Hello Kitty Con 2014 Media and VIP Event

11/04/2014

Well… although I had just had a major surgery I felt that it was important for me to push myself out of the nest aka laying in bed in pain because, hey, it had been long enough. It’s time to force myself to be myself again and stop wasting away on the occasional apple slice. So I figured I’d heal with a bang and off I went to LA!

I must say the airport customer service was amazing to wheel me to the plane, THANKS DELTA. I would have been extremely slow moving and in considerable pain but would still have made myself walk had they not offered to wheel me around. I was so shocked at the amount of customer service I received just because my stomach was stapled!

So I arrived in LAX and felt a bit sad my best friend Kimi would not be waiting for me as she is every other flight (it was a super quick business day week trip and I couldn’t stay through the weekend) but I was still extremely happy to be back in the California sun and air and meet up with my Indy friend who arrived a couple days earlier.

I slept decently in a lovely home overlooking LA being watched over by the Hollywood sign and the next day we were off to the beach and to explore areas we hadn’t explored before. I never get to go to LA for tourist attractions so we went to Venice, Little Tokyo and other assorted neighborhoods. Her brother Danny Detox lives there and is in the band The Ex-Gentlemen so we also ended up a few other places to meet him.

The last evening there was the HELLO KITTY CON 2014 aka the first Hello Kitty Convention ever in the United States. Miseducated was invited to the Press Event and VIP Opening Party so off I went to snap a huge stack of photos and gather goodies to feature!

I must say I filled up my SLR as well as my phone camera with many more photos to take! I did get tired early due to my surgery but I met some new and old friends (was very impressed with Stephiee’s work on the fashion installation, it made my eyes bleed holographic glitter and several of the outfits glittered back begging to come home in my suitcase), filled up all of my cameras, got media packs and enjoyed connecting with Christina of California Focus Magazine.

As I said above, Lovely Kitty Wonder: A Hello Kitty Fashion Installation, was a very-impressive eye-candy-filled feature curated by Stephiee Nguyen of JapanLA Clothing. With shockingly sweet creations carbonated with cute couture by 13 designers including Ophelia Overdose, Abigail Greydanus, a-morir, Fiori Couture and Doll Eyes, it was a no-miss.

Did you know there was even a FREE tattoo parlor? Not enough to inspire this non-tattoo kind of girl to get a tattoo but such a wonderful idea! I genuinely thought about getting a Kitty holding Colette’s name. Sadly I was not able to take advantage of the amazing, free ink artists due to my indecisive and tattoo-less nature.

I couldn’t help but take quite a lot of photos of these amazing paintings (and ceramics not pictured!) by Dabs Myla because my Mister is a contemporary realism artist that paints still lifes and creates ceramics so I felt it would be the utmost importance for him to see a Hello Kitty still life and tea set in all of their glory.

I must also say the place that gave me the biggest heart throbs was the vintage shop with actual vintage items for sale and a lot of old Sanrio photos. I also almost gagged on glory as I tried on the Hello Kitty x Chan Luu Kitty Con limited rainbow crystal jewelry finding myself unable to leave without them. As when I went to Puroland, a few tears came out for my childhood superstar. They even had my 80s Kitty TV! Sadly I did not get a chance to look at the price. I was trying to get a good collection of photos and explore everything before everyone else showed up and started crowding in. So please enjoy! I can’t very well explain it well enough to do justice, this was all for the photographs baby! It was just the event to push me out of my pain induced coma to go into a happy induced daze that reminds me what I’m doing and why.

Near the end of the VIP party (and after my backpack was filled to the brim with Kitty White goodies) off I went to have dinner in Little Tokyo with my dear friend Emma.

Did you get to go and what was your favorite part if so?? Maybe next time we can meet for a rainbow donut and a cup of blooming tea!

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Event Features

Sanrio’s First Hello Kitty Con 2014 in Los Angeles

10/07/2014

Miseducated was invited to a media preview and opening party of the 2014 Hello Kitty Convention for Hello Kitty’s 40th Anniversary located at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA (The Museum of Contemporary Art) in Downtown Los Angeles on October 30th – November 2nd. I was a little hush hush about this because I wasn’t sure if I would be able to make it but it ended up being right time, right place, free flight. So alas we are very excited to feature this event because, as you know, Kitty is my absolute favorite character! I can hardly read the below information without going into a whirlwind of heart-pounding glee. See you there?

