A few of my favorite things (part deux)

If you have not read my first installment of my favorite things, you might want to check it out here. Otherwise, I will continue my list of favorites for your viewing pleasure. The basic idea is that I will be mentioning some things that I like more than others. So, hit the jump to find out more.

Magical moments

245/365 firefly, originally uploaded by {AndreaRenee}.

Doesn't this feel like Disney? Some eye candy for you this Monday.

Game Review | New Super Mario Bros. Wii

You have to love Mario. Something about Italian plumbers and Toads just really gets my Wii nerves flowing. Therefore, I'm going to share my New Super Mario Bros. Wii experience with you. Hit the jump for the review.

Don't get hurt now!

And all the trimmings

As today is Thanksgiving, NewfoundJoye wishes you a very happy day filled with joy, laughter and things to be thankful for. Hopefully, your preparations are easy (regardless of whether you are cooking yourself or having your dinner catered) and you have plenty of moments to smile. If you are not celebrating Thanksgiving because you don't like it or you're not American, I still hope you have a great day. You can watch the Bambi Awards and chill out (or work, boo). Either way, below is a little video to give you a small diversion today.

Ornamented snowflakes

Bodoni Snowflake 1, originally uploaded by newfoundjoye.

I was never very good at making paper snowflakes, but I certainly can create one with Bodoni Ornaments. This is one in a series and I hope to create more before December.

Marc & Melanie Chartrand

If you have a few minutes in your down time today, check out Marc & Melanie Chartrand's portfolio. Their work is very amazing and I like the fact that a couple has a company together. So, definitely bookmark and check the images out, the one above is just a taste of what you will be seeing.

Image Marc & Melanie Chartrand

DIY | Book with stab binding

Completed Cover, originally uploaded by kate e. did.

I love book arts. Bookmaking has become quite lucrative and popular over the years. If you would like to create a custom gift, consider making books for friends and family. You can follow the tutorial from kate e. did on flickr.

the Cat makes his first appearance

the Cat, originally uploaded by newfoundjoye.

So, I'm always posting other people's work and such. Well, here is something from yours truly. Hope you enjoy this eye candy.

Refreshing thoughtfulness

I'm sure that your recipients would be surprised if this came in the mail. Read more on Packaging of the World.

Me, myself and I

The Company of Myself is a well-executed casual platform game will really have you enlisting your own help to succeed. It is very loose and the difficulty curves very sharply. This will be a very good diversion from your everyday work if you need a moment. However, try not to get too hooked It's easy to get way too addicted to this game by trying to get to that stupid green door.

Foodscapes tasty enough to eat

Carl Warner's "foodscapes" are delightful images created using food and imagination. Visit his site for more.

Aol period

So, apparently, AOL—excuse me, Aol. has rebranded. That's right. That is a period after Aol in upper & lower case. This is the creation of Wolff Olins and I must say that I am disappointed that a company with over 500 big name clients and plenty of great design ideas would settle for something like this. However, it is what it is. We can only hope they make it look good...somehow.

Image and article via Guardian

How much is that doggy in the window?

I feel that store windows are often overlooked. However, they are the embodiment of window shopping. What better time to window shop than the holidays? I hope all of you get a chance to view some very stunning windows this season. No telling what you may come across.

Photo by Krieger

Over-parenting ruins the world

This is what has completely and utterly ruined the world's fun. If you've ever checked out icantbelieveable, you'll be aware of the idea of ugh-dults. If not, read this post, then come back here.

Anyway, I was on Time magazine's website and I ran across an article about "over-parenting". I believe that this has truly changed our society. This generation of parents have become serious worry-worts. The crazy things they did as kids are suddenly off limits for their children. The foods, environment and life they led is too dangerous for their children. Basically, it has become a way to suppress children's imaginations and curiosity. Yes, you should keep an eye on your kids and make sure they are safe, but you can let them have some breathing room.

Image Markus/onesixright

Award shows

As I watch the award shows, I am amazed by how far stage design has come. I think the real stars of an award show are the nameless workers who create the effects and make the entire thing seamless. However, Paula's mike didn't work at the beginning—I hope that no one lost their job.

Still knows how to party it up!

Martha may have gone to jail, but she still knows how to party and design. She went to Sean Combs' (normally known as Puffy or Diddy) 40th birthday party and apparently partied it up. I'd love to go to a Martha Stewart party though. She would probably have quite the shindig. Check out her blog for her photos of Diddy's party.

Leggo' of Eggo

Since there will apparently be an Eggo waffle shortage, I'm not about to fight anyone in the grocery store for a box. Instead, I will survive the shortage through the following methods:

1. I will make them from scratch. Betty Crocker has great waffle recipes in her cookbook and online. You can also get creative and substitute ingredients (like applesauce and other healthy choices). This allows you to make the waffles fresh and steamy.
2. I will rely on Aunt Jemima. She has never failed me for pancakes, and she will not fail when it comes to waffles. Her syrup is also the best around (that's right, Mrs. Butterworth can step aside and Karo can just disappear).
   
