producto of the Dia (I only took Spanish for one semester, cut a sister a break) is this absolutely enchanting hat (and outfit, for that matter) that I wish I was wearing whilst typing this blog.

Soooo fierce!!! I love fashion that is feminine with an edge; it lets you feel classy and sultry at the same time. The hat itself, like all of La Consentida’s products, is handcrafted and completely unique. Rhinestones, ribbons, feathers, and buttons all on one hat with the perfect balance of style.

La Consentida’s designs hit the runaway this July at the famous Ibiza nightclub, KM.5. A handful of their beautiful designs (hats galore) were debuted and many have turned into hardcore La Consentida fans. And why wouldn’t you be?? The pair began to sell their designs only about 4 months ago, and already they have more than 200 fans on Facebook. No one can say what the future holds, but if I had it my way, I would be checking out their designs on the glossy pages of Vogue next spring.

Stay tuned for more info about the online shop…until then, make sure to find them on Facebook!

]]> http://blog.iliketotallyloveit.com/2010/07/el-producto-of-the-dia-sp/feed/ 0 http://blog.iliketotallyloveit.com/2010/07/el-producto-of-the-dia-sp/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/iliketotallyloveit/~3/rpj2jZldhKE/ http://blog.iliketotallyloveit.com/2010/07/product-of-the-day-yo/#comments Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:39:50 +0000 Meredith http://blog.iliketotallyloveit.com/?p=1134 You’re flying through the streets of Tokyo at 1 am, swerving through traffic and basically feeling like a super cool modern ninja (which is what you told the girl at the stoplight). Then, suddenly, you look down at your watch and BAM! You realize it was all in your head.

You’re not cruising Tokyo streets, silly…you’re just wearing the coolest, Tokyo-inspired watch I have ever seen in my entire life, the Kisai Changing Lanes LED Watch. You literally need to read a PDF file in order to understand the genius of this ticker. Each LED light represents a time interval, and as the lights “switch lanes” you must follow different blinks in order to tell the time. But once you get the hang of it, this baby is spot on time-wise and impressing the ladeez-wise.

Check out the watch on iliketotallyloveit.com, where you can access the product page and learn more about how this baby works. If my explanation wasn’t clear enough (no need to say more) check out the PDF directions available on the site.

Just so you know…this watch is rechargeable by USB, with a 3.5 hour charge time resulting in a full month worth of awesome watch usage. Love it!

For detailed version(3Mb), please click here to download.

How would you describe art? A) Luxury B) Interest C) What you see in Gallery

It’s true that we can‘t live in an art gallery or bring artwork home, as it is too expensive, but the design group Poketo decided to make art affordable, functional, as well as beautiful.

Poketo was founded by Ted Vadakan and Angie Myung in 2003. This idea came when they were curating shows for artist friends, and they realized almost nobody could afford an art piece. So they started to make wallets with artist friends, to bring art to everyday life.

Now, you can find almost every kind of small things you need in daily life from their products: wallets, t-shirts, stationery, accessories, living, etc.

“We wanted to make lots of things so that people can have art in their lives. Art shouldn’t be something that only people with money should own.”

Besides developing their own products, Poketo also works as distributor. For example, the 100% Upcycled Bag series is a project where Poketo works with a South-Korean non-profit firm, EcoPartyMearry.

Clooney - 100% Upcycled Suit Tote

Since Poketo is formed, they have been collaborating with various artists. The most representative is the Wallet project. Started from 6, now they have more than 200 artists from all over the world, showing different styles and ideas.

“They don’t have to be famous or well-known. We’ve worked with everyone from an unknown college student to an art star. It’s all about the work, the work that we love.”

Matt Furie 2

Poketo is very active on the Internet, Angie and Ted love to connect with fans and friends on social networks like Facebook and Twitter.

Recently, they have been collaborating with Matt Furie, Jon Vermilyea and Louie Cordero in Perverse Universe wallet series. Furthermore, they have some big projects under-wraps, which will be unveiled early August.

