I Heart Cool Stuff

Rivet Gallery Exclusive O-No Sushi

2010-03-16T01:35:55Z

I’ve avoided posting about this, mostly because the upcoming O-No Sushi Bloody Edition release at Rivet Gallery will be limited to 150 pieces, and well– I really need to have it. Sadly though, I am of guilty conscious and therefore, cannot withhold the information from the general public. So, here it is. This Tuesday (tomorrow) at 12pm, Rivet Gallery will make the greyscale colorway available in store and on their online site for $35. What does this mean? You need to be awake to pick one up for yourself because they’re limited one per customer, so no muling for anyone who has a contact near the gallery. Damn it!

Flickr Friday: Monskey Mess

2010-03-13T04:39:20Z

Monskey Mess by alliebrock

TokiDoki Hits Sephora

2010-03-13T21:37:26Z

I’m not quite sure I’ve made it public, but for a little less than a year now, I’ve become a make-up nut. Last summer I bought dresses, I bought stockings, more shoes and more makeup then I could afford. I am an owner of a Sephora rewards card, which at the moment seems a little dangerous due to Tokidoki’s latest collaboration with the makeup super store. Keep reading to see more photos and close-ups of the collaboration. I’ve spent the better part of the day getting these screengrabs and close-ups so please, if you’re going to use the images, credit myself or IHCS. Thank you!

First up, the Tokidoki “Pefetto” Eyeliners. From the look of the tip, it looks like they’re liquid eye liners. From the close-up, you can see that this line (unlike the Smashbox collaboration) is going to use all the characters that Simone Legno has created to date. When you surf the site, different characters represent the shades the product is available in. It makes the shopping experience all the more fun and cute to look at. Also, could there be any more branding involved?

The Fantastico Lip Ink is more like a lip gloss, except it leaves a stain behind. Once more, I love the character use to determine the shades. I’ve yet to see this in person, but I’m liking the chunky marker look the packaging.

The eyeshadow sets are some of my favorites. Mostly because the quad compacts feature the colors of the art decorating it’s outer shell. In addition to the great packaging, they also seem to come accompanied with zipper pulls. Oh, the zipper pulls really are becoming super popular these days aren’t they? It looks as though each quad allows you to pull off a smokey eye, if you know how to play with your eye shadows. From the images, I can tell there are both matte and iridescent finishes.

Mascara is one of the easiest products to use, that make a huge impact on your look. I must admit that I really want to get my hands on these tubes. Currently, there are only 4 colors available, but they’re some of the most versatile colors to use on any look– so the limited choice doesn’t bother me. I like that the bottle is transparent, and that Sandy along with some other characters make the bottle stand out from any other mascara on the market. I’m not sure how I feel about the brush yet, I want to make sure they didn’t use a wimpy wand.

Finally, the kabuki brush! When tokidoki collaborated with Smashbox, the kabuki brush was one of my favorites and fairly recently HauteLook had it on sale, but I missed scooping one up for myself. Kabuki brushes are primarily used to apply powder foundation or blush. Due to the size of the brush, its the best brush to use to spread whatever product you’re using on your face to help produce a natural look. In this case, I’d never want to use it. The characters at the base are way too adorable, and I like the fuscia tips.

I haven’t purchased any of the items above, and honestly, I’m not sure its wise for me to do so. Although I really want to test out the product and review it. If any of you have the cash and have already scooped them up– please share your thoughts below and swatches of everything! I’d like to know how long the products last (eye shadows in particular, whether you use a primer or not). For those who are interested in purchasing any of these items (and other that I didn’t show in the post), just click on this link to view ALL the products currently listed. The price range is between $5 (for mints) to $42 for the exclusive make-up bag. The prices really are average in comparison to other brands that Sephora carries. I’ll see if I can stop by Sephora some time this week and at least play with the items to get an idea of whether or not this line is successful.

Ninja of the Month Pins!

