yellow

Seaside 2 by selflesh @ Etsy.

This is a limited edition print of an “original gouache painting of multi-colored dots, which was embroidered with teal thread” by Shannon Rankin.

There is also a Seaside 1 (with pink threads) as well as a Seaside 3 (with green ones) and you can see a picture of the 3 side by side here @ her Flickr.

She also sells original embroidered paintings. I like this one very much (it has now been sold) :

Symbiosis 5.

Shannon Rankin’s blog + flickr.

Original Paper Collage, Abstract Works on Paper by Cherie Lester.

Cherie Lester is also a photographer, but I am not so fond of her photos as I am of those paper collages of hers. The first one is an original, whereas the second one below is an archival print.

You can also see some paintings on her website.

Archival Pigment Print of an Original Collage.

Vanilla Shake : 2 piece pants and top set for Blythe by angela gordon @ Etsy.

Angela Gordon just listed these wonderful white “vanilla” linen pants for Blythe @ her Etsy shop. As you can see, they are very wide at the bottom and I love that shape. The listing is actually for the pants + the top - there is a second listing Cherry Blossom with a different top - but I think I could very well do without the tops.

Whereas I just love the style and look of those pants and I must say I am all the more impressed for after having browsed through pants lately for an article I came to the conclusion that they definitely did not seem easy to make even with the best sewing skills.

Now, if like me you are not totally satisfied with the top, you could order one of the 3 tops left in ardentcurse’s shop from her “Truly Coordinate” series (only one pair of pants still available) :

Smock top for Blythe doll green geo dots.

or one of feltland’s beautiful sweaters and I would personally pick that pale yellow one :

Yellow sweater for Blythe.

Train of Thought by Erin Miller Arnold @ Etsy.

I discovered Erin Miller Arnold - Naptime Studios - last week and I so love her art that as I was settling to write about her today, I also bought 2 small watercolors from her shop. I am only telling you because this is actually the first time I am buying art @ Etsy - I have been really really short of money these last months - but her watercolors are absolutely divine and so unexpensive that I just couldn’t resist.

I am now dreaming I could also afford this triptych which I particularly love from her. You see, I have never written that on this blog but I sometimes paint - my palette consists of much brighter colors - and I also do pieces that are separate independant paintings, but which could be parts of one larger piece. I like the idea of “details” in paintings - although this is not exactly the case here - like the stuff we usually see in art books called “detail”.

One thing I really like about the art of Erin Miller Arnold is her sense of texture. She started last year to experiment with encaustics, a medium which can give amazing results. I am not familiar with the process, but I read a couple of things about it when compiling my list of 100 artists @ Etsy since some of the artists use it, and it seemed a bit technical and complex…

As Erin Miller Arnold puts it on her blog :

So that was the first “true” encaustic I have done. I use beeswax all the time in my work but always alone, and more as a texture and resist method and also a tool to use for my text. So it was very different to be using pigmented wax and a blow torch!

Her new encaustic pieces can be found in her Etsy shop. Here’s a “detail” of one of them :

Preservation Places (detail).

And I must say I am very much in love with this minimalist mixed-media painting :

Shades of White.

Now if you like her small watercolors, grab them while they’re still so cheap !

Für einen Regentag by Rosa Wolke @ DaWanda.

Pink & yellow is one of my favorite combos when it comes to color and I found this beautiful acrylic painting @ DaWanda. It is an original but you can also buy a “Giclee Druck” (print) of the painting. And according to Reverso the title would be translated by “For a Rainy Day”.

Blythe Shearling Amelia Earhart Hat & Vest by bonspielcreation @ Etsy.

This is just so beautiful ! I have already posted one of her creations in my article “Funny Hats & Bonnets” but this is getting undoubtedly better. Only the vest is sold there but more - including hats - is to come near March 10. Apparently there is already quite a demand for them so you can write bonspielcreation to make a reservation. [edit 07 March : the previous listing has been removed, I now give you a link for a set including Hat + Vest.]

