Wild-eyed

Eye Run by kbilltv
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A wild eye in shoes and a derby hat runs with his... tongue out! Crazy enough for you? If not, I should point out the little wings that grow from his sides. All these and more on this cool brown shirt that carries the trippy, hippie, underground comic's style from the 60s and early 70s.

It's one of the many great designs and products you will find on KBill TV, a shop that will take you by surprise!

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Pop shoes

Darlene by jiveafro

Let's welcome spring with a pair of delicious pop art shoes! I'm talking about PRO-Keds Royal Hi sneakers, with a light, tritone design of a retro girl's head (Scooby-Doo's brunette comes to mind!), happily splashing the white canvas. You get the feeling that walking in these would bring a smile to your face!
This bubblegum pop delight comes from the talented hands of Jon Griffin -and it sure feels nice to revisit his store and see that he always keeps it fresh and interesting!

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The End

End Title dark t-shirt by surrealitee

This rendition of a classic old film's end title is my latest typography design. I was charmed by the calligraphic font and the nostalgia of old Hollywood. At the same time, it evokes a strange, slightly ominous feeling.

End Title Card poster by surrealitee

As you can see there are two versions: the strictly text one and the title card with the retro, silent movies background. I do like both of them!

End Title envelope by surrealitee

The End Title product line on Surreality includes products that may send various messages. This envelope, which received a Today's Best Award from Zazzle, hides the message on the inside. Talking about bad surprises!

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Faraway dancer

frayed dancer by KathleenMLowe
More 1920 Cards

This is a photograph that traveled through time -all the way from the roaring '20s- to end up on this greeting card from Kathleen MLowe. Kathleen finds hidden gems of yesteryear, like this dancer from Ziegfeld Follies. A haunting pose, a beautiful woman with a sad face, fine elbows and exquisite legs. I guess it would be considered too risqué back in the days. Now, it's a stylish memento of the beauty of a long gone era with just the right gothic undertone.
This is just a sample of the vintage treasures you'll find in Kathleen's store (and of her unique, bohemian view and aesthetics).

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Blast from the past

Cracked Mirror Poster Print by camcguire
Browse more Cracked mirror Posters

I found several great things while perusing CAMcGuire's store. I first discovered her through her great Dear John letter card (which you can see in my Top 10 unusual Valentine's day designs list). I couldn't help noticing some real gems in her vintage inspired style.
First, this absolutely great photograph with a detail from a cracked mirror of an abandoned truck. I love this photo. I love the balanced frame, the cracks, the rusty metal, the sense of the past, of human absence and of a whole life passing through the stuff we own and use. It's one of these rare posters that tell stories.

Retro Cassette iPhone Case by camcguire
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Then I saw this old tape on an iPhone case. A great idea, executed in a stylized, rough way that brings a completely new look (well, always in an old-school concept!) to an object that lacks the patina of time. Nice work from a store full of oldie treasures!

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Enter the octagon

Octagon Nihon necklace by surrealitee
Design a custom photo pendant

A traditional Japanese octagonal element gets revamped and becomes the latest my Retropop series -Nihon is the casual term for Japan.

Octagon Nihon ringer t-shirt by surrealitee
Browse more Octagon T-Shirts

A strong, bold black and white symbol surrounded by pink. Somehow, it reminds me of something from a martial arts movie: the color and the floral element inside don't seem to water down the power radiated from the octagon.

Octagon Nihon stationery by surrealitee
Design your own letterhead on zazzle.com

A balanced, beautiful design, offered on many products in the Octagon Nihon line.

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Top 15 Zazzle Calendars for 2011

You got that right folks! These are the best calendars in the whole zazzledom , according to Surreality Watch. Yes, it's a subjective list and, yes, your favorite may be left out but that's how it goes.
I should note that the items of this list are in random order. They are all winners, anyway! So, here it goes:

(1)

Playroom_Nightmare[1], Playroom Nightmare, 2011... by paintingmaniac

This includes fourteen of Leah Saulnier's surrealistic and playful paintings. She is absolutely great!

(2)

CHERNOBYL 2011 EN by SPERRZONE

An eerie, ominous collection of photographs from Chernobyl. Industrial archeology by SPERRZONNE.

(3)

Silent Ghost 2010/2011 Calendar by chimaerastudios

A comic book calendar from Chimaera Studios.

(4)

In the Year 2011 by lizwiil

A surreal-pop calendar featuring Lizwiil's unique art.

(5)

MID-CENTURY BOOGIE 2011 calendar by LiliChin

A trip through furniture design's finest moments (plus a Boston terrier!) as proposed by Lili Chin's Boogie Wonderland.

