Stickers and Donuts

Zen Rock Garden/Tatooine Playset

Tricia — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 06:00:12 +0000

I’m sorry for the lack of updates. I’M ALIVE-I MOVED-I DON’T HAVE INTERNET! Here’s a little something to appease your worried little souls.

My coworker, Patrick, gave the above creation to his girlfriend for Christmas. His official title for it is “Zen Rock Garden/Tatooine Playset.” I had heard about his plans to make the playset, but last week was the first time I saw it with my own over-sized eyes. The basin for his playset is a tray (like the type of tray that someone would bring you breakfast in bed with). Ingeniously, he cut a roll of tape in half, and glued them at the handles. Therefore, the playset is both PORTABLE and the SAND CANNOT ESCAPE! On the subject of Star Wars, HAVE YOU SEEN THESE STAR WARS LEGO SCENES? They’re great. (via frites & fries).

Thank goodness February is short! Rabbit, Rabbit!

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My Tracy Reese Day

Tricia — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 06:21:19 +0000

Due to various circumstances (like an overpowering desire to discuss aspects of the perfect Johnny Weir party), this post is incredibly delayed. And for that, I APOLOGIZE. While I sit here, arrested in my mundane office life, exactly a week ago, I was at Bryant Park enjoying the Tracy Reese Fall 2010 show. My friend, Tiffany Rogers, Assistant Designer to Tracy Reese, invited me to the show. Past Tracy Reese collections have proven that Tracy Reese likes cute and feminine. AND has a certain obsession with florals. Going into the show, I did not know what to expect. I knew that fur and florals were somehow intertwined in her fall collection: both assumptions and intel that I had gathered from Tiffany gchat status (“fur in mouth!”). As I waited for the show to begin (my first fashion week show ever, mind you), I stared at the pretty flowery backdrop, and longed for spring. Which is an inappropriate longing considering I was about to witness a FALL show.

Soon after, however, my lust for warmer days transformed into a crave for crisp fall (and a desire to meet Julia Stiles, who was also at the show, and the teenager in me, of course, flipped out). While still maintaining her dainty aesthetic (my goodness there was a lot of lace), the Fall 2010 show was surprisingly grittier than past Tracy Reese collections.

Leopard prints, suede, and fur seamlessly unite to create a mesmerizing collection.

Oh! And the loopy scarves! How I wish I had one to hide behind!

I WAS NOT JOKING. The above is a close up of the scarf from backstage (taken by Tiffany).

Afterward, we ate a lot of meat at The Breslin (which is PERFECT INSIDE, and I WISH-I-LIVED-IN-NYC-SO-I-COULD-BE-ONE-OF-THE READERS-IN-THE-COFFEE-BAR-LOBBY-OF-THE-ACE-HOTEL), and took tiny naps before the after party at Gold Bar.

…Which, as the name implies, is filled with gold (like gold skulls, as Tiffany is demonstrating above) and wonderfully creepy paintings. Delightful.

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How to Throw a Johnny Weir Party: A Stickers and Donuts Tutorial Although h

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How to Throw a Johnny Weir Party: A Stickers and Donuts Tutorial

Tricia — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 08:36:16 +0000

Although he may be ranked sixth after Tuesday’s Olympics men’s short, Johnny Weir is easily the most entertaining competitor in men’s skating. For those of you unfamiliar with him, Johnny is like the product of what would happen if Lady Gaga and Patrick Wolf had a baby that flew out of the womb with ice skates. If my visual is unsatisfactory, please watch the video of his short here. Yes, those are pink tassels.

In honor of this innovative luminary with unbridled creativity and glitter (literally), I decided to cover quintessential components to the perfect Johnny Weir Party. My actions are extremely timely, as the MEN’S FREE SKATE IS TONIGHT. I highly encourage you to watch and throw your own little Johnny Weir party. Although the possibility that he will medal is slim, at least you will have a fine time celebrating Johnny Weir.

SURROUNDINGS

1. Has your rug been on the road to death? Have you always dreamed about getting a hot pink rug? Well, my friend, this is a splendid time to get a pink rug. FACT: Johnny brought pink bath mats with him to Vancouver. Mohawk Home Shag Run in Racy Pink from Targe t, $100

picture from icenetwork.com

2. As I hinted moments ago, Johnny Weir is like a skating version of Lady Gaga. It is, therefore, not surprising that Johnny is a HUGE Lady Gaga fan. His love for Lady Gaga extends to the ice rink, as demonstrated in a recent performance to “Poker Face.”

