Things I Love #68

It's been a good Sunday.  I slept in, Jason bought breakfast with hash browns, I finished my varsity reading and went for a little skatey skate.  Here's some other things I loved this week.

Forensic scientists create the face of Crystal Skull Vodka.  Creepy cool...

The greatest living animation director explains why he's retiring.  Obviously this is an interview with Hayao Miyazaki...

We Love Fine have an amazing I Am Bee apron dress that looks exactly like Bee's apron.

The ladies from Adventure Time as a moped gang.

Someone please buy me all these Adventure Time socks.

Artist collaborates with bees to create sculptures wrapped in honeycombs.

A Spongebob Watchmen mashup?  Okay...

Lean In and Getty work to diversify available stock photos of women.

Adorable imaginary animals from Imaginism studios.

Will It Beard.  I won't explain, click the link.

Ever wondered what Wolverine would be like as a cat?

Also, click here to see Cyclops cat!

Crazy Google searches animated.  Seriously, what are people doing out there?!?

The forgotten treasures of Gen-X childhood.  I remember some of these...

Wild bunnies swarm a girl with treats.  Adorable not creepy...

And lastly volcanoes erupting amidst a lightning storm.  Crazy.

Seen anything you love this week?  Let me know in the comments:)

Adventure Time Card Wars

On Saturday morning (when I was meant to be studying) I downloaded Adventure Time Card Wars from the iTunes store.  What followed was a day spent justifying study breaks every 5 minutes and running my phone battery flat at least twice!!  I read about Card Wars about a week and a half ago and didn't realistically expect to find it in the SA iTunes store so fast.  We're usually pretty behind in these things.

If you remember the episode where Jake and Finn play card wars then you already know more or less what this game is going to be about.  Basically, you have a deck of card that you start with containing creatures, spells and buildings.  Like most other card games, you deal your cards to a certain points value and then see how you far up against your opponent.  As you progress you can win, buy or craft new cards to improve your deck.  The game also allows you to customise two different decks that you can switch between when facing opponents.  You start as Jake and eventually unlock Finn.  So far I have battled Finn, BMO, Marceline and Princess Bubblegum.    Here's a few pics from the game play so you can get an idea of what I'm talking about:

Each game you play earns you experience points which allows you to level up as you go.  You also get a specific set of landscape cards which you deal before the game starts. Different creatures work on different landscape cards so you definitely need to give this some thought.

Once you've dealt your initial hand, you defend, attack and keep dealing until you have a winner.  Or, in this case, a loser.

The game costs R32.99 but it's worth every cent I spent on it.  There are a few in-app purchases available but so far, I haven't felt the need to use any of them.  And finally, for those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, here is a clip from the episode in question.  Enjoy!

Oh!  And before I forget, there is a real, physical version of this game being released tomorrow!  There are two box containing Jake's Corn Deck, Finn's Blue Plains Deck, BMO's Useless Swamp Deck and Lady Rainicorn's Sandy Fields Deck.  Who wants to buy me a very, very early birthday present???

Things I Love #66

So it's super early on a Sunday morning and it's been a good weekend.  That's all there really is to say.  Here's this week's list of internet goodness:

Glorious, glorious sloth t-shirts.  I want them all.

Speaking of t-shirts, will someone please organise a Bill Murray t-shirt for me?

Hyper-realistic drawings of owls by John Pusateri.

Pussy Riot members take tour to New York.

Neil Gaiman reads Green Eggs and Ham to the internet:

Adorable Guinea Pig Cosplay.

Vote for this super awesome X Mansion Lego set right now!  If it gets made, the Lego Death Star will have some serious competition for my affection.

Finland's frozen forests are both breathtaking and creepy.

Wear the stars with constellation earrings.

Learn to sneeze in 10 different languages.

A real Adventure Time card game and a digital one.  

Some photos from the Dirty Royal show on Friday night:

Eleanor Catton on Literature and Elitism.  Interesting read.

23 Signs you're an awkward individual.

Super, super cool Domo watch face from Modify watches.

