Gizzy is the Shizzy - I heart Gremlins!

Oh yes indeedy! We all love Gremlins (especially Gizmo - big aaaaaaah), and I totally adore the new Giles Gremlin bags that have made an appearance on the catwalk recently. This bag is serious; it has got to be one of my favourite bags ever (pure genius) and when I can find a decent piccie of it (hopefully before it hits the shops) I will be posting it quicker than you can sing along to the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs soundtrack! The below t-shirt is a great substitute tho, and at £15.99 probably a hell of a lot cheaper! From rather intriguing store Kids of the 80's

The Bird has Flown its Nest!

Thank you everyone for your kind words on my 100th post recently, where I featured an interview with the artist Liz Adams who kindly donated a sketch for a giveaway. I can happily say, that I have now picked a lucky commenter to receive the beautiful "Baby Bird" sketch, and this is Miss Pixie, who I discovered on clicking through on her comment, is a very talented illustrator in her own right! Please check out her lovely work on I Drew This!

Design Democracy

I am pleased to announce that I have been nominated for the MyDeco Design Democracy Awards in the Best Newcomer category! MyDeco is one of my fave design sites, so you can imagine my joy at this nomination! Part of the ethos of MyDeco is the concept of Design Democracy, and so here I shall endeavor to give my interpretation of what this means to me.

Being a blogger, I know first hand what democracy means in terms of creativity. I love to write about and share great design, beautiful objects, impressive new talent. Blogging enables you to easily be able to source and research these things. You don't have to be an industry insider or go to a dusty library to swat up on art or fantastic design. Also, I don't feel that I would be able to collate and creatively showcase these things without the very new technology which has only very recently occurred. It is easier than ever for people like myself, who are not creative professionals but have a love of beauty and who would like a vessel for their own frustrated creativity!

So for me personally, good blogging can have a great design ethic, whilst coupled with that true independent spirit of say a zine, but with the chance to reach a far wider audience without great financial cost. And what could be more democratic than that?!

Beautiful Vincente Gracia Peacock Ring

...guess where from? Yep, Kabiri! I am going to pray very hard for this, or put it on my list for Santa, or hope I win the lottery. Anyways I want one and I'm going to gets me one!  This Masai influenced ring is made from distressed bronze, with finishing touches in 18k yellow gold. I think it's positively regal. Do check Kabiri out at the moment, their shop looks the best I've ever seen it, and they always support and encourage new talent, which is one of the things we care passionately about at Pargy!

Fred Butler headpiece for Kabiri

I wanted to share this beautiful headpiece that the amazing Fred Butler has been making. She posted it yesterday on her outstanding blog. It's been created  for the ever so bang-on-the-money Kabiri (who have the most incredible range of jewellery in the world ever, well apart from the ancient Byzantines, who I suppose you could say, were pretty good at jewellery making!)

..and now for something a little dark!

This post is a bit of a double whammy as I haven't done a "Something 4 the Boys" post for a while; and also, I keep meaning to do a write up on the website "Culture Label", which I have to confess, I am totally addicted to! Culture Label is simply a site which trawls through the museum shops of all the top UK art galleries and museums, to bring you the bestest stuff ever! Whoever does the selecting has seriously good taste (so good in fact, I usually have to hide my credit card every time I go on the site!) I have selected some slightly macabre, but utterly lovely objects for the men in your life!

"For The Love Of God: The Making Of The Diamond Skull" - Book

"Don't make wild promises you can't keep" bedding - how apt!

Very real looking silver thumb knife rest - you can have a lot of fun with this!

Patternity Furniture

Regular visitors of Pargy will know that one of my favourite sites currently is Patternity. They have done all kinds of collaborations in the past, most recently with Tour de Force (see previous post on TDF). In addition to this, they also produce the most fantastic geometric tights. Their online "resource" is a record of inspiring photographic patterns and is continually amazing. Well, now, the Patternity girls, along with furniture maker Toby Winteringham, have created some beautiful furniture which showcased recently at the Milan Salone Satellite. The range is called "Phase" and is a mixture of rather stunning Bauhaus inspired furniture, but is adorned with the Patternity girls' postmodernist patterns. Below are some beautiful pictures of said furniture.

Anyone fancy a dip?

