Screaming at it!

2010-12-04T12:20:00.002-05:00

Have you ever thought about audio recorders for the computer? A lot of people do personal videos and post them online, and more often than not, the audio is horrible. Is there a decent audio recorder that can fix that?

Howdy

2010-12-03T15:00:00.002-05:00

This blog has fallen through another loop of inactivity. I've been working on numerous typography projects, a survival guide for post-apocalyptic situations and a few Photoshop assignments. It's been a busy and fulfilling semester. :]

2010-12-03T14:57:00.001-05:00

cheap web hosting

Christmas Gift Ideas

2010-12-03T14:54:00.003-05:00

I'm in a good way finacially, so I've been thinking about getting gifts, little and big, to everyone I know. I've been looking at 500gb hard drives. Maybe something portable and reliable. There are so many brands and styles to choose from also. It would make a good stocking stuffer (though I'm not sure if many of my friends have stockings).

Thanks giving?

2010-11-14T15:09:00.002-05:00

Thanksgiving is always weird to me. Most people sit around and eat. That's never really been my cup of tea. I like the aspect of getting together with friends and such, but the glutinous eating is gratuitous.
I'm looking forward to the holidays, and making my own X-mas cards ;]

Where you at?

2010-09-20T12:27:00.002-04:00

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Boost Mobile. All opinions are 100% mine.

Never thought I'd think of those commercials again! But alas, here I am, talking about Boost Mobile. Their biggest selling point lately is connectivity with social media. They carry more smart phones now like the Blackberry and the Motorola i1 that allow the user to stay up-to-date with social media like Facebook and Twitter. I'm anti-Facebook, entirely--but I do use Twitter and enjoy taking advantage of tweeting with my phone. Sometimes a thought or pun just pops into my head and I don't want to risk losing it by booting up my computer, just to tweet. Seems asinine. I currently have a Motorola Blur, which contains a lot of "social" bloatware on it. Since upgrading it to 2.0, it has removed some of those battery-draining programs. With Boost Mobile's Motorola i1, you too can catch the Android gravy-train to happy town! Seriously though, the Android OS has been very pleasant to work with and manage.
Along with many cell phones companies, Boost Mobile has implemented online account Re-Boosting--a way to pay your bill and view other account information online. They do automatic payments, which you can also manage online as well.
I can't help but think of that Aqua Teen Hunger episode when Mastershake tries to push Boost Mobile phones. He even has a giant talking Boost Mobile phone. Check it out!

School and all that goes with it!

2010-09-18T14:15:00.001-04:00

A chapter on studying the letter J. Cleaning up and re-colorizing a black and white photo (that has major water damage and chunks missing). Making a leather journal by hand, containing Bristol board signatures (which I'm looking forward to the most--in a non-sarcastic way).
Went thrift store shopping for New Orleans costuming for Will. He found work pants and walking shorts--I found a pair of comfy pants. Can never go wrong with Thriftko. The walking shorts he picked up were Vans, marked down from $65. None too shabby.
New Orleans trip in less than a week. :]

Yes, I own cats. Yes, I recognize the signs.

2010-08-27T01:12:00.003-04:00

I've always had cats. Each have had their own personality. Mahoney specifically identifies with Quad Mitten Defense, The Spiral, "I don't trust you people here in my apartment", the Flop and Preparing to Jump. Littefoot is more of a Pear/Observant huntress/Prairie Dog/"Come Closer" type.

Funny gif time!

A-a-a-a-adventure Time!

2010-08-23T13:27:00.002-04:00

That's what I was up to this past weekend. I remembered seeing the commercials for Adventure Time and thinking that it was animated in a cool, surreal kind of way. I only now got around to watching all the episodes I've missed, and boy howdy, this is an awesome show! I bet you want a taste, so here's Finn and Jake, singing in auto-tune!

You must be like, "Holy cats! How do I get in on this sweet action?" Well, the show airs new episodes every Monday, 8pm, on Cartoon Network (you bet your biscuits I'll be tuning in tonight). If you can't wait, check out more clips on Hulu.com, or be illegal and torrent it.
So after watching all this epic incredible stuff, I started Googling and found an unofficial Adventure Time blog. It's full of storyboards, extra snippets, user-submitted artwork and the topping on the ice cream: a Finn Hat pattern! Yes, you too must be hyperventilating. So I printed it out, drove down to Jo-Ann's and bought a yard of soft white fleece (on sale!)--enough to make three hats!

I've made two so far; one is directly from the pattern, the second is slightly altered to my own preferences. I also made both hats a little different from the walk-through (shown below):

Instead of cutting slits in the top for the "ears", I sewed them flush. I just think it looks better that way. I dare you to think I'm not wearing my Finn hat RIGHT NOW. I still have enough fabric to make one more, and maybe a little kitty-sized one. If you really want one, Tweet me ;].

My Own Banana Bread Recipe

2010-08-10T12:55:00.004-04:00

Whenever I am approached with an ingredient that has no place or purpose, I have to give it a place and purpose. My dilemma? Bananas going bad, fast. I had three left. What to do with overripe bananas? Banana bread, duh.
But another issue arose. No eggs. Every recipe, even vegan and vegetarian recipes, called for an ingredient (eggs or flax seed or whatever) that I did not have. I didn't have eggs, but I did have pumpkin filling, baking soda and baking powder. These three things were going to give me the binding and lift I needed. So here's the recipe I frankensteined together.

3-4 overripe bananas
1/3 c. melted (or at least softened) butter
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. pumpkin puree
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. baking powder
salt to taste
cinnamon to taste
1.5 c. all-purpose flour

Set oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Peel bananas. Combine everything, except the flour, in a medium mixing bowl. Emulsify with hands (the fun part). Add flour slowly, continue mixing with hand. Once the mixture feels like a gooey pile of peanut butter (there may be chunks of banana left, and that's ok), pour into greased/buttered (I used cooking spray) loaf pan. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar, or just cinnamon, along the top--it makes it look nice and gives it a crispy top without burning. Cook for 30 minutes, rotate, then cook for 20 more minutes. Insert toothpick in center to check for doneness. Pull the bread out, sniff for enjoyment and let cool for a bit. Then dive in. Wrap leftovers (as if there would be any).
On a side note, have you ever looked at the nutritional content of that standard pumpkin puree?

It's super cheap, especially around Thanksgiving and Christmas. If I was stranded, this is a food I'd want to have with me. It's loaded with Vitamin A (via beta carotene) and fiber, has little sugars and no fat, contains some protein and about 40 calories per half cup. That's pretty awesome for coming out of can. And it only contains pumpkin, no preservatives or additives!

I hope your hand at this turns out just as tasty, if not moreso, than mine is. Enjoy!

Now's the Time

2010-08-04T15:57:00.002-04:00

The time for what? Considering fall/winter wardrobe. Why? Because no one else is, which means awesome sales on (hard to find) cold-weather clothing. Thrift stores are a landmine of winter clothing this time of year (especially after spring cleaning). I picked up three pairs of pants and a pair of velvet shorts the other day for $15, and boy are they comfy!
I bookmarked an Instructable a while back for drafting and sewing a custom-fit reversible fleece coat. The instructions and pictures are well put together and well thought out, so even the most beginner tailor could make it.

I love the shape of this basic coat--it flares where it should and has a broad, sophisticated collar. Though red's not really my color, she was right on the money to have one side be the "pizazz" and the other a grounded, solid color.
My plan? Jo-Ann's has fleece on sale about every other week (sometimes prints or solids, other times textured fabrics). One only needs about 5-6 yds. total for this project, so it can be made cheaper than any coat you'll find and it'll be custom fit. Other considerations are composition--polyester (ew), acrylic (getting better) or natural cotton and wool blends (probably the best choice, but will be a little more expensive). When I do get around to making this, I'll post pictures.
Anyways, food for thought!

I can haz funeez?

2010-07-31T18:58:00.002-04:00

Anyone who lives with a cat and observes them from time to time will find this humorous. I certainly did.

Mahoney has an alternate version of this that involves running around the house, suddenly falling over, rolling onto her back and drifting off to sleep. She has ghosts in her head.

Wool: Physical and Economical Comfort

2010-07-30T15:53:00.004-04:00

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Ramblers Way. All opinions are 100% mine.

Growing up in Cape Coral was an interesting experience. The biggest thing we had for a while was a McDonald's and a regular (not Super) Wal-Mart a couple miles away. Then they started building--houses, strip malls, condos, etc. Commercial giants saw a quaint spot near some beaches and decided to cash in. Now it's an overgrown ghost town. People couldn't pay the exorbitant amounts for their houses and moved away. Downtown Ft. Myers lost some of its best businessmen (and women) to the ever-growing Edison mall. Now it's damn near impossible to find anything homegrown.
Since Florida's been one of a couple states still in economic free-fall, shopping locally is gaining popularity. Along with the "green" movement, it just makes sense. Why manage and deal in resources that have to be shipped from thousands of miles away, just to sell a low-quality product? It's how corporate giants do it, but it just doesn't make sense. There's a big difference between international trade and sustaining local markets.
Rambler's Way is looking back to the way great businesses once thrived. They use American Rambouillet wool (a breed of ram started in the late 17th century; hailed to comprise at least 50% of USA sheep) to keep product "in-house", lowering production costs. They're looking to make the phrase "Made in America" mean something again. Good on 'em!
My rule of thumb before buying anything is to check the labels/tags--check nutritional information, ingredients and clothing labels. I prefer my food simple, my clothing natural and , if it's American made, that's certainly a plus.
Thank you for your time.

The new term has been coined!

