Unique L.A.

I had a blast when I went to this event in December so I'll be attending again this weekend. I have a bunch of birthdays as well as a baby shower and a wedding to shop for this year so I'm hoping to find some great one-of-a-kind gifts.

Paper

I really want to see this exhibit at Scion Space before it ends on May 2. I love all things paper so I've always been fascinated by cutouts and pop-up books. The amount of time involved though is mind boggling! I'd like to incorporated paper items in my Etsy store so I've been jotting down ideas here and there. In the meantime I'll practice with origami. The best online site for origami instruction is Origami Club. Here are a few samples:

A Want, not a Need

This linen bag by Etsy seller sraige is gorgeous!

Don't forget to get your free ice cream scoop from Ben & Jerry's today. It's a perfect day for this annual event because it's so hot here in Los Angeles! It's been in the 90s where I am. This morning I left the house with the fan aimed straight at my poor cat Iggy. He looked absolutely miserable!

Grand Opening: The Sewing Lounge

FIDM alumni Jessica Dooley has just opened The Sewing Lounge in Burbank. The beautiful space is part boutique, part sewing lounge. People who want to learn to sew can take private or semi-private classes. You can also reserve the space for customized sewing parties! The boutique sells handmade items by local crafters and artists (including me!), as well as vintage goods. Here's a first-look photo tour:


The storefront on Magnolia Blvd.


Boutique carries almost everything, including prints by The Mincing Mockingbird and The Frantic Meerkat.


Screen printed tote bags.


Children's clothing.


Jars of buttons.


Sewing goddess Jessica Dooley


Amy Winehouse in her convertible!


Check out the grand opening reception this Saturday from 5-8:00 p.m.

George Harrison

My favorite Beatle finally gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame today. His star will be located in front of the Capitol Records Building at 1750 Vine Street.

My First Cake

Yippy! I finally made my first felt food. I decided to make a felt cake for my four-year-old niece's birthday. With instructions from the fabulous "Softies: Simple Instructions for 25 Plush Pals" book, I created the base of the cake. I veered away from the book by adding two pieces of piping and an orange as the topper.

Upon presenting my niece with the cake, she tightly scrunched it up in her hand and threw it across the room. To be fair, she was frustrated because her best friend wouldn't play with her. Oh well...

Where the Wild Things Are

I can't wait for this movie! Directed by Spike Jonze. Music by Karen O and Carter Burwell. Starring Mark Ruffalo, Catherine Keener, Catherine O'Hara, Forest Whitacker and Lauren Ambrose. It can't get any better than that!

Happy Friday!

Let's start the weekend off with a chuckle and a smile. Check out this picture from BeanTownHandmade's Etsy shop. They have the most adorable accessories and apparel for your pet. I'd consider knitting something like this for my cat, Iggy, but he wouldn't stand for it. He won't even let me put a collar on him!

More Yummy Felt

After yesterday's post about my niece's birthday present, I discovered this wonderful Etsy seller: Lisajhoney.


Her felt box of chocolates look good enough to eat!



Pancakes anyone?

Birthdays, Birthdays, Birthdays!

April 1 is my little niece's birthday. Poor thing was born on April Fool's Day but I'm not worried about people playing tricks on her. She's tough and spunky so she can take care of herself. She's turning four and I think I found the perfect gifts for her from MOMA.

She loves to pretend that she's fishing so I got her this Wooden Fishing Play Set. The fishes attach to the fishing pole via magnets. Clever!




She also loves to have tea parties so I got her these Plush Petit Fours. I have a feeling I'll be pretend eating these for a long time.

This is just WRONG!

If you MUST have it, you can buy it here.

Ninja was feeling down after getting beat up so Karen and Mike took him on a road trip!


Ninja enjoying the view and contemplating the meaning of life.



How fortuitous! Ninja was just wishing he had some "medical" marijuana.



Mmmmm! Beer and oysters! Just what the doctor ordered.



"Cheese!"



Ninja drying off after a nice long bath.



The end to a perfect day.

Thanks Mike and Karen for taking such good care of the ninja and sharing your pics!

A Want, not a Need

I'm obsessed with dresses now even though I don't wear them much, except for special occasions. I'm always keeping an eye out for dresses that look comfortable, feminine and sexy. I love the simplicity of the Mobius dress from Brookthere's Etsy shop. The zigzag stitching in the skirt adds a modern edge to the dress, which keeps it from looking boring. If only I could justify spending $130 for a dress...

Flight of the Conchords

I'm so bummed that I didn't get tickets to see Flight of the Conchords at the Greek Theatre in May. It's already sold out! I guess I'll just have to stare at this fabulous poster which won the "Really Arty Flight of the Conchords Poster Search." Check out the ten finalists here.

Proposition 8 Court Hearing Today

Here again is a reminder of why I really hope Prop. 8 is overturned by the California Supreme Court today.

Kogi Review

I finally tried the much hyped-about Kogi taco truck. What might have been a very pleasant experience turned out to be not so pleasant thanks to a bunch of people who decided that it was alright to cut in line. Here's the story: My friend and I checked the Kogi Web site and saw that the truck would be in downtown L.A. on Friday night so we headed over early anticipating a long line. When we got there, the line wasn't very long and people were being served rather quickly. After about 20 minutes in line, a group of seven (!) walked in front of us and greeted the couple ahead of us. So it turns out the couple was saving places in line for them. Now, I can understand saving a place in line for one person, maybe two, but seven. That's just rude! So, here's my review:

1. The chicken taco and the bbq taco ($2 each) was really yummy. The tofu burrito ($5) was o.k.

2. You must have gum or mints on hand for after because your breath will smell like chili and sesame.

3. Friendly staff/vendors. (I wonder if they're trained to flirt with their customers?)

4. Be patient: The whole process included waiting in line to order and then waiting again to get your order.

In summary, the food is delicious and well worth the $2, but let's face it, the media hype and having to search out this taco truck is what's making it a sensation right now. I won't be lining up anytime soon.

