Featured Blogger: Two Zany Zebras

Two Zany Zebras is April's Etsy Blogger of the month! This is a wonderfully zany Etsy shop that specializes in handmade creations for kids and babies. While I don't have any kids myself, I find this shop to be delightfully cute and perfect for those of you who do have children! You can find all sorts of handmade goodies at Two Zany Zebras: blankets, clothing, burp & bib sets, snuggly toys and more!

Pictured above is Peter the Dancing Panda onesie - isn't he cute! $15.

You can find Two Zany Zebras' blog by following this link.

Steve Wiebe from The King of Kong Gets a Donkey Kong Record

Steve Wiebe, of the video game documentary The King of Kong, has set a new world record for having the highest official Donkey Kong Jr. score! The Twin Galaxies website has officially declared that Wiebe has shattered the previous record with the new high score of 1,139,800 points.

The suspense builds for the annual E3 event in early June, where Wiebe will take on Billy Mitchell for his Donkey Kong record. Very exciting, indeed! C'mon Steve, we know you can do it! E3 will be covered on the G4 television network.

If you have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about, then you definitely need to check out the movie, The King of Kong. It is a must-watch for anyone who is interested in documentaries, classic video gaming, the whole video game "scene", or just likes a good story!

Originally posted on Kotaku.

A Completely Function NES System...in a Purse!

Jeri Ellsworth has created the ultimate geeky girl's fantasy accessory - a fully working original Nintendo in a purse! Now, you can carry all of your things inside a purse that doubles as a NES for playing games on the go. Or, you can carry your portable Nintendo DS inside the purse and play the NES when you get sick of the DS games.

There are NES controllers attached to the purse with velcro, and the NES also has a Commodore 64 chip built inside as well, in case you'd like to expand to playing other classic games. Totally awesome.

Althea Crome's Microscopic Knitting

Althea Crome is an extremely talented knitter who knits everything in miniature form - these are amongst the tiniest knits that I have ever seen! She was commissioned to knit some apparel for the Neil Gaiman movie, Coraline, as you can see in the video above. These are some of the most detailed, intricate designs that I have ever seen, some of which take hundreds of hours to create. I can't even imagine having the patience to be able to knit on this small of a scale!

Anyone Else Remember Sierra Games?

Anyone else remember classic Sierra games? I do! I used to play these games like crazy when I was a kid - these were super fun adventure games from back in the day. Now, you can play them online and in your web browser at Sarien.net! Currently, the site has The Black Cauldron, Space Quest I, Space Quest II, Police Quest, and Leisure Suit Larry I all available for play.

The site has also introduced a multi-player function (that you can turn on and off) that shows other people online playing the game at the same time.

I would love to see an online version of King's Quest V or Mixed Up Mother Goose... I have fond memories of playing those games when I was little!

How to Make Edible Totoro Cream Puffs

Aren't these just adorable? They are Totoro cream puffs modeled after the character in the Miyazaki movie, My Neighbor Totoro. Here are the full set of instructions and the recipe, from the blog, Anna The Red's Bento Factory. She has also posted a full set of photos on Flickr. Super cute idea and I'm sure it's also super tasty!

New Knit Pouches / Nintendo DS Cozies

These are all hand-knit and have fabric linings that are sewn into them. Also, a sturdy zipper keeps everything inside safe and sound.

These pouches are designed to fit a Nintendo DS or Nintendo DSi, but they can also be used for just about any electronic device that you'd like to keep safe, like an iPod, cell phone, camera, etc. They'd also be great just to use as a wallet or change purse, make-up case, or anything really!

I hope you like them just as much as I enjoyed making them!

A Follow-up to my Earth Day Blog Post...

A quick follow-up to my blog posting about Earth Day and my new Tim Horton's refillable coffee mug today - just found out that on Earth Day (April 22, 2009), Starbucks is offering free coffee to anyone who brings in a refillable mug! From Starbucks.ca:

Bring a travel mug into your neighbourhood Starbucks Canada this Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22, 2009 and we’ll fill it with complimentary freshly brewed Pike Place Roast. Not only that, but we’ll also take 10cents off your drink every time you use your travel mug at participating Starbucks.

There you have it - free coffee on Earth Day, can't beat that! I hope they don't mind that I'll be bringing my Tim Horton's mug to their shop...

