Graze Box Review

These monthly box delivery things are super ~in~ apparently.  I always see new ones pop up on my Facebook feed.  Today I saw a really expensive one that sends you coffee monthly.  One of my Tumblr followers had extra invite codes for Graze so I decided to try it out.  Graze sends a box of 4 different snacks to you for $6 (including shipping) however often you choose.  I thought it would be a good thing to bring to work and keep in my desk for when I am hungry.

When you register for Graze, they encourage you to look through all of their snack options online and select how interested you are in trying each one.  A lot of them include dried fruit or nuts but are combined with other ingredients in innovative ways.  They offer a lot of options that I wanted to try  but I personally chose not to receive any of the spicy things.  Another cool thing about Graze is that your 1st and 5th box are free!

You can choose one of two size options and one of three delivery options.  I chose the larger box option and for it to be sent monthly.  My box arrived promptly with the following items:

One thing I was kind of sad about was the size of the whole thing.  I guess I should have expected it to be small based off the price.  The FAQ actually lists the dimensions of the box as 23cm x 17cm x 2.5cm but I hadn't seen that before ordering it.  I'm personally not one of those people who is super conscious about food quantities so I usually eat more than what was available to me with these snacks.  So another thing I am kind of sad about is that you can't order any of the things you like in a larger quantity.

All the snacks were really yummy though.  The thing they call a "flapjack" was kind of similar to a granola bar but way less dry.  I don't know how else to describe it but I'm not a huge fan of granola bars and I thought this was pretty good.

Pros

• healthy
• affordable
• interesting snack options
• reliable
• good variety
• recyclable package

Cons

• smaller than expected
• you can't order larger quantities of snacks that you like

If you would like to try out Graze, I have 4 invitation codes!  Comment below with your email address and I will send one to you.

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$ales $ales $ales

Black Friday is a pretty unfortunate thing, in my opinion.  I just feel like people quickly go from being thankful to being really ungrateful.  Although there isn't any need to get into physical fights at the mall, there certainly is something nice about giving gifts to people you are thankful for.  I can get behind that.

For all of you who, like me, don't want to deal with Black Friday crowds and love supporting smaller businesses- this list of sales is for you!  You will feel less bad about materialism when purchasing from these people.  I promise you.  I have picked out some sales at places where you can get awesome and unique gifts without going through major corporations. n_~

Camilla d'Errico

Camilla's artwork is so beautiful and I was so lucky to have been able to see it in person.  Prints of her would would be amazing gifts and she is having a sale on her website, http://camilladerrico.bigcartel.com/, for 24 hours this Friday November 29th.  She hasn't posted what the discount is yet but I will post it here if I find out before Friday.

Lunar Creations

I am so lucky to have met Saxon while waiting on line for hours to see Kyary.  She is such a creative and kind person who sells one of a kind kawaii fashion items.  She sells some amazing anime-inspired printed tights that I have always wanted a pair of.  From now until December 1st, you can get 15% off at her store with the code "turkeyday".  The offer is limited to full priced items only and it does not apply to pre-orders and clearance items.

Mishka NYC

If you haven't heard of Mishka, you will at least recognize their infamous keep watch eye logo and you have more than likely encountered knock-offs of their products too.  Well, Friday is the day to get your hands on the real deal.  Greg is one of my friends and his company is really cool.  I especially think so because they recently started selling clothes for women.  Not like I'm biased or anything....  I own a sweatshirt of theirs and while I had to buy it in a mens small and it looks like a very glamorous dress on me, I never take it off once cold weather happens.  Shop Mishka NYC starting Thursday for sales up to 75% off in-store and online plus limited edition t-shirt availability.  Plus a extra 20% off with discount code "MOPSTER"- more details here.

The Cotton Candy Machine

If you know me personally, you know this is one of my favorite places ever which is why I am so excited to share this sale information with you.  The image above will be available as a signed and numbered edition of 100 giclee print plus many, many more specials and a free copy of "The Snow Bride" print with every order.  More details here because it would take me a year to rewrite it all for you.

