Yesterday I was laid off of my full-time job of about one and a half years. This means: free time, no money. I figured I’d write a post to mark the occasion.

I will accept the following at maria@stickersanddonuts.com: job tips, presents, money, condolences.

1. Good Magazine. This graphically designed wonder is focused on issues important to moving our world forward. And, you can get it for as little as ONE DOLLAR. No matter how much you spend, all proceeds go to charity. You don’t even need to prove you’re unemployed!
2. French Press ($13, Ikea). If you can no longer drink office coffee or afford the Starbucks-splurge, then a French Press might be the cheapest and easiest way to get your drug-fix — especially because you can use it to make milk FOAM (latte, perhaps?). (REALLY, just pour the milk in and pump it up and down. If you’re using skim milk, it should be cold or it doesn’t foam as well.)
3. The Office (or any TV series). A good television series or two can keep you occupied for weeks! The Office is a good choice because you don’t HAVE to go to an office everyday. Ways you can watch The Office for cheap? New episodes are free online, Netflix them, buy ‘em cheap at half.com, or check the library.
4. Get some good, inexpensive wine, and drink yourself into oblivion. I mean. Don’t do that! You’re not UNEMPLOYED; you’re FREE. Drink yourself silly with happiness?
5. Get Crafty. Use ReadyMade’s free Project Archive to get organized or make things. Since you have lots of time, but hardly any money, you can make your family some fun holiday gifts, like weirdly shaped soaps. You don’t have a job. They’ll forgive you.
6. Go to the library. As noted in #3, you can find good stuff at the library. You can catch up on the one million books you’ve been meaning to read. To get closer to your own laid-off / fired / unemployed pain, try Then We Came to the End, about an advertising agency going through a business downturn. Really funny!

NO, these carbohydrates are not from Tricia’s Tiny Things List, they are Iwako Pastry Erasers from JetPens ($5.50 for the 6 erasers & tray). As soon as I received them, I wrote the following email to my co-editor Tricia:

“tricia they sent me this and i can’t get anything done: i keep pulling off the top of the cream puff and putting it back on and then pretending to eat them and picking them up and putting them down and then moving the tray away from me so I’ll stop and then putting it back on the corner of my laptop. SERIOUSLY.”

Having now owned these delectable dishes for a full 10 hours, I am obsessed. They are the most realistic looking erasers I’ve ever seen - I believe they contend with plastic dollhouse food. You can TAKE OFF the top of the cream puff and there is a strawberry in there or you can take off the layers of the pizza. This obviously means hours of fun. At age 10, my dolls would’ve opened a pastry shop in the bottom floor of their wooden house. Now that I’m more than double that age, I’ve packaged them in a ziploc bag to bring to work (true story).

I have to admit, though I loved these little foods on first sight, I feared I was going to have to lump them into the same category as those dark pink erasers on the top of cheap pencils (you know, the kind that leave eraser smudges across the paper, which makes it worse than the mistake in the first place), or those pencil-toppers in the shapes of bears & cats. They were always much worse than regular erasers. I DESPISE bad erasers.

Anyway, I didn’t want to ruin my food, so I just used the bottom corner of the croissant. In a very scientific test which involved erasing an incorrect math answer, it performed just as well as the pink eraser atop my favorite pencil (Dixon Ticonderoga #2). Both left a ghost of my nine, but no smudges or ghastly pink or granite lines.

This was a huge surprise. There has to be new eraser technology or else why wouldn’t all of those crappy pencil toppers work better? As JetPens said themselves, “Mistakes seem somehow brighter when you erase them with a piece of cake” — especially when that piece of cake actually erases. Anyway, erasure success means only one thing: you need to buy TWO SETS — one for erasing and one to bring to work & pretend to eat.

Iwako Postry on Try Novelty Eraser — 6 Piece Set ($5.50) Or, if carbs aren’t your style, you can try for other eraser sets including sushi, american food (we eat french fries & soda, btw), or these lovely japanese snacks.

