I Think I Am In Friend-Love With Yumi Sakugawa's New Book.

I have a confession to make.
I think I am in Friend-Love with you.

What's friend-love?
It's that super-awesome bond you share with someone who makes you happy every time you text each other, or meet up for an epic outing. It's not love-love. You don't want to swap saliva; you want to swap favorite books. But it's just as intense and just as amazing.



I Think I Am In Friend-Love With You is one of the sweetest little books I've ever seen and would make a fabulous Valentine's Day gift for anyone with a BFF (of the same sex or opposite gender).



Originally published online in Sadie Magazine in 2012, comic-book strip artist Yumi Sakugawa's charming illustrated tale has been published as a hardcover book by Adams Media.



The 128 page book is perfect if you've ever fallen in friend-love and want to show that person how much you love them...in a platonic way, of course.




PRAISE FOR I THINK I AM IN FRIEND-LOVE WITH YOU

"Look around. You won’t find anything sweeter than this lonely little book anywhere in your immediate vicinity. Unless for some reason there’s, like, a bunny knitting a scarf for a puppy. That might be sweeter. Aside from that, this book is definitely your best bet." —Avery Monsen, coauthor of K is for Knifeball and All My Friends Are Dead

"This is one of my favorite comics ever, a sweet ode to platonic love that will echo through the ages." —MariNaomi, author of Kiss & Tell

"Funny and beautifully drawn, I Think I Am In Friend-Love With You is the bittersweet tale of friendships in the age of social media in which many can relate.” —Esther Pearl Watson, author of Unlovable

"The warmth of Yumi’s soft brushstrokes and vulnerability of her words make me feel less alone in this weird world. I think I am in book-love." —Lisa Hanawalt, author of My Dirty Dumb Eyes

"Yumi Sakugawa’s small, sweet hardcover I Think I am in Friend-Love With You (Adams Media) feels so necessary. Sakugawa’s one-eyed, vaguely socklike protagonist fantasizes a future of book-swapping, Tumblr post–reblogging, coffee-sipping platonic love, but reveals the most simple of needs in the book’s simple black-and-white illustrations.” - Bitch Magazine

“I Think I am In Friend Love With You…chronicles a bashful cyclops with a good old fashioned friend crush. Sakaguwa’s comics, while being hilarious, are imbued with a quiet magic that somehow makes a glowing computer screen as ripe with beauty and mystery as a night sky full of twinkling stars.” - Huffington Post Arts

The comic…expresses all the delightful, little things we hope our best…pals will do for us…. [Yumi’s] work has an eerie, wondrous quality to it, blipped with panels that will make your heart soar and dip and soar again. Themes of space and love pull readers into a pensive world of fantastical creatures.” - NPR’s Code Switch


Yumi Sakugawa is a comic book artist and illustrator based in Southern California. A graduate of the fine art program of University of California, Los Angeles, Yumi is a regular comic contributor for The Rumpus and Wonderhowto. Her illustrations and comics have been featured on Buzzfeed, Lifehacker, PAPERMAG, Apartment Therapy and all over Tumblr. Her short comic story "Mundane Fortunes for the Next Ten Billion Years" was selected as Notable Comics of 2012 by the Best American Comics anthology editors. I Think I Am In Friend-Love With You (Adams Media, Dec 2013 release) is her first published book.

Visit her on the web at www.yumisakugawa.com.



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Cool Cufflinks Hand Delivered By Hot Women. From ARMREVOLUTION.

ARMREVOLUTION, a company whose stunning cuff links I had originally written about when they first launched is now offering the ultimate in valentine's gifts for men. Not only will they receive a pair of some of the most beautifully designed modern cuff links but they will be delivered by one hell of a hottie.



For this 2010 valentine's Day, ARMREVOLUTION will be offering personal hand-delivery by one of the ARMREVOLUTION Girls who stars in the first film from the brand, which is shown below:



As with the company’s “by appointment” service, this exclusive service will only be offered in London or New York, and the price is £10,000/ US$15,000. which includes any of the designs of the Perpetual Series collection in stainless steel including a travel wallet and a black acrylic magnetized gift box.

  

“Obviously this is not for everybody and £10,000 is outrageously expensive but when you see the film you will understand!” says Anthony Hayward, Founder of ARMREVOLUTION. “For a less extravagant way to deliver the ultimate cuff link gift you can simply order using Fedex or DHL for worldwide delivery. Also, our luxury cuff link prices start at an affordable £245”.  

 The Perpetual Series collection:
     

Their new 18k white gold and 18k yellow gold versions:
 

The promotion arrives soon after ARMREVOLUTION launched its bespoke service which provides the opportunity to purchase made-to-order white and yellow gold cufflinks for two of the most iconic patent-pending designs of the brand: #5 and #10. Their bespoke cufflinks are hand-made and highly personalized with engraved initials alongside the London Hallmark.

 

above: The engraving is done by their craftsmen in the heart of the City of London. Up to 4 UPPER or lower case letters can be engraved. After careful engraving the products are hand polished and checked before shipping. The process takes 10 days at a cost of £65. (optional)




 Armrevolution

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Talk About Rad Art. David Foox Exposes Himself For Love.

As the daughter of a retired radiologist as well as an art-lover, it's as if these unique Valentines were made just for me.

Artist David Foox, shown blow, has created a limited edition of 8 anatomical hearts painted upon actual X-ray films. Priced at $3,000 a piece, they are mounted on a lightbox and measure 20" x 17" x 3" each.


above: artist David Foox

A very different and personal way to give your heart (well, actually David's heart) to someone for Valentine's Day.

How did he do it?
He painted an image of his own heart, using heavy duty acrylics (hand mixed from powder to liquid paint by himself), atop real X-Rays of his own chest.


above: an example of one of the types of equipment used for taking chest x-rays

Talk about your Rad Art! ( sorry, medical joke... Rad is a unit of a measurement of radiation)

Three examples of the series of eight are shown below:

detail:



detail:



detail:


The number of pieces (8 in total) are directly related to the amount of radiation David had been told he could withstand in a year and were created specifically for this year's Valentine's Day.


above: a simplified graphic explaining how one gets a chest X-ray (oh, what artists will do for their craft)

"I hope I don't get sick and need any more X-Rays, cause according to my doctor I am not allowed any more radiation!", says FOOX in talking about this Valentine's Day special series of Hearts.

Each piece comes framed in a backlit box and exudes an eerily personal quality about it. "Imagine having your very own heart painted on top of an X-Ray of your body," continues FOOX in talking about his work.

These 8 unique pieces are already sold out, so you'll have to hope he can withstand the same amount of radiation next year!

David Foox, who goes by FOOX-U on many sites, is the designer behind those fun and fabulous Organ Donor Dolls, as well as many paintings and other projects.


If you never saw his unusual vinyl organ donor dolls, check those out here.


above: David hard at work

David works in so many various mediums and styles, it was hard to decide to do a post on his Buddha Series, his Scary Money or these. But in light of the fact that Valentine's Day is around the corner, this seemed the most appropos. So be sure to see more work of his on his site.


his flickr site
his blog

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