Links of the Week - August 6

Craft:  A Boy's Best Friend...  at Feeling Stitchy

The moment I read the title of this post I thought of the song "A Boy's Best Friend" By the White Stripes, for which the last line is "A boy's best friend is his mother or whatever has become his pet".  That's not what this embroidery is about, but I'll have that song playing in my head whenever I think of Hitchcock for a while now, I'm sure.

Steampunk:  Mad Hatter's Tea Party at Geek Crafts

Usually steampunk is very...  punky.  But this is beautiful whether you're into steampunk or not.  And I am.  So it's extra beautiful.

Science:  Facial Recognition at Io9

Yes, I have sneakily popped two links into this one entry.  The first is all about how facial recognition software could allow facebook to invade your privacy even more (or allow people to use facebook to invade your privacy themselves) and the second is about a neat phenomena that means that we don't process oddities about faces when they're upside down.  Both are interesting to me, despite my having studied this stuff for my masters.

Recipe:  Sugar Plum Crepes with Ricotta and Honey at Smitten Kitchen

Does anyone need any convincing to go and check this out?  No?  Good, I will tell you a little* story instead then.  We had an amazing plum tree at our old house.  Every year about Christmastime we would have a glut of plums, they would be tart when not quite ripe, then sweet when ripe, then rich when a little overripe, but edible at all three stages.  When we moved, we thought it would be okay not to take a cutting or any plum stones because my uncle (the one with the puppies) had lots of little baby plum trees on his farm that we'd given him, and he'd just dig one up for us.  No luck - he lost them (it's a farm, it's big!).  But I bumped into our old neighbours recently and they say the plum tree is still there, and the new owner is lovely - she'd be happy to have me call to collect a few plums to grow a new tree from.  So there is hope!

Art/Webcomics:  The Final Episode of FREAKANGELS at FREAKANGELS.com

I can't read it.  I just can't.  It can't be over.  I hate Warren Ellis.  I love Warren Ellis.  Waaaaahh.

 Art:  Keep Calm and Carry On...

(Wait, what?  That's not right...)

*Since when have I ever told a little story?

Links of the Week: July 30

Amazing Animals:  The Christchurch Goldfish at NZ Herald

I saw this on the news last night and thought it was so cool.  It's great to see a story come from Christchurch that is about something good happening, and apparently this story has been picked up world-wide.  See?  People do like happy news!

Libraries:  Paying Kids to Read?  At TVNZ

The happy news continues!  In an effort to enable kids to continue using the library, New York Public Library has decided to wipe $1 worth of fines from a child's account for every 15 minutes of reading they do.  They say that this will help 'in these hard economic times' (why isn't there an acronym for that yet?  ITHET?), which is good, but I'm pretty sure not fining them at all would be an alternative.  Like our library!

Music:  Noel Gallagher's New Song at NoelGallagher.com

When Oasis split, half of me burst into tears and the other half said "it won't last, you know how crazy those two are".  Now each of the brothers have released music with their own bands, and I still have that voice saying Oasis isn't over forever.  So, while I continue thinking that, here's Noel's new song :-)

Craft:  Solid Perfume Pocketwatch at Design*Sponge

This is such a great idea!  I love how the author introduces the post with a statement about her lack of feminine beauty.  I looked around the rest of her site and am surprised, because her site is so beautiful.  I love when people are oxymorons.  But I digress; I really would love to make this, I think the fragrance would be just as pretty as its presentation.  So that's going on the 'one day' to do list!

Recipe:  Risotto Balls at World Kitchen

We don't like mushrooms in our house, but I tried a risotto ball for the first time at a friend's party not long ago and am desperate to try to make some myself (the party was catered, so I can't ask my friend).   I love World Kitchen, and am so glad I found the show shortly after I came back to NZ in 2009.  Mum and I agree that a lot of the appeal is the attitude and smile of the presenter.  She is always keen to try anything - whether it be eating a snail, or trying to make baklava - and no matter the outcome she laughs and has fun.  A great example to live up to!

Art:  Wall Tentacle

Links of the Week: X

Somehow this list became the "it's almost my birthday" links of the week...  a full month and a half before my birthday!

Art:  Art Deco Firefly Prints at  QMX Online

Gorgeous posters you can buy me.  I really like the trend of making superheros and characters from television and movies into art deco pictures.  I want these on my wall.

Jewelry:  Gem Sprouts on etsy

These are really really cool - living plants inside pendant necklaces.  Adding this to my want list too.

