Q's Bedroom & Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum

We took the girls to Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum. It reminds me of some cool place that Heidi might find and explore with her kids. It is literally 20 minutes from my house, and I had no idea that it existed.

It's a zillion old timey coin-operated machines-- some from the early 1900s and some from Coney Island. There are some newer games like Dance Dance Revolution and such, but of course, I was loving the oldies. And there were some CREEEEPY machines! I could not talk Q into having her bday party there in November. Booooo. Their favorite was the very realistic-looking dude who pukes. I know it's only fake puke (it's some sort of brown liquid), but I can only imagine how nasty the inside of that machine smells. Ew...now THAT creeped me out big time.

Here are some of my favorite pics:





And a video of Wally & Wanda, the Polka Babies:

Besides that, I completed my first Craigslist transaction!!! I got this super pretty French Provincial nightstand for $20 (!), and it's wanting a beautiful coat of turquoise paint for Q's room (like this).


Speaking of, here is the design board for Q's room:


Inspiration was taken from Lay Baby Lay's Little Girl Wonder inspiration board! I couldn't work the peach in there properly and Q wasn't feeling the peach anyway (she was allllll about the purple-- I could barely get the teal in there at all). But I think it will be good. I am bummed that her forest-themed room is already defunct, but once we get the attic playroom finished, those items will be transferred up there.

Hope everyone's weekend was swell!

Behold the Kitsch

My eyes! My eyes! This is extreme kitsch overload...even for me! Just finished putting this together. The wreath, Merry Christmas plaque and the pom poms are new, the deer and Santa are vintage. The larger Xmas plaques are hard to find, but I did find them on Etsy. Jennifer of Lulu's Cupcake Boutique was awesome in getting them to me tout de suite. Thanks, Jennifer!

Sorry for the massive overuse of Picnik effects as of late. My camera is crap. I can't take a good picture after sunset to save my life, and the Lomo effect especially really helps. I need to invest in a new camera, but after snooping on Flickr to see what some of my other peeps are using, it's looking like I am going to have to spend some major dough to get something good. Which I may or may not be willing to do. To be continued...

Coraline Obsessed

My niece's 8th birthday is coming up, and she wanted the Coraline movie. As a result, I decided I needed to see it to get ideas of some possible accompanying handmade gifts by watching the movie on PPV. I know I'm a day late and a dollar short, but I'm now obsessed. I decided it was too scary for Q (I was freaked out!), but it was right up my alley. I bought my own copy today.

So far, Sophie's getting the DVD and this awesome dolly from Etsy seller, Figurines by Ingrid:


Here's her bday card fashioned from a fun name generator from the Coraline website:



Q and I also made some pics of our OTHER selves this morning (creeeepy!):
Really, go visit the website! The visuals are amazing. More fun from the website:


Last but not least, I have been looking at some awesome pics from various Coraline swaps. Here is my absolute fave from Francie Horton (photo courtesy of her Flickr page)! The vintage Woolworth box??? The felted mouschka??????!!! To die for!


In other movie news, I took Q to see Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. I bought her the book before she was born because it was one of my faves as a kid. Didn't think I'd like the translation into film, but it had its own merits for sure. Really liked Mr. T as Earl the policeman and Andy Samberg as Baby Brent. Good stuff.

Hope you all had great weekends! xo

P.S. Viv's gonna be a hot dog for Halloween. To be continued...

The Dionne Quints

I had been hemming and hawing about buying this picture for my craftroom. But when Michelle added the background of the pic to her Etsy listing, I knew I had to have it (photo courtesy of MyWagonette).



The Dionne quintuplets were born in Canada in 1934 and were the first known quintuplets in the world. They were taken away from their parents and raised in a hospital and became Canada's second largest tourist attraction (next to Niagra Falls). Apparently, two of the sisters are still alive today. Apparently, the Canadian government made over $500 million at their expense. Unsure as to how much the ladies actually saw of that (probably none).


The dolls in the picture were produced by Madam Alexander in 1938 and are now worth a pretty penny (even the reproduction dolls are expensive). I would love to own the whole set, but I will settle for the picture. Sigh...what a tragic story.


On another note, don't forget to become a Girl Land fan on Facebook AND/OR leave a comment to my post from last week! You have until Friday. Tell your friends. Whoot.

So Much to Say & Creepiness

I have lots to say! Bear with me…

I’m irritated at Weight Watchers. Too long of a story to explain. Good news is I’ve lost 1 lb since Monday. Whoot!

Brings me to part I of my Creepiness. I started taking Alli. I won’t go into specifics, but let me just say that the side effects are really disturbing and just downright nasty. And I don’t think I can stick with it. It’s just not worth it. Anyone out there take it before and have any tips for me? Oh, but I am down 7 lbs. overall since I started WW 9 weeks ago. A little slow, but I recognize that I have the mentality I’ve had in the past, and I won’t back down until it’s all off.

