Flashback Friday: Grimace

In the grand old debate on what Goofy was (man or dog?) and what Gonzo was (bird or insect?), when I was a kid I wondered what Grimace was (must be something with the letter "G" that makes things ambiguous). 

Those of us ol' timers remember when McDonalds had McDonaldland. McDonaldland was McDonald's marketing tool which began in 1971. The fantasy world was inhabited by Ronald McDonald and his cast of supporting characters (Officer Big Mac, Hamburglar, The Fry Kids, Mayor McCheese, Birdie the Early Bird, to name but a few). Most of these characters traits were easily correlated to who they were: Ronald was a clown, Officer Big Mac and Mayor McCheese were a hamburger and cheeseburger respectively, Hamburglar was a guy who steals hamburgers.  

(via Flickriver)

But what was Grimace? He was a big purple, blobby thing with big round eyes and bushy eyebrows. He originally began as a bad guy who stole milkshakes, but by 1972 he was changed into a good guy and his appearance was made less menacing. 

McDonald's described Grimace as such: "He is a big fuzzy purple fellow and Ronald's special pal."  Thanks McDonalds for making things as clear as mud. 

You know there are just some mysteries which shall forever remain a mystery - like Stonehenge, crop circles, UFOs - I should come to accept that the big purple blobby thing called Grimace shall remain that big purple blobby thing called Grimace. He was officially retired from McDonalds in 2003 - RIP Grimace.

Cloches

Glass cloches were originally invented by the French. The purpose was to protect young plants from the harsher outside elements (i.e. weather, insects, etal). They acted almost like a miniature greenhouse. 

But lately, glass cloches can be used for home decor. People put any treasured or interesting item under them. Some of my favorites include the following:

(via Twig Terrariums)

If I had to put a plant in a cloche, I would choose a terrarium (the cloche would protect the terrarium from not just the weather elements, but from me - because I would probably kill it in a New York minute). 

(via Enchanted Doll)

How awesome is this porcelain doll! with her sterling silver head dress with fresh water pearls and Mohair wig, you can see why she needs to be displayed and protected under her glass cloche. 

(via designlovefest)

How about putting miniature furniture under your cloche? I had a thing for miniature chairs at one point in my tchotchke-infused life and now feel I need to bring that obsession back just to put it under it's own glass dome. 

(via Pinterest via Rockett St George)

I like the idea of shoving a bunch of your kids toys inside of the cloche. Probably a good storage method too for all my son's loose lego figures - home decor and toy storage...Score!

(via sfgirlbybay)

This idea is my favorite: something as simple as a paper figure or origami placed inside the cloche. It's easy to change out once in awhile. 

Have something you love to display? Well cloche it. 

Art is everywhere

When I look for art I sometimes do not have to look further than my own home. My son, Milo, is five years old and has an imagination as limitless as every child seems to have. 

Just recently while I was at work, my sister emailed me a photo of what my son and his cousin, Isa, had created using a piece of plastic and fallen succulent leaves. They said it was a robot and doggone it! it looked like a robot:

(photo by Stephanie McMahon)

While I kill plants, my son makes art out of the dead parts - we make a perfect team.

Flashback Friday: The Outsiders

I remember the exact moment my girlish hormones went from "I'm too shy to say I'm crushing on this guy, because I'm still not sure what this is all about" to "Hello cutest guy on the planet! Please become my boyfriend!!!!!!" (had to add all those explanation points, because pre-teen girls say everything excitedly). That moment was 1983 when the movie The Outsiders (based upon the novel by S.E. Hinton) came sauntering into my life. Literally that movie was a living, breathing, Teen Beat magazine, but it had a certain grown-up feel to it because Francis Ford Coppola directed it and there was no cheezy '80s music montage moment (which BTW there is nothing wrong with those '80s music montage moments - The Karate Kid wouldn't be what it is without them).  