2010-07-24T22:08:00.002-04:00

Fabridermy. Coming soon to this blog.

In essence, the process of making a taxidermy-looking object by use of fabric or embroidery. I've seen all walks of animals made this way--owls, giraffes, fish and, more commonly, deer. I'll probably do a rabbit one.

Word-Up and Comic Relief

2010-07-15T23:11:00.003-04:00

They're watching a documentary about obesity/childhood obesity and it makes me angry how ridiculous it has gotten. They mentioned taking junk food out of schools entirely and when they tried to implement it, a bunch of parents got together and passed out junk food to their (and other) kids. What the hell? Don't they get it? Or can they afford to send their 12-yr-old to get liposuction?
Then, for some reason, I started thinking about the women's fashion industry. I've been shopping around for a decent pair of gray-wash denim (impossible to find apparently), and I observed that many pairs of women's pants don't have back pockets--and when they do, they're usually stitched closed. What factory is taking the extra time out to stitch closed already-made pockets?? Any time I've actually purchased clothing with this absurd add-on, I just rip the stitches out. Hurr-ah! New pockets. There are many things about day-to-day "average" life that continues to irritate me. I wish people, no matter their origins, can accept and treat people just a little better; even in simple daily tasks. Instead of cutting someone off when you're driving, signal and see if they let you in--everyone's trying to get somewhere. If you accidentally break something in a store, tell one of the employees--don't just leave it there (in the same sense, clean up after yourself). Get out and exercise. This is the only life you have.
And now for something completely different:

So, it's finished!

2010-07-07T15:15:00.005-04:00

While searching the interwebz, I found patterns for Watchmen embroidery. A close friend is particularly fond of Rorschach, so I jumped on the opportunity. For your using pleasure, here is the template I traced:

From what I read on Mr. X Stitch's blog, the creator is KittyZilla (she makes many things). The whole thing took me about a week.

I decided on a watered down acrylic paint for the background and a mixture of thread, floss and acrylic yarn for the various stitches. My favorite part is the mask since a chain stitch was used to give it that woven texture. This project has allowed me to think more broad about embroidery possibilities.

Homemade Merit Badges

2010-06-29T16:20:00.004-04:00

It all started with Mr. X Stitch and the idea was planted. Merit badges. Then I saw Penn and Teller's Bullshit on the BoyScouts (which is a whole other story). It reminded me that I can utilize my sweet stitchin' skills to make a set (or more) of awesome real-life badges to do whatever with (likely to give them away and add to my leather jacket). So I utilized materials already present: a old BK arm badge, some black fuzzy material (from a high school theater curtain) and red thread. Ta-da, anti-fast food badge. I'll post more as I make them. The next one is for Lindsay aka Linz, for scientific or otherwise pursuit of cephalopods. More as it develops!

Just a warning -- NSFW

2010-06-24T14:38:00.005-04:00

I've been working and a thought popped up in my head, to Google a phrase and see what images came up. It's sort of a Google roulette. Anyway, the results were humorous and successful, since it inspired me to make something. What was the image? That's the NSFW part. Click if you dare (to lul and lul).

I'm thinking an all-linen embroidery... Maybe on a pillow. Or I could blow it up into a giant poster and hang it in my roommates room. He may like it :] I'm either incredibly immature or have a wicked sense of humor.

BP Spills Coffee

2010-06-19T18:03:00.004-04:00

Yes! Brilliant. It reminds me a lot of UCB-style humor.

It just builds and gets better and better. Like when the woman gets close to it with a lighter, and that guy outside the room is like "Com'mon!" It sums up all of the crazy crap that's happening out in the Gulf right now. Man, BP really f*cked the horse this round. And I used to like getting gas from them. *looks away in shame*
If you'd like to help out, Threadless.com is doing their part by selling shirts (all profits go to the Gulf Restoration Network) specifically for Gulf clean-up. It's like $15 total after shipping (yes, I already bought one), and it looks like this:

I can't help but feel like Lisa Simpson, just wanting to go out and brush the oil of all those poor animals. BP is severely jeopardizing the Gulf's eco-system, but what did Orlando do about it? Open Harry Potter land where the main attraction is geared towards British tourists. Hmmm.

Holy sh*t--shirts! ... AND a travel mug!

2010-06-19T17:28:00.004-04:00

Just to let you know, I was never compensated monetarily or materially for this review. It is of my own will (and my cats wanted to share as well)!
This shows the cats over at the CAC (My Cats Are Part of a Covert Operation) are serious about what they do--summarily eliminating clay from every home! After corresponding with them to get a nice button on my blog, they offered a shirt to help spread the word. Of course I was on board! Today, I received that package and boy-howdy, was I surprised of its contents!

There's Littlefoot on the box, soaking in the glory. It came with four shirts of varying sizes, a travel mug and an adorable note signed by the CAC. Thank you, Cats Against Clay! I will certainly hand the sweet tees out and use this handy travel mug wherever I go!
Fight the good fight. Eliminate the use of nasty clay litters in your home--if not for the good of the environment, at least for the good of your trusted feline friend.

Thoughts on Home Furniture

2010-06-19T13:27:00.003-04:00

I'm a huge fan of building your own everything but sometimes you just have to break down and buy it instead. For example, we've been looking into some home furniture lately and we simply do not have the space or equipment to build it ourselves. So I've been looking at Homeandliving.com since they do free shipping and don't tax anything (unless you're in CA--neener neener neeeeener). I'd love a comfortable yet sturdy ornate chair for the living room like the one featured here. The dark wood looks rich and I like the shape of the legs. Feels lightly 19th century but is still comfortable. Anyhow, food for thought!

Featuring Tubbypaws

2010-06-19T13:15:00.004-04:00

Tubbypaws is at it again! A "blog of happy art" that is delightfully creepy from time to time. It features digital work and sometimes it features papercrafts, like Keyboard Cat. I love the video for it. It has that happy and creepy carnival vibe to it. It goes from a happy girl in a cat costume to her face conjoining with a cat head, then her face melting slightly. Get the idea?

If you're interested in the template, just follow the link up there ^. A more recent piece that I enjoy is the alternate universe Garfield and John:

I might even make that my next wallpaper :p. So that's Tubbypaws in a nutshell.

In Need of Furniture

2010-06-18T19:46:00.002-04:00

The last few days have triggered some thoughts about finally buying a dining room table, some chairs for the living room and bed frames. I'd really enjoy having some space under our queen-size to stow some things. Homeandliving.com is offering free shipping and no sales tax, so I thought I'd give the site a look. I wouldn't mind something simple, like the frame to the left there.
It has some lift for storage underneath, a head board so our pillows stay put and the finish matches the rest of the room.

I found it!

2010-06-18T19:33:00.003-04:00

I even e-mailed Jaime, the proprietor of Mr. X Stitch to find the embroidered piece I had seen on the blog. After sending it, I checked back for new posts and sure enough, a link to the very post I was looking for popped up. Jaime did respond to my e-mail, and now all the appropriate information is in my lap. So here it is!

Given to you by WhatParty. I liked this piece so much, I sent pics of it to my friends and posted it here :p.

Coutoure Fashions anyone?

2010-06-17T13:25:00.004-04:00

I was interested in becoming a fashion designer for a long time. I made clothes constantly, so it made sense. Upon diving into the fashion world, I noticed I didn't have the same spunk that most designers embody. Designers like Bian Variani (http://www.BianVariani.com) have that kind of vibrant energy. Hailing from Vancouver, CA, Fashion Designer (Milan, Italy) Bian Variani seems to have the perfect flamboyant, bright personality that a successful fashion designer requires--but it doesn't show through in his designs. Even though his personality is inviting and popular, his clothing designs fall flat in a going-to-the-office kind of way. His motorcycle jackets are more brimming than his clothing layouts. Additionally, he may have committed one of the biggest web layout faux pas by including instantly-playing music in the top right corner of his site. Be true to yourself Bian. Follow your design dreams and let no one hold you back.

Umm, yes?

2010-06-16T12:08:00.000-04:00

It may seem silly, but I like living how I want to live, regardless of how ridiculous something may seem to anyone else. With that said, I'd like to show you TH-TH-TH-THIS!

Isn't it totally awesome? They're actually Publix soy multivitamins, but the bottle size, shape and color were perfect. I got the template off WeeklyGeekShow.com, where they also have Nuka-Cola cap designs as well (which I'm certainly going to make sometime, but in a different way ;]). I whipped up some red pepper corn muffins last night (recipe from Quaker Corn Meal plus Weber Chicago Steak seasoning) and they turned out delicious. Seems I'm pretty good at baking up any non-yeasty breads--I can make some tender, from-scratch buttermilk biscuits (a la Alton Brown). The last time I made yeasty dinner rolls... Well, I'll say no one was going back for seconds (not even me).
I've been slowly reviewing all the posts from Mr. X Stitch and boy are there some gems! Inspirational and interesting; anywhere from cross-stitches you'd see your granny make, to NSFW masterpieces. Once I find the piece I wanted to showcase, I'll post it. Also, nothing has gotten me into wanting to make a bowtie like reading The Toilet Paper. Maybe they should correct that tagline--for the thinking man OR woman.

A Teaser Post

2010-06-10T12:00:00.004-04:00

Are you eager to see all the crazy stuff I've been working on? Let me count the ways: a steampunkish leather ammo belt, [a secret project], a book cover for class (Susan Kare book jacket, fun!), repurposed DBZ notepad set, a huge jar of origami stars a-a-a-a-a-and this.