Second part of my Creepiness. My parents just returned from a trip to Traverse City. Remember that insane asylum I told you about last year? Well, they walked around the grounds and stuff too. On the way home, they stopped to see my aunt who reminded my mother that they had an Aunt Barbara who was epileptic, and she was sent to that asylum for shock treatments in the 1950s which is, I guess, just what they did for epilepsy back then. Eek, CREEEEEEPY!!!!

I’ll have some cute vintage item pics tomorrow for you. Hubby’s been out of town this week, and I haven’t had time to take pics until after dark. My mom did give me a stash of my stickers last week. Look at these two beauties inside! Totally unscratched.









Another fun thing—top secret at this point. For those of you out-of-staters, Michigan has just started offering all these nifty tax incentives to film companies. Long story short, I may get to watch filming of a movie on Monday near my workplace. Will keep you posted!!!

Last, but not least, I have a new boyfriend:


Yeah, me and 1 million 15-year-old goth girls, right? Robert Pattinson has edged out Ryan Gosling on my top 5 list. Can’t help it—the man’s beautiful. I told you I’m boy crazy.

Have a good weekend, all! xo

And Speaking of Speaking of Ugly Children....

I'm sooooooooo with Cristin on this topic! Aside from politics, there are subjects that are just taboo. More specifically, I believe there are way more ugly babies and children in this world than cute.

As you know, we've been working on potty training Q. She has become obsessed with the book Once Upon a Potty, and I was reading it about 4 times a day at least. I found the DVD at the library yesterday, and guess what we've been watching incessantly?

I wish I hadn't opened Pandora's box because the thing haunts my dreams. After the cartoon, there is a "Potty Song" which features several of THE UGLIEST children I've ever seen in my life. I hope none of those kids are readers of my blog-- they are probably like 20 or so by now, but I'm SORRY, their parents should be ashamed of themselves. It would be ok if they just let them roam the streets like most ugly kids, but the point that they actually put their children in a DVD to share their ugliness with the world is just wrong. It's like someone said, "This tastes bad, taste this."

Without further ado, Ugly kid #1:


What makes it worse is that's a boy, "Nicholas". I'll bet that kid gets his ass whooped on a daily basis if he still looks like that.

I forgot to take a pic of Ugly Kid #2, but he is homely as hell and has bright red hair and, even as an infant, he looks like he smells like B.O. His name is Kevin.

And la piece de resistance, Ugly Kid #3.



That's a GIRL, "Emily". I had a dream last night about those toddler fangs of hers. Yeesh!

Since I am on a meany roll, let me tell you about my quasi-bad experience with Alchemy. Just annoying more than anything I guess. I said I wanted these mushroom bookends made because I can't find them anywhere.

I accepted a bid, was told I'd get design sketches, never received them, then simply received a pic of the finished product after the fact (well, THIS was the finished product; the picture I received was entirely different/weird colors):


Yeah, they're cute, but not at all resembling the pic I had shown. And I was stuck. She wouldn't refund my money, only credit to her store which wasn't really my taste (to put it nicely). Oh well. Win some, lose some. I'll make do with the phallic bookends (poor me, right?).


Lastly, I'm so excited I found some cheap blocks so I can make something that's been floating around my head since I bought this cute LRRH puzzle last summer. Time to brainstorm!!!!


Happy Hump Day, All!!!

********EDIT: AWWWWWW, SNAP!!!!!!! I JUST FOUND THE POTTY SONG ON YOUTUBE!

Can’t Sleep

This insomnia thing is getting old. Last night, I was plagued by my precious pregnancy congestion and had horrible dreams. Found this print on Etsy which illustrates my feelings to perfection! Isn't it lovely???


Didn’t help that Q was talking in her sleep all night and that we’d just watched Ghost Hunters before bed. As an aside, when asked this morning who she was talking to, she replied, “A grandpa”. EEK!!!

Also didn’t help that I couldn’t help thinking about something horrible that happened—one of Q’s buddies at daycare was pulled out at the end of last year because of his parent’s financial situation. Then I found out yesterday that his daddy committed suicide the day before Easter. Not like I even knew the man (he was 30) or even knew his name—only enough to say hi, but it kills me to think of that little boy (he’s 3) without a dad and what his future holds. Really terrible. Ok, sorry, don’t slit your wrists, y’all…

On a more uplifting note for me anyway, there is something kinda nifty that’s cropped up even if I don’t end up being involved. The said nifty thing will be occurring when I am only 1 week from delivering V, so it may not work out, but I will give more details as things progress…sorry to be so mysterious. Just don’t want to jinx anything. I’ll give you a clue though (even though it will probably confuse you more than anything seeing as I don't knit OR crochet!):



Hope everyone has a loverly weekend! We have swim lessons and then a fun playdate scheduled with Amy and Miss Ramona tomorrow afternoon. Oh, and thanks for all the comments and emails about Ryan’s car accident. He’s A-ok. At this point, our deductible and 3 weeks of having to pay for a rental is our worst problemo for which I’m grateful. Also, the d-bag neighbor removed his upside down shed. Yippee!!! Life is good.