2010-03-11T22:34:53Z

Last night, while visiting Shawnimals’ website to link the upcoming Ninjatown Charms, I clicked on the NotM link because I like to drool over the monthly releases and noticed that you can buy the NotM pins. Sadly, not all of us can afford to purchase a ninja, although knowing about all the hard work that the Shawnimals team put into their plushies– they’re each worth their price tag, but I realize times are tough all around and its just not easy to spend frivolously. Well, if you’re anything like myself, and would still love to show-off even the slightest love for these unique ninjas, purchasing $1 pins may just be the way to go.

You can head on over to NotM page and purchase these for a dollar each. Currently, January through March buttons are still available. Happy Shopping!

Ninjatown Zipper Pulls!

2010-03-11T08:13:18Z

One of the sweetest, and most charming news I received this week was the upcoming release of Shawnimals’ Ninjatown Zipper Pulls. Shawnimals teamed up with Squibbles Ink & Rotofugi, to deliver 16 designs based off the Ninjatown video game that was released October 2008. Keep reading to check out all 16 designs, along with some packaging photos.

From the looks of it, it seems as though each ninja is encased in a soft plastic to keep it protected from nature’s elements. I’ve decided that I pretty much want the ninjas that are either hugging or eating things, in addition to the zombie ninja.

Each zipper charm can double as a zipper pull or cell phone strap. If my iPhone has a cell phone strap, I would proudly show it off there, but alas, Apple was too busy being creative in every other department to remember to put one in. =( Each case carries 32 boxes, which guarantees the buyers two full sets! Yay to blindboxes that care about completists! Each single zipper charm will retail for $3.95 and will be available on Shawnimals.com or at a shop near you this Friday! So save that change and go get some butt-kicking ninjas!

5 Eyed Dragon at Dragatomi

2010-03-11T07:12:52Z

I’ll start off with, YAY!!! I always experience a unique joy when it comes to shows that Brent Nolasco participates in– and in this case, the joy is extended to the 4 other participants of the upcoming 5 Eyed Dragon show coming up in April at Dragatomi. The show will feature the works of some of the biggest names in the customizing world; Leecifer, DrilOne, Betso, Brent Nolasco and Southern Drawl.

I am experiencing a bout of jealousy in regards to this show. Mostly because for the past couple of months Southern Drawl has been rather quiet in the scene. Just days before the postcard for the show was leaked, I’d thrown his name out as a suggestion for a show and the person I was talking to didn’t recognize his name and it basically gave me an excuse to revisit and share some of his older munny designs. Anyway, this show is the first time in a while that he’ll be putting out a body of work– at least I hope so. Since it is five gentlemen (uh, where are the ladies?!!), I’m not sure how many pieces each artist will get to show. But the rest of the line up, includes artists who are very complementary to each other.

I can’t wait to see more photos of this show– Betso is already winning my heart with the custom on the card– I’m not entirely sure what figure he’s using for it. Anyway, if you’re in Sactown in April (the week after WonderCon), consider stopping by and giving Joanne/Ray and the rest of the crew a hug from me. <3!

Kuro Glass Pendants by Camilla d’Errico

2010-03-10T20:51:36Z

It feels a little strange that I haven’t posted about Camilla d’Errico in a while. I’ve spotted her all over the blogosphere lately do to her print releases and various other projects in fashion and comics. And yet, my mind wandered somewhere else. No worries though, because I don’t think I’ve spotted the pendants above anywhere. So, time to share.

I took the liberty of taking the best image that showcased the adorable character Kuro in his glass pendant form, and spruced it up just a bit. When I visited Camilla’s shop (again, she’s recently released several fashion items and since her wallet release at the end of 2008, I’ve dug her style), I didn’t expect to see this little guy. At first I thought he might’ve been a polymer pendant, but it turned out to be made of glass.

No information on how large each is, but if it’s anything like my cupcake pendant that’s also made of glass, it’ll be a little less than an inch in height. These pendants are limited to 250 pieces, and similar to resin creations– every pendant will be unique. The pendant is shipped in a black box and comes with a certificate of authenticity. Although it is a pendant, one that comes accompanied with an 18″ silver chain, it also comes with a cell phone strap attachment so you have the option of using it as a cell phone strap.

