Not only is Fall fantastic because it's football season, it's also pumpkin season!
Whether you like pumpkins for decorating or eating, pumpkins are baaaackkk!
I stumbled across a fun website that's perfect for this time of year! I think this artist might also be up for a Crananas Artist Award! What's the big deal about some award you've never heard of? You should be so lucky to be in the running for this award. It's very prestigious after all. I made it up and you get nothing for winning. Who doesn't want to qualify to win that?!
Anyhow.....
A pumpkin carving artist, Scott Cummins, has gallery after gallery of his clever and awe-inspiring pumpkin creations on display for you to explore at your leisure. I really enjoyed looking at all of Scott's fine work but there was something else on his website that made me giggle even more than his pumpkin carvings. What might be even better than his super cool and imaginative pumpkin carvings you ask? The way he answers his FAQ. Hilarious. If I were you I would check out his website for that alone. :0)
Scott also has a pumpkin carving tutorial for you on his website and be sure to check out his pumpkin fact page. Lots of interesting and new facts to soak up!
Hopefully Scott's designs will help inspire you to creative your own pumpkin masterpiece! Happy carving!!
Scott Cummins website.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Friday, October 1, 2010
Crananas for Halloween and the Fall!!
I just go crananas for this time of year! Don't you?
The weather is perfect-sunny and crisp!
The leaves are changing colors making our surroundings look even more beautiful than normal.
Fall is when some of the best holidays start approaching on the horizon. Starting off the holiday bonanza is my personal favorite, Halloween!!!
Halloween is SO fun and I want everyone to love it as much as I do. So here are some reasons why it's so great!!
Top 5 reasons I love Halloween!
1. You can let you imagine run wild! This is the holiday where anything goes. You can dream it up and then make it a reality. Well, a pretend reality. I don't think it's possible to dream up "real" zombies or giant 3 foot spiders. That would dampen the fun if it was actually possible. The point is to have fun exploring your creativity!
You can dress up your house or apartment however you please! There's no limit to the fun you can have decorating! Fake spiders, monsters and ghosts pop up all over the place! You can decorate your home in a fun sweet manor or you can go the scary gory Halloween route! I tend to lean towards the cute and kookie but this year I did buy awesome gel clings for the windows from Target. They are bloody hand prints with little drips of blood to put on your window!! So cool! :0)
I also really enjoy walking outside in my hood and seeing all the other people getting into the fun of the holiday with their sunken pirate ships in their front yards, the graveyard headstones, and the skeleton's waving hello to those who pass. The spiders and pumpkins and ghosties, oh my!
2. Getting to dress up! Who doesn't want to be someone else every now and again? With Halloween, you are free to be whoever or whatever you want to be! Costumes and costume parties are a great way to let loose and have a good time! It's the one time of year everyone can act silly and childlike and it's OK. In fact, it's encouraged! Costumes are also another way to stretch your creative muscles.
3. The food! I don't know about you but I love a good theme. Halloween allows us to take a theme and run with it and it's never considered tacky! I love looking at all of the Halloween magazines and pictures for cool new ideas for Halloween themed recipes. The Frankenstein cupcakes, the mummy cookies, the witches fingers, the list could go on and on! Check out all the different ideas out there! The possibilities are endless! Not to mention the yummy seasonal food and drink. The caramel apples, popcorn balls, hot apple cider, pumpkin bread, cake and pie. I don't know about you but now I'm hungry!
4. The candy!!! Duh. Do I really need to say anything else about this?
5. And finally, possibly the most important, family and friends and the time spent together. The camaraderie of Halloween. Everyone walking outside together going door to door, the different festivals and pumpkin patches visited as a family or with a group of friends. Going to a Haunted House with your buddies and screaming yourself hoarse together. The fact that we still open our doors to "strangers" and welcome them and give them free candy to show our appreciation. Seeing all of the kiddos giggling and running and laughing and enjoying their time together outside, as it gets dark. That's what Halloween is all about. Enjoying ourselves. Letting loose. Spending time with those we care about.