Must-see Video: Pac-Man in Real Life, Too Funny!

PAC MAN (REMI GAILLARD)
by nqtv

You have to watch this: Remi Gaillard from France has re-created Pac-Man in real life. Racing through the grocery store and other various places, the shenanigans that Pac-Man would face on a daily basis if he existed in real life. Hilarious!!

Earth Day All Year 'Round: Tim Hortons Travel Mug

I'm sure that most people that care about the environment realize that we need to make certain lifestyle changes that will provide a positive effect on our planet all year long. Just as in celebrating "Earth Hour", we should not just turn out our lights for one hour out of the entire year to make change; we need to gradually cut down on our general consumption of electricity on a daily basis.

When I went into my local Tim Horton's coffee shop today, I decided to treat myself to a new travel mug. They have green ones there right now that are only available in April to celebrate Earth Day, as pictured above (the standard brown or beige ones are available all the time). These mugs are high quality with a durable handle and a lid that has a latch to open or close it to keep your drink warm or avoid spillage. The mugs are just $3.99 and your first coffee is free. On additional coffees that you purchase with the mug, you get a 10 cent discount.

If you're a regular coffee drinker like myself, you might want to consider buying yourself this travel mug, or any travel mug for that matter. The amount of cardboard cups that we go through on a daily basis as a society is astounding. According to Carbonrally, Americans go through 14.4 billion disposable coffee cups per year, an amount that would wrap around the Earth 55 times. These cups are usually not recyclable due to the wax lining on the inside of the cup.

For more information on the Tim Horton's mug, you can visit their website. Also, please visit One Million Acts of Green to find out other simple ways that you can help save our planet.

Spring Has Sprung! How Does Your Garden Grow?

The topic for this week's EtsyBlogger Blog Carnival is: "What would you plant in your dream garden?"

I used to maintain my own vegetable garden when I lived back at home. It was a fairly big patch in the back yard that was home to a whole variety of vegetables: lettuce, snow peas, green peppers, hot banana peppers, cucumbers, broccoli, tomatoes, green onions, plus more. I also had some fresh herbs, like basil. Each year, I would try to grow something different and random, like cantaloupes and watermelon, but I don't think we have a long enough growing season up here in Southern Ontario (Canada). A cantaloupe did grow - it was pretty tiny - and then it just disappeared one day...I'm fairly certain that a raccoon ran off with it!

My dream garden would basically be just like the veggie garden that I used to have in my old back yard. It was just perfect for fresh vegetables all summer long, and I was able to make a fabulous fresh salsa using all ingredients from the garden.

A funny story that I have about my old veggie garden - one day, a giant stalk started to grow in the center of the garden and I didn't know what it was (thought it may have been a giant weed or something). Soon enough, it sprouts a giant sunflower at the top of it! We used to have bird feeders a little ways away from the garden and a bird must have flown overhead and dropped a seed into the garden! So, to my surprise one day, there was a giant beautiful sunflower right in the middle of all of my vegetables!

You Fill My Hearts... An Amazing Shirt!

From ThinkGeek.com, an amazing set of shirts that you must buy in pairs, the 8-bit Dynamic Life Shirt. The shirts have a set of six red pixelated hearts across the front of them. When you are by yourself, only two and a half hearts on the shirt light up. When your significant other (who is wearing the matching shirt) is within hugging distance, both of your shirts will have the hearts fully lit! Like in video games, it is most important to stay healthy, and without your love nearby, your life force can be significantly depleted...too cute!

Are you a video gaming geek who hasn't found their other half yet? Never fear, you can purchase a Transmitter Pack in addition to your shirt that you can place near an object that you love (for instance, your Nintendo Wii). When you are near the Wii, your shirt will fully light up.

I'm thinking that Paul and I need to get these shirts...yes, we would totally wear them!

Etsy Finds: Happy Easter Everyone!

Happy Easter everyone!! In the spirit of the holiday (and my love for all things kawaii!), here are some adorable Etsy finds!

Tiny Lamb - Sweet needle felted lamb from Violet Pie, $22

Plushies - Happy Eggs - Super cute amigurami crocheted happy eggs and happy chicks inside an egg carton from Anapaulaoli, $50

Fruits Bunny Pouch - Bunnies and fruits, couldn't be cuter! Mini zipped pouch from Florspace, $7

Perler Bead Nintendo Wall Hangings / Decorations

Here are some brand new decorations / wall hangings / giant coasters made from Perler Beads! The first one is a big Yoshi from Super Mario World for the Super Nintendo, and the second one is a Megaman from the popular series for many Nintendo systems.

