Happy Halloween & Happy Birthday Dad

Yes, my dad is a lucky man. He was born on Halloween, my favorite holiday. We’re unfortunately not dressing up this year. There was a chance I was working tonight but it actually fell through. Instead we are just watching campy 80s horror movies with Shnora (Nora & Sean). It should still be fun. Fun like this re-edited trailer for Scary Poppins. Enjoy!

Honeymoon Photos

I just posted our honeymoon photos up on our flickr. Have a look at how amazing it was here.

Espaun256 | Pluie d'Etoiles

My buddy Tomás Peña just informed me that his new short film Pluie d'Etoiles is online. It’s shot primarily in black and white and is quite abstract. It sort of reminded me of Aronfsky’s Pi because of the black and white film and the sort of eerie quality mixed with a bizarre ambient soundtrack. It’s bizarre in a good way even though I don’t quite understand it. Kudos to Tomás for doing something different albeit very esoteric.

Bunker77

Bunker Spreckels lived life fast. So fast he died at 27. There is an amazing documentary about him coming out soon. I had the chance to do some design on the trailer at Grand Jete for the film and the book that Taschen is publishing. I can’t wait to see the entire movie, it looks amazing.

Maximillion Buttercup

I just wanted to take this time on the hump day to let everyone know we adopted another puppy. This is Max, our teacup yorkie. Try not to say “awwwwwe” I dare you!

Bohemian Modern : Ocean Park Vol. 02

So it isn’t exactly summer anymore. But why not enjoy some music that still feels like summer. Here is another mix from my Bohemian Modern series that is hand picked by yours truly. Below is the track listing. Download the zip HERE!!!

(1) A Band of Bees - Sunshine
(2) Caural - Mint & a Hospital Watercolor
(3) Smoke City - Can You Feel That?
(4) AIR - Surfin’ on a Rocket
(5) Plaid - Ralome
(6) Brazilian Girls - Sweatshop
(7) Dntel & Grizzly Bear - To A Fault
(8) Four Tet - Chiron
(9) Funkstorung - Eyen
(10) Caural - Inbetween Thoughts
(11) Telepopmusik - Smile
(12) Prefuse 73 - Gratis
(13) Nobody - Siesta Con Susana
(14) AIR - Universal Traveller
(15) DJ Krush - Song 1
(16) Nancy Wilson - Elevator Beat
(17) Sia - The Bully
(18) RJD2 - A Sunday Mystery

Little People

Little People is the installation/photographer work of Slinkachu from London. The work is about tiny vignettes of life in miniature scale. Where his characters are placed in situations with life sized objects. His installation for the Nuart show is extremely detailed and focused, witty and tragic. Check out all his work at his blog.

Honey Honey (formerly Zanzibar Lewis)

We all recently went out to watch a friend of a friend perform at a little bar in Hollywood. We showed up a little late but we were all pretty floored by the brief performance. She was a mix of Jolie Holland and a little Nora Jones. I loved her voice and her stage presence was amazing. It won’t be too long before we’ll see her on KCRW I am sure. Check out their myspace page to get a sample. Oh and btw, her name is not Honey Honey or Zanzibar Lewis, it’s the band’s name but it is sort of like how I used to think Imogene Heap’s name was Frou Frou so it’s a little confusing like that.

Jeff Pidgeon’s Toy Collection

Pixar’s Jeff Pidgeon has a massive toy collection. By massive I mean like the LARGEST I have ever seen. He has documented them well with great photos of them. Stop by his flickr and check them out.

Kinkyform

Kinkyform is the work of Lars Amhoff. He has worked in collaboration with quite a few of top artists in the biz doing a melding of art, design & functionality. I love the watches pictured here with his collaboration from Von. Super radtacular stuff Lars!

Uten.Silo

So for the next couple of weeks I am booked at BNS. Thanks to the art director Ben Go who had this radtacular thing hanging on his wall, I now know what I am going to get for all of my supplies in my home studio. Uten.Silo was designed in the late 60s, as most of my favorite furniture. You can pretty much put whatever in it, pens, pencils, erasers, protractors, rulers, scissors... you name it. Check it out at Modern Seed, which btw, has a TON of radtacular things to spend your paychecks on.

