Ramen Party!

Ramen is one of my favourite foods. So when Lillian Chan, creator of Ramen Party asked me to help out with their project, I couldn't help but get involved.

So I'm going to tell you a little about Ramen Party and why you should know about it!

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Ramen Party is a band and brand of characters created and animated by Lillian Chan, who studied at the province's best animation school, Sheridan College. Among her talented designs is Ramen Party a line, or rather a family, of characters inspired by traditional Japanese ramen. 

Now, this isn't your college roommates ramen. This is the real deal, the OG and classic homage to its country of origin. 

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So what is Ramen Party?

Ramen Party is an Interactive StoryBook App designed especially for pre-school age kids. Because kids can be picky eaters. The app is designed to help kids discover and get excited about new and cultural foods, as well as the world around them.  

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Ramen Party is one of the lucky few selected to participate in the CFC's mentoring program ideaBOOST - an curated incubator for small businesses and big ideas based in social and transmedia. 

Submissions for the next round of ideaBOOST are coming to a close next month. 

For more info on ideaBOOST click here 

What is Ramen Party's kickstarter for?

Ramen Party has just launched their campaign with Indiegogo page and their reaching out for to you to help build this app! With the funds generated through the kickstarter, The Ramen Party Team will create kid-friendly... 

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Feed me more info! 

Visit the Ramen Party indiegogo page for even more morsels of information. 

colourful prints & cards

custom Gelskins for your phone

Screenprinted Totes!

custom handmade Ramen Party Stuffie of your choice!
oh yeah I made these 

What are the perks of donating to Ramen Party?

Well! As you can see above, Ramen Party isn't just a brand or just an app. It's a project with legs and arms  and gaining momentum quickly! As part of the kickstarter campaign, The Ramen Party Team has lovingly packaged a delightful assortment of sweet swag, in appreciation for your generous investment and support, including signed prints, a custom thank you animation! and a packages that includes a custom handmade stuffie of your choice.

Early bird catches the worm! 

These items are in high demand, and won't last long. Some items are special editions and in limited quantities. So hurry up and shop for your donation before you miss out! 

So how am I involved with Ramen Party?

The Ramen Party creator, Lillian Chan had the idea to make these characters into toys. Because every kid loves toys! One of the packages available to claim,on their Indiegogo page, is a handmade Ramen Party Stuffie of your choice. And the hands in handmade belong to ME! For every package available, I will CUSTOM MAKE a Ramen Party Character stuffie of your choosing. 

But these aren't just any toys, these stuffies are made from an interesting selections of tactile fabric chosen for their resemblance to their characters. Among the fabrics are rich wools, light and shiny foil linen, colourful felts, and silky satins - turning these Digital Darlings into Tangible Toys.

And yes, Mr. Ramen is wearing a beautiful wrapped-yarn noodle suit! 

 

  

product photos of stuffies by Owen Deveney

Even MORE goodness!

Lillian has collaborated with multi-faceted husband, musician and Ramen Party Team member John Poon, to create a music video, to get YOU excited about the Ramen Party Project too. 

Their video is spoonful of adorable and the catchy-tune will have you hooked! 

And if you listen carefully, you can hear featured artist Kid Koala exercise is DJ scratching skillz on the track!

(if you like the tune, you can get the mp3 on the indiegogo site too!)

Heart, passion and ambition are all ingredients in Lillian Chan's Ramen Party. It's an exciting project, I hope you will get involved with. 

In fact, I'm so excited, I think I'm going to go eat a bowl of ramen right now! 

Please visit Ramen Party on Indiegogo and help support their project. 

Or visit them on facebook and give it a like! 

And of course, watch the video and link to their campaign on their new & official website RamenParty.ca

Hello again....

An impromptu trip to the Big Apple garnered an array of stunning photographs, documented by hawk-eye-behind-the-lens, Owen Deveney.

Here for your viewing pleasure are the highlights. 

For even more photos visit Owen's Flickr page here

Art in Transit

Over the next two weeks see my work in the Art in Transit exhibition, across Canada. 

From Jan. 14th - 27th 

in shopping centers all over the country

My animals heads as photographed by the best, Owen Deveney  

along with Andrea Vander kooij's photographs of her amazing skills in knitting, 

will be apart of  "Hard Twist: Greatest Hits" 

curated by Chris Mitchell & Helena Frei 

and Art in Transit, an ad/exhibition program 

with Pattison OneStop Network digital display billboards.

Read about the Art in Transit program and more about the artists involved 

in this Thursdays issue of  the Metro Newspaper 

or get it online here. 

Find out where to view the exhibition here

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Make sure to see
Hard Twist 7: Touch Me, Feel Me

before we pack it all up on Sun Jan 27th. 

On now @ The Gladstone Hotel, Queen West, Toronto

3rd & 4th Floor. 

Try on a felted beard made by yours truly and post it on twitter #HardTwist

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Owen has just posted a mountain of wonderful shots 

sharing them with us via Flickr. 

Please stop by and check them out here.

enjoy!

Update: Jan 16th 2013

News about the Art in Transit program landed on the west coast.

read Vancouver's online new source Straight.com 

for all the details. 

K + O Photo | New Shop

You may have noticed this little badge hanging out on the side of this blog ------------------>
 and wondered why it suddenly appeared and what it had to do with anything. Well ....

new K+O Photo logo click here and jump to our new shop!

Owen and I have decided to share our photographic series and collaborations with you and the world, extending accessibility to those who may not have the chance to visit exhibitions we participate in.

Part of the Animal Collective installation includes a series of narative photographs featuring each of the heads, taken somewhere near or around Lake Ontario. Up until recently, these prints were only available to purchase through galleries or directly contacting us.

