inspiration Caught the Design Ah NEO Exhibit Just in Time! Living in the US, I never thought I’d catch “Design Ah NEO”—but I did, and it was awesome!
inspiration What’s That Green Thing Crawling Up the NEW CITY Building!? Spotted a giant green balloon installation stretching up four stories—Chicago balloon artists really went all out.
work in progress Hang in There, Little Quarterback! Back from Japan and still wiped out, but my husband’s “Hang in there, my little quarterback!” pep talk weirdly hit the spot.
inspiration Found: A Leo Lionni Exhibit Found it while transferring trains in Shibuya! This surprise Leo Lionni exhibit pulled me right in—with scissors, textures, and childlike joy.
inspiration Paul Klee and Friends: A Lucky Encounter in Shizuoka I randomly found out there was a Paul Klee exhibit happening in Shizuoka—and I’m such a fan I even own an art book! Total lucky timing.
inspiration Cute Posters & Random Design Finds Around Japan Japan is a paradise of characters and cute posters—you stop every five seconds to take a photo and never make it to your destination.
inspiration The “Design Ah” Record I Found in Japan Saw the “Design Ah” exhibit in Japan—saving that story for later. But first: the dreamy record I grabbed at the gift shop!
inspiration The Art of Food Samples in Japan Plastic food displays: cute, realistic, and ridiculously helpful. Why don’t we have these everywhere?
inspiration The Funniest English Prints Ever in Japan Back in Japan for a week—ran errands, went shopping, and laughed way too hard at the weirdest English prints.
work in progress I Need a Doraemon Door, Urgently Had to rush somewhere out of the blue and kept thinking, “If only I had Doraemon’s Anywhere Door right now…”
monthly recap Monthly Charlie’s Playground: July 2025 July’s over! Here’s a recap for anyone who missed posts (or doesn’t know where to start).
inspiration Corn Season Is Here and I’m Losing It! Corn season in Illinois = pure happiness. I’m literally going downtown just for corn now.
inspiration The Happy Potato (and Why I Bought It for Myself) Found a super cute kids’ book in Amsterdam—turns out it’s also a masterclass in storytelling.
inspiration Found My Dream Stacking Color Pencils in Amsterdam! I’ve been hunting for stacking color pencils all year… and found them at a museum gift shop in Amsterdam, of all places!?
inspiration Sticker Forage in July at 1821 W Hubbard St Found a guardrail full of weird stickers at Spudnik Press’s building. Couldn’t stop staring. Sharing my faves for July’s sticker forage!
work in progress Another Day at Spudnik Press! Checking colors, fixing tiny details, and double-checking everything right up to the very end.
news Big News: My "Something Long" Is at Quimby’s! Two weeks late but still exciting—my zine “Something Long” is at Quimby’s Bookstore in Chicago!
work in progress Melting Like an Ice Cream in Chicago Chicago is melting. I’m melting. Everyone’s melting. Please put me in the freezer.
inspiration Finally Went Inside That Fancy Burns & Noble Kept staring at it forever… finally went inside and wow, the inside was gorgeous too. I might become a bookstore regular now.
inspiration The Alchemist: Second Read, Big Impact I reread The Alchemist after more than 10 years—and this time, it actually landed. I think I finally have the heart to understand it.
inspiration STUTS’s Orbits Is My Chill Work Playlist Lately, I’ve been floating through work sessions with STUTS’s Orbits—it’s mellow, jazzy sometimes, and full of chill groove magic.
inspiration A Surprise Garden Walk! A random sign led us to Chicago’s Dearborn Garden Walk—and suddenly we were exploring 20 dreamy private gardens!
inspiration My Zine-Soaked Saturday at the Library It was pouring outside, but inside Harold Washington Library, I was swimming in zines, colors, and creativity. I want to be a tabler someday—together with my husband!
inspiration Did That Famous Book Also Come from The Artist’s Way!? Elizabeth Gilbert says Eat, Pray, Love wouldn’t exist without The Artist’s Way. Now I’m wondering if I should go back to it too.
inspiration Murakami meets Midwest! Who knew Cleveland would be the place for Murakami magic? From rainbow flowers to spooky skulls, it was a wild ride!