Seen anything you love this week?  Let me know in the comments:)

Things I Love #63

Last week my shiny new blogging resolution failed, as expected.  Oh well, things happen and I get to start again this week with another list of things I love:

Brothers spend 95 hours sculpting a 16-foot snow shark.  It's AWESOME!

Check out the official Simpsons Lego House.

Here's a gorgeous clip from Miazaki's The Wind Also Rises.

Battle Armour for cats is a thing I would buy if I had cats.

Your childhood, but more BADASS.

The Organized Things Twitter shows the beauty of organisation.

Joseph Gordon Levitt discusses the potential of Neil Gaiman's Sandman.

So many new Labbitits coming: Lore of the Labbit Mini Series and Mini Smorkin Labbits.

18 Cartoons from the 90's you probably forgot existed.  This one was my absolute favourite:


Benjamin the Bunny dresses up as your favourite movie characters.  Awwww....

I know this is a little late but check out The Walking Dead's Apocalypse Resolutions.

Tauntaun Hoodies are now a thing.

Artist Butcher BIlly crosses American Psycho with Superheroes.  Results are awesome.

5 Photos of Tiny Batman as he takes on the world.

21 Important lessons Lumpy Space Princess  taught us about Feminism.

The Vastness of Space, Miniaturized.

Adorable, cat-inspired fan art.  So adorable.

Why Poorly Drawn Lines is your new favourite webcomic.  The first one especially.

How to make Totoro pop-tarts, because snacks should be cute too:



Seen anything you love this week?  Let me know in the comments:)

Things I Love #61

Yesterday, this little blog turned TWO!!  In some ways it feels like I've been doing this for ages and in other ways it feels like just the other day that I pushed publish on my very first post.  Either way, I am grateful to every person who has commented and followed along!  Now, onto this week's list:

Lexigrams "are illustrated cards showcasing the best words the English language has to offer."  If you like strange words and illustration, I highly recommend this site.

Shit Rough Drafts features Paul Laudiero's imagined first drafts of famous books and movies.  Pretty funny actually.

I'm always seeing faces in random things so I quite enjoyed these photos of hidden faces in everyday objects and places.

Marceline the Vampire Queen is getting her own graphic novel.  This is such awesome news!

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We Love Fine have a set of vinyl Bravest Warriors toys available for pre-order.  Anyone want to get me a Christmas present??

My Chemical Romance have announced a release date and more info on their greatest hits album.

Chris McVeigh has some super awesome Lego Christmas decoration patterns.  Next year I'm going to make ALL THE STAR WARS ONES.

The 10 Best Dog Vines of 2013.  The pug in the beginning is just the best:


How cool is the Blue Bill Tee?  The Life Aquatic is one of my favourite movies.

And lastly, check out these geeky throw pillows from Heart Felt Designs on Etsy.

Seen anything you love this week?  Let me know in the comments.

Things I Love #59

Happy December you guys.  Can't believe there are only 31 days left of 2013!!  Rolo the hamster got an early Christmas present this afternoon when I cleaned his cage which is why this picture is at the tops of this week's list:

I might have posted this before but how hilarious are these cats in tights??

Although if I had these super cute Totoro tights I would not put them on my cat (if I had a cat).

There are rumours circulating that Joseph Gordon-Levitt will star in a Sandman adaptation and Norman Reedus will make an appearance in The Crow.

Duncan Shotton's Rainbow Pencils leave beautiful paper rainbows when you sharpen them.  Such a pretty idea...

5 Rules For Being a Grown-up is about how the "real requirements of life don't require genius, just lots of practice."

3 previously unpublished J.D. Salinger stories have been leaked online.

I am busy reading The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay and its making me want to learn to pick locks.  I think I need these lock pick earrings to get me started.

How cute is this Winnie the Pooh Oh Bother supercut from Disney?  Still one of my very favourite characters:

The 30 Greatest Comic Book Moments of 2013.  I haven't read all of these but I think the exchange between Harley Quinn and the Green Arrow is my favourite.  And the puppy bomb.  

