Yahoo! Surface Skins by Blik are back with six circular designs from iconic artist and frequent collaborator, Keith Haring. Similar to the concept of personalizing your cellphone or laptop, Surface Skins let you to bring art off the walls and onto other objects in your home including cabinets, finished wood, laminate, metal and glass. Move away from walls and transform the everyday with a little help from Keith Haring.

 


 
Fun fact: the Haring designs were originally designed for other circular products like buttons, watches, CD’s and a painting.

You’ve met WRAPPED ~ Surface Skins. Now It’s Haring’s Turn.
Surface Skins by Keith Haring are six circle skins in three diameters: 30” ($35), 36” ($45) and 42” ($60). The designs restore luster to otherwise lackluster coffee and dining tables. Haring is best known for his iconic-line drawings of radiant babies and barking dogs and these designs capture his unique style in a circular format well-suited to a round table. Haring’s people and dogs form a congregation – dancing and moving around the table in celebration.

The six designs: Untitled (Twisting Man) , Untitled (Dancers), Untitled (Rainbow Dancers), Untitled (Radiant Baby), Untitled (Flying Clock) and Untitled (Dancing Dog) are inviting those who gather at the table to join them.

Surface Skins launched last month with 12 skins from Venice-based WRAPPED and we are excited to follow-up the momentum with circular designs by Keith Haring. The skins were developed with a new film that allows the design to be “floated” over the selected surface during installation. The skin’s lamination provides a durable protection to surfaces and makes them easy to apply and remove.

Wonder how easy it really is? Watch and see how magic is made.

Your new motto, “Old surface, new skin!”

We asked new Blik artist Amelie Mancini of Left Field Cards to share with us five fun facts about herself. Left Field Cards x Blik wall graphics launched yesterday (MLB opening day) and we can’t get enough of her witty, playful style. Take it away, Amelie!

1. Left Field Cards started in late summer 2011, when this funny idea of making my own baseball cards popped into my head. I bought a few linoleum blocks, some linocutting tools, inks and started carving. At the time, I was in between jobs and had no money, but plenty of time on my hands! Block printing doesn’t cost much to get started and I’m a hard believer in DIY so I thought, why not print my own baseball cards? It will be fun! Maybe other people will like them! (They did).

2. I was born and raised in France where we don’t have baseball. It’s a little weird to have become so obsessed over something I knew nothing about until my late twenties, but now I can’t imagine my life without baseball! I barely survive the off-season.

3. I was peer-pressured by my Brooklyn-bred friends into becoming a Mets fan and not a Yankee fan. I had no idea what I was getting into at the time but now I wouldn’t change it. Someday the Mets will be good. And that day my heart will be filled with such incredible joy. I actually have dreams about the Mets winning the World Series. It’s the purest kind of happiness I’ve ever experienced, albeit in dream form. I really hope they win someday. Oh man.

 
4. If I were a baseball player, I would like to be a catcher. To be honest I like telling people what to do, and I would like to be able to do that by simply flashing secret signs with my fingers! Catchers are so bad-ass: look at Yogi Berra, Roy Campanella, Johnny Bench, Gary Carter, Buster Posey… I’m excited about this new Travis d’Arnaud kid the Mets just got! And of course my favorite baseball movie is Bull Durham.

5. I have been to eight ballparks so far and it is my personal goal to go to every Major League ballpark in the country. Another goal of mine is to eat hot dogs in all of these different ballparks. And watch baseball. I have big dreams.

Thanks, Amelie! Shop the entire Left Field Cards collection at Blik and let us know which graphic is your favorite.

 
Are you a baseball superfan? So excited that it’s opening day! Yeah, us too. Today we’re bringing the best-loved cult baseball artist in Brooklyn to your walls. Say hello to Amelie Mancini and Left Field Cards. We’ve teamed up to launch three baseball designs based on Amelie’s artisanal line of letterpress baseball cards. The Blik collection is launching with three wall graphics: Marvelous Moustaches, Pitching 101 and Throwback Uniforms.

PRODUCTS:
Marvelous Moustaches includes busts of six players with their fantastic lady-ticklers: The Chevron, The Magnum, The Combo, The Painter’s Brush, The Trucker and The Handle Bar. Marvelous Moustaches are sold individually.

 
Can you tell a curveball from a forkball? Is your favorite pitch the knuckleball? Learn how to pitch in nine steps with Pitching 101. The set includes nine different ways pitchers grip the ball before releasing it. Sold in a single set: Sinker, Two-Seam Fastball, Cutter, Four-Seam Fastball, Forkball, Change-Up, Slider, Knuckleball and Curveball.

 
Throwback Uniforms are sold in a set of six with uniforms from every 25 years from 1875 to 2000. The set includes: 1875, 1900, 1925, 1950, 1975 and 2000.

 
THE MONET OF BASEBALL CARDS
Amelie, a French-born artist, had never encountered a baseball card until a couple of years ago. She started Left Field Cards after having completed a series of seven large paintings about baseball. In October of 2011, she decided to combine her two passions, art and baseball, to create the first and only letterpress baseball cards. Last year, The Wall Street Journal referred to her as, “The Monet of Baseball Cards” and ESPN called Left Field Cards, “the coolest baseball cards of the year.”

