What's On Screen? : Batman : The Movie

Sometimes it's fun to watch old movies, even if we know they're going to be bad. That's how the 1960's Batman TV show is. You know it's not going to meet the modern expectations that we currently have, but it's so hard to look away.

My Dad recently came home with this movie on dvd as a surprise for me. I was slightly shocked because I had no idea it was available on DVD. My Mom didn't even know there had actually been a Batman movie made in the 60's. I was amused, and I let them watch it first and they just kept making amusing comments about how the movie was ridiculous. I enjoyed hearing their amusement.

Batman: The Movie was released in 1966. It's pretty rough when it comes to today's standards, in fact, the people who were watching it with me seemed to think the film was stupid. But I tried to remind them that when the movie came out people had different expectations about films.

The movie is funny, and it has highlights that remind you of days long gone by now. The simple humor and the lack of overused special effects is nice.

I do think many people appreciate it for what it really is. A time capsule of what's clearly dated comedy.

You should always have an open mind when watching older films. There's a ton of great things to enjoy. The costumes, the puns, silly decor. But it's not for everyone. I recommend just putting it on as background noise, or for kids. Children may find the old humor hilarious. But I enjoyed it. SHows something about me doesn't it?

Artist Spotlight : Wanou Et Moi

Today is a great day, it's friday and we've made the acquaintance of another amazing artist, Leili of Wanou Et Moi. Wanou Et Moi is her shop for which she creates a variety of handmade hair decorations of varying types. She has an etsy shop, a delightful facebook page, and a very lively instagram account where you can see a variety of examples of her work.

Leili is the artist behind Wanou Et Moi. As an artist, she feels she's been creating as long as she can remember. She's dabbled in a number of handicrafts before landing on the ones she offers in her shop. She's enjoyed various art styles ranging from cartoon to photorealism. She's made stuffed animals and backpacks. It's of her opinion that there's no such thing as knowing too much about various skills.

Every artist is motivated or inspired to create differently. Leili was motivated to create her shop by love. Her shop shares the family nickname they had for her brother, Wanou. She originally had helped her boyfriend with dreads and beads, but after she lost her brother in a motorcycle accident she was looking for something to give her purpose. The shop helped to motivate her, helping inspire her to keep going and avoid being lazy. Over time she expanded her creations, making new things and friends. Leili knows her brother would have wanted to see her succeed, and that's what she's aiming to do.

Twisties available on Etsy

There's a wide variety of types of hairstyles to be achieved using the beads and twisties available in the Wanou et Moi shop. These are unique and offer people chances to update their looks, or add a little unique flare to their style. Sometimes conventional everyday ties and clips aren't tough enough to live up to the expectations of their job. These are created with the expectation that they'll do just that.

To the left you see items they call Twisties. I think they're neat because they can be utilized to accent hair that is dreaded, or just normal hair. They can be used to pull things together, or just add a splash of color. Depending on the color and placement, they inspire your imagination.

Bead Sets Available on Etsy

There's a number of different types of products that Leili creates for her shop. A number of them she offers as personalizable pieces. To the right you see an example of this, the bead sets.

Bead sets can be used in a number of ways. You can use one to add a little spice, or add them all to have a truly unique look. These are amazing for all hair types, and the sky's the limit when it comes to how you can use them.

Wanou et Moi truly has a keen sense for personalization, and she is willing to hear your ideas. Not only that, she'll use your ideas to help you see them come to fruition. So if you have an idea for a hair bead, and you can't find it, ask and you may just well see it come to life.

TwistyLock with Gem available on Etsy

This unique piece to the left is called a TwistyLock. As someone with long hair that goes through what seems like dozens of hair ties a month, this is a refreshing alternative to a hairstick. Don't get me wrong I love my hair sticks, but sometimes you need something different to hold your hair up.

This unique hair tie does just that. It curls around your hairstyle locking it into place. Unlike the hair ties which often require looping and tugging, this is gentler on your hair.  It can be curled around your bun holding it neatly in place. It can also be used to hold dreadlocks back neatly, without getting tangled in your hair. I hate when a hair tie gets stuck in my hair ripping out bits.