And finally, DON'T CUT!

Aveda to the Rescue

I'm loving Aveda's All-Sensitive line of skin care products, especially the cleanser and moisturizer. The cold and dry winter has been wreaking havoc on my skin so I decided to try something new. After one use, my skin felt moist and dewy! I'm also loving the Botanical Kinetics Exfoliant, which is a a liquid exfoliant (salicylic acid) that isn't harsh but works really well.

Results

Looks like I lost the Oscar pool. I knew I should have picked Penelope Cruz to win Best Supporting Actress. Oh well... This year's show was a bit on the boring side. Although my interest was peaked when Jennifer Aniston had to stand in front of Brad and Angelina (the other woman!) to present the Animation award. I'm realizing as I type this that it's really pitiful that I should even care. I need to volunteer at the animal shelter or something. Focus my brain on something that really matters... Oscar highlights: Dustin Lance Black's screenplay win for "Milk" and Heath Ledger's supporting actor win. Time for some ice cream!

Oscar Predictions

I'm watching the red carpet ceremony now and anticipating who will win an Oscar tonight. Mainly because I want to win my office Oscar pool! Here are my predictions (not necessarily who I think deserves to win). The main categories only:

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Actor: Sean Penn
Best Actress: Kate Winslet
Best Director: Danny Boyle
Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger
Best Supporting Actress: Viola Davis
Best Original Screenplay: Milk
Best Adapted Screenplay: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Foreign Language Film: Waltz with Bashir
Best Original Score: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Documentary: Man on Wire

Now I'm going to order my pizza, get cozy and watch the show.

Picnic Time

I'm loving these biodegradable plates, bowls and cups from Branch. They are sturdier than your average paper plates, more attractive and good for the environment. You can purchase them in packs of 50 (for cheap!) for all those picnics and outdoor parties you'll be having in the spring!

Be Happy for Heaven's Sake!

"Angry Ninja" sure is popular today. He got into another Etsy Treasury today and he's still mad! Thanks Blissified!

ETSY Treasury

Yippy! My "Angry Ninja" was featured on an Etsy Treasury put together by An Englishman in Palm Springs.

Korean Designs at MOMA

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the Museum of Modern Art is featuring products by emerging Korean designers. Here are a few of the items that I'm coveting right now:

Spoon and Chopsticks Napkin Set. Only $3.00 for a set of 30!


Korean Meal and Kimchi Magnet Sets. Magnets feature bowls of bean-paste stew, fried fish, rice, fried egg, and an assortment of different types of kimchi.



The online shop includes more than food-related items (I'm just a Korean food junkie). Check out the entire selection at the MOMA online shop.

Black-Eyed Ninja

After taking it easy for a month from my Etsy shop, I finally added a couple of new Ninja dolls! Here's one of them. Poor thing has a black eye!

Don't forget to get your free Grand Slam today

Tea and Biscuits

Nothing is as delightful and calming as tea and biscuits while I work or watch a movie. Currently, I'm loving Lupicia Teas from Japan and LU Biscuits from France. The decaf Muscat tea is my favorite before bedtime and I'm addicted to Le Petit Beurre (butter biscuits). Luckily, LU biscuits can be found in my local grocery store but Lupicia teas can only be bought through their Web site or at their limited store locations.


Lu Biscuits


Lupicia Teas

Tales of Mere Existence

My friend Revis introduced me to these series of comics called "Tales of Mere Existence" by Levni Yilmaz and I'm addicted. Each one is a gem! Check out the whole series on the official site.

At Last...

(Time Magazine)

Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

(Illustrated by Etsian Paul Chung)

The excitement of Barack Obama's presidential inauguration is so tangible that I can feel it in the air! This year's Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is especially meaningful because without him, there would be no President-Elect Barack Obama. My heart is full of gratitude.

Paramour

I recently had a birthday and Karen gifted me with this bag made by the multitalented Quixie. I shed a few tears upon receiving the gift because I know Karen had wanted this bag also. Her generosity really touched me. You can check out more of Quixie's products on her site Paramour.

La Galette des Rois

During the first weekend of January, I went up to San Francisco to hang out with my dear friends Sophia and Fabrice. Sophia and I mostly ate and shopped while Fabrice worked on a presentation for work. One evening while watching Monty Python's "The Life of Brian," Fabrice held out 3 slices of a pastry I have never had before. It was la Galette des Rois (cake of the kings), a traditional french cake eaten during the holiday with a hidden figurine inside. The person who finds the figurine is king for a day. I carefully ate the delicious pastry hoping not to break my teeth or choke on some foreign object. Lo and behold, I found the figurine in my slice! Sophia put a gold paper crown on my head and we examined the figurine. We couldn't tell if it was a dog or a cow at first but came to the consensus that it was a cow based on it's big nostrils. I think 2009 will be my lucky year!


Can you see the hidden figurine?


The cow is free!