BLIK + LEFT FIELD CARDS = A HOME RUN
We love baseball and wanted to celebrate opening day in an artful way that related to the history of this great American pastime. Amelie’s style fits perfectly with Blik’s sensibility. We were drawn to her simple illustrations and her witty and playful style.

 
GIVEAWAY: WIN 1 OF 5 SETS OF LEFT FIELD CARDS’ POSTCARDS
To celebrate the Left Field Cards collection at Blik, we’re giving away 5 sets of letterpress postcards (5 cards in a pack) from Left Field Cards. Enter to win Bizarre Injuries, Edible All-Stars, Marvelous Mustaches, United States of Baseball and Curious Second Careers. No purchase necessary! Contest runs until 11:59pm on Friday, April 5, 2013.

UPDATE: Congratulations to Julie Tyler, Jennifer Barnett, Brianna Deihl, Whitney Bender and Chris Wray. You are each getting a set of letterpress postcards from Left Field Cards.

BONUS FUN ALERT! While supplies last, every order of Left Field Cards will include a pack of Big League Chew™, you know, “The Ballplayers’ Bubble Gum!” Don’t let the bubble burst before you get your order in.

 
We are soooo Hello Kitty excited! Today we are launching nine Hello Kitty x Blik graphics that take both a traditional and an artistic spin on classic Hello Kitty images. And to celebrate this momentous day, we’re giving away 25 Hello Kitty: Chalkboards and 25 Hello Kitty: Dry Erase Boards. Plus, we are offering free U.S. ground shipping for today (Thursday, March 21) on all Blik products including Hello Kitty. Now, that’s cause for celebration.

 


 

HELLO KITTY X BLIK COLLECTION

1. Hello Kitty: Supercute, Set 1 & Set 2 – Say hello to two sets of oversized Hello Kitty graphics – $35/set.

2. Hello Kitty: Hide & Seek – We spy Hello Kitty and her friends. Use these Hello Kitty graphics to interact with the furniture and objects in your space – $55

3. Hello Kitty: Faces – Have fun with Hello Kitty deconstructed. Singular elements of the friendly Hello Kitty are broken down giving you the ability (and creativity) to place her iconic red bow or whiskers around different objects – $55.

4. Hello Kitty: Chalkboard Re-Stik - Grab some chalk and scribble some notes. Hello Kitty won’t let you forget! Made with Blik Re-Stik™, these two chalkboards are movable and reusable – $45 (Chalk not included.)

5. Hello Kitty: Dry Erase Re-Stik – Scribble some notes with a dry erase marker. Hello Kitty won’t let you forget! Made with Blik Re-Stik™, these two whiteboards are movable and reusable – $45 (Dry erase markers not included.)

6. Four Hello Kitty: Pattern Wall Tiles – Bring a multitude of Hello Kitty to your room with Blik’s popular Pattern Wall Tiles. $50/each.
Hello Kitty ~ Pattern Wall Tiles, Set 1
Hello Kitty ~ Pattern Wall Tiles, Set 2
Hello Kitty ~ Pattern Wall Tiles, Set 3
Hello Kitty ~ Pattern Wall Tiles, Set 4

Guess who is in The New York Times today? Us! Run, don’t walk and go pick-up your copy and flip to the Home section. The Blik X WRAPPED collaboration is featured on pg. D3 with a picture of Shadow.

As you may remember, Blik has given WRAPPED’s artistic gift wrap a Blik twist and the three designs (Shadow, 90291 & Charles Arnoldi for Wrapped, Macro) are based on intensely colored, high-resolution photos. Made from self-adhesive vinyl, the wall wraps (which have four or six sheets in a package) are durable and meant to adhere to any smooth flat surface.

Thanks to The new York Times for featuring the collaboration and the cool things that are coming out of Venice!

Last week, we launched Babybot in Dinoland from our friends at Babybot. Who’s Babybot? Just the award-winning Canadian baby store for modern parents. We thought we’d delve a little deeper into the brand and find out more about those crazy Canucks.

So we give you 7 Fun Facts about Babybot – in their own words.

1. Babybot was created by a small group of designers who worked together at a digital agency on brands like Rolex, Hyatt Hotels, Mercedes Benz, Gucci + Infiniti. One time a client said “no” to a cool idea we pitched, so we started Babybot.

2. The name “Babybot” was inspired by an episode of America’s Next Top Model. (Don’t ask).

3. We hail from the great white north (Canada). We don’t ship our products by dog sled but we do say ‘eh’ a lot.

4. Our studio was a local pub for a year. We don’t remember much about that year… or even which year it was.

5. Last year’s Babybot fan of the year (on Facebook) won for being “Silent but Deadly”. He narrowly beat out ‘Half Monty’ and the ‘S-bomber’ for the big win.

6. We have a lineup of fun brand mascots that hang out with Babybot including Beaverbot, The Cyclops Twins and Xylobot. A poop-bot named Skidz debuted in our Babybot Land decal by Blik last year.

