Hello Kitty Sightings in Chinatown and Downtown LA

Yesterday was Celina Rei’s Birthday! (you can still wish her a Happy Bday because we will be celebrating at her favorite Korean BBQ restaurant this weekend)…

It was also my hang-out-with-Jessica-Letti-and-Lonnie-day — which means dim sum, boba, shopping, Hello Kitty sightings — similar to what happened last time we hung out in Downtown.

Lonnie’s Kitty radar was super strong that day! She spotted this pink blinged out phone before me, which I think might be a tad bit embarrassing, right? Anyway, I ran after the girl (actually, more like power walked, lol) and told her I love Hello Kitty and I need to take a picture of her sidekick… I wish I was paying more attention so I could have gotten a better shot that included the front of her charm also.

We also spotted the usual stuff that you expect to find in Downtown LA…

There are also a bunch of craft shops in the area. We found spots where you can get rhinestones and Swarovski crystals for a price that is pretty close to wholesale (depending on how much you buy and how sharp your bargaining skills are). Possibly another project to put on my list of to-do’s…

And I got two surprise treats in Chinatown yesterday! The first is this Sanrio capsule toy machine I found inside Lollicup on Hill Street. I know it is such a small thing to be happily surprised by, but I was!

Here is the mirror I got:

And the next surprise treat is… Hmmm… It is so special that it needs it’s own entry! ^_^

Hello Kitty Shoe Laces

Not really sure if anyone pays attention to my “kitty wish list” but Banana picked up some Hello Kitty shoe laces  for me… Isn’t that sweet? She got these from Hot Topic. I don’t have any sneakers to lace them in yet… But Amul showed me Zazzle, where I can create my own pair of customized Keds. HKJ Keds — how sweet would that be!? Definitely on my to-do list!

I’m happy that I finally have something with the Hello Kitty cupcake theme…

I <3 KT Stenciled Tote vs. My Washing Machine

Argh… This is the first time this has happened:

My washing machine thought it would be fun to shred my canvas tote bag… Which in a fight of Tote Bag vs. Washing Machine, my poor little tote bag got seriously KTFO’d (knocked the f* out!)

So, I was thinking… Maybe I can cut out the stenciled parts and sew them onto another bag, kind of like an applique… One thing is for sure, I will be hand washing these bad boys in the next round (err, there will be no more rounds).

My Hello Kitty Stenciling Progress

Just wanted to share my stenciling projects I have been working on this past week. I have some important tips that are super helpful for beginners:

1. Do not stencil when it is windy, it really bites!
2. If you are messy, wear gloves
3. Clean as you work (good rule for all art projects)
4. Make sure to mask off everything
5. Glue your stencil down (light spray mount is quick and easy)
6. Have patience
7. And finally, have fun!

Here is a picture of my supplies which I try to keep clean and all together in one place:

This is what happens when you don’t have enough patience… I thought, “Hmmm… I don’t feel like putting glue on the back of my Hello Kitty skeleton stencil… I don’t need it because this is pretty small…”

Well, I knew better so I’m kind of mad at myself. Anyway, I let that sit for a long time (hours?) and stenciled the back:

This is the progress of an I Love KT stenciled tote bag. Since I am using two colors, I need to stencil one color first… Let it dry… Then stencil the second color… Which is made much easier if you have some sort of registration system going on…

Back view of the tote bag:

My kittitastic shirt and tank tops:

Detail of the I Love KT shirt… There is a lot of overspray which gives it that urban feel…

Kitty-sicle tank top (which I have stenciled before)…

Hello Kitty skeleton (my first time stenciling this on a tank top)…

I hope to wrap up my first round of I Love KT Stencils by the end of this week!

I Love KT Stencil Part 1

This is my ode to the lovely Hello Kitty and the legendary Milton Glaser, the Graphic Designer who created the I Love NY logo:

It is a fairly simple two color stencil so hopefully the production goes smoothly. I bought a pack of three small tote bags (just in case I mess up, I will have three tries) and a couple of tank tops. Please let me have patience and not rush things — like spray painting the second color before the first is even dry. This leads me to believe that it would be in my best interest to break the spray painting process into two days (probably a good idea).