Customize your coasting style
by Alice on July 15th, 2009
You got the bar, the dart board, the high stools, the kegs but something is still missing from your cosy home bar – your own customized beer mats or coasters. With more and more people choosing to have their nights out in; you can re-create the pub atmosphere down to the last detail (unnecessary queuing at toilets is optional and not recommended).
Here at MakeMyway you can design and customize your own coasters and even placemats if you choose to have some finger food dotted around your “bar”. There are some amazing designs to choose from with an option of uploading your own designs or digital photo images. A particular favourite of mine are the great quotations which are suited to the bar area or the dining room, providing excellent talking points.
If you want to personalize your coasters and stay away from traditional picturesque scenes or doors you can do so on MakeMyWay.net. Whether you wish to use images or text your coasters or placemats can reflect your personality. Many people choose his or her sporting teams, favourite writers, college societies etc. If you are artistic and wish to make your home your gallery you can upload your own art work to compliment your style and to wow friends and family in your home.
The coasters and placemats also make great gifts for friends and family with many people choosing to have daily reminders of their favourite holidays on display or children’s’ birthday parties. They are also a great gift idea for weddings, christenings or any special occasion and due to their fantastic durability you will get many years of enjoyment and compliments on your designs.
Customised coasters are also available from Thirstycoasters.com in many different designs and textures. Thirstycoasters is also doing its bit for the environment by having a line of “natural” coasters for those conscious of their carbon footprint.
Time to dust off your magic wands!
by Alice on July 14th, 2009
This week sees the release of the latest Harry Potter movie and we are very excited! As the release day gets closer there are lots of Harry Potter parties taking place to brush up on the story. Bond with all your friends and design your Harry Potter inspired tees or bags to look great this summer and into the school year.
If you prefer to keep your fashion secrets to yourself until movie night then a great way to stand out from the crowds at the many Harry Potter movie nights is to customize your clothing with your own Harry Potter inspired designs. You can choose from tees, ringer t-shirts, bags, purses, wallets and even some canvas art for your bedroom wall.
If you have not had a chance to check out the trailers click below for a glimpse of the latest adventure.
Artist Profile - Nicholas Tassone, Rochester, NY
by admin on July 9th, 2009
Name:
Nicholas Tassone
Age:
21
What’s your favourite art style?:
Really, everything. I really love the process of starting out with pen and paper and transforming/polishing it digitally. Most of my art and design works like that.
What are your art influences?:
I am influenced by pop culture, everyday ideas and found images/textures.
Where do your ideas mainly originate from:
I don’t think my art is very topical and I think that’s a positive thing. Mainly, my ideas come from a strange place:
psychedelia, past eras and combining two unlike things to become something new.
What’s your own favourite design?:
I really like “Descartes”
http://www.flickr.com/photos/beecombs/3175027915/
Tell us something interesting about yourself?:
I wear gray shoes and pretty much always roll up my sleeves.
Do you sell your artwork / designed products online:
Yeah! Find likes and more at www.beecombs.com
Any other information you think our readers would like to learn about you?:
You can follow me on twitter at twitter.com/rocketpark and find me at a bunch of different places by looking at my links page on my portfolio:
www.beecombs.com. Thanks!
Update your kitchen or bathroom with some funky custom tiles
by Alice on June 29th, 2009
We all want glorious interiors and want to have our friends marvel at how cool our homes are but without the huge price tag. A great way to update a dated kitchen or bathroom is to add some colourful customised tiles. Turn your kitchen backsplash into a work of art or add a picture of your favourite pooch for all those pet maniacs.
Given the economic climate people want to cut costs and by designing your own kitchen and bathroom tiles you can have a select few creative tiles which won’t cost the earth and some cheap and cheerful plain tiles to compliment. Artworksbyjulia.com offers hand-painted tiles for your home at a reasonable price and in an array of design areas. There is a great choice and there is a homely feel to many of her designs. If you have any need for an Irish cottage design in your kitchen to wow any American friends then check out Julia’s web site. From cows and horses to wine and cheese there is a design to suit all tastes.
If you are more into the arty design then check out digitile.co.uk who can turn your designs into wall tiles, floor tiles and even wall paper. You can forward your images to digitile and 3-4 weeks later, hey presto, you could be admiring your own image on your wall! Digitile also has a catalogue of stock images and designs by artists to choose from so if you are not artistic you can pick someone who is. The designs are high quality and very slick and therefore lend themselves to both feature tiles in the home and more grander displays in commercial buildings.
