Cookies and Cake Balls- Oh My!

It's been a really frustrating day today, and when I logged into Etsy, I saw some delicious cookies on the front page and I instantly felt better! I've included some of my favorite Etsian-baked goods and some that I've been wanting to try... Fire-up those PayPal accounts everyone!

Smore's Ganache Cookie-Wiches
Etsy Shop: tookies

9 Red White and Blue Cake Pops
Etsy Shop: lollidreams

Mini Cupcake Cake Bites
Etsy Shop: Daddysgirl91

Elmo Character Cake Pops
Etsy Shop: cquist01

Farm Animal Sugar Cookies
Etsy Shop: katiesomethingsweet

Homemade Oreo Cookies
Etsy Shop: clearpink

Cinnamon Chocolate Malt Biscotti
Etsy Shop: whimsyandspice

Bacon-o-rama

This morning while I was waiting for my breakfast taco and staring at a massive platter of crispy bacon it seemed obvious as to what I should post today... Is there anything more perfect and delicious as bacon? Over the last few years our love of bacon has expanded into other food groups, fine art, toys, and even our wardrobes! I've included a few of my favorites here- enjoy!

Shaky Bacon
Artist: Dan Goodsell

I've always been in love with Shaky Bacon, from Dan Goodsell's The World of Mr. Toast. Apparently Shaky Bacon "spends his time watching people out his window and fretting about their doings." How funny is that? Kind of reminds me of my dad...

Keep Calm and Eat Bacon
Etsy Shop: KeepCalmShop

I'm thinking I need this for my apartment...

Bacon Brooch
Etsy Shop: Dinogirl66

This lovely bacon brooch comes from one of my favorite Etsy shops in Atlanta, where they recently had a bacon-themed art show! How sad am I that I had to miss it...

Bacon-Scented Multi-Purpose Spray
Etsy Shop:Reibree

Nothing like the clean scent of bacon on your linens!

Breakfast Charm Necklace
Etsy Shop: JessicaLandau

Such an adorable way to wear your favorite breakfast treats!

Breakfast Art Print
Etsy Shop: kukubee

Breakfast cuties from another one of my favorite Etsy shops...

Flying Pig Earrings
Etsy Shop: LostApostle

I'd be proud to wear these flying piggies for sure!

Plush Breakfast
Etsy Shop: itsthesmallthings

These plush breakfast foods are just the cutest!

Maple Bacon Pancake Mix
Online Shop: Bacon Freak

Sounds pretty delicious to me...

Mo's Milk Chocolate Bacon Bar
Bacon Truffle Collection
Online Shop: Vosges

I've been wanting to try these for a while, but since they are a bit pricey, I'd love a recommendation... Has anyone tried these? One of these days I'm going to break down and try them!

Bacon is Meat Candy Hooded Sweatshirt
Online Shop: Bacon Freak

Bacon IS meat candy! Show everyone you love bacon and stay warm at the same time...

Dunnys @ Domy

Yesterday was the official release date for the newest Dunny series from Kidrobot. There were trading parties and celebrations all over the world from the morning into the late evening hours. I decided to attend the party at Domy Books, and I convinced the fabulous Kristen to come along, since she truly LOVES the allure of blind box toys.

Most of you probably know what a blind box toy is but just in case... Usually, there are a set amount of different versions of a blind-boxed toy, with some extremely rare versions (called a chase), that make up a whole case. The toys are then sealed in opaque foil bags and then boxed with no way of knowing which toy you will get. Sometimes, if you purchase an entire case, you are guaranteed to get at least one of each design, and the chase. Sometimes not... It's always a gamble. Luckily, if you don't get the version you were hoping for, there is always eBay and some of the online toy shops who sell them "open-boxed" a few months after the initial debut... I tend toward wanting specific toys in each series (so surprising!), and often wait for these "open-boxed" sales.

It was very exciting watching everyone tear into their new Dunnys last night! Also, some of the collectors brought Dunnys from other series and some other blind-boxed toys to trade. Luckily, I got the Dunny design I'd been wanting (Dirty Donny) and Kristen was very happy with hers (Dril One). Domy is a fun place to hang out, and they are well-stocked with very tempting designer vinyl toys and great books...

Last night was also the end of the Cast in Plastic Show. Marie Ung curated a fantastic selection of custom vinyl toys, and Manbearpig was proud to be amongst them! I brought him home last night and he's all ready for the next show...

Our new 2011 Dunnys:

Here they are admiring Yetibub

Posing with Mr. Den's Spartan from the Cast in Plastic Show:

The Dunny 2011 box:

This year, each Dunny comes with an extra "body part," and if you manage to collect them all, you will be rewarded with this cool Glow-in-the-Dark Dunny:

Some stickers we recognized outside Domy from Ack, Bryan Cope and J.T. Theriot:

Have a great weekend everyone!

