Good, fun art & design!
1. I enjoy aquatic critters (Jellyfish are so exceptionally tight! Green Fluorescent Protein? - Score), and I believe that Steve Zissou would probably support this planner. MEGA BONUS: It comes with giant squid stickers AND matching buttons, Aquatic Adventure Weekly Planner from Bang Bang You’re Thread, $15
2. Fact: I harbor a wee fantasy to be Harriet the Spy. Necessary clarification: the cool girl on the book cover- red sweatshirt and radamataz sneakers. Definitely NOT movie-Harriet. (Michelle Trachtenberg always ruins TV shows. Dawn? Georgina? HARRUMPH!) These notebooks are perfect for sleuthing and your learning adventures! Plus, the inside cover features a special spot for you to record “pertinent coordinates.” Teehee. Measures 3.5″x5.5″, Field Notes Memo Books, $9.95 (on sale $7.46 until Aug 30)
3. “Hello. My name is Owlet and I am scared shitless of this pogo-stick.” Measures 5.75″x8.25″, Owl Pogo Journal from Patina, $8.95
4. Ahh!!@#!!! Absolutely dreamy! Illustrated by Lart Cognac Berliner, this planner features one long landscape that extends throughout the planner! Measures 7″x5″, Come Along Weekly Planner from Little Otsu, $16
5. This notebook is extra dainty and pretty (so much so that I’d be scared to write in it). Measures 4.5″x6.25″, Letterpressed Petite Journals from Figments, $16
6. I like how this notebook features a guy that is surrounded by manly things (FOREST! JEEP! MOTORCYCLE!)…but he struggles with tying his shoe. Womp womp. Measures 6″x4″, Old School Stationers Notebook from Figments, $20.95
7. Did you know that if you don’t put out your campfire, the forest mafia (on roller skates) will murder you? It’s true. Extra note!: Check out that deer. He is most definitely wearing ipod headphones. IMAGE THAT WOULD NOT OF EXISTED 10 YEARS AGO: iPoded deer. Measures 4″x6″, The Forest Roller Gang Notebook from Poketo!, $7
8. A sumptuous notebook for those who like to cut bitches. Measures 8.5″x10″, Tooks of Antiquity Journal from Poketo!, $50
9. This adorable planner is filled with lots of unconventional pages that are designed to inspire creativity and (neatly) carry your great ideas. And can’t you just imagine yourself saying, “Hold on a second. I need to get out my paper hand so I can write down your number…” Measures 5″x7″, The Non-Planner Datebook from Little Otsu, $16
This third installment of the (super) school supplies series features stellar notebooks and planners (that perfectly complement your jealous-inducing pencil case and pens). I had a (vintage) 1990s PDA (I actually still have it), and I could never get used to using it. Too fancy for me. I like having the option of drawing little doodles around my assignments, and being able to savagely cross off completed assignments.
To see other school supplies posts, click here and scroll!
1. Supposedly the world’s finest pen, I was extremely excited when I got this. And then I stupidly left it on the counter of the café I worked at and an architect snatched it up! Womp womp. It comes in 14 colors and writes surprisingly smooth (even though the tip is so tiny!), Uni-ball Signo Bit 0.18 mm Pen from JetPens, $3 each
2. Lead advance button = for old farts. Simply shake this pencil and the lead comes out! Watch it in action on YouTube!, Pilot 2020 Shaker Super Grip Pencil from JetPens, $3 each
3. I never liked erasable pens- I could never find one that wrote smoothly. This one is exceptionally magical because the ink is smooth AND thermosensitive. Rub your text with the rubber pen butt and it disappears! Plus, the name has a GIANT ‘X’…and you know everything sounds cooler with a capital X (ex: Xtreme), Pentel FriXion Erasable Pen from JetPens, $3 each
4. Hey, if you’re a crappy writer, at least your prose will smell good. Comes in three scents: Healing, Refresh, and Positive (ha!), Pentel Ain Supplio Nanotech Scented Mechanical Pencil from JetPens, $3 each