Note from Tricia: I, too, received this delightful set from JetPens yesterday, and I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING MARIA MENTIONED.  I am enamored with the cream puff, and the first act of my eraser exhibition to my coworkers involved me removing the top of the cream puff.  Oohs and Aahs followed.  (Of course.)

Happy birthday to me happy birthday to me. I don’t like getting older, but I do like getting presents, and while I don’t expect to get these presents, I can always dream. (Like my magazine-style image? Ohlala!)

1. iPod Touch. So, of course we’d all rather have an iPhone, but how many monthly bills can you add to your repertoire? I have an old-school ipod nano, so I’ve been visiting the Apple Store online and in my dreams. Sigh.
2. Headphones. Even without the new iPod Touch, I’d love some big-old, colorful, new headphones so that I can drown-out the world. Ear buds aren’t cutting it. (There were some even more colorful ones, once, but I can’t find them anywhere! They were made for me!)
3. Cupcake! They aren’t just cupcakes, they’re beautiful, elegant cupcakes. Making me hungry right now.
4. McSweeney’s Subscription. Beautiful books. Directly in your mailbox. (At least two of these mags were featured in PRINT’S Regional Design Issue this year!)
5. Duffel. Not a crappy-gym-bag duffel! It’s practically a PURSE.
6. Dress. You can do anything with this dress, so it’s really like getting a dozen dresses.

Sigh. Another year older!

As a wee, I loved the If you give… series. Actually, as an adult stuck in an unsettling post-college period, I am still enamored with the books. I am a sucker for the whimsical illustrations, the characteristically demanding critters, and the circumlocutory plots. With the absence of a pesky HARRY-POTTER-RACE-TO-THE-FINISH effect (the conclusion is hardly dubious!), one can focus purely on the ADVENTURE.

The If you give… duo, Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond, first released If You Give a Mouse a Cookie in 1985! Since then, they have introduced their readers to Pig, Moose, and recently… CAT. A cat that gets a *cupcake*!?!?! (I’m eating a Sweet Mandy B’s cupcake right now! Which, FYI, is just as adorable as the name implies. It reminds me of Samantha Parkington!) And cat asks for *sprinkles*!? (My cupcake has sprinkles!) If You Give a Cat a Cupcake screams S&D.

Just like Mouse, Moose, and Pig, Cat gets something edible, and things happen. Honestly, you’ll have to read it for yourself. I will share, however, that my favorite part is at the beginning:

“When you give him the sprinkles, he might spill them on the floor. Cleaning it up will make him hot, so you’ll give him a bathing suit.”

A cat in swim trunks? More precious than Precious Moments.

1. Life of Mystery: An Illustrated Guide Poster from Tiny Showcase (22×28, $12)
   (I bought this and love it!)
2. Missing Limbs Pirate Poster from 826 Valencia’s Pirate Store (20×26, $20)
   (Even DesignSponge posted about these recently!)
3. Nancy Drew Fold & Mail Stationary from FredFlare ($10)
4. The Mischievous Gingerbread Men Print from primpedpaperie on Etsy (8.5 x 11, $20)
   (Love the skull barrettes!)
5. Pumpkinator Quee from Toy2R (via ToyCyte, which is giving away tons of Quees)
6. Political Pumpkin Carving from the Associated Press (free downloads)
7. Butterfly & Skull Charm Bracelet from PaiselyChainsaw on Etsy ($20)
8. (Crafty) Pirate Fabrics from downshadowlane on Etsy (4 prints, 4.5 yards, $12)
9. The Sixth Sense (my favorite scary movie!!!) (amazon.com, $7.50)
10. Paper Voodoo Pad from Knock Knock (60 sheets, $7)
11. Target Halloween including Halloween-themed-recipes, Domo, and the Pirate Skull Dinnerware Collection ($18)
12. Dracula Fork idea (if you forgot your costume!) (via notcot)
13. Cubes Corporate Zombies from Archie McPhee (glow-in-the-dark, $14) (also via notcot)

PS: Visit the Election Collection & J Keller interview from this week! (I’m in love with these posts, btw.) Posts will be a little less intense for the rest of the week, but we still have interesting things to show you like a currently obsessed, cupcakes, and more!