Now who wouldn't love that? I think even the crankiest witch and the most stubborn zombie would have to agree with me on that. :0)
Happy Fall and Happy Halloween! Hope it's spooktacular!!
The weather is perfect-sunny and crisp!
The leaves are changing colors making our surroundings look even more beautiful than normal.
Fall is when some of the best holidays start approaching on the horizon. Starting off the holiday bonanza is my personal favorite, Halloween!!!
Halloween is SO fun and I want everyone to love it as much as I do. So here are some reasons why it's so great!!
Top 5 reasons I love Halloween!
1. You can let you imagine run wild! This is the holiday where anything goes. You can dream it up and then make it a reality. Well, a pretend reality. I don't think it's possible to dream up "real" zombies or giant 3 foot spiders. That would dampen the fun if it was actually possible. The point is to have fun exploring your creativity!
You can dress up your house or apartment however you please! There's no limit to the fun you can have decorating! Fake spiders, monsters and ghosts pop up all over the place! You can decorate your home in a fun sweet manor or you can go the scary gory Halloween route! I tend to lean towards the cute and kookie but this year I did buy awesome gel clings for the windows from Target. They are bloody hand prints with little drips of blood to put on your window!! So cool! :0)
I also really enjoy walking outside in my hood and seeing all the other people getting into the fun of the holiday with their sunken pirate ships in their front yards, the graveyard headstones, and the skeleton's waving hello to those who pass. The spiders and pumpkins and ghosties, oh my!
2. Getting to dress up! Who doesn't want to be someone else every now and again? With Halloween, you are free to be whoever or whatever you want to be! Costumes and costume parties are a great way to let loose and have a good time! It's the one time of year everyone can act silly and childlike and it's OK. In fact, it's encouraged! Costumes are also another way to stretch your creative muscles.
3. The food! I don't know about you but I love a good theme. Halloween allows us to take a theme and run with it and it's never considered tacky! I love looking at all of the Halloween magazines and pictures for cool new ideas for Halloween themed recipes. The Frankenstein cupcakes, the mummy cookies, the witches fingers, the list could go on and on! Check out all the different ideas out there! The possibilities are endless! Not to mention the yummy seasonal food and drink. The caramel apples, popcorn balls, hot apple cider, pumpkin bread, cake and pie. I don't know about you but now I'm hungry!
4. The candy!!! Duh. Do I really need to say anything else about this?
5. And finally, possibly the most important, family and friends and the time spent together. The camaraderie of Halloween. Everyone walking outside together going door to door, the different festivals and pumpkin patches visited as a family or with a group of friends. Going to a Haunted House with your buddies and screaming yourself hoarse together. The fact that we still open our doors to "strangers" and welcome them and give them free candy to show our appreciation. Seeing all of the kiddos giggling and running and laughing and enjoying their time together outside, as it gets dark. That's what Halloween is all about. Enjoying ourselves. Letting loose. Spending time with those we care about.
Now who wouldn't love that? I think even the crankiest witch and the most stubborn zombie would have to agree with me on that. :0)
Happy Fall and Happy Halloween! Hope it's spooktacular!!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Another great website that made me go crananas!
I stumbled across the Spoon Sisters website a while ago while looking at Real Simple's website (This is my favorite magazine of all time! Check out my older post for the scoop on the magazine! You need to have this mag, people!!)
If you are ever in a pickle about deciding what kind of gift to give, turn to The Spoon Sisters website and all your problems will be solved. My brain went into information overload with all of their creative and unique ideas! My husband's birthday was a couple months away when I was surfing through the Sisters' site for the first time and I found the fun portion of his birthday present from me ( I usually give him a "practical" gift and then a fun gift.).
A little background:
My husband likes the game of Ping Pong and plays it with my Dad when we go to visit my parents and he's often mentioned wanting to play here at our home. The problem is that we don't really have the space for a real table.
Enter The Spoon Sisters!
I found a dining room table Ping Pong set on their website and I immediately knew that it was my fun gift! The shipping was fast, everything arrived in one piece and was packaged in a cute little tin and they even included a free handwritten note with the message I had asked them to include in the packaging! And best of all, my husband was completely surprised and excited about the gift!