Did I mention I made a handkerchief Ode de Bowser Jr.? Yes, it happened. Found a stark white hanky at a dollar store (for a dollar), decided to pick it up and go for the gusto. Drawn using permanent markers. The image below doesn't quite do it justice. Oh well!

By the by, don't buy your trendy, super-scene handkerchiefs from Hot Topic. Unless you want to literally throw your money away. Dollar stores usually have a wide assortment of hankies. Unless you're too cool for dollar stores. Also, for those who are like "Who the hell is Bowser Jr.?" I was nice enough to include a shot of him as well. You can thank me by commenting :p
I'm totally going to sport it when I get my scooter (one day).
Guess what the embroider project will be yet? I'll give you a hint. I've been playing exorbitant amounts of Fallout 3 lately (and yes, the design is originally done by my hand, since it was impossible to find online).

My Cats Are Part of a Covert Operation

2010-06-02T13:09:00.003-04:00

The cats are rising in a revolt against mistreatment, cruelty and dirty fur. They are the Cats Against Clay, and they stand for life without harsh chemicals, liberty to use healthier alternatives and the pursuit of happier paws. In a world where technology reigns, how have we left our furry friends in the dust of clay litters? Say "Yes!" to recyclable, biodegradable alternatives. Say "Yes!" to no chemicals, and no harsh dust to breath. Say "Yes!" to a healthier life. My cats have. What will it take for you to change the error of your ways?

Dealings for Today

2010-05-25T22:18:00.004-04:00

I found out I'm O+ :] My own folks don't even know that. And my cholesterol is squeaky clean.
But back to business. Ever have a bunch of half-used spiral notebooks laying around with perfectly good paper in 'em? No? Well, I did. I collect stuff and over the years of doodling and thought-note taking, I've acquired a short stack of fairly useless papers. I decided to break three spiral notebooks down, harvest the useful parts and make fairly newish notebooks. Ta-da!

The slender horizontal notebook to the left is made from a section of water damaged but perfectly usable spiral notebook paper and the front of one spiral notebook (cut in half). I had taken out the wire spiral, cut the paper and reorganized it accordingly and rebound it. Since it's water damaged, I'll be using it as a visual journal (Google it and make your own :]). I've already began collecting fodder for it (see Visual Journaling - 4 Steps to get started). I got the initial idea to start a visual journal from a trip to Barnes & Noble, where I usually loiter in the crafting section. It's a good way to ease mind clutter and to get creative juices flowing--even if you just doodle with crayons.
The spiral notebook to the right is salvaged clean white paper with the wire and backing from another notebook and a Domo coffee sign I snagged from the garbage (I actually still have the other half of the sign which contains the same imagery, ya know, in case I want to make another *wink wink*). I included unused pockets as well. I have no idea when I'll use it, but at least it's usable now. The end!

My Journey in Donating Blood

2010-05-24T21:21:00.002-04:00

A brief history: I've tried donating blood since high school, but usually when they tested my iron count, it was too low, thus I was physically unable to donate. Sad face. Also, you know that feeling you get when you stand up too fast (that kind of light-headed "joy" most people experience)? Well, when I do that, my vision sometimes goes blurry and sometimes I nearly pass out. A change in diet has improved this.
Many thoughts rolled around my head whether or not I wanted to share the full story of my experience donating blood, but I don't want to deter anyone from giving it a go. I walked into the bus, got food/free Chick-fil-A sandwich coupon (where the bus was at the time)/drinks/t-shirt and a donor card with my donor number on it and the feeling of accomplishment... Even though I had a bad reaction to losing a pint of the good stuff. If you ever feel like giving it a go, since blood is usually needed, check out the Florida Blood Donor's site and find out when the big red bus will be near you. I know there's a bus that hangs out near a local movie theater here and it provides free movie tickets to donors. I chose the Chick-fil-A route because, duh, Chick-fil-A rocks. And I'm gonna keep that shirt foreva'. Plus, in about a week, I'm going to finally know what my blood type is. My own folks don't know it! So, in summary, the free sandwich/cookies/juice/t-shirt/mini physical/blood type knowledge/pride in donating was worth the scary experience.
Ya know that scene in Land of the Lost where Will Farrell's character has that giant mosquito on his back? Like that but not funny.

Plants Vs. Zombies Projects!

2010-05-20T18:48:00.004-04:00

Finally, some Plants Vs. Zombies crafts I can get behind. I usually troll around papercraft sites (see "Sweet Links" at the top of the page) and the only PvZ crafts I've seen are playful, but very simplistic and unrefined. SpriteStitch has brought the fan base some much needed attention in the crafting stratosphere. From their forums, I bring you these!

Tallnut plushies! Well done too. I imagine it was made with felt, an appropriate amount of stuffing (it could be a cat toy plushie if it had a pinch of nip in it) and some creative stitching. He made three of them (clicking on the image will bring you to the original post). It would have been interesting to see each plushie in a different state of being gnawed (play the game if you haven't!).

And our next contender went the crochet route and built up her own little peapod (and "little" it ain't!). Equally cute, expertly shaped. This peapod is one of the initial defenders you can plant against the oncoming crowd of viciously hungry zombies (See? Go play the game right now!). I can imagine a sunflower or frozen pea shooter accompanying this one. Aww.

Adobe Illustrator -- The Class

2010-05-20T15:48:00.003-04:00

I've mounted my first assignment for my Adobe Illustrator class. I'll not speak of the snafu's, but it turned out clean and pleasing to the eye. I could say I've got a comfortable handle on it.

The point of the assignment was to get used to using the pen tool, which I find to be a cinch once you know the keyboard shortcuts. A simple radial gradient was used for the background, along with a mild lens flare. We also had to make the lady into a symbol and use the spray can tool to "spray" the symbol across the artboard. This is all CS4 by the by. CS5 should be making its appearance sometime in the fall. That is why I refuse to buy the textbook for this class.
Spray glue smells awful, but it got the job done.

Looking Back to Home-Cooked Meals

2010-05-19T14:55:00.003-04:00

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Hormel Foods. All opinions are 100% mine.

My mom had a few specialty meals that she would cook for us through the weeks. Off the top of my head, they were things like lasagna, meatloaf, biscuits and gravy (where I learned how to make it as well), and every so often she would break out a can of Dinty Moore stew and serve it piping hot over white rice. It was incredibly quick to make and never failed to be so tasty! Checking out Hormel's recipe page, ingredients and flavors have become more sophisticated. Hormel also carries the Jennie-O brand, which I've enjoyed on a weekly basis. Seems their expertise doesn't stop at stew or turkey products, these folks brought you Lloyd's BBQ, SPAM, Chi-Chi's salsa! They've approached their 75th anniversary and want to continue the tradition of home-cooked, memorable meals. I could make this:

Nothing quite makes you feel warm inside like a hearty bowl of chili. This is Hormel's Black Bean Turkey Chili. Pair with it some feather-shredded cheddar cheese and lightly sweet honey cornbread, and that is one heck of a meal! Even hormel Chili Master Chili could be used in a pinch--a perfect compliment to any summer backyard BBQ. The possibilities are vast with Hormel's recipe website. You can sort recipes by time, by meal and by ingredient.
Did you know Dinty Moore was a lumberjack? He would place his signature thumbprint of every can of stew. After learning this, I honestly looked for it when I went grocery shopping. I don't think they do it any more. *sad face*

Cassette Case into Nintendo Hand-held Case

2010-05-19T13:46:00.004-04:00

That's right. I picked up a cassette case from the Salvation Army a couple weeks ago, gutted it, made compartments out of scrap matte board, floral wire and foam insert, and transformed it into a hand-held device and game case. Yes! Here's what it started out as:

Sadly, the plastic handle snapped off its hinges. I built a new one using jersey knit strips and a ladder weave; gives it that sturdy handle feel (you can also use this weave to make a paracord survival bracelet). Taking the cassette holder out was easy--com'mon, 30-yr-old glue does not hold at all. And it was thin plastic, like the trays in chocolate boxes. I then marked the boards where they needed to be cut, and fit it together like a puzzle.

That fuzzy thing you see is a slice of foam covered in black jersey knit and faux fur to ensure nothing in the case slides around (like the extra set of batteries or the carts). I used floral wire to create little slots for the cartridges to settle in. The silicone sleeves below the GB games hold my DS games. It also holds an extra big stylus, an outlet charger (and car charger, not present in the photo). There's padding underneath where the GB Color goes since it is contoured. And I think that's it. Success!

Not My Usual Thing, But...

2010-05-15T15:54:00.003-04:00

I wanted to post a couple of videos. I feel like the "OMG" cat kind of started it all, so here it is.

The internet has taken this awesome video and spliced it into hilarious moments (see "OMG cat cannot unsee the horror"). There are also various GIFs of it on 4chan (like the cat witnessing a horrible wreck). This one was posted mere hours ago, and it's awesome too :].