3. I will eat other breakfast foods. There was a world before waffles. Oatmeal, pancakes, grits, scrambled or fried eggs, bacon, toast, bagels, cereal, fresh fruit, pop tarts and more—the world will keep on turnin'.

So, hopefully, these three easy steps will help you survive the Eggo shortage as well. If not, you'd better get ready for a fight.

Image courtesy of Kellogg's

My feathered friend

You know, despite the hype, I don't really like turkey. I like turkey salad, but chicken salad is just as tasty. In fact, of all birds, I'd give up a turkey any day. So, my feathered friend, you have no worries about me eating you for Thanksgiving. Now, the chickens, ducks and hens have another thing coming. Hopefully, you are able to grab your bird (or pig or cow) of choice for your Thanksgiving feast—before all the good ones are gone.

Image courtesy of the internet

Puppet Corner

I am not the biggest fan of wooden puppets. Pinocchio is cool, but I am more for the squishy muppet puppets. I have a few that I like more than others. The Fraggles from Fraggle Rock are awesome. That show really—pun intended—rocked! Hit the jump for more!

Naked

The nudity I'm talking about is environmental and only seen in certain locations worldwide. I was walking to the bus stop this morning and all around I saw naked trees. They were baring their branches for all the world to see and I must say that it is beautiful to behold. Something about the loss of leaves gives trees an almost elegant appearance. They no longer have blossoms to hide behind. They are completely exposed and you can see their imperfections. Yet they are so interesting with knots, curves, twists, turns. This is one of the reasons that fall is my favorite season.

Image Wikimedia Commons

Sexiest man alive—again

Hello, Johnny. My eye candy for today.
via CNN

DIY | Ornamentation

Believe it or not, this DIY project is courtesy of yours truly. I wanted to give my coworkers something custom and simple as a Christmas gift this year. I immediately thought about making my own ornaments. I'm not talking about using popsicle sticks or something like that. Instead, using solid ornament bulbs, I decorated them with my own style and preferences. You can do one dozen for less than $20. I bought glitter pens, glitter, stickers and bulbs from A C Moore to decorate. I already had Sobo glue, so you may decide to pick up a small bottle depending on how much of a mess you are willing to deal with. Hit the jump for more images and some decorating ideas.

So this is love

I use Google's free software to see if I have visitors to my blog and what my readers are interested in seeing. While I check Google Analytics often, I rarely check Webmaster Tools. I gave it a quick skim and discovered that they added a new section. It pulls out keywords from blog posts and puts the most frequently used words. Surprisingly, my most used word is "love". Apparently, I have used it a whopping 947 times (I guess 949 if you include these two new occurrences. Luckily, the most used word wasn't "like", so I'm very happy (this is another frequently used word—and one that I'm proud of).

Know your groceries

Check out Guardian for some hipster slang that is straight from the fridge. You can find more if you are willing to spend a little bit of money. Straight from the Fridge, Dad is available now.

via Guardian; image via flickr/Sion Fullana

One more time

I have just discovered 1x.com and I have fallen in love. The first two images that caught my eye are above for some eye candy. Yum.

images via 1x.com/first image Raphael Guarino; second image adrifil

Massage at a price

You know how the kiosks in the mall try to sell you massage products? One area of massage that is becoming popular is the scalp massage. I'm too tense to enjoy massages, but I think I have a little too much pride to even dream of trying this one. This over-sized helmet will massage your scalp, but would you want anyone to see it happening? Also, the inside is a little troublesome. I wonder if this works well for people with all hair types, because I feel like you need to be bald for this one.

via Gizmodo

A few of my favorite things (part un)

Aside from the fact that I am making small steps to learning French and placing some random bits of it in the title of this post, I thought that in the spirit of the season, I should share some of "my favorite things". Just like the song from The Sound of Music, I have some things that I prize above others. Unsurprisingly, the beginning of my list is God, family and friends—therefore, I am not listing them. From there, it becomes other things. Look forward to a small installment of favorites, this being the first part. Hit the jump for the rundown.

The holiday season

Ah, the holiday season. With Thanksgiving creeping up quickly and Christmas right behind it, the holiday season is supposed to be at its peak. However, the holiday spirit is lacking this year. Maybe it is because I am more aware of the commercial side of the holidays or they are just losing their magic, but it feels like no one notices the season is upon us.

You may wonder what I mean. It is simply this: the holidays cause people to be nice. People will smile at you, open doors, hold elevators—they seem like they are in "the holiday spirit". Food drives are active, food baskets are delivered, toys are given to tots and people are ringing those annoyingly high-pitched bells for donations. Yet I feel that most people are hardly even going through the motions. Why is that?