The Spoon Sisters have a gift for every occasion you can imagine! Here are a couple of examples:
-Here's one for your guy friend. "Dress for Dinner Napkins" sure to give everyone a giggle or two!
-Here's one for the Pessimist in your life. Maybe drinking out of this "Half Full Glass" will help change their outlook on things!
-If you need a wallet and you like PB& J sandwiches, this "Yummy Pocket" is especially for you!
-For the Hostess with the mostess, The Spoon Sisters have tons of options! This item would be a great addition to a bottle of wine for the hostess! Or maybe you could give this or this!
-A couple of my favorite finds:
Ninjabread Men
Fingerstache
Match and Munch
Travel Nail Polish Remover
Create Your Own Night Light
I could go on and on and on!
They also have lots of gifts for children of all ages! They also have lots of interesting and kitchy books for purchase too. You could easily spend all day on this website finding the perfect gifts for everyone, including yourself, at a reasonable price! Hopefully some of my examples have enticed you to take a look at the whole website!
Enjoy!
If you are ever in a pickle about deciding what kind of gift to give, turn to The Spoon Sisters website and all your problems will be solved. My brain went into information overload with all of their creative and unique ideas! My husband's birthday was a couple months away when I was surfing through the Sisters' site for the first time and I found the fun portion of his birthday present from me ( I usually give him a "practical" gift and then a fun gift.).
A little background:
My husband likes the game of Ping Pong and plays it with my Dad when we go to visit my parents and he's often mentioned wanting to play here at our home. The problem is that we don't really have the space for a real table.
Enter The Spoon Sisters!
I found a dining room table Ping Pong set on their website and I immediately knew that it was my fun gift! The shipping was fast, everything arrived in one piece and was packaged in a cute little tin and they even included a free handwritten note with the message I had asked them to include in the packaging! And best of all, my husband was completely surprised and excited about the gift!
The Spoon Sisters have a gift for every occasion you can imagine! Here are a couple of examples:
-Here's one for your guy friend. "Dress for Dinner Napkins" sure to give everyone a giggle or two!
-Here's one for the Pessimist in your life. Maybe drinking out of this "Half Full Glass" will help change their outlook on things!
-If you need a wallet and you like PB& J sandwiches, this "Yummy Pocket" is especially for you!
-For the Hostess with the mostess, The Spoon Sisters have tons of options! This item would be a great addition to a bottle of wine for the hostess! Or maybe you could give this or this!
-A couple of my favorite finds:
Ninjabread Men
Fingerstache
Match and Munch
Travel Nail Polish Remover
Create Your Own Night Light
I could go on and on and on!
They also have lots of gifts for children of all ages! They also have lots of interesting and kitchy books for purchase too. You could easily spend all day on this website finding the perfect gifts for everyone, including yourself, at a reasonable price! Hopefully some of my examples have enticed you to take a look at the whole website!
Enjoy!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Sesame Street parody
Oh Sesame Street, you did it again!
More fun parodies from our favorite muppets! When don't these furry guys and gals deliver? The kids are learning and having a good time and the parents get a giggle. A win/win in my book!
Enjoy!
More fun parodies from our favorite muppets! When don't these furry guys and gals deliver? The kids are learning and having a good time and the parents get a giggle. A win/win in my book!
Enjoy!
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Pop-Tart's gone crananas!!!
A Pop-Tart store? Where they sell snacks made out of Pop-tarts?
No no no no noooooo!!
I know I should be kind about this because if anyone could make my cranana hybrid fruit a reality, it's probably the Pop-Tart peeps. But I just can't hold my tongue on this story.
I'm happy to give you a couple of highlights from the article I found on the New York Times website, however make sure you take the time to read the whole article there. But here are some things that stood out to me.
To be fair, let me start with some positive remarks. :0)
1. This new Pop-Tart store is taking up residence at Times Square in New York. Prime real estate which is impressive. They aren't the first company to rent out a store front to sell their goods; M&M's and Hersey both have stores around the Time Square area. So it's not that unusual.
