Thursday, January 31, 2008

50 Years of Lego




When I was a little kid growing up in Brazil we played with little plastic bricks called Polly. They were nothing but Legos but with it's Brazilian licence (or copy?) name. They were made of really hard plastic, with very sharp edges and were nearly impossible to pull apart once they got stuck together. I remember having a lot of fun playing with them as I loved building things. Now Lego is celebration it's 50Th anniversary and we have a little tribute video for you to enjoy!





Wednesday, January 30, 2008

More Orlando, Florida





At Islands of Adventure they have this amazing area for kids called Seuss Landing. The place is chock full of incredible visual stimulation, colors everywhere, a real acid trip - not that I ever took one. It's all based on Dr. Seuss books and characters and whoever came up with the park's concept should be very proud of the work accomplished. The kid in me loved it!




Not to be outdone Universal Studios also has a great kid's area called Woody Woodpecker's Kid Zone and as you might already have guessed is all non-Disney characters (duh). Besides Woody you will see areas dedicated to Barney the purple dinosaur and Curious George, that has this awesome little landing depicted on the images below. It's a faux town center where every button you press, every rope you pull, every flap you open will squish water right on your face. The kids there (and their adults) were having a blast with all the water pistols located on the building's balconies. The piece-de-resistance happens every 15 minutes or so when two giant wood vats reach their fill and splash an amazing amount of water down below, soaking whoever happens to be standing about.



The goof-ball below got goosed by that horny little Woody, that is not so little as you can see!





So you think that the parks are all just for kids you are in for a ride. The lovely little roller coaster below is called Incredible Hulk Coaster, that takes you from zero to 40 mph in 2 seconds flat. The Hulk launches riders upward 150 ft. and reaches top speeds of 67 mph. The ride has a total of seven inversions (loops) and two subterranean trenches during the 2-minute 15-second ride. I went twice (against my will) but I have to say I loved it afterwards. You walk out of it with wobbly legs but it's totally worth the thrill!


Victoria Beckham For Marc Jacobs


Victoria Beckham shedding it all for a skin care campaign funded by Marc Jacobs. Check out this new T-shirt that you can purchase showing Posh Spice in her birthday suit. Proceeds will go towards The Interdisciplinary Melanoma Cooperative Group.

Since we moved to California I have realized how important it is to practice safe sun for myself and to keep my three boys’ skin well protected as well. “Skin cancer is a huge problem and I really wanted to help raise awareness by taking part in Marc’s initiative.”

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

More Pumpkin Mansion - The Office

I decided to share a little more of my "vie privée" here at Little-Pumpkins and I thought that my "office" space would be a good place to start. It's not an actual office, as I do not work from there, but it's where I keep my desk, my laptop, my books and all my inspirational thingies. It's also my den/TV/guest room, where I lounge in the evenings couch-potatoing in front of the telly. This is also my fun room, with collectable toys and very colorful high-low art. The rest of my home has a bit more conventional - though eclectic - decor, more muted and sedate.





I like things that have faces. In front of my Toshiba I keep several mugs and cups that serve as pencil holders. This is also where I have my morning coffee, read the news, answer e-mails and research posts for the blog. The red snowman mug actually has coffee inside and I bought it at Target for U$1.99 on their after-Christmas 60-70% off sale. The bunny face is also from Target and I bought it around Easter in 2005. It's meant to be a kid's plate but I use it as decor supported by a clear acrylic book stand. The pink Cheshire cat and the green Mike Wazowski (Monster's Inc) were purchased at Disney World earlier this month. The red Keith Haring-looking toothy monster I bought in Paris in 1994-95 and it's from a local artist. The skull cup is one-of-kind and I bought it in Portland, Oregon around 2004. The pair of lovely Japanese dolls were a gift from a very dear person in my life. At last, the clear Ultraman glass was gift from my sister when she was in Hong Kong or Japan, not sure now.