Tree of Life available on Etsy

The products all have unique names. I was curious about that and Leili gave me an honest fun answer. In her opinion calling things springs or spirals wasn't as much fun as giving them names. Twisties sounds a lot more fun than spirals. She also gives each bead type a name, making them easier to identify when browsing through her creations. It really does. It also gives them unique names that people can remember.

As I have a habit of asking some artists, I asked Leili what sort of advice she'd offer to any aspiring designers. Similar to what some have stated before, she advises aspiring artists to never give up. Leili believes that if you feel a spark, you should help it become a flame and then use that flame to start wildfire. She also believes that unless your work is going to hurt other people, there's no reason not to create. Art doesn't really have limits or rules unless you try to hold back yourself.

Wanou et Moi is open because she found something she enjoys and loves to create. She recommends that new artists do that. Create because they love to do so, not because it's a job. Art work should never feel like a job, and if it does take a break and set it down. It's supposed to be enjoyable.

Probably the most refreshing piece of advice that Leili of Wanou at Moi offered though, is that you have the right to stand up for yourself. You are an artist, and sometimes people will go out of their way to put you down, you don't have to put up with this. You create because it brings you enjoyment, and you should never have to let go of the happiness your work brings to you.

Thank you for joining us today to enjoy Wanou at Moi's amazing pieces! Please feel free to explore their Etsy shop,  their instagram account, and join them on Facebook. The body of work available is always changing and evolving adding new pieces, and offering new ideas for adding new details to your everyday life. And remember! If you like something they've created, but maybe want to see a slight change (maybe you want a different color) they might be able to help you with that!

Music Monday : Music Is A Dear Friend

I've found that music often has a way of making my day feel alot better, so today I've chosen some feel good music. Things that bring a smile to my face and help things perk up a bit. I hope your week is starting out on a positive note, and that the weather starts to mellow out.

I'm so sick of snow, even though we've barely had that much this year. Anyway, have a great week and enjoy the song picks for the week.

Neon Trees - I Am The Dj

The Donnas - Dancing with Myself

Union J - Lucky Ones

Pink - God is A DJ

We The Kings - Friday is Forever

Off The Shelf : Nothing Everything Nothing

Today I'm going to tell you about a book I've read called Nothing Everything Nothing by Casia Schreyer. It's a work of young adult fiction that explores a few topics that are important lately. Including bullying and suicide awareness. You can find it for purchase on Smashwords. If you prefer a hard copy though, they are available through Amazon.com.

Nothing Everything Nothing
Casia Schreyer
220 Pages

This book, in many way hit home for me. The characters are very relatable and believable. In some ways scarily so, because a few of the characters sound like people in my daily life. Which makes everything that much more heart wrenching as the story goes on.

The story revolves around a girl named Molly, who's trying her hardest to fit in with a group of popular girls. But unbeknownst to her, she's only part of the group to make the rest of the group feel better about herself. But this saddening angle isn't the only one that's explored in the book, where many levels of depth make things more complicated and emotional.

A few different ideas about love are explored. Unconditional love is shown in varying degrees. Yet darker points about teenage love is explored, how it can be used as a prize. You give me what I want and I'll love you. Be what I want you to be and I'll love you. You can be popular if you're like us. You can be like us if you just lose a little weight. It makes the reader reflect on what's enough. How much should anyone change to try and fit in, how much should anyone have to give up to be popular?

The author also deals with the reality of cyberbullying in a way that clearly illustrates how harmful this can be. While teenagers, and even adults may think what they say and do online can have no repercussions they're not necessarily correct. It's wrong to think words online can't hurt people emotionally. When hurtful words are coupled with negative experiences, there's no telling the havoc they can cause.

Suicide is also a touchy subject. Many people like to brush it under the carpet, often believing that no one they know would ever succumb to the temptation. This book not only looks at the situations and occurrences that lead up to someone feeling  that suicide is the only answer they have, but it also illustrates clearly how the actions change the lives of more than just one person. A factor that I appreciate.

If you've read some posts in the past that look at suicide on this blog you may understand why I found that to be something to appreciate. Too often there's a lack of clarity in situations surrounding suicide. People often think things like that don't happen to people they know. But by expressing things in the book as they are, it becomes clear that things are not always so cut and dry.

A good read, with some trigger topics. But as long as you're aware of them you can enjoy the piece. Sales of the book also help support a help hotline. A noble gesture. If you read this book, please let me know what you think of it also, it's always nice to compare interpretations.