Another interesting site is Makemyway.net where you can customize your tiles using the design tool online, you can also upload your own artwork and see the finished product before you buy. There are a number of funky designs available on the site and you can mix and match to create your own statement tile. The tiles are reasonably priced and available in three sizes to suit any home.
The Man Bag - a gift for the metrosexual in your life
by admin on June 15th, 2009
Gone are the days when everything a man needed could be carried in his trouser pockets. The stylish man bag now caters for his every need whether that be a grooming kit to transform himself into a hottie for the evening or simply to hold a netbook, college books or briefs (in both senses of the word!).
The man bag was laughed at a few years ago but with the emergence of the metrosexual, more and more brands are launching their own ranges. Designer brands such as Prada were, of course, ahead of the trend and, although many men commented that only Italian men could pull off such a suave look, the bags soon became mainstream. High street stores such as Top Shop and Burtons began stocking bags for the men in your life, fathers, brothers and boyfriends. The man bag became a worldwide success.
The size of the bag has also been played with as more and more business men need one small bag to hold all their essentials. Prada, Lacoste and Kenneth Cole in particular have gone for a slick, clean and stylish design for their lines.
For those men who want a more individual look to reflect their personality bags can be made to order from many websites such as www.makemyway.net and www.timbuk2.com. These sites allow your man to give his bag the look he wants whether he wants to macho it up, reflect his musical taste or get a cool business look.
No article on the man bag would be complete without mentioning Joey Tribbianni so click below and have a good laugh.
Artist Profile - Tang Yau Hoong, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
by admin on June 15th, 2009
Name:
Tang Yau Hoong
Age:
25
Location:
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
What’s your favourite art style?:
I like various styles but I think I prefer hand drawn work to digital graphic.
What are your art influences?:
Contemporary illustrations and graphic designs, street culture and any weird and strange images.
Where do your ideas mainly originate from?:
I get inspirations from my daily life and surroundings. The Internet widens my sight in the illustration world too.
What’s your own favourite design?:
This is my own favourite by far:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26196360@N06/3195977778/in/set-72157605918749478/
Tell us something interesting about yourself?:
I am a kind of boring guy… doing what I like to do most of the time,drawing.Well, maybe my designs are way interesting than myself.
Do you sell your artwork / designed products online:
Yes. Here is the gallery of my designed t-shirts.
http://tangyauhoong.tumblr.com/tagged/T-shirt/
You can buy them by following the respective link of each design.
Any other information you think our readers would like to learn about you?:
Please check out my portfolio if you have time!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26196360@N06/
http://tangyauhoong.tumblr.com/
The story of the simple t-shirt: Part three – “Billy Joel to Britpop to Britney”
by admin on June 12th, 2009
Ah the men’s belly top; something, I think we all agree, that the eighties can keep. The eighties sparked some bizarre fashion trends, some of which have had a recent revival, thankfully belly tops such as those used in Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl” video have been consigned to the history books or VH1. Our loving tee was not customized but rather shredded to attain the belly look.
Further changes to the regular tee were its transformation into a tank top and into the oversized t-shirt. The oversized tee was further customized most famously in the UK by bands such as Wham who asked us all to “Choose Life” while Frankie Goes to Hollywood begged us to “Relax” and warned “Frankie says War! Hide Yourself”. The oversized tee was also dyed many of the bold colors of the eighties and teamed with a belt became a mini dress for those who dared.
The fashion of long sleeved shirts worn under the t-shirt also became a trend especially in the cooler months of the year.
The dying of t-shirts continued and many were dyed black for merchandising purposes. Rock bands in particular opted for the black tee. Screen printing and customization became even more of a commercial success with more and more designs making their way into the market.
The white tee made somewhat of a comeback in the nineties as women around the globe enjoyed the famous “Diet Coke break” advertisement campaign. The ad demonstrated the power of the plain white muscle hugging tee teamed with hunky man, a combination no lady would turn down.
Levis also famously had all female eyes watching as we spied on a similar well toned somewhat attractive young man as he dressed in his jeans and simple white tee. The white t-shirt had now gone full circle.