This milestone event will place Hello Kitty fans at the center of the ultimate interactive experience, inviting them to immerse themselves in a never-before-seen environment where the world of Hello Kitty is celebrated, explored and experienced. Tickets for the highly anticipated Hello Kitty Con 2014 are available to purchase now at Sanrio.com.

Designed for enthusiasts from around the world to come together and celebrate all things Hello Kitty, Hello Kitty Con 2014 will present a full lineup of activations ranging from integrated workshops, lectures and panel discussions; special appearances and signings with Hello Kitty head designer from Tokyo Yuko Yamaguchi and more special guests from Japan; to interactive art installations and daily artist signings; the Hello Kitty Friendship Station Pop-up Shop offering convention exclusives; the Hello Kitty Super Supermarket featuring a curated selection of vendors offering products and experiences available only at the convention; a Hello Kitty retrospective and vintage shop selling rare collectibles from the past; product and collaboration previews; a tattoo shop; photo opportunities, and much more. Hello Kitty will be on hand for special appearances and to hug fans as part of her global Share a Hug with Hello Kitty! campaign throughout the four day extravaganza. The Hello Kitty Con ticket also includes free same-day admission ($20 value) to Hello! Exploring the Supercute World of Hello Kitty, the Hello Kitty exhibition at the Japanese American National Museum, as well as many more free activities and goodies. “Hello Kitty Con 2014 is a testament to Hello Kitty’s remarkable ability to connect with people of all ages and backgrounds in many ways, on many levels,” said Janet Hsu, President and COO of Sanrio, Inc. “It is a celebration of community and a labor of love for Sanrio, and we are thrilled to share this experience with fans.” Celebrating more than 15 years of partnership, Target is teaming up with Sanrio to offer fun, interactive and immersive activations at Hello Kitty Con 2014. To kick-off the convention, Target will co-host the VIP preview event on October 29th, where attendees can take photos with Bullseye and have exclusive access to game stations and prizes. Passionate Hello Kitty fans can visit “Hello Kitty & Bullseye Adventures presented by Target” during the convention to experience a visual and physical narrative that follows Hello Kitty and Bullseye through a series of fun activation areas.

Sanrio and Target will offer limited-edition, co-branded product available only at the convention. A further offering of exclusive Hello Kitty 40th Anniversary product – from apparel and cosmetics, to accessories and toys – will be available beginning September 14th at Target stores nationwide and at Target.com. Hello Kitty Con 2014 will also offer fans the following:

DISCOVERY: Hello Kitty-fy your life by participating in workshops on Hello Kitty scrapbooking, flower arranging, nail art, DIY jewelry making and more; panel discussions on topics ranging from Hello Kitty super fans, Japanese pop culture, Lolita culture, Hello Kitty as muse and more; and lectures featuring a first time Q&A with Hello Kitty head designer from Tokyo Yuko Yamaguchi, Simone Legno, artist and creator of the tokidoki brand; and Dr. Christine Yano, co-curator of Hello! Exploring the Supercute World of Hello Kitty; among others. Tickets for workshops are on sale now at Sanrio.com. Panels, lectures and signings will be handled on a first come, first served basis.

EXPLORATION: Stroll down memory lane in the Hello Kitty Product Retrospective showcasing classic vintage products — including the first Hello Kitty product ever created, the original Hello Kitty coin purse (on display for the first time in the U.S.)! Stroll through Hello Kitty’s Friendship Village and visit the Hello Kitty House to discover a life-size home decorated in Hello Kitty inside & out and wander through various Hello Kitty photo opps.

SHOPPING: Pick up limited edition Hello Kitty Con exclusives, special items from around the world and collaboration products in the Hello Kitty Friendship Station Pop-Up Shop; sift through authentic, rare, collectible Hello Kitty products in the Sanrio Vintage Shoppe and visit the Super Supermarket for exclusives, limited edition products, gifts and goodies from special Sanrio partners & collaborators including SEPHORA, JapanLA, Loungefly, Dylan’s Candy Bar, SPAM® Brand, Major League Baseball, Chan Luu, Perfect Square/VIZ Media, Upper Deck, and many more.