And since I noticed there were quite a few other gorgeous purple articles for Blythe, here is a small selection :

Deep Purple Fluffy Beret by Tibiloo.

Hat and Scarf Set in Pink and Purple by Pinkmint Dolly.

Day to Evening Purple Shift Dress for Blythe OOAK by Blythe’s ocd Closet.

+ a bonus - not Blythe related :

Purple Starfish Felt Magnet by Felt In Love.

UFO The Aliens Are Coming by Dream A Little @ Etsy.

Once in a while you stumble into something that simply sweeps you off your feet and it might just as well be because I love SF so much but those little aliens are the cutest ever ! But the real thing though is the flying saucer or UFO, for they would not be as interesting without it. This whole set totally rocks !

It is OOAK and an original creation by Dana Dunn and had I a little bit of money I would have bought it right now.

Japanese Flower Fabrics by Karaku Tokyo @ Etsy.

I cannot think right now of anything more exquisite in terms of color and pattern than Japanese fabrics. They always seem so perfect ! In a sense they are the epitome of “A thing of beauty…”.

And I cannot thing of a more exquisite shop than Karaku Tokyo @ Etsy. All her fabrics are simply gorgeous and beautiful. They have amazingly nice colors, not to mention the patterns which are all superb.

Besides the flower patterns, you will of course find geometric ones like this one :

And she also has a lot of Japanese Papers. I absolutely love that yellow one !

I discovered her through her Flickr. She lives in Tokyo, Japan where she is an interior designer. Her company website Karaku Tokyo is about Japanese home decoration.

Golden Yellow Gnome Hat by neuart @ Etsy.

Blythe dolls seem to have been made for hats & bonnets. They simply look great in them, obviously it has to do with that big face of them, and they might look funny or gorgeous but one thing is certain, Blythe fans will never be out of inspiration when it comes to creating something, anything, to put on those heads.

I know some great creators have their own shop, but on Etsy alone there are plenty of great shops so this is only a tiny selection of what’s to be found there. Starting with one of my very favorites, neuart (see photo above) who has always the most beautiful knitted stuff, be they hats or sets, ponchos… She also has a Flickr by the name of miss modular and you can see more of her creations in various files there.

And some more wonderful stuff :

Shimmery Sparkly Sequined Helmet for Blythe by flissy666 + Green Pointy Bonnet for Blythe by loou.

Crochet Hat for Blythe by Sassylassie + Knitted Ear Bonnet for Blythe by xoxo,Blythe.

Blythe Hat - Lime Green and Red Pompom by CannonBelle.

“Sarah Jessica Parker” Blythe Hat by lado.

Blue and White Fleece Helmet Hat for Blythe by nectarine.

Blythe Rectangle Pom Pom Hat, earthy tones by CannonBelle.

Decadent Mohair Hat for Blythe by Ttttemma.

Cream Beret by PinkPetal.

And I only saw this one this afternoon while finishing this article, I just couldn’t resist :

Luxurious Fuzzy Hat Hood for Blythe OOAK by bonspielcreation.

To Be Continued…

New Balance M1300 - Made in England

I’m not much of a sneaker girl but I saw those New Balance the other day on glltn.com and I must say I wish I had a little bit of money. My favorite ones are the blue and orange ones, but I also like the yellow ones a lot.

Source glltn.com via Sneaker Files

The Toy Monkey by Gary Taxali - Exclusive Green Version available @ Kung Fu Toys

While Gary Taxali’s new vinyl figures “Oh No” + “Oh Oh” are on the verge of being released by Bigshot Toyworks, you can still find some of his Toy Monkeys. The yellow version (500 numbered pieces signed or unsigned) is the regular one and not many people are aware that a green version was also released in a limited edition of 200. It was at one point sold by some museum - I think it was the MOMA but I am not sure now - and I just found that Kung Fu Toys has it for $150 dollars.

