Haoshi Design Studio

I'm not much of a jewelry wearer. What I do wear generally dangles from my ears and sometimes neck; I already went through the adolescent-subculture-pseudo-hippie phase wearing plastic and wooden rings from every finger with a bent spoon on my thumb, but for years until Ashton gave me a sparkly rock to put on my left hand I've avoided all hand accessories. However, the other day I was perusing Design*Sponge's recap of ICFF's trends of nature, and fell absolutely head over heels with Haoshi Design Studio jewelry, based out of Taiwan, most notably the Animal Series rings.

There's an entire zoo available, and when I realized these were only $75 I about flipped. These absolutely exquisite, classic, clean, and gorgeous pieces are a steal, and I would have predicted a price tag in the hundreds at least. Obviously, the rabbit is my personal favorite, and I'm hoping to add it to my right hand soon! I'm actually having difficulty restraining myself from ordering this immediately, but reason unfortunately prevails.

For the Birds: Luke Bartels & Jeff Canham

"Adorable" doesn't even come close to an accurate description of these handmade wooden birdhouses by San Francisco duo Luke Bartels & Jeff Canham. Admittedly, a bit pricey at $675 each at the Curiosity Shoppe, but if you don't mind shelling out the bucks, these little spaces have got to be the cutest avian nooks of the century. Unique design oozes from every clever quip painstakingly painted upon the collection; clean lines meet with tchotchke humor, and I can't imagine a more wonderful place to fly into and shake the dust of my wings every night!







How can I pick a favorite?! Whatever you do, please don't make me choose!!

Fuji Instax Mini Instant Camera

I'm at the point in my life where I can remember a time when only rich people and photojunkies had digital cameras, and the rest of us normal folk used those crazy little boxes with film that had to be taken and developed. Stacks and stacks of negative sheets still haunt my mother and fill her basement with blurry photos with a horrible-to-acceptable photo ratio of roughly 1,000,000 to 1. Ah, the days before a preview screen!

When Polariod announced the discontinuation of its extremely popular vintage instant photo camera, there was a major backlash from the artist community and nostalgia lovers. People across the world stockpiled the hard-to-find film packs whose numbers are only dwindling as the days go by. Still, there's a few options that have sprung up to fill the analog need in a digital world, one of whom is the Fuji Instax Mini Instant Camera by Photojojo!


Photo from Photojojo store

This lil' box of adorable packs a different wallop than the square photos we all know and love- the pictures that print have the immediate satisfaction like the digital cameras of today, but portray a dated look of yesteryears. Described as "Polariod's little brother", these little puppies are only about the size of a credit card and have a few upgrades from their outdated brother, such as four exposure settings for indoor/outdoor shooting, a built-in flash, and a sweeping wide angle so you can still have a bit of control while maintaining the 'surprise' aspect of instantaneous shooting! With film that costs just over a dollar per print, it's not the bargain of the century, but for the magical moment when it pops hot and fresh into your hand, it might just be worth it.

Domo!

IT'S HARD FOR ME TO SPEAK OR THINK COHERENTLY WHEN I AM FACED WITH DOMO. Inexplicably, as some people stroke out when faced with puppies or babies, when I am faced with most toys from Japan, I become a drooling, blabbering idiot without rational capability to think or exist beyond an excited vegetable. I have lots of hobbies, but none can rival my toy collection. It's an absurd habit for an almost-25 year old to have, but I DON'T WANNA GROW UP. Domo is a rebel, a rapscallion, a lover, a fighter, a biter, a dogsitter, an astronaut, Domo may be the almighty Jah. Now you too can collect his multiple personalities via blind box collection from Think Geek!

"Domo, amongst his other talents, is an artist and master of disguise. Normally, he's the brown we all know and love. But sometimes he just has to turn green to blend in with some grass or plaid to blend in with a . . . uh . . . kilt! And sometimes he enters stealth mode and becomes as clear as clearish plastic. And even if Domo really doesn't do all that, these 2" Domo Qee Collectible Figures do.

