Walnut Wallpapers | Geoff McFetridge

I just stumbled upon this rad wallpaper producer in LA that has a great series of wallpapers designed by some of my favorite artists/designers. Geoff McFetridge happens to be not only of my favorites, but one of those designers. They have 3 choices of designs from him, one of whales which I am sure my wife will love, and the other of his trademark yeti. I am on the phone as we speak getting prices. I have a few blank walls just begging to be covered so I am crossing my fingers that it’s not too pricey. Go look for yourself here.

Native Tongues : The Old School (1989-1996) Volume 01

So I thought I would switch it up a little on the musical tip. This whole weekend I have been on this old school hip hop jones and made a few hand-picked mixes involving all the Native Tongues hip hop of the 90s. This is the stuffs I listened to in high school while in Jason Barrios’ Mitsubishi Conquest or in my neighbor Matt Spurlock’s Teal Mustang. It holds a special place in my heart and it may yours too. If not, it’s still good to jam too while rockin’ some Cross Colors or maybe some Jordans with a matching Starter Jacket. Download the joints HERE!

(1) De La Soul - Me Myself & I
(2) Jungle Brothers - J. Beez Comin’ Through
(3) A Tribe Called Quest - Rhythm (Devoted to the Art of Moving Butts)
(4) Common - I Used to Love H.E.R.
(5) The Roots - Grits
(6) De La Soul with Q-Tip & Vinia Mojica - Roller Skating Jam Named “Saturdays”
(7) Black Sheep - Similak Child
(8) The Pharcyde - Drop
(9) The Beastie Boys with Q-Tip - Get it Together
(10) A Tribe Called Quest - Lyrics to Go
(11) The Roots - Distortion to Static
(12) The Beatnuts - Let Off a Couple
(13) The Pharcyde - Runnin’
(14) De La Soul - Long Island Degrees
(15) Common - In My Own World (Check the Method)
(16) Busta Rhymes & Q-tip - Ill Vibe
(17) The Beatnuts - Are You Ready
(18) Black Sheep - The Choice is Yours (Revisted)

Geneviève Gaukler | Pierre and Food Chain

Geneviève Gaukler is one of my favorite artists/designers. She pretty much brought cute characters back in style. And now you can buy one of her iconic characters in toy form. No it’s not just another vinyl toy by some artist. This is something new and original. I think I’ll figure out the Euro to USD conversion and order mine. I am guessing it’s just under $100 but totally worth it in my opinion because these will be worth something in the future, all the way in the year 2000. Drive your virtual Delorian over to We Sold Out and buy one.

Gallery 1988 | Tribute to Stan Lee

If you live in LA like me then you owe it to yourself to drop by Gallery 1988 on Melrose to check out the art inspired by the legend Stan Lee. As most shows at this gallery we have geekster staples, like Nintendo and Marvel Comics, reinterpreted in fresh and hip styles. Many of today’s promising artists have contributed to the collection and I have to say they are fun and original tributes. In the meantime stop by this blog to see some of the pieces.

Bacon Flavored Vodka

Ok, so I am not a huge fan of flavored liquors. I think vodka flavored vodka and gin flavored gin and tequila flavored tequila works just fine. But wow, you put bacon on anything and it makes it INSTANTLY delicious. So why stop with burgers or ice cream. Why not put bacon in your vodka too. Now what would you do with this sort of liquor you ask? Well, it’d be great in Bloody Marys or just fine shaken straight up with a bleu cheese stuffed olive. You could also use it for cooking too. Imagine it in some delicious stew or marinating a steak or burger with it. If you are curious at all about these drop by this amazing little flickr page where the flavors don’t quit with bacon. Now if we could just get bbq rib flavored gin then all would be right in the world.

Three Potato Four

Three Potato Four is an awesome little online boutique founded by husband and wife duo Janet Morales & Stu Eli. They basically sell all the great finds within their collection at very reasonable prices. I love the mix of antique and mid-century they have. Everything they sell seems to have a great focus of taste and style If you are into quaint and warm pieces of found art like beautiful old railroad signs or old typewriters and phones from the 50s like I am, then take a visit. They also have housewares and paper goods. Go and enjoy your stay. You may find a perfect Valentine's Day gift too.

Bohemian Modern : Laurel Canyon Vol. 01

I know it’s been slow this year. I haven’t been posting as much as I hoped I could. Cut me some slack though, I have been working pretty hard. To make up for it I am promising to put up more mixes faster. To begin, the first installment of my Bohemian Modern : Laurel Canyon series. Imagine driving in the Hollywood hills to a party at a swank house designed by John Lautner or Richard Neutra. Now imagine that you get there and the sun is going down as you pull out of your 1963 356 Porsche Carrera 2 Coupe. And then imagine that you pull up to this amazing house and you hear music floating through the air over the infinity pool and into your lucky ears. Well this is the music you would hear there. And it’s super sexy and can only be played at night just as the sun goes down. It’s a mix of sultry classics and swank new jams. Enjoy with some Remy Martin VSOP on a warm evening with a cool breeze. Begin the journey to hotness HERE!

