HOLIDAY WISHLIST '08

So here we go... like I said, I was gonna do a holiday wishlist. Finally got around to it.... it's a lengthy one!

deadworry.etsy.com's Octo-Owl Tote

Are you kidding me? This is amazing. I love it. It's a perfect mix of bizarre and AWESOME.

lotusjewelrystudio.etsy.com's Kendal Ring

It's so elegant and ecclectic. I love the stud set into the wood; it gives it such an unusual look.

7seventeengallery.etsy.com's Hi, There

I really like this artist's style; I actually bought an ACEO from her etsy shop and I think I'd like to go ~original~. I love the frame it comes in.

scarlettcat.etsy.com's Daisy

I really like the brown background; it provides a nice contrast with the whiter areas of this drawing. I really like this artist's big-eyed style; it's very whimsical.

rubyanndesigns.etsy.com' STEAMPUNK OX CUFF BRACELET

Quite frankly, if someone doesn't get me some form of steampunk jewelry this Christmas, I will blow my top. I have dropped enough hints, dammit. I love how complex this cuff is.

Matter's Phonophone II


Guys, this is fantastic. Number one, it looks like a piece of art, number two, it's an ipod speaker, number three, it uses no external power source. It's sculptural, beautiful design. It's also... $500.

Matter's Mr and Mrs Jones

The most darling juicers around.

Castle In The Air's Deco Red Indian Stationary

I'm not sure exactly what it is about the colors that I love so very much, but I do. I also need stationary!

Amazon.com's Sex & the City Complete Series Giftset

Um, I kind of need this. I should not have to explain myself. I just need it.

Erik's blog

UM okay so I know Erik is going to be pissed at me for this but look at this guy:




Is he NOT the cutest??

This is a funny friend of mine that I met through another great friend, Ms Ronna Lewis. He's an uber talented production artist in NYC. It came to my attention that homeboy has been stealthily cruising etsy, shopping, posting.... I quizzed him on this, as I was unaware he is totally into crafty stuff. He's apparently counting down until the Bust Craftacular. And he loves the Brooklyn Indie Market. So he's adorable, with impeccable taste... and ladies... he is single! Bwahahaha! He is going to kill me.

Go stalk him here, ladies ;)

http://keepyourspoon.blogspot.com

I gave myself Sunday off because I knew after Black Friday and the Saturday after Black Friday that come the Sunday after Black Friday I would be half dead. It's true; I am.

Sooooo busy.


SO so so busy.


I'm very grateful to be able to coze up in my delicious bedroom and spend the day snoozing and watching DVDs of Buffy and Lost. I'm also compiling a wishlist!! I will post it as soon as I get around to completing it. This being the laziest of Sundays, it may take awhile.

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend!!

.....THAT.....


was exhausting.



At least none of my employees or I got trampled to death.


And now for my second big glass of shiraz.

Hello Holiday Season!

On my lunch break.

Slammed.

Save me, Jebus.

I just realized how hard Black Friday is going to be. I am a retail manager after all.

Ugh.

Seriously.

Not even that discount is looking good to me now.... :P

But for now... I will look forward instead to Ronna and Tegan's Thanksgiving Spectacular(tm)! I gots t'bake a pie tonight! Yum-num-num.

hehe

I just realized I'm saying "loves it" a lot. Paris Hilton is taking over my brain! Yike.

ooh gosh

My favorite thing about not having any goal in clicking randomly through the art category on etsy is that sometimes I come across something that totally stands out. To be fair, there's stuff on there I'm sure I missed, stuff on there worth missing, and so on. But sometimes you totally stumble upon something that just grabs your eye at that moment.



I love her eyes! I have a thing for big eyes in drawings.

sarahblank's etsy shop is full of great pieces like that. A lot of nice prints at decent prices... a lot have this great melancholy vibe to them. Loves it.

I'm a big proponent of buying art for people for presents. It can say a lot more than just some lame thing from the mall, you know? Sometimes, it's even easier, provided you come across just the right thing. :)

Check out her blog...

x-mas horror

It occurred to me last night over burritos with some friends that I have done a piss-poor job of Christmas shopping. Me and all my talk! I had hoped to be done by now, but I've only got like 2 people crossed off. My big problem is I decided to go orignal and try to do as much shopping as possible with online vintage or crafty stores like etsy and stuff and I keep favoriting things... and not buying them... EVERYTHING is perfect for SOMEONE. When will I just buy the damn stuff! Blarrgh!!!

I find this to be a hilarious concept.



Give the Good Reverend a photo of yourself (or someone you love, or someone you hate) and he will do his damnedest to bring every flaw, scar and wrinkle to the forefront in your very own hand-drawn Unflattering Portrait. He may even invent a flaw or two for good measure.
misanthrope.etsy.com

I loves it.

In unrelated news, I also loves this!



By timberps.etsy.com

It's so dare I say... whimsical? I like the line work, it's a nice illo AND shirt all in one.


