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I know, there’s a ton of hype and all, and come on, what do I care about cartoon or animated movies? Not so much. But.
Toy Story 3 - read more about it at imdb.com
I have to say it. This is a great movie. This is a movie about toys! How could it be moving, entertaining, gripping, romantic (sometimes), hysterically funny (sometimes), surprisingly sophisticated (sometimes)? But it is!
These guys are GOOD. Not only the actors - even more, the writers, the Pixar staff, the animators, all of them. They made me care. They practically had me on the edge of my seat. I knew the good guys would win, I mean, come on, it’s meant for kids (maybe), and it’s Disney, and it’s about TOYS. The good guys have to win. And they caught me up and all right, maybe there was one tiny tear or two.
Not surprisingly, the cast is terrific - but you knew they would be. Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Michael Keaton - Michael Keaton! wait till you catch his character! Wallace Shawn, Ned Beatty, and I know I’m forgetting some of the good ones. How could they not be good?
It’s really funny. It’s really interesting. It’s really good. Go see it.
Now you know how I love seeing artistic creativity, especially when it’s original work, and especially when it’s budget-friendly. This is fabric creativity, not paper, but it’s right up my alley all the same.
The artist is Kankywompous - see her work here. Her project - that reminds me of Project Runway - was to create a Japanese kimono outfit (kimono, obi and haori) for a small contest on the following Saturday. To find the fabrics, do the cutting and sewing of all the pieces from Wednesday to Friday (night) - and oh yeah, there was a “real” job during that time too - I’m applauding!
And check out the result!
 and 
See the detail:
And they won first place! The artist mentioned, “I started cutting and sewing about 11am Wed and stopped at about 10pm that night with both the Kimono and Obi finished at that point.
The Haori I had less time to work with, as I had work in the morning, so after I got back on Thurs, I started the cutting and sewing of the jacket. The Haori is lined with the same print as the outer layer, but in a brighter color to add a nice pop.
At the event, which is part of a two day CCG Event for Legend of the Five rings, it placed 1st in the costume contest (out of four placings).”
You have to admire that kind of creative rush (and can I add, I absolutely love that lining!)
And it’s not what you think. At least, if you think it means carrying a box of stuff to wherever you are that day. Nope, this is more of an inspirational piece. These guys have an office with all their furniture (and etc, it looks like) made from cardboard. And it’s fabulous.
The office is in Amsterdam. Is it my imagination, or is there a LOT of inspiration and innovation coming from that corner of the world?
I haven’t tried to post all the pics here - go over to The Fast Company Blog to read the full article. And check out The Little Green Blog which is where I learned about this cool office. Little Green Blog is going on my check-it-a-lot list - there are so many green ideas over here. Not only green - but useful and practical and sensible.
I’m not expecting we’re all going to go out and build our offices out of cardboard. But looking at these pics (and there’s more links to visit for ideas) it reminds me that ordinary materials can be turned into something pretty special. And it makes me want to figure out ways to use cardboard more. In layers, bonded together, cardboard is strong. And it can be - well, you know. Reused, rethought, and recycled 
So first off I should say that I never use dryer sheets. I don’t think we need them (the only thing that ever gets static-y is the few silk things we’ve got, and I’m totally willing to deal with that). I think it is a deliberate Proctor-and-Grumble-ish advertising invention to make us think we need them. And, we have birds. The fake perfume in the dryer sheets is poison to birds (and to us too, only we are bigger).
But a whole lot of people do use them, and think they need them. So I’m just asking, if you buy them, please do reuse them! Turns out there are a bunch of nifty things to do with them. These ideas aren’t original with me - I’ve gotten this handy list from Daily Green Cheapskate over on Yahoo. (Love that name, by the way.)
 A few highlights from the “how to reuse dryer sheets” list:
1. Use them more than once. (Back when I did use them, years ago, this totally worked. They’re good for three-four washes at least.)
2. Anti-static dust wipes (use them to clean your monitor and TV screen - they’re great for that).
3. Pot scrubbers and sink / tub scrubs.
4. Dust-free blinds: Not only do spent dryer sheets make a handy wipe for metal and plastic blinds, but the chemicals in them help to repel dust.
5. Get your shine on: When used as a polishing rag, dryer sheets make mirrors and chrome appliances shine. They’re also great for cleaning windows and other glass.
