Sad news?

My dear hula pig had an accident. She fell off the desk and broke her arm. And now she is sitting in the trash. Sure I made fun of her, but she will be missed. Sniff.

More words of wisdom?

Overheard at my house:

"You can lay down, but you can't go to sleep!"

At first, this may not seem humorous. However, it was said in desperation. To a four-year-old that was supposed to be going to sleep.

She's a duck hunter?

Remember the game Duck Hunt from the original Nintendo Entertainment System? I used to go to my cousin's house to play it. It was so amazing that you could point the gun and it knew whether or not you had hit the right spot. And there was something so fun about blasting those little ducks. The only downside was that the annoying little dog would laugh at you when you missed.

It's been years since I played, but now it's available to play online! And to make the game even better, they've added a feature so that you can shoot that cruel dog! I pulled up the game to show off my skills to my sister, but alas, I've lost my touch. Instead, she gave it a try and whooped my butt! And out of some strange coincidence, the song Maneater played on the radio. It works out quite well to change the lyrics to "She's a duck hunter." My sister was irritated by this, but I figure I have a right to make fun...she had beaten me at my own game!

If you're a child of the 80s, you'll want to be sure to check out the other great 80s games available. (via Robot Johnny)

Mind your manners?

This was overheard at my house:

"Don't eat with your mouth full!"

Clever.

My own buttons?

My sister and I really love little buttons. We have some from friends, we've ordered them from eBay, and now, I'm proud to say, I'm making my own! After much thought, yesterday I ordered the Badge-A-Minit 1-1/4" button maker from BuyButtonParts.com. Their prices are really good and, whoa! It arrived today! Unbelievable! I highly recommend them!

I have all sorts of plans for what kind of buttons I'll be making. The first one I made was of the White Rabbit shown yesterday. My brother wants one with a turtle on it. Oddly enough, I recently painted a turtle, so he'll soon have his wish. I'm going to be busy, busy!

Alice in watercolorland?

Recently I've been working on a series of watercolors of characters from Alice in Wonderland. (I'm sort of on an Alice kick...I watched the movie and am on a hunt for the perfect old copy of the book with just the right illustrations) First, I've discovered I really like my new opaque paints (thanks Keri!). Second, these are painted on brown craft paper, and it works really well. Here's an early look at one of the paintings. I'll show more off soon!

And now I think my next step will be to make up some books of craft paper so that I can keep it all neat and tidy (somewhat) and with me always!

Paved with good intentions?

I plan to start things. I do start things. Finishing them, however, is another story. Tonight as I looked at all of the wonderful things that people are making and showing off online, I realized that I really need to stop looking at what others are making, and start making things myself. I especially enjoyed what I saw at Wee Wonderfuls and boygirlparty (loads a little slow). And now I'm off to find something to finish knitting, painting, whatever. It would be so good to have something to show off...

Can someone please explain?

I'm not even sure what this means. Has Michael had more work done? Or has dear Macaulay been making visits to Neverland Ranch? So many questions, so little time...

At one with the feline universe?

Higher Consciousness...It's Not Just For Humans Anymore. This is the claim of the friends at YogaKitty.com. Their Purr-fect yoga videos are so funny, you'll want to watch them again and again. And in the words of Yogi Karl, "Bless me. Bless thee. And bless you, Ovaria." (via liquidtreat)

The latest, greatest favorite movie line?

To me, this is just a classic:

There are two things I can't stand in this world. People who are intolerant of other people's cultures... and the Dutch.

Michael Caine as Nigel Powers, Austin Powers in Goldmember

A little nutty?

Not since the Name-Change-O-Chart in Dav Pilkey's book have I found anything this fun. Now, with the Squirrel Name Generator you can learn what your name would be if you were (or are!) a squirrel. I've been waiting for something like this fur-ever! It makes me nutty to think about what I would be without this amazing tool! I'd be up a tree! Get your tail over there and try it!

And for all that wish to know, I shall now be addressed as: Major O'Nutty.

(via BookLust)

Foster's home for typography?

I just finished watching the latest episode of Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, and I just enjoy it more and more. When Edwardo started yelling "Take your clothes off!", it was great. But I think my favorite bit of the episode had to do with the typography. Little Bloo set up a web page featuring the dreaded font, Comic Sans. Now, I have to believe that Craig McCracken would never actually use this font. This had to be only to poke fun at its extreme overuse on the web (and everywhere). Well, it cetainly made the web page look authentic! I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Ban Comic Sans! Anyway...This is such a great show. If you haven't seen it yet, do what you can to watch an episode! You'll be hooked!

A big thanks...

...to Cameron Moll for the link!

