•• AyK Designs••

Everyday Life

2010-07-15T21:42:00.000-05:00

Been at Claire's for awhile, and it has been a whirlwind of an experience...Taking a breather day and leaving before the sun sets.. Even a ghetto building like this one can look quite decent with the sun accenting it's back...courtesy of my new iphone and a fun app to take pictures old school.

April Fool's!

2010-04-01T19:42:00.000-05:00

I didn't pull any fun april fool's joke on anyone...I hope others were able to today...
Can you believe it's already been one year since this:

Happy Anniversary to my one-year old husband!

Has it already been that long?

2010-03-21T19:32:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I haven't posted since the 1st of March. My bad...this month is flying. Keeping busy with work, and work, and more work. I drew this sketch for a project (for work), but since it's not being used, I thought I'd turn it into a papercut piece. Still working on that, but i thought I'd post the sketch. Can you tell what it is?

Alice in Wonderland inspired...

Some stuff on the Claire's website

2010-03-01T23:13:00.000-06:00

Finally! Some of the stuff I've been working on @ Claire's hit stores. And they're looking pretty good~ If you go to the Claire's website and follow the link to "Alice in Fashionland" (I know, I know...) you'll see some of the prints I worked on for this group. Here's a shot of one of them. I worked on the "black and red Alice" series. (the bag and the girl's t-shirt to the right) I had to go buy a tote bag for myself, because I am a dork. haha.

there new favorite spot

2010-02-28T22:15:00.000-06:00

Now kuro and shiro fight for this one basket. Shiro (the white one) is slightly too big for it...we're going to have to get another one...we USED to use the basket for popcorn for those movie nights..but oh well.

a belated christmas picture

2010-02-07T20:31:00.000-06:00

I don't know why I didn't upload this picture since it's one of my favorites, and Shiro is just...just so sparklingly beautiful :D No photoshop retouching here!

A little angel under the Christmas tree.

our very own tea ceremony

2010-01-21T21:12:00.000-06:00

I got a few belated wedding gifts from friends this past month, and I thought I'd share since they are such wonderful gifts....First up this delicious tea set and of course, awesome tea. I've always wanted a blossom tea set! And those cute round cups with the flowers are insulated, so it doesn't get hot to the touch at all. Form and function; it's a beautiful thing.

papercutting: Round 3

2010-01-19T22:58:00.001-06:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I made a few different new year's cards...including these precious 10 pieces below. I wish I had the time and patience to make more of them, but alas, life gets in the way. I could however, share pictures with you! I do believe these cards came out rather nice this year...a good start to 2010.

I rearranged the background paper slightly on each card, and I gotta say, I had much fun making these :D

a small, amazing video

2010-01-15T08:29:00.005-06:00

NZ Book Council presents "Going West." How so totally awesome! Happy friday~

A belated happy new year! papercutting: Round 2

2010-01-12T22:47:00.000-06:00

I am still in shock that it's 2010. Where does the time go? I finally uploaded some of my photos from last year (sorry for the laziness). It's been a small tradition of mine to make 'new year's cards' (kinda like Christmas cards, but for the new year), and I decided to make a few different cards to give myself variety and to try out my new gocco machine. A little handcutting and some beautiful washi paper, and voila! Happy Year of the Tiger!

My favorite are the white ones on the red back. The metallic silver paint came out sharp on the white background,

and I found some nice paper to go with it. :D Which one's your favorite?

a little bit of snowfall...

2009-12-31T12:57:00.000-06:00

Papercutting gurus unite! How cute is this...if I had the time, I would...but gotta go pack...

We'll be on our way to Ann Arbor this evening to celebrate the coming of a new year. Hip hip horray~!
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T21:09:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone has a happy holiday! We added a hefty ornament to the christmas tree...big and black and furry...

papercutting: Round 1

2009-12-16T13:17:00.000-06:00

We had a secret santa at the office, and they had specified that it be a "handmade" gift. I had done this illustration of one of the girl's in the office (i manipulated a photo of her and made her look like a jazz singer), and since I coincidentally got her as my secret santa, I turned that illustration into a papercut piece. It turned out pretty good, considering I barely had any time to work on it. And of course, I conveniently had the perfect frame with mount too. Ah~ it's so good to have supplies on hand.

On another note, I recently purchased a gocco machine (print gocco, as it's called in Japan). OH WHAT fun I am going to have this weekend when my inks and screens arrive!

they are friends again, hey!

2009-12-09T08:16:00.000-06:00

Kuro and Simba are now officially BFForever. After their long fight over who will reign pride rock, they came to the conclusion that both could lead the wildlife of the safari, together, from the comforts of the couch.

Here is the king of the land, happy, and sleepy.

The king later got irritated by the camera flash. 'no pictures' he says.

It's feeling a little bit like Christmas...

