During my trip to London in June, I had the pleasure of meeting legend typographer Neville Brody at the launch party for Wallpaper Magazine’s Sex issue which ended at the Shoreditch House. I wanted a photo with him, which he refused, and we became friends from then on. In any case, this is just a little post to pay some serious respect to his skills and overall radness.
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I loved that show when I was a kid. But that’s not what this post is about. A couple of days ago, while browsing the ApartmentTherapy website, I stumbled upon the company WoollyPocket. They make planters that make plants into wall-art. Plants billowing over like Rapunzel’s locks. As soon as I find a new place to live (yes, it’s moving time), this will be one of my first purchases.
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THING has been holding strong through the “cold” L.A. winter to get ready for 2010. We’re working on a new pattern project which will be completed mid-January. I am almost done with an illustration that will appear in the next issue of Dansk magazine. If you haven’t heard of this magazine, try to find one. It’s a mix of 10/Pop/Dazed/ID, all rolled into one. It’s hard to find in the states, but check it out here. I will post the art work for the article once the magazine comes out.
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Our checkbooks finally arrived and we are pleased to announce they are designed for those that are visually impaired. Yes, it’s true. The font and lines are HUGE and embossed. They look pretty 70s which makes them even better. Here’s a snapshot from the catalog.
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The other night, THING was out on the town and came across this little ice cream place that was filled with the coolest old toys and a few arcades that were original from the mid 80’s. Needless to say we got our quarters, that’s right only a quarter per game, and began to battle each other old school style. Those arcade games were a true treat. The place didn’t just have toys, but it had items that were collected and saved over the years. For example this newspaper that announces the death of Kennedy. I also saw some really old tickets to Knott’s Berry Farm framed in a small picture frame and hung proudly on the side of one of the windows.
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I went to see Wes Anderson’s take on Roald Dahl’s classic Fantastic Mr.Fox for the second time last weekend and loved it even more. It’s a little slow compared to the average Pixar type animation, but the stop motion makes it worth it. The hairs on the animals are constantly waving around because of the stop motion, so it has this beautiful organic movement with every shot. The story is cute, with lots of the usual Anderson type humor. THING supports Wes. Go watch this film!
I also had the pleasure of watching PRECIOUS, based on the Novel Push by Sapphire. Part of me expected a Lifetime (Opra-ish) sob-story, but the movie was powerful, uplifting, and shot in an unusual way. It had me in tears at the end, not surprisingly, but it changed me. Don’t pre-judge this film. The acting is tops, and the story is out of control. It peels away at the stereotypes that are placed on low-income neighborhoods, and paints a realistic picture of those that want to rise above their circumstances and will stand strong despite overwhelming obstacles to do so.
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Check out my friend Josh’s blog on the site. His new radio show is going to be Sundays from 12-2am. One of the few people I know who loves and plays soul!!! Put on your dancing shoes.
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The Vinyl Toy Convention (aka Designer Con) was held last week, in Pasadena, and it was something THING could not miss. All I have to say is AWESOME! Everything from collectible toys, custom figures, designer apparel, and underground art was either on display or being sold for the hardcore fans. There were so many unique designer toys to see, that I could have spent all day looking at the details. All my senses were engaged, to say the least, absorbing everything around me. The multitude of colors, the various smells, and the sounds of people oooohing and aaaahing at their favorite designer toys. Here are a couple of more photos of some of our favorite ones on display.
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For those of you not familiar with designer toys, they are basically toys and other collectibles that are produced in limited editions and created by artists that usually have a background in illustration or graphic design. The most common materials used to create the toys are vinyl (ever wondered what vinyl is?) or ABS plastic.
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