2. I have to say, I bet it would be fun to sit down and try to figure out all the different ways you can sell a Pop-Tart. Sort of like a Top Chef Quick Fire Challenge. The Pop-Tart people are creative in their marketing as well as their food creations and they have some interesting ideas and products to sell, sell, sell!
3. The higher ups are sort of brilliant because of course people will get sucked into the store to see what it's about and some will buy things because they think it's hilarious and wrong and some will buy because they actually think it's tasty and awesome. I'm sure they've done a good job of making the store eye popping. We are a visual society and I'm sure the look of the store will draw people in.
4. It's true one Pop-Tart isn't going to kill you. And yes, I've eaten them. When I was a teenager. For a treat now and again.
Ok, now onto the not so positive remarks!
1. Hersey and M&M's are clearly candy items and aren't masquerading as a breakfast item. Yeah, Pop-Tart, I'm talking to you. We've all seen your commercials. You think you're breakfast. Newsflash: You are a cookie! With your ingredient list and preservatives, you are worse than some cookies! Take a look at Workout Mommy's blog, she breaks the Pop-Tart down for you. You can see just how naughty these "pastries" are! Or take a look at this link, it's from the Kellogg's website. This lists all the ingredients in the Frosted Chocolate Fudge Pop-Tarts. That's an awful lot of ingredients my friends. A lot of words don't sound like food to me. And don't get me started on the high fructose corn syrup!
Now, I will admit, you did say that you were serving desserts in your cafe, so at least you are being honest there.
2. According to the article, your main focus is the cafe. I love a good sweet treat just like everyone else but some of these menu items make me nauseous. For example (and there's plenty to choose from), the Fluffer Butter. "Pop-Tarts Frosted Chocolate Fudge sandwich (so two of those pastries that we looked at the ingredient list above) with fudge frosting, marshmallow cream and peanut butter." Holy calorie and sugar overdose Batman!
Or the Pop-Tart Ice Cream Sammys. "Pop-Tarts Frosted Chocolate Fudge with rocky road ice cream, Pop-Tarts Hot Fudge Sundae with hot fudge sundae ice cream OR Pop-Tarts Frosted Cookies and Creame with cookies and cream ice cream." I think I just went into a sugar coma typing that.
Some creations just confuse me; Ants on a Log-celery (huh? Something healthy on the menu?), peanut butter topped with chunks of Pop-Tarts Frosted Wild Grape. Um, ew?! So the healthier choice is gross sounding? Awesome.
Some creations take traditional desserts that have few ingredients and aren't that bad for you and Pop-Tart them up into a Frankenstein dessert. For example, Peach Blueberry Cobbler. The description is "Fresh peaches and blueberries stirred with Pop-Tarts Frosted Blueberry Muffin and Pop-Tarts Frosted Blueberry served warm in old fashioned cobbler dough."
Ok, so Pop-Tarts (which are made of dough) inside more dough? They should call it Death of a Low Carb Diet.
There is also an option for you to build your own Pop-Tart creation where you can add onto a Pop-Tart things like coconut, drizzles of caramel and raspberry, Jimmies and sprinkles.
I could go on and on about the menu items but I will leave some for you to discover on your own!
3. The prices are a little expensive. Chocolate with Pop-Tarts Frosted Chocolate Fudge and Pop-Tarts Frosted S'mores for 4.29?? Most of the menu items hover in the 4 dollar range and I have to say a lot of these creations you can easily make at home. My husband heard about the Pop-Tart sushi and for a joke he made them and took them to work (A picture below!).
4. Perhaps they should have saved on all the rent they will have to pay for the store (apparently somewhere around 1,000 dollars per square foot) and made a "cookbook" and done a tv special and called it a day. It would have saved them money and still probably made them tons of money. Some of which perhaps they could have donated to feed the hungry?
Here's a link to Pop-Tarts website so you can peruse all the glorious starchy sugary goodness.
What do you think about the Pop-Tarts menu?
My husband's version of Pop-Tart sushi!
No no no no noooooo!!
