Subliminal: Debi van Zyl

Debi van Zyl is a British-born, South African-and-Canadian-raised, LA transplant (whew!), currently working in architecture and exhibition design. When she's not on the job, she's knitting little beastie creatures and creating paper goods, mobiles and designing furniture. She's been knitting beasts for about a year and a half, and is currently trying out knitting some new, more human-like creatures.



What are you currently inspired by?
Clever and elegant reuse of materials (ie: Piet Hein Eek) and Polaroid photos...with the news of Polaroid's demise, I love how everyone is in "Polaroid mode". It reminds us that new technology is not always better.

What websites can you not live without?
Besides all the blogs I have bookmarked (and there are too many to list)...designboom.



What magazine subscriptions do you currently have? (Bonus Q: How many of them do you actually read?)
None, actually...I used to subscribe to Dwell, Marie Claire Maison and an Australian design journal called Artichoke, but I had to stop. I couldn't store all the back issues and I felt guilty getting rid of any them. Now I just buy the ones I want when I want them. I am thinking about subscribing to I.D. magazine, though. These days I am reading it cover to cover.

4. Which designers most inspire you?
Eileen Gray
Eduardo Chillida
Piet Hein Eek
Hella Jongerius



What are your favorite inspirational spots?
The high desert - Joshua Tree, CA - the landscape is very inspiring. Sometimes in my car - the traffic has me sitting for hours, so a lot of day dreaming goes on.

What is your favorite local store?
The SCI-Arc Supply Store, in downtown LA. I still go there to buy stuff, long after graduation.
Tortoise, Venice, CA.
Turpan, Brentwood, CA.

What is your favorite music to work by?
I actually listen to a range of things...and it's never one artist or CD. Also, I listen to old 'This American Life' shows, though mostly I'm tuning out.

What books are you currently reading?
None at the moment, but I just finished "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy, which was incredible. And sad.



Any "inspiring" deadlines coming up?
My first wholesale order to an upstart shop in London to be completed in a about two weeks, and then my own personal deadline of launching a new set of knitted creatures (end of July).

Thanks to Debi for the interview!

+D TEAM

Cute plush toys by +D TEAM.

Echochrome: between 2D and 3D

Echochrome is a new PSP game focused on navigating worlds of mind and dimension-bending axonometric drawings. It includes a world builder so you can create your own wonky constructs too! See how it works in the videos and check out more information at PSPFanboy.

Nerf N-Strike Recon CS-6

The N-Strike Recon Cs-6 Dart Blaster from Nerf is no joke. Convert the components into any number of configurations and go shoot around the house. It even comes with a flashlight and red light beam so you can shoot at night too. Nerf has come a long way since the old purple and blue bow and arrow.

Ensemble Birds from Tomy

I always keep my eyes out for little guys to populate my desk and the Ensemble Birds from Tomy. Tap the bird on the head and out comes their specie's birdsong. Listen to the different songs here.

Available at AudioCubes.

Bertie of WWR

Bertie is the next piece from Ashley Wood to make the jump from paper to sculpture. Robot Bertie comes from WWR aka World War Robot and will be released in a April of this year. Save a spot on your desk for this one.

Sno-Baller

This weekend Sean and I went to Connecticut for a getaway, and much to my happiness, there was about a foot of snow on the ground (New York City hasn't really gotten any this winter). We went sledding and hiking and I would totally have started a snowball war if I had had one of these Sno-Ballers with me. How great are they - no more freezing, cold hands and the Sno-Baller *claims* that you can make up to 60 snowballs a minute (though, if you aren't a machine, I'm not sure that's really possible.)! But regardless - it would make for an awesome snow fight! Also very cool is the Snow Block Maker, which is basically a plastic bucket that acts as a mold for snow bricks. Backyard igloo, here I come!

Via Cool Hunting.

Etsy halloween

Happy halloween, folks...Here are some of my favorite picks from Etsy...Clockwise from the top: The Line Up by Brian Gubicza, Dead Fish Friendly Owl by Matt Cipov, and Octopus with Ghost Costume and Rabbit Dead by Mandy Lamb. Hope you all have some great costumes out there!

Atypyk puzzle

Atypyk sent over their latest project: the limited edition 1-piece peg puzzle to learn the basics. Teach your tot about branding at a young age.

Aliens Kubricks

"Get away from her, you BITCH!"

These Ripley Powerloader and Queen Alien are desk toys not to be messed with. As stars of one of the most iconic battle scenes of recent history, they deserve a place on your bookshelf.

Erin Currie - Cursters

Erin Currie is a very talented artist who sews, sculpts and paints. She is obsessed with monsters, which I can appreciate being that we at Sub-Studio like the imaginary, too. Besides limited edition prints, Erin has a line of plush toys, my favorite of which are the Cursters. Each doll is super expressive and the suits they come in are pretty cute. Each Curster is unique and is available at Erin's Etsy store.

Via Reuben Miller.

ICFF - Toy Design

b O bles are a series of foam toys that are shaped to have multiple uses and act as toys of exploration and imagination.

A translation of the rocking horse. The Rockingsheep (right), may or may not be made of real sheep skin. Kind of creepy if it is! Desgined by Povl Kjaer.

BKLYN DESIGNS - Longoland

One of my favorite booths from BKLYN DESIGNS was Longoland. Longoland makes fantastical plush toys, each of which are individually handcrafted. Creepy and snuggly all at the same time.