The nineties also brought back the belly top but this time men let women bear their mid riff. The women’s belly top was much more figure hugging and gave women the opportunity to show off their toned stomachs. The ringer tee also made a comeback and was a favourite with Britpop bands such as Oasis and dance acts such as The Chemical Brothers.
Individuality has also become key with more and more people wishing to create t-shirts online and customize clothing. Celebrities in the noughties have also begun to use tees to spark controversy and express themselves without saying a word; shots of Britney wearing her “M.I.L.F in training” tee and of Jessica Simpson’s “real girls eat meat” are just two examples.
The original white tee is still popular to this day and whenever the sun is out you can start spotting all the different trends.
The story of the simple t-shirt: Part two - “Tie dying, protests and sexual expression”
by admin on June 11th, 2009
The second part of our whistle stop tour of t-shirts begins in the 1960’s – the beginning of flower power and The Beatles. This was the age when more and more people saw the advantages of customizing tees. The plain white tee got a makeover flower power style as tie dying became all the rage.
Screen printing of tees also became increasingly popular and launched the t-shirt into commercial stardom. People realised they could customize their clothing and express their views without saying a word. Musicians also realised the power of the customized t-shirt and began to manufacture band merchandise which fans gladly purchased.
The 1960’s also saw the introduction of the ringer t-shirt, the inspiration behind these articles.
The commercial use of the t-shirt in merchandising continued throughout the seventies both in film and music. Fun t-shirts also had their beginnings with tuxedo tees and strategically placed eyes on female tees to embarrass male offenders.
Political activists took advantage of the customizable nature of the tees to get across their anti war messages if they were not going to get the airtime.
Perhaps the most controversial moment in the t-shirt’s decade was to occur in London courtesy of Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm Mc Laren; Mc Laren famously managed The Sex Pistols. Westwood and Mc Laren owned a shop in London named “Sex”.
It was from “Sex” that Westwood and Mc Laren launched the punk fashion movement. Westwood’s designs for the Sex Pistols were often controversial however it was her t-shirt of two cowboys with their penises exposed which attracted the attention of the law. The t-shirt caused massive controversy and Westwood was prosecuted for selling the offending garment.
Our little tee has travelled a long way but the awesome eighties were yet to come.
The story of the simple t-shirt: Part one - “From underwear to outerwear”
by admin on June 10th, 2009
As I threw on my ringer shirt yesterday I wondered where and when did this little gem of a design first make its fashion debut. I decided that I probably was not the only one who pondered such and so to save you all hours on Google I have put together a series of articles on the history of the tee shirt.
Our first stop is its journey from being a piece of underwear to being viewed with contempt when first worn on the outside ala Superman.
The t-shirt as we know it today seems to have had its origins in the European armies during World War I when the soldiers of the British and French forces wore them as undergarments. At the time the American soldiers wore woollen undergarments and were quite taken with the lightweight cool feeling of cotton. Following on from World War I, in another tale of America following Europe in the fashion stakes, the t-shirt became a staple in the US forces uniform.
By the end of the 1920’s the word “t-shirt” had been entered into the American dictionary and in 1939 Warner Brothers were ahead of their time in the arena of making promotional clothes when they customized a tee to promote The Wizard of Oz.
By 1948 even politicians were in on the act and supporters of Thomas E. Dewey began to make tee shirts for his presidential campaign. The tees stated “Dew it for Dewey” but this creativity was not enough and he lost the election to Harry Truman.
The 1950’s marked the age when the simple plain white tee became a symbol of rebellion as screen stars such as Marlon Brando and James Dean defied the convention of wearing the white tee as an undergarment; they lost their shirts. Instead Dean opted for his black leather jacket for “Rebel without a cause” and the iconic image was born.
It would seem that the plain white tee evoked many negative emotions among the general populace and left teenage girls weak at the knees. What would happen when words and designs were added?
MakeMyWay Gets To Know Clayton
by admin on June 9th, 2009
Name: Clayton
Age: 25
From: Brazil
Wearing: Tshirt- bought in sunny Brazil. Tshirt design is a modern twist on the old reliable smiley face making great use of bold white lines on yellow background. Image stands out well on his Navy tee.
Favourite Trend: Clayton likes to dress casual and sporty.
Music: Would listen to any type of music, he is not picky.
Socialises: Likes to go to Copper Face Jacks.