“So stay tuned for that and we’ll continue to produce more fun products that we hope that everyone will love.”

Be fun and let everybody enjoy art, that’s Poketo.

More cool products from Poketo:

Music Balloons

Travele Journal

Joyride Siver - Women

Photo Resources and References: poketo.com
Text: Angel Leung
Special Thanks: Angie and Ted @ Poketo

Iliketotallyloveit is a “multi-kulti” team with members from all over the world. In terms of travel, we’ve all racked up some serious miles/kilometers. One team member (ME!!!) has just returned from a whirlwind weekend tour of the beautiful Moroccan city Marrakesh. From the moment I stepped foot onto Moroccan soil, I knew that I would like, totally love it.

For anyone who is looking for an adventure, excitement, or just some time away, Marrakesh is the place for you. Imagine walking through the Djemaa el Fna (main square of the old Medina) at eleven o’clock at night, when the street performers are still going strong, waiters beckon you try “the best tajin in Morocco,” snake charmers fill the air with their music, and the lights on top of stalls make the entire square sparkle.

On your way back to the hostel you have to walk through the labyrinth of souks which have been a North African staple for thousands of years, supplying both locals and tourists alike with whatever they could possibly need. Jumping aside to allow a motorbike to speed through the narrow alleys you see cats sleeping outside of a mosque, where you can hear the final call to prayer ringing through the night. This is Marrakesh.

It is an overwhelming but beautiful feeling to be thrust into the hustle and bustle of this city steeped in history. I sat with a friend sipping traditional mint tea (officially addicted!!!) in the shadow of the oldest mosque in Morocco, ate delicious tajin on hand-painted dishes, and cooled off under the stars on a gorgeous rooftop terrace. When I got back on the airplane, I could actually feel my heart pining (things are getting dramatic) for the Moroccan people, who are truly the kindest and most hospitable hosts I have ever met.

But alas, I am back in Berlin and ready to share my tales with fellow ILTLI users! If a trip to Marrakesh isn’t exactly in the stars, you can bring Marrakesh to you with these products I picked off the Internet. Most of them come from Overstock World, where the products are made in and shipped from Morocco. I’ve also included a Moroccan cookbook because everyone NEEDS to try Moroccan food. [Fun Fact-- Moroccan cuisine is the second most diverse after French. Nom!]

I hope this post encourages you to visit the magnificent city of Marrakesh and that you fall in love with Morocco just like me. I’ll leave you with this quote, which pretty much sums up the effect Marrakesh has had on me –

Now more than ever do I realize that I shall never be content with a sedentary life, and that I shall always be haunted by thoughts of a sun-drenched elsewhere. [Eberhardt]

The picture tells it all. It’s undoubtedly a must-have, especially if you are a Spain fan!

Today Paul the Octopus made his final predictions for the World Cup 2010. He has picked Spain to be the champion, and Germany for 3rd place. We don’t know yet if it will come true, but Paul definitely has a notorious reputation based on past predictions.

Last Tuesday, Paul predicted the result of the semi-final between Germany and Spain, choosing Spain over his home country! This hurt the German fans and they started discussing Octopus recipes, especially after Spain beat Germany 1:0! Incredibly, in Paul’s entire career, he has only made two mistakes, both during UEFA Euro 2008. So if things keep going his way…Spain will officially crown him as the King of Futbol!

As for the shirt, this is our first ITLI-made design and we are experimenting with the idea of creating more original designs in the future(to be available on our site). The shirt was inspired by a photo-shopped picture found by Mar on Facebook. Within four hours, the ILTLI team had revamped the design, created a channel through which to sell the shirt, ate some sandwiches, and spread the word about our Paul-dedicated product. The ILTLI crew is now searching for the original designer! If you know this artistic genius…please send her/him our way! Things are really taking off here at Headquarters and we are totally loving it!