shopping!!!
#58Suruga-ya had a free shipping campaign the other day so I picked up just a few things! I tried to prioritize big heavy books but with Suruga-ya it's kind of hard to know what you're getting and you might end up with a record instead of a CD! So I got 3 books (1 was out of stock and unceremoniously removed from my order which I did not realize until its arrival) and 2 CDs for a grand total of $33, the most expensive being an issue of Dollybird.
Other than Dollybird, I also got Another Yourself 2009, Girly Graphics, Cloudy Cloud Calculator and Dear Chocolat Sienne. Nothing came with any surprises (other than very strong old smells from Another Yourself)! Girly Graphics compiles a lot of examples of, well, girly design. I first came across this book at my school's library when I studied design. The program I was in required a portfolio to apply, and you'd pretty much immediately get thrown out if you had anything too cutesy in there. You never wanted to hear the word "cute" on critique day, as it was almost always accompanied by a sneer when it came from professors and peers alike. The first few pages of Girly Graphics epxress the difficulties of the editorial staff in getting designers to lend their works toward their efforts. It seems that no matter where you are in the world, "girlishness" and "kawaii" are negatively connotated in regards to design. I could go on about all of the reasons I think this is the case, but to keep it short it's a book I've wanted to own for a while because it proves that the universal disdain for cute design is really unwarranted. The cover is...not indicative of this and I hate it.
Girly Graphics
Dollybird vol.26
I picked this issue of Dollybird kind of on a whim, I wanted an older issue, but the recent ones I have are all pretty fantastic so I really didn't need to be too picky. This one features be my baby! Cherry on the cover and contains several shoe and bag patterns.
Another Yourself is a big hefty set of two books, celebrating the 10th anniversary of Volks. Hat has already written about its contents so I won't repeat them here. Really nice to look through but the smell makes my head hurt so I've been enjoying it in small doses.
And lastly, the two CDs: Cloudy Cloud Calculator and Dear Chocolat Sienne. The former because I think it was like one of the first things I purchased on iTunes, the latter because I was looking for Contemode, and this seemed like a fun compilation album. Apparently it was a collaboration with a lifestyle magazine. I was only familiar with Hazel Nuts Chocolate, CECIL, YMCK and Melting Holiday but that was enough to have a sense of what to expect. Pretty fun!
I'm going to start keeping a list of things to look for the next time Suruga-ya is doing free shipping. But I do not want anyone to buy the things I want to buy before I can buy them, so I am gatekeeping. Do NOT buy from surugaya they are evil and extra really bad.
Omake