Blue Hour Two Year Anniversary

If you have been following me for a minute you may know that I for the past two years I have been collaborating with the Blue Hour tea truck to host cute character fan events. My dear friend, Maria Fernanda, is the owner of the Blue Hour Goods and also runs Natural Hour Wellness Bar located in Sherman Oaks. She is originally from Guanajuato, MX but has been a lifelong LA Native. Her mission with the Blue Hour truck, or ApoTeacary, is to serve herbal teas & natural treats, host plant-dye workshops, and bring a bit of nature into the urban sprawl that is Los Angeles.

Maria has been a huge personal inspiration to me and has always been so supportive when I come to her with my creative ideas. We met as teens through our creative endeavors and have since then collaborated a bunch, bringing our creative minds together to create so many fun things. Our most recent collaboration happened this past weekend with a bunny themed event to celebrate the 2 year anniversary of her mobile tea truck. We worked together to create super cute decorations, a themed menu and curated vendors to make the event extra special.

Piñata by @Lugubrez

Artist @Lugubrez graced us with the most unbelievable handmade miffy Piñata to use as decoration and a photo op. Sherlin of @ShopSherlin  (who also vended at our Rilakkuma fan event) came through with more of her adorable crochet creations and made the most adorable journal spread that can be seen on this posts collage. We also had coolest air brushed tees made by @Alfalfapup. I've been eyeing her shirts for the longest time and I was so hyped to get to shop them IRL. 

Shirts by @Alfalfapup

You already know I live for a themed snack so my contribution to the menu for this event was miffy inspired rice Krispie treats! I hand dipped them in chocolate and drew the face on with chocolate on each one. It was a labor of love but so absolutely worth it and they looked so cute on display in the truck.

My absolute favorite thing about these events is seeing the people who come go all out with the theme. I went around with my camera capturing all the cute moments and outfits I came across. Huge thank you that everyone who came through to support it means so much! (●'◡'●) Here is the link to all the photos taken at the event.

@shesmisery

Pastry Plug - Daisy

 

I've been so excited to feature today's artist. I first came across her art back in 2019 when I-D did a feature on her work. Daisy is the owner of Pastry Plug Shop, which can best be described as as a food-themed variety art store. They carry a huge array of dessert-inspired stationery, stickers, handcrafted jewelry, accessories, home decor, merch, DIY craft kits, and more. Daisy comes from Guatemalan roots, when asking her about her Latino background this is what she had to say," I’m first generation. My parents are from Guatemala. I’ve recently learned more about my dad’s ancestry and his Chinese lineage! His mom and her family migrated from China to Guatemala, and they fully assimilated into the "chapín" culture."

Inspiration for her work comes from lots of different kawaii influences, including Mezzo-piano, Angel Blue, Bobby Jack, Sanrio, and fake food. Daisy's work is also heavily inspired by her other passion which is baking. "While getting my start in baking, I struggled to find my creative voice. I was always creating someone else’s recipes, and felt that despite the creative process, I lacked my own creativity. It wasn’t until my partner offered to have a “clay-date” together that I discovered my love for sculpting! I started sculpting fruits, pastries, Sanrio fan art, and then began making my own jewelry and hair accessories. Soon after, my friends started commissioning." It was so cool to hear what the inspirations behind Pastry Plug are, as I know Daisy's work has inspired me and so many others! I'm also so obsessed with the idea that she is talented at making both real and fake treats.

Daisy and her partner run the company together, sharing their art by vending at different events and hosting workshops where attendees get to make their own decoden creations. One of their favorite events that they've vended at has been Atlanta Pride. "The interactions with customers and strangers were so wholesome and filled my heart with joy. We also made some genuine friendships through Pride, and that is truly priceless!" It is my dream to attend one of their workshops irl (fingers crossed they make their way to the west coast soon). I was so curious to hear what the experience of having a business centered around your own art was like, "It's so cool to create something for myself that ends up resonating with strangers online! I love to share my baking knowledge through workshops and teach people cake decorating!  It’s also a blessing to chase my dreams alongside my partner. Putting your artwork out into the world can feel scary and vulnerable, but having friends and supporters spark up with excitement and inspiration through this artwork is a wonderful feeling and keeps me going. Sometimes, creating artwork feels meaningless and bleak in the state of the world and politics, but inspiring others through this art allows me to feel productive and gives me a sense of purpose." I can personally confirm that Pastry Plug art sparks excitement for me and it's always a delight seeing it come across my feed. 