Yes, it’s different! I dyed it red and got bangs. Ohhh… you mean with Stickers & Donuts, well, yes, that has changed a little, too. We now have MORE SPACE thanks to my friend and co-adventurer Misa. I realize that now all of my other pages, formatted perfectly to the smaller width, are a little funny now. Also, I now have to blow dry and straighten my bangs. Change always comes with its share of problems.

As for this week’s current obsessions (for other weeks, click here)…

1. The lyrics to Gravity Rides Everything by Modest Mouse. Listen to the song (a random youtube version), read the lyrics, and then analyze them. It’s fun! If you need help, I’m willing to cheat.
2. Then, listen to Story by Brandi Carlile (if you are pressed for time, 2:52ish is my favorite part!). The lyrics to this one are a little more obtainable. I’ve also been thinking it would be a good wedding song. Not that I’m getting married. I’m just saying.
3. I am in love with Forever 21. It’s inexpensive, but also classy. One of my favorite finds were these black leggings (which actually come in other colors, too) that have little buttons at the ankle! Only $6.50!
4. As you may know, one of my favorite stores is H&M. I am in love with their pointy-black heels ($30) and have worn them every day this week with outfits from skirts to dresses to jeans (to black leggings from Forever 21). Basically, they make any outfit a little classier.
5. Gingerbears! They are like gummi bears, but a little harder and made with the added bite of ginger. I got mine from a mysterious co-worker, but apparently you can find them at Trader Joe’s.
6. Healthy dessert! Greek Yogurt (also called Drained Yogurt), is thick yogurt, drained of most of its water. If you need to make yourself, NYTimes will tell you how. If you can buy it at the grocery store (I can) I recommend the 2% variety (tasty and saves fat, but the no-fat is not as tasty or vitamin-y). You can use this yogurt as cracker dip, for example, but you can also eat it plain, or ADD HONEY. I recommend about a tablespoon of honey for a half cup of yogurt, but you can adjust to your sweet tooth. Mix it in and enjoy!
7. SPACE! As stated in the opening paragraph, I’m excited about our extra-blogging-wiggle-room.
8. If you are wondering about the unicorns, I may or may not have added one to a document at work, just to find out if my document was actually being read (negative!). Sneaky, sneaky.

So, the only real design-related piece to this post is the popcorn fork, but I figured, while I’m at it, I might as well explain the very best way to eat popcorn:

1. Use a popcorn fork (6 pack for $7) so you do not get it all over your hands. Yes, these are like training-wheel-chopsticks, but they make digging-in very easy. This is a fabulous tool because I love to eat popcorn while I’m working at the computer but I HATE to get butter all over my keys or constantly wipe my hands off. (The web-site claims it’s the “most unique eating utensil since the dark ages.” I’m not sure about that, but I’ll go with it.)
2. Add M&Ms unless you want the chocolate to be all melty over your popcorn, in which case add chocolate morsels.
3. Add raisins. Yes, I know you could just add Raisinetts, but I believe adding actual raisins allows you to claim you are eating fruit, just like ketchup counts as a vegetable in school lunches (because of Ronald Regan, or at least so my mom frequently claims).
4. Light Butter popcorn also contributes to the illusion that you are eating a healthy snack.
5. I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spray helps you get the butter taste you would get in Movie Theater Butter which you would have bought if you were not pretending to eat a healthy snack.

As Bill Nye would say, don’t take my advice, try it! (Or something to that effect.)

Happy Friday! Posts are going to be light and/or non-existent through Tuesday (LSATs / GREs!!!!)! This post is long. Save half of it for Monday? xo

I blame Tricia & Bobby Solomon for the messiness of this post.

First of all, Tricia’s study-supply-heavy currently obsessed post prompted me to write my own study-supply heavy currently obsessed post. (Hopefully, between the two of us, your next study session will be super-productive (and you will gain five pounds).)

