Parade of Elephants!

[Wee Gallery Elephant Re-stik, image from Blik Surface Graphics; Elephant Splash collage by Petit Collage, image from Petit Collage; limited edition print from Babar's Museum of Art, image from the American Library Association; leather bookends from PBK, image from Pottery Barn Kids; Elephant Party Card by Robot Candy, image from Elsewares]

My sister is having a baby {!!} and I am helping her decorate the baby room. The theme is elephants, so I will be going elephant crazy for the next 6 months or so. I had a stuffed elephant growing up that I named "Ellie Phant" from Ramona the Pest...perhaps I can find Ellie Phant and give her a new, very deserving home.

CORRECTION: I just found out, after all of these years of thinking Ramona called her elephant "Ellie Phant", that Ramona Quimby's stuffed elephant was named "Ella Funt". It was also in "Ramona and Her Mother" not "Ramona the Pest". My apologies.

Stumptown Comics Fest

[Image from Craig Thompson's blog]

This poster (designed by Mike King and illustrated by Craig Thompson) for the Stumptown Comics Fest in Portland, OR, is awesome. So awesome that I'd be pretty tempted to fly to Portland and pick one up for $5 at the festival. They get extra points because their website not only has scalloped edges but also green argyle as a background.

Tall Glass of CB2

[Images from CB2: milk carton vase, ice tray, pixie cups, beaker glass decanters]

The new CB2 Spring Catalog is out, and this adorable milk carton vase (designed by U.K. designer James Burgess,) is its star on the website. What a fun new twist on the typical, boring vase!
I also love all of the funky, quirky drink accessories. The pixie cups, which look like regular plastic dixie cups, are actually made from handblown paper-thin glass. And, I sincerely hope that my next drink is poured from one of these beakers and is filled to the brim with jewel-shaped ice cubes. Cheers!

How To Make Your Korean Parents Happy

[Image from HarperTeen]

I wish, when I was growing up, I could have read books like Lisa Yee's Millicent Min, Girl Genius and Gene Yang's American Born Chinese. It made me happy to read them, and it made me even happier having Gene Yang sign my book at the last APE and telling him how much I. LOVE. HIS. BOOK.
I pretty much poured through Millicent Min and American Born Chinese in one night, so I am excited to pick up Paula Yoo's new book, Good Enough. The jacket description starts out with "How to make your Korean parents happy", which, I think, is a pretty perfect beginning to a teen book about an Asian American girl. Plus, the cover kind of rocks.

Oscars 2008

[Images from Just Jared]

I haven't been drawn into the Oscars since high school (although I was a very loyal fan every single year up until college.) I am not really a fan of Anne Hathaway either. I watched The Devil Wears Prada after my own experience as a lowly publishing intern in New York City, so I did not find the film that enjoyable. But tonight in crystal clear HD, I literally gasped out loud when I saw Anne Hathaway's dress (by Marchesa) on the red carpet. The detailed rosettes, the way it drapes and falls to the ground, the bold beautiful scarlet red--so gorgeous! I absolutely love that dress. 

Click!

[Image from the Brooklyn Museum]

I found this while researching exhibits this weekend. The Brooklyn Museum is calling for open submissions to a crowd-curated photography exhibit, Click!. Open submissions start on March 1st, in which artists are asked to send photography that addresses the theme of “Changing Faces of Brooklyn,” along with an artist statement. Then, an online forum opens for audience evaluation of the submissions. The project culminates in an exhibit of all submissions and how different groups of people evaluated the art. The exhibit will be shown this summer, which I unfortunately won't be able to see, but perhaps I'll be able to see the works online during the evaluation period in April. Anyone in the New York area, go see the exhibit for me!

International Arrivals : Fun Folders

[Images from International Arrivals]

I have an unhealthy obsession with fun office supplies. Without them my day goes a little slower. I've managed to surround myself in fun filex folders covered in birds and vintage wallpaper, and the other day I picked up these beautiful folders at the Museum of Contemporary Art store. They are made by an Oceanside company called International Arrivals. They make my boring excel sheets sparkle.

Star Wars Mailings

[Star Wars commemorative stamp collection and Star Wars Express Mail envelopes, images from the U.S. Postal Service]

I think I need to have a serious meeting regarding the state of our current mailing envelopes and stamps at work. I just can't work another day without these.

Scalloped Edges

[Doily Mirror from Anthropologie, image from Anthropologie; "i love" platinum notebook from Nantaka Joy, image from Nantaka Joy; vintage copper plated rings from EpochBeads via Etsy, image from EpochBeads; screen shot from Darling Design]

Scalloped edges make me happy, especially the "I Love" notebook from one of my favorite places on the web, Nantaka Joy (the studio of Joy Deangdeelert Cho of ohjoy.blogs.com,) and the header from Darling Design Studio, the adorable creative studio of Christine Castro.

Be Mine, All Mine

[Image from Elum]

I don't think the boy reads this blog, so I'm posting the Valentine I picked out. This image doesn't do the card justice. The print is really quite stunning, totally worthy of framing. It took close to a half an hour in the store, and at one point I had five cards in my hand, but I think I made a good decision. I chose this card from Elum, a San Diego based letterpress company. Some chocolate chip cookies and a few kisses and my Valentine's Day is set.