I've never personally witnessed one of my own cats doing this, but apparently it can happen often. Littlefoot especially wanted to nurse way past the age she should be, and I never saw her do something like this. She does plenty of other cute things though, so I forgive her. :p

He's just sayin' what I'm thinkin'

2010-05-14T12:22:00.007-04:00

(Originally found in Justin Herrick's blog)

I see it in everything my generation does: driving, speaking, manners, interactions. All half-witted, unmotivated, uncommitted acts. They see a problem, and they ignore it. One of my roommates (and ex-friend) would stay up all hours of the night watching TV when a big project or test was due the next day, then get high, go to class and wing it. Why should he care--his grandparents were paying for his education. He took a two-year degree and stretched it to 4+ years.
Another roommate had a scholarship that would cover his education 100%. What did he do? Dick around until they dropped him. Now he's going to a vocational school with an Associates rotting in his pocket.
The man in the video is Jason Calacanis. Though I don't know much about him, his raw and truthful words struck a chord for me. I'm an advocate of fighting apathy and taking responsibility for your own actions. Apparently, people my age aren't nearly the same. It's very likely that my flighty childhood molded me into the model citizen I am today, but it doesn't take a genius to establish right from wrong (and seeing how to treat other people). A chance you could take now (to the Gen Y people out there): Get off your goddamn cell phones/bluetooth/texting kicks and look people in the eye when you speak to them/keep your eyes on the road and realize other people exist. The world does not revolve around you, no matter how much you think it does.
Maybe I'm getting off topic, or maybe this infuriates me to the point of disarrayed thoughts. Jason gets the point across in the video, and he can carry affliction whereas my words cannot (nearly as well).
How does one fix a system so broken? "What do you do when your foundation crumbles? They don't teach ya that in school." - Matthew Lillard as Stevo

The Winners Have Been Announced

2010-05-12T00:58:00.002-04:00

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Incendia Health. All opinions are 100% mine.

Being that it's well into 2010, I think we've all heard about iLasik and the benefits from improved vision. Did you know AMO (Abbott Medical Optics Inc.) had a video contest a while back? Entries were videos regarding how iLasik surgery could/has improve(d) a person's vision. The iLASIK Video Contest was meant to stir up buzz regarding this miracle procedure.
I would not have been able to sincerely enter this contest since my vision, while not perfect, is not messed up enough for correction. Confusing, I know. I have a lazy eye that makes the vision in my right eye just off, but not off enough that it can ever be corrected. Bum deal.
The contest has come to a close, as all things must, and the winner have been announced! I just checked out the first prize winner for the category "My Contacts Are Getting In The Way Of My Good Time" by Robbo. His random cut scenes and mannerisms were pretty funny. Seems he won an HDTV package, just for blowing off steam about his contact lenses. I bet you do that for free! Gotta say though, Danny V's first place video could have been better, but congratulations nonetheless. Alex's "You Gotta See This Music Video" totally deserved the grand prize ($5,000; practically covering the cost of the lasik procedure!). If you're bummed about missing the iLASIK Video Contest, but still want to know more, check out their site for information. You can also register to receive eye care products.

Does the rug match the drapes?

2010-05-11T15:14:00.001-04:00

No, not even a little. Just yesterday, I spent the evening making use of a grocery bag full of jersey knit strips. So, with a few shirts worth of strips, I made this rug.

Designing stuff like this only takes a few things, and this particular set-up was NO-SEW! Some of the materials were t-shirt scraps from other projects, some were 50-75-cent shirts from The Salvation Army. I also used a big picture frame to act as a sort of loom. If you organize the colors appropriately (in the case of this rug, the colors are fading in a gradient style), this sort of rug can look good anywhere. It's also pretty comfy on the toes, and if you're confident with how you constructed it, it's machine washable (since it's 100% cotton).

30STM are *what they are

2010-05-05T22:22:00.000-04:00

Allow me to start at the beginning. I receive e-newsletters from 30 Seconds to Mars--Jared Leto's band, started around '98. While looking at his trendy pink mohawk, a hoodie caught my eye in the side bar. The hoodie had this design on it:

THIS is what pisses me off! Anyone who knew anything about sweet fashion saw this design back in '03, designed by Jason Byron Nelson aka jbyron around the Threadless community. Here is the lovely original piece:

(clicking on the image will bring you to the tee for sale @ Threadless)
Nowhere on 30STM's site do they credit the original artist. WTF?? I'm sure anyone else would shrug it off, but I'm an artist and I believe in giving credit where credit is due. It nearly makes me twitchy.
I shot some correspondence to the original artist. I'll update the post if anything else develops.
It's bad enough dozens of movies are the same recycled crap; don't let art fall into that same rut.
*Seems 30STM purchased the rights to the design. At least it was legitimate. Thanks, jbyron, for clearing it up :]

One, Two, Three...

2010-05-04T15:08:00.000-04:00

Four! I have four projects in the making right now and each rightfully deserves its own post. Plus! I'll be posting on a couple things I've finished recently--one being a gift and the other being a sweet legal-pad-into-book kind of thing (with Odilon Redon artwork on the front and back covers). The projects I'm currently constructing have to do with cross stitching, leather work and a pistol, knitting and a pleather case for my DS + accessories. I'm also working on not sweating to death, but that's not as pretty.
I also trekked to the Salvation Army and found leather assless chaps (of all things!) and a few other things: a 50-cent mug, a few books (Crichton and Koontz) totaling about 75 cents, a 50-cent ball of yarn and leather pants for $4. Though we'd never wear the pants, they're ripe for deconstruction. Com'mon, that much garment leather for four bucks? Yes. I would have bought the chaps had they not been fifty dollars. I dream of dueling pistols and assless chaps. ... Don't judge me, the Bible says not to.

Free Comic Book Day!

2010-05-01T21:04:00.001-04:00

There are still a few hours left in Free Comic Book Day! The selection is pretty sweet this year. Here are my favorites so far:

The Tick's tale was crazy and quirky as expected (especially the "Draw The Tick" portion, hilarious!). The Tick also reminds me of the Maxx occasionally, given they're both costumed personas and insane, but they don't really recognize their insanity. And they're both strong for unknown reasons. The artwork drew me into Mouse Guard. It gave a classical, almost nostalgic feel, and I enjoy seeing human-esque animals. The dialogue in Atomic Robo was cute and funny; I also enjoyed Robo's facial expressions.

Growing!

2010-04-28T12:28:00.000-04:00

Though I have not started on my under-the-sink compost, I have started growing an onion (the savvy way). Honestly, I first saw the idea on an Instructable titled Grow Onions from Discarded Onion Bottoms. And it works too. I made chili last week and chopped up a small onion for it. I saved the bottom and placed it in a small-welled cup to sprout.

Look at those beautiful roots! Soon, I'll transfer it to soil so it can sprout and receive the nutrients it needs. Feel free to browse Instructables for more gardening tips. There are a handful of fantastic authors/cultivators who spew pellets of advice like wise Pez dispensers.
If gardening isn't your thing, check out this new Amigurumi Big Daddy Bouncer from Bioshock (straight out of Nerdigurumi).

I want this so bad! I may be able to crochet decently, but I can't follow crochet instructions for the life of me. :[ I'll perhaps learn just to make this Big Daddy. Did I mention there's another post for making a matching Little Sister too ;].

Is He Actually Purple?

2010-04-28T11:58:00.000-04:00

Finding auto parts can sometimes be quite a task. Last time I tried to find a socket for my turn signal (on a 2000 Ford Contour) I had to go to the dealer and pay twenty bucks! That's such a rip-off just for a socket. I had no other choice though--no general auto parts store carried the socket I needed. New Auto Parts can just be difficult to find. If I knew more about the Parts Gorilla, I may have been able to take advantage of some sweet deals.
When I searched for my car's make and model, a few things popped up. No turn signal sockets, but they do carry the right side mirror I'm in need of. I... Cracked it off long ago :[. It's a long story. I make it long, anyway :p.

Thinking about Beirut

2010-04-26T17:00:00.001-04:00

Not the largest city in Lebanon, but the band. Lead by a mustached white guy. Just wasn't what I was expecting. Anyway, I heard the song Guyamas Sonora back in '08 and sort of forgot about them. A friend gave me a mix CD with a couple more songs by them, and I was hooked once again! I've included the song Elephant Gun in this post to show you both his melodic, mellow voice, and something else:

See the ukulele in the beginning? Yep, that's Will's ukulele. It's called a Fluke, and it's actually part of a series designed for kids--comes in about 5 different colors. Even though they are inexpensive and for children, they're built surprisingly well. I have the Flea, also from the same company (painted by me ;]).

In case you want to know more about this model, I found a detailed review. I've had a lot of trouble finding a musical instrument I could stick with, but I love this thing! Makes a pleasant sound even if one's strumming about nonsensically.

The Time Has Come!

2010-04-25T20:04:00.000-04:00

And I'm not talking about that Dresden Dolls song with the same name. I'm talking about revealing a few of the things I've been working on! The first, a Bubble Bobble tribute, as a birthday gift to a friend, a cross-stitched hangy dealy for Simone!

Isn't it adorable? Finding Bubble Bobble images was a cinch (Google it!), and it's natively pixelated, so YES! The next project stemmed from this image:
(If you know where this image came from, please let me know and I will gladly give credit!) I stitched it into a piece of felt and grid. I used any scraps of floss I had, and went to town! The only thing I need to do now is find a purpose for it. I'm thinking a pin or something to hang on the wall. I am fond of hanging things, but I also have a sweet bomber jacket in the making that could use a patch as awesome as this ;]. I'll post another pic when I figure it all out.

The end result was pleasant. I quickly ran out of the initial colors I chose, since they were scraps. But I used them strategically to create a mild shadow on the form instead of it looking all patchy and weird.

(That's my Dinobyte in the background. Yes, a pterodactyl.) Nothing like finding a use to something just lazing around, like all the random colors of floss I have from my great grandmother Doris (Thank you, Grandma Doris). I have other projects floating around in my head and when they manifest, you will know. ;]

A Few Highlights from Cut Out + Keep

2010-04-24T12:17:00.000-04:00

Cut Out + Keep is tweeting up a storm, as usual. A couple projects specifically caught my eye.
Today, we have the Hanging Egg Planter made from those pesky plastic eggs people get around Easter and a way to re-use those bubble containers kids get out of quarter machines called Recycled Bubble Container (kind of self-explanatory, no?)

