Inspiration from Tokyo- Part 2

Storm Machine Graphics- Wow. I saw them at Design Festa and their table was absolutely amazing. My first thought was- "this is branding at its finest!" (My business side comes out!) They had so many merchandise but all the colors went together and I was just trying to absorb and learn from it. The ABC book is only about 3.75" x 3.75" with a cloth cover. They are probably my favorite find out of my whole trip. Check out their website!

Donut guy cup and "saucer"-those of you who may come to know my tastes probably know why I went nuts over this little guy, and only for 1000 yen! Another purchase from Design Festa but unfortunately I don't have information on the artist, I believe she was from Korea. (Lesson learned- put your name on EVERYTHING that you do!)

Cute creature in "Terrarium"-I believe the artist was there in part of a collective; there was a slight panic when they realized I didn't speak Japanese and they were trying to find someone who spoke English..it was actually quite endearing! There were a bunch of different creatures in bottles all together and it was very striking, so I had to adopt one.

Happy Birthday Pop-Up book from Sanrio Greetings- This mini book came with an envelope so you can send it out. I bought it at Itoya, a stationery store that is all over the place.

Matryoshka doll tea pot- I bought this at a store in Ginza. The bulkiest item I bought but thats why I went with a big suitcase! Look, even the box is cute with the illustrations.

There were other little things here and there but this is the majority of goodies I got. I'm going to write one more post on the trip in general, and hope to provide some tips and such, because I can't wait to go back!

Inspiration while on Vacation

Over the Christmas break, Math Boy and I stayed in an awesome hotel in San Francisco's Japantown called Hotel Tomo. I first heard about this hotel through Tokyo Bunnie's blog, and I was sure I needed to go there. I didn't get to take a pic of the entire room (above is a pic from their website.) But that is what the rooms look like, so modern and quirky with a Japanese pop art mural in each room. Everything about this hotel was fun and fresh.

This was the mural in our room. LOVE!

This was the hotel info booklet they had in the rooms. Check out their logo!

The interiors: ooh! Illustrations! Yay!

And look- these are suppose to be the "do not disturb" signs:

There were alot of fun little details in this place that was great eye candy for me. It was a good balance of quirkiness and playfulness without feeling childish. I love places like this. I want to go back already!

I've been a good lil' chicken this year

Some eye candy and inspiration from Sarah Kelly aka Spadazzle...Thank you, Sarah! She is so generous in sending me all kinds of to-die-for goodies from Japan...like a my very own Kawaii fairy Godmother! :-) I'm really speechless. Here are a few things from it:

I know its already January, but really- can you resist this tofu santa plushie?!

tofu disguised as a reindeer?

Kawaii heaven....
The perfect calendar for me.
Sarah's awesome collage work- I especially love the piece on the right which is an actual mini canvas with wonderful textures.
She also told me about Design Festa...which is an art and design festival in Tokyo that is held twice a year....Can we all say a "wahhhhh I wanna go! I wanna go!" She sent me the oh-so-tempting brochure for it. It is definitely a goal I'm shooting for. I won't be able to go to the one in May...but maybe the one in November?!? I might possibly overdose and explode from all the inspiration there.

Thank you again, Spadazzle! I treasure everything you send me. I'm one lucky chicken!

Its all in the Details

Japanese snacks packaging have always been a source of inspiration for me.
Check out the coolest UPC code I've seen in a long time:

Goodies from Japan! (Kawaii Heaven)

I got a HUGE package from Japan this week from Spadazzle. Thank you, Sarah! You are so generous I can't believe it! I was so excited that I even cut my finger while trying to open the box with scissors....but then I kept trying to open the box even with my bleeding finger (lol.)
There was so much stuff, I couldn't believe it. I was in Kawaii heaven! This tofu book is the best! I love vector art and I love food art, its the best combination!
This tofu pumpkin guy is suppose to be a cell phone holder (push in the "stem" and there is a slot to put your cell there). Can we get a collective "awwwwwww!":
Spadazzle's colorful collage work! Check out her work on her blog:
She also sent snacks and cute erasers. She really "got" me so well. Thanks again, Spadazzle! Some women like diamonds and furs, but I can be really happy with just stuff like this. Hope this was some good eye candy for all of you!

My Re-Ment Miniatures Habit

I love my siblings!!! What's this, you say? I just got a package of Re-Ments from my sister who recently went on trip to Japan. Look at all of this! I never got this much Re-Ments all in one shot!