Hendricks Gin

For the passed 2 months or so I have switched back to drinking Gin from Vodka and I am glad I have. Gin has a much more unique taste and a way smoother aftertaste. My choice for a while has been Hendricks. I discovered it about 4 years ago while I was waiting tables at Benjy’s back in Houston. Hendrick’s is by far the best there is. Add a little dry Vermouth and shake up a martini then garnish it with a slice of cucumber.

Wings & Horns

I am pretty phased out of wearing sneakers minus a couple pair of Chucks and Vans. I have been in search of the perfect European style boot and I think I have found it. Wings & Horns have crafted their beautiful Service Boot as pictured. It has the perfect aged effect I am looking for. It’s not on sale yet but I’ll be sure to grab some when they do. Read more HERE!

Alexander Reh | Shotgun Chair

So maybe I found the perfect chair for the rare breed of dork like myself. For those who love designer chairs and Halo 3 Alexander Reh has created the perfect masterpiece. A very modern chair constructed of shotgun shells. Radtacular!

Re-Bag

Blanka is selling these nifty little bags to promote less waste by encouraging consumers to use eco-friendly re-usable well designed bags for shopping. I think it’s a pretty smart idea and they sure as hell look better than the Trader Joe’s re-usable bags. I am really glad to see designers looking out for the environment. Kudos!

Bohemian Modern : Silverlake Vol. 01

Silverlake is a hip little neighborhood in LA. It at most times feels like a quasi-Austin yet it lacks the charm and small town feel of Austin. What it does deliver is some amazing views of the Hollywood Hills and it is in no shortage of good eats and hip dives. This portion of Bohemian Modern attempts to capture the spirit of Silverlake. The hipness, the laid back vibe, the scene, and the mix of styles. As per the request of a few of my loyal blog followers I will from now on link a zip file of my mixes. Download the zip here. Below is the track listing.

(1) The Shins - Sea Legs
(2) The Magic Numbers - Crazy in Love
(3) Jim O’Rourke - Ghost Ship in a Storm
(4) Broken Social Scene - Hotel
(5) Prefuse 73 (featuring Sam Prekop) - Last Night
(6) The Sea & Cake - Hotel Tell
(7) American Analog Set - Punk as Fuck
(8) Dntel (featuring Jenny Lewis) - Roll On
(9) Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins - Big Guns
(10) The Elected - British Columbia
(11) Looper - These Things
(12) Badly Drawn Boy - Once Around the Block
(13) AIR - Somewhere Between Walking and Sleeping
(14) A Band of Bees - Sky Holds the Sun
(15) Denali - Lose Me
(16) Lou Rhodes - Tremble
(17) Beck - Whiskeyclone, Hotel City 1997
(18) Blonde Redhead - Girl Boy
(19) Bibio - Zoopraziphone
(20) Plus/Minus - All I Do

Star Wars x Mark Ecko

So the line between hipster & dork is blurring by the minute. Star Wars.com just featured a post on Mark Ecko’s new line of streetwear that is full of Star Wars goodness. My favorite is the Boba Fett hoodie.

Scarves | The New Tee-Shirt

So designer tees are passe now right. I mean, sure they’re still cool. I still rock them from time to time. I did one with I-Manifest earlier this year and am proud of it. So what’s the next accessory for designers to pimp out their skills to? Socks, gloves, underwear? I mean they have the hat, tee, and sneaker combo rocking. I think it could be scarves. Fall and winter is upon us. And while it may drop down to like 50 something in LA, the rest of the world does actually have a winter. I think New Dandyism is onto something. What better way to do it then pile every trend of 2006/2007 into one scarf. Skulls, 80s videogame graphics, and cassette mixtapes oh my. I am just glad there is no deer head. To be honest, I like it, I'd wear it. I thought 22 year old poker phenom Dario Minieri was a trend setter sporting a scarf in mid-summer at the WSOP in Vegas. Well, I’ll keep an eye on the trend and if anyone is interested in teaming up with me to do a scarf, I am totally down.