Check out this awesome collection of the Christmas sweaters worn by the inhabitants of Ooo.  

I just love this Skeletal Beauty photo series by Pauline Darley.  Someone come and do my makeup like this please!!

Fernando Reza has created a set of retro travel posters featuring mythical beasts.  Check out Series One as well.

Make boring meals more fun with Manga Plates!!!  Seriously wishing for all of these....

Looooooove this Skull Armchair by French designer Harold Sangouard:  

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The Moment After the Show is a pretty awesome collection of pictures of musicians right after they leave the stage.  Check out the book here.

10 Star Wars Episode VII Fan Posters that are really, really great.  Cautiously optimistic about the new movies...

And finally, I am loving Uetsuji Shotaro's dream-like visions of alien encounters and ghostly visitations.

Seen anything you love this week?  Let me know in the comments:)

Things I Love #58

What a week! I've definitely been experiencing a low after the ridiculous high of bout weekend.  I also suddenly have all this free time and I'm not sure what to do with it!!  Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining but seriously, now that life is back to a normal pace, I'm going to have to adjust a bit.  Crazy right?  Anyway, on to other things:

First up, DeviantArt user TsaoShin has re-imagined Grumpy Cat as various Disney characters.  My favourite is Grumpy Cat as Jasmine from Aladdin!!

Andreas Englund has an ongoing series of oil paintings called Aging Superhero that is both gorgeous and a little bit sad.

And on the subject of superheroes, check out this series of noir superhero illustrations by Marko Manev.

Currently on my wishlist?  This Homo Sapien Chalkboard Skull:

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24 Times Pug Tongues Just Could Not Be Contained.  So much cuteness in this Buzzfeed list.

Volcano Spawns Brand-new Island Off Japan...amazing!!

And in other interesting natural happenings, check out this amazing cloud spotted over Durban on Wednesday.  

I know this clip is old but it's the first time I've seen it and it's too awesome not to share:

These teeny, tiny felted Star Wars characters are too cute.  One of each for me please!

Also super cute?  These plush, cat-shaped versions of Thor's hammer. 

Apparently there is a Tolkien biopic in the works that will look at the origins of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

If I had this cookie cutter, I would bake ALL THE TIME:

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This link is pretty much everywhere at the moment but it's such an amazing idea - Toy Dinosaurs Wreak Havoc While Family Sleeps.

A sneak peak at Hiyao Miyazaki's new manga.  Yay!!

Chris Panda has drawn the skeletons into comic book characters and it's a little creepy (but still cool).

Photos of 15 famous authors writing in their rooms.  Love collections like this...

And lastly, Out of Print Clothing have literary jewelry range that is all kinds of amazing  Either one of the East and West Egg and the Slaughterhouse Five ones are my favourite:

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Seen anything you love this week?  Let me know in the comments:)

Black Milk Does It Again!!

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Black Milk Clothing is officially my favourite clothing line ever.  Seriously, any company that releases a whole line of Adventure Time tights and dresses wins in my eyes.  Here's a few things from their Adventure Time collection that are officially on my Christmas wishlist:

BMO Dress and Bro Ball Leggings 

Princess Bubblegum Dress and LSP Leggings 

Jake Dress and Finn and Jake Leggings

And, while writing this post, I discovered they have free international shipping.  Excuse me while I go and abuse my credit card...

Things I Love #54

This time next week I'll officially be a 30 year old!!  I don't know how it snuck up on me so fast but suddenly, after months of waiting, my birthday is less than a week away!  Eek!  In some ways it feels like turning 30 is some of the best motivation I have ever had.  So many exciting things going on at the moment - birthdays, derby, French lessons and the fact that despite my stresses, I am doing consistently well at varsity makes me a happy girl!  Anyway, here's what I loved this week:

This game!!  We haven't actually played it yet but all information points towards awesome:

I love these nesting dolls inspired by video game characters, especially the Super Mario Bros one.

Your brain on coffee vs your brain on beer.  Interesting.

Hello Kitty contacts anyone?  Not so sure about these actually...