Making crayons?

Am I nuts? Why would someone want to make crayons? That would be like making your own crackers (yes, my mom actually did that once...)! In all seriousness though, making crayons is very fun. When I graduated in the spring, a good friend of mine gave me the Crayola Crayon Maker. Excellent! I enjoy making crayons that are within a color family. Example: All different shades of purple. The colors don't mix to form a new color. Instead, they swirl around, so that as you color with them, you get the different shades. The one downside of the crayon maker is that you can only make three crayons at a time. I want to be making way more than that...so I just have to keep the machine going. But I love that I can customize my crayons. My next move: Wild Olive crayon labels!

Robbing my time?

Loobylu wrote today about all of the things that she wants to have time to do, and some of the things that prevent them from happening. I can relate. It is all too easy to cruise around to all of my favorite blogs, then get lost in a long chain of links. There is so much good stuff to be seen! But all of that good stuff gobbles up my time.

However, as Loobylu was sharing the things she wants to do, she has shared another site filled with wonderful things and even more places to go! Ahhh! Uplifting Arts has items to buy, projects to try out, and a large collection of links. I guess I'll have to spend a little less time online, so I can get too all of the great things I've been wanting to try!

Finger puppers?

Yesterday was my brother, Sweet Baby James' first birthday! One of the things that I gave him was these little finger puppets. I used the Finger Puppers pattern on Knitty, but instead of making them into animals, they are little monsters. I'd still like to fix their eyes, but this was a last minute thing. Still, they turned out okay considering. And the good news is, James liked them! He immediately started chewing on them!

A new favorite movie line?

This week I saw the movie Benny & Joon for the first time, and really enjoyed it. But then, it has Johnny Depp in it...

"Some cultures are defined by their relationship to cheese."

Mary Stuart Masterson as Joon Pearl, Benny & Joon

Want some some extra caffeine?

I've been seeing the commercial for Starbucks Double Shot Espresso a lot lately, but I've never seen the long verson on televison. So here, for your viewing pleasure, is the extended version of Glen! Glen! Glen! Glen! (caution: may take a few moments to load)

Paper reSource?

For nearly a year, I've been receiving the Paper Source catalog. I love all of their beautiful papers and amazing ideas. Today I went to their website to see what's new, and I discovered they now have their very own blog ring. Different people from their staff, as well as others, have blogs set up to share information about products and projects related to Paper Source, and all are linked for easy surfing. I'm especially eager to try some of the ideas featured on the Design Department's blog. What a great resource!

A book by its cover?

For the last day or so I've been working on designing a book cover. Being a book lover, I really enjoy doing this type of thing. There is something so intriguing about book covers. The entire feeling of the book should be captured within a very small amount of space. People should be able to tell what kind of book it is based on the cover.

There is a true challenge in designing a book cover. So, I was excited when I found this site (via Forward) filled with beautiful covers. Very inspirational. I am truly humbled. And to my employer, please don't think less of me after seeing Kimberly Glyder's amazing work.

Wanna win?

The guys responsible for "Am I Hot or Not" (you've checked it out...admit it) are giving away $100,000 as an incentive to vote in November. Biz Stone of Blogger fame was kind enough to put a referral on his site, and I'm happy to share the love. Okay, so if you win, the person that referred you gets $100,000 too, but really, I'd love for you to win. Now go, sign up.

What are you doing currently?

Currently is the blog of artist Erica Mulherin. The archives are filled with great stuff, her portfolio is fantastic, and she even has a few fun projects that I'll be trying out. This is a great site that I'll be checking regularly!

New favorite movie line?

Today's favorite movie line is one that I've been quoting a lot lately. It's great because it can apply in a lot of situations. Try it, you'll like it!

"I HAD a bad experience!"

Mos Def as Left Ear, The Italian Job

Such a doll?

While roaming around the internet yesterday, I discovered this fun doll maker. It's along the lines of the of the portrait maker, but with this one, you have a full body and you choose clothes, shoes, the whole deal. Here's the one I made:

A bad joke?

Tonight was another excellent episode of Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. What a great show. I get all giddy when I get to watch it. One of the most memorable moments tonight was the following joke:

Why did the toilet paper roll down the hill?

To get to the bottom!

(groan...giggle...chuckle)

Midnight snacking?

You're roaming around. You know that you want something to munch on. But what? What will satisfy your desire for the perfect snack? To avoid making the wrong decision, check out the helpful infomation at Writers & Artists Snacking at Work. This site is devoted to providing reviews of the many snack choices available. It's so good to know that there are people out there working hard to provide us with the best snacking experiences possible. (via The Sneeze)