2009-12-06T22:09:00.000-06:00

I wasn't sure if I wanted to take out the Christmas tree this year, since I know that the kittens are going to be all over it. But what is the holidays without a tree? Now it's out, and we have so far learned that Kuro (the black one) likes to climb trees. go figure. I haven't caught him in action yet, but I hear the bell ornaments jingling now and again...Pictures of the tree, and Kuro munching on the fake branches.

I think I just found my new favorite scarf

2009-12-03T20:44:00.000-06:00

I am sure you all know I'm a cat fan, but this hits the spot! Sausage dogs are funny...

Big Apple Sausage Dog Scarf from Kate Spade

eco-friendly lunch

2009-11-30T23:41:00.000-06:00

I stumbled upon this website while pretend-shopping online (you know, where you put items in your cart but you don't end up buying anything) on Cyber Monday. I've always been a fan of plastic bags, but they are such a waste...what a cute alternative! The navy shark is my favorite print.

Lunch skins from 3greenmoms

Happy Gobble Gobble Day!

2009-11-26T23:45:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone had a nice and stuffing Thanksgiving! We didn't do a turkey this year (it was just the two of us) but we decided to do a pseudo-thanksgiving dinner consisting of turkey burgers, stuffing, mashed potato, biscuits, and a HUGE spinach and mushroom salad. YUM. And in the course of eating this meal, we made these biscuit turkey burgers and highly recommend this with your leftover turkey and such. It's a combination of turkey (or turkey burger), mashed potato, stuffing with gravy, all sandwiched in the biscuit. You can't go wrong...it was delicious! Happy Thanksgiving Leftover Day!

The Lion King

2009-11-24T22:26:00.000-06:00

I've had this Simba (from the Lion King) doll for, like, ever, and i took it out of the closet the other weekend. Of course the kittens would love a large lion puppet doll! So we decided to recreate the movie in our living room. I was a fantastic puppeteer.

tick...tock...

2009-11-19T23:54:00.001-06:00

I'm hoping time goes by real slow this weekend so i can maximize the time off and really relax. (ahhh~) Have a good weekend!

A sexy little number from Brevity

Who's a Chuck fan?

2009-11-18T22:50:00.001-06:00

That would be everyone, including myself. I saw this popping up around the internet, and i was searching for a site that actually SOLD them. But all i found were memorabilia (like on eBay)...not an actual store. darn. my husband could use a pair...

via FFFFOUND!

kitty kat korner - hanging kuro 2

2009-11-17T08:12:00.000-06:00

Here's another picture of Mr. chair-climber in action. I particularly like this photo cuz it's got nice colors, and the reflection of the lamp in the mirror is looking kinda neat and fancy. I am rather itching to get that oil-painting started up again (since so many have commented that I am being lazy for not finishing it), but oils are so messy...

kitty kat korner - hanging kuro

2009-11-16T00:11:00.000-06:00

Kuro seems to like to hang on the side of the chair. In fact, he likes dangling 1/2 of his body off the back of the chair, and trying to catch his tail on the opposite side. It's easier that I show you...

He stays in this rather uncomfortable position and attacks his tail for at least 15 minutes. It's incredible this guy...making anything into a new exciting game.

My Apologies!

2009-11-11T23:39:00.000-06:00

I have been away from this blog for far too long, and I apologize! I have lots to share, but I have been such a busy bee as of late. Update: the Claire's freelance that began as primary vector drawings and production has turned into a hard-core illustration gig. Fantastic! I draw all day and i.LOVE.it. At this point, I don't care if the company will use the art or not; it's a great portfolio boost!

So here today, I introduce you to something FANTASTIC. My husband found it over the weekend, and I have been humming this song ever since. I know there are a few that are just going to DIG THIS SHIT. Introducing Smoke on the Water, tokiwazu stylz!

Happy Monday!

2009-11-02T07:58:00.000-06:00

How was everyone's Halloween? Hope it was fun. I, for one, sneaked around the house to avoid the trick-o-treaters because of my lack of candy in the house. I know..I'm horrible. But when you hand out candy it's ENDLESS! and on a Saturday...my first saturday in over a month without work..I just couldn't.
So instead, I was surfing and found this baby at the MoMa store. Now I post this because I have this same exact thing, and I got it at a dollar store in Japan! OUCH! Uber cute, but what.a.rip.off~

Pig cooking lid. Check out the price.

kitty kat korner - kuro high above

2009-10-28T00:22:00.000-05:00

There's a heat vent directly hitting the top of the kitchen cabinets, and that has been Kuro's favorite spot as of late. Actually, I have two cats staring down at me from above the cabinets as I do the dishes recently, kinda like this.