I particularly enjoy the designs on those eggs.

The bubble containers could even be used for a tiny moss terrarium--so instead of using felt, you could use moss and decorate accordingly.
If I celebrated Easter in any sort of traditional sense, I'd use the eggs as planters. They'd be perfect for sprouting all sorts of Springtime goodies like strawberry and tomato plants, assorted flowers. Oh! Small flowering cacti! That would look gorgeous, and spikey ^.^

To Knit or To Crochet

2010-04-24T11:28:00.000-04:00

Growing up, I was taught how to crochet. Recently, I figured out how to knit in the most basic sense. Now both techniques center around interlocking loops; however, crocheting is simpler. Knitting allows you to incorporate a ton of patterns and designs. My goal? I was inspired by Banksy. For those unfamiliar to his work, he's a graffiti artist known for spray painted masterpieces all over the world. Since it's technically graffiti, his work is whitewashed and remains in images and memories. This is the specific piece I'm inspired by:

(If you're interested in seeing more of his work, simply Google his name and loads of images will appear)
His work is generally witty and stems from the situation around him. But back to my point. See the granny on the left knitting the "Punks Not Dead" sweater? Well, there was a time about a year ago when I promised a friend that I'd make her a sweet poncho from t-shirts. It would have looked like the poncho featured in Megan Nicolay's 108 Ways to Transform a T-Shirt. It's a simple diamond-shaped poncho with optional fringe. Like this:

The goal for this project was to combine both mediums. I want to knit a plaid poncho, similar to the one here, with patches (from a Hello Kitty pattern) of t-shirt and the phrase "Punks Not Dead" weaved into it. This is going to be a tall order especially since I'm an infant in the knowledge world of knitting. From the Instructables I've seen about weaving words into a swatch, it's complicated and requires multiple knitting needles. My knitting gear is narrowed to two bamboo skewers and a circular loom at the moment, since I've just been experimenting with techniques. Will this project be at all possible?
I suppose I'll just have to keep at it for another year. I've constructed the poncho already out of t-shirt materials but I am not pleased with its outcome. I want it to be cuddly. I want it to be warm! And I want it to look great (before I give it to my friend ;]).
Possibly add-ons for this project include multitudes of fringe and edging treatments, inner or outer pockets, hood, arm holes, different body shapes and so on.

I Hope Your Reaction Is The Same

2010-04-21T13:47:00.001-04:00

Water-powered fire. Yep.

Did you know the WORLD has been just waiting for something like this? My biggest hope is that we don't bury this technology like we did with solar energy. This means no more gas stations, no more relying on fossil fuels, no more toxic emissions.

With Big Trucks Come Big Responsibilities

2010-04-21T12:56:00.000-04:00

There are a vast amount of trucks on the road nowadays and they come in even more shapes and sizes. The point of a truck is to make it work for you--you need to be able to haul any load, at any time. So what if it's three dozen potted flower bunches?

It's not the manly cargo you were expecting, but you'd need a nice Tonneau cover for that, as to not damage the delicate petals of the passengers. And what about personal comfort? You need a few things, like vent visors. The point is, all trucks need accessories, and RealTruck.com has them by the truck loads (lol).

Where've I Been for Five Days?

2010-04-19T21:04:00.001-04:00

Working. Schooling. Bookbinding. Duh. Here is a crude depiction of that:

Now learn, learn my pupils! Just kidding. That's not nearly enough to learn how to bind a book. I will however set you up with something simple. The first book I ever made was an origami book.

It takes only one square of paper (different colored sides is perfect for this craft) and some folds. You can make it a keepsake booklet with tiny pictures in it or scribble down thoughts or make it out of sheer boredom. It's all good. I suggest using materials found around your desk. Nothing like repurposing, eh?

Composting in an Apartment

2010-04-14T23:35:00.000-04:00

Not a sponsored post, just passing on the info!
Some of you may be thinking "It can't be done!" But the web begs to differ. I found an article breaking down the steps necessary for composting with limited space and ground. It was actually a branch off Discovery.com (which makes it a little more reputable) and the article is called Build a Compost Box in Your Apartment. To the point. It contains the basic from choosing the container, to placement, to maintenance, to what materials can actually be decomposed.

My plan of action? An under-the-kitchen-sink bucket (preferably rescued from a Burger King dumpster), with soil and earthworms and all the dried leaves on the ground.
It's time to put a stop to throwing away perfectly good compost. Every morning, I find myself dumping coffee grounds, banana peels and miscellaneous other food waste--even the newspaper cat litter I use can be composted. Think I might even leave those old leftovers in the fridge just a bit longer (at least until I can compost 'em!).

PS Ever thought of going off the consumer radar? It's sounding better and better every day in this economy.

Keeping busy, Pt. 2

2010-04-14T01:04:00.000-04:00

This post is just to be a tease ^.^ And I wanted to post this little guy:

I busted out my pen nib set and was finishing up some inscriptions for one of the gifts I've been working on. Next step: wrapping! In some projects, packaging can make or break the mood of the gift presentation. Let that be a lesson. I figure, once everything's said and done, I may be kind enough to post my very own instructable (maybe even on Instructables ;]). Stay tuned!

Keeping busy, Pt. 1

2010-04-14T00:48:00.000-04:00

Will and I have been scouting around, looking for new sets of chopsticks. The day finally came this past weekend where we discovered a delightful set of five--each pair adorned with rabbits and seasonal theme (purple with winter, red-orange with fall, etc.). This totaled seven sets for our silverware drawer. This posed a problem. I like keeping chopsticks clean and organized. So, I decided to make a travel caddy/wrap for them out of scraps of jersey knit (trust me when I say I have loads of scrap jersey knit just aching for a purpose!). I chose a tube-top made years ago for 30 Seconds to Mars (Jared Leto totally signed it ;])--which was a square I used to hang on the wall--and a lightweight cord off an old dismembered bra. The result:

Pretty snazzy, eh? Took me no more than a hour and it works swimmingly. There are even a couple extra slot included just in case we decide to buy more chopsticks. I've thought of even keeping a couple "disposable" pairs in there for... Whatever.

There's a quick tutorial on how to make this beaute in Megan Nicolay's book Beyond Fashion: 120 New Ways To Transform A T-Shirt. Personally, I use both of her books to kick-start my creative juices.

Been Working

2010-04-13T19:49:00.000-04:00

Haven't forgotten about this blog yet! Actually, I'm usually pondering about what to update on. In reality, I've been crafting up a storm! Unfortunately, the items are all gifts, so I can't quite post them here until I've given them away. I can give you a hint though. They all have something to do with stitching! I doubt that really narrows it down, but I'll let your imaginations run with it. Ona side note, I found this illustrator by happenstance. It was one of those times I Googled "octupus." His name is Alberto Cerriteno. His work reminds me of cartoons on Cartoon Network right now (sort of simplified in a way and just bursting with colors). Where his work differs is the emotion he tends to embed in his work. They appear lighthearted at a glance, but have morbid undertones.

Animals; acrylic on canvas.

This is coffee and ink on paper. Energetic. Considering it's painted with coffee and the figures seem to be flying about.
More to come @ Screaming At It! Keep your brain moving and your spirits high.

Project... errr... Inspiration!

2010-04-10T14:12:00.000-04:00

I made a quick pants-to-skirt skirt the other night. In attempting to take pictures of it to post to Cut Out + Keep, all of them turned out horrible. So I ditched it. So the project exists, just not online. So instead, I will present to you my inspiration for said project. Bustle/CanCan/Cabaret/Moulin attire!

The idea is to have bulging ruffles in short tiers in the front, and long swooping tiers in the back (good for kicking and dancing). The challenge is getting it just so (only with an altered piece of clothing; building this skirt from yards of fabric is much easier).

My main focus, in any project lately, has been to re-use or harvest already obtained materials. This includes clothes I no longer wear/no longer fit/cannot throw away, paper goods, yarns and threads, buttons/embellishments and so on. So I may have to use fabric I've purchased in the past to construct a brand new garment. Sad face. I'll probably still wear the pants-to-skirt corduroys, but it'll never be the exact thing I want it to be. Oh well!

I've never really thought about it

2010-04-10T13:55:00.000-04:00

I live in Florida, where basements are a rare site. It's a given since the entire state is technically under sea level. So when it comes to basement maintenance or Waterproofing Basement Walls, I'm at a loss. I've had family members who lived in houses with basements, and I was always jealous because for one, their houses were much nicer and had stairs (don't get me started on stairs), and two, they lived up north where it snows and there are real seasons. It's a shame since I've been looking into moving up to North Carolina, where basements are a little more common practice in housing development. If we do move somewhere that has a basement, I'll likely store crap down there, wherein it'll get wet and moldy, then I'll have to toss it or compost it. I could save myself a ton of time and start throwing things away now, lol.
What other sort of basement maintenance should I know about? Are you supposed to seal the floor too? I imagine a concrete floor, where my washer and dryer will sit, and so will the heater. And in the winter, I'll just not wash my clothes, because everything will have frozen. And then I'll ice skate. Problem solved.

Feeling like you want to SCIENCE?

2010-04-08T21:06:00.000-04:00

I know that title makes no sense, but seriously... Ever feel like you want to mess with some chemistry or watch one element react with another? I just came across an article: 52 Totally Awesome Science Experiments You Can Do At Home. It has a couple basics like making a volcano or a rocket, but then it dives into making robots! I kid you not. Bristlebots: How to... And, hello, Potato Cannon. Exploding Lunch Bag. Matchbox Camera. Pong. Make your own Ethanol. I'll just keep spitting out seemingly random sentence fragments until I've received your attention. I can imagine conducting a few of these experiments on a mindlessly boring Sunday afternoon. Though I am seriously interested in the matchbox camera.