For those of you who, like myself, are allergic to anything that isn’t a precious metal– I can personally vouch for the glass pendant option. As I mentioned, my cupcake charm (favorite one of all my pendants) is made of glass and not once have I broken out into hives, so rest assured that you should be able to show off Kuro carefree of any negative reactions. If you want one of these pendants, head on over to Camilla’s shop, each costs $30 plus shipping.

Into the Pixel + Video Game Art Show

2010-03-10T20:51:24Z

This week San Francisco is hosting the Game Developer’s Conference (GDC), and lucky for us locals, the Hotel des Arts is celebrating by opening their unique space to the “Into the Pixel” and “Video Game Art Show” exhibitions. Opening night is this Thursday, March 11 from 6pm – 10pm, and is free to all. The show will be up through April.

I found it surprisingly difficult to find out much about the event, as unfortunately the Hotel des Arts’ website hasn’t been updated recently. But according to Game Scenes:

In addition to the Into the Pixel exhibition on the main floor of the Hotel des Arts, all five floors of San Francisco’s ‘Art Hotel’ will be filled with artwork ‘from and inspired by video games’. … Gallery partners for this unique VIDEO GAME ART SHOW include Super7, Gallery 1988, Project One Gallery, and the START SOMA art gallery.

Joystiq also reports that the entire fourth floor will be dedicated to art from the making of EA’s “Dante’s Inferno”. The Game Scenes article also has some interesting history on the “Into the Pixel” shows, as well as some examples from last year. I’m loving this sneak peek of some art which will be shown at the Video Game Art Show, from 3 Fish Studios (my original source for the show). Eric shared the image above in his March newsletter. Keep reading for directions to the show, along with a view of one of Hotel des Arts’ rooms.

I have no idea how they’re going to set up so much video game art throughout the hotel, but I’m excited to find out! If you want to check out the five stories of video game art too, the Hotel des Arts is at 447 Bush St. (at Grant), across the street from the Chinatown Gate.

And if you can’t be here for the show but are planning a visit and want to stay in an amazing room, call the Hotel des Arts for a special reservation for one of their Painted Rooms. More pictures are on their site, but they have dozens of rooms painted by local artists like Jeremyville, Buff Monster, Sam Flores, and lots more!

Hey Studio’s Calendar Characters

2010-03-10T20:51:12Z

Thanks to Grain Edit (a great design and illustration blog), I discovered Hey Studio and their Calendar they produced in December, which featured a new character for every day of the month. The site is in Spanish, but if you can’t read it, the images are pretty easy to understand or Google Translate does a pretty good job. I love the graphic, black-outline aesthetic, and simplified geometric shapes that tie all the characters together. And I’m a sucker for redesigning classic pop culture icons (Darth Vader, Mary Poppins, Ghostbusters?! – so awesome!). I wonder how they decide on each day’s character (CJ Parker from Baywatch??).

Plus, they instantly made me think of the Android toys by Andrew Bell that were recently released – and sold out ridiculously quickly. Now if we could just get these two together for a second series…I would buy those figures in a minute!

Note: Android figures are being released to select stores, so check with your favorites and snatch some up while they’re still available!

New York-Tokyo: Shin Tanaka Night

2010-03-10T07:00:24Z

I thought I would share that tomorrow night, or better yet, tonight– I plan on attending Shin Tanaka’s shindig. Shin Tanaka, known as the “paper maestro” on the internets will be in town for a couple of days and what better way to celebrate the New York invasion than with a party?! Paper toys is a medium that I’ve dabbled in the past– in attempting to put the figures together, not so much in the creation of a character– now that I have the opportunity to see Shin Tanaka live, I hope that the live art includes an insight of his well-known work with paper toys (I’ve collected the examples above for reference). I don’t really know what to expect though, the party is from 10pm-4am. Anyway, if you’re in town and want to check it out yourself, you can head on over to New York-Tokyo site and RSVP.

Also, check out Shin Tanaka’s website, if only for the design. I love his polaroid slideshows the most.