Beach Reading

Happy Monday, everyone. I hope you all had a safe and happy 4th of July (Independence Day if you live in the US). I had an awesome weekend. My sister-in-law had her bachelorette party weekend extravaganza at the beach house and it was a blast! (If you're wondering, I'm the giant in this picture. It really sucks being 6 feet tall sometimes).



11 girls and one and a half bathrooms is always a fun time. We spent a lot of time down at the beach getting burned to a crisp and a lot of time eating. I'm pretty sure I gained 10 pounds, which is great when I'm squeezing myself into my bathing suit. We also did some outlet mall shopping which I highly recommend. Here is a picture of the my Mother-in-law put up for the weekend.



Friday night we had a bonfire at the beach and watched kids set off insane amounts of highly dangerous fireworks all around us...which in retrospect was probably not that safe. But it was made of awesome, none the less. Here's the aftermath of one of the craziest fireworks displays I've ever seen.



One thing I love doing while I'm at the beach house is laying out with a good book. I think I average a book a day while I'm there, sometimes more. Here are some of the books I have read or will be reading this summer:

The first is a series I discovered earlier this summer. Twilight is the first book in a series about a teenage girl who falls in love with a vampire. I've always been a sucker for a good vampire novel and this is no exception. There are three books in the series with the fourth and last coming out this August. I can't wait!



Fearless Fourteen is the latest in one of my very favorite series by Janet Evanovich. The series follows Sephanie Plum who becomes a reluctant bounty hunter after losing her job as a lingerie buyer. I never fail to laugh till I'm crying while reading these books and can't wait to get my hands on this latest installment (hurry up Mom and Dad!).



Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes is a great read for summer. It's short enough to read in a day and a great story about a girl who goes on a sort of scavenger hunt across Europe.



One of my favorite genres is science fiction and fantasy and this book is my absolute favorite book in that genre. I might even go so far as to say it is my favorite book of all time. I've read it more times than I can count and feel like I'm due for another go at it this summer. This particular version is actually three books put into one volume. It is the story of Paksenarrion, a sheep farmer's daughter who is destined to be a legend (If you haven't noticed by now, I tend to like stories about strong heroines). I highly, highly recommend this one.



My last book recommendation is a historical romance novel and I'm more recommending the author than just this particular book. Lisa Kleypas has a knack for writing great romance, mostly set in England in the 1800s. Her books are a great read for the beach with just the right amount of content to suck you in but not be too heavy.



If anyone of you have book recommendations you can share with me, I would love to hear them. I'm always looking for the next great book to read.

Hellooo, hellooo, helloooo

Just letting everyone know I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. I have, however, been dealing with the end of my son's school, the beginning of summer programs, the end of my daughter's naps, the beginning of potty training, and sickness times, like, 13. I'm in the process of getting over the stomach flu and plan to resume posting as soon as I'm better. Take care everyone!

Movie Madness!

I looove movies. My date night of choice is catching the latest blockbuster at the theater or renting and curling up on the couch with my hubby. This summer movie season is killing me, though! This weekend we went to my sixth movie since it started and still have a whole bunch to go. When did movies get so expensive require the handing over of your firstborn to see??? Here is a list of what I have seen so far and what I think of them:

1. Horton Hears a Who - Totally cute. I would definitely recommend it to anyone, not just kids.



2. Iron Man - One of the best superhero movies ever made (and trust me, I know my superhero movies). A bonus: Robert Downey Jr.! Never been a big fan of his, but yum!



3. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - Most definitely did not live up to the first three but I liked it better than most people such as my brother-in-law who put it on the bottom of his list along with Freddy got Fingered and Little Nicky.



4. Sex and the City - Sooo good! Many people think it didn't do the TV show justice but I think it was everything the show was and more! As my sister put it, "We laughed, we cried, we laughed so hard we cried".



5. The Chronicles of Narnia - Prince Caspian - Better than The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. Ben Barnes as Prince Caspian fell a little flat but he was nice to look at, at least :-)



6. Kung Fu Panda - Awesome! I usually side with Pixar and tend to not like Dreamworks movies as much but this one was right up there with Finding Nemo and Monster's Inc. A bonus was that my son is totally obsessed with pandas so he was so excited to see this movie.



Has anyone else seen any of these movies? Do you agree or disagree with my opinions? Leave me a comment and let me know what you though!

As if that weren't enough movies to go to, there are a whole list of movies that are coming out that I'll be seeing in the theater. Here they are:

The Incredible Hulk



Get Smart

WALL-E



Wanted

Hancock

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (this one pretty much I'm going to get dragged to by my husband)

Journey to the Center of the Earth

The Dark Knight



Star Wars: The Clone Wars


Whew, I'm tired (and broke) from just typing that list! How about you guys? Are there any movies you are excited for? Anything you've been waiting for with bated breath? Share!