They’re also recommended as sort-of-sachet. Put one in your glove box or underwear drawer so you can smell that creepy sweet scent for ages. (Can you tell I don’t like the smell? Yeah.)
Check out the full article here.
And for even more super useful info on how to go green easily, go to The Green Cheapskate Blog. There are TONS of good ideas there.
And it’s fun. And you’ll feel good about it
Okay, you want to spruce up your place, and you want it to be (1) easy, (2) affordable, (3) great looking, and did I mention (4) easy?
You really should check out the vinyl wall art - stickers for grownups! at Savvy Gal Designs on Etsy.
Like this fabulous graphic:
These are great for renters - easy to apply *and* to take down.
Personalize your space! Not only can you apply them vertically or horizontally, you can choose your own color. Go for it!
No, this post is not about fleas. It’s about a Flea Market - the coolest one you’ll ever find
ArtFleaKC is a group of artists who got together and rented an extremely terrific loft-type space, gathered up tables and tea (or at least coffee), and put together a weekly Flea Market for handmade, artist original goods. They’re just gearing up for holiday sales so this is a great time to check them out.
Handknitted goods, some fine looking jewelry, paintings, drawings, and more every Saturday - and get this: every item is under $50! (Ahem… there might be a few exceptions. Artists are allowed to bring a few higher-ticket pieces. But I mean, a FEW.) The whole idea of this get-together is to find art that’s not only cool and original - but affordable.
Every Saturday in KC at 16th and Holmes, 10-5. Check it out!
And they have a magician
Talk about Do It Yourself - and original art ideas - and using low cost items to make a fabulous decorating statement! This is such a great inspiration!
It’s also made with paper coffee filters. Now that’s what I call DIY with style.
Giving credit where it’s due: this is from The Haystack Needle, and believe me there are tons more good ideas there.
Check this out!
I think it’s lovely - of course you can run with that idea and try all sorts of shapes and configurations… and it IS rethinking, it is low cost, it is truly DIY….. just a super idea!
Once a site is running, a lot of it’s automatic - and it’s a relief to have it be that way. You add new things sometimes, of course update your blog (hopefully!), add Twitter comments, and like that… but the site is good, it’s active, it’s running….
It pays to check through it once a week or so, anyway. It’d been an unusually quiet early July, but hey, that happens sometimes. People are out at the beach, not so much with the shopping, and people are broker these days, and that’s understandable, and…like that.
So thankfully my DH mentioned something that made me go in and doublecheck - and my shopping cart was gone! Well it was an easy fix, it was a silly glitch thingie (which was my fault), and it was fixed presto as soon as I took the time to look, and fix. But suppose I hadn’t? Suppose I had gone weeks and weeks, wondering why no sales, wondering what I’d done, wondering why… well, you get the idea.
An easy fix. I just had to go LOOK.
Check your site periodically! Pretend you’re a customer. Are things still working? Is it easy to use? Are there bad links? Go check!!
Thought I should mention this here too - I’m having a Giveaway over at Weekend Jewelry. Actually it’s a recurring Giveaway - I mean to make it happen monthly but I’m way late, so it’ll take place within the next few days - before the 14th for sure.
Here’s the Giveaway earrings:
It really is random - I draw names from a hat (well usually it’s a bowl) so I can truly say “good luck”.
All you need to do to enter is send me an email with “Giveaway” or “Monthly Giveaway” or “Earrings Giveaway” in the subject line so I know that’s what it’s about.
Good luck!
Of course. We all know that. So recently we got reminded. A tiny baby kitten - we’re guessing six weeks old - got into our window well (inside the cover!) a couple weeks ago. Latish at night, we heard this little crying voice, went to investigate, found Kitten. Of course we took him inside, fed him what we could, got kitten food and cat milk the next day - not sure if he’d be able to handle real food, even soft.
We needn’t have worried about that part, at least. Here he is a couple days after he showed up here:
And here he is after a week:
And a few days after that (with one of our resident cats):
And we started asking around if anybody was missing a kitten - he was obviously used to people. No luck. But we think we’ve found a home for him. We’re really trying not to increase our animal population, with two cats now (used to be five), and our Sun Conure and Quaker Parrot….. but he is such a sweetie!
So, a good home - we think. Or… this home. It’s so tempting!
PS. A tip: if you’re looking for a kitten, do NOT pick one that’s the same color as your wood floors. They want to go everywhere, they have two modes: sleep, or scamper everywhere, and sometimes it’s so hard to find him!
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