Either way, I won't let that stop me. I love Thanksgiving and Christmas (yes, Christmas, not X-mas). To get myself into the mood, I've been working on some crafts and gifts. Look forward to some DIY entries a little later.

GoGirl?

I think I'd rather hold it or pee in the woods. GoGirl allows women to pee standing up if they are in a disgusting bathroom or one of those hole-in-the-ground toilets. Still, it is just so wrong. Especially the website. These happy women enjoying their time outdoors. It's like watching one of those herpes commercials with the woman riding a bicycle. Take a look, you know you want to. I'd rather take life sitting down, thank you very much.

Small Worlds

I often check JayIsGames for their daily casual game updates. One of JIGs usual events is their annual design competition. Amateur or professional game designers can submit their games for glory and awards. The winner this year is David Shute with Small Worlds. This game won for its interpretation of the "Explore" theme. Give it a try. It's not very hard and you can play with W,A,S,D controls or your arrow keys (you can use up-arrow, "A" or space to jump). Don't be dissuaded by the graphics. It is a great game!

You can play the games by the other contestants on this site as well.

My cat doesn't do this

See more funny videos and TBT Videos at Today's Big Thing.

Brightness after the rain

Image via flickr/antimethod

Google Waving

So, I was fortunate to get an invite to try Google Wave through people on Hunch (like I said, Hunch is an obsession that gives back). I've given it a try and it is really weird. It's kind of creepy to see people typing, but at the same time, awesome! I don't have many contacts, but I created my first wave with them. Then, at the direction of Hunch, I joined a public wave. From here, thing got better. You can add so many gadgets, links, photos, etc all within one conversation. This takes chatting to another level. I would love to do this with designers. It seems like a great way to throw ideas back and forth between designers and even clients. So, while I continue to figure out Google Wave, I'll keep you posted. Until then, I'll be waving.

Drip drip drop

For some reason, the rain always makes me think about Bambi. That's right, the old, Disney cartoon with the ridiculously adorable baby deer that loses his mother and is forced to live with his distant (and random) father. You know what I liked about Bambi—I loved this movie, I used to watch it daily—was the simplicity of it all. Learning words, meeting people, being exposed to the world, losing loved ones, growing up, conflicts with others, falling in love and finding your way. Within 70 minutes, the entire path of life is presented through traditional animation.

However, I was talking about why I think of this film during the rain. I apologize, I was sidetracked momentarily. In one scene, they show a random thunderstorm that scares the bejesus out of Bambi. At this point, some high pitch ladies are singing about an April shower. Beautiful sound, beautiful sound.

I salute you

There is nothing quite as selfless as serving your country. Although most people view the military as some big, bad conspiracy, the truth of the matter is that men and women are risking limb and life for our freedom right now. Men and women have died for our country. The overarching message is that our veterans sacrifice themselves for a duty that not everyone appreciates. However, right now, I salute you. When I see a person in uniform, I always feel a sense of gratitude. When I see those fifty stars next to red and white stripes, I feel grateful. So today and every day, I salute our veterans, our warriors.

One of the best ways to make a difference in the military community is volunteering with the USO. If you would like more information about how the USO supports American veterans, check out their directory.

Image via flickr/jcolman

A more interesting way to watch stocks

PUMA has a very interesting way of persuading you to keep your eye on stocks. Although delayed by 15 minutes, this "PUMA Index" will have either a man or woman (all depends on your preference) waiting for stocks to drop. If they do, they will have to remove layers. They will keep going until they are down to their PUMA bodywear. OooOoo la la! DOW, DAX and ASE are available, so choose your stocks and get watching!

via theFWA

What I have against jewelry

I love jewelry-making. I took a metals class when I was in college and jewelry-making is a tough and difficult art. However, I cannot stand the jewelry commercials that pop up during the holiday season. I understand that the holidays are big for retailers. I have nothing against people trying to sell stuff. I do not like this terrible stereotype that all women want necklaces and rings.

So, I'm not married (too young), but if my presently non-existent boyfriend ever bought me a ring, necklace or earrings, I'd be disappointed. Mostly because I am a huge electronics fan. However, if he put some work into it and chose something that isn't covered in diamonds or gold, I might enjoy it.

You might say, well diamonds are forever, gold is precious, bla bla bla. I worked at a jewelry counter. I've seen the last minute gifts that consist of some odd carat diamond and 24 k gold. Choose something other than a diamond. Sapphires and topaz are gorgeous. Pearls are classic. Emeralds are beautiful. Even something as surprising as old soda bottle caps can become really awesome earrings. So what I have against jewelry is its commercialization. The ease of just buying something without a true meaning. But hey, I'm only one woman. Let's hear some other opinions (I'm open to them).