The sink conveniently sits right in between those cabinets, so I got two cats at each end. And sometimes, they like to play like this:

bag surfing

2009-10-26T07:29:00.001-05:00

I've been searching for a nice bag - durable, clean lines, large enough to put all my things, but not too large that it get's heavy. It's quite hard once you start looking cuz there are SO MANY DAMN bags out there. But I think I found just the right one.

from Moop on Etsy!

cold feet

2009-10-23T20:15:00.002-05:00

I got some cold feet today. HAHAHAHA! Have a great weekend!

the best song ever

2009-10-22T07:05:00.002-05:00

I have a real soft spot for inspirational African music (think Lion King). So when my husband bought Civilization 4 and started playing, I couldn't help notice the wonderful soundtrack. I am completely hooked on this song...and apparently, it's got quite a following. And here, I introduce to you, Baba Yetu, the main theme song from Civilization 4.

new, obsessively cute bird planters

2009-10-21T18:54:00.000-05:00

Pretty random objects has done it again.. super uber cute bird planters! I really need to get my hands on one of these. I think my office desk is definitely calling for some fine pottery and perhaps a small healthy cactus. just. adorable.

Bird planter from prettyrandomobjects

a resort sort of weekend...

2009-10-19T07:18:00.001-05:00

Of course I mean Wii Resort. Anyone here a Nintendo fan? We just got our hands on the new Wii Resort game and the MotionPlus Sensor thingy for the controller. It's quite impressive actually. According to my husband, it feels so real 3-point shooting is actually hard. Though I beat his score the first time I played. Skillz baby, skillz. I wish I had more time to play, but that damn thing called work got in the way. Hoping to get a little more play in during the week!

from of course, the mighty Nintendo.

Friday Office

2009-10-16T08:20:00.000-05:00

"Friday is the Perfect Day for an Office Riot" by the Centennial Society is a clever 16-page pamphlet illustrating what would happen if the office had a riot...and started a civilization inside the building. (hahaha) My husband and I were cracking up at it this morning and thinking....if only...if only. I personally like the women in the left corner swinging the mop. So much action...so much emotion. Have a great friday!

From Gizmodo. The rest has MATURE content, so be advised--- OFFICE RIOT

2009-10-15T07:48:00.000-05:00

tehee hee.

Mr. Moustache tote bag from Siena con Jersey

kitty kat korner - new toy

2009-10-13T15:28:00.000-05:00

I think it was last Thursday I got home from freelancing early, and decided I would not sit in front of the computer or turn on the TV. So what does one do? I decided to make a small catnip toy for the young'uns. It's the little green thing with a golden bell on it that Kuro is so adamantly playing with. I had some loose ribbon pieces I made into a little pouch, and stuffed it with catnip wrapped in a crinkled napkin. I'm glad they are enjoying it...though in hindsight I think they are way too young for catnip. Sensory overload = really jumpy cats.

pho masta

2009-10-12T23:57:00.000-05:00

I have this weird habit of making nice dishes for dinner when I am super busy. Maybe cooking is theraputic...maybe it's the sense of using a different part of my brain while being away from the computer. Whatever the case, I decided to make some authentic Vietnamese pho last week. Broth from scratch! It sounds like a project, but you just let beef bones simmer on low heat for...ever. It doesn't take much effort other than keeping an eye on it so it doesn't overboil. Hungry much? My husband couldn't keep his hands out of the picture is how hungry he was. And rightfully so, it was delish!!

Yum! Here's the site I was looking at when making it. Though I did some things, and I omitted others...

here it is again...

2009-10-08T08:01:00.002-05:00

And might I add I'm not going around looking for them...they just appear...everywhere!! I think it's due time to make a moustache papercut soon...

Moustache Bandages from Urban Outfitters

You're right, it is handsome.

2009-10-06T16:04:00.001-05:00

Very nice and clean (web) storefront. cute stuff. mustachios all over the place! I'm telling you, it's an up and coming trend...

from Handsome Howard

papercutting: Famille Summberbelle

2009-10-02T08:14:00.000-05:00

They have done it again. And this time New York! These things are huge! Oh to be able to get my hands on one of these...
'tis a rainy friday, but at least it's the weekend! Have a good one!

New York Papercut from Famille Summberbelle

Here's Paris & London

ewww...

2009-09-30T23:55:00.000-05:00

Check this out. What a delicious looking cup 'o joe! If you jump to the link, there's some fun stuff on the website.
I especially like the $5 box of crap...

The Toilet Mug from PrankPlace.com

this is what i'll be missing...

2009-09-29T19:29:00.001-05:00

So I got this in-house freelance gig starting today @ Claire's. (yeah work!) OH the fun of being surrounded with tween girl merchandise. That said, since my body is not used to this 9-5 grind, I may be slow with the updating. On top of missing out on stuff like this at home..boo...

kuro napping on a nice sunny day

kitty kat korner - kuro in a bag

2009-09-28T09:25:00.000-05:00

I think our poor kitty wanted to tag along with us on our weekend trip to Ann Arbor..
(this was taken thursday afternoon). Unfortunately he wasn't allowed to come...I think he was a bit upset.

kitty kat korner - headless kitties

2009-09-24T10:25:00.004-05:00

Bare with me as I take my first stab at video editing...
We'll be heading out of town this weekend, so this'll be the last post for this week. Enjoy!

say "ahh~"

2009-09-23T14:55:00.001-05:00

I was at a friend's house when I spotted this fun laundry hamper. And of course I got home and started searching for it online, but alas, it doesn't seem to be sold anywhere! (Originally from Home Decorators). So I gave up and was looking around the HD website, when I spotted this bad boy. I might like him just as much as the fish. And on sale!

