squee 河井美咲 // Misaki Kawai the Heta-uma colorful artist
Purikura -
Japanese Photobooth in your pocket!
Article 1 August 17, 2012
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NEW WAYS TO TOAST YOUR USB
SAILORMOON
makes a comeback
We’ve done it! Welcome to the first issue of Squee! Growing up inspried me in so many different ways. Meeting new cultures, watching cartoons, watching anime, visiting stationery stores in Korea, and growing my love for tea - I’m still evolving and learning about new things that I like. One of my top loves though? - cute, adorable things with big, big eyes. In Squee you’ll find kawaii stationery, jewelry, handmade, diy, tech gear, artists, and articles. We compile only the best stuff we find to deliver it to you. Why? Because it’s a passion! And being able to share our love of charming things and hearing your feedback is more than awesome. We happily accept new ideas and finds at any time, so send us a message and it could be featured in the next issue (of course, with props to the finder)! I look forward to hearing from everyone! xoxo - Editor
do it yourself!
As much fun going digital has been these past years, I miss receiving hand written letters. I always try to send friends and family handmade things when I can; I take so much time with it making sure that every detail is right. Once in a while though, I’ll forget to buy the envelopes to stuff my letter and stickers into! Thankfully, I remember and found a quick DIY to making your own letter from a heart.
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Ingredients: - Glue - Paper
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Trending // Cute Food
Cut out your paper in to a heart shape similar to the one shown.
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Turn your paper over (to the side without the design) and create creases on the outside of the heart.
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Flip those flaps over. Create a crease a little higher than the middle. Put glue right above and below the creases on the design side of the paper (dark pink in the illusrtation). Fold the flap on the crease and press down hard on the glue.
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Completely spin what you have so far 180 , so you can now see the top flap of the envelope. Crease the flap.
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Fold the flap over. Your done, good job!
Special treats for you to look at! Straight from cutestfood.com
aspire! ChibiBunny,
ChibiBunny,
ChibiBunny With over 14,200 watchers on DeviantArt, Dao Thuy Duong (aka Tho-be) is an artist to inspire to! Her Japanese-esque kawaii drawings are not only adorable, but also useful. Her store, ChibiBunny, features her latest stationery, fashion, and home accessories all based on the illustrations she creates. Not only does she make messenger bags and buttons, but you can also find an arrangement of pillow covers and doormats! Her style is extraordinarily cute and instantly sets the happiness mood up a notch. Her shop is set in Hong Kong and you can find her goods on multiple websites; including a shop that offers phone cases, tablet sleeves, shirts, hats, and more. On top of the accessories that she provides for fans of cute animals and creatures, she also updates her DeviantArt page on almost a weekly basis with her own drawings and commissions.
Kawaii pillow cases and bags from ChibiBunny™ She offers commission drawings ranging anywhere from $1540, depending on the style (Chibi, backgrounds, characters, etc..). Notably, during the Tsunami relief for Japan in March 2011, Tho-be created a special “Hope for Japan - donated mug” for the Zazzle.com community. The total efforts of Zazzle for this cause reached more than $12,500. Tho-be appreciates all of her fans and has offered several giveaways, at least four in the past year so far. When addressing all of her fans for the numerous “favorites” and comments she’s received she said, “I would like to thank all of you for your love and support for a long time... I still receive a lot of comments, faves and views whenever I log in ^^ They really made me happy and warm”.
Land of the Rising Kitty In Hello Kitty’s newest adventures, she explores a bright and colorful array of geisha themed outfits, bags, stationery, wallets, lunch boxes, and more! Announced on August 16 on a new post under the Hello Kitty blog, Sanrio explores Hello Kitty NuGeisha and her home and culture of Japan, with a vibrant twist to it. With bright pinks, purples, and oranges, the new collectibles immediately catch the eye of all fans. In all of the products Hello Kitty is seen wearing a kawaii kimono with her hair sprinkled with bows, flowers, and combs. On top of the new collection, Sanrio is also offering a new app on Facebook that allows users to send “sweet gifts inspired by Hello Kitty’s NuGeisha style to all your Facebook friends”. The gift encourages all Facebook users to send their friends the gifts and get extra points on the app of their own. View the app here >> http://on.fb.me/vQ5nXd
ooh, that’s cute!
You can never have too many cute things!