If that wasn't enough, my brother also went to Japan (separately) and hooked me up with more Re-Ments, the grocery shelves and cabinet:
So here is my awesome Re-Ment grocery aisle, I love looking at it and re-arranging the foods and signs. It stands about 8 inches tall:
One of my mom's friends came over and saw my toys and asked if they were from my childhood. I said, "Umm, no000 I just got that the other day!" Hahah! And then she found out I was a children's book illustrator and it finally made sense to her. My profession is a lovely excuse to have toys around and get away with it.

I'm so thankful for having siblings who feed my habits. And also those of you who send me chicken links and chicken things!

Thank you for everyone's comments on The Haunted Ghoul Bus book. I am not sure if its available internationally, but I hope so. I can't wait to see it in Barnes and Nobles...its going to be a huge milestone for me.

My New favorite Children's books!

Last weekend, I went browsing at the Kinokuniya bookstore...checking out all the Re-Ment Miniatures and resisting the temptation to buy any...then only to discover these books instead- they are now my new favorite! I can't read Japanese ( I guess the Japanese I learned from watching anime isn't going to help me now) but after some research, I found out they are a popular series called "Bam & Kero" by Yuka Shimada.
Although I can't read the text, I can tell what is going on just by the pictures. They have a cute yet off-beat quirkiness and humor about them; my favorite combination.
Oh yes, and the illustrations are to die for. Yes, I want to live in that world. (I know this sounds really dramatic, but I am definitely in love with the art!)

I only bought two of the books but now I am tempted to buy the whole series. They are that wonderful!

New Goodies!

I got some new goodies I would like to share with all of you! First...more Re-Ment miniatures goodness:

I love how there are raw AND cooked meat patties!!!

This was a perfect one for summertime.

So both of my siblings are going to Japan this summer (why am I stuck here?!?) Hopefully, I'll be getting more Re-Ments!!! (hint, hint.) My mom came back from Asia and brought me a bunch of goodies, including:

A chicken massager!

and the cutest kitchen sponge scrubbers you'll ever see! Too cute to use!

I'll leave you all now with a cuteness coma.

Mrs.

Re-ment toys are the way to my heart. Especially when a ring was hidden inside this box. Yikes, I am engaged!

I love you, Math Boy Kun. (Now everybody knows.)

Easter Eggs

I spent my Easter weekend at the Mitsuwa Marketplace in New Jersey where I ate ramen and got a box of Re-ment toys. If you don't know what Re-ment goodies are, check out their website, and also the Re-Ment Addicts group on flickr. I'm always a sucker for miniature foods.

Kawaii Inspiration

There's been alot of talk about inspiration lately. I'm enjoying Danielle's inspiration monday post, Doodlegirl left me a very kind comment about wanting to know where I get my inspiration. I can start with this- oh this definitely inspires me: why, its "Children Pinch!"
I got this for Christmas from my mom...They are little bowling pin shaped people (and dog) on little clothespins clips. The best part is the little labels they have on them, like "Sister," "brother," "dog":
There is something about labeling things that I love, which is probably one of the reasons why I love those Richard Scarry books so much.

Other random things I am enjoying: Swaptree.com, where you can trade books with others. Look me up if you have some goodies to trade!

Things that make me smile

Things that make me smile...

1. Cuteness will get me every time, even if its gonna make me to buy...clothespins. Got them at an Asian supermarket:

2. Flowers from Math boy..."just because":
3. Seeing a friend's 1 and a half year old light up when she played with the puzzles I illustrated for. Not alot of my friends have children and this is the first time I got to see a child reacting to my work. Its a wonderful feeling.

4. A lovely call from an art director for a job well done. I just finished a picture book and it was so satisfying to know I did a good job!

Hope you all have something to smile about today! :-)

Inspiration: Japanese packaging

I've always had a love for Japanese packaging- a huge inspiration and influence on my work. The well thought out design, color, and not to mention- incredibly cuteness- makes me want to buy it even if it contains lumps of coal inside. Above is a few boxes tacked up on my new corkboard.
This past summer, my brother bought me a few Japanese kids books when he was in Hong Kong. I have no idea what it says, but it does put a smile on my face.
Just this weekend, I found this in a chinatown candy shop. It was the character from the book! Inside are indivdually wrapped chocolates- each with a different character. The attention to detail is amazing. I am off to gobble up the chocolates (but saving all the wrappers.)