Wicker Frog Hamper from Home Decorators

kitty kat korner - box 'o cats

2009-09-22T11:43:00.002-05:00

Like they don't have enough beds already. I had some extra plastic containers so was organizing some bed sheets, and I walk away for a few minutes and this is what happens...And they're all like "wha~t??"

Artist intro: Allison Rose

2009-09-21T10:08:00.003-05:00

Unfortunately this weekend was filled with work (and Sunday rain), and I wasn't able to do much. (boo) So reminiscing on a better weekend is due for my soul. Last weekend was beautiful weather and chock full of fun. We headed down to the Renegade Craft Fair held in Chicago, where we were surrounded by nice arts and crafts. Let me introduce you to the bestest of them all - Blue Thimble!

Pictures from Blue Thimble booth @ Renegade

Designed and hand crafted by Allison Rose, Blue Thimble is the place to buy some awesome silkscreen pillows, prints, bags, scarves...what have you! Bright poppy colors and well-designed cute characters are a theme to her work. There's a beautiful watercolor quality to her art, as she blends and mixes colors in her silkscreen. As if that wasn't enough, Allison takes the time to sew her beautiful art into animated pillows using some darn cute fabric.

Check out her uber cute stuff: on Etsy or Her Website

kitty kat korner - concentrating kuro

2009-09-18T11:08:00.003-05:00

I think he's looking to attack the camera strap. The weather's been nice during the day, but it's getting pretty cool at night. I feel the change of season when the cats start to join us on the bed so we can all cuddle at night. It's about time we upgraded our full size to something larger....
Have a good weekend!

cute cute CUTE!

2009-09-17T16:36:00.004-05:00

I was surfing and found these items on the Branch website. Kinda ties in with those adorable knitted animal scarves and chick onesie from Takashimaya. I wish I was a kid again...I REALLY like that orange bird-looking guy. He's so dainty! Check out the site - it's got lots and lots of cool stuff!

from Branch: Sustainable Design for Living

pencil art

2009-09-16T10:10:00.004-05:00

For just a whopping 260 bucks this awesome colored pencil wall display could be yours! Holds 500 colored pencils in an acrylic wall display which creates a great space for your drawing room, and a convenient way to store away your coloring devices. If only I had the chump change to spend on a colored pencil wall mount display...though imagining sharpening all those (even with an electric pencil sharpener) is mind-numbing...

Aurora Display Case by Social Designer

chic cuteness

2009-09-15T17:24:00.006-05:00

All from the trendy japanese department store, Takashimaya, New York branch. Now if only I had a baby to give that onesie/bib outfit to...The little dangling feet on the bib just broke my heart in two.

Major Da Vinci fan

2009-09-14T10:14:00.006-05:00

I've been a core fan of Leo for awhile. If only a man like him lived in the now... A cool artist's rendition of how Da Vinci would have designed a Mac 128. I might have to order this print for myself.

iSteamMac by Kevin Tong
also checkout the iSteamPhone, which is the iPhone designed by Da Vinci

Can't forget the date

2009-09-11T12:41:00.003-05:00

Yeah, I'm sure it's on all our minds today...can you believe it's already been 8 years? I was in manhattan when all that happened...oh NY, how I miss thee...

Man Hat Tan print from Neither fish nor fowl

papercutting: Kuro and Shiro

2009-09-11T12:26:00.006-05:00

Taking the earlier quick sketch that I made of Kuro, I thought it'd be cute to make paper cutout portraits of each of the cats. These were really simple and fun. But they turned out cute! I wasn't sure if I should change Shiro's pupil to black or not...i wanted the consistency between the two portraits...but the more i look at it, the more it's kinda creeping me out that her pupils are white...oh i dunno...

Used some leftover simple patterned origami for their collars. It's all matchy-matchy, which was a nice coincidence. On another note, I found some nice origami at a local asian market, and am excited to get my hands on it this weekend! Have a good one!

I know it's a forward...

2009-09-10T14:27:00.005-05:00

But I had to share. Slightly cruel...but I guess not, since dogs are always used to round up sheep anyway. They're just having a little fun with it.

and finally...

2009-09-09T14:16:00.003-05:00

This weekend we FINALLY saw some color change to the cayenne peppers! They looked like they were fully grown, maybe a month ago? But it just wouldn't turn red...but ohh, good thing we were patient. I need to find a recipe to use these scrumptious peppers.