These would be great to decorate your room or office space! You can prop them up on your desk, or use them as a placemat or giant coaster! Regardless, it is a great way to add some vintage video game love to your gaming room or any room for that matter!

Geeky Video Game Buttons

Check out all of these buttons! Handmade and hand pressed 1" pinback buttons that you can wear on your clothing items, bags, purses, or anywhere you'd like! All retro video game buttons - a full set of Pacman buttons with the ghosts, buttons from Super Mario Bros. 2 for the NES, and buttons from Super Mario Bros. 3 for the NES.

Demetri Martin's Amazing Palindrome

I know this was posted a couple of months ago on the Interwebs, but I just found out about it now and thought I would share. Demetri Martin is an awesome comedian with an awesome show on Comedy Central (or The Comedy Network for those of us in Canada) called Important Things with Demetri Martin. While all of its episodes have aired, you should check them out in repeats if you haven't already because the show is one of my faves; it is hilarious! Anyway, Demetri wrote this totally amazing palindrome poem that I wanted to share! It's called "Dammit I'm Mad".

"Dammit I'm Mad"

by

Demetri Martin

Dammit I'm mad.
Evil is a deed as I live.
God, am I reviled? I rise, my bed on a sun, I melt.
To be not one man emanating is sad. I piss.
Alas, it is so late. Who stops to help?
Man, it is hot. I'm in it. I tell.
I am not a devil. I level "Mad Dog".
Ah, say burning is, as a deified gulp,
In my halo of a mired rum tin.
I erase many men. Oh, to be man, a sin.
Is evil in a clam? In a trap?
No. It is open. On it I was stuck.
Rats peed on hope. Elsewhere dips a web.
Be still if I fill its ebb.
Ew, a spider… eh?
We sleep. Oh no!
Deep, stark cuts saw it in one position.
Part animal, can I live? Sin is a name.
Both, one… my names are in it.
Murder? I'm a fool.
A hymn I plug, deified as a sign in ruby ash,
A Goddam level I lived at.
On mail let it in. I'm it.
Oh, sit in ample hot spots. Oh wet!
A loss it is alas (sip). I'd assign it a name.
Name not one bottle minus an ode by me:
"Sir, I deliver. I'm a dog"
Evil is a deed as I live.
Dammit I'm mad.

Spinning: My First Spinning Class!

What is spinning? According to Your Total Health:

Spinning is an aerobic exercise that takes place on a specially designed stationary bicycle called (obviously enough) a spinning bike. As you pedal, motivating music plays and the instructor talks you through a visualization of an outdoor cycling workout: "You're going up a long hill now, you can't see the top yet.…" During the class you vary your pace -- sometimes pedaling as fast as you can, other times cranking up the tension and pedaling slowly from a standing position. This helps you to focus inwardly and work on your mind as well as your body.

I went to my very first spinning class this morning at my local gym and it was awesome! What an excellent workout! I didn't really know what to expect since I had never attended a spinning class before, but it is definitely an exercise that a beginner can try out. The instructor motivated and guided us through the exercises, but ultimately, we were able to go at our own pace. You have full control of the tension knob on your bike, so you're able to push yourself as much as you'd like. It is also a serious calorie burner - between 400-500 calories in an hour long class!

The class was also guided by the high energy music tracks - generally, we alternated between exercises with each song change and went in beat with the music. There were surprisingly a large amount of different guided exercises on the bike, so it wasn't boring at all: alternating between standing up and sitting down on the seat, going at different speeds, and cycling with various tensions by using the resistance knob.

If you have a gym membership or a spinning class being hosted in your area, I definitely recommend checking it out! I usually just go to the yoga classes at my gym, but I think that I will keep going to this one, too!

Etsy Find: Totoro Leather Handmade Journal

Isn't this just the sweetest journal ever? Totoro is just so adorable! You can find journals like these over at the Owl Bindery Etsy Shop. These are tons of leather journals with all sorts of cute designs on them, including this super awesome Japanese Totoro journal. For all of you Totoro fans, there is also a Catbus Journal in the shop!