My Faves- Five Whats with Sukie

Originally posted on Mar. 5, 2008, this Five Whats is very special to me because I did not expect someone I barely knew and admired was going to be so cooperative and agreed to do this little Q&A with me. I've done a lot of good Five Whats since then, so I consider Sukie my lucky charm! I met Darrell from Sukie at the New York Gift Fair last month, he's such a nice and friendly guy. I am so happy that he agreed to do this week's "Five Whats" because along with his great answers, he also sent me some great pictures, including some design references (old nature books) and their beloved printers. I hope that this "Five Whats" will inspire you to go create something fun!

What was your favorite subject in school?
ART! And PE.(physical education - basically sports)

What was your favorite TV show growing up?
Bagpus - great animation, songs and stories!

What was the best thing that happened to you since you and Julia started Sukie?
Work wise - be able to design exactly what we want. We like getting good commissions too but it makes it more stressful than just doing the Sukie range. Sukie has also given us the opportunity to travel to India and Europe and I get to go to NY twice a year.
Home wise - getting married, our daughter Kitty (3 years) and our twins Oscar and Jacob (8 weeks)

What are your inspirations?
Flea market stuff, Eames, Robin and Lucienne Day, Josef Frank, old notebooks and paper, bad printing, nature, old nature books, typography and old printing equipment. What is your all-time favorite Sukie product and why?
The new Agenda - It has everything in it - all sorts of papers, pockets and stickers. I liked the old agenda too but the new one is even better! And I enjoyed doing the cover.
images: Sukie, thanks Darrell!

Off to Toronto!

It's been nice not having to blog everyday but I also miss it very much. I hope you are enjoying my favorite posts from the archive. Today I'm going to Toronto with Chad and will be attending TADO's exhibition and toy release tonight at Magic Pony. So please stop by and say hi if you're in Toronto.
image: Magic Pony

My Faves- 5 More Days to Gocco

This was originally posted on June 9, I was preparing these prints for Renegade Craft Fair on June 14-15.Here are some prints that I did over the weekend. I wish I could have done more, I'm still learning how to make fail-proof Gocco prints. This weekend I learned that I should let a print-out sit for a few hours before exposing a screen, and have extra batteries available at home in case they die, the life-span of the C batteries are so unpredictable and you want to make sure they have enough power to properly expose the screen.

My Faves- Kitty, Miffy and Melody

Originally posted on June 26, 2008.I was in heaven! Yesterday I made a trip to Lever House to see Tom Sachs' giant Hello Kitty and Miffy fountains in bronze (but treated to look white), there's also a My Melody (the first bunny) who was my childhood fave. They are super cute, the biggest Kitty is about 3 stories tall! Inside the lobby, I also found a couple of chicklets, and some really cool mini urban objects in bronze. I read that Tom Sach didn't get permission from Sanrio- Kitty and Melody's licensor, but I can't imagine that they are not flattered by this homage to our pop icons! Click on pictures for enlargement.

My Faves- Five Whats with APAK!

Originally posted on Mar. 26, 2008.Every week I get really excited when I get my Five Whats answers back from artists/designers that I've been a fan of, and this week I give you APAK! from Portland, Oregon. When they are not busy working as illustrators, Ayumi and Aaron like to create cute paintings together. APAK! also sell their prints on Etsy, some of them are Gocco prints (yay!) Here are the Five Whats:

What did you have for breakfast?
We shared a perfectly ripened small pear, a big slightly under ripened banana, a small delicious apple with a spot of bruise. Also a cup of black tea from India and a bowl of cereal called Optimum Power!
What are your inspirations?
Nature, Animals including our dogs Peanut & Ocho, Artist friends, each other, the sun, and the 14 billion year old universe.What is your all-time favorite piece of artwork by Apak?
Each show we seem to have a new favorite but so far we agree on our "Seasons" series of paintings with Happy Hermits and Fluffo. We like them because they remind us to pay attention to seasonal changes and live harmoniously with nature in celebration of life. Also they are special because Ayumi's dad suggested the idea of a seasons series... So they are actually 3 way collaboration!
What fun projects are you working on?
We're currently working on a show at Giant Robot in NY, which opens May 17th. There are going to be tons of magical crystals and rainbow clouds! The work is range from a tiny affordable paintings to big paintings, also sculptures too.