Just for laughs!

I was randomly surfing the web today and stumbled upon a great blog involving Photoshop. It's called 'Photoshop Disasters'. As you can probably guess by the title, it's all about finding and showcasing photoshop failures. 

There are a lot of pictures on there that you have to wonder "what were these people thinking?" You would think if someone is creating an ad for a company they would pay a little more attention to what the final result is. Here are two of my favorites:




Obviously some people just don't care...Oh well, more laughs for the rest of us!

Treasury love!

I finally got a Treasury! For those of you not familiar with Etsy or their Treasury, it is a way to share some of your favorite items on Etsy with its community. The only problem is they only allow you to create a new one when the amount of lists have dropped below 333. People literally calculate the exact moment this will happen and lay in wait to create their own lists. Today I got lucky and happened onto the Treasury just before it opened up and I got my own! I decided to go with Superheroes since I had found so many great products while I was searching for my 5 favorite things recently. So here it is: Superpowers!

Finally Some Graphic Design!

It's been a while since I've showed you what we've been up to in Wildwood Girls and that's primarily because we've been a little sidetracked these past few weeks. We were forced to put almost everything aside as Jen's jewelry show loomed. Now that it's over, we're getting back into the swing of things. Here are two projects that we completed recently.

This first banner was for an Etsy shop that sells lovely little polymer clay pendants. Her shop name is BeesCreations so the obvious choice was to feature a bee! She wanted a classy bee rather than a cutesy one which proved to be a bit of a challenge. Here's how it turned out:


Here is the avatar that goes with it:


The other project that we finished was for an animated ad for Unquiet Design on Etsy. She was so easy to work with because she had a clear idea in her head of what she wanted. She already had a banner and font she liked so she wanted to use those elements to create her ad. Here's how it turned out:



That's it for now. Stay tuned for some custom banners we've been working on as well as some handmade gift boxes for jewelry featuring Amy Butler paper!

Have a safe and happy weekend everyone!

5 Things I Love Thursday

Recently I was introduced to the incredible world of Amy Butler (I realize most of the people who read my blog have known about her a lot longer than I have). For those of you who don't know who she is, you are missing out! She has become my very favorite textile designer ever. I really love everything she comes up with and love all the ways the artists on Etsy have come up with to showcase her versatile designs (my sister and I have even been using her paper line to create customized gift boxes that we will be listing on our shop soon!) Here are some of my favorite Amy Butler featured products:

My sister recently purchased a headband made from Amy Butler fabric on Etsy and I love it so much I have contemplated stealing it and telling her I have no idea what happened to it...since I love my sister, I won't do that. I will instead find one I love!

Fuschia and Green Gothic Rose Headband by Precocious

I really think I would carry around a purse the size of a trash bag if it was socially acceptable. The bigger the better I say. This one is big and beautiful.

French Style Purse by thepickledpepper

I love the way this artist uses the textiles to create a whole new image. So cute!

Steggy the Dino T-Shirt by threelittlepeas

I recently featured another apron on my 5 Things I Love Thursdays. I think I love this one even more! I love how vintage it feels while still remaining modern by using the Amy Butler print.

The CHLOE Vintage Inspired AMY BUTLER Blue Wall Flower Full Apron by Boojiboo

I'm currently potty training my two year old so I hope in the near millennium to not need to bring diapers with me anymore. Until that comes to pass, I love this stylish way to carry diapers and wipes around. And, it could totally transform into a cute little purse when the diapers aren't needed anymore (whenever that might be).

Sling Bag/Diaper Buddy by thepickledpepper

Beam off!

I'm totally fascinated by installations and ideas that get the public involved with the art process. Here is one called ACCESS that allows people to use and online interface to follow people with a beam of light and acoustic system in a public place.

You have to wonder what the people who are being followed are thinking. I personally would freak out!

What a weekend!

I hope everyone had a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend (or for those of you not in the states, a happy weekend).  Mine was very busy and eventful. My sister had her very first jewelry show at the Randolph Street Antique Market, which I helped her with.

Everything went really well. Jen had everything set up before the show but there were a few things we had to finish up on Friday including making this:



That's right. We're awesome. We mounted those hooks on the board all by ourselves (hey, I'm not the most handy person in the world so I'm allowed to be proud!) We got there early Saturday morning to set up. It helped that she had everything worked out as to where she wanted it.





We had a great day hanging out and selling jewelry. She did really well, especially with her Mussel Shell line. Check out her shop here: JLCStudio Jewelry. Despite the giant sunburns we got, we can't wait to do it again!

5 Things I Love

This Thursday's 5 Things is all about dads. If you want to order something on Etsy for your dad, now is a good time to do it since you know it will arrive on time.

