Recently, I’ve been playing with spirographs. Actually, I’ve been obsessing over spirographs. This simple contraption makes the most perfect hypotrochoids and hypocycloids. There’s a good chance you had one when you were young…I was gifted a Spirograph set as a kid and I loved playing with it! I recently purchased a cheap set from a dollar store. I bought it because I was totally drawn to the bright neon colors and translucency of the pieces. They stayed in the package for a while, since I had bought them strictly on how they looked. One night, I opened them and went nuts. I have been playing with them since.
I used ballpoint pens and ultra fine point Sharpies to make the curves.
Over and over and over, I spun around and around with my pens, one on top of the other. I love scribbling; it always feels like an intense release of energy. When I’m frustrated, I scribble. It allows for me to turn off my brain and let my subconscious lead the way. I find calm in the chaos, admiring the colors and getting lost in the shapes.
This spirograph is pretty cheap; but what do you expect for a dollar? The teeth aren’t cut well and the gear tends to skip. Oh well, I still think the set is pretty. I thought they would make for cool doors on a dollhouse.
I’m considering buying the Spirograph set I had before; I am overly nostalgic and want to keep experimenting.
Have you spirograph-ed before?!
Here are a few pictures of random street art I encountered A couple weeks back, while taking some shots of my pillows. There is so much to explore in the Arts District and I’m always finding new and exciting stuff. That’s one thing I like about street art; it’s always changing. What is there today may not be there tomorrow.
Hysteric Haus went on an impromptu photo shoot yesterday! We took to the streets to shoot some photos of our current stock of pillows. We didn’t really have a plan; we kinda just felt like experimenting…which is always fun. The pillow featured above, Hystericphant Purp is my favorite screen printed design we have made thus far.
I named this pillow Plastic Surgery because, well, it’s made of plastic! The front side is a hand painted (by me!) clear vinyl material and the back side is denim. I love mixing textures; it makes things more interesting.
I’m holding Web Wom Blue; this design in this color way is very Scooby-Doo to me. That super cool doorway smelled like a bathroom, btw.
I’ve got some new designs in the works, including an awesome collaboration with my talented friend Rachelle AND…. we are going to be making a new batch of The Girls.
I’ll keep you posted, of course.
I just turned 28; and I still play with toys. I have a lot of my old toys from the magical days of my youth, and once every few years I start busting stuff out. One of my all time favorite items was this Crayola Fashion Designer Kit. It’s a complete set of traceable fashions and stencils that can be used to create tons of different fashion styles. I used to spend hours creating wacky fashion combinations.
My set is pretty complete! The stuff I really loved, I took good care of. This one is from 1990 and it’s funny because inside of the box, I placed all of the fashion sheets in a really old Lisa Frank folder (which protected them quite well). Ah….memories.
These are a few of the traceable images and the stencils used to create those runway-ready ensembles. I probably also really loved this kit because I was a total Barbie girl. Just wait ’til I bust those out….!
I also kept some of my old ‘designs’. I don’t even know how old I was when these were made…
Sometimes, I really love the fact that I don’t get rid of stuff.
For old times’ sake, I created a quick design using the kit. That’s me (sort of). I call it Malibu Martina. I wish I had colorful Sharpies when I was younger…they worked so much better than colored pencils.
Drew and I went to get our nails done by Kleur this past Wednesday. I love nail art but I am usually too reckless with my hands to make any kind of manicure last; but this was a special occasion. As part of a wedding gift, I got Drew a gift certificate to get her nails did and we just happened to make an appointment for my birthday; so I had to get a crazy colorful nail job myself. The three ladies that run Kleur (as seen in the image above) are all super sweet, talented and love what they do.
Drew was super excited the whole time, it was adorable. We visited Kleur at Space 15 Twenty in Hollywood. They are currently having pop-up nail shop for the entire month of March, along with a super cool Hattie Stewart pop-up. Check it out if you’re local-it’s colorful and fun and if you love Dr Martens like I do, you just might go a little nuts.