What are your favorite colors?
Well we like rainbow!(bonus what) What are your hobbies?
We don't think we really have hobbies at the moment... We find ourselves working a lot and actually our work is our hobby. But when we take breaks, we like to go for a walk with our dogs in the woods. We like watching movies in bed and drinking tea at night. Experiment with plants in our yard when it's nice outside. We live very simply very much like little hermits.
images: APAK! (thanks guys!)

My Faves- Five Whats with Paul Budnitz

Originally posted on April 8, 2008.This week I am proud to present Five Whats with the Founder and President of Kidrobot, Paul Budnitz. Paul is the man with the vision and courage to popularize the urban toy industry, within 6 years Kidrobot became one of the most successful urban toy/apparel stores in the country. I wanted to know what it's like to be Paul and as you read the answers you'll find him a very grounded and energetic person with a balanced life between work and play (you should also visit his blog). Here are the Five Whats:

What is an average weekday like in the life of Paul Budnitz? What about an average weekend?
Weekday: wake, brush teeth, floss teeth, meditate, run 3 miles, eat Bunnylove cereal with soymilk, put on cyan blue Nikes, dodge scary streetsweeper homeless guy who recognizes me every day and lives on Sullivan street, catch M6 to work, design some stuff, eat lunch, design some more stuff, eat a snack, run out of office in a sudden panic, end up wandering around the Islamic Art section at the Metropolitan museum of art, dinner at Korean restaurant, home, read Tintin comics, practice Tai Chi, eat Bunnylove cereal with soymilk, brush teeth, floss teeth, sleep.

Weekend: The same, except substitute Vietnamese for Korean food.

What is your favorite food?
Bunnylove cereal and Almond Butter.

What are your inspirations?
This week: The Dead Boys, Flashdance, and Mr. Peanut.
Last week: Benjamin Franklin, Junya Wantanabe, Asterix, and Smax. What is your favorite product that Kidrobot has ever made?
It changes almost every day. Right now it is "CAPEE: Calcium is Insufficient!" in pink flock.

What does it take to be a successful entrepreneur?
A firm and unshakable commitment to see what one is doing through, no matter what, and at all costs.

Until one is committed
there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back
always ineffectiveness
Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation)
there is one elementary truth,
the ignorance of which kills countless ideas
and splendid plans:
that the moment one definitely commits oneself,
then Providence moves too.
All sorts of things occur to help one
that would otherwise never have occurred.
A whole stream of events issues from the decision,
raising in one’s favor all manner
of unforeseen incidents and meetings
and material assistance,
which no man could have dreamt
would have come his way.

-W.N. Murray
The Scottish Himalayan Expedition

images: Kidrobot and blog.paulbudnitz.com

My Faves- Five Whats with Amy Ruppel

Originally posted on Feb. 24, 2008.I'm so excited that this week I have Portland's favorite bird, Amy Ruppel for my Five Whats segment. Her next wildly popular online sale is on Monday 2.25 at 10am (Pacific Time, 1pm Eastern Time), so make sure to check out her very affordable and super cute paintings!
Here are my Five Whats for Amy:

What makes your birds better than others'?
My birds are very quiet and still, and they don't need feeding or cleaning up after.

What are you listening to these days?
KEXP

Who is you favorite public figure? If you had to cook a dinner for him/her what would you make?
Charles Osgood form my favorite TV show, Sunday Morning. I'd make him my famous grilled cheese and tomato soup. And I'd tuck a napkin under his chin to keep his bowtie clean.

