DricolLage

I'll let you in on a little secret.

I really like my mouth.

I like its shape, and its color, and how it's neither too big nor too small. It looks good with a really wide range of lipstick colors, and I've been told (*wink wink*) that my lips are very "pillowy". In fact, I like it so much, I may even turn it into a phone case:

No, this isn't my mouth

Rest assured, I did not actually go through with my plan-- I don't like my mouth that much. However, I could easily have done it with DricolLage. A one-man company (a one-woman company, actually), DricolLage is the local shop for the smartphone-toting user who values design and interchangeability as crucial for their experience.

Whew. That sounded like an ad.

But, in other words, DricolLage sells clear plastic iPhone or Samsung cases, and then "fillers" for them:

!!!

The fillers are plastified drawings, images or designs, or even your own pictures, that can be inserted between the case and your phone for a dynamic, completely accesorizable look.

And the best part is, the cases retail for $10, and every filler for $5. If you decide to come back for seconds, you don't even have to buy the plastic case anymore! So you get a completely new phone case design for $5!

All the designs are extremely creative:



Pictured: the prettiest citrus medley (my favorite), and "what a joy to be back in this world".

Me, after writing all the blog posts.

A french braid. Or bread. Or noodles. Maybe mountains?

A very edgy Frida Kahlo:



And I don't want to make any assumptions, but...

... is this a political hint? 

Needless to say, Millennials (aesthetic > utility)  love the shop. However, there's something for everything. My own father, a respectable old-timer whose real age or birth date I'm not allowed to reveal, fell in love with this case:

"Reminds me of my childhood", is all I can say he said. You do the math.

The shop is a pop-up, but also takes online orders. However, if you do make up your mind, the pop-up is your way to go:

aw.

I mean, how much cuter can it get? All of the designs are pinned up, and you choose yours immediately. Very few copies (if any) are made of the designs, so you'll definitely stand out. And as I mentioned before, there's really no buyers' remorse, due to the super low price of the fillers once you've bought the case.


The shop makes a frequent appearance of El Mercadito, a Salvadoran initiative in which all the small stores and artists I've showcased in earlier blog posts display and trade their products. It happens about once every couple of months, and you can get your fill of local arts, crafts and cuisine in one stop.

As of now, DricolLage doesn't have an Etsy store, but they do have a Facebook page, through which you can access their designs and see for yourself the amazing designs they've got.

That's all I've got for today, kids. An excellent store, no buyers' remorse, and good vibes.

And no, I don't actually like my mouth as much as I made it seem before.

Stay artsy!

Tribal / People

It's a two-fer today, folks!

I've left the illustrators and artists for the time being, and today I'm bringing two of the best craftspeople in the country:

*drumroll please*

Daring People

Tribal Child

To be completely honest, I think I'm being slightly over-simplistic, trying to group both of these into one single category (lingerie/swimwear). You could say, in fact, they're nothing alike. Maybe I'm not giving each enough credit.

(Yes. I'm already regretting the two-fer. I truly can't do justice to both of them equally in a shared post)

While Tribal Child is the crocheted version of anything you can ever imagine in the realm of lingerie and swimwear, Daring People is the lacier, finer of the two. 

I've been using both brands for a while now, and I can honestly say that they're some of the most versatile, most complimented pieces of clothing I own; Tribal Child's crocheted creations can be worn in swimming pools without fear of color bleeding, bleaching or staining. 

All pictures from Tribal Child's Instagram

Wow. Look at those pieces! The textures! The colors! I was hooked as soon as I started browsing through its Facebook page. This merchant trades completely online, except for a couple of pop-up stores once in a while:

If bikinis and bralettes aren't your cup of tea, Tribal Child also offers other garments, all crocheted and beautiful. These go from shorts, to shirts to sweaters and everything in between.

However, the spotlight is still the bralettes and swimwear collection. 

One of the things I like the most is the colors they use: I'm not a fan of garish, loud colors. I'd much rather wear earth tones, orange, yellow and green. Tribal Child uses excellent wool and prime materials in order to deliver the best finished product to the customer. The pieces don't lose their vibrancy even after repeated submersions in the heavily chlorinated municipal pool! 

Daring People, on the other hand, doesn't do swimwear. Instead, it focuses primarily in finer lingerie; creative cutouts and styles that look (as its name would suggest) extremely daring when peeking out of a blouse or sweater. 

Daring People manages to strike a fine balance between dainty and daring; I wouldn't go as far as wearing their designs without any other clothes over them (unlike the model, my back rolls are not ready for that kind of exposure), but I'd definitely wear them underneath something. 

I'm unhealthily obsessed with this photoshoot they did for Día de Los Muertos, last year. They came out with a commemorative line of bralettes in darker colors too-- deep plums, wine reds, charcoal. 

I actually have this bralette by them, although in a different color: plum.

As I mentioned before,  I don't usually wear garish colors when I dress. However, I will make an exception with these bralettes: 

(Very film noir of them; I love the compositions in their pictures)

If I had to pick a favorite out of the two brands, I'd probably go for Tribal Child; I like their organic designs better, even if they are a little pricier. However, I do believe you're getting exceptional quality + great design + a team of local craftspeople who work really hard. Maybe that's another commonality though- I'm 110% sure that every brand or artist I feature on the blog has the same recipe for success with their brand. 

How about you? Which one's your favorite? Visit their pages and online stores and let me know :)  

That's all for today, kids!

Stay artsy! 

Steve Aparicio

Whoever can wear a vest, fedora and rock band shirts unironically deserves an honorable mention on this blog. And Steve Aparicio has all the honorable mentions.

Apart from his quirky fashion sense (that matches his quirky sense of humor), Aparicio's art reflects his peculiar view on the world that surrounds us-- a world he views through large, rose-tinted glasses.

Much like Douglas Rodas, Aparicio is a Universidad Jose Matias Delgado illustration graduate,  who was working at a call center until he decided to take a leap of faith and illustrate full-time.

                               The S Series

Now, I may be biased, but I don't think that work like his belongs in a call center. His play with textures and colors... Wow. Look at it!! Doesn't the trout just seem to be leaping?  "The S Series" was Aparicio's capstone project; an examination of different techniques and styles, all celebrating the letter "S". 

Other projects of his include the "Drawlloween" series: 

Pink and black! What a difference from the drab black and white! Doesn't it give the illustrations a much more spooky feeling? 

Steve's style is markedly different from the previous featured artists, but still shares some common ground; the slanted eyes on the characters, the "goth" undercurrent, Douglas Rodas's strong penchant for black, serious characters. 

Furthermore, as well as Rodas, Aparicio favors drawing animals:

Halloween drawing series, 2015.

Something I really like from Aparicio's work is the variety of products he does:

I

The thermal carry-on mug (the last one, with the red lid) is actually engraved into the ceramic! How creative is that? And so polished too! 

Steve Aparicio has also branched out into the land of creepy illustration: 

My favorite illustration by Aparicio, the Greek goddess Gea. He did this for a personal project, highlighting figures from Greek and Finnish mythology.

As with Sonia Lazo and Douglas Rodas, Steve Aparicio mostly advertises and publishes his work through his Instagram:

Again, his drawings are predominantly black, with pops of color, which I think gives him a slightly edgy look, which I love. 

Overally, I think Steve Aparicio is definitely a local artist worth keeping an eye on, for both his imaginative character, and daring pops of color mixed between the black. 

All pictures from Steve's Instagram.