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Archive for the ‘Kitsch of the Week’ Category
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Kitsch of the Week: Vanilla Cupcake Bakery
“Wow, this is fun. I feel like a kid,” said my artist friend Paolo, who, in his vintage rockstar ensemble, looked completely out of place on the colorful quilted couch surrounded by country-style teacups, saucers and pots. It was …
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Kitsch of the Week: Juice Box Camera
This cute little thing arrived in the mail yesterday.…
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Kitsch of the Week: Message On a Chocolate Bar
Lately I’ve been receiving a lot of letters, cards, and presents from friends and relatives. One thoughtful gift I got is big bar of chocolate from an Amsterdam café-bakery called La Place.
The design on the bar says in …
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Kitsch of the Week: Phantom Souvenirs
I’ve tried to tame down my tendency to hoard cartoon character trinkets and cheaper-by-the-dozen souvenirs whenever I visit theme parks or tourist destinations, but I’m successful only half the time.
Plays and musicals are no exception to my souvenir obsession. …
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Kitsch of the Week: Bambowtie
“Bam-what?” you ask. It’s simple. A bambowtie is a bamboo bowtie.
My Brooklyn-based cousin Nicole Mercado and Yoram Savion of YAK Films were in Manila a few weeks ago. We were hanging out at The Collective where they introduced me …
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Kitsch of the Week: Fair Trade Gifts
Gifts & Graces is a fair trade foundation in the Philippines that sells products made by NGOs, non-profit livelihood programs, and marginalized communities such as rescued street children, urban poor, and indigenous folks all over the country.
I first learned …
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Kitsch of the Week: Nutella Book
Now that World Nutella Day is over, it’s time to scrape the leftovers of hazelnut spread found at the bottom of your jar. While you’re at it, also check out The Unofficial Guide to Nutella by writers Sara Rosso and …
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Kitsch of the Week: Paper Dolls
When I was a little girl in the ’80s, the word internet was unheard of. Online games were nonexistent, and although we had a number of gadgets such as Speak N Spell and Nintendo to keep us entertained, my fellow …
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Kitsch of the Week: Penny Smasher
Whatever you prefer to call it—penny smasher, coin smasher, penny squisher, coin press, or penny pincher, among many other things—it refers to that novelty machine found in amusement parks and tourist spots that melt and roll your penny into an …
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Kitsch of the Week: Edible Mickeys
Call it the power of marketing. Just place a popular logo, brand or character on any ordinary consumer item and its selling power increases tenfold. When my family and I spent New Year’s Eve in Disneyland Hong Kong, my …
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Kitsch of the Week: Nike Mag
No other futuristic film has captured our hearts as much as 1985’s Back To The Future. The 1989 sequel showed Marty McFly, played by Michael J. Fox, in the year 2015 riding a wheel-free anti-gravity skateboard, the hoverboard, while …
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Kitsch of the Week: Mio’s Art
These gift wrappers were designed by a very special boy. He is a 7-year-old named Mio who has been battling cancer for two years.
I met his mother Jasmine Mendiola back when we were both full-time fashion and beauty editors …
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Kitsch of the Week: Plush Dogs
My biggest advocacy is animal welfare. Through the years as a journalist, I have supported a number of projects of PAWS (Philippine Animal Welfare Society) and PETA Asia-Pacific (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).
To usher in the holiday …
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Kitsch of the Week: Sungka
I was cleaning up my pad when I found this souvenir I purchased from Dagupan in 2008—a sungka (pronounced as soong-kah) set. Still wrapped in plastic with its P130 price tag, my oblong-shaped Filipino board game was gathering dust.…
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Kitsch of the Week: Kikki Stickers
This Swedish home and office stationary store was founded by entrepreneur Kristina “Kikki” Karlsson almost a decade ago, but I first laid my eyes on a Kikki.K store in Singapore just last month. Where have you been all my life?…
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Kitsch of the Week: Oreo Stars
I discovered this new variety of Oreo cookies when I was shopping for groceries in Tagaytay last weekend. Instead of a sandwich, a single Oreo cookie has a star-shaped center (eight-edged star, to be exact) and is filled with the …
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Kitsch of the Week: Windmill Figurine
My best friend Jackie is visiting from the Netherlands and she surprised me with a box of Dutch goodies.…
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Kitsch of the Week: Where’s Rene?
If you liked my post on Rene Requiestas’ gargoyle last week, then you’ll want to get your hands on a Rene Requiestas sticker.
Created by artist/entrepreneur Paolo Icasas, the sticker costs P5 each and you can purchase them at his …