Upper Playground has been supporting street artists in its stores and galleries for ten years, so it only makes sense that they would start stocking the tools to make the art. At the Upper Playground web store’s new department for graffiti supplies, you can now buy spray paint, markers and fatcaps from Montana and Krink. This should be great news for the homecoming of UP alumni, David Choe. He’s currently doing a stint in China and recently blogged about all the cheap watery paint.

Not everyone has the talent to be a professional in the arts, but that doesn’t make that itch not worth scratching every once in awhile. While serious types often spend lots of cash on the latest design software, more casual types try our hand at creating without the serious loot. Aviary is a cheaper way to give into your artistic whims. The site that comes off like an online Photoshop, complete with visual laboratory, image editor and color palettes. It allows aspiring artists of all genres — whether they long to be an audio editor or graphic designer — to indulge their imaginative sweet tooth. Go ahead, poke around and see what inspiration comes out.

Dion Briggs does not want you to run through his site willy-nilly, looking through hundreds of possible T-shirt designs to fit your frame. Instead, he presents each new design (seven in all) on its own website, so you can ooh and ahh without distraction. He first got attention with the iSteamPhone shirt that featured a DaVinci-like drawing of a dissected iPhone by Kevin Tong.

He’s now following this up with four new designs that include another DaVinci/Tong piece. This time it’s Super Mario curled up in the fetal position within a plant, surrounded by sketches of stars and piranha plants. There’s also a dissected Atari 2600 for those gamers for whom the Nintendo isn’t quite retro enough, dismembered Star Wars action figures sketched by Cloxboy, and Gary Gao’s image of the ghosts of old Macs.

If you’re in Philadelphia this weekend, there’s one party happening that trumps any ordinary night out. For its third year DJ Tritton’s Zombie Butt Touch is moving from the underground warehouse to a major venue: the 941 Theatre. Tritton’s own team of make-up artists will zombify every party-goer willing to rock like the dead. Dance to a dozen DJs spinning everything from dubstep to psytrance. Notable acts include Native State’s KiloWatts and lyricist Amagine for a project called Super Galactic Expansive. This is one of those parties that will set the tone for the rest of the summer. Let’s go nuts.

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I always wondered during my travels to Europe if an expensive line of trashcans from Denmark would gain traction in design and shelter magazine-obsessed America. When I saw the line was picked up by Water Works and DWR (not to mention a few others), I realized that Vipp’s time had come, despite recessionary times. Even artist Dominic Wilcox took a shine to them. What makes this line even more intriguing is Vipp’s noteworthy annual limited-edition artist series, including amazing takedowns from Bono, Helena Christensen, Todd Oldham, Sir Terence Conran, Ron Arad and Christian Lacroix. Taking that momentum one step further is Vipp’s colorful Spring ‘09 celebration of NYC: The Yellow Cab Series. If you have a penchant for colors that pop in your kitchen or bathroom, as well as a desire for mechanical and design detail in everything in your home, then head over to a Vipp dealer to test drive this latest rendition. Death-defying speeds on 7th Avenue during rush hour not included.