First off, are you planning on going to PAX East later this week? If so, you will have a chance to win some amazing! I was lucky enough to get a couple of my items put into Ubisoft’s Ghost Recon Future Soldier raffle that they will be doing over the weekend. Below you can read the details on how to win some absolutely fantastic items:
Win Gunnar Optik glasses, Ghost Recon Future Soldier
beta dog tags, Ghost Recon Future Soldier key chains, and
Limited Edition Abuv t-shirts and button packs
Where: Ubisoft Booth at PAX East
When: Throughout the whole day you can play Ghost Recon Future Soldier multiplayer to
get the raffle ticket, the raffle will be at 4:30pm Fri-Sunday
How: Play Ghost Recon Future Soldier multiplayer to obtain a
raffle ticket, come back to booth at 4:30 that day to see
if you are the winner
I will also be walking around with my very own stuffed Sol that I will be taking pictures of with random people and friends. He is black, green, and zebra. So if you spot him, come and say hey! I will be posting some of the pictures on Facebook and Twitter.
And just a quick update about what has been going on with Abuv and myself. I recently landed a part time job at a company called Signs By Tomorrow to design and create signs. So that plus school and freelance design work, I’ve been keeping extremely busy. After this weekend I will have more time to focus on Abuv and getting the name out there more, it’s just been rough lately. But have no fear, there will be some awesome things to come this year!
You read that correctly! I am giving away a free custom iPhone 4/4s case from Uncommon! If you haven’t heard of Uncommon, they sell premium cases for the iPhone and iPod Touch. They even allow you to put a custom design on the back of the case. this one in particular features the Floral Sol design that is on one of our belts. Below you can find out how to enter:
You have two ways of entering the giveaway. The first option is that you follow and either retweet my tweet on Twitter that says “Free Custom iPhone 4s Case Giveaway! http://riseabuv.com/?p=247 RT to enter!” or post that yourself. The second is to enter by going to our Facebook Page, liking it, and then comment on the status that says “Comment here to enter the free iPhone Case Giveaway! Read More: http://riseabuv.com/?p=247″ Multiple comments will not give you multiple entries.
If you do both of the options above, then you have two chances to enter the giveaway! I will not allow anymore comments or retweets after 9pm EST Sunday January 15. After that, I will choose a winner at random and announce the winner on Monday. I will then either contact you on Twitter or Facebook, depending on how you entered. This is open to individuals in the United States only. So go retweet me and like us on Facebook! You know you want to.
Over this past summer I had a chance to hear an amazing artist perform at Evolve Clothing Gallery. Mree is an aspiring singer/songwriter with an absolutely amazing voice. This interview is from last year, so a bit of information is out of date, however at the end I will give an update on what is new.
For those people who may not have heard of you yet, can you explain who you are and what you do?
My name is Marie Hsiao, and I go by “Mree” as my artist title. I’m a singer/songwriter that produces my own music. I got started by posting videos of me singing on YouTube under the name “mreebee3” and it has really helped to get me to where I am with my music and following today.
How old were you when you first started singing and when did you decide it’s something you really wanted to pursue?
I’ve always been singing since I was little, but what really got me started in music was piano. I started taking lessons when I was five and my teacher taught me how to play by ear (which is how I play on all my instruments). Singing came into the picture when I was eleven and I saw the movie “Glitter”, starring Mariah Carey. I wanted to learn to sing like her and that’s when I discovered my voice. When I started to write my own material, I knew that this was something I wanted to pursue.
What genre would you say you are? What genres do you like?
I’m always the worst at categorizing music, but if I had to (in a bunch of words), I would say a mixture of singer/songwriter, indie, and acoustic. I’d listen to music in that mash-up of genres but I’ve still got an ear to listen and try out different kinds.
Who would you say are your biggest inspirations? Both personally and in the music industry.
I look up to my favorite artists because their music plays a big part in my inspiration. Some of my favorite bands include Bon Iver, Sigur Ros, Jonsi, and Hammock. Whenever I listen to them, I get a sense of happiness, comfort, and hope all at the same time (it’s a bit hard to explain). But it’s this array of emotions that inspire me to (hopefully) get the same reaction to the music that I create and have people feel something when they listen to me. On a personal level, I look up to my mom because she supports me and helps me get through so much and I hope to be like her when I grow up.
I see you play the ukulele, guitar, and the piano. Are there any other instruments you know how to play?
Those are about as much as I play so far. Eventually, I would love to learn to play the violin and cello. I just absolutely love their sound.
Do you have a song you love to sing the most?
For me, it always changes depending on what kind of mood and venue I’m in. For now, I love playing “On Your Own” when I’m in indoor venues because I feel like I can really connect with the audience and get them to feel something. It’s a song about parting from those who put you down and being happily independent.