And while I was outside on the balcony, I saw this thru the screen door:

Big head cat! hee hee.

kitty kat korner - i'm a new fan

2009-09-08T10:23:00.003-05:00

Did everyone have a good labor day weekend? I have lots of pix to upload, but before that...my BFF introduced me to this site, Linus in Hats. No need explain. This is my favorite picture so far. AHHH!

from Linus in Hats.

kitty kat korner-a black blob

2009-09-04T11:34:00.003-05:00

As I left my house the other day, Kuro greeted me out the window. I wish I had my camera, but I thought I'd illustrate what I saw. He's so dark, all you see are his eyes and collar. What a cute little black blob! Have a good long work-free weekend!

kitty kat korner - filthy cats

2009-09-03T15:54:00.004-05:00

It makes me wonder if my house is dirty, or if it's just the cats being neat freaks. Yet another episode of Shiro cleaning herself and her bro. WHY IS THIS SO FREAKIN' ADORABLE? They like to chill at the foot of my office desk when the sun's hittin' the windows. They're mid-afternoon nap time.

Look at the bliss in Kuro's face...

"Oh my god, did you hear?"

2009-09-02T12:09:00.003-05:00

"I know! Can you believe it?!" "I never would have thought *beep* would do *beep*!"
(..and thinking, 'I bed she'd *beep* with *beep*')

Dinner conversation piece? Cute anime word bubble plates from MoMA.

from Velocity.

fishing frenzy

2009-09-01T09:21:00.005-05:00

I can't stop thinking about fishing since this weekend. We went for a little twilight fishing last night at a lake near our house, and behold! another bass! I know this is bland news for most of you, but heck! I'm having so much fun, I had to share. My cameraman (my husband) was no pro, so the pic was mad blurry...but no matter. I'm on a roll! And yes, it's already cold so the parka is a must in the evenings here in chicago.

weekend outting

2009-08-31T10:34:00.006-05:00

This weekend we ventured out to a place called Independence Grove, about 40 minutes from where we live. Apparently a forest preserve with gigantic bass and lots of it. We met up with friends on Saturday and... we actually caught nothing. But let us not dwell on the negative. SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY. We set out for revenge and headed over to IG where, for the first time this season, I caught me a bass!! (so did my husband, but his was itty bitty ;P) It was twilight, and the day was about to end again in failure, when at last I got a hit and was able to pull this sucker in. Not the largest of monsters, but a well fought one. My first fish with a plastic worm. So happy!

kitty kat korner

2009-08-28T19:33:00.003-05:00

I made a run to costco to buy some things and came home with a cardboard box, which I WAS going to throw out on garbage day (which was yesterday), but since the kittens took such a liking to it, I decided otherwise. I feel like my house is full of half chewed cardboard boxes all over the place...but it's worth it cuz they're so cute...And of course the box was adorned with small holes they could slide their small little paws in which made it twice as fun!

Some fine simple die-cutting

2009-08-26T10:14:00.004-05:00

Well here's a super solution to dull boring keys! I mean, all anyone has ever come up with was to make those small rubber or plastic caps to cover the ugly key head, but why not just recreate it! Kudos to Stat Key Designer!

from Stat Key Company.

OoooOOooo~

2009-08-25T10:44:00.004-05:00

is for octopus! What a cool children's alphabet book by Werner Design Werks. This is the kind of stuff I would want my kid to be looking at when he/she learns the alphabet...

by Wernerdesignwerks. Follow on flickr here.

yet another cute store

2009-08-24T11:42:00.005-05:00

I stumbled upon this website over the weekend. cute stuff indeed...From mxyplyzyk design.

papercutting kind of Friday

2009-08-21T10:51:00.005-05:00

It seems like self-promotion is the thing right now, so I thought I'd upload a piece I worked on a while ago. I've been meaning to make it a series...but you know..the lack of discipline (and my mind wondering elsewhere)... It was cut from thin art board, and I used origami paper I had lying around. (I was later surprised to find out that origami is in fact quite expensive when purchased). If you can't tell what that is, it's a butterfly dangling upside down. The smaller circular cuts on the butterfly wings actually have shiny gold paper behind it, so it's rather pretty in light. The web is definitely not doing it justice in terms of color... Any piece name suggestions?

CRISTAL

2009-08-20T09:09:00.010-05:00

It almost seems too good to be true. If I had one of these in my home...

CRISTAL (Control of Remotely Interfaced Systems using Touch-based Actions in Living spaces) is a extreme simple user interface for controlling multimedia devices and home automation systems. Check out the video. I think it's one of those, it's what you make of it things, because in the end you would have to upload all you DVDs, songs, and images yourself right? That would take forever! But worth it, I suppose, for all the organization...

rainbow watch

2009-08-19T11:46:00.004-05:00

ouuuu. I'm liking Mr. Jones. Here's the concept for this watch, the Cyclops:

Cyclops dispenses with a conventional arrangement of hour, minute and second hands; instead a single hour marker passes around the coloured dial. Each hour is represented by a different coloured circle, the black hoop gradually passes over each circle to indicate the time.