ART: Enjoy interactive art installations and photo ops created by artists POSE and Dabs Myla; and instruction from artists Camilla d’Errico, Esther Kim, Dabs Myla, and Martin Hsu, who will be on hand throughout the four days to lecture & teach Hello Kitty Art Classes. Five leading tattoo artists have created custom flash artwork & will offer FREE (real!) tattoos at the Hello

Kitty Tattoo Shop – throughout the convention, on a first come, first served basis. Sanrio Tokyo’s resident nail artist and Hello Kitty Nail Art book author Masako Kojima will be on hand giving fans a chance to Hello Kitty-fy their nails. The JapanLA Art + Fashion Shop will feature super limited art prints, figures and artist tees from favorite artists including 64 Colors, Buff Monster, Crowded Teeth, Joe Ledbetter, Miss Kika, and more.

FASHION: Check out super fantastical Hello Kitty fashion on display at Lovely Kitty Wonder: A Hello Kitty Fashion Installation curated by Stephiee Nguyen of JapanLA Clothing. See one-of-a-kind creations by 13 designers from all over the globe including Ophelia Overdose, Abigail Greydanus, amorir, Fiori Couture and dolleyes.

FOOD: From Hello Kitty sweet treats to L.A.’s yummiest food trucks, there is no need to leave Hello Kitty Con when your stomach is rumbling.

FUN: Ticket holders can enjoy free activities including crafts, games, giveaways, a Hello Kitty pumpkin patch, photo booths, special sneak peeks at upcoming Hello Kitty projects, and many more superfun surprises throughout.

SOCIAL (#HelloKittyCon): Fans can stay connected with all things Hello Kitty Con through a variety of social elements aimed at both convention goers and those not attending the event. Hello Kitty’s millions of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram friends can share photos and access contests and behind-the-scenes footage to connect with their Hello Kitty fan community.

Sanrio will also host a contest giving fans a chance to win a VIP trip to Hello Kitty Con 2014. Hello Kitty Con 2014 will run concurrently with Hello! Exploring the Supercute World of Hello Kitty, the first ever Hello Kitty museum exhibition in North America, taking place across the street at the Japanese American National Museum (JANM) from October 11th through April 2015. Hello Kitty Con ticket holders will have access to the museum exhibition, where they can explore a retrospective of rare and unique pieces from Sanrio’s archives and an art exhibit featuring 40 mixed-media works by contemporary artists, throughout the duration of Hello Kitty Con.

Tickets for Hello Kitty Con 2014 are available for purchase now on Sanrio.com. Further details and updates on Hello Kitty’s 40th Anniversary celebration can be found here, where fans can visit throughout the year to stay connected and informed about Hello Kitty Con 2014, Hello! Exploring the Supercute World of Hello Kitty at JANM, exclusive products and more.

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Business Features Self Decoration

Miseducated Hearts DOLLS KILL

09/12/2014

Update: DOLLS KILL apparently steals designs from artists for their original items but they are good at finding cute brands~ just use their website to find what you like and buy it somewhere else.

I’m feeling like a kitten lost in a carnival of catnip tea and door mice on parade so today I’d like to just enjoy gazing things that would appear to make my closet happier. If you’ve ever visited DOLLS KILL you know just what I mean.

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Business Features Crafts

MADE WITH CODE: 3D Print a Free Bracelet ala Google

09/10/2014

I am really into the MADE WITH CODE project. It’s gorgeous and positive. As a once very young coder (11 years old) I would have exploded confetti to see such a movement on or offline. Have you heard? Shapeways (D printing marketplace and community) and Google (you know.. Google) have teamed up to promote the successful design and innovations (AND CODING!) of girls and women around the globe.

Design & Print a Free 3D Bracelet

Not only is this a gorgeous project but you can also make a 3D bracelet on your computer that Shapeways will print (FOR FREE) with their 3D printer (if you live in the US).

Join the Code Community

“Today, less than 1% of girls are majoring in CS. Tomorrow, we can make that number go up.” – Made With Code

Get Future Female Coders Involved

Maybe your daughter will be the next big designer? Let her try these adorable projects and have fun together being creative.

Learn More

Made with Code is an initiative to champion creativity, girls, and code, all at once. The movement is designed to do three things: To inspire girls by celebrating women and girls who are using code to do great things; to engage girls to try coding through introductory projects and resources; and to sustain their interest by creating alliances and community around girls and coding.

Join the movement and have fun. We sure are.