My desk needs these Sushi Memo Blocks ASAP.  I think I'd develop a permanent sushi craving though...

Funko have a new Star Wars range and it includes R2-D2 and Wicket!  Want!!

DC vs Marvel Roller Derby art by Kevin Bolk.  These are so super cool!

Dr Lukas Brezak has some of the best skull artwork I have ever seen.  The rest of his stuff is pretty impressive as well.

Mailbooks for Good is possibly one of the coolest ideas I've seen in a while.  

Black Milk Clothing's Halloween collection is fantastic.  I want all of it...

Speaking of Halloween, check out Guillermo Del Toro's intro to The Simpsons Tree House of Horror:

And in case you are wondering about all the references, someone has sorted that out for us.  Check out the video here.

If Halloween was a bigger thing in South Africa, I would totally make this googly eye wreath for our door.  In fact I might just do it anyway.

I'd also be taking the lazy route and opting for either this Peppermint Butler dress, this Jake the Dog dress, this Fionna Hooded dress or this Nightmare Before Christmas Sally dress.

And lastly, Pixar's 22 rules of story telling are full of good advice!

Seen anything you love this week?  Let me know in the comments:)

Things I Love #53

Believe it or not, this is the last Sunday in September.  That means my birthday is just short of two weeks away and Christmas is around the corner.  And I am not kidding about the Christmas part, I have already seen Christmas chocolates and decorations in the stores!!  Earlier and earlier every year!!  Anyway, here is what I loved this week:

Strawberries.  Tons and tons of strawberries:

How cute are these cats in sweaters?? Adorable.

Check out these 19 amazing photos of female riveters during World Wars II.

New Adventure Time comic unites your favourite weird princesses for a single quest.  With LSP, Skeleton Princess and Breakfast Princess, this sounds like a winner.

Want to see some of the outfits Finn has sported in Adventure Time?  Click here.

Jay Hynes has an awesome photo-series called Grandmas Rock.  It's super cool.

Overheard in New York is exactly what the name suggests: snippets of overheard conversations in New York.

Spencer Chamberlain from UnderOath has a new band called Sleepwave.  Very curious about this...

Oreo Peanut Butter sounds like the most amazing thing ever.

4 Rules to make Star Wars Great again - an animated open letter to JJ Abrams.

 

How awesome is this X-Wing and Millenium Falcon pencil skirt from Her Universe?  Must.  Have.

Society, Science, Survival:  Lessons from AMC's The Walking Dead.  This is a real course you can take.  Sign me up please!

Also, how The Walking Dead and Toy Story are the same.  This is crazy!

Eau De Toast because you wouldn't want to smell like toast?!?  Sadly it's limited edition and all gone...

30 Pieces of wisdom from Haruki Murakami books.

My Little Pony taxidermy custom made for you by Misfit Menagerie.

And lastly, I won my first ever internet giveaway recently and the prize was this super awesome print by Kim Longhurst:

Thanks again Kim, I love her so much!!

And that's all for this week.  If you've seen anything you love this week, let me know in the comments.

Things I Love #52

It's a long weekend in these parts and it couldn't have come at a better time.  I can't tell you guys how awesome it feels knowing that I don't have to get up tomorrow morning and face traffic and work and, and, and...want to know what else is awesome?  The fact that I got my very first birthday present this weekend.  My friend Collette sent my gift down to Durban with her sister AND gave me permission to open it straight away.  She knows me too well, there is no way on earth I would've been able to wait until my actual birthday!!  I got a Darth Vader Torch, a Spongebob t-shirt and a 30th badge which I apparently have to wear on my actual birthday...thanks Chicken, you're the best!

How cool are these snack-inspired beanbags?  I love the pancake ones and the ice-cream cone!

The "dematerialization" of society in the digital age.  An interesting read.

Feeling down?  This website of a pug liking your screen will definitely cheer you up.

Bloody Mary Metal makes some super cool, edgy jewelry.  I'd love this, this and this.

I want every single one of these Adventure Time Halloween costumes.  