2" Domo Qee Collectible Figures are adorable. Each Domo Qee (pronounced "key") is full of mystery. There are over 15 different versions in this series, ranging from regular to plaid to silver to camouflage - and you never know which Domo you're going to get. Ah, the exceitment! As a bonus, each package contains one extra Domo part (arm, leg, body, etc). Collect all 6 and you can assemble your own clear Domo. 2" Domo Qee Collectible Figures - a dash of mystery, a tablespoon of fun, and a whole heaping helping of adorable. Awww."





I don't consider my toy collection complete without at least half of these. To all you procrastinators out there, my birthday is in 2 days. Don't be afraid to extend the festivities by sending a few of these my way!

Adorable necklaces

After getting chewed out by multiple sources, I have finally willed myself to sit down and knock out a long-overdue blog! Things that have happened in the last few weeks that have distracted me and taken up a whirlwind of my time: 2 different sets of visitors from Virginia, a boyfriend birthday, and an engagement! That's right, Ashton popped the question and of course I said Si si si! It's been a few weeks to wrap my head around this development, but most of my time is now taken up by browsing All Things Wedding via the Internet and magazines. Who knew this was such a big deal?!?!? I'm sure many of my future posts will be dedicated to cute little invitations or centerpieces, but as I'm only beginning my long research journey I haven't quite narrowed things down.

No more excuses. My friend Mandie brought these adorable necklaces by Spinthethread to my attention and I just love them. Color and geometry are two big loves of mine, and as I rapidly approach my quarter-century, I'm trying to make an effort to care more about fashion. I still haven't gotten over my jeans and t shirt phase (much to the chagrin of Momma D), but I'm trying to be more open-minded about perhaps wearing a sundress, or actually looking at accessories! Here's a few of my favorites:






I don't know how to pick a favorite! I love all of them!!!

Mati Rose McDonough

One of our newest artists at work is Mati Rose McDonough (not Matt-ey like a adorable nickname for Matthew, Mate-y like ahoy) and I'm absolutely in love with her work. I moved my desk to a nook by the door and ordered 2 of her pieces to put on my new walls. She has an adorable portfolio and has recently joined the Lilla Rogers stable of artists. We only have a smattering of her work available through Oopsy daisy, but I'm crazy about her necklaces, especially the January Sprout Studio necklace seen below:

She's also a fellow blogger, and has a crisp site that I could definitely take a lesson from. Check it for cool updates, kitschy links, fun videos, and brainstorming sessions that are definitely better than anything I would even dream of creating.

Cordial Lee

Having a sassy apron always seemed like an oxymoron to me. Why would you buy an adorable accessory that you obviously WON'T want to dirty up to wear while protecting yourself from doing just that? However, I feel like this is one of those mysteries that perhaps men will never understand, and women will continue to participate in without fulling knowing why until the end of time. Or spacesuits. Either way.

Until we either come to our senses and start buying ugly aprons, Cordial Lee has a great selection that I am absolutely in love with. Aprons are only a small part of the collection, but I'm already in love with this gem, the Bib Audrey Woven Houndstooth Adult Apron:

Adult apron sounds a little naughty, but we can overlook that. For $31.50, you can even get matching oven mitts! Bring on the food. I'm going to whip up a souffle and look damn good while doing it.

April 30, 1985

Only 4 short months until the celebrations begin harking my quarter-century upon this earth. If anyone wants to get a head start on just the right thing for me, perhaps this will help out!

Midnight Magi by Gary Baseman via Kidrobot Black

Oki-Ni 8" dunny (probably only on Ebay!)

Snorkin' Labbit 10" Silver Edition (or bronze if need be!)

Vasily the Grumpiest Walrus Plush 16" by Frank Kozik

Miao And Mousubi 7-Inch Buff Monster SDCC Edition by Amanda Visell

Miao and Mousubi Set 7-Inch Fat Cat Edition by Amanda Visell

Wee Sticker Incognito by Shawnimals

Raffy MUNNY by Kidrobot

Totem Doppleganger 3 pack by Anton Ginzburg (also available in pink and white!)

And of course this Detolf shelf in white from Ikea to display it all in!

