A High School Just Did Their Own Theatre Production of ‘Alien’ & It Looks Out of This World

Photo- Paul Owens @oh_pollo

Another blog story tip-off from my brother, who pointed me in the direction of this Buzzfeed article this morning, about a New Jersey High School who put on a production of ‘Alien’ complete with handmade costumes and sets. 

North Bergen High School have found themselves going viral on Twitter & the rest of the internet alike after photos from their shows were shared by wow-ed parents and friends. 

Photo- Steven Defindini

Photo- Steven Defindini

Art teacher Steven Defindini took charge of art production for the show, and put together a team of six students who together took on the challenge of building fifteen sets, and costumes which included four astronaut suits and two aliens. 

They used moving blankets, clothing from charity shops, and a tonne of recycling items to create the phenomenonal looks.

To see more photos and some video clips, visit the original Buzzfeed article here. 

French Toys For The Cool Kids- What’s New for 2019 at Little Citizens Boutique, Holywood

Little Citizens Boutique in Holywood, Northern Ireland is a repeat feature here on The World of Kitsch. Their online store has some new toys and gifts for spring, from their selection of stylish French brands such as Vilac and Djeco.

I love the toys because of their retro design, being made from wood mostly, with bright colours and 60s’-esque illustrations.

They are a breath of fresh air from all the flashing, beeping toys that try to out do each other to be the loudest and shiniest these days, and are reminiscent of a time where play was simpler.

You can order from all over the world, so have a little browse yourself on the Little Citizens site. Click any of the images below for a closer look.

A Most Marvellous Mother’s Day at M&S -plus Free Delivery For Mum’s Bouquet

Mummies love a good trip to M&S, don’t they? So Marks and Sparks is a safe bet for a Mother’s Day present.

That could mean your main gift, like a gorgeous, sumptuous bouquet of Mother’s Day flowers, where M&S has a whole curated range to choose from, with some including a free box of Pink Marc de Champagne Truffles, and every bouquet promising free UK delivery.

Or, you might be taking Mum out for a family dinner on the 31st, and want a pretty gift to present her with as an extra ‘thank you’. 

M&S has gifts in each of their departments, clothing, beauty, homeware, and the Food Hall, and a whole online Mother’s Day Gift Guide if you want to browse for some inspiration before you step inside your local branch. 

I visited Bangor’s Marks & Spencer to see what the Food Hall had to choose from. Gifts started from £3 for dinky and surely divine boxes of Sea Salt Caramels. An ideal choice for a little one for their Mummy.

The range of boxes of chocolates are at various price points, with something for those with pocket-money budgets, like the funky ‘Just To Say’ box which is only £5 (see image below).

Some of this selection’s sweets have striking geometric graphic designs and patterns decorating them, with other pieces being metallic dusted globes. The flavours are equally intriguing. We have a Clementine & Pomegranate Caramel and a Speculoos Biscuit Truffle amongst the offerings. Very cool for only £5, and you can choose a gift card which slides into the top of the box displaying a message for your Mum.

There are also some of the more traditional boxes like Peppermint Creams, and my personal favourites a box of Violet & Rose Creams which is £4. You can also pick from a choice of classic Belgian Chocolate Truffles. Or you can spoil your Mum rotten with one of the larger selections which is £10. I also spied the exotic Marzipan Spring Fruits, which are £4.

Another one of my personal picks would be the £8 box of Mini Cupcake Chocolates (top photo). This dainty little selection with the cute pink bow has flavours including Mocha, Hazelnut Praline and Strawberries & Cream. 

They go very nicely with the real Mini Rose Cupcakes (very first photo, on the pink plate), which are £4 for a box of nine. Perfect for sharing after Sunday Lunch on Mother’s Day if you are all gathering together at home. Also the quintessential cupcake for putting together your very own ‘Fancy Afternoon Tea’ for your Mummy, you know with little sandwiches and cute mini-desserts exactly like these cupcakes, which have a glittery sheen to them which makes them even more special.

Lastly from my own M&S picks for Mother’s Day, I spotted these unusual biscuit tins (top image). They are tall, upright biscuit tins, something I’ve never come across before, not a strict Mother’s Day line in-store, but if you’ve got a waste-not-want-not Mum who would be doubly pleased with the Belgian Milk Chocolate Vanilla Cream Biscuits, and the handy tin for storing pasta, knitting needles, coffee machine pods, bits & bobs in afterwards- this could be your gift inspiration. The tins are only £3 and come in the deep purple/pink colour in my photograph, and also green or orange.

Don’t forget your Mother’s Day card! M&S has you covered for that too.  

Tretchikoff’s ‘Green Lady’ Reimagined for 2019 by London Artist Mark Denton Esq.

The classic kitsch starter print, Tretchikoff’s ‘Chinese Girl’ AKA ‘The Green Lady’ has been reimagined by London-based artist Mark Denton Esq.

The original painting from 1952 should be familiar for most people, even non-retro obsessed folks, as the artwork was mass produced and became literally one of the best-selling prints of the 20th century. Everyone had a granny or auntie, or neighbour who had The Green Lady, or a sultry gypsy girl print by JH Lynch.