You can still order the Original Toy Monkey Deluxe Edition @ Chump Toys or @ Orbit Gallery space.

Also see the Original Hand Painted “Toy Monkey” on Gary Taxali’s website.

Oh No + Oh Oh by Gary Taxali - sculpt by Scott Wetterschneider

Note that you can buy the Oh No Bronze Statue along with some artwork by Gary Taxali @ Magic Pony.

OH NO Bronze Statue - Gary Taxali

Gary Taxali

Michael Lau x Prodip “After Dark Project” - Pascagoula Alien in Yellow

I am not sure yellow toys are even sought after by collectors - some people collect black or GID toys for instance - but they are favorites of mine. This Pascagoula by Michael Lau has been on my wishlist ever since it was released about a year ago and since it still is a winter of financial discontent for me, this will be just for the fun of it…

400% & 100% Be@rbrick set Genevieve Gauckler

Shikito in Yellow by Superdeux

Rolitoboy - Gloomy Pity Boy by Mori Chack x Rolito

Onion Love Invader by Jaime Hayon

Astronaut Jesus by Doma

+ Ecstasy of Gold by krysto_O on Flickr.

“Too Young To Die” Ashtray™ - Yoshitomo Nara

So this is Day One of “At last you won’t risk getting lung cancer from spending too much time in a café-bar-restaurant-nightclub-pick your choice here” in France and what with the big fuss around that and the so predictable reports on the radio - I don’t watch the news on TV anymore, I got spare the smokers vs non-smokers images - but what it really made me think about this morning waking up was this ashtray based on a painting Yoshitomo Nara made in 2001. (I wonder however whether anyone has ever used the thing as an actual ashtray…)

Anyway, besides the other well-known figures made from Yoshitomo Nara’s work, the PupCup™ and the Little Wanderer™ - my favorite one so far - I recalled that this year another figure in a Limited Edition of 300 had been released by How2Work. It’s called “Sleepless Night” (sitting), retail price was HK$7800 (around EUR 730 or US$ 1,000 at the time back in July), but even though you might have had the money it was still a tough job to get one. But the only thing that really matters is that it is amazingly and breathtakingly beautiful.

“Sleepless Night” (sitting), Yoshitomo Nara, 2007

However, if you happen to be interested in the financial aspects relative to art, while researching for this article - believe it or not I do research before writing - I found out that there has been a recent auction at Sotheby’s Paris about Contemporary Art and that number 276/300 of “Sleepless Night” sold there for 9,850 euros (14,415 US$).

Yoshitomo Nara @ Blum & Poe + Yoshitomo Nara on Flickr

Shopping @
Addict Galerie + Artoyz + Giant Robot + Inhabit [Canada] + Little Fashion Gallery + Museum of Contemporary Art [Chicago] + My Plastic Heart + Raw Space [Australia] + retromodern.com + unicahome

Phony Pie - “Gerry Glitter” + Phony Pie - “Tom Pussy” by Applepiepussy on DaWanda.

I’m a sucker for colors. I just seem to never get enough of them. They’re one of the reasons I started buying toys and as a photographer I don’t think I will ever want to use black & white much more. So of course when browsing sites like Etsy, DaWanda or Flickr colors are mostly what I am looking for and my lists of favorites are bursting with them.

This is why I’m starting this series called “The World in Technicolor”.

#1 Applepiepussy on DaWanda

They’ve got names such as “Crazy Cupcake”, “Phony Pie”, “Female Chauvinist Pig”, “Lucky Bastard” etc and for the most part they are meant to get attached to your phone (or whatever you like). They’re wonderfully cute, beautiful and full of colors. They’re not expensive. They are made by Mariko who has started Applepiepussy to be able to create “cute accessories” while she is mainly working with her boyfriend in their design agency Loaded ink in The Netherlands.

Edit : On March 2nd 2008, Applepiepussy no longer has a shop on DaWanda, you will now find all her creations on applepiepussy.com + she also has a great gallery on Flickr.