Halo 3 week

Unless you have been in a coma you probably know that Halo 3 came out on Tuesday, er... Monday night at midnight. I took the week off to play, and to help my good friends Nora & Sean (or as my wife and I call them Shnora), but to mostly play. I have to say I was super excited at first, then I got sort of bored of it, then I got juiced up again about it. At the moment, I have to say it’s a love hate thing as with Halo 2. I am doing well on the online rankings, I am in the top 15% of the nation in my favorite matchmade style called Lone Wolves with a higher than 30 ranking. I love that there is no longer a noob combo, or that the sniper is not a weapon everyone can use easily. Overall I think the game takes much more finesse and much more strategy. I do feel the melees are far too strong and are pretty much the most commonly used method of destruction, just look at everyone’s stats if you don’t believe me. Anyways, I still love the game and I am happy to see it here. My gamertag is themaskisback and I would love to join up for some ownage. Also, check this and this if you are a Halo fan.

Disposable : The History of Skateboard Art

I used to skate, back when I was like 8-14 in age. Recently my wife saw a family skating down Ocean Park and it made me think, maybe we should do that. So it inspired me to try to track down my beloved boards of the 80s on ebay. I have always been into deck art. Not the trendy stuff you see now-a-days. Although some I have seen by my peers have been pretty dope and I was even going to do a deck for Element but it fell through. I did however come across the link to this site that sort of tracks the history of skate decks. I must say, from what I have seen it looks like an AMAZING collection of images that will inspire me for many a days.

New Economist Ads

I am SUPER into these ads done by a couple of my favorite designers/illustrators for the Economist. They are simple and powerful messages that have somewhat re-sparked my desire to get that poster going that Stephen and I have been talking about doing to promote walking. I love the Non-Format ad pictured above. It‘s so simple yet so perfect. I’d love a large print version to hang in our dining room against the bold red accent wall we painted. See all of the ads here.

Still Room Studio

Still Room Studio is the online portfolio of illustrator/artist Jen Renninger. What initially caught my eye was her studies on mid-century furniture a-la Eames. I am a big fan of mid-century furniture, like most artsy fartsy types, and really dig her style in which she did these tributes in. Her other work is really nice too. It’s warm and cozy like a vintage ad from the 50s. You can buy prints of her work at her Etsy store. I may get the Eames lounge chair print.

Since78 Site Update

So I updated my site a couple weeks ago. I am super stoked about the response it has gotten. I am very excited to see so many positive responses. I would like to thank a few people for their awesomeness. Bran, thanks for the post on motionographer. You really were too kind. Stephen, thanks for the posting on Revolver Lover. Many thanks! Vianney and Ravi thanks for posting twice in one week on ntmy.org. That was a pleasant surprise considering I don't know you guys yet. Thanks to Phirebrush for making me their site of the week last week. Thanks to Ashley and Molly for your amazing support. Thanks to Media Temple for the amazing hosting services, and the private server. Thanks to all the studios for keeping me in business. Thanks to Sianey for defending my honor from the peanut gallery on motionographer. Thanks James for the kind words, I wish I could make it to OFFF to hang out with you. And finally, thanks to Bungie for releasing Halo 3 in 4 days. Ok, so that about covers it for now. Sorry if I left anyone off this list.

Molly McGossett

I thought I would just take the time to share the sunshine of our little miracle Molly. If this doesn't brighten up your day then you have no soul. She takes after her mother with the whole photogenic thing. Here she is posing at the Huntington Dog Beach outing we had this passed Sunday. Not enough sunshine for you, try this on for size.

Record Envelope

I came across this little gem of a blog devoted entirely to record envelopes lost from the golden age of design and illustration. You’ll find so many beautiful little masterpieces to feast your eyes on. Very groovy. Take a little vist.