Do you have any special talents not many people know about?
Other than my music, I can’t think of any other special talents. I mean, I do like to draw now and then, but it’s nothing spectacular. I’ll leave that to my sister, Lina. She is an incredible artist.
Do you have any announcements you’d like to give? A new song you’re releasing soon or anything?
Other than the three singles I have out on iTunes, I’m planning to have my full-length album out by the end of summer (most likely in August), so be on the lookout for that!
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The album titled “Grow” was released October 8, 2011 and can be found on iTunes or on her website where you can purchase a physical copy. You can find her on Facebook and YouTube where she is always posting updates and song covers. On February 11, Mree will be performing at Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island. For more information on future events, you can check her website. Mree just recently released a new music video for her single “Lift Me Up” which you can watch below.
Welcome to the spankin’ new redesign of the Abuv website! It was designed to load faster and generally just look much cooler. Things will still be getting pushed out as time goes on, so please be patient. If there are any errors or issues, please go to the contact page and let me know so I can look into it.
Store and the Mystery Item
The store is finally COMPLETELY in stock. Every item you see there is currently sitting in the basement just waiting to get shipped out! Catch My Sol Act and Sol Invader came out absolutely amazing and I am so happy with the quality. Sol Invader has to be my favorite shirt as of now. It just looks perfect.
As for the mystery item, we now carry custom made non-latex rubber and aluminum bracelets. These are completely handmade by yours truly.
E>olve Clothing Gallery
If you live nearby and want to check out a great shop, definitely go to E>olve Clothing Gallery. They carry all kinds of brands, including Abuv. I also made their logo for them, and it looks pretty awesome as their sign.
New York Comic Con
I will be at NYCC this weekend at the Javits Convention Center. So if you’re going to be there, follow me on twitter and let me know so we can hang out or meet! I haven’t been in the city in awhile, so I can’t wait to go back.
Watch out for more blog posts! I will be posting interviews with other inspiring entrepreneurs as well as projects I am working on.
Back when I was at New York Comic Con in 2010, I had the chance to meet the creator of the Robotectors, these character themed cases for your iPhone and iPod Touch. Antonio was able to answer some questions recently about the protectors.
Please explain to us who you are.
I am Antonio de Jesus, painter, illustrator, graphic designer, product designer with a passion for collectible vinyl toys. I consider my self a traditional / non-traditional painter. My paintings have been exhibited at the Jersey City City Hall, Hoboken, New Jersey Historical Museum (permanent exhibit), the United Nations in New York City, Ecuador, and Brazil.
What are the Robotectors?
The Robotector are a series of my own characters designed with a specific set of powers.
I wanted to create something with meaning (at least for me). For example, the Black with Bones character is a prehistoric skeleton who uses his bone to protect and defend himself or others from danger when fighting. The Ni 28 refers to Nickel. This character has a magnetic power. Using his power he can magnetize himself to the enemy and get very close to create damage to its opponent. Pure White character is the angel mediator of every fighting situation. It means well to everyone and does every thing possible to avoid fighting. It will protect the good ones and the bad ones.
She will be there to balance the fight.
How did you come up with the design for the robotectors?
My love for collectibles vinyl toys drove me into the creation of my series of toys, but the Robotector where not the first toy I created, the first toy I designed, I called them “Drooling Aliens” then I created “Roboticow” these were plush dolls only, then I created the Robotector.
I designed the Robotector back in 2004 when I got an iPod Classic as a birthday gift. Back then I would never think it could be produced.
During the summer of 2008, I bought the iPhone 3G/3Gs and the idea of creating my original case came back. By now, I had experience in the process of manufacturing a product.
Do you have any special plans for the Robotectors besides protecting iPhones?
Yes, the Robotector is also a vinyl toy. I want to spend time creating the story behind the Robotector.
This will allow me to explain the entire series of character, their powers, strength and their enemies etc.
How often will a new series be coming out?
Is very hard to predict due to the fast changes in technology. Phones and mobile devices are changing very fast and at the moment
I don’t produce as fast as the product is required. Hopefully in the next months I can have a more clear idea of when a new series will come out.
Where can someone buy one of these awesome protectors for their iPhone?
The Robotector is available at the fallowing stores: Kidrobot, Forbidden Planet, Toy Tokyo, Kinokuniya and Eat Gift.
Online, there are about 8 retailers as well, including Amazon, Ebay, Etsy, and so on. We have have reached stores from 5 other countries,
including: South Korea, Japan, Venezuela, Canada and the United Kingdom.
If you’d like to get your hands on one of these, you can check out the Nugo Labs website. You can also follow the company on twitter and like them on facebook.