My favorite thing about Daisy's work is how insanely detailed it is. She has posted process videos on social media before, and I was in awe of how she creates all her fake fruit by hand and manages to capture the texture so well. When asking if she had any upcoming projects in the future, she mentioned that there is a Youtube Channel in the works..."We are working on starting a Youtube Channel! I am uncomfortable in front of the camera, so it’s more about getting over that discomfort and sharing my process despite those feelings! I’d like to create the type of cozy craft content that I enjoy watching while I work, and I hope that it can bring happiness to others!" I'm super hyped to see more of her creative process and I just know it is gonna end up being my new favorite Youtube channel when it launches. Make sure to follow and keep up with all things Pastry Plug here.

Star2soob - Juana

It's been about four months since I have started this blog. Since then, a lot of friends have sent me posts that makes them think of this blog or if they find something they think I should feature on here. Today's interview came about in that way. A friend of mine sent me Mexican themed spread made by Juana (@Star2soob). Juana is originally from Guanajuato, Mexico but was raised in the U.S. Her account is dedicated to scrapbooking spreads, sticker collections, and kpop photo cards. I am always in awe of people who actually use their sticker collections and are able to create such aesthetically scrapbooking pages. I reached out to Juana to learn more about her collection and all the cute decorating that comes along with being a kpop fan. 

in honor of txt performing in mexico for the first time & covering eres para mi, i present to u a spread that is very dear to me!!!! hearing them perform a song that i grew up listening to lowkey made me really miss my childhood T__T this song is very special bcs of that so i decided to make this #MexicoCore spread hehe >.< my love for stickers began when i would beg my mom for stickers from the coin machines at the mercado. i think growing up surrounded by so much color and art from my culture made me the person i am today. i decided to treat my inner child by allowing myself to freely use as many stickers as i wanted for this spread. usually i hold back or try to not mindlessly use my stickers 

How did you get into making Kpop spreads? Who is your favorite Kpop artist?

I’ve been a fan of K-Pop since I found BTS in 2018. However, I didn’t begin collecting

photocards until about 2022. After finding the trading and buying community on Instagram, I

realized just how big the deco and journaling community was becoming. I was especially

amazed at how colorful and bright many of the creations were. I’ve always loved arts & crafts

even as a child so I already had quite a bit of supplies. My first spreads were made using

stickers I had found at the thrift store and with pictures I had cut out from albums or printed at

my local library. At the time I felt a bit sorry that I couldn’t buy the aesthetic, Korean brand

stickers. Looking back now, I have grown to love those first spreads a lot given that I was

resourceful which I believe is even more creatively special. As the months have gone by, I’ve

found my style and preferred method for creating my spreads. My favorite K-pop group right

now is TXT! Their colorful and bright personalities shine through their music and light up my

day to day. Making spreads about my favorite artists and interests has been a great comfort for

me for the past three years.

Do you have a favorite spread you've created?

Oh, this is such a difficult question.. I usually prefer more colorful or rainbow-like spreads. I

think the summer Soobin spread that is pinned on my profile is definitely one that I was very

proud of. Since Soobin is my bias I think I love all the spreads I make with him! I usually love

the spreads that I take longer to plan and create the most.

What is your favorite thing about creating these spreads and the Kpop community?

As soon as I bring out my Twilight backpack full of supplies, it feels like the world slows down for

me. Usually, I am either at work, at school, or involved in family responsibilities so making

spreads is sort of an escape for me from my day to day life. I am in full control of what stickers I

chose, where I place the pictures, and the vibe I want to give off. It feels like I’m opening a little

window for people to peek into my brain and creativity which I think is really cool. Every spread

I’ve made is special in that regard. I am grateful that I have had the opportunity to build this

account for almost 3 years now. I have made lots of great friendships and have received an

immense amount of support and love! I think the K-Pop community is one of the most creative

and artistic communities out there. There are so many people that I share interests with so I

have felt very welcomed. I think being able to document this time of my life through bright

spreads of my interests is something precious.

Are there any upcoming projects you’re excited about?

Yes!! My friends and I are actually organizing a joint account where we will showcase and

hopefully sell some of the crafts we love making. We were recently chosen as vendors for a

local cup sleeve event so I am excited to prepare for that! Other than that, I am currently a

graphic design student who is very close to graduation so I am looking forward to that as well. I

am eager to see just how the future unfolds thanks to this great community and space that I

have the blessing to have.