Time for some How-To's!

2010-04-08T20:47:00.000-04:00

Not sponsored, just interesting!
I subscribe to Instructables' newsletter, as any respectable DIYer would. So let us explore their guides and whimsy! Some of my favorites have to be the musical instrument How-To's (see Walnut Kalimba Necklace below):

You wouldn't believe it, but making this takes some pretty basic materials.
You will need:
Walnuts
Small handsaw
Sandpaper
Wire
Hair pins
3mm thick hardwood
wood glue
Hand drill
Contact mic (for loudness)
This specific instructable was made by NakagawaGaki and includes images and video of the darling thing being played. For full instructions on making this gem, simply click the image or link above. Alternatively, another individual made an instrument similar to this one out of a mini Altoids tin. But that's for another day.

Don't forget the upcoming Coffee Cup Challenge for next week. The object is to make something freakin' awesome out of a otherwise disposed-of paper coffee cup. I'm looking forward to seeing the entries, and maybe I'll post 'em here when they come in ;].

Something I Don't Normally Give Thought To

2010-04-08T20:42:00.000-04:00

When we moved to our new place, Will was just hell-bent on getting a sweet new entertainment system (including dvd/Blu-Ray player and TV speakers). I tend to be a fan of LG and Creative speakers, since they've always worked reliably for me in the past. The above link provides cheap, reliable speakers in the UK area.

New (to me) Comic!

2010-04-06T21:00:00.000-04:00

Now, you're going to hate me because this comic has already ended (D'oh!), but it's certainly worth a sit-down-and-read. It's called DAR: A Super Girly Top Secret Comic Diary. The last strip gives you a rundown of the progress it's made. Her humor is vulgar, quirky and darling, seen in both dialogue and in her art style. Example!

FYI some strips are NSFW, but they're awesome too, so you'll be missing out. Enjoy!

Will's Tattoo

2010-04-04T00:03:00.000-04:00

It's also our anniversary, but it's kind of besides the main topic of this post. Will finally got a sweet new tattoo! He also posted about it. Let us start from the beginning.

The waiting period:

I took a bunch of pictures of my belly ('cause I was bored). The image on the left was the only one that came out with any sort of merit. The middle image is an inventory of things we found in the couch :p. We gave our findings to the Chicago Tattoo Co. crew. The third is Will--his expression sums up perfectly our entire waiting period. The process!

This is our usual tattoo guy, Joe. He's a pretty awesome dude and is a robot when it comes to his line work.

And the finished product:

AM Inspiration

2010-04-03T00:44:00.001-04:00

I found this blog because I was Googling sprite images for Bubble Bobble. It's SpriteStitch: A Video Game Inspired Craft Weblog and it's chock full o' sprite patterns and projects from all over the place that are strictly video game inspired. If you thought crafting off video games was a dip in the lake, you would be sorely mistaken. There's a largely vast and expanding culture based entirely off video games, retro and new alike.
This blog has managed to harbor some of the best highlights. I saw some projects from alittlestranger (whom I've been stalking for a few months now :p Check out her tutorials on Instructables and her Etsy/newly opened shop). I betchya want a peek, don't you? Well... Ok. He's a quilt I found quite impressive! The pillow makes it especially awesome:

And you'll just have to troll through the rest of the blog to see more of these phenomenal crafts.

Tackle it Now!

2010-04-02T15:45:00.000-04:00

I usually like to stay pretty busy. Occasionally, I'll get a little in over my head, but it's not normally a problem. So far, I need to work somewhere around 5 hrs or so, I have a few illustrations ("comps") that must be drawn up and possibly inked before Thursday, I was asked to give my opinions about a book my friend is putting together (about college life and surviving it, which looks interesting) and there are a million things I'd like to make!
Here are the long-term goals. I want to build this blog into an extensive tutorial/chronicle of the projects I've done and want to do. I want to open an Etsy account and sell things thusly. I want to start some sort of home-based business (I think there's a service called Incparadise that does that sort of thing). The biggest thing I need to tackle as of late is organization.
I have supplies and materials everywhere and I'm having trouble finding the time to organize it all. I've concentrated on micro-projects; things like smaller hand-bound books, small shadow boxes, a little plastic dinosaur mobile and trolling the interwebs for information and inspiration. You might be thinking "Hey, when are we going to see the explosion of projects you just mentioned??" All in due time, baby birds. Until next time, happy crafting!

To reassure my viewers

2010-04-02T15:41:00.000-04:00

The sponsored posts won't be appearing all the time, but I will be grabbing them as they come along. This will not effect the material intended for this blog. That being said, let's take a look at some Etsy picks/inspiration for the day:
little tree book (pink)

This is a small book made by little paper bird. It's hand-bound, 80-pages and the cloth cover is to die for. Its design is elegant, yet modest. The price is reasonable for such a treasure.

The spring book:

In a later post, we'll explore making these hand-bound beauties. We'll also explore how to repurpose materials for the signatures (pages in the book), the hard-bound covers, the cloth to cover 'em and the book jacket to cover that! I'll be writing a separate post involving stitches for binding books, and the designs you can make for books without a spine ;]. So much to do, so little time!

I know my blog's looking funny

2010-04-02T15:33:00.000-04:00

But this blog is going through some changes. Remember when I said I'd be doing some charity work? Bet you didn't think it would involve games like funbrain. That's right, I get to play games for charity. And you can do it too, lol. I'm a big fan of tower defense games and zombies! I love shooting some zombies. There's a certain art to it; not all zombie shoot-em-ups can be as cheesy or campy as House of the Dead. A good Resident Evil shooter is appreciable.
When it comes to Flash, it's a delicate procedure. It can't be too mind-melting (in the sense of a lot of bright colors and objects going everywhere) and it can't be too boring either. It also must be involving. I've sat through too many side-scrolling, numbing "adventures" to want to ever see another one again! Not to discount side-scrolling games. Some side-scrollers can be amazing! Take Castlevania, for instance. They are still making side-scrollers and people still buy them! Hey, I buy them, and I love the series.
But to my point though. When I sit down to play a game, I expect involvement in character development, ease of controls, decent graphical design (doesn't have to be 3-dimensional or anything) and a solid storyline. If a game is lacking any of that, it is bound to fail.

2010-04-02T15:29:00.001-04:00

The mimic bands the keyword opposite the given earth.

2010-04-02T15:20:00.001-04:00

The third operator steams a singer.

Yahoo News brings to light something I actually enjoyed

2010-04-02T00:48:00.002-04:00

Through the use of Yahoo Mail, I am expectedly exposed to their news updates and such. I came across the article regarding Kotex and their new (rejected) advertising campaign. Though I am not an advocate for Kimberly-Clark products (see the Kleercut Campaign and its results), I admire what they're trying to accomplish with these ads. Check it out:

The sarcasm is priceless! Any time I see those cliche hygiene product commercials, it makes me think of Krusty the Clown and his "Ahh, I can ride a bike again!" Why have these commercials been built up around this white-wash sense of modesty? There's nothing modest about hiding who we are as women.
You would not believe how long I've wanted to shake the horrible embarrassment of having to maintain a menstrual cycle; it's not even something I should be embarrassed about! But I suppose the shame followed down the grapevine from mother to daughter. I'm ready to dispose of my reservations and bashfulness and simply be the woman I am.

What a day!

2010-04-02T00:12:00.000-04:00

Well, my roommate Brandon approached me with an image he found on 4Chan titled Mario's Closet. This is the image:

I was flabbergasted! For those that know me, I drew up a tattoo for my (ex)friend Dan Southard (catch the review on him @ Will's blog) that went something like this:

Come to find out, someone else had this idea too! Usually when an idea comes to mind, the thought following is something like "I bet I can find that online." In this case, the idea struck multiple people, at separate times; and that thought ran different courses, in different ways. Amazing! I corresponded with Glen Brogan, the artist behind Mario's Closet, and he's successfully made his design into t-shirts. Personally, I think the layout is perfect for a shirt design, and is so chock full of references to Mario's history, it's almost impossible not to enjoy. He was also kind enough to mention the correspondence, so I thought I'd return the favor. (Afterthought: No chef suit; who's going to cook Yoshi's cookies? :p)

Dear God!

2010-04-01T04:36:00.000-04:00

I've pulled my finger off!

April Fools!

Promise.

Clutter :/

2010-03-31T22:31:00.000-04:00

As you can see, I have some clutter to sort. I'm in the midst of turning an old antiquesque looking clock into an accessory cabinet. Moving to a smaller apartment has given me a kick in the butt for organizing and storage. It's been a week-to-week endeavor! Once this nonsense is sorted out, I'll be posting my progress of the new cabinet.

I'm back!

2010-03-31T20:35:00.001-04:00

I used to look at this blog with disdain, but I've decided to take it in a new direction. Look out world, Project 365 (my version) is neigh!

Limited Ed. Art Pieces: Free

2009-10-14T12:29:00.000-04:00

This Is Not a Book stirred something within me yesterday, and the 4" x 5" pieces of art spawned from it. This is not all of them, but I was too excited to wait.

