Good morning, Campers!

With all my love, from Camp Northstar.

Does this look dangerous to you?

Most of you know that I drive a very basic model Ford Focus. The Silver Bullet doesn't turn any heads but I still love her. The air conditioning works well and it has a great stereo. And these are the most important features, right?

Lately I've gotten some comments on the ghetto cable being used to connect my phone to the stereo. The ends have duct (not electrical) tape securing the frayed wires to the connector ends.  I felt that the arts and crafts time was well spent here.  But, still, the comments and questions about the cable.  And my typical response has been, "No, I'm pretty sure you won't get electrocuted..." but I always watch for signs of shock just to be a responsive citizen.

But shame and personal safety are good motivators.  So, don't worry - I got a new cord.

From the Reader feed....

How do you not love this shower curtain?  ThomasPaul’s website also features yellow puffer fish pillows, charcoal throws featuring silk screened thoroughbreds, limited edition bandanas decorated with portraits of admirals.

A project for the office...

I have to think that a person with serious crafting skillz could make one of these

 The colors are a little 3-2-1 Contact for my taste, but buying one might be easier...

Negative Space

Seriously, how clever can people be?!  I love these posters.  The website says, "NovelPoster celebrates the art of language by using the body of a text to create striking poster designs. For the literati and pop-culture lovers alike, these fully legible designs celebrate towering achievements."  You can get the whole story and artwork! 

Fome fun things for your desk...

It has been a while since I created a post of stuff that I saw and it just made me smile...so here you go!

I'm not sure why a straight, non-bendy power cord wouldn't do, but once you see this, the standard power strip really looks so lame and blah. 

It's crazy to think that there are people in this world who don't remember checking out library books with these cards.  The nerd in me actually made a noise when I saw that you could just buy these cards.  I thought sure you had to show your librarian badge to get your hands on these babies.  Booyah.

A personal embosser.  Now, I don't know how often I would use this, but I guess once you have a personal seal, you create occasions to use it.  So yeah - personal seal: treat yo'self!

This way lies madness...

OK people, listen up.  Here is where we talk for a moment about the details in life.  I feel that the details are important.  I think this is why I love Disneyland so much, because the overall picture is awesome, but a closer look reveals thoughtful details that make a rich and full experience.  I love details and thoughtfulness.  BUT there is a point where the "details" become crazy talk.

I follow a blog called One Charming Party, and I often replicate their ideas for parties or events.  And often their suggestions are rational and sometimes their decor or staging requires a little extra effort, but nothing like this:

Make your own popcorn box.  Make your OWN POPCORN BOX?!  Come on.  FIRST, how many people are really hosting an elaborate movie night?  SECOND, movie night is mostly with your family, right?  So, when did a normal bowl become passe?  THIRD, "they" sell packages of adorable popcorn boxes for like, a DOLLAR, so even if you do want your at home movie night to be fancy - do you really need to spend several hours cutting and assembling popcorn boxes that no one will care about once the popcorn is gone?!  Time is money, friends. 

Remember, I am PRO details and fancy fun do-dahs that will make people feel special because someone thought about them and is willing to expend effort on their behalf.  But with the advent of Pinterest and tradition of providing a goody bag for playing in a soccer game, we are going too far.  Expectations need to be reasonable, and I, for one, am calling for a "WHOA, NELLIE!"  Who's with me? 

Laundry

If you know my mother, you know that laundry is something about which she has very passionate feelings.  I was trained in a very strict and regimented school of doing laundry.  To my mother's credit - her clothes have lasted for YEARS due to her fastidious clothes cleaning program.  But there is a slight mania to her method, and I try to find the balance in not washing each clothing item by itself and letting them hang to dry, while being true to my roots and upbringing.

I found out about The Laundress, no surprise, from my mother.  It is with more glee than I can convey that I introduce you to the tools and detergents of these women.  I wish it was practical to spend the kind of money on laundry soaps when doing laundry for 8 people. One day, one day...

Cute vs. Practical

Browsing along the interwebs I came across this cute tutorial:

Elsie over at A Beautiful Mess shows us how to super-cutify old suitcases.  And I'm way on board with that.  Except that what exactly are people doing with a super cute suitcase?  She suggests using them to store clothes in the off season, which kind of reminds me of getting a tattoo on the back of their thigh.  Why go to the trouble if you're never really going to see it?

Here's my final verdict: hooray for an adorable project and delightful up-cycle.  But to what end? Perhaps I'm just apathetic in the summer heat.  Go make something.  Or don't.  But if you do - make it cute!

Party like a pro

Have you ever been hosting a party or event, and had to get cake and ice cream served up in a hurry?  Some people are born with a gift to cut cake perfectly or serve ice cream without a huge mess.  After these hints from Real Simple to cut both round and sheet cakes, as well as how to be prepped and ready for the crucial moment when everyone wants their cake and ice cream, you'll be a pro, too!

Reading books...

Over the last couple of years I've had a shift in my reading habits.  I still love going to the library. But,  now that I have a considerable commute each day, I go through a LOT of audio books.  Some are on CD, some are from iTunes, but either way - I "read" a lot in the car.  And here's my question - can I really say, "I read that book!" - when really I listened to someone else tell me that story?  This is a dilemma. Don't get me wrong, I read from actual books, too, or from my Kindle app, but really - I am much more likely to fall asleep than to sit and read more than 12 pages.

Another dilemma I face on a regular basis is what to read NEXT.  This is where a couple of my favorite websites really come in handy.

Goodreads:
Social networking for word nerds, yes, but it also allows me to keep track of what I've read, and what I WANT to read in the future.  If someone makes a recommendation I will not remember that title or author when I'm at the library, I promise.  But this allows me to keep a running list and share with friends the books we're reading (or listening to someone else read...)

YourNextRead:
While you can get a lot of suggestions from Goodreads, YourNextRead allows you to enter the title of a book you like and then it creates a web of similar titles.  So - if you're looking for another funny novel, it'll give you suggestions of just that.  Goodreads suggestions are more based on books that folks like.  Just liking and rating a book doesn't tell me much about books that are similar to each other.  YourNextRead is also a very fun and pretty website. And I sure do love pretty things.

Please do enjoy...

Very patriotic

Just before the MalleyCats left on their vacation, I made this patriotic dress for my favorite little sparkler. Just thought I'd share.