Artist Spotlight : Tina T. Ames

Today I'm excited to share an artist who actually creates and interacts in the communities locally. When I say local, I mean local to me, in Western New York.  Her name is Tina T. Ames. She has a wonderful website that you can explore to learn more about both her and her talents, www.tinatames.com. But if you're already motivated by the end of the spotlight to purchase you can see her available works in her etsy shop TinaTompkinsAmes.

Print Available on Etsy

Every artist gets their inspiration from a variety of locations. Their motivations to create vary as well. Tina T. Ames had always been an artist, but she had an experience that left her unable to pursue photography in the manner she had been. It also kept her away from her corporate job as a director in a hospital system.

Not one to let circumstances keep her from creating, she began exploring her talents by doodling images with markers on paper, quickly finding the results were inspiring not only herself, but to others as well. She developed her work further, choosing to pursue art instead of returning to the more structured job.

Tina T. Ames has used her skills in a variety of ways over the years.  Not only are a number of her pieces are available as art prints and cards, she also leads classes and workshops to help teach others various skills. Her website has a list of various classes and events that she's involved with. One class that she leads results in a hand designed silk scarf. I find the variety of skills and talents she's willing to share with others both encouraging as well as commendable. After all, not everyone is cut out to be a teacher.

Mandala Oracle Deck available on Etsy

Her artwork isn't only available as basic prints though. She also offers 4 different oracle decks currently. The artwork varies, but the messages are wonderful, offering inspiration and positive energy to daily life. Decks like this can be useful for various things, whether you want to pass them out to add inspiration to someone else's life. or to use them as oracles.

Personally I find the Mandala Oracle Deck to be gorgeous. It has a variety of images that you can either share, use as the intended oracle, or frame.

Print available on Etsy

Many of her art pieces are inspired by moments in her life, helping her to create art that many people can understand. Pieces like the sunflower you see to the left of this text, are inspiring.

But why are they inspiring? They make it easier to express things that people may hesitate to say or feel, simply because expressing things honestly can be difficult. But the simple straightforward lines of text accompanying the bold cheerful artwork give people something pleasant to think about, as well as something bright and cheerful to view.

The simplistic folk art nature to the line work, as well as the bold color choices offer something different from the work of other artists we've seen. You'll notice the seeming lack of the color black in her images, a lack of outlines. It makes ya wonder how it's done. But it also makes you want to do some yourself. Which she's made possible,  coloring books of her art available.

Available on Etsy

There's a great variety of pieces on her etsy page, and the same can be said of the blog posts on her website. Her topics vary focusing on simple living, her artwork, and instruction.  There's a variety of useful information that she's willing to share, and all you need to do is look. Recently she posted a recipe for macaroni and cheese that looks divine!

To the right though, I've added the image of one of her pieces that I feel as though I needed to post it. It's a frog mandala. I love the roots and the reaching tendrils. It reminds me of the tree of life frequently used in art. This piece is amazing in how much detail there is. It was originally created as one of the cards in her Mandala Card Deck.

These are only some examples of her work and talents though. I recommend exploring her various sites, and if you're local make sure to look at the events she'll be at. You never know what sort of inspiration her pieces may be able to add to your life.

Remember to look at her website and Etsy shops for further information and inspiration.

www.tinatames.com

etsy shop TinaTompkinsAmes

Music Monday : Did You Eat Fish?

Happy Monday to you! I forgot that it's Lent, and I hate to admit it, I'm not really a fan of eating fish, so I have neglected to follow that little bit of advice. But no one is perfect, and to be honest I find the idea a little bit silly. Please don't judge me for that.

In any case here's your five songs for the coming week. I hope it's magical and that positive energy makes you happy.

Abney Park - Sacrilege

Damh The Bard - The Wheel

Omnia - I don't Speak Human

Fever Ray - If I Had A Heart

Heather Dale - Fisherman's Boy

What's On Screen?: TMNT

Alright, let's be honest here, we all have a tendency to watch a cartoon now and then. Well this past week I've watched more tv and movies in one go than I have in a very long time. I've been helping kid sit, which means cartoons are a household staple. They help keep the peace. I was actually shocked though, to find out this particular cartoon film came out without much fanfare, in fact I don't think I ever heard about it coming out.