Cyclops can be read with a relaxed kind of accuracy that offers a counterpoint to our hectic modern lives.

I never wear a watch anyway, you always have your cell phone with you...

more here.

Delicate cutting

2009-08-18T22:45:00.003-05:00

These are just so...incredible! and so fragile...I am awed by the delicate and precise cutting! If only I was in California to see this show! By Mitsuru Koga @ Tortoise Life.

more here

more cool photography

2009-08-17T11:03:00.002-05:00

From Patrick Runte's series called Jump 'n' Run. It features classic gaming characters in real world scenarios. How awfully cute!

more here

modern recreation

2009-08-14T11:33:00.004-05:00

This is pretty neat. They used photography to recreate an old masterpiece. Seurat’s famous pointillism painting, “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte.” I think I will spend this Friday afternoon like the bunch in the picture. Happy Weekend!

from 9GAG

pretty little store...

2009-08-13T11:07:00.005-05:00

Pretty stuff...expensive...but pretty. I'm liking the subdued serene feel of their website too.

from ochre store.

sleepy kitty...

2009-08-12T10:43:00.002-05:00

I don't know about anyone else, but when one of my cats actually use an item I gave them (or a toy I bought them), I am utterly thrilled. Only because most of the time they don't care for anything you buy them, and prefer ripped up plastic bags and old wrinkled paper towels. How cute is Kuro?

A special stained glass tribute to Tono

2009-08-11T11:32:00.006-05:00

This is going to be a rather long post, so brace yourselves!

I was in Ann Arbor for about a week to start this daunting stained glass project (I think I might have mentioned it). Due to my absent-mindedness, I forgot the USB cable for the camera, so couldn't upload progress shots. But here's the story:

My mom is a fantastic stained glass artist. She's been at it since as long as I can remember, and has created some fabulous pieces. Since I had this talented teacher and resources, I wanted to make a special urn for our beloved cat, Tono. I created the design myself, though in hindsight that might have been a mistake since I really didn't understand the fine art of glass cutting. Not to give a stained glass online workshop, but you start off by cutting the glass pieces to the approximate shape of your design, then finely grinding it down. Basically you're making glass puzzle pieces to put together.

From the (top left) - that's me using the grinder to shape the glass. (top right) Loose jagged edged glass pieces pre-grind. (bottom left) The smallest glass piece I used for the project. (bottom right) The progress of grinding all the glass pieces.

Now as a post, that took a paragraph, but the whole cutting/grinding ordeal took four almost 10-hour days of hard work. I know that seems like a long time for so little, but we're talking about cutting glass!

(top left) - After the cutting and grinding, you wrap each piece with a thin copper foil tape. You put the melted metal ontop of it and solder the glasses together. (top right) - The five panels of the box soldered together and complete! (bottom left) - putting the box together. That's me using the soldering iron. And voila! (bottom right) The box put together!

At this point, we ran out of time to finish the box, and I went back to Chicago with my mom. There's tons of more steps in between (which was another whole day of work), but finally, after a week of hard work, Tono's urn was complete!

It's just as I imagined. Maybe better. It looks beautiful with the sunlight through the glass. The angel wings sticking out from the left side of the box lid and the little green feet at the bottom of the box were my mom's clever ideas. That really completed the look. ♥

And so, a fine chapter closes in the adventures of stained glass making. Thanks to my mom for her guidance and support!! Tono's gonna love it.

Oh what a long weekend!

2009-08-10T12:31:00.006-05:00

I apologize for the lack of posts last week (I'd like to pretend there are people that check this blog daily other than myself ;P)...it was a very busy yet fruitful weekend (well...from Thursday...that is). My mom decided to join us in Chicago for a week+, and she gracefully gave a lending hand in recreating the 2nd bedroom of our house into a functioning office! I am currently in the room as I type this...and I.LOVE.IT. It makes me feel so...so...professional. Still needs a bit of cleaning and organizing, but it has come a LOONG way!I was going to clear out the wire shelves in front of the windows (or at least put them in the closet), but my cats have decided to make it their 2nd beds in this room. I decided to give them each a towel and pillow because they are so freakin adorable.

They really do mirror each other. My chest hurts from cuteness overload (again).

smart cup

2009-08-05T09:34:00.004-05:00

I mean, everything else is digital now, so why not measuring cups? I like smart things. I'm loving the color too. Another form and function winner.

The smartmeasure cup from Priority Design.

no pictures please...

2009-08-04T19:56:00.002-05:00

"Excuse me. WHAT are you looking at? This is private."

"No pictures means no pictures."

It sprouted!

2009-08-03T17:57:00.004-05:00

And finally some summer weather this month of August. Along with a little sprouting on top of Shiro's little head...Oh, Shiro. You are so adorable.♥

a little bit of rainbow...