On top of my TV I keep a photo of Booboo, my beloved pug, along a couple of pug figurines. The smaller one I got in Provincetown, MA and the larger one is a piggy-bank that I bought in Amsterdam in 2004, I think. The bee antenna is from Booboo's first Halloween costume ever. The gnome is from Urban Outfitters and the Big Boy bobble-head is from Cape Cod also. In the background you can see a glimpse of a signed Murakami print I own.



Did I ever mention I collect pigs? Please, don't send me any as I have a box full of them that will make it to Ebay sometime soon. I will just keep the most charming ones like the selection above this book shelf. The palm tree is from Home Depot and lights up like a Christmas tree and I still have it on display as I liked it how it looked, even if the holidays are long gone. The ornaments are a mix of flocked animals that I've had since the early 90's. The velvet tiger is from a flea market in Providence, RI and didn't cost me more than US$3.00.



On top of the vitrine I keep a bunch of different figurines, very high-low once again. The Nara "Little Wanderer" is probably the most expensive thing there and the rest is a mix of Ebay finds, flea markets and gifts. The three small porcelain figurines were a gift and came from an artist out of Sao Paulo and are limited-edition. Below you see my devil figurine collection and if you look carefully you see my own picture in there inside a round frame.



On these two shelves I keep another mish-mash of odds and ends. I have lots and lots of boxes filled with toys, figurines and what-nots. It's hard to decide what to display so every so often I move it around so other things can see the light of day. I am starting to unload stuff on Ebay again so I can make room in my life again for more important things. Here you will see a group of resin female figurines I bought in Paris through the years. They are French comics characters and there is this little shop in Marais that has a great selection of such. The largest blond one is Miel, a character by Milo Manara, and she's made of porcelain. Her polka-dotted dress is flowing in the wind revealing her pulled down panties... How risque! The tallest one is a black African sorceress called Karaba and she is fierce! There are also faux food displays like cakes, pastries an ice cream sundae in the back row. The bottom shelve is a group of toy dinosaurs that I love and three Murakami stuffed dolls.



A larger view of my vitrine with my goose lamp on top.



This book shelve is next to my desk and it's just a mix of art, decor and collectable books. The gnome stool is Philippe Stark for Kartell. The side table is from a flea market, along with the lamp and the Thonet chair, that only cost me US$50.00 for the pair. You also catch a glimpse of my brown and yellow sofa and a bit of my TV dinner table.



This is my "office" full-view. The desk looks Art-Deco and was also from a yard sale in Cape Cod. The La Marie clear chair is also Stark from Kartell. The large picture is a signed limited-edition by Paul Frank and the frame is all carved by hand. The smaller pictures above are paint-by-number from Ebay and the picture shelf is from Target.
So this is where the magic all happens! Hope you liked the tour!!

Monday, January 28, 2008

Lisa Perry For Campbell Soup



Campbell is teaming up with six-time Grammy-award winner Toni Braxton - a heart disease survival herself - and designer Lisa Perry to support the American Heart Association's Go Red For Women movement. Perry created three exclusive Campbell's red dress designs, and America is invited to vote (I did) on its favorite by visiting GoRedWithCampbells.com from December 20, 2007 – January 30, 2008 .
For each vote cast, Campbell will donate US$1.00 to the American Heart Association (up to $100,000). The winning design will be unveiled by Braxton at the Woman's Day Red Dress Awards to kick off American Heart Month, this February.
“I grew up loving Campbell's soup and I have a strong connection to the 1960's iconic pop-art soup can image,” she said. “It is truly an honor to donate my time and talents to help Campbell raise awareness of heart disease.”

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Marilyn Monroe By Bert Stern @ Galeria Estação - São Paulo






For three days in 1962 photographer Bert Stern shot one of cinema's biggest and most enigmatic icons - Marilyn Monroe - in a Los Angeles hotel suite. Unknow to both at the time this was going to be Marilyn's last photo sitting and perhaps one of her most revealing, where she shed her clothing to reveal more than mere flesh. Even after more than 45 years after her death she is still revered as Hollywood's larger-than-life screen goddess, who was unafraid to expose her vulnerability to Stern's camera, surgical scar and all.
Now at São Paulo's Galeria Estação you can view this complete sitting in the show titled "Marilyn Monroe - O Mito (The Myth)". The exhibit goes from January 26th to March 16th and if you happen to be visiting Brazil's largest city you shouldn't miss it.