Bobby Solomon doesn’t know who I am, but I read his blog & am really obsessed with his desktop wallpaper project. He has twitter (so does Stickers & Donuts!) and commented on Ben Fold’s new album with a song featuring Regina Spektor, which I also love, and in usual internet-fashion I now feel really connected and really creepy.

ANYWAY, right after laying out the images for this post, I discovered this week’s desktop wallpaper featuring Billy Murray on Bobby’s blog, and (instant obsession!) had to squeeze it into my post. Due to a layer error and time constraints, I had only so many choices in reorganization. Alas. Messy.

Anyway, after the jump, long descriptions (procrastination) of the things in the picture. Also, links.

(more…)

Hello friends! In my very first issue of currently obsessed, I’d like to share some things that I’ve recently been consuming/listening to/lusting for. As you can tell from all the picks, I am in study mode. Non-mechanical #2 pencils? Check! Candy and coffee? Double check! (Note: My productivity is correlated with candy consumption. Legit.  Kind of like Felicity’s pre-med roommate and her M&Ms, minus the pre-med part.  Or, Michael from the Princess Diaries and HIS M&Ms. ) The Life Aquatic violates this set from being completely study-related (I can only intake a limited amount of David Bowie. Especially when I’m trying to “critically” read.), but this is currently obsessed…so no discrimination allowed. Ciao!

• I got a pack of Ticonderoga tri-writes last month. They are wonderful! I hold writing utensils awkwardly and incorrectly (it’s not my fault!) (my hand basically looks like it is itching to punch someone…I know you were trying to picture my awkward-looking hand…). They sharpen very well (I love my Maped sharpener!). As the name implies, the pencil is triangular- a built in pencil grip! Also, these pencils don’t run away when you throw them down in frustration. How obedient!
• Trader Darwin (Joe)’s Gummi Vites are the best! I have a really difficult time taking vitamins. I never remember, and when I do, I cringe when I see the submarine-sized pills. Bleh. These make taking vitamins so much fun! They might be too much fun, however, because I have definitely been taking more than the recommended amount. :( Trader Joe’s, $4.99 for a bottle of 70.
• Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about Bill Murray. As part of the Chicago Air & Water Show a month ago, he jumped out of a plane. I thought it was particularly funny that the Chicago Tribune chronicled his jump, minute by minute. The search feature of the Chicago Tribune website is stumping me right now (as is Chicago Tribune’s distasteful usa-todayification…which re-affirms the New York Times’ superiority…REALLY? DO YOU THINK I’M AN IDIOT AND NEED A PAGE-BAR TO NAVIGATE A NEWSPAPER?), but here’s the gawker article that mocks the Chicago Tribune’s Murray coverage. Just last week, Bill Murray was in the news again in regards to his apparent approval of an upcoming Ghostbusters film. Anyways, with all this Bill Murray nonsense, I realized that I still did not have the soundtrack to The Life Aquatic. I have been listening to it since I got it this past weekend, and it’s pretty good. I’m not ready to declare where it falls in my personal Wes-Anderson-soundtrack rankings (Royal Tennebaums and Rushmore are exceptionally tight), but this one is great.
• At Trader Joe’s they sell this licorice in 1lb tubs. When you put a twisty chunk in your mouth? Utter bliss. Inspired by this post on Mindy Ephron’s blog, I went searching for a tub of Kookaburra at Trader Joe’s.  Although it may not be Kookaburra, the licorice still tastes like the best masticated-fruit roll up ever.  I can finish a tub, by myself, in less than a day. :( Trader Joe’s, $3.99 for a 1lb tub.
• This is one of the most clever devices that I have ever seen. The Pentel Handy-lineS Memorization Aid Highlighter Set (whew! what a name) includes a green highlighter, an eraser marker, and a piece of red film. As you can already tell, this is not a normal highlighter. So let’s say that you have this monstrous exam on world capitals. You have in your notes, “Thimphu is the capital of Bhutan.” While you’re studying, you highlight “Thimphu,” because you want to make sure it is ingrained in your head. Also, highlighting keeps you from falling asleep. After you’ve reached Zimbabwe on your list, you’d like to test yourself to see how much you’ve retained. Instead of awkwardly covering up your highlighted capitals with your fingers, all you have to do is cover your notes with the red film. Result? The film masks your highlighted text, and you can’t read it! Test away! When you’re done studying, you can even un-highlight test using the eraser. MAGIC! Available at JetPens, $5.70
• Moonstruck Chocolate Company is one of the best chocolatiers. They make really great truffles, and their chocolates are always well-balanced and not too alcoholicy (like Godiva). There used to be a lovely company-owned Moonstruck Cafe on Michigan Ave., but it closed. Womp womp. As a result, one of the only places you can get Moonstruck chocolates downtown is Macy’s. Moonstruck has a few cute signatures, including their ice cream cone collection, cupcake truffle collection, AND critter truffle collection. Similar to their iconic critter truffles, “Election Collection 08″ features elephant and donkey truffles! How patriotic! The elephant is a dark chocolate extra-bittersweet ganache, and the donkey features Moonstruck’s Mayan Ganache (milk chocolate, almonds, cinnamon). Also of note, the last time I was at the State Street Macy’s, the only election truffles left were elephants. I find this amusing and very telling. Available at Moonstruck, $15 for a collection of four.
• Sometimes I go to Caffe Rom twice a day. It has gotten so excessive, that I feel like they know me pretty well. I think I’m on my way from becoming “medium americano girl” to “Tricia.” This graduation is sort of exciting, and sort of embarassing. However, this is one of my favorite places to get coffee. It reminds me of my ex-barista days, and the espresso is good. I gave Intelligentsia a chance (actually two chances), and it was pretty gross. Unwelcomingly sour. And, whenever I go to Starbucks, I always spill. Probably because the hippie free trade coffee gods are trying to punish me. Karma is a bitch when you are wearing something non-black.