2009-07-31T09:32:00.003-05:00

...for a beautiful Friday! No clouds, plenty of sunshine - sounds like a day to stroll on outside. And what better way to start off a beautiful day than with some rainbow filled pictures? A bookstore in Beijing, China, created by Japanese architect Sako. How cool!

more here.

turning japanese...

2009-07-30T06:38:00.003-05:00

me likes. That would be King Koopa, Mario, and that T-Rex looking guy is a badass Yoshi. nice.

from xiaobaosg

summer read

2009-07-29T07:16:00.002-05:00

My new summer read. If only summer would get here....SOON...

Walking Plants

2009-07-27T06:38:00.005-05:00

How cute are these?! Made by Domsai, and distributed by MONOTONO. great name!

more here

Ann Arbor again

2009-07-24T13:06:00.003-05:00

I'm in Ann Arbor Michigan again for an extended weekend exploring and diving into the wonderful world of stained glass. Yup, I am challenging myself to an exhaustive stained glass piece I designed. Progress will be uploaded! Here's an image of one of my mom's pieces. It's a beauty, ain't it?

well that's not a cat...

2009-07-23T07:42:00.003-05:00

I decided to chop off my long hair for a summer do. Donations will be made to Locks of Love! This dead animal-looking bundle of hair is about 30cm (so...about a foot!) Why does hair feel so dirty when it's not attached to your head?

grandman shiro

2009-07-22T08:51:00.000-05:00

She sure looks like an old catfish...(a cute one though)

paper castle

2009-07-21T07:40:00.003-05:00

How could I have missed this?! Incredible! Installation piece named "Umi no Ue no Oshiro" - Castle on the Ocean. I love how there are moving train parts and lights... Can you believe everything is made out of paper?! No wonder it took 4 long years to complete!

more here.

letterpress•fabric wrap

2009-07-20T08:01:00.003-05:00

A cute store on etsy...reusable fabric wraps and letterpress cards.

from chewingthecud

papercutting: Famille Summberbelle

2009-07-17T08:48:00.003-05:00

This new design just popped up everywhere on the web, and since I am in the 'papercutting artist' mode, I thought I would blog about it. This is just pure excellence. I LOVE IT! It's so fun and poppy. It would make my day if I could wake up to this piece every morning.

Paris & London Paper Cut Map by Famille Summerbelle

papercutting artist: Virginia Rose Kane

2009-07-17T08:12:00.003-05:00

I found this artist the other day, and she does amazing work with botanical papercutting. I'm liking the collage-look of the paper she cuts out of. I need to start uploading my own artwork soon!

part of the Orchid series by Virginia Rose Kane

curly moustache trend

2009-07-16T08:25:00.003-05:00

Uber cute! I swear I'm not looking around for moustache products or anything, but they keep popping up! Everyone loves moustachios! Unfortunately sold out...

moustache salt and pepper shaker by paperdollwoodshop

MJ Tribute 2

2009-07-15T07:34:00.002-05:00

A little disturbing, but comical. It's a Michael Jackson Pantone Guide...referencing all the various skin tones the man had gone through in life...

from about:blank

smart objects

2009-07-14T07:52:00.003-05:00

What a smart little oldschool ruler! It's a wood ruler with a digital electronic read out. how convenient... Now all they need to do is make a 24-inch version.

from shayshafranek

The weekend with TJ

2009-07-13T08:22:00.007-05:00

The weather turned out great and everything was just about right this weekend. Saturday was the Tom Jones concert at Ravinia, and we couldn't have asked for better weather. And such cooperation from mother nature, when she was sulking all week with rain here and there.The crowd that gathers at these outside festivals are ginormous. The lawn seating can't see the main stage, but there are speakers everywhere and people picnic (or actually bring their whole dining table and then some) and chill. Considering the amount of people, it's a nice and relaxing time.We were lucky to have had Pavillion (theater) tickets. First time. Here's a picture of the old man himself.
We were probably one of the younger crowds that gathered for this show. But no matter. Here is my husband rocking to the music. He usually shows such little enthusiasm...it was a good concert, I gotta tell ya!

Though there were a few fans that were a little aggressively enthusiastic for my taste. There was a group of middle-aged women (I would suspect 40-50) who decided to take off their underwear and twirl it in the air as Tom Jones sang Sex Bomb. The women in the seats in front of us proceeded to undress and join the festivities. Yes, that's an undie on the left and a bra on the right. yuckie! And they did NOT bring an extra pair! I never thought a TJ concert could get so roudy....

a life-size what?

2009-07-10T09:49:00.004-05:00

I knew japanese people were kinda crazy..but a life-size Gundam?! Hot-damn! And I thought that the transformer I saw in Las Vegas was large...I will be attending a Tom Jones concert @ an outdoor music festival called Ravinia tomorrow. Yeah for Tom!
Have a good weekend!

cute stuff...

