On more fun branding/design ~ i love what the kids at Dumbrella did embracing Recession/Hobo chic ~ i’ve have always loved a good use of cardboard and brown paper though… now if only they gave you your goodies in a bag tied to the end of a stick bindle style? Also noteworthy? It’s not just web comics into tshirts, books, and stickers anymore ~ i was impressed to see how much incredible artwork (both 2+3D)… take a peek at some of my favorite offerings on the next page. And if you’re here, be sure to pop by and check it out in person at the perfectly numbered booth #1337.

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In the midst of laundry and packing to head down to SD tomorrow! Excited to be back in SD, its strangely been far too long. Here’s a dose of late tuesday inspiration in gridded form ~ as usual, click the squares to find out more! Posting might get a little lighter over the next few days, or there may be a few spurts of excited comicon posting… will see what i find, or if i end up taking a beachy break!

Last night ended up going through all of flickrer Hulk4598’s quotations, and while i’m still a bit mixed on the circle thing ~ his pictures are hilarious, and quotes… quite awesome. So here are a few of my favorites on the next page to kick off your Monday.

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Strange things happen when you’re up at 6am and too awake to sleep but to asleep to function. Things like watching unplugged videos on MTV and getting distracted by the awesome backgrounds and obsessively refreshing the page in a new window (so your videos can still play) to see all the different random backgrounds that appear… and then refreshing until so many repeat that you can safely guess that you’ve seen them all. My favorite part of MTV as a kid was definitely the interstitials with awesome animations of their logo ~ well their website does it too ~ so check out a few of my favorite backgrounds from their site on the next page! SO fun!

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Ryan McGinness Studios is throwing 50 Parties. 50 Themes. 50 Weeks. In a row. In the studio. No sponsors. No strangers. My favorite part? NO STRANGERS! Unfortunately i’m pretty sure i’m a stranger. BUT those magical invite cards are “valid for card holder +1”. Do you have one? Can i be your +1 someday?

All in all its such a lovely concept, and so similar to salon/intellectuallly playful get togethers i’ve been tossing around with friends… yes, i know. McGinness DID IT. I have not. But someday i hope to organize, or find help to organize enough to do some too! Here’s how he explains it, “In New York City, there has never been a shortage of parties. Parties celebrating a new product or publication or development have been rampant. Those celebrating or nurturing a meaningful social exchange, on the other hand, have been noticeably absent.” So far Party 00 was the Practice Party, and coming up is the Whit Trash BBQ. Yes, you read that right. The 50 Parties project has its own blog, Twitter, and YouTube feed. Not that any of those should surprise you at all. See more pics of the goodness on the next page…

p.s.
i’ve been a huge McGinness fan long before i started NOTCOT… so jealous to hear about friends who have been getting invites already!

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Here are some fun recent posts from NOTCOT.org!!! Click the images to find out more!

Snapped this pic just as i was walking out of CAboom ~ not sure who the artist is (ideas?) ~ but upon looking at it closer when i got home, its a pretty freaky Michael Jackson facial evolutionary spiral… see it up close on the next page.

Update: Turns out it is “Epic Thriller” by Kelly Coats

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While i’ve never been a huge embroidery fan, Megan Whitmarsh’s little yetis and lilliputian people rocking out have always been so adorably amusing. These were spotted over at Synchronicity at CAboom, and definitely made me giggle. Take a look at the rest of these silver and gold little guys with their crazy geometric/neon clothes and patterns popping off mini canvases on the next page!

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On pieces that caught my eye at the Black Maria Gallery booth in CA|Boom ~ Renee Lawter’s Energy Efficient Dinos are just too funny. Compact florescent with wings? Flying out of the mouths of dinos? Who have incandescents as spines? See the full pieces, framed and all on the next page…

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I didn’t know what to expect when i heard CA|Boom had moved from barker hanger (which i love!) to that abandoned feeling Robinsons May space in Beverly Hills… and from March to the same dates as the Dwell on Design Show… but i had to check it out none the less. It takes a few minutes to cover - but the thing worth seeing is the art! A few great local galleries are showing some fun work… like Thinkspace!!!

That piece above is one of a series by Brett Amory in his “Waiting” Series ~ and it’s absolutely STUNNING. A must see in person. There’s just an incredible way it pulls you in ~ beautiful color palette ~ and then as you get closer you notice the details and emotional distance between the 3 tightly seated communters who float like an island in the space… Love the hoodied guy too… There’s something terribly fun about the shift to seeing more art works with the beautiful illustrations/characters woven into larger more complex and/or abstract pieces coming in… leave it to Thinkspace to lead the way. Take a look at a few of their other pieces showing at CA|Boom which also caught my eye on the next page!

p.s.
LA kids - if you’re not on the Sour Harvest list, you should be. It’s far better than asking me what shows are happening each week!

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I swear i won’t buy a full box of produce just to get one of these amazing Yeti’s Best boxes. BUT, i may not be below begging them to let me have one next time! Wandering whole foods i got terribly distracted and started taking quick pics with my point and shoot of the Yeti Produce!!! Only to realize that as i turned around it was a Whole Foods brand box… and there were other retro/designer boxes as well! Yeti is definitely the best, and Cosmic second best ~ but you must check out the rest on the next page!

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Roundup time! Felt strangely reminiscent tonight, and i was looking through the last few pages of NOTCOT.org, it felt like the perfect time for a 3am roundup! So click the pics to find out more…

Late night browsing: these Horizon Fire posters caught my eye while catching up on Change The Thought. The work of Manchester-based designer Paul Tebbot is just stunningly retro, minimalist, and utterly captivating! See 3 more of my favorites on the next page!

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No one recycles styrofoam the way Michael Salter does. And i know that any time i get an email from him, there is probably something amazing coming in… and this time it was truly epic! He has created a life size Formula 1 race car out of styrofoam!!! Take a look at his latest show at the Portland John Ross Plaza Studio… “a full scale replica of a Formula One race car made from scrap styrofoam pieces, 3 pretty big wall paintings, and 24 framed digital drawings.” Wow. Lots of pics on the next page ~ check it out from all angles!

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On fun random Monday posts ~ it’s been feeling like SUCH a monday (and from the tweets i’m seeing, sounds like its going around) ~ and not in a good way! So, since it seems a little early for happy hour to start… how about some silly alcohol schwag? I couldn’t help giggling when this Red Stripe USB key showed up from Fader/Red Strip ~ presenting “It Was Written” featuring Terry Lynn and John Hugo - it’s their collaboration on five new songs celebrating jamaican music! (You can even download them for free) And at first i thought it was a half bottle and a cupcake (i never did figure out how that would make much sense, but hey! who am i to judge that?)… but i’m thinking its so you don’t lose your cap when the key is in use? Also the graphics are awesome ~ love how the text is made up of pencils and rulers, etc… see the pics on the next page!

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