The only titled one in the series: "Feed the Birds"
Some of you will know what this is, others will not. All in the same, it is enjoyable. (Click for larger images)

a rough plan

2009-10-10T22:24:00.000-04:00

I will read every book I have, at least once, by the end of the year. Will is going to as well and at some point, we'll exchange books to mix up styles and authors. I have 6 or so books that I've started reading but never finished and have carried around for a while. Time to read them ALL! I've already started this "project" and it was with a classic favorite, The Bell Jar (and I've already finished it ^.^). But I'm going to have to read much faster if I'm going to get through it all!

The next one to be plowed through is Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson. About half-way through this roller coaster of drugs, antics, mayhem and journalism :p. I love it! Follow my tweets for more info on what I'm reading.

It's not everyday...

2009-10-02T23:17:00.000-04:00

You get to see a dinosaur high-five Jesus. Just sayin'.

I've been pouncing around the web

2009-09-17T01:39:00.000-04:00

And from Foundshit.com came i can read. Which inspired me to make a little thing to post here. It also subtly encouraged me to draw more and to express those drawings. Besides the point...

New Etsy find

2009-08-06T23:37:00.000-04:00

Working usually includes blog-hopping and one thing lead to another and I found this:

Made by UldeYrth.
I love vampires in all their mysterious elegance, but this item also got me to think about Sculpy's versatility. Makes me want to construct everything out of Sculpy! Ever since poking around Barne's and Noble's crafting section, I've wanted to take up relic jewelery and talisman making, incorporating Sculpey. I just don't have many ideas as to where to start. Maybe I can use this time off to hone my sculpting skills.

Busy with Jersey Knit

2009-07-28T23:22:00.000-04:00

I've been biding my time with the newest Generation T release, "Gen. T: Beyond Fashion" by Megan Nicolay. Though some of the ideas are rehashed, there are many new brilliant concepts that come back to revamp the t-shirt we know so well. I appreciate the fact that she explores outside of fashion, as the title describes, but it such a way that uses more complicated steps and comprehensive materials, like battering and new stitching manuevers. Since these tools are quite familiar to me, I wish to see in the future a T construction book geared towards advanced seamstresses.
I'm anxious, for tomorrow is Wednesday, the Salvation Army's half off all clothes sale occurs. I can get Ts of all shapes and colors for about 50 cents a pop! I hope you all have a Salvation Army around since they are a God-send to any crafter. Plus, one can find damn near any odd-ball thing imaginable. Just last week, I found an alien in a jar! It was a rubber little get-up, but it's submerged in a green liquid and has a "'legitamate" FBI-type label in the lid. It's a wonderful, quirky item. The trip before that afforded me a plush, angry giraffe head with a mechanism inside that made the eyes light up red. I have no idea where an item like this could have been thought up, but I had to have it. I suppose one day I'll mount it to a solid wood plaque and wire the eyes to a trigger or some such. I'll post pictures of it some day.

Pick of the Litter: Issue #1, Accessories

2009-07-17T00:33:00.000-04:00

It's time for an Etsy Excavation! These are the top picks for tonight:

The Chocolate Lace-Up Tara by GypsyLadyHats. Made with canvas and grommets, that's quite impressive. Given the shop's name, you will find many luxurious harlot type, victorian head adornments there.

There's an octopus in my cupcake! Quite artfully crafted by monsterkookies using polymer clay (Sculpey or the like). This ooey gooey concoction is a lovely addition to any necklace.

A few items from houseofdarkly.

What an adorable little fist the tentacle is making!

I'm a sucker for monsters, aliens, octopus, rabbits and fuzzy things. This seller has damn near included it all (for reasonable prices as well).

To close the night, I have selected a gay trio...

A quirky addition to anyone's pocket. I'm a fan of Batman and I still got a laugh out of this one. This seller, tofunkytown, has an incredibly large assortment of cigarettes cases ranging from liquor ads to Betty Paige back to Spider-Man. I can see my next cig case coming from this shop ;).

That concludes this evening's issue of Pick of the Litter. I hope to report these at least once a week, bouncing around different categories, focusing on the artfully done and the oddball or interesting.

Oh. Dear. God

2009-03-13T18:34:00.000-04:00

I've realized something about celebrities and our culture...
Celebrities are like the popular kids in high school, and those clamoring over Hugh Jackman's next bowel movement are like the uncool kids always trying to get into the parties that the popular kids throw. Have we as a country gone INSANE?
We pay celebrities tons more than the people that are supposed to protect us, our police officers, our firemen. We even pay "professional" sports players much more than we should be. What's wrong with us??

I hate TMZ, Bollywood, and all the nonsense that comes with it. Get. A. Life.

Insignificance

2009-02-27T02:42:00.000-05:00

I feel uninteresting when it comes across, more often than not, that when I speak, people do not listen or simply run over my words. When I act all big and scary, the others around me simply tower above and knock me over. I'm not a coward, but I know I'm not special.
Brandon says I should listen to Apocalyptica. And Will just asked me about something I haven't a clue regarding. I feel like I have to battle with him over the attention he gets. And I seem to be offending him more than usual... Am I acting differently? I'm not sure. He blatantly stated that I was ridiculing him, and when I stated me innocent intentions, he responded with "Regardless of intent, I still feel ridiculed." It's not my fault for his feeling that way? Should I be particular of everything I say around him now? This goes along with an assortment of other questions that I need to ask him.

Guess that's it for now. Nothing terribly interesting.

I'm excited about the next series of Harlancore Papercrafts... Oh, and I'm traveling. Yaaaay travel-y travel.

I've recently been inked... I'll post about it later. And I received a ukulele over this past weekend. It makes me want to learn and I absolutely love to play it. How ridiculously random is that?

Inspiring.

2009-02-04T17:55:00.000-05:00

I was link-hopping for all of 30 minutes when I stopped by Amanda Palmer's blog. That lead to a post pertaining to abortion... I know, touchy subject and all, and I'm sure someone who started reading this post may have stopped because I brought it up. What a shame.
Palmer's blog linked to a post in another blog, titled "'No one ever changes their mind about abortion.'" If you happen to be a tight-lipped pro-choicer, you should give it a read. Not because I want to force anything upon you, but to simply open your eyes up a little.
As Katrina Galore gets into her personal experience with abortion, I couldn't help but think of what my Republican, Christian mother says about the subject. Last we spoke about it, she mentioned a woman who had an abortion that turned to drugs, she assumed, as some sort of comfort from the previous experience. I've spoken with individuals who decided to have an abortion and, aside from the physical discomfort accompanied by the procedure, their lives went on as scheduled. The same went for Ms. Galore.
Give it a read. Don't be too hasty and think about it. The world can be a better place with a little more understanding.

lol

2009-01-31T21:08:00.000-05:00

I'm watching Juno in Spanish right now... It's so funny. I've seen the movie enough times in English to know exactly what they are talking about at all times, so to hear the already funny parts in Spanish is even funnier!
¡whoa, sueño grande!
lolololol
I had to share the delightfulness.
^.^

My computer came in today!

2009-01-20T22:58:00.000-05:00

I've been fiddling with it all day, and it has a neat little 1.3 megapixel camera on it :p It has no practical use, but at least I can take mundane pictures with it when I'm at a loss for words...
Here I am now!

It's a little dark, but the darkness is nothing to be afraid of... Plllbbbbbt.
Geez.
This netbook is nice though. Hope I get tons of usage out of it.
Now, I play MapleStory for the first time in over a year!!! Guffaw!

School, moving, school, driving, running...

2009-01-16T16:45:00.000-05:00

Dog plop.
*sad face*
I've been awfully busy this past week, what with school starting, moving from one apartment to another, and driving 2 other people around (which I don't mind with gas prices the way they are ^.^).
I've recently found time to fit work in since I have Fridays off, plus the school is closed on MLK Jr. Day and my math teacher wont be in on Tuesday... 5-day weekend to catch up!! Also... I'm anxiously awaiting this laptop...

I picked up some extra RAM for it too. It's going to be so cool! This is the first laptop I've ever purchased. I've just always used desktops, but now that I'm always on the go, I need to be able to work or do my school work anywhere... Like Panera. How I love their sandwiches ♥.

New shoes posted!

2009-01-09T12:16:00.000-05:00

I painted these probably about a week ago and just now got around to uploading the images (thanks Will!)...

The shoes alone were on sale at Famous Footwear for $5 (I know, cheap shoes!!). It didn't take long and the acrylic should last a while. I don't mind doing touch-ups if I need to :).
The time is neigh!

Denis Leary and Obamicon.me

2009-01-09T11:31:00.000-05:00

I made this at Obamicon.me:

My LAWD!
The new picture of hope... :p

Something was lost in the translation...

2009-01-08T21:42:00.000-05:00

I love this comic, Pictures For Sad Children. I'm in the process of making papercrafts for this comic too ^.^

I took a few years of Spanish, but my knowledge of it is a little dusty given the fact that I don't frequently speak it. So I turned to Babel Fish for a few answers... "pinche fresa"... "Pinche" is "it punctures" in English. "Fresa" is "it mills". But together? "Pinche fresa" means "it damned little strawberry", which made me lulululul.
If that's what they meant in the last frame of the comic, then more power to them. I love random humor :p

In case no one has noticed...

2009-01-07T00:34:00.001-05:00

This is my current source of hope and inspiration.
:) Thanks Ms. Palmer.