Pink & Frilly, Warm & Fuzzies

Check out this blankie made by my friend, Denise, made for Q! She said she started it before Q was born. Q received it in the mail yesterday, and she was so excited. It's soooooo soft and warm. We love it. So thoughtful, and she knows how I love handmade. Also in the pic is the super crafty Valentine made by Q (with lotsa help, I imagine) at daycare. Isn't it boo-tiful?????

Now something a bit disturbing-- a yo yo clown I found at that estate sale last week. I've kept him in my car because I'm not ashamed to admit he freaks the hell outta me. When I was measuring him to list on Etsy, I was uber careful with him and found myself talking nicely to him. Why did I buy him, you ask? Because he told me I'd be sorry if I didn't (plus, isn't he kinda cool??). He's now in my Etsy shop.

I'm planning a little giveaway sometime in the near future. I've already passed my 1 year blogiversary, and my 200th post is coming up. Eek.

Happy weekending all! We are going to Lansing to see the in laws tomorrow and eat at PF Chang's. Mmmmm....lettuce wraps.

Vote for Your Favorite!

Without further ado, here are the Scared of Santa pics submitted (all 5 of them!). Scary Santas indeed!
1. This is Tracy around 2 years old. Wouldn't you be scared too? That Santa looks undead.

2. This is Anne's favorite Scared of Santa pic. She said she was looking for the weird kid in line before Ralphie, but couldn't find it.



3. This is Amy's daughter, Ramona. So she wasn't scared, per se, but Amy said the dude's beard was falling off and didn't even notice. Worthy of a chuckle, eh?

4. Jessie sent this pic in. Not of anyone she knew, but highly amusing nonetheless. I don't know what's scarier-- the Santa or that kid's hair.

5. Here are Colleen's kids, Maeve and Finn. Finn looks kinda entranced by our bearded friend. Maeve-- not so much.

Please vote for your fave pic HERE and the pic who wins the most votes by Monday morning will get a vintage/handmade-licious treat!

THANKS FOR VOTING!!! CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED! TRACY IS THE WINNER.

Santa’s Watching, Santa’s Creeping

So as I was saying yesterday, we took Q and her buddy to see Santa. This is about as close as I could get her.

Today, I was listening to the radio, and they were talking about websites that post “Scared of Santa” pics. Here are some of my favorites from the particular site I visited. Can you BLAME these kids for freaking? This first Santa almost made me wet my pants.

I’m not sure if the parents realize the severity of the trauma they could be causing. For example, have you seen Silent Night Deadly Night? Pretty amusing (but bad) B-movie from the 80s about a traumatized kid who freaks out and punishes all the “naughty” people. I tried to find the theme song lyrics online because they are extremely disturbing but make me laugh at the same time. All I could find were these:

Santa’s Watching/Santa’s Creeping
Now you’re nodding/now you’re sleeping
Were you good for Mom and Dad?
Santa knows if you’ve been bad.

If that doesn’t scare the hell outta you, I don’t know what would. I’m very much attracted to the vintage Santas with like the red felt fuzzy bodies, but I can admit they are very scary. Here’s a favorite ornament from childhood.

Ok, to conclude and to round out the whole theme of this post, I need to show you the picture of the gift I had originally purchased for Ryan and my brother (Joel, I bought you something else instead). After further consideration, I kind of think most people would think “WTF” if they opened this. Even if it is cool and even if Tina was watching Twin Peaks while making them. Ryan’s still getting one though (and Joel, if you like it, you can have it too…no pressure tho).

Isn’t it great?? Do you guys think I'm weird?

Creepin' Me Out

So Q says yesterday, "Kid crying, kid crying" and is looking all sad. I say, "Where is there a kid crying?", thinking she is hearing a neighbor kid having a tantrum or something outside. She pulls me into our guest room and points to this statue guy we use as a door stop. Frigging SCARY!!! Our black and white cat knocked him over when we first bought him and his head broke off, so Ryan glued it back on. Ryan said, "Eesh, maybe that's why he's crying!". That's the room we're going to have to move into soon to make room for Baby #2, and now we're freaked out about it. I can't wait to tell my mom because she already think the thing comes alive at night. I think she puts something over it when she sleeps over.

We took Q to get her first haircut yesterday. We went to this only moderately awful kid's haircut chain, and she did alright. She wouldn't wear the cape though. It's a little less Gene Wilder-ish now. Then we went to a cider mill and sweated our arses off.

Also made Ryan go back to the estate sale from yesterday so I could buy Missy Mouse!!!! That's the one I thought I had bought but I didn't. Isn't she cute? I'm very content now.


I am heading off to a flea market in a bit, so I will show you my finds in the next day or so.