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Le Game

Le Game: Cuisines Around the World

09/09/2014

Something we wish we covered more often here at Miseducated is how the many technological aids that surround us daily can make our lives much easier and our brains more knowledgable.

Exploring cuisines from around the world may sound a little unattainable but with the help of the sheer enormity of apps available now to everyone who is in the possession of a smart phone, it is possible from the comfort of your own home. These days we don’t have to travel to Asia or South America to experience a wealth of varying cuisines nor do we have to shell out large sums of money for a hefty and non-interactive cook book. The advent of innovative apps has meant that we can access large portal chockfull of resources a touch of a button.

Many leading chefs have also had the foresight to launch their own apps to try and grab a stranglehold on a very lucrative market. It has been reported by Statista that in June of this year that the amount of app downloads since 2008 has surpassed the 75 billion mark. This is in correlation with the rise in smartphone usage, with the gaming developer behind online portal PocketFruity claims that smartphone usage is up to 16%. It is statistics like this that have seen an increase in the amount of apps that hit both Google Play and the App Store on a daily basis. And the amount of apps catering for recipes is also on the rise.

Over the years, we have brought you many recipes on Miseducated, however we’ve never brought you a list of the cuisine-related apps that we recommend to our readers. So, without further ado, here are some of the apps you can download and revel in many of the world’s varying cuisines.

I’m Hungry: Vegetarian Recipes
You are spoiled with choice with this app as it has recipes from the following cuisines: Chinese, Indian, Italian, French, Spanish, American, Middle Eastern, Mexican and much more. It has a huge database with instructions and how-to prepare guides for each individual recipe.

Sweet n’ Spicy: Indian Recipes
It professes to have the largest amount of recipes out of all the Indian food apps. The app is powered by Full Meals with more than 10,000 recipes and 1,500 video tutorials.

Jamaican Cuisine
One of the hardest cuisines to master, Jamaican food has a sort of mystique surrounding it. This app gives the user a series of step-by-step guides, an assortment of video tutorials to follow and many recipes to try.

Japanese Recipes
You’ll know from reading this blog, that this list wouldn’t be complete unless it had a useful Japanese food app on it. The apps will help you learn how to cook Teryaki and sushi as well as other authentic Japanese dishes.

So enjoy learning about the many possibilities of cuisine, start cooking new dishes and invite us over for a dinner party (with tea!).. we’ll be having more of our own recipes published in the coming weeks so stay tuned!

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Mood Board

Mood Board: Dose of Color

05/07/2014

I just stopped by to shove (delicately!) a spoon full of neon pink and pastel glitter down your throat on this glorious Wednesday. May you be inspired and enjoy the rest of your week! There are articles on the way so let’s meet again for tea real soon. xx

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Kiddie Land

Kiddie Land: My Studiogirl Sew Cute Family Crafts

04/09/2014

This week and last week happened to be spring break for our children so one day we decided to cruise the craft store for fun projects. Among many things such as paints, beads, paracord and vinyl characters we got sewing kits for our two girls. Mary got a hanging bird for her room and Colette got a sew your own doll.

Upon investigating this new brand I hadn’t heard of or seen in the store before I was smitten. The products are adorable and teach kids to sew really cute little toys, create sculpted characters and even how to paper maché kokeshi dolls. I adored their display and product boxes and of course hoped the actual product was as well thought out as it appeared on the box.

Inside both boxes were very clear instructions for numerous stitches (though we only needed the double running stitch for our toys), a step by step guide and everything you need to create the toys. The fabric was a printed felt and very child-friendly with tiny holes all around it to teach them how to sew. It was like an advanced sewing lace kit with something you actually want to keep upon completion. To see how easy the kit was I actually let my 7 and 9 year olds sew parts they chose (they needed help occasionally and it gave me a chance to teach them to sew which I loved) and I assembled the doll by stuffing and sewing her body parts together. In the end our children exclaimed it was so fun that they wanted to do more (and I thought they’d give up after all the sewing!) while Colette was just excited to have her doll. She had previously held the box all through the store telling everyone she’s going to have a doll and it only made it more special that she and her family had a hand in it’s creation.

William, 7, and myself sewed the arms and legs.

Mary, 9, sewed the kitty friend and purse.

The toughest part, though still easy, was sewing the arms and legs to the body. I did finished this up, the hair and her dress.