Now, I know that some people may well snigger at this post; I mean dips, how last century, passe? (etc). However, I make no apologies for being a complete dip-a-holic. Point one, I think dips are such a great middle class institution; and point two: Sometimes simplicity is all you need, and what could be more simple than emptying the contents of a tub of salsa and chucking some crisps in a bowl? You can either do the whole Abigail's Party/ Margot from the Good Life retro thing and dish out really mental looking crudites with industrial sized bowls of dips (whilst sporting your finest Pucci-style cocktail wear of course). Or you can get some really beautiful modern dip bowls and have a go at making up your own dip ideas (I like making a healthy pesto, creme fraiche and pine nut one). Either way, you can concentrate on circulating the room with Champagne glass in hand (instead being stuck in the kitchen), hurrah!

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to!

A new take on the dip bowl @ Nambé

Really Jerry - what will the neightbours say!

Handle-less cups from Notonthehighstreet

Pop Justice strikes again!

Oooh yes, I love Pop Justice. It's one of the funniest savviest blogs on the block. If you have a day where you are feeling crap, PJ lifts you up! Don't believe me? Then check out the following review of the new Katie Price (Jordan) single below. Sheer brilliance!

"SOME PEOPLE ARE NATURAL POPSTARS"

Some people are not.

Some people are not, and never will be.

Some people are not, never will be, and know they never will be.

Some people are not, never will be, know they never will be, and hope that nobody else has noticed.

Some people are not, never will be, know they never will be, and know that everybody else has noticed. But they go through the motions anyway because they hold pop music, their fans, and all music fans in such low regard that they think it doesn't matter.

...Worse than Scouting for Girls"

Sadly there is no photo to accompany this piece of writing: Instead I've opted for an alternative picture of a couple of cute kittens.

White and red

Urban Outfitters have always stocked really cool stuff and on looking at their site today I especially liked these below red and white bits n pieces - for a bit of a Meg from the White Stripes vibe! First up there's the Lomography Fisheye camera, which captures 170 degrees of your field of vision (see early post on Rob Ryan for the spectacular one which he designed not so long ago for UO) - in Pillar Box Red, of course. Follow that by spinning some discs on this funky turntable which, with a USB jack, will plug into your Mac/ PC. You can also make recordings of your vinyl which can be copied over onto Itunes etc. And finally, the cherry on the cake, these fabby Hello Kitty earphones. Rock out!

Merle O’Grady Ring

Frequent visitors to Popartrockgirlyeah! will be familiar with my jewellery obsession and in particular, my attempts to try and find pieces that I think are just that bit different and special! So, I thought I'd share this absolutely stunning ring by Merle O'Grady with you- it kind of reminds me of the Charles & Ray Eames Sputnuk lamps (another obsession of mine!) Watch out for the work of Ms O'Grady. I think she is incredibly talented and I can see various places queuing to sell her pieces. As per usual Kabiri are one step ahead of the game and have some of her jewellery being added to their online store shortly

Great graphic design at Envelope!!

Thank you Miss Pixie at I Drew This, for bringing the concept of Envelope to my attention! This European online initiative (based in Belgium) is designed to get the work of graphic illustrators off of their desks, and onto cool tote bags and fabby cushion covers etc for us lucky people to utilize (I was so pleased that their cushion covers are available in three sizes, including the v difficult to find 60 x 60 which I need for at home!) The selection is vast and the quality of design is very high, so if you have bare cushions at home that need covering you really must check this site out. Below are some of my favourites including the "funky humps" design from the aforementioned Miss Pixie!

Hannah Zakari

Came across this lovely online shop today. Whoever does the buying for this site has got super-cute taste! I particularly love the below bits n pieces! Hannah Zakari

Heart Friends necklace

Rabbit vase

Fringed clutch

Pargy 100th Post Birthday! Interview with "Pargy" artist Liz Adams; plus Liz Adams sketch giveaway!

Well, normally I like to keep my post titles short and snappy, but today is Popartrockgirlyeah!'s 100th post birthday, so I am well and truly pushing the boat out! There's an interview with renowned US artist and illustrator Liz Adams (creator of the Pargy character/ logo), plus a giveaway of one of her lovely sketches to one lucky commenter (see beautiful "baby bird" sketch below). Don't forget to subscribe by e-mail to Popartrockgirlyeah in order that I can contact you should you be that lucky commenter! :-)

Now onto the interview with the very talented Liz Adams

Hello and welcome Liz!