Bernard and The BIG Show

Hey there everyone! Hope you are all having a nice week so far...

The last couple of weeks have been crazy- there was the Houston Artists Collective Extravaganza Show at JoMar Visions/Hardy Nance Studios, and our entries for The BIG Show at the Lawndale Art Center were also due.

I've only entered one other submission to The BIG Show several years ago. It would seem that the general "aesthetic" chosen by the curators for The BIG Show does not quite match up with my style and concept of art... There is a different curator each year, so I decided to give it a whirl this time, in addition to convincing a few of my artist friends as well. Hopefully we'd all get accepted this year!

The BIG Show is a bit unusual in that the jurying process is done from the actual artwork, and not from photos or slides. There were two drop-off days and then if you were not called this past Sunday, you were to come pick up your piece(s) on Monday or Tuesday. The competition was pretty stiff- 404 artists submitted 972 pieces of their work this year, and only 74 artists and 125 pieces were accepted this year. The verdict? Sadly, I was not accepted... Actually, only one of our group of four made it through- but we were really psyched for him!

I tried to expand my piece beyond my usual concepts (as we all did) to see if perhaps that would work out this time, but apparently to no avail... My piece this year is titled The Reaper of our Intellects. Kind of creepy-cute, yet applicable (or so I thought), considering what has been going on in the world lately due to social networking and the internet...

The materials used for this piece include a vinyl mini Munny, a vinyl mini Jumping Brain, Sculpey, acrylic paint, varnish, fabric, paper, a canvas panel, and found objects:

Here is a close-up of Bernard, our friendly neighborhood Reaper, with Ollie, his Twitterific side-kick:

A close-up of the base:

This is only my second piece to contain any type of "blood," don't worry- it's just red paint! Thought I have to admit, it was fun dripping the paint over the mini Jumping Brain... I'm going to need to customize a few of these for Halloween this year for sure!

Bernard was really bummed out about the rejection this past Monday, so I got him some ice cream and chips to try and cheer him up:

There is some good news though...

Local artist Emily Sloan has organized another show, called Salon des Refusés: Artwork Rejected from The BIG Show 2011! Bernard will get to be in a show after all- yay! Emily's show is actually inspired from the original Salon des Refusés, held in Paris, during 1863. Artwork from such masters as Manet, Cezanne and Whistler had been rejected from the Paris Salon, and the show had been organized to "let the people decide." Sounds like we are all in excellent company!

This is the second year Emily has coordinated this show- the inaugural event was held at the Bissonnet Art Salon. This year, the Salon des Refusés will be held at Gallery M Squared in the Heights, during the same time as The Big Show.

2011 Salon des Refusés Information:

Gallery M Squared
339 West 19th St., Houston, TX 77008

Opening date: Friday, 1 July 2011, 6:30-9pm
Opening Music provided by DJ Esteff/Stephanie Saint Sanchez

On view: 6-9 July 2011, 10am to 6pm
Closing date: Saturday, July 9, 2011

Please come out and support Bernard!

The Art of Transportation

The Art of Transportation group show opened at Crewest Gallery on 3 June 2011. This show is based upon "transportation-related" art, such as graffiti trains, cars, freeway signs, etc. I am honored to have been included in this AWESOME group show- I so wish I could have been there to view all of the work in person!

Artists:

ACME, Albert Montoya, Alsaffar, Benny Diar, Cale One, D. Meza, DCYPHER, Dove DCV UTI, DUCE, FEAR, Flip One, Fred Katz, Jaber, James Bentley, James Carter, JaniaVanderwerff, J.S., JW Pippen, Kasim Patton, Kathleen Benttinen, Kit Beckmann, Kwasi B, Man One, Mas, Michael Pizarro, Natoe, Nirant, Noe Chavez, Pat Jakubiec, Reefer Sutherland, Reggie Lee, Rome, SAL"ONE" HERNANDEZ, Scotch!, Skylar Aud, TRUE 2 DEATH, Valerie G, Vic Macias, VYAL, Werc and more...

I submitted one piece for the show, Take the Monster Train:

This is my first attempt at anything graffiti-related... Hope you like it!

If you live in Los Angeles or are planning to travel there this month, The Art of Transportation runs through 3 July 2011.

For further information:

Crewest
110 Winston St.
Los Angeles, CA 90013
ph | 213-627-8272
Website: www.crewest.com
Email: info@crewest.com

Have a great weekend everyone!