Pentago - Let the Brain Hurting Begin

Pentago, a Swedish board game released in 2004, has won scores of awards for its ingenious gameplay. The rules are simple: place a marble and rotate one of the quadrants, if you get 5 in-a-row you win. Easy to play, difficult to master. The clean and simple Pentago board itself would be great to have around the house and it gives your brain a little exercise too.

Designroom - Bud Collection

Designroom gave us a sneak peak of their 2007 Bud collection. You may remember their Luxury Ducks from a previous post. This year Designroom has moved beyond rubber duckies and into baby bottles and bib sets. My favorites are Nautical and Trooper. So cute. Thanks to Alex for the sneak peak.

Countryside and Suburbia in a Bag

Continuing their '... in a bag' series, Muji released Suburbia in a Bag (left) and Countryside in a Bag (right). Perfect for creating your own kid version of low density urban sprawl and constructed nature. Future urban planners rejoice!

Lettus Bee Vinyl Figure - Andy Jenkins

In my great love for all things Wrench Pilot by Girl Skateboards artdumper Andy Jenkins a.k.a. Mel Bend, I present to you the Lettus Bee Vinyl Figure. Limited to 500 worldwide, so scoop it up quick.

Simpsons Duff Beer Can & Playing Cards

Mmmmm...beer. Those sage and immortal words from none other than Homer J. Simpson. This pack of Simpsons playing cards comes in a Duff beer can! Perfect for card night.

Augusto Ghibelli

I used to love playing chess when I was a kid, but I don't get the chance to do it much anymore. After years, I finally played a game with a friend recently and drove her crazy because I kept agonizing over my moves (it's a high-stress game, man!). Anyway, I love Augusto Ghibelli's "Book of Chess", which has updated the traditional pieces with graffiti signifiers. At the end of the game, the pieces and the board fold up into a 'book', which you can store on your bookshelf. Available at Yoya Shop.

Readymechs

I've seen a lot of these DIY paper toys lately. These ones from Readymechs are pretty cute! All you need is double-sided tape, card stock paper, and about 15 minutes of construction time. You can download the templates on Readymechs' site.

UCO Play and Freeze Ice Cream Maker

The UCO Play and Freeze Ice Cream Maker is one of those odd inventions you might see on tv late at night. The ball is a very curious combination of science, fun and cheap labor (your kids). By playing with the ball and circulating the ice/salt mixture, you freeze the milk in the interior container to make ice cream. If you have ever tried to use one of those hand-cranked ice cream makers, you know what a pain it is. Why not kick a ball around the backyard during the summertime and wind up with some ice cream. As strange as it is, it's pretty cool.

The Simpsons Boxed Set : Ironic Punishment

The Simpsons Boxed Set : Ironic Punishment is one of my favorite toy-sculptures ever. If you watch the Treehouse of Horror on Halloween, then you know what this piece is all about. Mmmm...Doughnuts.

Dalek Qee's

I'm not so super into the whole Qee collecting, but I do have a few of them. But the new Dalek Qee's are SUPER HOT! Seriously.

Pick them up at Rotofugi.
Photos by Rotofugi Shop

Fully Operational

LEGO, a mainstay of any kid's toy box, has come out with some pretty crazy stuff lately. No longer considered solely a 'toy' company, the nostalgic value of playing with Lego's has lead to a series of collectible model sets. The Death Star II is one such example. At $299.99USD, it's pretty expensive for a lego kit. The Darth Vader Keychain is a little more affordable, at $3.99USD.

Jason Sho Green

I love these paper doll gift tags from Jason Sho Green. Very cool.

Via NotCot.

Naef Toys

Such a great puzzle from Naef Toys. It's six puzzles in one! You can put together an elephant, monkey, lion, owl, hare or bear, or even a hare-bare or a lion-key. It's an exquisite corpse puzzle.

Via Swissmiss.

Muji - NYC In A Bag

Muji's New York in a Bag is a wooden toy set of NYC monuments like the Chrysler Building, Statue of Liberty and The Guggenheim. A gift for kids and adults.

Gift Guide - Kids' Toys: Dino Dig

The I DIG Dinosaurs Excavation Kit is exactly what it sounds like. You get to excavate a full T-Rex (among others) fossil from the rock and reassemble it. Every kid loves dinosaurs, digging around in stuff, and model building. This toy combines every little boy's favorite activities. Available from Amazon.com for $17.49 ea.

Gift Guide - Kids' Toys: Bud

I love these modified rubber duckies. Luxury Ducks by Bud. I have no babies to buy this for, but I think I want one for myself. $8.99 from Elsewares.

Glug Glug Glug

With the Mr. Suicide Bathtub Plug from Alessi, you can recreate your own 'you'll be swimmin wit da fishes' scenes in the privacy of your own bathtub.

Joji Okazaki

I love this chipboard bonzai tree! As someone with a black thumb, this tree would really build up my confidence...You can even 'prune' it by rearranging the branches and leaves. The Atomic Bonsai was designed for Tokion Magazine by Joji Okazaki and is available here.

Via Swissmiss.

From Russia with Love

The Wurst Gallery is an online-only gallery based in Portland, OR, run by Jason Sturgill. Shown is one of the set of russian dolls from the From Russia with Love show. The artist is Adam Bayer. Go check them out!

Kate Sutton

Kate Sutton is primarily an illustrator, but I like her monster dolls the best. I'm big into monsters!

MARS-1 Toys

MARS-1, aka Mario Martinez, is a SF-based artist whose vast and colorful landscapes and creatures evoke an explorer's extraterrestrial visions. The MARS-1 capsule sculpture toys above are available at The Umbrella Market, and are only $8 ea.