New Kidrobot jamz

Kidrobot has a ton of fresh new swag and goodies for sale: check out their NEW Section, and buy me everything there! January 28th marks the launch of the latest Dunny line, FATALE. To say I'm stoked is an understatement.

"Artists in this innovative series include Alex Anderson, Catalina Estrada, Klor, CW, Aiko, Kathie Olivas, Wendi Koontz, Koralie, The Baroness, Anna Chambers, Amanda Visell, Amy Ruppel, Julie West, Toofly, Junko Mizuno, Aya Kakeda, Tara McPherson, and Sara Varon."
CHECK IT!

More Wall Decals!

Wall decals seem to be the rage in home decor, and with endless sites and stores popping up with these must-have design items, there's a plethora of colors and shapes to pick from! Blik has pages upon pages of the things for reasonable prices, with designs ranging from comic characters to minimalistic silhouettes to even faux furniture! Here's a few of my favorites (even better for the renters out there- no repainting!)

Fernwood Mirrors by Blaine Fontana

What's for Lunch by Working Class Studio

Delfts Blue Transfers by Jansen+co

Pirate Infested Waters by Threadless

Me, Myshelf, and I by Blik

7.00 by Threadless

Foxy by Threadless

Bye Bye Apocalypse by Threadless

Flock by Blik

Olivia Headboard by Mina Javid

Bunny Family Anomalies by Threadless

The Bull and The Bee by Threadless

Birds of a Feather by Threadless
Okay, so I had a lot that I can't live without. This is just motivation to buy a house, right??

Wall Decals

As a veteran apartment dweller and frequent mover, I often lament the fact that painting the walls in my temporary dwellings is often not an option. I love how a good coat of fresh, bright paint has the ability to completely transform a space where I generally have to rely on quirky knick knacks and wall art. However, Etsy has put together a great collection of the available wall decals here, which are a fantastic way to spruce up a room without having to completely re-paint it year after year! Here's a few of my favorites (just in case any of my friends were wondering what to get me for Christmas- fast approaching!)

Crystal Chandelier by singestonestudio

Silverware vinyl decal by circlelinestudio

Birds around the Cherry Blossom Branch by DecorDesign

Sugar Skull vinyl decal by Beepart

Winter Trees by PopWall

Munny made a friend!

Your favorite DIY toy has come individually, super-sized, glow in the dark, mobile, and now Kidrobot is introducing the Munny FRIEND! This indecipherable shape (giraffe? goat? cat?) lends itself to the imagination and is not yet available in stores or online. Keep checking back though, Kronikle just announced this launch and with rabid fans chomping at the bit, they're sure to drop soon!



In the meantime, check out the other Munny merch to satiate your desires. Personally, I'm partial to the Houndstooth Munny tee. Christmas, anyone??

Pantone mugs!

Attention color nerds! If you like coffee (fuel for designers everywhere!) then snag your favorite Pantone color mug here! Pop Deluxe had originally carried these in sets of 10 only, but the demand for custom colors became so great that now you can order them individually. As a coffee AND color nerd, you can bet that one of these will be gracing my kitchen ASAP.

WOOD DONKEY DUNNY

I always get excited for the new Dunny releases, and Amanda Visell is an especially exciting artist with her whimsical and playful imagery. An resident of that place we all know and love, Los Angeles, she proudly states that she never went to art school and has an exclusive line at Disneyland! Pretty impressive stuff for a self-taught artiste! Her Wood Labbit SDCC Exclusive, partnered with Frank Kozik, was a smash hit and now for the perfect forest partner- the Wood Donkey Dunny!

"Discovered in the woods and raised by lumberjacks, Wood Donkey spends his days chopping down trees.After a lifetime of terrorizing the forest, all the living creatures fear him, forcing him to chop himself up to make new friends.

Watch your fingers, because Wood Donkey's always looking to expand his circle of friends!This 8-inch figure is sold with a bonus stump and axe, and features delicate vinyl leaves as fingers.

Limited to 1500 made worldwide."
Don't miss your chance to snag one of these beauts up for $75 at its release on August 20th!






images and text taken from KidRobot