I know I should be kind about this because if anyone could make my cranana hybrid fruit a reality, it's probably the Pop-Tart peeps. But I just can't hold my tongue on this story.
I'm happy to give you a couple of highlights from the article I found on the New York Times website, however make sure you take the time to read the whole article there. But here are some things that stood out to me.
To be fair, let me start with some positive remarks. :0)
1. This new Pop-Tart store is taking up residence at Times Square in New York. Prime real estate which is impressive. They aren't the first company to rent out a store front to sell their goods; M&M's and Hersey both have stores around the Time Square area. So it's not that unusual.
2. I have to say, I bet it would be fun to sit down and try to figure out all the different ways you can sell a Pop-Tart. Sort of like a Top Chef Quick Fire Challenge. The Pop-Tart people are creative in their marketing as well as their food creations and they have some interesting ideas and products to sell, sell, sell!
3. The higher ups are sort of brilliant because of course people will get sucked into the store to see what it's about and some will buy things because they think it's hilarious and wrong and some will buy because they actually think it's tasty and awesome. I'm sure they've done a good job of making the store eye popping. We are a visual society and I'm sure the look of the store will draw people in.
4. It's true one Pop-Tart isn't going to kill you. And yes, I've eaten them. When I was a teenager. For a treat now and again.
Ok, now onto the not so positive remarks!
1. Hersey and M&M's are clearly candy items and aren't masquerading as a breakfast item. Yeah, Pop-Tart, I'm talking to you. We've all seen your commercials. You think you're breakfast. Newsflash: You are a cookie! With your ingredient list and preservatives, you are worse than some cookies! Take a look at Workout Mommy's blog, she breaks the Pop-Tart down for you. You can see just how naughty these "pastries" are! Or take a look at this link, it's from the Kellogg's website. This lists all the ingredients in the Frosted Chocolate Fudge Pop-Tarts. That's an awful lot of ingredients my friends. A lot of words don't sound like food to me. And don't get me started on the high fructose corn syrup!
Now, I will admit, you did say that you were serving desserts in your cafe, so at least you are being honest there.
2. According to the article, your main focus is the cafe. I love a good sweet treat just like everyone else but some of these menu items make me nauseous. For example (and there's plenty to choose from), the Fluffer Butter. "Pop-Tarts Frosted Chocolate Fudge sandwich (so two of those pastries that we looked at the ingredient list above) with fudge frosting, marshmallow cream and peanut butter." Holy calorie and sugar overdose Batman!
Or the Pop-Tart Ice Cream Sammys. "Pop-Tarts Frosted Chocolate Fudge with rocky road ice cream, Pop-Tarts Hot Fudge Sundae with hot fudge sundae ice cream OR Pop-Tarts Frosted Cookies and Creame with cookies and cream ice cream." I think I just went into a sugar coma typing that.
Some creations just confuse me; Ants on a Log-celery (huh? Something healthy on the menu?), peanut butter topped with chunks of Pop-Tarts Frosted Wild Grape. Um, ew?! So the healthier choice is gross sounding? Awesome.
Some creations take traditional desserts that have few ingredients and aren't that bad for you and Pop-Tart them up into a Frankenstein dessert. For example, Peach Blueberry Cobbler. The description is "Fresh peaches and blueberries stirred with Pop-Tarts Frosted Blueberry Muffin and Pop-Tarts Frosted Blueberry served warm in old fashioned cobbler dough."
Ok, so Pop-Tarts (which are made of dough) inside more dough? They should call it Death of a Low Carb Diet.
There is also an option for you to build your own Pop-Tart creation where you can add onto a Pop-Tart things like coconut, drizzles of caramel and raspberry, Jimmies and sprinkles.
I could go on and on about the menu items but I will leave some for you to discover on your own!
3. The prices are a little expensive. Chocolate with Pop-Tarts Frosted Chocolate Fudge and Pop-Tarts Frosted S'mores for 4.29?? Most of the menu items hover in the 4 dollar range and I have to say a lot of these creations you can easily make at home. My husband heard about the Pop-Tart sushi and for a joke he made them and took them to work (A picture below!).