Note: Tomorrow, Tricia’s super-fabulous poster artist post series begins. I just thought I should let you know — it is so cool & I’m so excited!

Okay, so I know this is an art and design blog, but while I was in DUMBO, Brooklyn for Nerd Nite, I went with my intrepid co-explorer, Misa, to a restaurant called RICE, which apparently has locations in Brooklyn & Manhattan. The food was so tasty, eclectic and good-looking, that I couldn’t help but write up a small report to spread the news.

One reason, why I had to write about his is the dish shown above, Indian Chicken Curry, which mysteriously comes with everything from chicken, to mushrooms, to yogurt, and bananas! I was so surprised to find that all of the eclectic flavors actually fit together!

The other special part about this restaurant is that you can choose the rice you get with your meal. I love, love, love Thai Black Rice (or Purple Sticky Rice, as we called it in Ithaca). In the picture above the Indian Chicken Curry is combined with Thai Black Rice with Edamame (which I believe was cooked to be less sweet than the non-edamame rice), but Misa and I decided the perfect combo would’ve been Indian Chicken Curry with Thai Black Rice (where as my dish, Thai Coconut Curry, would’ve been better with the Edamame Rice).

Above: Indian Chicken Curry with Thai Black Rice with Edamame, Mango Chutney, Thai Coconut Curry with Thai Black Rice.

All of these kitchen and dinnerwares are not quite what they seem, from cups that look like noses to traditionally paper dishware turning ceramic, these cute conversation-starters are ready to contribute to your daily eating pleasure.

Left to right, top to bottom:

1. Cups with noses. Quite a hoot for a silly bunch! 24 in a pack of different human or animal noses. (availible at Yolk, $10 for pack)
2. Porcelain hot dog wrapper that looks like the paper kind! Your hot dog probably won’t fall out of this one. (availible at Uncommon Goods, $15)
3. Banana pan holder. So cute and more functional than the pot holders I’ve been using. (availible at Fred Flare, $10)
4. I love gorillas because they can learn sign language. Now I can think about that every time I need salt & pepper! (availible at Urban Outfitters, $12)
5. These swizzle sticks that look like twigs and are very colorful. (availible at Shop at Moxie, $7)
6. This “spoon rest” looks like a pillow! (available at Bitwise Gifts, $8)
7. These Smorgas-board Plates should blend right in to your wooden table. I hope you can find them. (available at Uncommon Goods, $45 for set of 4)
8. The famous New York coffee cup, now ceramic so you can use it all of the time and not ruin the planet! (MOMA, $14)

This week’s issue of currently obsessed features more fabulous things that I can’t get enough of this week… but will possibly be tired of next week (or not).