Drew and I both opted for a ‘freestyle’. Pick your colors and the girls do their thing! My nails (on top) were painted by Nita and I chose bright colors (of course). Drew picked pastel colors with a shimmery gold; her nails were done by Jaeme. Needless to say, we both LOVED the outcome.
Drew and I have been friends for a really, really long time. Since 7th grade to be exact. We don’t see each other all that often, but when we do we always have fun being silly.
I love my nails and I can’t stop looking at them! I opted for a gel coat so all of the intricate little paintings on my fingernails can last a little longer… It was a great experience; everyone is chill and these girls got mad talent. We can’t wait to go back!
There’s been some exciting Fafi news lately! Have you seen the images she created that are featured in Commons&Sense magazine? There are eight images total and they are cute, edgy and colorful; as most of her work is. These images were taken from Fafi’s blog, which showcases the entire set.
Fafi also shared on Instagram some sneak peek images of her upcoming collection with French lingere brand, Undiz. Check out that tag design! Hot pink and blue is one of my ultimate favorite color combinations. This tag is simple, yet impactfull-I love it. That bralette is KILLING ME!!! I can’t wait to see what the rest of the collection is going to look like…it’s gonna be gooood and I’m sure I will want it all.
Wandering through Olvera St, I snapped some photos with my iPhone and added some crazy filters using Picture Show. Olvera St. is a Mexican marketplace filled with vendors, restaurants and historic buildings; it is also the oldest part of Downtown Los Angeles. There is a ton of authentic Mexican artwork, clothing and gifts- and it’s all super colorful! Check out some of my images below:
I know I’ve mentioned my love for Disney’s Alice in Wonderland (like here); but I haven’t mentioned how much I adore Mary Blair’s concept art for the animated film. I absolutely love the colors that are used. The whole film is a wacko, psychedelic dream with crazy colors galore; though I really like how Blair’s concept art is a toned down version of the final product. I put together some Pantone color palettes, inspired by Blair’s art.
Pantone 299 C is the perfect match for Alice’s signature day dress. It also goes quite well with pinks and purples.
You can learn a lot of things from the flowers; especially in the form of hues. Pantone 233 C is a perfect bright fuchsia, while Pantone 2715 C is pretty in periwinkle.
I love the way black looks with this soft pink Pantone 203 C and the cerulean blue that is Pantone 286 C. I always tend to want to use super bright, vibrant colors in all of my design projects, but sometimes some toned down colors can be a positive addition.
For previous color palettes, click here.
Last week I wrote about being uninspired. This week I’ve been forcing myself out to reconnect with the things I love. I’ve hung out with old friends, checked up on family and went to a much needed concert. I also went wandering the streets of the Downtown LA Arts District with my pal, Melanie. The weather has been beautiful these past few days; it was nice to get out, walk around, take pictures and talk girlie talk.
Melanie doing what she does well; taking pictures and being awesome.
Exposed brick, excessive pasting and color-swirled concrete. Color and texture galore; it’s everywhere!
Me wearing my new hot pink heart shaped sunglasses I scored in the Santee Alley earlier in the day. They match my purse perfectly!
I love dumpsters. I love they way they look all tagged up…but hate the way they smell as you walk by.
It was a good day spent with a good friend looking at good stuff. I think I’ve been inspired!
Inspiration is a bitch. It comes and goes; teases your brain for a while and then sneaks out the back door. Inspiration confounds me.
I’ve been feeling uncomfortably uninspired lately; the realities of everyday life can be a drag. Usually, I’m quite good at ignoring unpleasant things and being lost and happy in my own world; but something’s not right. I’m in a funk; and not the Bootsy Collins kind.
In hopes of de-funking myself, I’ve compiled a list of exciting and (hopefully) inspiring things to do to get back in the excitement of things:
Candy, nature, bananas, art and Japanese Kawaii…all stuff I love! I better get out there and do these things already! My sanity depends on it.