Sara M. Lyons

Sara M. Lyons is an illustrator who sells stickers, prints, and temporary tattoos of her work.  She also sells a bunch of nail stickers an is releasing these all-over print nail stickers now too! She posted on Tumblr that she is releasing new things and having a sale at her store this Friday November 29th at 9 pm EST.  I can't wait to see what she is going to add to her store.

Toy Tokyo

  

Toy Tokyo is a super cool designer toy store in the East Village of New York City.  I stop in often and feel like it's almost like a museum because they have some really old toys from Star Wars and Nightmare Before Christmas specifically.  They have put together a bunch of holiday bundles with themes such as Gloomy Bear, The Simpsons and Domo that are specially priced for this season.  Even Kaws items will be 25% off for Cyber Monday and Gloomy Bear products are 30% off starting Friday and increasing to 50% off on Monday.


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5 Cool Collabs

There are a whole bunch of really cute wishlist-able collaborations available now just in time for the holidays.  Here are a couple of my current favorites, with images of a few of many products from their lines.  I don't own anything from these collections, but I can dream.

Tokidoki x Sanrio

I absolutely love both Sanrio and Simone Legno's work.  For the longest time, I was under the impression that Tokidoki was designed by a woman, but I was wrong!  Simone Legno is actually a really cool dude.  In his own words, “Tokidoki is the hope, the hidden energy that everyone has inside, It gives us the strength to face a new day and dream about something positive and the hope that something magical will happen to us.”  So it's very fitting that he worked with Sanrio for a new line of products including bags and plushies that can be found here.

Tokidoki x Sanrio Characters 8" Plush: Cinnamoroll, $28.00

Tokidoki x Sanrio Characters Handbag, $75.00

Onch Movement x Sanrio

Sanrio is on a roll this season with a second amazing line of products designed by artist Onch Movement.  Onch has done some work with Hello Kitty previously through his line with Forever 21.  His jewelry is always really cute and unique.  I have followed him on social media since discovering his work and he seems like a genuinely kind person which makes me like his designs a million times more.  Although I anticipated these products being a bit more out there than they actually are, I think they are still very cute and a lot easier to wear for every day compared to some of his past creations (eg. bacon bracelet).  His Sanrio products are available for purchase here.

Onch x Hello Kitty Necklace: Candy Chrome Bow, $66.00

Onch x Hello Kitty Necklace: Dear Daniel, $125.00

Takashi Murakami x Shu Uemura

Takashi Murakami is by far one of my favorite artists.  Japanese artist Murakami created the art movement "superflat" which has continued to inspire younger generations of artists.  He previously did a line of bags with Louis Vuitton but that was a good couple of years ago.  Murakami is back with a high-end line of makeup products, inspired by magical girl anime, through Japanese brand Shu Uemura.  I really wish I could try some of these but I have no idea where to even find this in a physical shop in the US.  However, they are available online here.

Heart-full Pink Parallel Eyes and Cheek Palette, $69.00

Lip and Cheek Fun-tasy (5 colors), $25.00

Meadham Kirchhoff x TopShop

I wasn't always huge into fashion and I still don't even know most of what is going on.  Meadham Kirchhoff caught my eye recently and I was 50% upset that it was inaccessible and 50% pleased that it's hard to find because it's quite expensive.  Someone heard my prayers and  now this TopShop collection is a thing that I was really excited for, cried about once I saw the prices, decided to go to TopShop during my lunch break and play dress up instead of making any financially irresponsible decisions.  They didn't have a lot of it in stock in the store and it does seem many items have sold out online already.  The one dress I tried on was really cute but it fit weird  because it was definitely made to be worn by a person with a small chest.  It was also so see-through that I can't even post a picture of myself in it.   Probably all for the best though.  Shop for it here.

Rainbow Print Pleated Skirt, $90.00

Red Glitter Mac, $400.00

Dylan's Candy Bar x LeSportsac

LeSportsac always has really cute prints that I feel like mostly slip under the radar.  I noticed these cute prints while walking past their SoHo store and was shocked that it was the first I was seeing of this collaboration because they are largely covered with images of candy and how is that not exciting?  Shop it here.