More Amanda Palmer

2009-01-07T00:17:00.000-05:00

Has everyone bid the last year a fucking adieu?? I sure have. I'm currently chatting with HP support, getting nowhere as expected. The cats are running back and forth like 'tards.
This all started when I felt inspired to make an Amanda Palmer t-shirt. I'm quite fond of making and altering t-shirts. I'm even wearing a Blood Brothers shirt that I stenciled and painted right now :p. Anyway, I needed to print a couple pages on card stock to cut out and paint on the t-shirt of my choosing. The printer goes about printing, and stops about 25% in, and begins blinking one of it's two lights. I check the ink levels... Both cartridges are over 50% full. ... I see no reason why the printer would be doing this, especially since I recently printed with it successfully.
The HP support didn't help with anything. They had me do some inane things, like power the machine off and on and clean the copper contacts on the cartridges, replace, turn on, turn off... Their solution? Buy new cartridges. And if the problem persists, contact them again. What a cop out. I'd feel better about what Varun was talking about if he had used proper English and spelling. But oh well.
The other night, the desire to drink struck me so hard, I nearly cried. Why? My reasons behind the desire were greatly saddening. But I digress.
I'm going to stay up all night tonight. I've been sleeping way too much lately. It's time I be a little more productive... Or just read and play games all night.

I've rambled enough here for tonight.

Music of the Day

2008-12-30T12:40:00.000-05:00

Strength Through Music Lyrics [lyricsyoulove.com]
Surprisingly enough, I couldn't find this video on YouTube. I always regarded YouTube as my go-to site for vids, but it has fallen short on this occasion.

EDIT: Here's the reason I wasn't able to find her vids on YouTube! Found on Amanda Palmer's blog. Thanks!

Finally, some progress!

2008-12-27T01:45:00.000-05:00

During this lovely holiday break, I've finally been able to finish a couple things... I made a Japanese Nettle jellyfish papercraft, a few cat toys, and after starting it a couple months ago and losing sight of things, I finished my Dark Link papercraft, at last!
(Follow the link and scroll down to find the pattern I used)

Oooooooh spooky! I had a lot of fun shooting this model. Aside from the Tanuki, this is the only one I've made that is a more substantial size.

The rupee by his feet is actually rather large too. This model stands about 9.5 inches tall.

Notice the belt stretched across the torso, which harnesses the sheath. I had to add that, since the craft didn't include it. It would have looked silly with the sheath just glued onto it. I also punched two holes in the right hand so he could hold his sword more naturally. Any one who is a fan of the game will notice he's holding his sword in the opposing arm, and vice versa for his shield. Shadow Link is actually a mirror image of the actual Link, so he would be right-handed instead of left (yes, Link is left-handed). And we mustn't forget the Nettle!

I don't have a great deal of fancy pictures for it because, well, it's stapled onto the wall and I couldn't get the best lighting. This is where most of my papercrafts reside...

I have many more that decorate Will's desk at work :).
And the last, but not at all least...
Dark Link Gibdo!!

Hahaha big-headed things are funny.
I also made the spokesman from Fallout, the thumbs up guy ;), thanks to Harlancore.com. I'm working on making a couple more crafts from scratch, from one of my favorite webcomics, Pictures for Sad Children. It's a little rough right now, especially since Little Foot keeps finding and chewing on the head of my first draft :\.

Did you know The Dude, Jeff Bridges, was one of the main guys in Tron? ... Wth? I watched PeeWee's Big Adventure on G4 on XMas ^-^
Man, that movie was creepy.

Just released...

2008-12-16T10:36:00.001-05:00

But only new to the USA, Club Nintendo! It was opened to the US just yesterday, but has been available to Japan and Europe for a while.

I just signed up today. I think the site may still have a couple bugs to work out, but in a nutshell, it's pretty cool. You can register your Nintendo systems and games, and you get coins for doing surveys and stuff. Use the coins to buy really cool Nintendo games and memorabilia. I don't even know what I want more, a sweet Mario hat DS game rack, or Mario playing cards... Man, I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff ^-^.
The only problem I'm having with it is it won't keep me logged in for some reason. Maybe it's a known reason, I'm not sure. My DS is registered though! I'll register our Wii when the bugs are worked out ;)

Extremists can be fun

2008-12-11T15:02:00.000-05:00

My friend stumbled this site today. The post alone contains a handful of extreme non-smoking ads which I believe to be creative, shocking, and enjoyable.
I especially liked this contraption...

The rest of the images are mostly "handmade", but certainly convey the right message and show exactly how awesome you can make things look in Photoshop. The ones portraying bags over kid's heads and the one with the nipple filter are most shocking to me, but that the point :p.

Fresh off the presses

2008-12-08T12:29:00.000-05:00

PI just uploaded a video of my youngest kitty eating with her paws ♥

She does this almost all the time. She's such a bright little kitty, less than a year old. She follows me around a lot, wondering what I'm doing. At least, that's what I gather from the look in her eyes. She doesn't meow, she squeaks. Which makes her even cuter. She knows how to meow, but she'd rather squeak. :p

Anywho, back to work!

The tree is up and running!

2008-12-04T15:02:00.000-05:00

So far, it has 4 strings of lights on it, a homemade star, and a string of popcorn. We'll be making some ornaments and other decorations this weekend. I also made a wreath out of the stray branches. They both smell absolutely heavenly, and it reminds me of childhood Christmases.

I got two packages today, one of which contains 2 of my fiances gifts, and the other has my birthday gifts in it ^-^. Needless to say, I was very excited when the UPS man wrapped upon my chamber door, so to speak.
I still need to finish buying and wrapping gifts and next Friday is my birthday! It's the big TWO-ONE, so I've gotta go all out, the American way! Not exactly. No one likes a sloppy drunk :p. Depending on what happens, I'd like to take a bunch of pictures. Probably post them here and laugh.

Anyway... Onto lunch before I go bicycling. Toodles!

The fateful day

2008-11-26T11:09:00.001-05:00

Right before Thanksgiving!
I will be traveling, like 92% of America does on or around Thanksgiving. I hope this holiday bodes well for all and that we have safe travels.

Ever try macaroni and cheese with apple sauce? Seems so juvenile to do, but it's really delicious, especially when the mac 'n cheese is super cheesy.

I'll be making a music data cd to play on my 3.5 hour drive. Any suggestions? I have very eclectic tastes :)

I'll leave you all with this adorable ICHC <3

Happy Holidays!

FYI

2008-11-18T19:52:00.000-05:00

I started crocheting a scarf... Which lead to thoughts of selling things on Etsy... Which lead to more ideas of things to make and sell on Etsy... So now I've compiled a list in my head of pins, clothing, necklaces, and other handmade things to upload. I'm going to upload all the items at once, so I have a larger selection to start off with. So far, I have in my head...
This plush blue/green/purple/black crocheted scarf. Four sets of dinosaur felt pins. One blue velvet corset. One chain mail necklace with neon orange novelty skeleton pendant.
Once I get all the pieces and pictures together, I'll post more about it, and even link to my Etsy shop ^-^

It is indeed an exciting time for me.

More fun for all

2008-11-10T21:35:00.000-05:00

I made this Sunday. It's a fortune that my brother gave me... A real fortune that came from a cookie. Honestly, I think the fortune cookie companies are slacking. I've gotten these "fortunes" before, but never one nearly as half-assed as this one...

I also submitted the image to FAILblog. I hope to see it on their page sometime soon :).

Will shared this with me earlier today...

Hahahahahahaha it's Nicolas Cage with a bird as hair. It's so ridiculous, but it made me laugh so hard.

:p

The Ultimate Halloween Post!!

2008-11-10T10:38:00.000-05:00

We have a lot of things to cover, so let's just jump right in... You can click any of the following images to enlarge them.
This was me for Halloween.

I attended the Izea Halloween party :) It wasn't as long as I would have liked, but it was fun. I really enjoyed seeing all the costumes everyone had. You can see the rest of the images on Izea's Flickr profile.
The finished pumpkin looked like this...

The pumpkin looked hilarious once it had started to... degrade. The upper lip curled in and the whole thing slumped. Needless to say, it was scary before and after Halloween ^-^.
My favorite part of Halloween are the days after... When all the stores try their hardest to get all their old Halloween merch out the door. It affords me 50-75% off. That means I get tons of sweet Halloween accessories!!

This graces my front door now. For the longest time, I was looking for a doormat and with the Halloween discounts, I finally found one. I love the dancing skeletons!

I bought all of this (and the doormat) at Target (Wal-Mart's Halloween goodies really sucked this year). I got a shirt with a pixelated skull on it (very comfortable), some spiderweb tights (nicer than Wal-Mart tights), socks with skulls on them (skulls are woven, not painted, so the image doesn't crack when stretched), a Domokun pillow case (where he's sitting with pumpkins, super cute ^-^), a package of 40+ eyepatches (that Will proceeded to pass around the office), a package of 4 catnip-stuffed cotton cat toys (which my kitties LOVE!!), 2 plastic tumblers with spiders and web on them, 2 trays with different Halloween-themed designs on them, and 2 large plastic serving plates with more Halloween designs on them.
Target also had their candy and treats on sale... So I picked up all the Halloween-themed Jones Soda they had left!

I've tried all of them but the "Lemon Drop Dead". The Candy Corn flavor is not for the faint of heart ;). I especially liked the Buried Pomegranate and was neutral about the kiwi-flavored soda. If I was a child, and received these for trick-or-treating, I would love them ♥.
To wrap it all up... A picture of my dear Mahoney, with a dinosaur hood I also picked up from Target...

Neither of my kitties liked wearing this hood, which I expected, so it now resides on my computer speaker.

To give you some hard figures, I would have spent $63.37 on all of this during the season. About 4-5 days after Halloween had passed, I only spent $15.73 instead. That's a total of $47.64 saved!!!

So until next time, check out my Tumblr at http://mrjoancroft.tumblr.com.
Thanks!