FACT: Johnny brought also brought a poster of Lady Gaga to Vancouver so she could “watch over us.” Lady Gaga poster from Movie Poster USA, $7

ATTIRE

1. FACT: Johnny likes to wear shiny things. THIS IS ONE OF THE FEW MOMENTS IN YOUR LIFE WHERE IT IS APPROPRIATE TO WEAR AN AMERICAN APPAREL METALLIC BODYSUIT (with an even more inappropriate zipper!) NECESSARY ADDENDUM: Johnny also designs his own sparkly onesies, so you should take the creative liberty to further sparkle up your metallic bodysuit. Shiny Zipper-Front Bodysuit in Champagne from American Apparel, $45

World Championships 2006 from Johnny Weir Online

2. Shiny star leggings to avoid an inappropriate crotch reveal if your quadruple lutz living room impersonations go sour. Printed Shiny Leggings from American Apparel, $46

3. FACT: Johnny has been criticized for wearing fur. Silver Indigo Fox All Fur Pill Box Hat from Fur Hat World, $250

picture from delawareonline.com

4. Face and body glitter! Make Up Forever Glitters from Sephora, $13

5. Even more glitter! Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Liner from Sephora, $18

CONSUMABLES

1. For Johnny’s short, he wore pink tassels. Obtain some pink tassels and tie them to martini glasses, only to be filled with…

2. …lemon drop cocktails! This drink is a lemony ode to Johnny’s calming techniques. I cannot take credit for this brilliant idea is from my friend Tiffany, who is obsessed with skating and the Olympics (mutual passions?, read her blog!). We actually ran to Barcelona Bar so she could catch the end of the Pairs skating Monday. Anyways, she sent me this Johnny Weir quote yesterday:

I was nervous last night. So I Pledged everything in my room. Some people eat, some people drink — but I Pledge everything.

3. Sober Sally? Johnny loves Vitamin Water. Shots of Vitamin Water it is!

4. Apparently Johnny barely eats (which is troublesome for a Johnny Weir party), but once a year he will eat angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream.

Does anyone else harbor a desire to throw a Johnny Weir party? Am I the only one?

My Tracy Reese Day Due to var
Currently Obsessed: HBO on DVD, Book Covers, Presidents, & Lady Gaga 1. LADY GA

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Road Trip!

Maria — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 05:35:51 +0000

This is kind of a currently obsessed post in disguise… but since I’ve got road trips on the brain, I thought I’d unite under a single theme.

The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolano. I loved this book, and I think it’s the perfect road trip novel for several reasons: it’s long enough to last you, it is told in smaller snippets (diary entries and short-story-like “interviews”) so picking it up and putting it down is not a problem, and it’s about really road-trippy people. (Check out James Wood’s NY Times Review.)
Pack This! I love Knock Knock, and I actually use my Pack This! notepad before almost every trip.
Half Pink Hair. I feel like you should either start a road trip or return from a road trip with a new look. I really want this half-pink hair but know that I will mess it up. (Anyone died their hair pink? Half pink? Tips?!) (Found this on Suicide Blonde’s tumblr.)
Globetrotter Necklace. I enjoy wearing thematically appropriate jewelry.
Bright Backpack! I often carry way too many items for a purse alone, so I just got this Jansport backpack and I am thrilled with it. It’s high quality, has perfect pockets, fits my macbook pro, feels good on the shoulders, and is all of my favorite colors (except blue, but that’s okay).
Postcards from Penguin. Maybe you are wondering why I start trips with postcards. This is because I have to address them and stamp them before I leave or else I will never actually send any. (Besides, most local postcards use very ugly fonts.) But the real reason I’m posting these particular postcards is because I AM SO EXCITED that they are coming to America (…in October… but you can pre-order them!… Penguin always puts everything out in the UK first…). There are 100 Book Covers in ONE box of postcards! (We are pretty in love with book covers here at Stickers & Donuts!)

Note: Background for this post from Mike Swanson’s Blog’s Wallpaper collection.