2009-07-10T07:30:00.003-05:00

I'm digging the spring storage box at the bottom left. more from bookhou.

gummy bears

2009-07-09T07:58:00.000-05:00

I love gummy bears. gummy worms. gummy colas. gummy anything. But especially gummy bears - so these really perked my interest when I saw them. Not enough for me to buy though...500 bucks for all 5! I always liked the green bear the best..

GummiLights from Jellio: FUN...By Design

and we're home...

2009-07-08T08:25:00.004-05:00

I got home yesterday afternoon, and came home to two crime scenes. I can't even fathom how they happened.. but here are the pix.
Yes, that is CSI: police yellow tape. I know, we are dorks to have this in the house.
This mirror is like 57 tons. I can barely move it, so I am suspecting that both kitties were involved in this scheme. I guess it's good that the mirror didn't shatter all over the place...

♥ing kitteys..

2009-07-07T07:27:00.000-05:00

I don't have much to offer today in terms of blogging, so I will share a picture of a kitten I played with at an adoption fair yesterday. There were tons of kitties at this fair (which I thought was rare, cuz lately there's more older cats than kitties), and they were ALL SO CUTE. I miss my baby kitteys so much. I can't wait to see them tomorrow!

Baby Taro

2009-07-06T07:39:00.001-05:00

I'm actually still in Ann Arbor, extending my 4th of July weekend till Tuesday, since my parents are coming down to Chicago then. Of course, that is thanks to a wonderfully understanding husband who drove all the way home by himself so that I could enjoy a few extra days with family :)

I wrote earlier that I was seeing my nephew, but he's actually my cousin's first child, so that would be...my first cousin once removed (I just looked this up on WikiAnswer). How confusing.

Anyway, since I didn't bring my USB cable for the camera, I can't upload the pictures. BUT, I had the brilliant idea to sit the baby in front of the laptop and use photobooth to take a few pix. Here's me trying to force Taro to laugh for the camera. hehehe.
No forcing necessary after awhile though. (He likes buttons and keyboards)

My tribute to MJ

2009-07-03T07:34:00.002-05:00

There's nothing that says you're a fan of MJ like a stop-animation video of Lego people performing Thriller. awesome! Now have a great weekend, for real!

Happy Independence!

2009-07-02T18:54:00.002-05:00

I'll be heading up to Ann Arbor, Michigan for 4th of July weekend. I'll be seeing my soon-to-be 1 year old nephew. I can't wait. He's freakin' adorable. Pictures to follow next week. Have a good weekend!

•• AyK Designs••

Everyday Life

April Fool's!

Has it already been that long?

Some stuff on the Claire's website

there new favorite spot

a belated christmas picture

our very own tea ceremony

papercutting: Round 3

a small, amazing video

A belated happy new year! papercutting: Round 2

a little bit of snowfall...

Merry Christmas!

papercutting: Round 1

they are friends again, hey!

It's feeling a little bit like Christmas...

I think I just found my new favorite scarf

eco-friendly lunch

Happy Gobble Gobble Day!

The Lion King

tick...tock...

Who's a Chuck fan?

**kitty kat korner** - hanging kuro 2

**kitty kat korner** - hanging kuro

My Apologies!

Happy Monday!

**kitty kat korner** - kuro high above

bag surfing

cold feet

the best song ever

new, obsessively cute bird planters

a resort sort of weekend...

Friday Office

**kitty kat korner** - new toy

pho masta

here it is again...

You're right, it is handsome.

papercutting: Famille Summberbelle

ewww...

this is what i'll be missing...

**kitty kat korner** - kuro in a bag

**kitty kat korner** - headless kitties

say "ahh~"

**kitty kat korner** - box 'o cats

Artist intro: Allison Rose

**kitty kat korner** - concentrating kuro

cute cute CUTE!

pencil art

chic cuteness

Major Da Vinci fan

Can't forget the date

papercutting: Kuro and Shiro

I know it's a forward...

and finally...

**kitty kat korner** - i'm a new fan

**kitty kat korner**-a black blob

**kitty kat korner** - filthy cats

"Oh my god, did you hear?"

fishing frenzy

weekend outting

**kitty kat korner**

Some fine simple die-cutting

OoooOOooo~

yet another cute store

papercutting kind of Friday

CRISTAL

rainbow watch

Delicate cutting

more cool photography

modern recreation

pretty little store...

sleepy kitty...

A special stained glass tribute to Tono

Oh what a long weekend!

smart cup

no pictures please...

It sprouted!

a little bit of rainbow...

turning japanese...

summer read

kitty kat korner - hanging kuro 2

kitty kat korner - hanging kuro

kitty kat korner - kuro high above

kitty kat korner - new toy

kitty kat korner - kuro in a bag

kitty kat korner - headless kitties

kitty kat korner - box 'o cats

kitty kat korner - concentrating kuro

kitty kat korner - i'm a new fan

kitty kat korner-a black blob

kitty kat korner - filthy cats

kitty kat korner