5. This is my absolute favorite pen. It comes in over 15 colors and in 0.25mm, 0.3mm, and 0.4mm tips. It never clogs, is silky smooth, and features a convenient ink barrel gauge (so you know when to get a new pen!), Pentel Slicci Pen from JetPens, $3 each
6. I used to secretly make fun of my classmates who would take notes with ten different colors of STABILO pens. And then I became one of them. Available in 25 colors!, STABILO Point 88 Pen from Dick Blick, $0.77 each
7. Do you find yourself silently cursing at those pesky finger-tapping-foot-shaking kids at the library? Psh! Be proactive! Shoot them…with the Nerf Dart Blaster Toy pen! (Side note: I have a friend who was in the aforementioned situation, and when the pest went to the bathroom, he stole the kid’s highlighters. Too bad he didn’t have a Nerf Dart pen.) PEW! PEW! PEW!, Nerf Dart Blaster Toy Pen from Amazon, $5.99 each
8. SCENARIO! You’re in class. Then you turn to the person sitting next to you and say, “Hey… soul mate. How do you feel about you…me…and some Connect Four?”, Connect Four Game Pen from Amazon, $5.99 each
9. My biggest “arrggghh” about fabric pens that I find in craft stores is that the pen tip is TOO FAT. And they BLEED. And they RUIN my artistic vision. HARRUMPH! These pens are great because they come in 0.4 mm, 0.7 mm, and 1.0 mm tip sizes, Pilot Fabric Marker Pen from Jet Pens, $1.80 each
10. I LOVE these pens. The ink dries glossy and 3-D. I received the 10 color set right before I began studying organic chemistry. After every class, I looked forward to going through my notes and underlining with these pens. I also used them to draw little arrows and electrons in my reaction mechanisms. Basically, I had the most baller and fun orgo notes ever. And I ended up doing pretty well in orgo too. Sakura Glaze Pen from Jet Pens, $3.95 for two
11. OK, I admit, the name? Negative cool points. And it kind of makes me uncomfortable. Pretend it’s named something cool…like…Silly String Pen….or Magical Moldy Growth Pen…and the pen instantaneously becomes 10x more acceptable! (Well, perhaps I’m the only one who thinks my names are super cool) Although completely impractical for any sort of schoolwork, these pens are great fun!#$!! After you write, the ink magically puffs up. Your words will transform into popcorny letters. Or at least look like E.coli that has been inoculating on super agar at an optimal temperature, Dong-A Popcorn Puffy Paint Pen from JetPens, $1.20 each
12. For the indecisive color-lover who loves to doodle. And oh man. Oh. Man. In addition to some rad packaging (Both the words “magic” AND “crazy” appear on the package), the pencils come in the following colors: “Original,” “Tropical,” “Neon”….and….wait for it……”AMERICAN & FIRE” (!@#!!!) I have always wanted to doodle with an “American & Fire” pencil, Koh-I-Noor Magic FX Pencil from PencilLovers, $12.05 for a set of 5
13. Remember when Pentel Milky pens were super popular (on the fad timeline it was right around Casio Baby-G watches and Smash Mouth)? These are like Milky pens 2.0 – the colors are more vibrant, the barrel is beefier, and they can write on many surfaces, Pilot Latte from JetPens, $1.80 each
Now that you possess a glorious new pencil trap, it’s time to start filling it with some pens and pencils. Although new Ticonderogas and Uni-ball Micros are great, these pens are amazing!!! I am obsessed with extra fine tipped writing utensils. As you can see, JetPens is my FAVORITE place to get new pens!!! I love an extra fine tip pen (my preferred tip size is 0.28mm), and there are very few retailers (in the US) that sell that size!
Extra note: For those of you who are really into pens, I recommend that you check out The Pen Addict. It is the ultimate online authority on pens, and is packed with product reviews.
To see other school supplies posts, click here!