Check out this cast:  Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, C. Thomas Howell, Emilio Estevez and Tom Cruise. All of them in their youthful beauty back then. My particular crushes were on C. Thomas Howell (Ponyboy Curtis) and Rob Lowe (Sodapop Curtis). And when I say "crushes," I mean like your typical over-obsessive teen crushes: plastering my bedroom walls with their posters, buying every possible Teen Beat, Bop, etal magazines, watching subsequent movies made by them...the list goes on and on.  And to be honest, even though my teen crush on C. Thomas has faded, I still find Rob Lowe (who is almost 50 years old) smoking hot. Need proof:

But I digress. The movie does not feel dated either (maybe because the movie was set in the 1960s, but filmed in the 1980s and therefore is hard to pinpoint the look of this movie) and it's score was done by The Godfather's Carmine Coppola and Stevie Wonder did the title track "Stay Gold" (inspired by Robert Frost's poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay"). There is too much cool attached to this film. Those that were disappointed the original film did not include additional scenes based upon the book, Coppola did release his "director's cut" with 22 additional minutes in 2005. 

Want tidbits?

• This was Rob Lowe's first major film role.  He was 17 years old
• The majority of the main cast were under 20 years old, except Patrick Swayze who was in his 30s and Ralph Macchio who was in his 40s (I kid! He was 20, but looked the youngest)
• Director/writer (and Francis Ford Coppola's daughter) Sofia Coppola had a cameo as the girl who kept pestering Matt Dillon for a dime
• The author of The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton, had a cameo as a nurse in one of the hospital scenes
• For those who probably have GIFS or Tumblrs of Tom Cruise running in his movies, he does have a very brief running scene before they fight the Socs in the big rumble scene (also Cruise has the least amount of screen time than the other main cast members)
• Blooper fans? When Matt Dillon (Dally) falls off the chair in the drive-in theatre it was really an accident, but they kept the scene in the movie
• Blush moments for a pre-teen girl: (1) Rob Lowe (Sodapop) coming out of the shower; and (2) Matt Dillon (Dally) in his tightie whities

Yeah, I still love The Outsiders. *Sigh*

What a cubicle dweller dreams of...celebrity style

I find Chelsea Handler not very funny (sorry Handler fans), but the gal has an beautiful office space. Which makes me think that in real life she isn't as abrasive or crude, but a sweet, girly girl like the rest of us.  

(via)

Her office is super feminine. All those pops of pinks and magenta. The desk facing the lounge area is perfect if I wanted to do work and entertain at the same time or when I just want to kick back and read some design books.  

(via)

How about that awesome wall art by Kyle Bunting. It is made entirely of hide. It is definitely appreciated from afar as well as up close. The brass Arteriors lamp is of the moment and fits in perfectly with the decor. 

Check out the rest of her space over here. Girlfriend even has a vanity mirror desk and a floor to ceiling marble bathroom.

Art is everywhere

Graphic designer Eiko Ojala created this vertical landscape illustration. It looks like cut paper, but it isn't.  Eiko draws everything digitally by hand to make it look like cut paper. He does not use any 3D software. His illustrations are amazing. Check out the details.

Go visit this talented illustrator's website and see the rest of his work.

Happy Paddy's Day

I do not believe there is any Irish blood in my vast filipino background, but that didn't stop me from celebrating St. Patrick's Day growing up. I remember as a kid I was so afraid of not wearing green because that would usually result in me getting a swift and painful pinch from my siblings. 

In celebration of St. Paddy's Day, this blog post is done DesignStylePop! style:

(via)

Design. San Diego's Emerald Plaza Building, located in downtown San Diego, is probably the most visible sight when you fly into San Diego at night. It's the fifth tallest building in San Diego clocking in at 450 feet. It's architectural style is post-modern. It is quite literally our own Emerald City.

Style. I've always admired Monique Lhuillier's fashion. The fact that she is also part-Filipino doesn't hurt, but at the same time she has a wonderful sense of what looks good on a woman by highlighting and enhancing our femininity by her common use of lace and flowing chiffon. Her Fall 2013 collection I'm completing loving, there is such an opulence to it. She even uses Pantone's color of the year (Emerald) to good effect. 

Pop. Kermit the Frog is my favorite muppet. His Rainbow Connection performance sitting by the lily pond strumming on his banjo was as touching as they come. Kermit was always a little too unsure of himself- reminds me of myself. So it was nice to see this inspirational billboard on the freeway from the Foundation for a Better Life. Even a frog like Kermit should feel confident and proud and show to everyone that it is easy "being green."

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you all!