Crowded Teeth, Pt. 2

As promised, here are pics from last weekend's Crowded Teeth show at the seriously-why-didn't-anyone-tell-me-how-cute (?!!?) Leanna Lin's Wonderland.

Of course, there were the requisite cake pops. Kinda over cake pops, guys. Right there tied with cupcakes for triteness. All the same, I'm totally jackin' this presentation for our next birthday party.

We took gratuitous amounts of free snapshots in the mobile photo booth, met the artist — who was lovely and gracious — and even made a new friend, the very cool creator of Spicy Brown tees.

The swag bag was a Chinese take-out box filled with cuteness, including cupcake lipgloss, a Baggu bag, a charming mini box of dinner-time questions by The Box Girls and a sweet little charm locket (which my kid has already lost).

We picked up a set of Crowded Teeth earrings for the little one's tiny pierced ears. True to form, I hesitated and the art piece I wanted was swiped from underneath my nose. Maybe I'll hit up the next Crowded Teeth show at Munky King on Aug. 20...

Art I Heart — Crowded Teeth

What am I doing with my Saturday night (besides veggie-bargaining, dish-washing and bedtime-administering)?

We're planning to keep it local, visiting Leanna Lin's Wonderland in Eagle Rock for the store's 1st Birthday party, which coincides with the opening of their Crowded Teeth + Friends exhibit party. Crowded Teeth is Michelle Romo, an area artist/designer who clearly is as committed to cuteness as I am.

There will be the now-standard L.A. event stuff: fusion-y food trucks, photo booths, artisinal ice cream, felt stuff with owls on it. You know.

Oh, and my personal favorite, Deth P. Sun has some pieces in the show, too.

The event's going down in conjunction with something called, "The Northeast Los Angeles 2nd Saturday Gallery Night." I don't know about all that, but...bring on the cuteness!

I'll post party pics later.

If it's cute, it fits.

My daughter gave my husband a single directive before he left for a recent work trip to Seattle: "Bring me back something pink."

He dutifully hit up Schmancy and came back with this oddball bit of hand-crafted plush by Absolutely Small.

She's hereby been christened "Fluffy," (yeah, I know, not very imaginative) and, according to the tag, she's a member of the "2010 All Bunny Swim Team."

Though it looks like the (vaguely creepy) product of a Home-Ec project, I can't deny its charm. "Fluffy" is the handiwork of artist Claire Chambers, who sells many of her perfectly imperfect wares on Etsy. I'd never heard of her before, but from cursory research, she seems really enamored of chickens wearing pants.

All in all, I have to give Super Dad his props. This is a huge step up from last minute airport tchotchkes!

I Might Have To Jack This Idea...

I'm not one to get into the "half-birthday" phenomenon, but I'm kinda giddy right now. As of last week, my daughter has but six months until the big 0-6...meaning I don't have to wait too much longer to rip this idea right on off.

It (allegedly) took just four days for this Nested blogger to whip up a DIY party inspired by the Disney ride.

In addition to capturing the cool retro vibe of the iconic ride, this crafty mom went the distance and even customized Small World characters to match the ethnicities of the party guests! What better theme for the heir of the Swirl Syndicate empire?

Art I Heart — APAK

I did a barely-audible squeal when I found this little tidbit of tandem twee this morning. T-shirt/cute stuff depot, Poketo, posted an interview with Portland-based artistic duo, APAK, to plug their newest tee.

The most exciting info from the Q&A? They're working on a kids' book. (Slightly more audible squeal!)

Here's a taste of their Etsy store...

Sloth Tree

Rainbow Worms

Family Hike

Hello Hangover

I mean, I knew about this and this, so why was I so surprised to see this?

These aren't new — wine buffs started buzzing about them last summer — but they're new to the sleepy burg in which I reside. Ye olde strip mall liquor store around the corner just picked up on the HK hooch phenomenon and may soon start selling the rosé and sparkling wine (pending a perfunctory trial tasting) for upwards of $40(!). I do believe I may actually buy one, just for the insanity of it all.

Watch This — (With Your Science-Loving Kid)

Okay. I know that hearing this They Might Be Giants song may flood your brain with unpleasant memories of the Cat in the Hat hat-wearing college nerds in the dorm room down the hall. (Um, I may, or may not have associated with some of them once or twice...but if I did, it was purely for research!)

But try to hear it afresh with this video — from the perspective of a curious kid eager to learn more about that mass of incandescent gas, or as a pop art-lover who's curious about the video's creator, Hine Mizushima. (And how about the promise of a cute felted kitty playing a theremin as further enticement?)

via Drawn!

Art I Heart — Scott C

"Building with the Bowies" (I need this in my life.)

The kooky, twee-ness of Scott Campbell's work gives the dimples a workout. I love how he uses muted tones for his pop culture-influenced pieces, instead of the typical bolder, brighter hues. There's a handful of his prints over on Poster Cabaret and if you're really into "Lost" (which I am not), he's got you covered. He's doing a show in London tonight, but with any luck, the SF artist will be making the rounds on the West Coast sometime soon.

"Search for the Perfect Spot" (this one's a tribute to Bjork)

"Sky Gossip"

"The Cone Dog"

Update (3.24.10): Check out his new Tumblr page, "Great Showdowns".

Art I Heart — S. Britt

How does Portland artist, S. Britt, make cool retro illustrations that look to be ripped from the pages of those 10-for-$1 thrift store book bundles I used to get when I was tiny? Why, Gold Medal flower, Tapatio, Necco Wafers and mashed-up crayons, duh. Grain Edit just posted a truly dizzying interview with this charming, yet overly-verbose king of the goofballs.

And over on his site, he's got a free download-able (and Swirl Syndicate-appropriate) February calendar that you can print out and give as a last-minute valentine to your cubicle-mate, your kid's teacher, or that cute guy/girl who makes your morning latte just the way you like it.