To start us off, maybe you could tell us a bit about your background?

I grew up in Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona. As a kid I was always pretty creative and knew that I wanted to work as an artist. I majored in mixed media at Arizona State University where I focused on making sculptural work. After graduating, I moved to Los Angeles and worked as a photo retoucher and fine art printer for several years. I was constantly doodling in my notebooks and making little paintings. I started doing a few illustration assignments for my work and friends. I enjoyed it so much that I built up a portfolio and began promoting my illustration. About six months later I got my first job with a magazine and it has grown from there. I currently work as a freelance illustrator and the majority of my work is for editorial and publishing clients.

Popartrockgirlyeah! likes to try to promote new talent in the visual arts: For anyone starting out in art and illustration, what advice would you give them?

Find a flexible job while you are pursuing your work. I had one for several years while I was freelancing and it made things so much easier if my freelance slowed down for a while. I would also advise someone starting out to be persistent and have patience because it does take time and work. I was recently hired for the first time by a client who I've been sending samples to for years. You just never know when you will be the right fit for something.

One of the qualities I really love about your artwork is its quirky, whimsical style - it reminds me a little bit of the work of artist Marc Chagall - like a beautiful fantasy world! How would you best describe your art?

In a lot of my personal work I tend to show creatures and/or girls in playful, atmospheric environments. They are like little daydreams where things are sometimes floating or flying. I like to work in a lot of ways whether it is just doodling with paint, or working on a more involved artwork in Photoshop & Illustrator.

Your artwork is very colourful and colour is obviously very important to you. What are the everyday objects that particularly inspire you in terms of colour?

I use colors that are happy and peaceful to me. Everyday things that inspire me include animals, foods, cute stuff in general and video games. I am also very inspired by my childhood, the desert and the sea.

Some of the pictures that I have posted today of your work contains female rock n roll musicians - is being in a band something which you have experience of personally?

I have always admired a lot of female musicians. When I was little I was obsessed with the cartoon Jem and the Holograms. I played drums for an all girl band called The Peeps throughout high school and college. I don't really have the time or the drive to play in a band anymore, though I still like to make drawings about music.

What is your own personal take on fashion and style and what are your favourite items of clothing?

I like hoodies and sweaters that are so soft they feel like a blanket. Also anything with polka dots. I wouldn't consider myself a fashionable person by any means, but I like to look through magazines for illustration inspiration.

Do you get much in the way of inspiration from other mediums such as film and fashion?

I like John Waters' movies and Pee-Wee's Playhouse. As far as fashion goes I'm inspired by a lot of 60s' fashion as well as sci-fi and comic book ladies.

I can see from your blog that you have lots of interesting projects on the go at the moment; please tell us more. What sorts of things can we expect from Liz Adams in the future?

I've just been really focused on growing my illustration business in the last couple years. It has been really tough in this economy, but this is something I really want to keep plugging away at. I also want to make more personal work since that's been on the back burner for a while. I hope to sell more prints and things online in the near future as well.

Check out more of Liz's work at: http://www.liz-adams.com/

99th Post!

A picture of some really rather nice shoes. Fendi, from Net-a-Porter.

WFP: Belle du Jour

Weekend Flick Pick

Being a blogger can be a very indecisive occupation. Par exemple, yesterday my mind was made up to write up a WFP on À bout de souffle. Today, however, after having an intense (and unexpectedly nice) dream last night (about kissing one of my ex-boyfriend's friends, and yes it was just a kiss), I decided to change it to Belle de Jour. Unfortunately my ex-boyfriend's friend, despite having his own unique charm, doesn't exactly look like Pierre Clémenti - as pictured below (who plays the gorgeous and youthfully over-enthusiastic gangster Marcel), but I'm sure the director of the film, Luis Buñuel, would have approved of my over indulgent psychoanalysis for this post anyway!

Belle is one of those giants of cinema that is luckily still very fresh today, and is much easier to sit through than Citizen Kane or Battleship Potemkin. Its subject matter is still incredibly shocking even by today's standards. Belle de Jour, is a pun on the French phrase,  Belle du Nuit, which literally means "Woman of the Night". You can guess then what the occupation of the leading character of Belle (Severin) is. The film inspired the song Venus in Furs by The Velvet Underground, and is referenced as the name of the lead character in British TV programme Secret Diary of a Call Girl, starring Billie Piper.