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Cute Things for Valentine’s Day

Ookah — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 06:00:01 +0000

Hey everybody ! As you may have seen in shops and tv ads, valentine’s day is coming up. To be honest, I’ve never really celebrated it, even when I have a boyfriend. All this cuty-lovey-dovey aspect is a bit too much for much. And anyway, no-one has ever given me a valentine’s day gift or card (and I survived !). But this year, I thought it could be a nice occasion to be creative, give to others and have fun. Whether you are in a relationship, wished you were in one or don’t even want to hear about it, Valentine’s Day 2010 IS going to be fun, with this über-cool list of things to do/buy/offer

Mug and Tray. This super cute mug comes with a bonus tray, that you can use to keep your hot chocolate warm, or hold your marshmallows before you dip them in… A solitary Valentine’s Night doesn’t seem so sad aymore…
Charm Set. A perfect (and simple) gift for your loved one. Keep one of the charm on offer the other. Of course, for you girls that means that you’ll have to find a boy willing to put a girly charm on his phone, but hey, I can’t do everything for you ! And if you’re a boy, well, be a man and do it.
Poster. Because it’s a cutey-lovey holiday doesn’t mean you have to forget about design and art. This poster from the Design Museum is the ideal gift for a design nerd.
Moo Cards ! Not only to that very hot guy you’ve been starring at all year during work, but also to your friends ; because you love them too, right ? This set of cards is so precious, I could send them to my tax collector too.
Love Listography. Keep a detailed account of your love life in lists. Example : “Top Ten reasons I won’t date a musician again”
Mini Hot Water Bottle. February 14th isn’t the warmer day of the year. With this hand-sized hot water bottle, waiting for your date won’t be that cold. Even if he arrives 30min late.
Panda Notes. A lot nicer to look at than regular yellow stickies, don’t you think ?
Valentine Bento. I just love bento-making and this one is just too kawaii ! Plus, not a lot of work here, just a bit of patience and good fingers. (And a rice mold for the big rice hearts). (Other very very cute bentos on this page)

Happy And you, what’s your plan for Valentine’s Day ?

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Make a Snail Mail Necklace Valentine

Tricia — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 06:51:58 +0000

I love receiving REAL mail, and this Valentine’s Day, I wanted to send my snail mail friend something exceptionally neat. Admittedly, mailing a surprise-filled tiny box isn’t an original idea. Two Valentine’s Days ago, my sister (who is very crafty) sent me monkey heart socks in a jewelery box. I thought I’d spread the tiny box valentine cheer. To any males who found this/us in pursuit of girlfriend gift inspiration: YOU’RE WELCOME.

SUPPLIES:

Tiny box. You can easily get a 3 x 3 box at craft stores.

A charm + chain for charm + jump ring (if the charm hole won’t fit on the chain). I featured the above carousel in the last pocket-sized treasure post, and it is available at TheseNThose’s Etsy shop.

Card-friendly paper to make a tiny card for the inside of the box lid.

Kraft paper.

Tissue paper.

Three stamps. This is the lazy-Tricia route. I hate lining up at the post office to mail a package, so I’d rather send something by stamps whenever possible. Three stamps is probably excessive, however, I also HATE getting returned mail. I have successfully mailed the same sized box with three stamps, so that’s enough of a guarantee for me. If you have a heavy necklace, you might need more postage (and HAVE to visit the post office, because the box cover can only fit three stamps).

STEPS:

1. Assemble necklace. The carousel horses have manes!

2. Trace the box (length times two!) to make a card for the inside of the box lid.

4. Adhere your card to the inside of the box lid.

5. Tape the necklace to a side of the box so that the charm hangs.

6. Fold over the tissues paper, put lid on box.

7. Wrap box in kraft paper. Make sure you use packing tape, because the post office will reject your box if you use normal tape.

8. Mail!

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People You Should Know: Kate Beaton

Amber — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 04:00:16 +0000

So say you are sitting watching the news, and they drop a knowledge bomb on you about some historical figure having something to do with today’s troubles and tribulations. If you are like me 84% of the time you think “WHO in the WHERE did WHAT…WHEN? And WHY??” That is where Ms. Kate Beaton can set you straight, with JOKES and COMICS! This helps me, because I can usually only remember things that are funny.

All you ever need to know about Musashi.

Kate is a comic artist from Novia Scotia, currently livin’ it large in Ontario. She tempers her unfailing Canadian politeness by dropping the occasional f-bomb, not to mention the s-bomb and once even the ever-controversial x-bomb, but still does it so charmingly even the Queen Mother herself could not take offense.

Seriously, who doesn’t love the Queen Mum?

Subjects range from those crazy sexy Tudors to dirty old man James Joyce to sexy celibate science genius Nikola Tesla to Fat Ponies. While her usual medium is pencil and pen, recently more shaded comics and colors have been showing up. They’re all nicely rendered; it’s truly the expressions get you.