1. Two tofu cubes that will guard your pencils with a smile, Phoophile Kawaii Shop, $16.75
2. Pigs that defy gravity (ps- THEIR SNOUTS ARE UPSIDE DOWN HEARTS! gasp.gasp.heart palpitations.), Rohmer, $16
3. Reminds me of Richard Scarry’s Busytown and various anthropomorphic critters (Lowly Worm is my favorite! What a sad belittling name for a worm that can drive an apple car…mad skills), San-X Sweet Street Pen Case from One Good Bumblebee, $13.50
4. Squeaky and classic, Pottery Barn Kids, $9.50
5. I want to be a hedgehog in love. Womp Womp, LeSportSac Hedgehog Case from Karmaloop, $23
6. Too cute! Wooden slide-y pencil case, The Small Object, $12
7. Zipped up, this case looks pretty conventional. BUT! UNzipped, it magically transforms into a standing pencil holder. So, basically, it is the alpha pencil case. Imagine all the “sweet pencil case” comments you’ll get at the library, when you have THIS displayed on your desk. Watch it in action on YouTube!, JetPens, $12.99
8. This past year has been a good year for robots. Flight of the Conchords. Wall-E. A talking Roomba. Keep the robot celebrations alive with a robot pencil case, Rohmer, $16
9. Nonsensical Asian stationery is the best. Viruses = GLORIOUS, Morning Glory, $4 (comes in pink and blue too)
10. For the person who has always wanted to encase his/her pencils with a taco, Fred Flare, $14
11. According to Wikipedia, ”Tenorikuma” in English apparently means “bears that fit in your palm.” Like all other Sanrio characters, Tenorikuma have very detailed personas. The large heart-eared bear-bee is “Latte,” a cafe manager. Then there’s Chai, Frap, Maple, and Macchiato. All bears are identifiable by different colored scarves. Last, but *definitely* not least, there’s Mister Steam and Muddler. A steam cloud and a spoon, respectively. Oh man, Sanrio. Idea. What if Latte, Chai, and Mister Steam decided to engage in a little ménage à trios? Consider THAT, Sanrio, $10
Although the Stickers and Donuts crew will not be returning to the classroom this fall, we love school supplies. One of our favorite parts about returning to school is the excuse to get new school supplies. Perfectly un-creased notebooks? Delightful. New package of pens? Bliss. Since it is August, it seems only appropriate to feature a series of posts on school supplies. Hooray!
The first pencil case I ever owned was a plasticizer-smelling, magenta and teal SpaceMaker. My pencils bounced from that to multiple metal-y and fabric-y Sanrio (Hello Kitty, Kerropi, Pochacco, Marron Cream, Badtz Maru, etc.) pencil cases, and then to a plain plastic snap case when I became a little punkass and considered myself above Sanrio. (FYI- My pens and pencils currently reside in a Hello Kitty pencil case)
Anyways, I went on a scout for the most baller pencil cases to share with you and I’ve selected my favorites. Enjoy!!!
I just love these pretty glasses from wrapables.com. Not only do these non-sweating glasses obviate the need for coasters, but they hold both hot and cold liquids and look pretty while doing it! I’ll take that coffee on the left with all of the foam, thank you.
(Set of 2 $17-33, depending on size)
These Donuts (and donut holes and dolls who like donuts) of the Week by Heidi Kennedy have big eyes and have just been eaten by brightly colored dolls with stringy hair. That’s right, pretty random, and somehow at least a little bit cute.
I’ll end the week with a minimalist lunar calendar from KabaProducts. While I have no reason whatsoever to track the phases of the moon, I love how this calendar communicates moon phases: via line weight — the thicker the number, the fuller the moon. Clever, clever, clever! (And only $5.)
Have a great weekend, and, if I can keep myself away from the computer, I’ll see you on Monday!
xo
Maria
Yummy little donut keychains for $3 at kidrobot! Couldn’t you just eat them up? (Donut of the Week makes me hungry…)
“Donuts come in many flavors! Some with icing, some with holes, some with sprinkles, some with jelly, some are even flocked! They come with smiles, tears, frowns - the entire gamut of sweet doughy feeling!”
Though perhaps not as “professional” as the cases below, these little guys from Barry’s Farm are cute enough to make up for it.
The above monster will eat your laptop. You can also cuddle with it.
Doesn’t this look like Dilbert? You can dress your laptop up in this functional little suit and tie.
There is also a robot case and other designs!
Antenna has all kinds of laptop sleeves/cases from canvas to mock croc to quilted to denim to all different kinds of prints. I’m not usually a fan of the quilted look, but I do love these stylish silver and gold cases, which add a fun little bling bling (I can’t really pull off saying “bling bling”, can I?) to your laptop protection.
I love that these can function not only as a sleeve or a case, but also as a fashion statement! These guys will run you down $33, which, in the world of laptop sleeves, isn’t really that bad.
I just rounded-up some of my favorite laptop sleeves, and in a kind of trick reverse order, I’ll now do close-up profiles of my favorite-favorites.
This “butterfingers laptop wallet” from Hard Graft is both professional and fun, especially for the clumsy. It combines the greatest aspects of an laptop sleeve (thin, sleek, and easy to fit into a larger bag) and a laptop case (a handle for independent carrying).
The only problem? A $130 price tag. The other laptop and ipod wallets, envelopes, and cases are expensive, too, but all are sleek and professional.
