Liquid Treat

Whether you aspire to write a novel while whipping up some macaroni and cheese, find yourself brimming with design ideas and the need to stir soup, or just take pride in multitasking, you'll want to add the Kitchen Pencil to your arsenal of writing utensils. Created by London-based industrial designer Sebastian Bergne for ENO (Editor of New Objects), the solid beech wood object is half spoon, half pencil, and all part of Bergne's goal to design things that elicit grins. "I like to think that different projects make different people smile for different reasons," said the designer. "The beauty is that there is no smiliest project. If there was, we would all be the same." Just take care while sharpening your dual-function kitchen tool, lest your dish receive an accidental pinch of pencil shavings.

Only you can stamp out hideous evites, embedded MIDI files and all. We suggest cozying up to Cocodot, an online invitation and card company founded by four stylish graphics gurus "for those who love design and take pride in the way they communicate." Choose to pay an annual flat rate (currently $29) or a per-use fee to design aesthetically superior, ad-free invitations and greetings; create an event home page and manage responses; and post invitations, greetings, and comments to social networks. Cards can be customized with uploaded photos or with Cocodot's vast library of snappy images and designs. And for once, minimalists can opt for blank backgrounds. Planning a Labor Day bash? Forgo paper invitations and peruse Cocodot's "Last Days of Summer"-themed offerings.

What do a rotting steamship, a fleet of ice cream trucks, and a runaway giraffe have in common? All three have been discovered in the waters that surround New York City. A new blog explores these soggy specimens and many more through the stories they evoke. Created in the wake (get it?) of a 2009 article in New York magazine, Underwater New York (UNY) aspires to be an online anthology of stories, art, and music inspired by the underwater objects and phenomena that surround New York City. A recent UNY post detailed a haul from Brooklyn's Dead Horse Bay that included a pair of lizardskin handbags, a headless Dutch boy figurine, and a mysterious object resembling a fossilized baguette. Those bound for the Big Apple are advised to bring scuba gear and a sharp eye, as the site is currently seeking submissions "in any genre."

Photoshop turns 20 this year, and Adobe is celebrating with a search for the "Next Photoshop Evangelist," one among the legendary application's legion of multilayered fans. (Admit it. You have a Photoshop window open right now.) The company will select a primo proselytizer of all things Photoshop based on video submissions. Your mission, should you choose to accept it: create and upload to Vimeo a two-minute Photoshop video tutorial demonstrating why you should be the Next Photoshop Evangelist. Your video must use Photoshop CS5, a new Photoshop CS5 feature, and, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Photoshop, incorporate the concept of "20" somewhere in the final image. The winner receives a fresh copy of CS5 Design Standard, a trip to next spring's Photoshop World, and the chance to demo his or her tutorial at the conference. Plus, all finalists will be showcased on the Photoshop YouTube channel. Ready to spread the Photoshop gospel? Entries must be received by Tuesday, August 24.

Healthy fast food with a side of social media. That's the idea behind 4Food, a new restaurant concept that will debut next month in New York City. With plans ranging from iPad-based ordering and in-store composting to the use of wholesome ingredients and printing personalized nutrition facts on receipts, 4Food aims to "de-junk fast food" in more ways than one. As for the food itself, the signature offering is the W(hole)burger—a donut-shaped, beef, lamb, pork, turkey, veggie, salmon, or egg patty that is filled with one of 25 "Veggiescoop" centers. Customers who register for online accounts with 4Food can create and name a burger and then receive 25 cents every time someone else orders it. Co-founders Adam Kidron and Michael Shuman hope to both build a community and stoke Facebook- and Twitter-using customers' appetites for self-promotion.

Looking to savor the last weeks of summer with fresh flip flops? Try a pair that will limit your environmental footprint: Feelgoodz. Described by company founder and owner Kyle Berner as "the most comfortable flip-flop in the world," the 100% recyclable and biodegradable sandals are made of all-natural rubber from Thailand, where Berner stumbled upon them during his post-college travels. And the eco-friendliness doesn't stop with the company's own products. As part of its mission to create a "Zero Flip-Flop Waste World," Feelgoodz has launched a pioneering initiative that collects and sends non-recyclable flip-flops to Kenya, where another company distributes them to villagers who make new eco-boutique items out of them to then use for resale. An additional upshot of this innovative upcycling? A $5 credit that you can apply to a colorful pair of Feelgoodz.