I HIGHLY recommend this brand and the sewing kits they produce. I believe the perfect age for their sewing kits is around 7-9 as my kids could do most of it with supervision and help but learned a ton about sewing plushes and didn’t even prick their fingers once as the needles are small and thin plastic ones! Perfect for teaching and a great family project. We are all excited to see what projects this brand comes out with next!

Colette, 3, is very pleased with the outcome and was a huge moral support.

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Self Decoration Wear the World

Wear the World: Rose Wholesale

04/08/2014

So recently a rad clothing store by the name of Rose Wholesale with inexpensive wholesale prices asked me if I would review or model a few of their clothes. I of course said I’d be willing to give them a look if they could pick out something they thought was fitting to me (their stock size is ENORMOUS and I got lost in eyecandyland). They sent me a galaxy mini dress and a gradient cotton candy, fuzzy sweater. I love both items and have worn them at least a dozen times with no issues, wear or tear. The products, although inexpensive, hold up well in the wash and during normal activities (I still haven’t worn them during a marathon swim and will not be doing so because I am not a marathon swimmer!). I would highly recommend their shop to anyone looking for some unique and special items to cute-ify their wardrobe this spring at a very affordable price. My Mistereducated even has a sweater from there (several years old!) and will be doing a review from a man’s point of view as well.

All in all I’d have to say they have a great selection for both male and female and no matter what your style is you can find something to wet your tastebuds! I’m also wearing contacts by Pinky Paradise whom I will be reviewing next by vlog and my accessories are by Sanrio and my partner in crime’s brand, Sugar Junkie, whom we will be doing a feature on in the coming weeks! Stay tuned and stay cute this spring whether you marathon swim or sit and read your favorite book under a cherry tree!

If you have a company or product you think we would love, apply to be reviewed.

4 Comments

Mew for Today Visual Splendor

Mew for Today: Kawaii Tarot Cards

02/27/2014

(by Amber Renee)

Who says the occult can’t be kawaii? For a long time I’ve loved tarot card art and the amount of dedication it must take to finish such a large deck. It’s a stretch, something totally new I never considered really doing. I know this is the next step!

So my next huge personal project is designing an deck of TAROT CARDS >> This is big for me to admit. Dedicating my next year/s to producing extensively designed mixed media tarot cards (78 in a deck) that will be available as very limited large prints until the entire deck is complete and then they will be made into decks of cards included as a lovely kit complete with a book written by a friend on interpretations.

I’ve also recently become obsessed with cute tarot cards such as those by Sanrio, Aya Takano (THE BEST: top of my wish list), the numerous cat and animal tarot cards, etc so I had to feature them! I’ve always wondered how I can add a totally different style/take into the world of the tarot.

The first of my new prints will be on show RAW located at the Murat on [official date announced!!] March 19th (buy a ticket ($15), you wont regret it! if not in the area comment and receive a free print at $30~). “XXI The World” is the first card and, as stated, will be first available at RAW.

6 Comments

Day With a Camera

Day With a Camera: Sugar Plum Fairytales

02/06/2014

Once upon a time there was a kitschy Queen with a pretty, pretty princess and a bossy kitten that enjoyed the finer things in life. Things such as sugar, fluff, puff, stuff and more sugar sprinkled mayhem on top of that. In fact she thought the world might be a bit better if covered in sugar and so she spent her life running amok with her beautiful best friends while trying to make her dreams come true. Then the universe smiled on her and she met her King who had a couple princes and another pretty, pretty princess. They all 6 (her new lucky number) ran around with big handfuls of glittery love to throw onto the ground like petals at a wedding while the bossy little kitty sang the song of sunshine to all who would listen.

This is a beautiful Buddha from the Art Institute of Chicago where my King took me last week and it reminded me of old, happy memories. I love it and it reminds me of my home in Japan and our home here because we have mini Buddha’s all over the house.

ZambiCandy drew this of Jamie and I recently! I commissioned it for her birthday because I knew she loved Zambi’s work and because we had been playing our 3DSs non-stop together and talking about how fun it was just like the cartoon above! It was perfect because we each got each other sentimental prints and gifts this year. Absolutely excellent work by an even sweeter artists. I highly recommend her for any chibi or manga work you want done!

PST! See more daily photos like this via instagram. My username is: amberrenee — xx!

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