4. Perhaps they should have saved on all the rent they will have to pay for the store (apparently somewhere around 1,000 dollars per square foot) and made a "cookbook" and done a tv special and called it a day. It would have saved them money and still probably made them tons of money. Some of which perhaps they could have donated to feed the hungry?
Here's a link to Pop-Tarts website so you can peruse all the glorious starchy sugary goodness.
What do you think about the Pop-Tarts menu?
My husband's version of Pop-Tart sushi!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Ouchy Crananas!
Oh. my.
I have come across a video from Amazing Race, the Emmy Award winning CBS reality show and felt the need to share. This is another video that my husband found.
This is the type of video that at first your jaw drops in horror and sympathy....aaaand then, the second time you watch the video, you kinda giggle. I know I'm a little bit terrible for thinking it's sort of funny (It's the very ugly head of schadenfreude. Which I believe no one can quite escape! Seriously! How many America's Funniest Home Videos did you laugh at or are still laughing about?!) but then I remind myself I'm not as bad as her partner. Because had I been there, I know I would have been caring and attentive. I would not have acted like her partner. She...well....you can just watch the video to see for yourself!
Ouch (on a couple levels)! Did you see that watermelon?! It completely disintegrated! You know that had to hurt! I give props to that contestant for being able to handle that!! I think upon further reflection, it's not so much about that singular instance of her getting hit, it's how the whole thing transpired. The comments made before and after....that's what makes me chuckle. The absurdity of it all!
I have come across a video from Amazing Race, the Emmy Award winning CBS reality show and felt the need to share. This is another video that my husband found.
This is the type of video that at first your jaw drops in horror and sympathy....aaaand then, the second time you watch the video, you kinda giggle. I know I'm a little bit terrible for thinking it's sort of funny (It's the very ugly head of schadenfreude. Which I believe no one can quite escape! Seriously! How many America's Funniest Home Videos did you laugh at or are still laughing about?!) but then I remind myself I'm not as bad as her partner. Because had I been there, I know I would have been caring and attentive. I would not have acted like her partner. She...well....you can just watch the video to see for yourself!
Ouch (on a couple levels)! Did you see that watermelon?! It completely disintegrated! You know that had to hurt! I give props to that contestant for being able to handle that!! I think upon further reflection, it's not so much about that singular instance of her getting hit, it's how the whole thing transpired. The comments made before and after....that's what makes me chuckle. The absurdity of it all!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Crananas for Inception!
Inception was an awesome movie and if you haven't seen it, you should!! If you have no idea what it's about (you must be living under a rock!), then you can take a peek at the trailer. It's a powerful jam-packed couple of minutes that will get you pumped to see the full movie. Below, I have posted the original trailer.
Because of the impact the trailer has had, there are some spoofs that have come about. My husband and his co-workers found this spoof (I have included below) and they all think it's pretty funny. I think I like watching my husband watch it more than watching the actual trailer.
If you haven't seen the *real* trailer for Inception, check a little bit of it out first before watching the other video. And as with all trailers, it will show parts of the movie, so if you don't like spoilers and haven't seen the movie yet, you might want to skip looking at what's below. But if you are the kind of person who likes to see a trailer before you see the actual movie, go ahead and feast your eyes on the trailers!
Real trailer:
Super cool and creative remake of the trailer:
What's your favorite part?
Personally, I think it gets more hilarious each time you watch it!
Because of the impact the trailer has had, there are some spoofs that have come about. My husband and his co-workers found this spoof (I have included below) and they all think it's pretty funny. I think I like watching my husband watch it more than watching the actual trailer.
If you haven't seen the *real* trailer for Inception, check a little bit of it out first before watching the other video. And as with all trailers, it will show parts of the movie, so if you don't like spoilers and haven't seen the movie yet, you might want to skip looking at what's below. But if you are the kind of person who likes to see a trailer before you see the actual movie, go ahead and feast your eyes on the trailers!
Real trailer:
Super cool and creative remake of the trailer:
What's your favorite part?
Personally, I think it gets more hilarious each time you watch it!
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