I normally do not like horses but I LOVE Fat Pony (Click to Embiggen)

Every once in a while we get very lucky, and Kate does some hourly comics. These provide an interesting look into her day-to-day life, which is just as fascinating and hilarious as her scripted comics. In the same vein are her “Younger Self” comics, where Little Kate comes back and has talks with today’s Kate. I’ve never read one where I didn’t laugh and tear up at the same time. Stupid Kate Beaton, making me feel my feelings.

Little Amber would not even talk to me, she’d just read a book (Click to Embiggen)

You can follow Kate all over the internet at her website (Hark! A Vagrant), Twitter and LiveJournal. If you live in Novia Scotia or New Brunswick you can catch Kate as the Ease On Down the Road Artist in Residence at her alma matter Mount Allison University from January 21 to February 18. Several items by Kate are available to clothe your body and smarten up your brain through Topatoco, an awesome online retailer.

I am going to do you a favor and warn you: DO NOT LOOK UP THESE LETTERS

(All images from Hark! A Vagrant’s archive: Musashi, Queen Mum, Pony Hitman, Younger Self Advent, James Joyce Is Going To Corrupt You All)

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Celebrate the Final Season of Lost with Dharma Beer!

Tricia — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 04:00:25 +0000

There’s only one more day until the premiere of the final season of LOST. My Chicago friends are behemothic LOST fans (one is even in a LOST novelty band, Sonic Weapon Fence). Consequently, my life has been bombarded with LOST anticipation. Gmail user images changed to both JACKFACE and Frank Lapidus a few days ago. But even before that, discussions in regards to a LOST party occurred. Well, “party” = “gathering to watch Lost,” because it’s a week night, and we are old kids with 9 to 5 jobs. I offered (via a Gmail chain of emails, and in broken English now that I’m rereading my email) to contribute beer, with possible “little dharma labels.”

Possible = Scared to commit to something I might not follow through with. OH but fear not, a day before the big PREMIERE, I have created my own Dharma Beer labels using this Dharma Initiative Logos font on dafont. And I am sharing it with you today, so you can create your own Dharma Beer.

Download PDF here!

Simply cut, and tape (or if you are well-stocked in office supplies, perhaps print a page on sticker paper?). There’s two labels per page, because there wasn’t enough room on a regular letter sized page for three labels. So, I guess you’ll have the bottom strip to doodle- hooray! Finally, I conceded that the labels aren’t authentic. There are some letters and numbers at the bottom of the label, but I have spent too long squinting at this screen capture, trying to figure out what the numbers are. While I’m confessing things, if you were wondering why I’d be drinking such unsightly beer, or, you know, were perceptive to notice the text “ALL NATURAL PURE FRUIT JUICE & SPARKLING WATER” at the top, IT’S NOT BEER. It’s Izze. I haven’t bought beer for tomorrow night’s festivities yet.

PS- Rabbit, rabbit! Happy February!

Zen Rock Garden/Tatooine Playset I’m

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Five Reasons Why I Love Cakespy

Tricia — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 04:00:37 +0000

As I promised earlier this week, here is an extended ode to CAKESPY. Cakespy is a blog dedicated to all things SWEET. Headed by Jessie Oleson, a freelance writer and illustrator from Portland, Cakespy is especially delightful entertainment during droning afternoon work hours (close rival: finding pictures of cute puppies with my friend, Taylor). HERE ARE FIVE REASON WHY I LOVE CAKESPY:

1. Jessie is a fantastic illustrator.

Cakespy has a glorious shop, filled with Cuppie (that’s the cupcake’s name!)-plastered items. No situation is too scary for dear Cuppie- an incredible adventurer.

He is sometimes chased by zombies…

…attacked by MACaroons…

…or with his cupcake special friend in Chicago.

2. Cakespy is funny.

Cakespy’s posts are always wildly funny, including my favorite on 50 ways to destroy a twinkie. When I think of twinkie destruction, I always think about Michael Pollan’s reoccuring twinkie story that he mentions in interviews: he kept a twinkie in his office for years, and it always remained perfectly perky. Boring story, no? Cakespy’s twinkie saga is much more entertaining. Michael Pollan didn’t subject his twinkie to teddy graham death:

3. Cakespy shares yummy recipes.

Along with being a contributor to Serious Eats (this week she wrote about velveeta fudge!), Jessie shares enough recipes to keep your stomach content for eternity. My favorite section is the “unusual” recipes, which forces me to reevaluate things that I had previously deemed “gross”…like this corn dog dessert.

