I can't stop listening to "Daniel" by Bat for Lashes aka Natasha Khan, it's from her latest album "Two Suns". You can watch the video here. I am also in awe by her beauty, don't we all dream of being an indie rock star like Natasha?! The picture above reminds me of Chantal Goya from Goddard's Masculin Féminin.images: http://www.batforlashes.com
This year I'm doing 2 gocco holiday cards and 2 laser cut felt ornaments, I was going to make them as ornament/card, but the felt is very thick and won't look very good in an envelope, so I'm selling them as ornaments. As you can see the dove card and the ornaments are 99% done, the brown card is missing 2 layers but is already looking really good, it makes me think that I should always print on color paper. Everything will be available on Thursday in my shop and Etsy.
Went to the opening party of the MUNNYWORLD exhibition, it's only open for 3 days, from November 13-15 at the Eloquent Delinquents Gallery, 41 Wooster Street, New York. The party was also to launch the new DIY toy characters- Trikky, Bub, Raffy and Rooz. Kidrobot asked some of the world's most talented artists/designers to create their own 20" Munnies and friends, they are all so amazing that I can't say which one is my favorite, but here are some highlights.
Chad sent me a link to these jewelry pieces made by a Japanese company called Phenomenon Beyond Description, they are incredible, what a great way to use silver, and it's a recycled material, how genius! The designer only uses silver dollar coins made between 1960-1964 because the silver content is higher. I am just amazed how these coins are bent into such beautiful shapes, and cutting the negative space out of a coin to emphasize the bald eagle. I really love the sculpted skull ring, especially how the eagle's head is perfectly placed on top of the bridge of the nose.images: pbd, arknets.co.jp
Guys, remember to get this Kidrobot Krunk-a-Claus Dunny by TADO on Thursday, November 12! It is absolutely the cutest thing ever! Love his 'nog and his wooly beard!
The Magic Mouse. Apple finally got it right with this super light-weight wireless AND buttonless mouse! You can scroll and swipe pages with a click and a double-click anywhere on the surface of the mouse. I am so psyched about using it with a laptop!!!
New York (Peony) by Gregory Krum. Greg is a good friend of Chad's and I have always been a fan of his photography, just found out that he's released a new print on Jen Beckman's 20x200.com, I had to get it right away (because these limited edition prints sell out quickly!), guess it's an early holiday gift for myself! Peony is one of my favorite flowers and hey we happen to have that same vase at home, I love it, it's so perfect for me!!!
Spencer Squirrel Nut Cracker. Not all squirrels are created equally cute, this squirrel happens to be the top 2% cutest. I don't ever crack nuts or have the desire to, but now I do!
Momofuku Cook Book by David Chang and Peter Meehan. Who doesn't love Momofuku, right? And Peter is the hippest food writer in town, his collaboration with chef/owner David Chang, is a book that is full of creative ideas and delicious Asian recipes, and a great restaurant memoir (read the full review here). Bravo!
I'm not an anglophile (although my friends would tell me that I kinda am, unfortunately), I can't help but really want this "Made in England" rolling pin. Maybe it's because it's ceramic with beech handles, I think I would still like it if it says "Made in America", just that Kathleen Hills thought of it first...
Chad and I have been working hard to stock up our new shop, which will go live really soon. I am very excited about the merchandise that we are carrying, some are made by us, some vintage, and most are products made by our very talented friends. Shown here are hand made knit accessories by Siu Yin Chau. I am crazy about her iPurse, it is not only perfect for the iPhone, but you can also use it for holding keys and lipstick, I LOVE the giant pearl! The tie scarf is really great for those who don't want a long scarf but will keep you warm on the coldest days. (11.18.09- Sorry, the scarf is not available) Will announce our shop opening very soon!!!