(1) Goldfrapp - Clowns
(2) Dntel with Mia Doi Todd - Rock My Boat
(3) Dive Index - Water In Our Hands
(4) Lou Rhodes - Sleeping Beauty
(5) Massive Attack - What Your Soul Sings
(6) Boards of Canada - In A Beautiful Place Out in the Country
(7) Flunk - Your Koolest Smile
(8) Bows - Speed Marina
(9) Morcheeba - Howling
(10) Bonobo - Light Pattern
(11) Big Sir - Everybody Here Wants You
(12) Esthero - Superheroes
(13) Feist - One Evening
(14) Magnet - Lay Lady Lay
(15) Cat Power - I’ve Been Thinking
(16) Madlib - Distant Land

The Future of Apple

Hop over to Gizmodo to read this awesome article that uncovers the inspiration behind Jonathan Ive, the main we all hail a genius. Behind that genius is Dieter Rams, designer genius for Braum in the 50s and 60s. Picasso once said, “good artists copy, great artists steal.” I am not calling Ive a thief but rather accusing him of having great taste.

Chris Saunders

Chris Saunders updated his site and features a slew of luscious boards to feast on. He has a very illustrative style to his work which I am totally diggin. And thanks to Chris Do at Blind, Saunders and I are both teaching a boards class at the Art Center College of Design that begins next week that we are super excited about. I am focusing on concepts and process while he is focusing on style. I am really anxious to try to give back to the Los Angeles design community any way I can. I’ll keep you posted on it in the future.

Saul Bass | Henri’s Walk to Paris

I just stumbled upon this little gem of a book on Flickr. It’s a book that Saul Bass, one of THE most LEGENDARY designers of all time, illustrated. If anyone can point me to where I can actually buy it please do. Enjoy!

Happy ’08

Happy New Year’s. I know it has been a while since I last posted. Give me a break I was on vacation and in Texas with my family and friends. I had a good one too. It was mellow. But alas, I am back in LA and back to work. I am actually glad to be back in Santa Monica and back to the grind. I was pleasantly surprised when we arrived to find a shiny new 2008 Animal Paradise Edition Calendar at my doorstep courtesy of my good buddy Justin Blyth. Justin, who just informed me that he is on the freelance market, contributed 2 illustrations for this year’s calendar. I took some really shitty photos of it really quickly for the post but if you want to see some more professional shot check out Studio On Fire’s site. Thanks again homie!

Scandinavian Details | Hiking Set

My wife and I love to go hiking. We went not too long ago with our friends Shnora (Nora & Sean) and had a blast. This little set by Scandinavian Details would be perfect for a hike. It is a great set that contains a 17oz vacuum flask, 2 aluminum bottles and a 3.5 oz container. All of this at a price of only $30.

Bohemian Modern : Xmas Volume 01

I thought it would be nice to put a little hand-picked mix of hip little Christmas jingles up on the blog. So pour yourself a strong egg nog this holiday season and sit back by the fire, or an HD fireplace dvd like we are, and enjoy this eclectic collection of holiday tunes. DOWNLOAD HERE!

(1) Vince Guaraldi Trio - Christmastime Is Here (Instrumental)
(2) Feist - Lo, How a Rose E’re Blooming
(3) Sufjan Stevens - Joy to the World
(4) My Morning Jacket - Xmas Time is Here Again
(5) Johnny Cash - Blue Christmas
(6) Rilo Kiley - Christmas Cake
(7) The Flaming Lips - A Change at Christmas ( Say it isn’t So)
(8) Neko Case - Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis
(9) Deerhoof - The Little Drummer Boy
(10) Low - Just Like Christmas
(11) Death Cab for Cutie - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
(12) The Ravonettes - The Christmas Song
(13) Eels - Christmas is Going to the Dogs
(14) Leona Naess - Christmas
(15) Pedro the Lion - I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
(16) Sufjan Stevens - O Holy Night
(17) Aimee Mann - White Christmas
(18) The Flaming Lips - Christmas at the Zoo
(19) The Arcade Fire - Jinglebell Rock
(20) Pilate - Fairytale of New York
(21) Ivy - Christmas Time is Here

Keiichi Tanaami T-Shirt

Keiichi Tanaami happens to be one of my favorite artists. His psychedelic trips are some of the most inspirational images for me. I have all of his books and look through many of them on a daily basis. And how is he related to my holiday gift postings? His t-shirts are for sale here yet I haven’t done the yen to USD conversion yet so I am not sure how much they cost. This is definitely something I’d love to have and I think if you have any stylish friends it’d be a great gift for them too.

Golf Darts

For the golf or dart lover you know this is the perfect gift. This would be perfect in any man-room or garage. It’s packed in a cool tube as well. At a price of $30 it’s a hole in one.