Still blowin' my nose like there's no tomorrow... but Owen and I may go catch a movie tonight, if I can keep it together long enough to sit in a dark theater. I kinda want to see 'Bolt'... but I picked last time so Owen gets final say.

in need of...

I need to discover a new illustrator.

What is this need of mine? Perhaps to live vicariously through those who can do what I cannot. I just love poring over individual drawings and picking their brain about it. At least I'm a visual person; I can appreciate stuff even if I can't, ya know, DO it.... Anyone else like that?



PS I am still sick! What is my deal??

Sick again!

I feel terrible.

El terrible.

Blarg

Blubber Lubber

So when I was at Comic Con in July I happened upon this table just beyond the small press area on my way to the bathroom and found this super neat book:


'Blubber Lubber' by Dan Hay

It's very simple and straight-forward; each page is a drawing. As Dan Hay's blog notes, he draws "interesting strangers I see during the course of a day". It was intruiguing to say the least and I had a giggle or two flipping thru it and since I was on a buying spree I just had to have it and so I snatched it up. As it's been noted before I love caricature and cartoons so this was really fun to have. I've just ordered a second one for a friend for Christmas, as $15 it's a pretty decent deal.





I wish I could draw..!

Fafiness!

Hindsight is 20/20; looking back in retrospect at Halloween, even tho I was super sick, I realize now what the bestest costume would've been:

A Fafinette




Fafi, is of course the French graffiti princess that had people flocking to LeSportsac and M.A.C these past two years to snatch up the collaborative pieces she had done for them. I still sigh when I look fondly upon my LeSportsac overnighter adorned with a Fafi print.

I dunno what it is about her work, or work like hers; cutesy little vixens doing cutesy little things... it's appealing and perhaps the naughtiness is just fun. I don't think of it as Lolita-esque or anything. But I love finding illustrations like hers, or like others that I've even mentioned here on this blog. Maybe it's just the bizarro story she concocted for the Fafinettes:
"Fafi’s characters live in the virtual world, Carmine Vault. Found in the Carmine Vault: sad elephant-like creature called Hmilos; big romantic lumps of earth called Hillminis; and a pirate rat named Birtak. (The Fafinettes amputated Birtak’s leg, replacing it with a wooden prosthetic cane. The Fafinettes didn’t want Birtak to get away.)"


From FrontMag's article on Fafi

Alameda Flea Market, etc.

I was up very late last night; Owen had Eileen and Blake and some nameless friend of the both of them over, and they were watching Vin Diesel movies



And I thought that was kind of hilarious so I joined in even though I was totally supposed to skype with Arved (sorry i stood you up buddy). And then I had a glass of wine. JUST one. And yet I felt like hell this morning. Am I getting soft in my old age??

I must be.. hell I am about to write about a flea market.

But not just any flea market!! The Alameda Flea Market. We're talking 800+ booths. We're talking the first Sunday of every month, you're in church, and that church is the Alameda Flea Market.....maybe I'm being extreme. But seriously, I'm giddy with anticipation, see, because I usually am working the days it's open, or I've got prior commitments. But Dec. 7, when it's open again, I AM FREE AND CLEAR!

The vendors are excellent, I walked away with some great vintage prints a few months back. And I'm very happy that I am able to go on the 7th, because I plan on slashing a few names off the ol' Christmas/Chanukah lists.





You can come away with fabulous vintage treasures here, and I hiiiiighly recommend it, if you're ever in the area.

Werd.

Never touch a black man's radio.

Man. MAN.

Scarlettcat

So for a while now I've had Scarlettcat's blog linked here on the right; I found it via etsy one night and I really, really liked her style of drawing, and the writing. I was playing on there today-- she has a very good article on marketing on twitter on there-- and looked through her etsy shop and zomg, so great. I guess I forgot to really mention her here before. SO I'm mentioning now!

I like this piece she has featured currently:



Scarlettcat.etsy.com

It's fun stuff.

Also (sorta) fun is that I am off today, which will enable me to do some Christmas shopping! I will get the parental units out of the way first. They're always the hardest so I better not save them for last. But ugh, what to get them! They already HAVE everything... Boo. At least it's a gorgeous day out!

I want very badly to paper my bedroom in this gorgeous Orla Kiely wallpaper.

Oh, oh, and for the record I'm kinda loving this girl's stuff...



I was aimlessly looking through flickr and came across her profile in an etsy flickr group. Her work is very whimsical and saturated with color; I really like the abstraction in some of her paintings.



Jehangalleria.etsy.com

Chris Wahl = omg!

In case you've been needing to find some new, great blogs with awesome illustration featured, here's something for you to check out:



His blog is fantastic! I am such a huge fan of cartoons and caricatures, and his blog's really got a lot to offer. He's supremely talented. I'm running off to add him to my links now.

in which our hero looks for blogs and grills

@ work.