Fashion:  Stay S'mored on Snorg Tees

I love Ghostbusters, so this makes me grin.  I also like s'mores (though I've never had a REAL s'more with graham crackers as they're not sold in NZ).  At the end of Ghostbusters, I always wonder what they do with all of the marshmallow that explodes all over the city.  I know I'd be eating any that fell on me!

Geek:  Wil Wheaton Tee at Sharkslope

Hehehe, I know all of these references.

Food:  Cook's Thesaurus at Food Subs

Thought I had better include at least one non-shopping item!  This is a great website I found while searching for the required cooking time of yellow lentils.  It's like any other thesaurus; it provides alternates or substitutes for what you know.  For example, I learned that you can substitute brown or pink lentils for yellow.

Movie:  Captain Planet Movie?

Links of the Week VIII

I have tried posting this several times in the last few minutes, and each time there has been a formatting error that I didn't make.  Hopefully it will be better this time.  *Fingers crossed*

Steampunk Craft:   Cephalopodia at Corvus Tristis

I thought to myself "I wonder if there are any free embroidery patterns for cuttlefish, to pay tribute to Jules Verne" (as you do on a sunny Saturday morning).  And looky see, the first google search result lead me here.  SO cool.  Reminds me, I must get to and do those trilobites...  I could make them all a set of cool under the sea pretties.

Cause:  Send letters to cheer up sick kids at Postpals

This is such a great idea!  So simple, but I bet it makes a difference.  Must find time to do this myself.

Cute Animals:  Cheeky Monkey at The Telegraph

Animals can be really really awesome.  I wish they had more pictures up, but the story is cool enough.  See what happens when a monkey steals your camera and starts to make a family album!

Geek:  Jewel Staite to Guest on Supernatural at Zap2It

Just days after mentioning both Jewel and Supernatural on the blog, this makes me so happy!  I will likely watch anything with Jewel Staite in it (it's just a pity that most of that stuff doesn't show on free tv in NZ).  Now I know why I had that strong urge to re/watch Supernatural from the beginning - it's called a premonition, I think :-P

Craft Inspiration:  Butterflies at Cirrus Image

My Mum loves butterflies, as I may have mentioned when I posted about her birthday present.  I am keen to make some more butterfly art for her room, and so I did a search for butterflies of the world to see if the picture of butterflies as an endlessly variable colour palette I have in my head is anything like reality.  Seems it is!  :-)

Craft:  Crochet Wall Art at Pinterest

Links of the Week V

Look at that!  It's not even the end of the week yet, and I'm up to five interesting links.   Happy clicking!

Comic:  Peanuts at Wired.com

I've never been really impressed with Snoopy and co, though I do love the girl who calls the other girl "Sir".  But this mashup is hilarious.  I really like the one about Journey (yes, I'm sure they would be pissed) and the one about maths.  The rest of the comics (of which there are at least 300) are here at the Peanut Tweeter site.

Forum:  New Zealand Crafters at Crafster.org

JACKPOT!  Last week I mentioned wanting to find New Zealand blogs/websites with a craft/cooking focus, and here I've found a forum full of New Zealand craftsters.  I've followed this site for a while now, but never explored the forums...  silly me!  By the way, you don't have to even sign up to view the board; very convenient!

Competition:  Terrarium Book at Timber Press (via Crafster)

If you're in the States or Canada, please enter this competition so I can live vicariously through you!  I love terrariums, and have even made one of my own (that is currently sitting on the kitchen table dying because I lack a green thumb).  This is why I've been looking for New Zealand websites - jealousy.  Because we can't enter, win a MasterChef Vol 2 book here (answers are "having cameras in your face asking you questions" and "so everything's very comfortable") or a copy of the first season of Sherlock on dvd here (the answer is "And we thought maybe we should do it.") over at the TVNZ website.

Art/Architecture:  Bookcase House at BoingBoing

I want a house with this as its attic.  The rest of the house would be normal (well, normal as much as I am), but then you go to the attic and EVERYTHING is a bookcase.  Nice.

Current Events/Art:  Kissing in a Riot at NPR.org

So it's not just football fans that are completely insane and think that their feelings over sport are more important than the safety of the fans/bystanders.  Hockey fans can riot too.  But in the midst of the riots, this photo was taken.  I think that whether this is staged or not only changes the meaning behind the actions, not that there is meaning.  If it isn't staged, it means something either about love or stupidity or a calm in the chaos or any of a multitude of other things, but if it's staged it's up to the artist to tell us what they intend for it to stand for, or if the two people staged it just for publicity...  I guess it means people will do anything for their 15 minutes.