Alba “Ek” Clock | Emil Kozak

Also at UMA is this awesome clock with graphics by one of my favorite designers Emil Kozak. It’s at a great price for functional art at only $128. This would look great in just about any room and it beats most bedside clocks that you could find anywhere else. Check out Emil’s site too while you’re at it, his work is awesome.

Echelon Wine Rack

The Echelon Wine Rack is a stackable aluminum wine rack. Each rack holds 6 bottles of wine and is modular so it can be arranged in many unique ways. This would be a great gift for the wine connoisseur you know. It’s at a really rad price of only $48 and can be bought at UMA.

Holiday Shopping

So Thanksgiving is tomorrow and the day after that is Black Friday which usually means hell if you are going to try to go Xmas shopping. So I am going to make it easy for everyone and point out all the awesome things you can buy your family and friends this year. Believe you me there is no shortage of awesomeness either. I’ll start by pointing out some cool things for your dudes, your homies, your brosephs. At Charles and Marie I found this rad bottle opener fridge magnet for a cool price of $27. It’s perfect for the beer aficionado. Might as well buy one for yourself too. It comes in a variety of colors too!

Bohemian Modern : Abbot Kinney Vol. 02

Here is another soulful and chill mix I hand-picked for your listening pleasure. I prefer to listen to this one at night in the car with the windows down and a cool breeze, but that’s just me. My mixes have been receiving a ton of good feedback so I will do my best to get more on the blog faster. I will try to do it bi-weekly but no promises. Download HERE. Enjoy!

Tracklist
(1) Lauryn Hill - Sweetest Thing
(2) Talib Kweli with Norah Jones - Soon the New Day
(3) Outkast with Norah Jones - Take Off Your Cool
(4) Corinne Bailey Rae - Til it Happens to You
(5) Esthero with Cee Lo - Gone
(6) Alice Russell - Tired Little One (Acoustic Version)
(7) Diverse - In Accordance (Instrumental)
(8) Mos Def - The Panties
(9) Amy Winehouse - Love is a Losing Game
(10) Musiq - Halfcrazy
(11) Foreign Exchange - Be Allright
(12) Daner Mouse with Jemini - I’ma Doomee (Love Letter)
(13) N.E.R.D. - Run to the Sun
(14) Jamie Cullum - Frontin’
(15) Handsome Boy Modeling School with John Oates and Jamie Cullum - Greatest Mistake
(16) Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
(17) Dudley Perkins - Come Here My Dear
(18) Cody Chesnutt - Can’t Get No Betta’

Adam Parker Smith

I just discovered the work of Adam Parker Smith who creates sculptures of severed heads made entirely of felt. Since I have a soft spot for gore and horror these are right up my alley. The style and implied details are pretty amazing and the craft is superb. It’s like some twisted riff off of Jim Henson. All can be seen at his first solo show entitled Bold as Love at the Priska C. Juschka Fine Art Gallery in New York City. Man I keep seeing these great shows in NY so I can’t wait for next summer when Ash and I go.

Urban Medium | Vader Helmet

How rad is this? This amazing radness is part of a recent show in LA celebrating the 30 years of Star Wars. For geeks like me this is an orgy of design and sci-fi. I hope there are more of these coming. Maybe next we can paint over old 8bit NES systems and put those in a gallery. Sign me up for that!

Designer Plates by Domestic & Collaborating Artists

I am loving how design is permeating all arenas of life. Be it a t-shirt, a skateboard, movie titles or even a plate. My wife has been really into decorative or designed plates for some time now so maybe she knows of an upcoming hot trend that the rest of us have yet to really catch on to. Domestic is catching on though. They invited some great artist/illustrators/designers to put their pretty pictures on porcelain plates. Among them are the likes of Jeremyville, Antoine+Manuel, Geneviève Gauckler and eboy to name a few. I personally like Jeremyvilles colorful little gems. I’d hate to break one of these babies.

Blind Sketchbook

I just got a few copies of the sketchbook I designed for Chris at Blind. I think they turned out beautifully. I don’t know if I can bring myself to draw inside of them. Maybe one will be for sketching and the other two I will keep preserved. It’s nice to do a print job for a change. I did some t-shirts for Chris too, those should be coming out pretty soon. I’ll keep you posted. Anyways, check out more pics of the sketchbook HERE!

Nylon

My buddies Joe, Jason, and Bryan have updated their site and it’s super pro. These dudes are rockin’ it tough. From the Herb Lubalin homage to the rad fantasy art for Honda to the whimsical Ditech stuff we joined forces on. My boys are killin’ it and don’t expect them to stop any time soon. I just can’t wait to go back and jam some more with my homies.

Evan di Leo | Zero-Version

My buddy Evan di Leo, who contributed on the Ditech Commercials that we worked on at Nylon, just released his new portfolio site under the moniker Zero-Version. It’s packed with tons of boards and animation he has done while lancing around Hollyweird. He is a good dude for sure and be sure to tell him he looks like a white version of Common when you meet him. Keep on truckin’ holmes!