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Whipped Cream cellphone cases topped with adorable characters, macaroons, cookies, and gems? Yes Please!“Deco” phone cases are a craze that have been around for a while, adopted from, of course, Japan! Find the perfect one for you anywhere on the internet (Etsy.com is a good one), order a custom made case, or create your own! $65 - Chocoo (Etsy.com) These screen printed pillow cases are one of a kind! Not only do they represent your love for cats, but they’re perfect for taking a quick nap on too. $28 - Xenotees (Etsy.com)
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This lip balm collection from Etude House features bees! All made with honey, they feature natural elements and top each one off with adorable characters. Editor: “My Personal fave is the ‘ladybug story’ scent - it smells like fresh lilies!” $5 - EtudeHouse (Price is based off of Korean won) Would you like some tea with that? These adorable toasts all fit in a usb hub toaster. You could have your toast as Butta, Ry Ry, Crisp, or Tato. Me? I’ll take them all. $24.99 - ThinkGeek
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Throw away your old, regular photo booth machine! Download Charuka Purikura for free on your smartphone and have an arsenal of adorable frames and stickers to put on your next photo. Free - Charuka Purikura (iTunes)
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If you haven’t seen it on the internet yet, here’s what this orange box contains: A cat that sneakily steals coins placed on his fish plate. This adorable kitty bank has stolent hearts (and change) all over the globe. Need some extra change? Introduce your friends to kitty bank. $39.99 - ModCloth
she’s back! Sailormoon Debuts Again in 2013 美少女戦士セーラームーン This might be old news for some, but in early July on the 20th anniversary of the release of “Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon”, creator Takeuchi Naoko announced that in 2013 a new anime series featuring our favorite meatball head would premier. On top of an amazing new series coming soon, Naoko also said that they would release it worldwide simultaneously - meaning that everyone in the world will be able to watch it in their own language when the first episode is released! The new series is not promised anytime sooner than summer 2013. However, there have been positive rumors that voice actress Mitsuishi Kotono ( Usagi/Sailor Moon) and Furuya Tohru (Tuxedo Mask) will both be replaying their roles. Also, it is reported that Momoiro Clover Z, a popular Japanese all girl idol group, will be singing the theme song; whether it be the original “Moonlight Densetsu” or an entirely new song has not yet been announced. Childhood nostalgia is sure to be revisited, Naoko specifically mentioned her original fans and said that she was excited to bring it back.
I wonder what crazy adventures she’ll have this time around? Takuechi Naoko commented that she might make a guest appearence.
Special Delivery - Modes4U I’m always a bit hesitant when it comes to ordering things online; either because my father taught me it was a big scary world on the internet, or because of the few bad stories I’ve heard of. However, after looking through dozens of adorable clay models, decoden, and whipped cream phone cases, I decided I just had to make one for myself! I looked a couple places online to search for good quality DIY kits to get myself started, and came across Modes4U - a website that features Japanese and artistic stationery, fabric, kits, toys, and more. After looking through I ordered three different things and read through the websites policies and shipping (because it’s shipped from Hong Kong, they have different shipping methods
than the US). After ordering I expected my stuff to arrive within 3-4 weeks. I came home a week and half later after ordering and found my boyfriend holding and eyeballing my package! Excited I grabbed it from his hand and ripped it open (well, not literally - but you get the point). I was glad to find everything in good condition, packaged well, and was surprised to find an adorable freebie they threw in - a Rilakkuma themed packaging tape. Needless to say, I’m very happy with my purchase from them and in the future I definitely plan on purchasing more! I definitely recommend them for all of your genuine Japanese needs!
河井美咲
Colorful, whimsical, creative, extreme, child-like These are all words that merely try to explore the definitions of Misaki Kawai’s (Kah-why) work. Currently being featured at the Watermill Center in NYC in the show titled “the Big Bang”, Kawai is an artist that has roots based in both Japan, New York, Thailand, Nepal, and Turkey. Born in 1978 in Kagena, Japan, Misaki spent her childhood years in Osaka influenced from both culture and artistic parents. Her father, an architect, also practiced painting on the side and her mother, a clothing designer, created puppets. Kawai took from both of them and eventually found herself at Kyoto College of Arts. She graduated in 1998 and moved to New York in 2000 where she was able to experience new cultures and include them in her style. Kawai’s style is not so similar to what the average museum goer is used to seeing. Influenced by the prominent appearance of manga while growing up in Japan, she has adopted a technique in Japan called “Heta-uma”, translating to “bad technique with good result”. Her technique has evolved with the low - quality objects, textiles, fabric and handmade dolls that she has collected throughout her
Kawai standing next to her piece of The Big Bang collection at the Watermill Center, NY.
journeys to new places. She includes these in her pieces and installations to transform them into her own spontaneous and cute style. While her style does not directly reflect the manga/kawaii style well known in Japan, she takes pride in creating something more ordinary, “Realistic painting has more limits... If you think the heta-uma way, it’s not limited.” (Quote from the New York Times) and her happiness in creating something different can definitely be seen in all of her works. A solo exhibition, Big Bubble, at Malomo Konsthall, Sweden in 2011.
At Kawaii’s current exhibition at the Watermill Center in New York, she has featured some of the same pieces that were seen in her solo exhibition in Sweden, including her big, pink dog. Her pink dog has been featured in numerous exhibitions, including her spring exhibition at the New York’s Children’s Museum of the Arts (NYCMA) in her installation titled “Love from Mt. Pom Pom”. Children at the NYCMA more than enjoyed the pink dog when they were able to interact and comb the furry monster with gigantic combs. Kawai spent her childhood trying to make her friends laugh,
and she has grown up developing the same style and response from admirers and onlookers. On top of creating several different installations and exhibitions, Kawai also creates her own art pieces that she sells in her online shop. She sells everything from books, zines, clothing, pillow cases, and paper sleeves. All of her products reflect her own artistic, zany style, making it always interesting to look at her nvew products.
Misaki’s collection of zines from her Asia travels, featuring India Special, Nepali Special, Tibet Special, and more in her WEBSHOP.
Whether it be yellow robots that are lifting weights, drawings of underwear, or paper mache spacecrafts, Kawai has fabricated her own style and is sure to surprise and break out of any boundaries or limits that are in her way.