Rainboots

[All images from Target]

The weather can't make up its mind--one day it's sunny, and today it's rainy. In any case, it still isn't rainy enough for me to buy rainboots, which is a pity because Target sells so many affordable {and super cute} ones. If you live in a super rainy place, buy a pair for me.

Angry Little Valentine

[Image from Angry Little Girls]

Lela Lee, and her comic this week, are too cool for school. Happy Valentine's Day!

2 foot ugly dolls

[Bop n'Beep, Image from Ugly Dolls.]

My sister is having a baby. I am wondering if she'd honestly keep these 2 foot ugly dolls if I gave them to her as a gift...check out the other 2 foot Uglies here.

Night Owl Paper Goods

[Images from Night Owl Paper Goods]

It is absolutely gorgeous in San Diego lately. I was taking a stroll in Little Italy, and I stopped into India Ink Papers, a super cute mom and pop paper store. There, I fell in love with these eco-friendly wooden cards made from sustainably-harvested yellow birch. They are made by Night Owl Paper Goods, a two person design team located in Birmingham, Alabama. I especially love that squirrel--so sweet.

Happy New Year!

[Images from Design Night]

Chinese New Year started yesterday, so I am heading home to celebrate the new year and my grandmother's 80th birthday. I love love love these red envelopes from Design Night. I am so used to seeing the bulk packs that my mother gets from Chinatown, that seeing these intricate paper-cut beauties are such a treat. Get your Year of the Rat envelope here.

D*Sponge DIY Contest!

[DIY Contest logo, picture from Design*Sponge, logo by Julia Rothman]

I am really excited to see the results of Design*Sponge's DIY Contest. I've been so lazy that I can barely finish my Valentine's Day Cards...which are all sprawled out on the living room table. See contest details here.

Tom and Sally's Handmade Chocolates

When I enter Bristol Farms, I am always forced to walk by their massive holiday display of chocolates, teddy bears, jelly beans, and other amazingly wrapped goodies. I was staring at some Godiva plush toys today, when out of the corner of my eye the prettiest wrapped chocolate bar screamed out to me. The bar was from Tom and Sally's Handmade Chocolates in Vermont, and there are a whole lot more scrumptiously wrapped chocolate bars on their website! Check out their company and all of the cute vintage designs here.

Scrabble Cards

[Image from the Curiosity Shoppe]

I've recently been on a scrabble frenzy since I added the scrabulous application on Facebook. This card by Neil Freese of Bearpaw Paper from the Curiosity Shoppe is my kind of Valentine.

Voices From the Polls

[Screen shot from The New York Times]

Happy Super Tuesday! I voted and it took 2 seconds, and then I came home and have been addicted to Voices From the Polls, an incredible (and addictive) multimedia feature on nytimes.com. My favorite?

"I want to see someone, experienced, in the White House, who is going to make friends with the world." --Ruth Ann Thomas, AZ

The Postcard Says : five and a half

I'm a big fan of five and a half, an awesome wife-and-husband team (Judy Lee and Shawn Liu) who make beautiful photo journals from recollected papers. I bought one for a friend last year and have been dying to get my hands on one myself!
I am really excited about their latest project, The Postcard Says. If you sign up (though I think they've reached the max,) you are sent a postcard with a creative task to execute, photograph, and share with the online world. I haven't received a postcard in the mail with what I am supposed to create yet, but I can't wait to find out! Hopefully a pretty postcard will make its way into my box amidst the bills and credit card applications. One can only hope.

Picapica Design

[All images from Picapica Design via Etsy]

I'm guilty of using way too much paper and stuffing the recycle bin full of sheets in which I have made typos, fed the paper incorrectly, etc. etc. I'm also guilty of buying way too many magazines and having a panic attack when they start to pile up on the floor next to my book shelf. So it always makes me happy when I see beautiful objects made from scraps that could have easily been garbage in the recycle bin. Picapica Design has some great stuff -- check out these vases made from recycled magazine pages, and these neat bowls made from an old map of San Francisco.

Vegan Cupcakes

[Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, image from Amazon]

I recently received Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World as a gift, and the cupcakes I have made have been the tastiest and moistest baked goods I've ever made. Much to my surprise and delight, I found a flickr group dedicated to vegan cupcakes! If I ever need to find a photo of vegan cupcakes...I know where to go! Buy the book here.

Robert Ryan

[Interior page of This is For You, image from Fred Flare; original design for The World to Come, image from Rob Ryan's blog]

About a year ago, I was at the bookstore when the most beautiful book cover grabbed my attention: Dara Horn's The World to Come. The paper cut on the cover was made by the very talented Robert Ryan, who has a beautiful book featured and available for purchase at Fred Flare called This is For You. I really, really want this book now! Rob Ryan's blog features all of his work, and prints are available for purchase at his etsy store.

Red Velvet

[Red Velvet Cupcakes from foodnetwork.com, image from Food Network; gorgeous limited edition silkscreen print from foxyandwinston via Etsy, image from foxyandwinston; super moist red velvet cake from Billy's Bakery in New York City, image from Billy's Bakery; red eyelet ballet flats from J. Crew, image from J. Crew]

I had a piece of red velvet cake at Twiggs yesterday in University Heights, and it was oh-so-yummy and really pretty. It got me in the mood for all things red.