4. Cakespy has an appetite that spans the country. Yes, I am jealous.

5. Cakespy designed a mug/t-shirt/card for Bleeding Heart, my favorite bakery.

At this very moment, while I am spitting out all my love for cakespy, I am drinking out of my new Bleeding Heart mug. My second cup of polish camomile honey tea, to be exact. When I noticed Bleeding Heart’s twitter debut of the mug, I instantly longed to teleport to Roscoe Village and obtain my very cakespy own donuts vs. cupcakes mug. Why? Because I love cute things wielding weapons, Bleeding Heart (supplier of many vegan and non-vegan treats AND they have a Clash poster AND their tables are neon cupcakes), and cakespy.

If you’re curious what the entire image looks like, here’s a picture of a card that I bought for one lucky recipient.

Happy weekend!

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What I Love About: London

Amirah — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 06:00:33 +0000

So this series of posts is meant to be about some of the exotic places I’ve visited. London isn’t very exotic at all, and I’ve been living here for about three years now, but outside it’s snowing and I’ve just returned from viewing all the pretty Christmas lights in Central London and I realized that although London is vibrant and exciting 365 days of the year – I love it the most in Winter. That’s why I need to write this post now! London is pretty huge and there is so much to do that no guide can cover everything. This isn’t even a guide at all- it’s merely a list of the things I love the most about the city I live in!

1) For one of the world’s major cities London has a lot of green space! There is over 5,000 acres of parkland within central-ish London that makes up the eight Royal Parks! Although I love the parks in the summer months: picnics in Green Park, paddle boats on the Serpentine (a massive lake in of Hyde Park) and horse riding in Regent’s Park, they are way awesome in winter! Right now there is a massive Winter Wonderland fair in Hyde Park, with an outdoor ice skating rink, Ferris wheel, a German style Christmas Market and loads of other attractions. Its a GREAT day out!

2) Hampstead, a pretty posh area in North-West London, has an awesome High street with loads of lively bars, cafes and restaurants, but my favourite place is ‘La Crêperie de Hampstead’ - a small crepe stand that is open 365 days a year. Whatever time you go, there is always a massive queue waiting for thin, crispy crepes that are made for you on the spot (I like mine with the Banana and Honey fillings) by a friendly Frenchwoman/man.

Whenever you are in London, be sure to make your way to 77 Hampstead High Street, Hampstead, NW7 1RE for the best crepes in the world!

3) London has some of the best shopping districts in the world! There was no way for me to decide which is my favourite but right now I’m loving Carnaby Street which could not be in a better location: its only a couple of minutes walk from the world famous Oxford, Regent and Piccadilly Streets. I love the eclectic mix of cafe’s, nightclubs, vintage shops, with some of the cutest jewellery shops I’ve ever been to and of course Liberty, the famous Luxury store.

This year Carnaby also has in my opinion the best Christmas lights in all of London, in a homage to the 1960’s (when Carnaby Street become an iconic fashion destination) hanging above the street are huge, inflatable decorations singing the themes of peace, joy and love. (There are also HUGE inflatable pink unicorns!) These are definitely the most creative decorations in London and its worth visiting just to see them!

Some of my favourite shops to visit are: Muji, David and Goliath, Lazy Oaf (which is INCREDIBLE) and Playlounge!

4) Here in London we call the Subway the Tube or the Underground and to me thaticonic tube map represents London so well! I love the simplistic topological design that everyone can understand, I love how you can get pretty much anywhere in London within an hour by tube and I love people-watching on the tube. Its awesome, and it is most convenient way to travel around London.

Did I mention how well designed I think the map is?

5) London is a beautiful city with a rich history, you have to walk around the South Bank, Westminster, Embankment. Doing all the fun touristy stuff is fun! Visit Buckingham Palace, try to make on of the guards smile, tour the tower of London and clamber onto all the huge Lion statues in Trafalgar Square. And, take lots of photos! The museums are all worth a visit too, most of them are located in South Kensington and my favourite is definitely the Science Museum!

6) Call me crazy but I love have an ice cream in the snow as much as I love having it on a hot, summer’s day! Marine Ices is where you get the very best ice cream in London (trust me on this!). The restaurant, still run by the same family that opened it in 1947, sells home made ice cream in awesome flavours. I love their Honey and Ginger combination or the Ferrero Rocher ice cream which is just heavenly!

This list could be never ending, but I had to stop somewhere! Above are just a few things I love about winter in London! This time of year, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the World!

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