• Simple Harvest Oatmeal. I like the “maple brown sugar with pecans” flavor. This oatmeal is healthier, more filling, and tastier than their other stuff, or at least I think so!
• Since I’m really obsessed with graphs this week (see post about annual reports coming today or tomorrow), I am also really obsessed with list-making. This isn’t really new. But I re-discovered Listography, a super-fabulous list-prompt book with hysterical watercolor doodles.
• Perhaps I love my new Stovetop Espresso maker simply because it’s better than my French Press, the only other coffee maker I have, but I do love it. I got mine for $10 at The Christmas Tree Shop, but you can order a whole variety from here.
• Matilda! I recently re-watched the movie starring Mara Wilson, but the book is also super-fabulous (like my doodle? It’s a Roald Dahl rip-off!).
• Wacom tablets make writing over my “currently obsessed” posts so much easier!
• Yes, when there was a brief McSweeney’s sale ($5 PER ISSUE!!!) I bought nine issues. Now, they sleep in a box next to my bed and I take them out and look at them and read the copyright section (which is really the editor’s note, kind of, but hysterical). I love them. I wish I had purchased more. (By the way, that fabulous image featuring McSweeney’s books in all of their openable glory is from The Sydney Morning Herald.)

By now, you know I love cupcakes. Sometimes, I lay awake at night wondering if I should’ve named my blog Stickers & Cupcakes. I always get angry when my Ziploc-enclosed cupcake gets (a) smooshed, (b) icing all over the bag (yes, I turn the bag inside out and lick, is that gross?).

Anyway, despite Cup-A-Cake’s shameless use of Comic Sans on its web-page, I’m really exited about the no-smash containers they created. Apparently, you can turn these $3 suckers upside down and the icing still won’t get all over the place. Magic? I think so.

If you are much fancier than the Cup-A-Cake, don’t travel, and just found $60 under your couch, you can get a fabulously fancy cupcake stand from Fred Flare. Obviously, you will also need a fancy Alice-in-Wonderland-esque tea party dress to eat off of this plate.

I think this was a good week in Stickers & Donuts land, with lots of fun posts (well, I had fun at least) and sets. How about a round of applause for Tricia who did two spectacular posts this week? I thought her posts were awesome and from the looks of things, so did you! Anyway, here is another small edition of “Currently Obsessed” for your Friday. Have a spectacular weekend!

I’m currently obsessed with the Olympics, among other things:

• This “League of Cliche Evil Supervillans” graphic from threadless now comes in a large print version in addition to the T-shirt version.
• Pizza. Yes, just plain old pizza. It’s so good. I had forgotten.
• The Christmas Tree Shop (especially the stores on Cape Cod). Cute home goods (and more) for ridiculously cheap. A super-bargain shoppers dreamland!
• Olympics gymnastics. So dramatic. So much flipping! Aren’t you sad it’s over?
• I watched all of the Michael Phelps’ Olympic races. EIGHT golds in ONE Olympics?! Close, nail biting races — some of the best Olympic moments I’ve ever seen. (See the now famous “miracle finish” in Phelps’ second to last race.)
• Yesterday, I bought a five pack of really BRIGHT colored socks for $10. I also bought delightfully opaque, and actually comfortable, tights in purple and in green. They have so much footwear this season (at least at the NYC H&M near Penn Station). If you need to re-wardrobe your feet, this is the place to go.

I’ve been pretty obsessed with cupcakes lately, so I was thrilled to see these ice-cream-cone-filled cupcakes on New York Magazine’s “Grub Street” blog. (The inside scoop was originally from Blondie & Brownie’s food blog.) And the food itself? $3.50 at the Treats Truck, which I visited when I was at the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn this past year.