7. Our warehouse phone’s ringtone is “Intergalactic” by the Beastie Boys. Sometimes we don’t answer right away because we are bustin’ out some fresh moves.

Another fun fact about the Babybot and Blik partnership is that illustrator, Felix Wong, who designed all of the Babybot x Blik graphics, also designed the graphics for our custom project with Kaiser Permanente. When Kaiser commissioned Blik for wall decals for the three pediatrics floors at their San Francisco Medical Center, we immediately thought of Felix. Each floor has a distinct San Francisco theme (City, Golden Gate Park, and Fisherman Wharf), bringing the outside in for visitors and patients. Felix excellently created individual characters to guide visitors through each floor.

 
Wrapping paper for your walls? Yep, you heard us right. We are thrilled to team up with our Venice neighbors WRAPPED to launch a new line of graphics based on WRAPPED’s artfully-crafted gift wrap. We love the idea of working with another Venice-based company and combining our collective talents! The WRAPPED x Blik line includes Shadow, 90291 and Charles Arnoldi for Wrapped, Macro.

 
BLIK x WRAPPED
For Shadow and 90291 – think wrapping paper for your walls. Blik has given WRAPPED’s artistic gift wrap a Blik twist and created a wall wrap. Made from self-adhesive vinyl, the wall wraps (which have four or six sheets in a package) are durable and meant to adhere to any smooth flat surface. Macro is based on Charles Arnoldi’s (WRAPPED co-founder Ryland Arnoldi’s father) massive artwork Middle America. Recreate part of the original piece by assembling Macro’s brilliant assortment of colors and shapes.

WHAT IS WRAPPED?
Launched in 2011 by Ryland Arnoldi and Sam Seidman, the duo set out to do what they love most: translate their passion for art and nature beyond wrapping paper. As a result, they introduced a groundbreaking idea: wrapping paper as art rather than a disposable shell. All his life, Ryland has observed his artist-father protect his work table with butcher paper that became saturated with paint. As a child, Ryland watched him tear off pieces of the paint-spattered material and use it as gift wrap. That experience showed him how great wrapping paper can transform the experience of receiving a gift into something truly extraordinary.

WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT WRAPPED?
Check out their Pinterest Board for Blik to see how they got inspired to create Shadow, 90291 and Charles Arnoldi for Wrapped, Macro.

WIN A SIGNED CHARLES ARNOLDI BOOK
Since Charles Arnoldi’s work inspired WRAPPED, we thought it only fitting to give away a signed book that presents the work of Arnoldi. Titled Charles Arnoldi, the 360-page book is a beautiful representation of his paintings and includes a forward by Frank Gehry. Arnoldi has been described as an artist who “draws in space” to create his unique assemblage works of art. You’ll be automatically entered to win the 360-page book (published by Radius Books) just by ordering one of the new WRAPPED graphics from November 8-14, 2012.

 


 


 
UPDATE: Nikolas P. is the winner of the Charles Arnoldi book. Congratulations!

Details: Due to the large size and weight of the book, this contest is only open to residents in the United States. Please also note that Charles Arnoldi’s signature is intentionally smeared. A winner will be picked using Random.org and announced on November 15, 2012.

 
We recently sat down with Ryland Arnoldi and Sam Seidman of Venice, CA-based WRAPPED to find out more about the creative duo. As background, WRAPPED was launched a year ago by Ry and Sam when they introduced a groundbreaking idea: wrapping paper as art rather than a disposable shell. And now, with the upcoming launch of a Blik x WRAPPED collaboration, they’re ready to translate their passion for art and nature beyond wrapping paper.

1.What would you be doing if you hadn’t started Wrapped?
We met at Pomona College where we both got degrees in Economics. Ry double majored in Economics and Psychology. We were both thinking about going into Finance before choosing to start WRAPPED instead. (We think that was a good move!)

2.If you could pick any artist (living or dead) to do a collaboration with who would it be?
Andy Warhol

3.Ever broken a body part?
Sam: Yes, a collar bone, elbow, ribs, fingers, toes. Ry: I got hit by a car a month ago.

4.What’s the longest road trip you’ve been on?
We built our first trade show booth for WRAPPED out of plywood and drove it to the MSA (Museum Store Association) show in New Orleans. On the way back we decided to go from Houston to Venice in one push. It was brutal.

5.The Dark Knight Rises or the Avengers?
We haven’t seen the Avengers, so the Avengers.

When the design trendsetters at NOTCOT attended our 10 Year Birthday Bash in June, they told us they were smitten by the works of Carnovsky and loved our over-sized Carnovsky banners at our party.

Once the Carnovsky x Blik Rosoni patterns launched, NOTCOT took on the challenge of putting Rosone N. 1 on the ceiling around a light. Genius if you ask us. This allowed for the possibility of having color-changing lightbulbs to easily see the various RGB views of the graphic.

Hop over to NOTCOT to see the install from start to finish from the unboxing of the graphic to the graceful ceiling application. Needless to say we were very impressed with the end result and think it’s a great tutorial for Carnovsky fans.

Photos courtesy of NOTCOT.