A few weeks ago my friend Carmen and I stopped by our neighborhood bookstore and picked up a cookbook by Baked Bakery from Red Hook. I have never been to the store and had never tried their baked goods until recently, I got a chocolate brownie with sea salt from my local store and I became an addict, even Oprah said it's one of her favorite things (hehe)! Carmen bought the book because she wanted to make the pumpkin whoopie pies, we also made the brownies (minus the sea salt) and they were insanely good, as good as the Baked ones if not better! Yesterday we made an apple pie, I give Carmen most of the credit because she made the hardest and the most important thing in a pie- the dough, the night before. Since we're both perfectionists and wanted to do everything exactly right, it took us about 5 hours to make the pie! I tell ya there's a lot of work involved in making the pie but the result was A-MAZING!!! The crust came out perfect, it's so light and flaky. It's a bit scary to think about how much butter and sugar is in the pie but surprisingly it doesn't taste heavy or too sweet either. You know what Carmen? I think it's time for me to get my own copy of the book, and our next "project" will be the flourless chocolate cake! photos: wonting, bakednyc.com
A while ago, my friend Alex Anderson asked me to so a postcard for her organization- 28Cents. I got my set of cards yesterday and I was very pleased how mine turned out and am flattered to be included in a group of very talented artists. Each of the 24 cards has a different message, designed to create socially and environmentally conscious art that can be added to and passed on, raising awareness and connecting ideas. My cause is "Stop Gun Violence" (above), in the United States, a person dies from gun violence every 18 minutes!
Only 1000 sets are available, profits go to Art Start, an organization offering free art programs to NYC youth, get yours here. I have lots of copies of my card, I will send you one if you are the first 10 people to write me.Above: Doma- School Tank, TADO- Keep Love Alive, Ryan Rubnis- Viva Verde, I Love Dust- It's Nice to Be Nice. images: 28cents.org
While we're on the topic of running, it's a perfect day to post this animation that James Jarvis did for Nike, in case you haven't already seen it. Jarvis is my illustration hero from London who is also a keen runner, he admits that he prefers running over illustration! The character in the animation is actually James, and it's inspired by his personal experiences as a runner.
I love my neighborhood, the New York City Marathon happened right outside our window, we couldn't help but be excited and watched the runners pass by our block. Chad's co-worker was also running so we wanted to cheer for her, I had the camera ready and tried really hard to keep an eye out for her, but of course we missed her, she ended up calling Chad's name and we barely saw her, no picture and no hi-five, we're so lame, how did we miss her?! Anyways, we really enjoyed cheering for the runners, it's so inspiring to see all kinds of people, professionals, superheroes, handicapped, blind, seniors, running together, and it must be a lot of fun to run across the 5 boroughs with 40,000 other people! Who knows, maybe next year we will be running the marathon, better start training now!
I can't stop listening to "Daniel" by Bat for Lashes aka Natasha Khan, it's from her latest album "Two Suns". You can watch the video here. I am also in awe by her beauty, don't we all dream of being an indie rock star like Natasha?! The picture above reminds me of Chantal Goya from Goddard's Masculin Féminin.
images: http://www.batforlashes.com
This year I'm doing 2 gocco holiday cards and 2 laser cut felt ornaments, I was going to make them as ornament/card, but the felt is very thick and won't look very good in an envelope, so I'm selling them as ornaments. As you can see the dove card and the ornaments are 99% done, the brown card is missing 2 layers but is already looking really good, it makes me think that I should always print on color paper. Everything will be available on Thursday in my shop and Etsy. 
Went to the opening party of the MUNNYWORLD exhibition, it's only open for 3 days, from November 13-15 at the Eloquent Delinquents Gallery, 41 Wooster Street, New York. The party was also to launch the new DIY toy characters- Trikky, Bub, Raffy and Rooz. Kidrobot asked some of the world's most talented artists/designers to create their own 20" Munnies and friends, they are all so amazing that I can't say which one is my favorite, but here are some highlights.
Chad sent me a link to these jewelry pieces made by a Japanese company called Phenomenon Beyond Description, they are incredible, what a great way to use silver, and it's a recycled material, how genius! The designer only uses silver dollar coins made between 1960-1964 because the silver content is higher. I am just amazed how these coins are bent into such beautiful shapes, and cutting the negative space out of a coin to emphasize the bald eagle. I really love the sculpted skull ring, especially how the eagle's head is perfectly placed on top of the bridge of the nose.
images: pbd, arknets.co.jp
Guys, remember to get this Kidrobot Krunk-a-Claus Dunny by TADO on Thursday, November 12! It is absolutely the cutest thing ever! Love his 'nog and his wooly beard!