This particular Ninja Turtle film was released in 2007. Which is why it feels even more bizarre to me that I hadn't heard anything about it. Unlike the pure cartoon versions, or the live action type films, this particular movie was computer animation. AT first it seemed like a strange option, but given the date when it was released, the digital animation is done well and is convincing.

The storyline itself seemed a bit farfetched, but when your main characters are gigantic turtles, what else can you expect? It included and 'immortal' general, monsters, random foot warriors, Casey Jones, and April. I was honestly surprised that they included Casey, But I guess over time he's more or less become a fifth turtle.

The character designs were fairly creative stylistically. But they did keep key elements that many fans would associate with various characters. April wore yellow, Casey was still crazy. But  all in all it was a pleasant change from some of the other things I've been watching.

I don't recommend it as something to go out of your way to watch, unless you're really into the turtles. But if you're watching netflix with kids, don't hesitate to put it on as an option they might not have watched yet. Well that's all for today! Have fun and stay magical!

Just Visiting : The Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens

There are many fascinating places that you can go to explore and enjoy some warm dry time with your friends here in Buffalo. Recently I had the pleasure of going with two of my friends to the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Garden. It was a wonderful place to visit, and they have changing displays, so there's always something different to see there.

Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens
2655 South Park Avenue
Buffalo, New York 14218

Now something to note is that the entrance fee has changed since the first time we mentioned this location. The new rates aren't too terrible, but it's worth making sure you're aware.
$11 Adults
$10 Seniors (62 and up)
$9 Students (13 and up with ID)
$6 kids 3-12
Kids 2 and under are free
Garden Members are also free

Anyway, the hours vary but you can check out their website about that. I had a great time there with some good friends, and took some pictures. So rather than babble about flowers, I figured I could just show you some of the things we saw there. Sounds nice right? Enjoy and hope you get to see some nice greenery soon.

(Yeah even Proto went to the garden! ^_^)

Music Monday : Paddy's Day Is Coming

There's always a holiday to enjoy in our house, and we're really not picky.  Any reason to celebrate is welcome. Corned beef and cabbage are some of the things my family enjoy cooking and I have to admit their reubens aren't bad. But there's a lot of different music out there that people might associate with the holiday, so I'm gonna throw a few songs I think are appropriate here for you to enjoy this week.

But I will say a lot of the Irish themed music or folk songs I enjoy aren't necessarily the most joyous things, so I'm not sharing too much. But I hope you have a safe holiday. I know the holiday is likely celebrated very differently elsewhere, but we enjoy it here in Buffalo.

I hope you have a great week ^_^

Flogging Molly - If I Ever Leave This World Alive

The Chieftans- Star of The County Down

 

The Kilkenny Brothers - Galway Girl

Blaggards - Irish Rover

Gaelic Storm - Kiss Me I'm Irish

Artist Spotlight : Clark Farm NH

Today we're going to be taking our artist spotlight in a new direction that some of you might argue isn't an artistic field at all. But I'd like to help you look outside the box and look at Clark Farm NH. Clark Farm creates unique handmade goats milk soaps. You can take a look through their products at their website www.clarkfarmnh.com, or check out their facebook page Clark Farm Handcrafted Goat Milk Soap.

 

Soap itself is something that can be overlooked. It's used daily by many people. It's just part of routine. But handmade soaps often have features that mass production. Natural products, that lack fake colors, often have unique colors and shades not always present in other soaps. They often have unique textures as each soap maker uses different recipes. Unique miniature art pieces that are incorporated by the customers into their lives.

Clark Farm offers a number of rotating scents to appeal to different people. I think I counted about 10 or more currently listed on their website, but I think there was more available through the etsy shop. I find this impressive considering the fact that they're a small family run business. Having a large variety of options available is both time consuming and difficult to make space for (at least in my experience).I can't imagine how divine bath time in their home is though.

Now unlike some of the other artists we've spotlighted, Clark Farm is a family run business creating handmade items for use in everyday life. I got to talk to Kristen who is in charge of creation and asked her some of the questions I like to use to pick an artist's mind. This also helped me to better understand how they came to create soap.