What is your dream job?
I'm doing it! ;)

What is your favorite PMS color?
My favorite PMS drug is Pamprin (ha ha), but my favorite PMS color is a cozy orange red: Pantone 179 M.
images: Rare Device & Tiny Showcase

My Faves- Goods of Desire

Originally posted on Nov. 19, 2007.But people call it G.O.D. in Hong Kong, in Cantonese these three letters phonetically sound like "To Live Better". It is a place that I must go every time I'm in HK. For tourists it's a good place to get hip Chinese-themed gifts. For someone like me, who is only familiar with the 70's-80's Hong Kong, this is a good store to get all kinds of products that borrow elements from that era but made with a humorous twist. It's a kitschy store, and I'm not a fan of their clothing and furniture, but they really make some good housewares and textiles. Here are some of my faves, I especially LOVE the plastic camera case that is made to look like a piece of jade carving, and the "HK British passport" journal reminds me of the one I had that really confused my identity when I was little.

My Faves- Sanna

Originally posted on Jan. 28, 2008.I was reading IDN Saturday at a newsstand and saw these amazing illustrations for Keane's album covers and I immediately came home and did a search on the artist. Her name is Sanna Annukka, she's half Finnish and half English who lives in Brighton, England. She was commissioned to do illustrations for Keane's album right after she graduated from college a couple years ago! I love that she does her artworks digitally but always silk screen her prints because she likes the vibrant quality of the inks, I agree with that. Her style reminds me of folksy Scandinavian art but she's definitely original by adding contemporary elements to the nostalgic style. You can read about her here, and you can purchase her prints at her online shop! I really want that silk screen print in metallic gold! I am now officially a big fan of Sanna's and I cannot wait to see more great things from her!!!images: Keanemusic.com and sanna-annukka.com

My Faves- Illustration Hero

Originally posted on Jan. 18, 2008.Tadahiro Uesugi is definitely one of my all time favorite illustrators. He is a master of perspective drawing and he combines ink drawing with Photoshop to create beautiful light effects (and sometimes reflections). His website showcases over a hundred of his works over the past 10 years. I started out as a fashion/modern lifestyle illustrator, and I wish I had half the talent of Mr. Uesugi! Fortunately he updates his website frequently so us fans are always updated on his recent projects.

Weekend

Just wanted to post a few pictures from the Boadrum concert and a view of Jersey from my Staten Island Ferry ride, the clouds were so spectacular!!!

My Faves- Siu Yin Chau F/W 08

Originally posted on Feb. 5, 2008.I've blogged about my good friend Siu Yin Chau before, and I can't tell you how much I love wearing her knits this winter. I am psyched that she has just posted her new Fall/Winter 2008-09 collection online. I love the scarf with shawl collar and pockets for its multi-functional design, the primary color would really brighten a dark winter wardrobe! The hat/scarf in raspberry below is also very practical and pretty (the picture doesn't do it justice!) But the best pieces in the collection has to be the mixed color wool pieces (last picture shown below), I've seen the yarn in person and it is really soft and beautiful, I must have the pink hat with ties and the purple/gray scarf!!! Too bad I'll have to wait about 10 months before I get to wear them (Note: this was written in February of 08, this collections is available NOW) ! You can check out her current line at Opening Ceremony, who is also her showroom agent.images: siuyinchau.com

My Faves- HK Stamps

Originally posted on Nov. 1, 2007.I am proud that I am from Hong Kong and there are a lot of things about it to be proud of, like stamp graphics! I know you must be laughing right now, it is nerdy but I have a father who's been collecting stamps ever since he was young. I think the graphics of the stamps are often cutting edge instead of traditional and cutesy, like US stamps tend to be. I found these stamps from my favorite Flickr group Hong Kong Nostalgia, I recognized them and brought me smiles because I used to take out dad's stamp albums just to admire these designs.