Thank goodness we have internet access back here. I've just been here since 10am and I'm already on break. I am staaarrrrrving. I'm just clicking through art blogs while I simultaneously research indoor grills for the kitchen.

If anyone has a link to EITHER an awesome illustrator's blog or a grill that doesn't suck please leave a comment. My sanity depends on you.

This picture is gorgeous/precious. I pulled it from this girl's blog. It's full of pretty pictures.

----

Speaking of fawns, it did get me thinking and doing a little impromptu search on etsy.

Found two gems:


By IrenaSophia.etsy.com

and


By Charliemotel.etsy.com

Both are exceedingly adorable. I now have an insatiable desire to watch 'Bambi'. Whatta rockin' Saturday night this is turning out to be! Ha.

Neato.

Yep

So, here's a recap of the week...um......Obama won. And everyone went insane. Maybe you heard! I definitely celebrated..... the next day though the celebration waned a bit when it was clear that Proposition 8 was passed here in California. I'm pretty stumped on that one. I am ALL FOR religious freedom which is something people are citing as reasons to vote for Proposition 8, but pleeeaaaase. People of all religions, all races can marry. Atheists who reject the idea of the church and its decrees can marry. Why on earth can't homosexual people? It just comes down to love, and I don't think any human on earth should pass judgment on that kind of thing. It is to take away basic, human rights.

It upsets me! My godmother and her wife have been together for 23 years. They're so dedicated to each other, and the community. They're such good people, and it angers me that their lives can be dictated by others' close-mindedness.

Anyway. That's probably enough soap-boxing for this blog. Blah!! We'll get it together someday.

My mom emailed to say she needed a Christmas list from me. It's that time of year, where I try desperately to remember all the things I kinda wanted all year but never got for myself and try to convince family members to buy them for me.

I'll start with this:


That table rules. I love West Elm with an unexplained passion.


And I love skincare by Aveda but am so thrifty I just stick to whatever I can buy at Sav-On or Target. Tis the season to try your luck!

I should start checking out gift guides. Or maybe even make my own! Or just post my whole wish list here. Maybe I'll get something from one of my adoring fans (jk). ;p

VOTE '08

My first time voting was 4 years ago, for the Bush-Kerry showdown. I was 22 and totally clueless when I went into the booth about how to physically make the lever thingy work.

This time, I was even more nervous than I did when I first walked in. It was easy to figure out of course, but seriously, it's not just BS what they're saying... that this is one of the most important, historic votes in our nation's history... it IS one of the most important and historic votes, if not THE most important and historic.

Potential firsts-- Obama the first black president, McCain the oldest, Palin the first woman VP-- and the country can go one way or another entirely. It's exciting. It's nerve-wracking. Ack. We were going to a bar to watch the election but maybe Owen and I will just get some pizza and stay in. But wow, I can imagine the party that'll erupt here in hippie Berkeley should Obama win. ;)

Anyway, blah blah blah. I'm saying just what everyone else has been saying! I'm gonna wrap up some stuff at work and then head home. Maybe I'll share some art or something. Just you wait!

goodreads

Oh, also, if anyone out there is into reading or is on goodreads, I'm looking to add more people to my profile.

Phew, being at work at 7am to catch up on paperwork on a Sunday= NOT my fave thing to do for the record.

But good news is now I'm home!

You get in early, you leave early.... Looking forward to tonight-- Din-din with Cy, Owen, and some special guests from Oklahoma, Casey and Alex. Mmmmm, Bear's Ramen.

after the sick!

You know, I thought I'd be more pissed and/or depressed that I basically missed Halloween due to the plague, but as it turned out, Charlie Brown was really as festive as I needed to get this year. And lets look at it this way: I saved money I would have blown on a costume and then at bars/parties/etc. so it's not all bad, huh.

And also, a shout out to the two things that totally turned my whole being sick around.....with cold season coming up, I will definately refer back to this. Number one, something I was way skeptical about, Neil Med Sinus Rinse. It's super gross, I knew someone who used this or a neti pot or something and I was too freaked out by the idea, but... I bit the bullet this week and tried this stuff out and omg it worked guys. I followed THAT up with Mucinex FULL FORCE nasal spray. And yeah I really only bought it because of the name. It sounded very promising! Between those two things, I was finally able to breathe through my nose, which was absolutely IMPOSSIBLE for like 3 days solid.

Anyway grossness aside....how about something super duper adorable?



omg, it's a necklace! A bit out of my price range, but it's soooo great. kathiroussel's etsy shop is full of super great stuff. This is basically all I've done all week... looked up jewelry on etsy.

That, AND read this book: 'What I Talk About When I Talk About Running'. My friend is a huge Murakami fan and suggested this to me, because I've been running more and more. I love how he writes... or how his writing is translated, I guess. It's a good read. I normally don't like memoirs but this read really...... smooth? I don't know how to describe it, but I really enjoyed it.