I'm always curious as to what inspires people to develop various skills, and in this case they found inspiration in their everyday life. There's a case of rosecea in their household, and the serum a friend recommended as a treatment option was $52 an ounce, which was expensive and for continual use impractical. Another friend offered them some goat milk soap, which they found to have both positive results and a positive appeal. So having found a product that worked well for the problem, they tweaked the formula to get the qualities they wanted.

They also found that the goats milk soap helped their son, Cole. He liked the soap and it helped to clear up his eczema. Cole enjoys helping create the soaps. It soon became a family project as her other son, Tyler, who has cerebral palsy and autism, enjoys the creation process as well. As a family they enjoy  exploring scents that can offer beneficial properties, such as calming anxiety, for other people, who may not be able to afford the pricey items in the all-natural stores.

Clark Farm soaps are inspired by the people they're made for. They listen to what people are asking for, and why they are asking for it. They've found that the natural options that are available instead of continuing to use commercially made soap products is appealing to consumers. Consumers are finding that many natural soaps offer benefits through their use beyond just getting you clean, just as they themselves found the soap beneficial.

Some of the beneficial qualities of goats milk include lactic acid which helps to break down skin cells, aiding in the natural process of shedding old cells as new ones are formed. Goat milk contains many vitamins and nutrients useful to keeping healthy skin, including zinc, alpha hydroxy acid and amino acid, as well as vitamin A, B, C and E. This has been proven useful over time, because they have found they are using fewer moisturizers since using the goats milk soap regularly.

Advice from artists is something I think is inspiring and helpful to people hoping to create things themselves. Which is why I frequently remind myself to ask about advice. So when I asked Kristen of Clark Farm what her advice would be to someone who was interested in trying to create similar products would be, I was interested to find out what she thought.

Her strongest response is that aspiring soap makers should just do it. She believes that it's super easy, and with so many internet resources to offer help and advice they shouldn't feel intimidated. She's found that if you don't like what you make, you can always donate the soap.

Clark Farm has found that they are able to donate soap in 1 oz pieces to local homeless shelters. Kristen said that People often don't realize that homeless people need more than just food. So Clark Farm does this regularly. It makes them feel good to give back to the less fortunate. They also donate some of their profits to a worthy cause. This was something very important to her son Cole, who is just 11 years old. They donate 10% of their profits to the Barnstead Parent Teacher Organization.

As my usual questions aren't necessarily applicable to soap, I did ask Kristen what her favorite piece is that they make. Her favorite piece is the lilac soap. It reminds her of spring, making her feel happy, and is an unexpected scent that to her experience isn't frequently found in soap.

I really enjoyed getting to interact with Kristen, who is clearly quite knowledgeable and happy to hear ideas and enjoys educating others about how useful their products can be. You can purchase their products directly through their website, or through their etsy shop. You will find a variety of products in their shop, with unique colors and scents to appeal to many types of people. Perfect for home use or gift giving.

Unique Experience : Cooking with Dice

Games are something that are popular now more than ever. Many people enjoy playing them alone or with other people. There are games for every skill level, and for those who want a challenge it can be a great change of pace from daily life to play a game. but they almost all have the same limitation, usually the only true results are simple entertainment and an engaging way to pass time. But that seems to be changing as people look at ways to creatively combine world necessities with our inherent need to be entertained.

Which leads us to our unique experience, Cooking with Dice: The Acid Test. This is a cookbook and game experience that is going to be live on kickstarter March 14th. You can find out specifics about the campaign on their website www.cookingwithdice.com. You'll be able to get your very own copy to play through and enjoy!  But I'm sure you're wondering about how it plays, or how it works. So let's have a look at how our experience here at home has gone.

So before I get too far into this, as someone who prefers tabletop games and board games to video games on the most part, I have to say I found this to be appealing. The Acid Test Cookbook is a fantastic example of creativity at it's finest offering unique kitchen experience. It includes a few different play mode recommendations, single player, group, or team based on what you feel up to attempting. But remember some of the recipes need time to 'cook' so they may not be ready for consumption immediately. I attempted to run it in group mode, but we felt intimidated, so I ended up testing it on my own in single player mode.

I must admit that my first few attempts at working through any of the recipes left me feeling a little out of my element. Partially because I'm not very good at following directions, but also due to the fact my kitchen lacks a majority of the ingredients listed on the roll tables. Which made it a little difficult to just play the book from home without purchasing the ingredients before hand. A mistake I initially made. I'm a gamer who doesn't frequent the kitchen so it never crossed my mind you need to go get your ingredients first. My bad.