Limited Edition Print By Gary Baseman


This signed limited edition print by artist Gary Baseman is titled "Open Wounds - Bunny Skull" and measures 12.5" x 12.5". Only 300 of these silk-screen prints were made & numbered, and you can order one via NOWhere Limited for US$100.00 each. I love it!!

Cute Alert: Pug With Tongue Sticking Out!



Just because baby pugs are too cute not to post about them for no particular reason...

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Sex And The City - The Movie - New Promo Image


Another Carrie Bradshaw-style fashion look, by the hands of the ever so talented Patricia Fields. This image is part of the print advertising for the upcoming SATC movie and Sarah Jessica Parker looks fab in a wacky-bag-lady-is-gonna-pounce-at-you-from-behind-the pillar-look. I know for a fact that she's wearing a Burberry US$9,000.00 fur coat on the picture and I wish they had been a little more PETA conscious when choosing wardrobe for the shoot. Sorry, I think fur is an outdated status symbol and very un-politically correct, specially with all the information available on how they pretty much skin those poor animals alive. Pooh-pooh for fur!

Cute Alert: Kawaii Food Plates











This is a sure way to get the kids to eat their vegetables!
I love these kawaii-licious food plates, specially the Hello Kitty stuff, and they are making me very hungry right now. The lady with the cucumber beauty mask is award-winning material and the sleeping teddy bear above looks very yummy...

Thursday, January 24, 2008

More Universal Studios Orlando









Say what you may but I had a blast during my Orlando theme park excursion. These images are all from Islands of Adventure, a connected park next to Universal Studios Orlando. Some of you may pooh-pooh it by saying it's cheesy/infantile/plebeian but the kid-in-me loved every minute of it. I was awed by all the graphics and the store & restaurant displays they had inside the park and you can guess that it's all very cartoon-based, Marvel meets Sunday comics, times 10!
The park has some amazing (and scary) rides as expected and today's new technologies makes them even more believable and exhilarating. The 4-D effects of rides like Spider Man, where you experience the feeling of a real roller-coaster thrill, wearing 3-D glasses in front of giant digital screens, startling you with strong gusts of wind , fiery heat and water sprays are too complex to explain. I really loved it!












Carmen Meets The Spartans


Carmen Electra knows a good thing when she sees one and couldn't keep her hands off the hunky leather-clad movie's cast at the premiere of "Meet The Spartans" - a new comedy-spoof of the movie 300. So jealous!

Wonder Woman, Anyone?



If you guys only knew how much stuff I've accumulated through the years... I wouldn't call myself a "pack rat" as I do have a very specific idea of what I enjoy collecting and saving, but you get to a point that all this stuff weighs you down. I keep waiting for the day that I will be able to have all my collections displayed in beautiful vitrines but that days does not seem to be around the corner. I have boxes and more boxes filled with collectable toys, most MIB (mint in box) or NRFB (never removed from box) and a lot of loose items like the ones I am starting to unload on Ebay. I've collected toys for as long as I can remember. I am mainly interested in TV and movie related toys, specially action figures and celebrity dolls, but I also enjoy many other "cluster" groups that are too many to enumerate here. As you get older your tastes change and I'd rather focus on more important things than "stuff" put away in storage boxes that I never get to see.
So if anyone is interested in acquiring a "loose" Mego 1976 Wonder Woman doll I have 3 for sale on Ebay. I realized that I really didn't need 4 WW dolls (the 4th one is MIB and not on Ebay yet) so I decided to make other people happy too. There is also a Diana Prince loose uniform that already got 2 bids as of today, and I'll be putting more stuff up for sale by the weekend. I am selling them for less than what I paid for but this is no time to get greedy, as I've bought & sold enough via Ebay through the years and have gotten plenty of amazing deals.
Happy bidding!