2011 Etsy Global Craft Parties

This year, Etsy Houston will be coordinating/hosting the Houston-area 2011 Etsy Global Craft Pary at Kitchen Incubator, on Friday, 10 June 2011 from 7-10 pm. We will have several fun craft activities for peeps to participate in and of course, refreshments!

I'm planning to lead Make Your Own Pompom Monster:

Over 5,000 people participated in over 500 meetups from Dallas to Romania last year, and it is Etsy's goal this year for 15,000+ people to participate!

Check out Roxy's awesome video from last year's Etsy Houston Craft Party:

It looks like everyone had a great time!

If you are planning to attend, please RSVP on the Etsy Meetup site
I'm really excited to see that out of 920 Etsy Meetup communities worldwide, we are the second largest group, right behind Dallas. Hopefully not for long...

Hope to see ya'll this Friday Night!

2011 Etsy Craft Party
Houston area

Friday, 10 June 2011
7-10:00 pm

Kitchen Incubator
907 Franklin St, Suite 150
Houston, TX 77002

For further information: Etsy Houston Blog

Comicpalooza!

Last weekend, the critters and I shared a booth with Kristen, of Frilled and Feathered @ Comicpalooza.

What is Comicpalooza? It is Houston's answer to the massive San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) held annually, and it looks like it will be here to stay! This event brings together comic book and toy vendors, artists, television and movie stars, and of course, let's not forget the fans... Apparently, Comicpalooza began in 2008, and was originally held the lobby of the Alamo Drafthouse, with just a few celebrities. It has now grown to take over the third floor of the George R. Brown Convention Center, with 10,000 attendees and events held until 2:00 am!

We knew we were going to have a fun weekend when we saw this truck in the parking lot on Friday morning:

Our booth was in the Dealer's Room, and we met lots of awesome vendors there. It took all of our combined forces of self-control not to go crazy and buy everything in sight! Here are a few of our absolute favorite booths:

Bean Pot Toiz
San Antonio, TX

We loved the BPT family of Grego, Stacie and Kaylah! They were just the nicest peeps and had an amazing selection of designer vinyl toys and accessories. They are the perfect example of how the family who sells vinyl toys together stays together!

I loved this huge Rat Fink they had on display:

Bekyoot
Houston, TX

Diagonally behind us was Christy, from Bekyoot, the artist who creates all of Bekyoot's awesome designs. We just fell in love with her adorable critters, and she was a very sweet neighbor to boot:

Tribbletoys
Los Angeles, CA

How many times had I wanted my very own Tribble during that episode of Star Trek? Well... now I have my very own, and it's pink! The Tribbles also vibrate and make an adorable squeaking sound...

Giant Microbes
Los Angeles, CA

The Tribble guy also sold Giant Microbes, those plushie germs and blood cells that we all would like to love and call our very own...

He brought a huge and varied selection with him, and apparently decided to highlight the STD critters... too funny!

This is the first time Kristen and I have shared a booth- the critters have now become huge fans of her awesome Steampunk jewelry:

I brought LOTS of mini monsters, and many of them found homes with very nice people! I even had some glow-in-the-dark Zombie Monsters...

Here is the rest of the gang (and some paintings:

Fuzz the Undercover Pirate Bear and General Rusty Bunny enjoyed their view from atop Kristen's and Brent's living room shelves...:

The Lego exhibit in the Artists' Alley was truly amazing!

Gotta LOVE the dinosaur and the poor little aliens being held up:

Here is the Lego Man posing with two members from the "Adventures of the Travelling Sperm." I know... don't ask!

Finally, we had my favorite visitor to our booth at the end of the day on Sunday:

It was quite the experience! We spent most of our time (when we weren't chatting with customers) giggling and pointing out all of the awesome and outrageous costumes than many fans wore to this event:

Captain Jack Sparrow

This guy was awesome- he even walked like Johnny Depp! His wife said he'd been practicing for weeks, and it showed!




Stormtrooper

Stormtrooper now apparently has a family! This guy was very tall- and there were many Stormtrooper sightings of all sizes throughout the weekend...

Probably the most difficult part of the weekend was to keep from buying all of the cool stuff, and it was EVERYWHERE! I was pretty good, but I did purchase an adorable t-shirt and Berry Ninja from Bekyoot, and a medium pink Tribble from Tribbletoys. I also acquired a Munny Mobile and some other awesome vinyl toys from Bean Pot Toiz... How could I resist? I was also lucky to score a free Darth Vader Key Chain from McDonalds, and a coupon for a free frozen Strawberry Lemonade. Not bad, huh?


I will now close with some memorable fan quotes from the weekend:

"Chekov is MY Barbie!"

"I geek-out differently now, as opposed to how I used to geek-out..."

"Mmmmm-brains..."

And my most favorite...

"Hi, I'd like to inquire about adopting a monster..."