ring it in with mr. chin!

mr. chin is here just in time to ring in the chinese new year! (literally.)

with the year of the ox kicking off on january 26, why not celebrate with one of these super cute kitchen timers by alessi? 

designed by stefano giovannoni and rumiko takeda in collaboration with the national palace museum of taiwan (npm), this kitschy but design-y timer was created to spark greater awareness of chinese history + culture in the western world.

find it online at tabula tua (also a hot little tabletop shop in lincoln park in chicago).

west, meet east. 

i think 2009 will be a happy new year, all around the world.