(6)

Surrealism art calendar 2011 monthly wall calendar by artsgrie

Fantasy meets surrealism in George Grie's magnificent landscapes.

(7)

GRAFFITI 2011 by EMangl

Graffiti and urban art through the lens of Emangl.

(8)

Skeleton Calendar 2011 - Antikamnia - Crucius by VintageCabaret

Vintage, 19th century artwork with the skeleton characters of Luis Crucius. Found in Vintage Cabaret.

(9)

Dinosaurs Conquering 2011 by tyskkvinna

Fun micro-photography with dinosaurs roaming the Earth, by Lis Bokt.

(10)

The Kitsch Bitsch : Living Retro 2011 Calendar by kitschbitsch

Colorful, kitschy retro fun from Kitsch Bitsch.

(11)

arteology 2011 by arteology

Hand drawing and digital art in this unusual calendar by Gregory Gallo's Arteology.

(12)

Observations From The Urban Landscape 2011 Calenda by DeborahJulianArt

City life and photography. Nice work by Deborah Julian.

(13)

Workers United 2011 calendar by patrimonio by patrimonio

Patrimonio's tribute to the working life, with illustrations in the old propaganda-poster style.

(14)

Casey Shannon Studio~ 2011 Calendar by CaseyStudio

A collection of Casey Shannon's ink paintings. Tender sumi-e!

(15)

2011 Black & White Photography Calendar by RocklawnArts

Wonderful black and white photography by Claire E. Skinner's Rocklawn Arts.


[Did you like this list? Comment your heart away and tell me what you think!] 

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Art deco pop

Flora Deco by surrealitee
Buy vinyl 3 ring binders on Zazzle

An art deco floral motif provides inspiration for this colorful roundel. It's great both as a standalone design and combined with this fine, discreet gray background.

Flora Deco by surrealitee
View more tshirts designed online at zazzle

I like the way the vintage elements blend in a contemporary, pop-ish way. The color combination is great, too!

Flora Deco by surrealitee
Design a cooking apron on zazzle

It's been a long time since I added a retropop design and I'm really satisfied with this one. I believe you'll see more artwork along these lines in the future, quite possibly with a more surreal touch. Look for more products with the Flora Deco design in Surreality.

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Grumpy bag

Mr Grumpyhead by tartanphoenix
View more Grumpy Bags

Would you fancy a grumpy, miserable little fellow on your tote bag? It could, actually, prove to be a great idea, since we're talking about a hilarious and well-crafted vintage illustration. This guy's expression is priceless!
I found this black and white bag at the Tartan Phoenix shop, a place where vintage designs abound.

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Pianos and fish

untitled classic by RetroPunk
Many more t-shirts online at zazzle

Here is a cool juxtaposition of retro elements, conspiring to bring urban coolness to your upper body.The fish and the piano make for a crazy t-shirt, indeed! Found in Retro Punk, a store where retro garbage and punk trash reign supreme -and that's absolutely fine in my book, considering the many interesting designs they offer. If you take a pleasure at finding hidden treasures in the pop-culture environment of our collective unconscious, you'll be in the right place.

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Cheers!

FUCK YOU, YOU FUCKIN' FUCK by humortees
Browse Retro humor T-Shirts

Well, run of the mill retro stuff combined with "attitude" mottoes is not my style, but every rule has it's exceptions.The sheer amount of insult packed in this design is amazing! We are talking about tons of nonchalant hostility, here. Found in Humortees, and useful for these special moments in everyone's life, where we absolutely have to be too brave -or too immature!

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Dogs in space

Space Dog by atomic50s
More Retro T-Shirts

The first animal to orbit the Earth was Laika -who died an untimely death several hours after the launch of Sputnik 2, way back in 1957. She was one of the soviet space dogs (Americans preferred monkeys and mice). During the early years of the space age, before manned space missions were attempted, these animals captured our collective imagination.
Science fiction had already paved the way for what came to be seen as obvious: if mankind was to reach the stars, our best friend would be wagging it's tail by our side. Such an optimistic innocence carries a distinct taste of the '50s. This is the zeitgeist explored in the Atomic50s shop, and that's where I found this tender design of a dog in space uniform. A cute little cartoon, that looks great in this hooded sweatshirt, simple and expressive.

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A well-dressed skate

Dress for Success V by scarrman
Online skateboards designer tool at Zazzle

This a unique skateboard design that parts ways with the usual skating trends and flirts with... bespoke grunge! Great idea, subdued colors: me likes. It's no surprise that it comes from the imaginative artist behind Scarrvision store,  a source of really unusual skates. Look at another beauty:

Painted Lady 'Tropic' by scarrman
Create customized skateboards online at zazzle

We are entering the tropics with this one. It just haves a hint of cool retro that makes you smile. Great job!