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I also want Halloween to be a bigger holiday here in South Africa...a girl can dream...

How great are these superhero quilts?  I think my mom might have a new project on her hands!

Grumpy Cat and Boo cake pops...these are so cute!!

Cookie Monster spoofs Hollywood movies:



Also, here is how to Cookie Monsterify your website.

If you're looking for a way to get into the Discworld novels, check out AV Clubs Gateway to Geekery on Terry Pratchet.

DeviantART user Rawlsy has created some awesome images of DC and Marvel characters called Little Friends.  Definitely worth checking out!!

Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen on top of the Empire State Building.  Can I also just say that I can't think of two better actors to perform Waiting for Godot!!

Creepy but awesome Totoro art.  I must admit, I kind of like this.

Life-size dinosaur models?  Yes please!!

And lastly, the Jacarandas are starting to bloom all over Durban!!  So pretty:

Seen anything you love this week?  Let me know in the comments:)

One Month and Counting

Today is officially one month to my birthday!  Another way to put it is today is the start of my last month as a twenty-something.  Yay!  Or not so yay!  I'm not really sure how I am feeling about turning thirty right now.  Two weeks ago I was like Hells Yeah Thirty!  I will OWN you!!  This week I am more like Meh, Thirty.  I had this whole long post planned today full of deep philosophical thoughts on the end of a decade but it's not finished because I am feeling a bit ambivalent.  Instead, I present you with my Internet Happy Birthday Wishlist:

Geeky T-shirts from We Love Fine

Some girls are shoe girls, I am a t-shirt girl. The more the merrier. I'd love any of the ones below:

1 / 2 / 3 / 4

Harry Potter Leggings from Black Milk Clothing

I love these all so much that I couldn't settle for just one house:

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Lego Death Star

This would pretty much make my life:

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Marvel Mini Labbits

These basically combine two of my very favourite things, Labbits and superheroes:

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RAMFest Tickets

Because then I don't have to buy my own...

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Other things that would be awesome include books, print editions of The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, all manner of quirky/nerdy jewelry, a Totoro tattoo and a pug puppy!

Things I Love #50

Happy Sunday!  It's a beautiful warm morning here in Durban which is a sure sign that Summer is coming.  I'm kind of looking forward to this week actually. My essay is due on Tuesday which means it'll finally be off my back and work is shaping up to be quite an interesting week too.  Good interesting I think.  Also, Thursday will be exactly one month to my birthday!  Yay!!

I am going to start with something serious this week.  If you live in Durban, you would've heard about Thursday's horrific truck accident on the M13.  This is an intersection I use daily and I've seen just how badly the trucks drive in this area.  Please check out the Ban Trucks on the M13 Facebook page and sign the petition.  It's time they do something about this.

Take a trip back in time with Old Punk Flyers, my new favourite Tumblr.

Animation Master Hayao Miyazaki Retires from Feature Filmmaking.  Now this is not news I love at all but it's news all the same...sigh...

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Now, to make yourself feel more cheerful, check out these Miyazaki reaction gifs.

If they were real, I would buy every single one of these Monty Python and the Holy Grail Lego sets.

Haruki Murakami is releasing a short story called Samsa where the main character wakes up as Gregor Samsa, the protagonist from Kafka's Metamorphosis.

And, Murakami is currently the favourite to take home this year's Nobel Prize for Literature.  Yay!

I just love this Dancers Among Us photo series by Jordan Matter.  The photos are graceful and in some cases, hilarious.  Look out for the guy in the shower.

How adorable is the BMO knit craft special from We Love Fine?  Must. Have.

Okay, this is a very long and a very academic read BUT it basically says that our yawns are not only contagious to other humans but also our dogs!  Cute!!

Here is a first look review of Salinger, the JD Salinger documentary that I only heard abut yesterday!!  There seems to be a fair amount of negativity around it but I remain undecided.

Angry Birds turned into Angry Brands.  This made me laugh.

Here are some amazing Muppet/Superhero mashups from Comic Book Resources.  My favourite is Animal as Wolverine.