Let's squish our fruit together and enjoy lunch

ImprovEverywhere. They make life into a musical. In case you are not up with the latest videos, check these two out. They are similar in the sense that they both involve places with food. They are no Food Court Musical, but they are still wonderful and spontaneous like ImprovEverywhere is.

The artistic lunch

Japanese culture is rich. It is often the inspiration for paintings, designs, architecture, product design and more. One of the best Japanese items is the bento (lunch box). Now, don't think this is like your average lunch box. These are masterpieces.




All images via Adventures in Bentomaking. Check out the blog for more information.

Sunny days

Two words that begin a song that has been running for 40 years as of today. It's Sesame Street's birthday today. The ever-popular kid's show is still running and has been making several changes for the times. Cookie Monster is becoming a vegetarian, there is an AIDS muppet, Elmo always refers to himself in the third person and Oscar isn't as grouchy as he used to be. Although I hate these changes, the idea of the show has remained the same. It is one that I hope is still around when I have kids. This way, I don't have to watch Dora the Explorer or even worse—Yo Gabba Gabba.

This post was brought to you by the letter "N" and the number 13 (just kidding).

Being thankful

There are so many things to be thankful for. Although times are tough, there is always something that anyone can be thankful about. In celebration of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday (that's on November 26th in the United States—in case you're not from here), I would like to share some hunches that could possibly make this Thanksgiving easier. Immediately below is a hunch about cooking your turkey. If you hit the jump, you'll find out some great decorating tips as well as what side dishes you should choose—courtesy of hunch, of course.

How should I cook my Thanksgiving turkey this year? - make thousands more decisions on Hunch.com

Liar Game

I know that most people aren't fans of manga. They think they are a waste of time, a detriment to the brain. However, manga are very diverse with lots of different styles, meanings and purposes. Liar Game, by Kaitani Shinobu, is one of the best manga that I have ever read. It's psychological, intense, dangerous and mind-boggling. If you don't believe me, try reading it online on OneManga (and that is from right to left).

These scans are translated by fans and should not be distributed for monetary rewards. Liar Game is not available for purchase in English, but I'll let you know when it is.

Update | NewfoundRhapsody

So, if you recall, I had shut down my latest brainchild, NewfoundRhapsody, just last week. I rethought, reconsidered and re-purposed this blog for a different concept. I love illustration, but I wasn't motivated for NewfoundRhapsody at this time. Instead, I am going to rebuild NewfoundRhapsody as a way for me to share my writings. These aren't award-winning novels or anything, but I am proud of them and I am glad to let anyone read them (and lucky you, you get to read them for FREE). So, go ahead and add NewfoundRhapsody to your bookmarks. There will be some literary goodness for you in the days ahead.

Frost design

Thanks to the very interesting website produced by Frost* design for Futuretainment, I have a new studio to research. Frost* is an Australian design firm. They have created lots of well-executed projects. Check out their site. Oh, and consider Futuretainment. It looks interesting.

Medium love

I love illustration. I always illustrate things in my spare time, but I'm always wowed by other people's artwork. I mean it too. I am very open to other people's work because they create something that I don't. It's always so refreshing to see someone else's style. It's also inspirational. So this huge intro (huge for me at least) is to showcase the work of Nicholas Di Genova. I came across information about him from Drifting Creatives—a group of designers that you should also check out (if you are on twitter, you can follow them @driftcreate). Still, didn't you see that opening image? Doesn't it make you crave more?

Website logotype fonts

As a designer, I am naturally interested in logos, logotypes and other graphic elements. This article by Sam Dunn highlights the typefaces used in "website" logos. Some of the bigger ones being Reuters, Microsoft and Wikipedia. I must argue, however, that Microsoft isn't only used online, but on products as well. Still, the majority of these logos are used primarily online and by giants like eBay or myspace. It's pretty interesting. For the first article in this series, click here.

Newfoundjoye's Reader Census

Hunch is an obsession that keeps giving. If you look on my right sidebar, you will see a new widget that allows you to answer questions and compare your results to other NewfoundJoye readers. Feel free to try it out and you can also grab this for your blog as well.

Kudos to Chris for the information. You can check out his blog here.

So distinguished

Look who got a little bit older and filled up my iPhoto with his adorable—I mean, handsome—photos. Dallas is three months old now and growing fast. Some personal eye candy for you.

Taming those tresses

Every person has different hair than the next and mine is worse than anyone's. It is nappy, thick and completely unmanageable. The only way for me to tame this stuff—without the aid of chemicals—is to put it in braids or twists (more my style). Although it takes around 5–6 hours to twist, I won't have to worry about doing anything to it for the next two months! It's worth the money that I pay to have it done. Anyway, let me know about your hair taming woes.