It may be harder to find good products for men on Etsy but if you take the time, there is a wealth of amazing artistry to be found! Here are some of my picks:

The first is a pocket journal from an amazing leather shop I found. Many of the journals and portfolios in this shop are expensive (but still incredibly beautiful). This pocket version is a great value and a great size!

Pocket Journal by ArtisanGraham

I've heard an argument that cuff-links are becoming obsolete and unnecessary (my husband doesn't own a single pair). I think if cuff links were as interesting and stylish as these men would wear them a lot more.


Steampunk Vintage RUBY Jeweled Watch Movement Cuff Links by edmdesigns

I'm the youngest of two girls so I've always been the "baby" of the family. I could totally see this print representing the bond I have with my dad, especially since it's called "Daddy's Little Girl". Notice that the two trees are holding hands (awww).

"Daddy's Little Girl" Print by jellybeans

Believe it or not, this wallet is made out of tape! You can create a customized wallet using a ton of different tape options and patterns (who knew tape came in so many colors!) The wallets look like they are very roomy and work great.

The Custom Stuffer--7 pocket wallet--you decide what it looks like by tapebubba

I'm forever looking for nice argyle shirts and sweaters for my husband. Loving this one!

The Mechanics Argyle by HagadagaClothing

Waldo? Where??

Here is an interesting way someone is using Google Earth:



Ok, so the whole interview with Waldo thing is a little corny but the project itself is so original! Melanie Cole created this idea for her Graduation Project in college (she got an A!). You can find out more here: Where on Earth is Waldo?

Me Boss

I just had my role as a "boss" explained through the eyes of a 5 year old. It was very enlightening.

P was explaining to his 2 year old sister why she isn't the boss. This was his explaination:

"You don't clean up, you take toys out. You don't watch boring movies or scary movies. To be a boss you have to be a mom and you don't do any of that."

Ah, the wisdom of youth...

Some laughter for you

Have you ever encountered a social situation where you really wanted to say something to someone but didn't have the guts? Your problems are solved! ScotiaMade on Etsy has created a line of notecards that can be handed to someone or left on a poorly parked car to let those people know just how you feel. How many of you would have the guts to hand one of these to someone? I'd like to say I would but probably not!

They have several different versions, ranging from 'PG' to 'Adult'. Here are the 'PG' versions:

ScotiaMade has so many other hilarious products in their shop. There are great greeting cards, notepads, and gift tags, all with cheeky animals saying what you wish you could but won't. Here is another of my favorite groups:





I'll be posting later today about WWGs but I couldn't not share these with you!

5 Things I Love

It's Thursday (is it seriously Thursday already? What happened to the other four days of the week??) so it's time once again for Things I Love. Last week I showcased some things I would love to buy for my daughter on Etsy. This week, it's only fitting that I do the same for my son! 

My five year old boy is obsessed with superheroes. I'm not talking just likes them and has fun playing with them, I'm talking full on obsession. When a new movie comes out, he is first in line to see it. When a new toy comes out, he is begging us to buy it for him (and usually gets what he wants. Can you say S-P-O-I-L-E-D?). He doesn't have one imaginary friend, he has twenty, a different superhero coming over to play each day. Needless to say, this post is all about the fun superhero handmade items to be found on Etsy. So get out your web shooters and batarangs and enjoy!

P's very favorite superhero is Spiderman. He sometimes favors another over him depending on what movie is coming out (right now it's Iron Man) but he always seems to come back to Spidey in the end. These first two finds are dedicated to that love.

The first is a custom wooden wall hanging that would be perfect for a door or bedroom wall. These are painted by hand and every aspect can be customized, down to the character used.

Handpainted Wooden Cut-Out Door/Wall Name Sign by FANTASYCREATIONS

The next find is something that every kid can use. A nightlight (heck, I could use one sometimes!). I have unfortunately passed on my childhood fear of the dark to both of my children. P would never have to worry about it with this cool nightlight in his room. Monsters, beware!

Spider Man Shadow lamp New From Shadowland Night Light Amazing by CreativePal

I'm still trying to decide if P is too old for this next Favorite. He still loves to pretend and dress up, but he's not my little baby anymore :-(. I still think this is cool. These capes are two toned and can be customized with your child's first initial.


Little Heroes Customizable Cape for Boy or Girl by DiscoveryDenim

The end of this summer brings school (and first grade for P) but also the new Batman movie. We are already psyched up for it. This print of Batman is so cool and would fit right in with P's room decor (Spiderman, Transformers, Iron Man...). Love it!


The Bat-Man by TimmyK

The last is probably more for me. I love this shirt! P would probably think it was nice but there isn't any pictures of superheroes on it... In any case, I think this is a great shirt that is original and fun!


ZAP Raglan T-shirt by trustysidekick

Well I'm off to find Rhino and Sandman...again. Have a great night!