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Strange little cards

Strange Little Girl #246 by MizBella
See more Art Cards

There is this peculiar feeling, this strange combination of weirdness and nostalgia, that can only be conveyed by designs that use retro in a certain, personal way. Designs such as this great one by MizBella, a true master of vintage surrealism.
Collage and mixed media are just labels to describe this artist's tools. What she does with these tools is the important thing. Well, what does she do?

Hush by MizBella
View other Dirty roses Postcards

She takes images from the past (I love her silent movie references! - Theda Bara, anyone?) and combines them so they provoke a rich, enchanting and unsettling mood. She creates surreality out of stuff that others would see only as picturesque (in the expected ways often found in goth culture).
I do like those cards, but there are plenty other products -and many great designs- to chose from.

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The past that never was

Vintage Travel Poster Greece 2 by Zazzle_Vintage
More Vintage Posters

Ah, the beauty and the glory of old time travel posters! More often than not, they offer exquisite illustrations and superb lettering. But the charm lies mainly in the depiction of a world that's not only gone for ever but that never really existed in the first place. When traveling was difficult and expensive, television didn't exist and photographs of faraway places were rare, the imagination of those illustrators and graphic artists had to convey the very essence of a foreign land -as perceived by the clientele they had to reach.
I think there never was a Greece such as this one, or a Jamaica such as this next gem:

Vintage Travel Poster Jamaica by Zazzle_Vintage
Large format printing from zazzle

Both posters are excellent works of art, yet both are picturing a truth that lived only in the collective dreaming of their times! Both, and many as beautiful as these, can be found at Zazzle Vintage, alongside countless retro stuff.

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... and a helmet New Year!

Helmet Hair is Cool! (vintage blk) by CrownMoto
Design custom tshirts at Zazzle

If you manage to be cool in the first days of 2010 you can expect the coolness to last all year round! Surreality Watch is here to help you achieve this noble goal and stay true to your new year's resolutions. Hence, this über-cool design (rich in surrealitines) celebrating... helmet hair. At the very least, you gotta love the mustache!
A fantastic vintage t-shirt, full of fun 70's weirdness, provided by CrownMoto, the ultimate source for motorcycle clothing and attitude.

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To the future

Trolley Car To The Future T-Shirt by LokiMan
Make custom shirts at zazzle

There are many ways to envision a trip to the future and getting there by a trolley car is alright by me -especially with this cool retro design. Olden times walk hand in hand with sci-fi in Loki Times, a gallery that supplements the Loki Times website, where strange fact and fringe info happily dwell. Paranormal, UFO, sci-facts and strange theories are the cornerstone for every surreal-inclined person (yes, I'm mainly referring to me!). If they co-exist with great t-shirts -such as this one- so much the better!

[Plus, if you are into these strange aspects of human -and not so human...- experience, don't forget to visit the legendary Charles Fort Organization and the legendary-to-be Terra Incognita blog.]

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Xmas mood

The holiday spirit is slowly bewitching us all and I think it's time to have a look at some exceptional Christmas cards, just to get all warmed up and ready:

(1)

Retro Snowman by grnidlady
Design a picture note card with zazzle.com

This is an understated card from Reprise, a gallery specializing in retro and vintage designs. I like the '40s aesthetics and the lack of glittering embellishments. A warm, old-fashioned design that makes me nostalgic.

(2)

Festive season depression by talisbird
Browse other Festive Cards

This approach, by Anjo Lafin's Talisbird store, is completely different. A surrealistic, humorous and bold design of a sad monster hoping for some merrymaking. Thumbs up from me, and may things work out for this little fellow!

(3)

LET IT SNOW by PerGis_NOSaints
Shop for another card at zazzle

It's snowing words on this unusual PerGis NOSaints card. Texture and typography combine to create an upbeat, fresh holiday design. Me likes!

(4)

Holiday Spice by FlyBella
View other Unique greeting Cards

An abstract, yet distinctly yuletide, card from FlyBella. I love the geometric forms (especially those great vertical lines) and the colors. This gallery offers many beautiful, richly-textured Christmas cards.

(5)

Thin Ice Khristmas Kard by chiodobros
Create a photo note card online at zazzle

I found this hilarious card, in the characteristic "spooky clown" style of Chiodo Bros. and I think it's a killer! Definitely a gallery worth checking for lots of outrageous weirdness of the most creative kind. These brothers deserve their fame and success!

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