What I Bought Today: 08.04.12

Today, I met up with the lovely Victoria of Paper & Type for a much overdue lunch date. We caught up over chowing down on sausages at Wurstküche. Then we headed over to Pie Hole for dessert. We had been talking about going to Pie Hole together since last year when they opened and we finally met up to do so! AND they were serving up some delicious strawberry pie today!

I figured I was already roaming the Arts District, so I decided to stop by the Poketo store (yes, again.). They had just released their color & shapes collection, as well as the California series of shirts, and I had to get my hands on them!

I picked up the awesome Sun and Shore tee by the Portland duo Jolby and the Triangles tee adorned with triangles in the Poketo colors. They're super soft and comfy and the fit is great too! I came very close to picking up every shirt from the color & shapes collection but I had to stop myself.

Party Time with Poketo

Last month when I stopped by the new Poketo store, Angie and Ted invited me to their friends & family grand opening party. And last night was the night. So many great people were there. Before even stepping into the store, Kev and I ran into our friend Adam who's working on some great projects over at Cartoon Network (but he can't tell us about them yet). Then we went inside and ran into our good friend Andy/Busc who we haven't seen in ages. We had a chance to catch up and talked about his new job over at 72andSunny.

I felt like everywhere I turned I was running into someone I know. I was pleasantly surprised to run into my internet gal pal Francesca Ramos who's currently working on her BFA in Graphic Design at CalArts. It just so happens that her friend Lily is currently interning for Poketo. Two months ago, they both drove all the way out to Long Beach to see my senior show so I was happy to see them again. When I finally regrouped with Kev, I found him talking to Patrick Hruby and we hung out with him most of the time.

They had this one really great red balloon in the middle of the room that was the most perfectly round balloon I've ever seen in my life.

I didn't expect them to be serving up as much alcohol as they did…they were serving up some delicious Hudson Whiskey and Art in the Age spirits.

Of course, what would be a Poketo party without the guys of Handsome Coffee Roasters. But we were pretty bummed that we got there a little late and missed out of some delicious pie from The Pie Hole.

And at some point in the night, I ended up double-fisting a latte and boxed water. No shame…no shame at all.

I had my hands full most of the time so I didn't get to take that many photos, but it definitely felt great to be in good company. It hit me right when Kozyndan walked in that although I'm at a transitional period in my career, I know I'm heading in a good direction. I became interested in Poketo and Kozyndan's work around the same time during my freshmen year of college (2004 – 2005) and they really inspired me to do the work that I do. I never thought I'd ever be at a party for Poketo with Kozyndan.

Somehow while I was there I missed a few of my favorite peeps from the interwebs/blog/instagram world. Specifically: Dabito, Satsuki Shibuya, and Sonja Rasula. I didn't know they were there until I saw their tweets and instagrams after the fact. Other notable peeps who were there: GARY BASEMAN, John Pham, Bobby & Kyle from The Fox is Black and LA, I'm Yours, Bri from DesignLoveFest, Kate Miss…the list is ridiculous.

On the way out, Angie gave me this wonderful parting gift from the Poketo x Target collaboration Part Two/2012 that's due in stores soon. Angie and Ted really are some of the nicest and coolest people I know and I'm so happy for them that their dream of having a brick-and-mortar store finally came true!

Shop Poketo!

Yesterday, I stopped by the brand new first ever Poketo store that opened up in the Arts District of Downtown LA. For years I've ordered stuff from them online, and now they just made spending money a whole lot easier. This weekend they're having their super soft opening from 11am – 7pm. For those familiar with the area, the store is just a few doors down from the back patio of Wurstküche on 3rd Street…with a bright red doorway you can't miss!

I love these gradient dyed woven leather chairs that they had specially made for the store. And they're actually quite comfy too! All of the store displays are made of a combination of wood and metal. The use of wood all over the store was the perfect look for what I imagined a Poketo store would be like.

All the tables in the store have these great yellow legs! And now they carry health and beauty products too! There's also some beautiful Turkish towels that are new to the store and available in some great patterns.

This was my favorite table for two reasons: Leather & Watches. I have the Colorparty Watch in white and I love it. It's the perfect everyday watch because it's lightweight but doesn't look or feel super fragile. I'm debating about getting one of those snap wallets…the white one, of course!

The one thing I've always loved about Poketo is that they have such a great eye for color, patterns, and cool products. Every item they carry feels carefully curated.

They definitely have THE BEST selection of notebooks and planners. 90% of the notebooks I own are from them (the other 8% from Field Notes and 2% other). They carry a huge selection of notebooks from the Korean brand Millimeter Milligram which I can't find anywhere else except for maybe a couple museum stores (who probably order them through Poketo). Millimeter Milligram's planners have some of the best page layouts I've seen and they give you plenty of writing space. Some of their planners even encourage you to "Draw Your Tomorrow" instead of just writing it down like an average planner.

Of course, I had to pick up a few goodies for myself. I got a Tomorrow planner in white and fresh strawberry lip balm that smells totally delicious. When you get a chance, you should stop by the store at 820 East 3rd Street, Los Angeles, 90013. You'll probably find it very difficult to leave without something too.

The Newest Thing I Can't Live Without

For being unemployed, I have quite a busy summer ahead of me. Between launching a new jewelry line, looking for work, and working on my portfolio. It's getting much harder to keep track of things. I never thought I'd see the days when I would actually need to make a To-Do list. In the past, every time I made a list for myself I ended up failing to look at them. Or even worse, I acknowledge their existence but simply ignore what's written on them. Also, with the new trend of everyone having a smartphone, it makes it easier to always have the list on you. But for me I always find that I remember things easier when they're written than when they're typed. So I keep these Desk-Its from Poketo at my desk.

The awesome thing about Desk-Its is that they're pre-printed with the days of the week Monday–Sunday with lines for your list of things to do. and next to each item is a box to check things off when you're done. It's also conveniently almost the same size as your keyboard so it can also double as a wrist rest for when you're typing. Or if you want, you can just tear off the sheet and stick it anywhere you want like to the bottom of your computer monitor or your fridge. 

But one thing is for sure. It has made my list of things I cannot live without.