Mark Denton Esq. has given Tretchikoff’s Chinese Girl a quirky refresh. I wish I could give more of an art analysis, but that’s not my bag.

A little more about Mark from the Jealous Gallery site where his work is hosted- After studying graphic design and an unglamorous start as a paste-up artist on the magazine ‘Knitter’s Digest’, Denton secured a job as an assistant typographer and visualiser at the London office of American advertising agency, Leo Burnett. In less than a decade, Mark found himself as Creative Director of his own agency and one of the most awarded Art Directors in the world.

The following years saw a foray into directing commercials and a return to his first love, graphic design. Forever seeking new forms of self-expression, Mark kept busy designing everything in his world. Clothes, jewellery, wallpaper, furniture, the labels on his tins of beans; nothing was spared his artists eye.

His designs have been exhibited across the globe, notably at ‘The Power of the Poster’ exhibition at the V&A and as a ‘living exhibit’ under the name of Nobby Bottomshuffle (one of his many alter-egos) at the National Football Museum.

You can find Mark Denton Esq.’s Green Ladies of 2019 at Jealous Gallery, based in London, who have an online store. 

A Wealth of Wonderful Faux Taxidermy at Hurn & Hurn (& a Discount Code!)

Hurn & Hurn have a wealth of faux taxidermy. There are sculpted felt animal heads which would look lovely in a nursery, as well as a menagerie of beasties bonces made into wall-mountable vases.

I found a bargain I couldn’t resist, a Hurn & Hurn Discoveries Ram half price for £26, I had to buy it. You can see it just below, and you can click any image to enlarge for detail.

There are lots of other bargains, and there appears to be 5% off site wide today using the code FLASH5 . The site has homewares and gifts, and many quirky treats as well as stylish designs.

Parrots, Piggies & Pups Getting Married- The Karen Mabon 2019 Spring Summer Collection

World of Kitsch readers will recognise the name already, as every season I love to share the fresh designs from the talented, young, Scottish designer Karen Mabon who’s silk scarves I just adore.

The new Spring Summer 2019 Collection doesn’t disappoint, with Karen’s unique style playing out through themes as diverse as the golden age of travel, marathon training, and dog weddings!

 

I think it’s the rich colour palettes Karen Mabon uses, combined with the luxury of the 100% Italian silk used for the scarves which make them so distinctive. The designs are drawn by hand in Karen’s London studio, and then made with love in Lake Como, Italy.

You can shop the collection now, and shipping is free. 

It’s also worthwhile following Karen’s Instagram for peeks at future collections and designs. 

Deck the Walls With Paws So Jolly- Cat & Dog Print Wallpaper from MuralsWallpaper

You may be a cat person. You may be a dog person. Are you enough of a cat or dog person however to ever consider wallpaper themed after your furry friend?

Without seeing a photograph of that product, your immediate reaction would probably be, of course not, no, that sounds like a kitsch nightmare from the 1970s’ or 1980s’.

These wallpapers by MuralsWallpaper however are kept in quite a sleek design with each print focusing on one tone from the colour palette, and simple, clean outline drawings of the cats and dogs.

The papers would work really nicely as a kitchen or utility room feature wall for sure. 

These murals offer a tasteful surface design option that allows everyone to incorporate cat and dog wallpaper into a room and not have to sacrifice the stylish, modern look of the home. 

Pair the pet murals with beds, scratch posts, food bowls and toys to fully furnish a pet's very own space in the home to sleep, play and eat.

Prices start at £30 per square for this range, and the rest of the MuralsWallpaper site has a vast range of interesting prints to choose from including photorealistic murals.

He-Man, Masters Of The Universe Movie Gets First Official Licensed Toy Launch Since 1987

Fellow 80s’ child. How many times have you watched 17%-Rotten-Tomato-scored movie ‘Masters of the Universe? The 1987 box office classic starring Dolph Lundgren as He-Man, a pre-Friends Courteney Cox as random Earth Teenager, and Frank Langella in what should have been an Oscar nominated role as the whole entire production carrying Skeletor.

Well, my brother and I watched Masters of the Universe quite a lot. When I say quite a lot, I would estimate more than fifty times. At least enough times that on a Sunday afternoon we would sometimes go into our Gran’s back garden and recite Skeletor’s dramatic monologue from the final act from memory.

My brother texted me last night with the news that figures from the movie are being made, they have just been revealed at a toy fair. You can watch a video by Pixel Dan about them here.

There are four figures (the fourth is Karg), modelled on the original 1987 William Stout production art, with the faces based on the actors from the final movie. You can pre-order on the Super7 site with the set of four figures coming in at $140. It’s fairly pricy, but each has to be handmade, which is why it costs so much more than regular figures.

If you aren’t enough of a MOTU super fan to spend that kind of money on figures, but want to show your love, Super7 still has some fun merch at lower prices which you can shop here. There are t-shirts for $30, cute blind boxes with He-Man and She-Ra figures for $4, and drinking glasses with the classic figurines printed on them. 

There are also a selection of reproduction classic figures on the old 80s’ style packing for $15 each, so some reasonably priced things to choose from apart from the $140 set of movie figures! Thanks to my brother for the tip off for this blog, and help with the info.