LeSweet Tote with Pocket in Sugar Stash, $128.00

DCB Voyager Backpack in Candy Spill, $168

That's all I have for now. I hope you thought these products were as cute as I did.  Let me know if you get your hands on any of these things.  I am interested to hear all about it, especially how the Murakami makeup is.  I guess I will probably never know.  (◡‿◡✿)

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What I've Been Up To

Since I felt like some of these posts were overdue, I figured it would be alright to include them all in one post.  So here is a little bit about what I have been doing besides working full time which isn't blog worthy at all, to be honest.

Rookie Yearbook 2 Party at The New Yorker Festival

Young Tavi Gevinson's website Rookie Mag released their second annual publication Yearbook 2 and had release parties in a couple locations to celebrate.  If you don't know a thing about Rookie, I highly recommend following the link and reading some of their articles.  I feel so lucky to have been able to attend the New York event, especially after I at first thought I was unable to go because tickets online sold out so quickly.  But then I had my sister enter the reader talent show and she got in so she got a +1 and then I had to wait on this long New Yorker Festival ticket line to reserve 4 more... because apparently there were still available tickets if you were able to do that.

The event included Rookie contributors reading their pieces, a reader talent show with judges Annie Clark (St. Vincent), Dev Hynes (Blood Orange), Tunde Adebimpe (TV on the Radio) and comedian Eugene Mirman (Bob's Burgers), and a performance by girl band Potty Mouth.  It was a really good time.  Everyone in the audience was super nice and supportive.  I got to meet Olivia Bee, Petra Collins and Arabelle who were all also very nice.  The girls who performed in the talent show were amazing.  There was a girl who did yo-yo tricks, some singers, and a hula hooper.  My sister actually won for her standup routine!  People have tweeted at her saying they are still laughing weeks later.

She will probably kill me if I posted the video on here and she found out so I am offering some alternative places you can follow her for some of her hilarious material- Twitter and Vine

with Annie Clark (St. Vincent)

with Tavi Gevinson yay

New York Comic Con

I went to NY Comic Con too dressed as Sailor Mars.  It was my first cosplay ever and making it took forever and was honestly kind of painful.  It was fun but I don't know if I would do it again.  I really liked it/hated it at the same time probably just because I got stressed.  The tutorial I used is here.  If you have any questions about how I made my costume- let me know and I will be happy to help you.

I mostly just did a lot of walking around in circles.  I wanted to go to the designer toy panel but didn't make it there probably because I just felt way too overstimulated.  It's been a while since I have been to a con.  I only ended up buying one thing which was this Tara McPherson Diana Mini F+ camera because it was adorable and I will actually use it because it takes a standard film size, unlike my Diana F+ which I am going to be putting on Ebay in the coming weeks. 

I still haven't taken it out of the box but once I use it, I will definitely post the photos I take.  There were only a few of these available at Comic Con but I'm pretty sure it's a pre-release and there will be more available in the next month or so.

I also checked out some of the live painting for the Roebling Wall in Brooklyn.

Jeremy (Jeremyville) and Megan, who I interned for one summer, gave me one of these Jeremyville Mighty Wallets!  I can't wait to use it for when I go out and don't want to carry my whole wallet.  I think it will be perfect for that.  It's supposed to basically last forever.  Anyone else ever use one of these?

Anyway yeah that's it for NY Comic Con.  I only went on Saturday.

Tara McPherson, Adam Wallacavage and Masakasu Sashie
at Jonathan LeVine Gallery

I went to this opening last night and it was incredible.  Jonathan LeVine gallery always has my favorite shows.  I recommend checking this one out while it's still up.  There is some really amazing and unique work there all the time, but this show is a definite favorite of mine.

Tara McPherson

Tara McPherson

Tara McPherson

Tara with baby Ronan- he's SO cute!

amazing Adam Wallacavage piece

Tara signed my book!

So that's been the life update!  Thanks for reading~

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