The plot is virtually impossible to describe as it doesn't follow a strict narrative sequence; plus there's lots of symbolism and dream sequences (or are they dreams?) They all follow the sexploits of Severin as she gives up the life of a bored rich housewife (these art house films are full of them!) and embarks upon a day job that most of us would find a tad weird. The Director Luis Buñuel has a great sense of humour and there are some hilarious laugh out loud moments. The film has a genuine feel of absurdity to it.

And then there's Catherine Deneuve; who is incredible in this film (and so is her wardrobe). It is  the ultimate guide in how to do 60's chic; I can't think of anything that betters it!

So if you are a bit of a prude/ or have never had an unsettling dream about kissing the friend of an ex, then this probably isn't for you, instead, I'd check out the post on the 65th birthday of The Moomins that I'm writing in a couple of days time!

60's French thug chic

Tord Boontje: The Lacemaker

Tord Boontje is one of those designers who creates objects which leave you speechless. The light shades which he designed for Habitat in the late 90's, changed the way in which people in this country shopped for their home furniture. Previously, interiors were all modernist design-by-numbers minimalism. Boontje broke the mould. His work is inspired by fairytale glades and nature gone wild. It is both cutting edge cool, and also a bit Arts & Craftsy. There is a new exhibition of his take on modern lace making at the Marsden Woo Gallery which looks incredible. Check out the below exhibits!

The e-shoe.

This is apparently the world's first wireless-guitar shoe, and is a collaboration between Chicks On Speed and shoe designer Max Kibardin. No, I don't know how I've managed to live without a pair of these until now either!

Water Sylph

As much as I adore all the colourful trends that have been happening recently in the world of jewellery, the clear simplicity of these items from Saks Fifth Avenue, really stands out. This is pure jewellery detox! First piece from Stephen Dweck, second and third, Kenneth Jay Lane.

WFP: Scarface

Weekend Flick Pick

Scarface has to be one of my favourite 8o's films. It has everything you could possible want from a flick: Style, glamour, violence, thrilling nail-biting moments, potential incest (OK well possibly not quite everything). Al Pacino is the fire-rocket that is Tony Montana, and Michelle Pfieffer plays Elvira Hancock, the glamourpuss wife of his drug dealing business partner Frank Lopez (who Tony incidentally bumps off as he's rather taken a shine to Elvira himself!)

The violence in this film is full throttle. I would warn you that if you are averse to grisly scenes, then you might want to go and make a cup of tea at the beginning of the film when the shower scene is on - Clue: think shower curtain rails, handcuffs, a chainsaw and lots of fake blood, and no, I still can't watch it either!

In terms of ideology, Scarface is hardly likely to win the  "lets-paint-the-Latino-community-in-a-really-positive-light award", but if you can get beyond that, then the storyline is very compelling. In fact it's so sit on the edge of your seat nerve-racking that you might actually end up eating your full body weight in popcorn before you even get to the bit where Tony decides that actually he doesn't fancy his murdered business partner's wife anymore - he fancies his sister!

...and then there's that fantastic gun totting end scenario, which gives even Rambo, or Bonnie and Clyde a run for its money! This film is a must see, but either buy in some Calms tablets or nerve tonic first!

Michelle Pfieffer;  rich bored housewife chic

Colette, Paris...

...no, not the Sapphic-scibbler of great novels such as Gigi and Cheri. Rather, I'm talking about Colette the mindbendingly-cool shop on the Rue Saint-Honore, Paris, that is more like a stockpile of pop objects d'art than a boring old shop. Anyways, today, thanks to the bang-on-the-money girls over at Throw a Tantrum Magazine, I stumbled across this awesome collaboration that Colette have done with Warner Brothers to celebrate 75 years of DC Comics! Top Frenchie-fashion honchos have been commissioned to create the pieces, and according to Collette's website, this is who's responsible for what: "Alexis Mabille for The Joker, Balmain and Lanvin for Batman, Karl Lagerfeld for The Green Lantern, Sonia Rykiel and Maison Michel for Wonderwoman, Pierre Hardy and Julien David for Superman, Thierry Lasry for Plastic Man, Repetto for Flash, and Roger Vivier for Catwoman." Definitely my fashion-superhero dream team! Have a look at some of the below and try to guess which item of clothing belong what super hero!