Are You Season 8 Ready, Hunty? RuPaul Artwork For The People.

Sharon Needles

I've been rewatching Ru Paul's Drag Race on Netflix, with season 8 approaching next month. I've even delved into 'the lost season', series one, the one filmed with Vaseline smeared camera lenses & questionable wigs.

Alaska 5000

I've watched mostly in reverse, so I'm on season 2 now. The episode I've reached is one where the mini-challenge is to makeover a RuPaul doll into a lady of the night. Which sent me immediately to eBay to see if I could afford a Ru Paul doll. Sadly they start at £55, but I found something Drag Race fans can have for their home without busting your budget. 

Bianca Del Rio- one of my favourites

Phi Phi O'Hara

ebay seller 88to92 is who you need to search for. They make these cool, queen-quote artworks. I would love a whole set framed going up my stairs at home. They start at £5 so pick your favourite queen and have her home in time for series 8 beginning. 

I didn't like Dela, but she did look like Michelle Visage! 

If anyone wants to chat Drag Race on Twitter I'm @rudedoodle. I posted some behind the scenes secrets and stills from 'the lost season' this morning.​

I love you, Ru! 

Hand Drawn Creative at Bangor's Open House Festival

My wonderful blog logo designer and all round, mid-century loving super illustrator Neal McCullough has a free exhibition as part of both our home town's Open House Festival this August. Pop along for the opening night on Wednesday 5th, or visit his website for more beautiful illustrations, including some free classic car tablet & phone backgrounds.

Revisiting My Favourite Local Artist, Neal McCullough

I was putting together my little monthly column for The County Down Spectator today, a piece about summers past here in North Down. I came across this image, a retro ad for Bangor Maid ice cream, harking back to when there was a dairy in Bangor, my home town. It turned out the image was by Neal McCullough of www.handdrawncreative.co.uk the very illustrator who designed my blog's logo from scratch for me. 

The print is available online, and it's going on my birthday list for sure. 

Bangor Maid Print http://www.damnfineprint.com/bigcartel-item/

More of Neal's work available at https://www.etsy.com/shop/handdrawncreative

Artist Reaches Into Your Head & Captures Exactly How It Felt To 'Play Star Wars' as a Kid

I saw these paintings on Reddit this week and just had to share them with you guys. The artist is Craig Davison and his Facebook can be found here https://www.facebook.com/pages/Craig-Davison-Art-Official/349689058403958

I am totally in love with the style and time period captured in these pieces. So nostalgic, innocent and fun. 

Also a thumbs up for the girls being included, not just playing the female roles. 

My Mystery Blonde Bargain. Who is She?

I have a couple of original Louis Shabner prints, and I leapt on this one I spotted in an East Belfast charity shop today for only £3. I've never seen this print online before, and a Google Image Search doesn't bring any pics of her up. So I don't know her name, as it's not printed on a label on the back, as usual with the original 70s' frames.

Anyone seen this print before, or know the title of the print? 

Retro Futurism ArtPrint Takeaway in Bangor

One of my favourite, local artists Neal McCullough will be taking part in the art pop up shop at Bangor starting this week. Stuck for a present for an awkward to buy for someone? Come see Neal!

My New Favourite Restaurant in Belfast- Canteen at The MAC.

The World of Kitsch certainly didn't start out as a restaurant review blog, but I've had lots of wonderful opportunities in the past two of my five blogging years to share with you the best spots to get grub all over Northern Ireland. I love places who use lots of local produce, and The Canteen at The MAC, Belfast, structures it's menu especially to show of Northern Ireland's best of the best. 

The good news is because it's Belfast Restuarant Week, The Canteen have two courses for £10 which is a steal. This isn't 'canteen' food, it's melt in the mouth perfection. I have to admit I've always been snobby and thought from the name, Canteen, made me think of plates of floppy, ham sandwiches with a few crisps on the side. Instead here is yet another of my restaurant reviews bulging with praise! It's getting a little embarrassing. Someone should suggest me somewhere poor to eat and review via Twitter so I mix things up a bit, as my review for The MAC food is a ten out of ten!

As you can see the Canteen is big and airy, but it's worth booking a table especially on busy weekends. The MAC is an art gallery, and even the tables were part of an art installation. There is an old fashioned phone at each booth. You can actually ring through to another table anonymously and have a chat and flirt! 

Perhaps more of a night time game when the cocktails are flowing, we had fun being arty which we waited the short while for our main course.

I'm a seafood lover, and althought the salted chilli quid appealed, I was fairly hungry so went for the battered coley with beer battered chips and peas for £9. Of course that meant for an extra £1 I got the Restaurant Week deal and a dessert! 

The batter was delish, so perfect, and the chips freshly made.  The peas were mild and a perfect compliment.

My husband had the Morrocan spiced chicken which he describes as one of the tastiest things he's ever eaten in his entire life. Now there's a recommendation!

Our son had a great kids' menu to choose from. Not just the standard anything with chips, he also had mildly spiced chicken skewers with noodles, or sausages with mash to choose from. Surprisingly to us he went for the house special, the MAC and cheese with pinenuts crust. We all had a little dig into this as it is available on the adult main course menu too. It is tasty indeed, and the pinenuts give it an usual sweet, vanilla edge.

Dessert time and the boys went for peanut butter brownies. My husband's brownie was intimidatingly huge, like a brick or the monolith in Space Odyssey 2001. Both boys loved them and the delicious accompaniment of Glastry icecream.

My choice was the cherry bake well tart. It was a little tiny compared to the boys' but it was beautiful.

I strongly encourage you and your family to try out The MAC this week when the Restaurant Week deal is on, and get back to me on Twitter to let me know your thoughts on what you chose to eat. And someone, please, suggest to me somewhere to go and review that I might NOT like, so I stop looking like a rumbly, tumbly sycophant!

Don't miss out on the free galleries to visit while you are in The MAC.

The Gift for Someone who has Everything- Their Own Personalised Cartoon

Cartoon This is an illustration and design company founded in 2012 by Jordan Hodge.

"I strive to give all customers fun and high quality illustrations at great prices.  I will illustrate any person or group of people in my cartoon style. The sky is the limit on what I can illustrate!"

Want a movie or TV themed portrait? A sports team themed portrait? Funny outfits? Or normal everyday outfits? No problem! Jordan has already done over 300 unique Cartoon Portraits for customers around the world. Star Wars, Walking Dead, Wizard of Oz, themed portraits in whatever style you can dream up. These would make great gifts or nice prints to hang in a home or office.

Jordan even cartooned us- it's scarily accurate!