quirky – Page 3 – everydaysparks

Stickmen

Posted on June 20, 2013June 19, 2013 by Cate

I was going through my bookshelves recently and noticed this little book, which I hadn’t looked at for a while. It’s called STICKMEN by Peter Vegas and I can’t remember where I bought it, probably one of those impulse buys at the counter of a book shop (so it must be old – remember book shops?)… Flicking through it still made me smile, so I thought I’d share some of my favourites with you today.

And there are plenty more where those came from – I just did a quick search and it seems that Peter Vegas is a Kiwi who works in advertising and has written a few different Stickmen books in his spare time. They’re simple, they’re quirky and I think they’re great. Hooray for Stickmen!

WWWhat?

Cloning around

Posted on June 17, 2013June 14, 2013 by Cate

Imagine if there was another you – same face, same body shape, same hair colour and maybe even the same outfit and accessories that are your favourites. Oh the fun that You and OtherYou could have, swapping stories about what it’s like to be you, giggling at the same jokes and revelling in your shared view of the world. And look, if that OtherYou can’t actually speak, well, perhaps that’s even better. Which is where a Japanese cloning factory (the ‘Clone Factory’) comes to the party.

Say hello, ladies. [Image from DesignTaxi] — Say hello, clone ladies.
[Image from DesignTaxi, original from culturejapan.jp]

I read about this in the DesignTaxi newsletter – apparently the Factory takes lots of photos from many different angles and then uses 3D printing technology to create OtherYou. And OtherPet, if you don’t find that too close to taxidermy. As you can see from these pics, the result is a little creepy, with an eerily lifelike face. Apparently, lots of women are using the Factory to clone themselves on their wedding day or some other foxy looking day, to preserve it for eternity. But I reckon when you’re a wrinkly old lady, riddled with arthritis and with your best years in the rear vision mirror, the last thing you’d want to see all day is the smug looking OtherYou On Your Wedding Day and her perfect young face.

Lookin' good, OtherYou. — Lookin’ good, OtherYou.
[Image from DesignTaxi, original from culturejapan.jp]

Of course, the possibilities are endless – you could dress up OtherYou to find out what styles suit you, whether your bum really does look big in those jeans, or what you would look like as a Star Wars Stormtrooper.

Boys will be boys... [Image from DesignTaxi, original from japanculture.jp] — Boys will be boys…
[Image from DesignTaxi, original from japanculture.jp]

You could also put OtherYou in the car so that you could drive in those pesky T2 lanes that require a passenger, or perhaps send OtherYou along to an event that you’re not really keen to attend, or even set OtherYou up to take Skype calls that you’d rather avoid (pretending you’ve lost your voice). Now that I think of it, this version of personal cloning is starting to sound pretty appealing…

Fashion Sparks

Faux Fashion

Posted on May 1, 2013April 28, 2013 by Cate

Another fab.com find today – this time, one for the fashionistas. Well, not quite. They’re clothes, sure, but they’re a little bit different and most certainly won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. Faux Real make ‘photorealistic apparel’. Uh huh. According to their website, Faux Real shirts are for people who ‘want to stand out from the everyday fashion crowd’. When a normal t-shirt just doesn’t cut it anymore, you might need to upgrade to a Faux Real ‘outfit’ t-shirt instead. I can’t really tell you any more, I need to show you some of the pics from the website for you to see for yourself…

Look out, little ladies. It's the Faux Real 70's vest for toddlers. — Look out, little ladies. It’s the Faux Real 70’s vest for toddlers.

From the bassinet to the boardroom, this Faux Real romper suit shows that your baby means business. — From the bassinet to the boardroom, this romper suit shows that your baby means business.

Surely every man needs a faux bacon suit. Surely.

And here's the 'Beauty Queen' shirt for the ladies. BYO kooky glasses. — And here’s the ‘Beauty Queen’ shirt for the ladies. BYO kooky glasses.

But this one really baffles me - a faux camping shirt. Should be perfect for the Camino. — But this one really baffles me – a faux camping shirt. I’m getting one for the Camino.

You can check out these and other very quirky shirts at the Faux Real website here.

Arty sparks

Edible Art

Posted on March 18, 2013March 17, 2013 by Cate

I’m not an artist, so I’m frequently left in awe of people with artistic talent. And when an artist uses some wacky materials in their work, so much the better, I say. Which is why I was so excited to discover the work of Malaysian artist-architect Hong Yi (nickname Red) via one of my favourite sites: designboom. One of Red’s latest projects is ’31 Days Of Creativity With Food’. Sounds good. Looks AMAHZING! Here are some of my favourites…

Hong Yi's foodie version of 'The Scream', via designboom.com — Hong Yi’s foodie version of ‘The Scream’, via designboom.com

Hong Yi's chickens, via designboom.com — Hong Yi’s chickens, via designboom.com

Now these are the kind of balloons that I like, along with Hong Yi's soy sauce people, via designboom.com — Now these are the kind of balloons that I like, along with Hong Yi’s soy sauce people, via designboom.com

Grrrr - eat your radish, carrots and prunes, says Hong Yi's tiger, via designboom.com — Grrrr – eat your radish, carrots and prunes, says Hong Yi’s tiger, via designboom.com

Incredible Oreo art by Hong Yi, via designboom.com

You can check out more great pics on the designboom site here and there are more amazing projects on Red’s official website here. Such incredible talent and imagination, I’m truly in awe.

Fashion Sparks

These shirts smell.

Posted on February 26, 2013February 25, 2013 by Cate

They had me at the name Smellies Clothing. And the tag line – interactive t-shirts – was so full of possibility. A t-shirt that could hold a conversation, perhaps? Or play fetch with a stick in the park? Not quite, my friends, but still AMAZING. The ranges include Colourchange (Hypercolor-style, they change colour with touch and body heat) and Glow In The Dark (um, yep, these ones glow in the dark). Oh, and just one other range of interactive t-shirts…SCRATCH N’ SMELL T-SHIRTS.

Unfortunately, they only come in little people’s sizes at the moment, but I reckon if we start an EverydaySparks petition, we might just be able to push for the production of adult-size scratch n’ smell t-shirts. The only problem I can see is if people try to scratch you while you’re wearing it. I distinctly remember fights over scratch n’ sniff stickers back in the day, when people would sneak scratches and sniffs, reducing the powers of your magic stickers and resulting in tears. There was an irresistible sort of urge to scratch them, which wouldn’t be so great when they’re in t-shirt form – if you were wearing your Smellies t-shirt on a crowded train, say. Or at a job interview. Or on a blind date. But otherwise, love your work, Smellies Clothing!

All of these pics are from their website and you can check out the ranges (and the very reasonable prices) from this unique Australian company here.

As always, EverydaySparks takes no responsibility for any harm, addictions, or resurfacing childhood memories that result from this post or any purchase that you or your loved ones may make from Smellies…