I’ve been shopping around for sleeves or cases for my lovely, but naked, MacBook Pro (many of them functional on PC laptops as well).
These are my favorite sleeve finds (this list of places to find laptop sleeves and cases was hugely helpful). Click on the the thumbnails to go directly to the sleeve’s site (right click to open in new window).
Technorati Tags: laptop, case, sleeve, mac, book, pro, colorful, design
This book machine from On Demand Books creates high quality paperback books (see above) from your file in just a few minutes (if you don’t believe me, you can watch a video of the process here). And it only costs about a penny per page!
The machines are only at a few locations right now (I know at least one reader spends a little time in Ann Arbor, and there is one there!), but I am ready to see this spread world-wide, like coke machines!
As a former English major, this is the kind of thing I have had dreams about! One hitch: the inside pages seem to only print in black & white, so not so great for design projects.
Not only is this week’s Donut of the Week stale, but it’s also sold out at KidRobot (which, by the way, is offering me a plentitude of donut pleasures).
PS: I’m still away, but I’ll be back in full-force later this week! Just wanted to provide a brief little update with DOW.
Fruits, veggies, and sweets with faces sit on these colorful cards, ready to remind you of your favorite receipe! Look at that donut in purple! These little dudes are $6 at My Zoetrope’s Etsy Store. How’s that for Donut of the Week?!
Stickers & Donuts is going to post a cool, crafty, pretty, or yummy donut EVERY WEEK! Aren’t you looking forward to that?!
The Donut(s) of the Week are from Yellow Label. They’re colorful, you can chew on them (if you are a baby, preferably) and because they are knit, they are zero calories! If donuts aren’t your thing, you can always get some knit cookies.
Technorati Tags: knit, donuts, cookies, toys, baby, infant, toddler, play, food, stickers, crafts
I could go on and on about The Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn last weekend (in fact, I did sort of already did), but, alas, next week I think I will need to post something new!
So, for today’s final Renegade Finds: Knick Knacks & other things that found no other category.
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Everyone and their large-mustached-uncle seems to have posted about Something Hiding In Here’s presence at Renegade. Why? Because they’re just so darn cute and original and weirdly obsessed with mustaches. They’ve got a mustache charm, and two different kinds of mustache disguises (felt, for those of us on a low-budget, and wood for those high-class masqueraders). You can buy all kinds of mustaches (and they do actually make other things!) on their Etsy shop here.
Mr. Poncho makes these lovely ipod cases (~$18) in every design you can imagine (subject to the size of your imagination, but you get the drift)! And, the best part is, the wires don’t get tangled because of that clear round thing (very technical term) on the front.
The Small Object makes very small objects, and, by nature, things that are small are often cute (why is that?). My favorite good from The Small Object is the set of Crafty Organization Idea Cards (image above left, from artist’s website) which you can use to organize your most original and crafty ideas! They also make very cute doodle-y stamps (as shown above right, image from artist’s web-site).
And, last but not least, are 31 Corn Lane’s adorable bags (which I suppose should’ve gone in my Renegade fashion or jewelry posts, but my little brain was having a hard time categorizing bags).
“Years later and we still don’t have a mini-pony or a trampoline or a skate ramp, but! We’re finally taking the hot air balloon situation into our own hands” (31 Corn Lane web-site).
These hot air balloon totes make you want to spend a day at the beach in a bathing suit and bloomers. (And do you see the matching jewelry on the left!?) Also, if you visit their web-site, you may want to read those long blurbs next to the product, they’re worth it!
(Coming up soon… a round-up of all of these round-ups. Phew!)
(Part I and Part II are those places.)
These Shadow Theaters and Shadow Puppets from Owly Shadow Puppets remind me of the days of yore. (Not that I was alive in the days of yore, but they played with shadow puppets back then for lack of technical entertainment.) Anyway, what’s awesomest about these puppets is that they’re held together with brads, so they bend and move as you move the two sticks. Oh, and, as per the definition of a shadow puppet, they make cool shadows.
The Sea Monster (above) is my favorite, and is only $10.50 on the Owly Shadow Puppets Etsy page. The artist has also got some cool lesson plans for teachers on her website, so if you have kids, or you like to pretend you are a kid, you can make some puppets of your own!
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My Imaginary Boyfriend had lots of cool pillows, pictures, and, yes, a creature — if a robot counts as a creature, which I think it should. (And by “my imaginary boyfriend” I mean the craft shop, not my actual fake imaginary boyfriend.)