The Magic Mouse. Apple finally got it right with this super light-weight wireless AND buttonless mouse! You can scroll and swipe pages with a click and a double-click anywhere on the surface of the mouse. I am so psyched about using it with a laptop!!!
New York (Peony) by Gregory Krum. Greg is a good friend of Chad's and I have always been a fan of his photography, just found out that he's released a new print on Jen Beckman's 20x200.com, I had to get it right away (because these limited edition prints sell out quickly!), guess it's an early holiday gift for myself! Peony is one of my favorite flowers and hey we happen to have that same vase at home, I love it, it's so perfect for me!!!
Spencer Squirrel Nut Cracker. Not all squirrels are created equally cute, this squirrel happens to be the top 2% cutest. I don't ever crack nuts or have the desire to, but now I do!
Momofuku Cook Book by David Chang and Peter Meehan. Who doesn't love Momofuku, right? And Peter is the hippest food writer in town, his collaboration with chef/owner David Chang, is a book that is full of creative ideas and delicious Asian recipes, and a great restaurant memoir (read the full review here). Bravo!
I'm not an anglophile (although my friends would tell me that I kinda am, unfortunately), I can't help but really want this "Made in England" rolling pin. Maybe it's because it's ceramic with beech handles, I think I would still like it if it says "Made in America", just that Kathleen Hills thought of it first...
Chad and I have been working hard to stock up our new shop, which will go live really soon. I am very excited about the merchandise that we are carrying, some are made by us, some vintage, and most are products made by our very talented friends. Shown here are hand made knit accessories by Siu Yin Chau. I am crazy about her iPurse, it is not only perfect for the iPhone, but you can also use it for holding keys and lipstick, I LOVE the giant pearl! The tie scarf is really great for those who don't want a long scarf but will keep you warm on the coldest days. (11.18.09- Sorry, the scarf is not available) Will announce our shop opening very soon!!!
A few weeks ago my friend Carmen and I stopped by our neighborhood bookstore and picked up a cookbook by Baked Bakery from Red Hook. I have never been to the store and had never tried their baked goods until recently, I got a chocolate brownie with sea salt from my local store and I became an addict, even Oprah said it's one of her favorite things (hehe)! Carmen bought the book because she wanted to make the pumpkin whoopie pies, we also made the brownies (minus the sea salt) and they were insanely good, as good as the Baked ones if not better! 
Yesterday we made an apple pie, I give Carmen most of the credit because she made the hardest and the most important thing in a pie- the dough, the night before. Since we're both perfectionists and wanted to do everything exactly right, it took us about 5 hours to make the pie! I tell ya there's a lot of work involved in making the pie but the result was A-MAZING!!! 
The crust came out perfect, it's so light and flaky. It's a bit scary to think about how much butter and sugar is in the pie but surprisingly it doesn't taste heavy or too sweet either. You know what Carmen? I think it's time for me to get my own copy of the book, and our next "project" will be the flourless chocolate cake!
A while ago, my friend Alex Anderson asked me to so a postcard for her organization- 28Cents. I got my set of cards yesterday and I was very pleased how mine turned out and am flattered to be included in a group of very talented artists. Each of the 24 cards has a different message, designed to create socially and environmentally conscious art that can be added to and passed on, raising awareness and connecting ideas. My cause is "Stop Gun Violence" (above), in the United States, a person dies from gun violence every 18 minutes!
Above: Doma- School Tank, TADO- Keep Love Alive, Ryan Rubnis- Viva Verde, I Love Dust- It's Nice to Be Nice.
I love my neighborhood, the New York City Marathon happened right outside our window, we couldn't help but be excited and watched the runners pass by our block. Chad's co-worker was also running so we wanted to cheer for her, I had the camera ready and tried really hard to keep an eye out for her, but of course we missed her, she ended up calling Chad's name and we barely saw her, no picture and no hi-five, we're so lame, how did we miss her?! Anyways, we really enjoyed cheering for the runners, it's so inspiring to see all kinds of people, professionals, superheroes, handicapped, blind, seniors, running together, and it must be a lot of fun to run across the 5 boroughs with 40,000 other people! Who knows, maybe next year we will be running the marathon, better start training now!
