lello news

In the dark days of winter it’s nice to have little moments that bring you sunshine. This particular moment occurred when my son showed me a drawing he had done of the family. He’s been busily cranking out works of lowbrow art for some time now. Often times the subject matter needs a little explanation in order for one to fully appreciate the art, but in this case the thoughtfully portioned round heads attached to stick arms and legs is undeniable. There is mom, dad, baby sister and Jackson in full glory. He even went to the trouble of signing this piece.

Why am I so taken with this piece you might wonder. Well, in-addition to it being a wonderfully accurate family portrait, it marks an evolution of growth in Jackson’s artistic/mental development. Up until this point, all people in his art were depicted as mere oblong heads. Sometimes these individuals had a mouth and/or an eye or 3. But in this piece, for the first time, he’s represented people in a way that we can all clearly identify and understand. He’s looking at the world around him, understanding it, and translating it to paper. Amazing!

Here’s the budding mural artist in his studio (the living room floor) working on his next masterpiece. The kid leaves me in awe every day.

Thank you to everyone who has supported us during our first year in business. Stay tuned for more custom kids murals and t-shirt designs in 2008. Have a happy, healthy and safe holiday season!

And trying to find time to post updates in-between the demands of work and family obligations has proven to be quite difficult. But busy is good right..? Sure it is and things are just chuggin’ along here at lello. We’re working on a bunch of new t-shirt designs that we hope to have ready for sale come the Fall, while we sort out and tackle all of the issues that come along with starting a new biz here in New Jersey (more on that at a later date). We’re also working on the Website and hope to start introducing new content and features soon… don’t quote me on that however.

As we sweat it out in our tiny and un-air-conditioned studio, I find that I’m always cranking the music in an attempt to take our collective minds off the heat. Tunes by The Terrible Twos seem to be in heavy rotation these days, particularly the song, “Lady Bug,” which is constantly requested by our 3 year old. I don’t mind, however, the “Twos” present original and thoughtful music geared for kids but with a subtle punk edge that adults can appreciate. I guess I should expect nothing less from composer/performer Matt Pryor, lead singer of the now defunked band, The Get Up Kids.

Anyhow, that’s my little musical plug.
Check out the The Terrible Twos on MySpace if you get a chance.
If you like them, you can buy their album, If You Ever See an Owl… from Amazon.com.

For you older kids, The Get Up Kids are definitely worth a listen.
Their album, Four Minute Mile is my personal favorite.

It’s only taken us a month to say so… Thanks to everyone who stopped by to chat, put their name on our mailing list and/or buy our first t-shirt. Thanks also to Beth over at Wooden You Know and all of the other dedicated souls who organized the fest. We met many wonderful people and had a great time!

Here are some fun pics from the event, starting with our favorite ;)

(Click the picture to view more)

If you have pics of your little ones’ wearing the lello Maplewood t-shirt, send ‘em to us. We’d love to start a gallery of our friends.

And speaking of Maplewood t-shirts, we have a few left, so if you missed Mayfest and would dig a shirt, give us a shout.

More later.