(My imaginary boyfriend would totally give that robot to me for my birthday, by the way.)
Below creatures are adorable. And a little creepy.
I sort of what to cuddle with these creatures AND run away from them! The image above is from the artist’s website, where there are a few more crazy creatures to wonder at. Unfortunately, the store isn’t up and running yet. We’ll be waiting!
The Cherry Box
I couldn’t get enough these deer heads. Usually, big ol’ deer heads on walls freak me out. They are dead animals. Heads. Hanging. For pleasure. But these plush heads mock that tradition, and thus crack me up. These poor plush heads are about $45, but range depending on size & type.
I also loved their hats, which came in many fruit varieties, but I was partial to the creature varieties:
I actually tried on the above hat and almost bought it (only $20… but where will I wear it?)! They’re available online in the “Accessories” section of the Cherry Box website.
Today/tomorrow I’ll be featuring all of my favorite creatures (stuffed, usually) I found at the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn this past weekend (for all Renegade-related posts, click here).
DIYers really like to make random, sarcastic, ironic, and/or scary/cute creatures. It’s a thing. And these renegade crafters did not disappoint — especially on the random front.
My Paper Crane needs it’s own special call-out for two reasons:
Reason #1
It has stuffed (plush) DONUTS that look remarkably like OUR donuts on S&D! (Not that two chocolate-covered donuts should look altogether very different from one another, but these guys could be siblings, or cousins at least.)
Reason #2
I was told there would be moldy toast (plush, of course) at the fair, and there was (and burnt toast, and regular toast). Apparently, I also told others that there would be moldy toast. Later I discovered that this was confusing (”She is going to a craft fair to find moldy toast? But why? What kind of craft fair is this? Sounds like a science fair!” etc). Luckily I took this picture to clear that up.
Couldn’t let the day end without blogging about today’s most talked about technological advancement (er, I really like macs): the new iphone (much cheaper ($200 for 8gb), but higher data rates from AT&T, so it all evens out in the end, sad, though it is twice as fast!).
I won’t be getting one of these fancy guys any time soon, but you can check some glamor shots over at the mac web-site (even has a white version!).
(PS If you aren’t a Mac-junkie you might not know that whenever Steve Job’s makes a keynote speech bloggers everywhere “live blog” the event, updating their sites continuously throughout the speech so dorks everywhere can catch mac history as it unfolds. Today BoingBoing did a specially fun version of live blogging, covering Job’s speech in the style of a classic play!)
These journals (available at Supermarket, a kind of high-class Esty) pair original design with “sage quotes from The Science of Culture (a stuffy book on etiquette from 1923).”
So don’t forget: “there is danger in emotions aroused by music” and “one must know how to discuss theater intelligently.”
Mostly I think these little books are an example of how to find artsy inspiration pretty much anywhere! (more…)
Sigh. This letter writing KIT (I love kits!) from 16 Sparrows leaves me nostalgic for an era I wasn’t even a part of. More pics after the jump!
“In this era of instantaneous communication, a handwritten letter is a rare and wondrous item. The Letter Writers Alliance is dedicated to preserving this art form; neither long lines, nor late deliveries, nor increasing postal rates will keep us from our mission. As a member of the Letter Writers Alliance, you will carry on the glorious cultural tradition of letter writing. You will take advantage of every opportunity to send tangible correspondence. Prepare your pen and paper, moisten your tongue, and get ready to write more letters!” (16 Sparrows)
Somehow making a cassette tape is so much more artful than mailing tunes over aim or burning a disk that just gets re-burned to an ipod, but that time consuming trend died somewhere in the 80s & 90s. Still, we love to reminisce about our youth, and so for you detailed, artful, nostalgic lovers out there I have collected my 10 favorite pieces & places to carry on the memory of cassettes & mix tapes.
Andy Warhol merchandise! And what artist deserves to be mass produced more than masterful pop art commentator on consumerism? (I didn’t even include the prices on this stuff, most of it was too high for my taste, but it’s nice to window shop.)
“Art is what you can get away with.” -Andy Warhol
I found this (these?) cool stacked cup at Foster’s in Philadelphia (and on shopfosters.com).
“The stacked cup design gives the appearance that you’re working on your third espresso. With three handles, the cup is easy to hold, especially when you’re shaking from all of that caffeine.”