So after reading through more and examining things more closely the solution I came up with, was to roll the dice and make a shopping list. Yeah I know, this is what everyone else would have done in the first place when they want to prepare a recipe. But I'm not a cook, so to me it seemed I had come up with a great solution. Less creative I suppose than I want it to sound, but by approaching the recipes and die rolls in this manner it was far easier to actually follow the recipes and continue game play.

I think my favorite part of the book is that it does not require the use of the oven. The microwave really is one of my favorite cooking centers, so a book that offers more creative and inventive recipes to be made there is highly appealing. It was surprising though that they were much easier in practice than I was expecting.

Not only were the recipes easy, the results were impressive. I'm looking forward to actually using some of them for future holiday get togethers. My favorite recipe in the whole book though is the buttermilk cheese critter. I never realized I could make a cheese ball so easily at home. I've always found them to be a rather intimidating product when the holidays come around. We often purchase them and then set them out as needed.

The recipe that I rolled up for my cheese critter wasn't extremely difficult. But I did alter my recipe slightly because I wanted to pretend that I was brave. I ended up using: 2 cups low-fat buttermilk,1/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese, 2 tablespoons diced Ham, and 2 tablespoons of bacon bits. Those components made up the majority of my "Buttermilk Cheese Critter". For the coating I ended up using 2 tablespoons of crushed round crackers.

Personally I like the buttery taste of the crackers, and it let the ham flavor stand out more. The bacon bits gave it a little more of a crunch, and I know they'll be safe if I repeat this with some of my friends around. I know they weren't really included in the plans, but I wanted to have a little bit of a crunch with the ham and I wasn't sure I wanted to add nuts. I think I'll call this variation porky.

I'm going to have to do it again soon though so I can make it cute and take a picture of the results. So don't be surprised if there's another post in the near future showing off my rather new found acid based cooking skills! I wasn't entirely brave in my preliminary creations because I was more interested in tasting the results and finding out how difficult it would be. But I am definitely going to have to show off some results as soon as possible.

So considering that I have actually had positive results, even though I have little skill, I recommend this cooking experience. Even for younger children, as long as you supervise them. If you're looking to make creative game based meals, or just to challenge your family to create food at home, this cookbook will be a wonderful addition to both your cookbook collection and your game collection. Check out their website for further information, www.cookingwithdice.com and MAKE SURE to check into their kickstarter once it's live! You don't want to miss out on this.

Music Monday : Sometimes Something Old is Appealing

This weeks music is intended to help reminisce about things that used to appeal to us. I know that some things are best left in the past (Like polyester suits and those horrible faux rings that were the size of bowling balls) But music, well there's a lot of awesome music out there that really shouldn't be forgotten.

So for your enjoyment and to help perk up your week, here are the five songs that are helping me move this monday morning. Have a great week and stay magical!

The Swinging Blue Jeans - Hippy Hippy Shake

Bobby Vee - The Night Has A Thousand Eyes

The Honeycombs - Have I the Right

Del Shannon - Keep Searchin'

Bob Lind - Elusive Butterfly

This Week was Silent

This week may have appeared to be rather silent on the blog. There's a number of reasons for this that I could offer you. But I'm not going to make my life complicated by explaining it in depth. Let's just say that the internet is down for a bit from home. It was also a rather emotional week in general as it's an anniversary/birthday time for someone dear to me that is no longer with us.

We all grieve in our own ways. So don't ever let anyone say that it gets easier, or that you should be done grieving. The pain of loss never really goes away, sometimes it still feels like it was only yesterday that we lost her. But it's ok.

This is a picture I took of her in 2003. Which means it's 14 years old, but that's how I see her in my mind. She's been gone for 12 years. I guess the way time flies doesn't change how we feel about some people, we always love them no matter what.

My Grandfather has been gone for 20 years now. I don't feel his death as sharply as my Grandmothers. I'm not really sure why, maybe it's because I was younger when he passed than I was when she did. But as I said earlier, we all grieve differently. So maybe it's normal to feel the way that I do.

In any case, my mind has been rather heavy. My heart hasn't been feeling so good. But be assured things are fine, I'm just feeling a little sad, but we'll be alright. We always are.