And speaking of mashups, here are the X-Men drawn as Star Wars characters.

Also, how cool is Grumpy Ratchet?

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And finally, the AV Club has an awesome series called Gateway to Geekery that provides entry points to different fandoms.  Here is their articles on the music genres of my youth Emo and Screamo.

Seen anything you love this week?  Let me know in the comments:)

Things I Love #49

Happy Spring guys!!  I am so excited about the end of winter it's a little bit ridiculous.  I am excited for less layers, potential water world visits and the ability to wear the other half of my closet.  Also, it's my birthday in a month and eleven days...the big 3-oh.  Very excited to celebrate even if it is the end of a decade!  Now, on to this week's list:

Finally got my hands on The Ocean At The End Of The Lane...yay!

Funko are adding to their Adventure Time range with Fionna, Cake, Gunter, PB, Lemongrab and BMO.  I can't decide which ones I want more....leaning towards PB and BMO right now.

18 Ways Adventure Time is making you a better person.  I can think of more the 18 but this is a good start.

And my last Adventure Time link for this week, here are the show's 28 best guest voice actors.  Quite surprised by some of these!

I don't wear heels but these Star Wars heels make my heart happy.  The Pantone ones are pretty cool too.

Here's a photo of my favourite artist, Salvador Dali, skipping rope.  Love it!!

How amazing does this candy sushi look?  Super tempted to do this for my birthday party...

This is the best prank I have ever seen:

 

I love these retro Pokemon ads, especially the Jigglypuff one.

No, Pandas are not a hopeless and wasteful species.  Seriously, it bugs me that anyone could think this in the first place!

Pictures of cats in the sink.  I really have nothing to add to this.

28 Things that happened after the Harry Potter books ended.  A collection of all the bits and pieces JK Rowling has revealed over the years.  It always makes me smile that Neville ends up happy.

Gummi Storm Troopers.  This is such a cool idea and I can assure you that I will be purchasing a bag of gummi bears and adorning them with all our mini figs head gear.

I got to meet my friend Liz's new gerbils this week.  Their names are Mac and Cheese and they are the friendliest little dudes:

And lastly, Anna Grape's super awesome illustrations of different pug species.  I want them all!!

I am off to track down the band announcements for next year's Ramfest.  Considering they are bypassing Durban again despite a good response this year, I am secretly hoping the line-up sucks.  Or not...there's been rumour that Biffy Clyro are coming to our part of the world.  I'll forgive them if it's Biffy. 

Things I Love #48

I can't believe it's Sunday already.  This week has flown by in a haze of frustration and essay writing.  On the bright side, I got an unexpected and quite substantial essay extension...hooray!  That means I can get back to some sort of blogging schedule this week.  Anyway, here's what I loved this week:

Pandas on slides.  So much cuteness:

 

How cute are these cat donuts?  Japan has the best stuff!!

8 reasons we will miss Futurama.  Honestly, I think I love Futurama way more than I ever loved The Simpsons.  I am sad to see it go...

Someone got a custom-made Jake the Dog engagement ring!!  Lucky lady...

Also in shiny things, this amazing R2D2 and C3PO best friends necklace from Rapscallion Design on Etsy:

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The Mary Sue has some awesome scans of Guillermo Del Toro's notebook and they are so cool. 

Here are 16 bookshops you need to see before you die.  Shakespeare & Company in Paris is my dream bookshop. 

Elmore Leonard died this week....here are his fantastic rules for writers.

How cute is this Road Tripping with the Solar System comic?  Poor Pluto...

This faux octopus taxidermy is so perfect and needs to find it's way into my home ASAP.

The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta looks like so much fun!

These stocking are my new favourite thing:

There is a real My Neighbor Totoro house in Japan.  As if I needed more reasons to visit Japan...

These dancing superheroes make me smile.

Why we all need a daily dose of brain magic...such an interesting read.

And lastly, would you look at these super cool Star Wars pencil skirts?  Perfect for nerding up your work wardrobe.

Seen anything you love this week?  Let me know in the comments:)