We have selected just 5 photos, for now, to open our shop.
Prints are available in 3 sizes (12x18, 16x20, 24x36) and printed on incomparable and supa-fancy Hahnemuehle Photo Rag fine art paper. 

Prints are available to purchase online at our new shop 

                                  through Big Cartel. 

We're calling the collaboration K+O Photo. 

The best gift you can ever give a kid is a bike.

I bought this little betty last year from a local hobbiest in Burlington. She's a beauty and rides great too. It's my first bike since I was probably 14. Though, I'm not an outdoorsy or sporty person but about the only thing I am keen on is cycling.  I love it a lot!

1970's CCM Grand Prix Ladies 3speed Cruiser

To anyone out there who hasn't experienced the pure joy and freedom of a bicycle, do yourself a favour - go buy a bike off the nearest homeless man and find out what I'm talking about. The best gift you can ever give a kid is a bike.

My bike required a tire tube change this year. But since my bike is a bit of a grandma it was hard to find the proper tube replacement. (Canadian Tire, Wal-Mart and other local bike shops didn't stock the tire I needed) If you're looking for a tube replacement for a vintage cruiser (ie: size 26 1 3/8) I bought these ones at a Wal-Mart in the States (haven't seen them yet in the Canada yet). They have a sealant solution inside the tire that will heal the tire if is punctured.

For your viewing pleasure - here is a little video Owen and I did to celebrate bike love.

Make a bike video from Owen Deveney on Vimeo.

© Leikey Designs 2010. All rights reserved.

The Lion and the whale

Lion head
Animal head artist series
Felted; coopeworth, camel
2011


Artist Statement:

"The versatility and tactile qualities of raw fleece have inspired me to drive the boundaries to create felted sculptures. Using barbed needles, soap and my hands, I diligently sculpted strands of animal hair into a life-size wearable lion head. Symbolizing courage, this lion is worn to mask my insecurities.
In my work, I hope to project a sense of honesty rooted in the concept of each piece, to encourage relatability and connection with an audience.  My aim is to create art pieces, some functional others conversational, to articulate the substance behind them in the absence of my confidence. ”
- Keiley Stewart

Please visit flickr to see more photos of the Lion and Hare!
Photos by Owen Deveney 

© Leikey Designs 2010. All rights reserved.

honey do

Honey do hats - Multiples project leikey designs 2009 Fotos by The O Media

glove love...

Embroidered gloves Hand & Lock project leikey designs 2010 fotos by ME! and Owen

Beacon

Owen is fascinated with lighting, as a cinematographer ought to be. He is always studying colours, feeling, contrast and how things are done. I will be forever intrigued how he can pull inspiration from anything and anywhere. One of the many hidden traits about the mysterious Land Owen, is that he likes to collect globes, especially old dusty ones that are missing countries and refer to Russia as the USSR. Benoit Veubled is an artist who gravitates towards metals and found objects. With said materials he makes sculptural lighting pieces that are really something special and quite original. For your viewing pleasure, but especially for Owen...

Fox Scarf!

This is my fox scarf. His name is Octoberfest. I made him for my Textile Investigations class. The objective of the project was to design and make an interesting piece that was worn on the body. Inspired by this raw fleece I discovered at Romni Wools in Toronto and vintage fur stoles. I used a combination of Ashworth and Coopworth fleece. I've recently duplicated the scarf for a gift, this gave me the opportunity to make some changes to the original design and use a variety of beautiful wools. I think I'm going to roll with this fox theme for a bit, I've come up with some interesting variations - more fox apparel/designs coming soon, but for now... Enjoy.

With Club Sauce....

Here are my shrimp cocktail clutches. There are three in the series, and were done as a project for my Dye & Print class. Objective for the project was a pretty open concept: to create a series of bags while using our, now honed, textiles skills. In the series we have... - Raw Shrimp: made of gray vinyl with disperse-dye shrimp print on poly-satin lining. This purse is fun to handle and durable. The clutch is buttery-smooth, and touchable-y tactile. The type/weight of the fabric makes for sturdy yet lightweight handling. - Cooked Shrimp: made with poly-satin and taffeta for exterior and disperse-dye shrimp print on poly-satin lining. Satin to me is evening: a satin slip, a satin dress or better still pajamas. Either way, satin is made for touching. This purse is lovely to handle and the lightweight materials make it as weightless and as delicate as a feather. And last but not least... - Breaded Shrimp: hand-carded and felted Merino and dyed Coopworth wool, poly-satin tail and disperse-dye shrimp print on poly-satin lining. Merino wool is the softest/nicest wool ever, rather than risking destroying the fibres during the dying process, I’ve carded it (combed it) with common wool to get the appropriate colour. Whether you hold this purse in your hand or under your arm, you’ll fall for the feel of how soft and plush the Merino is. And because felt naturally repels moisture and dirt, this clutch is ideal for a night out. If you spill wine on your purse, it will just bead right off. ---I don’t have a detailed internal shot to share with you, but on the interiors of each are a printed lining with a illustrated shrimp motif, a heat transfer label with my name and a pocket to store your whateveryouwishes. I made hang tags for the finished product. The name of my collection is "Nauticrill" -thanks to Janessa and Michele; their support and creativity is so appreciated! Finished hang tags were printed on translucent shells and care instructions attached to the back. - All photos and lighting by TheOMedia - Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated, don't be shy. - Fabrics and supplies for pieces were purchases @ Fabric by Designer - Toronto & Hamilton, European Textiles - Hamilton, Nova Sewing Centre - Hamilton, Affordable Textiles - Toronto. Wool purchased @ Spun Fibre Arts - Burlington. I'm under no obligation here but - all these stores had a get selection and efficient and helpful staff. Fabric by Designer in Toronto were especially gracious and do give discounts to students! Enjoy…