Oh Rocky: December 2013

Photodump: 2013 in Photos

In 2013 I....

Went on lots of hikes early in the year.

...And took lots of pretty pictures.

Bought a nice big cat tree for Sprinkles and Brando!

Decided to finally get pet rats and bought a HUGE rat mansion!

Before the rats arrived...Brando thought it was set up for him. Silly Brando.

Welcomed these three little cuties to their new home!

Made some neat (and colorful!) discoveries at Matthews house.

Isn't this the most bad ass looking caterpillar?!

Grew out my hair longer than it's ever!

Made lots of cute yummy smelling soaps!

Grew my hair out some more... :)

Dressed as some sort of cat for Halloween at work.

Collected more Cicada shells.

Made this cute little mini diorama for these little guys.

Relived my teen years and went to this concert with my sister. OMG...best night EVER! Hahaha!

And finally....Started this blog!

I can't wait to see what 2014 has in store for me!

What were your favorite parts of 2013?

Is it just me, or does every year seem to go by faster the older you get? I can't believe it's almost 2014!

I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas! Mine consisted of playing Catch Phrase with the family (SO FREAKIN' FUN!!!), Watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and Home Alone on the projector, lots of gifts, and general all around great times with my family. I had a blast :)

With 2014 right around the corner, it's time to fine a 2014 Calendar! These are really cute!!!

Printable Typewriter Calendar by Sky Goodies

Business Cats Wall Calendar by Supah

This Trip to the Moon patch is pretty awesome!

This Miniature Beetlejuice Replica Terrarium is AMAZING!!! How cool is that?! I am blown seriously blown away.

Some Star Wars fans HATE Ewoks (it shames me to say it...but my guy is one of them lol). I, on the other hand, have been smitten with them since childhood. Battle For Endor anyone? These little plushies are so cute and I want them all over my home!!!

I hope you have a great weekend!

Inspiration

While catching up on some blog reading this week, I noticed that Kaylah added her 2.25" Button Press to her Etsy shop The Destash Squid! As soon as my check cleared yesterday, I immediately snatched it up. I had my fingers crossed all day that it would still be there! I am beyond excited guys! I've been wanting a button machine for such a long time! After paying for that, I went ahead and ordered the punch cutter and a batch of mirror sets to go with the accessories that come with the punch.

I eventually want to get the 1" button machine for button sets, but I want to use this one mostly for pocket mirrors! I'm planning on illustrating a bunch of pop culture related pieces and I can't wait to turn them into little pocket mirrors! It's going to be so much fun! Here are a couple of my favorite pocket mirrors from Etsy sellers who really inspire me:

These illustrations by Danny Brito are the beez neez yall! Aren't they so cute!? I love the Strawberry Milk one. The one in the top left corner is really great too; I love all of the patterns in the background and that little cat is adorable!

I am also a big fan of Modern Girl Blitz. All of her designs are empowering with a great big dose of pretty and fun! I first discovered Modern Girl Blitz while searching for Ghost World items on Etsy. It's one of my favorite movies, and so when I found this mirror I had to check out the rest of her shop. There's nothing in there that I don't want!

Well, I'm off to work and then a few hours drive until I'm with my family for Christmas! I can't wait for them to open their gifts! Merry Christmas!

Friday Favorites // 1

This Breaking Bad Illustration set from Retro Whale is really cute!

My sister and I used to watch the original Frankenweenie obsessively when we were little. I'm so happy Tim Burton decided to do a full length version. And in claymation....and black and white! Love :) So anyways, I really love this full size Sparky amigurumi pattern from Heart In Flight Crochet. I think it would make a great birthday present for my sister!

We went to see Anchorman 2, and I AM IN LOVE with Kirstin Wiig's hair in it! I'm contemplating taking this photo to a stylist and having it done. Huge short curly hair? I'm in. Her outfits were super cute too.

Also from Anchorman 2...Is it strange that I find this attractive? Haha! Paul Rudd is so adorable!

I hope you have a great weekend!

Featured Fan Art: PJ McQuade

Star Wars Christmas Jabba Bells print

Tauntaun Catching Snowflake, Chewbacca the Red Nose Reindeer card, Yoda Clause print

Oh man! Are these not the most awesome Star Wars/Christmas prints and cards or what???! Jabba with a tambourine!? Chewy as a reindeer?! And that Tauntaun catching snowflakes might be one of the most adorable friggin' things I've ever seen! Woudn't these be great to hang in your craft space every Christmas? Or a nursery even! BTW...as of last night, I am officially an AUNT! I don't think my little sis would care for Star Wars Christmas themed nursery decor, but I may have to be sneaky and leave a bit here and there haha! Babies aside though, I reeallly really want to have these for my craft room.

Step Brothers Nighthawk & Dragon, Ripley Alien Movie print

I couldn't help but include these two. Nighthawk & Dragon from Step Brothers? Badass right?! And I am a total sucker for the Alien movies, so I am obviously in love with the Ripley print. It even has Jonesy! You can find these and more in PJ McQuade's shop Castle McQuade. Check it out!

Which is your favorite?

Top Five: Christmas Movies

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation sweater, A Christmas Story print

The Nightmare Before Christmas poster, Elf digital download, Home Alone cross stitch pattern

Of all of these great Christmas movies, I'm going to have to say Christmas Vacation is my most favorite of them all.

Classic Chevy Chase (umm....hottie!)...Check

Dysfunctional family plot...Check

Vulgarity throughout the script...Check

My Christmas wouldn't be the same with out it :)

What are your favorite Christmas time movies?

Wishlist: Christmas Time

Christmas Sweater, Pug Mug

Doctor Sleep, Grumpy Cat Amigurumi, Sally's Baking Addiction, Breaking Bad Season 3

1 & 2: Warm & Cozy

I don't know about you, but nothing screams cold weather fixins to me more than cute sweaters and hot chocolate! I would love to wear this sweater Christmas Morning, my little brothers would get a good laugh out of it :) Also...this pug mug! OMFG isn't it the cutest!

3: Read

One of my favorite things to do when it's cold outside is to curl up on the couch with a fuzzy blanket and dive into a great book. As someone who loves Stephen King, it shames me to say that I've never read The Shining. I know. It's an outrage! Once I finish the Game of Thrones books (I'm on book 4 right now!), I plan on reading some more King stuff. I HAVE to start with The Shining, because Doctor Sleep is a follow up on Danny! I had no idea until I read the flap at the bookstore the other day. The Shining is at the tippy top of my favorite Horror movies list, alongside The Exorcist and the Alien movies. Needless to say, I'm beyond ready to read this!

4: Make

As I mentioned in my last post, I want to tackle Amigurumi. I've been 'favoriting' away on Etsy with all the nerdy/cute/funny/creepy amigurumi patterns. I can't help but laugh a little when I see Grumpy Cat. I think this would be cute as a catnip stuffed toy for Sprinkles and Brando.

5: Bake

I'm one of those people who procrastinates a lot about making food of any kind. I love searching for recipes and I love looking at cute baking projects, but it seems like I have to be in a special mood to actually get my ass in the kitchen and do it. Christmas time is one of those times that puts me in that mood. I found this book on Amazon a while back and the author has a really great baking blog with lots of pretty pictures if you're into that sort of thing. You can check it out HERE!

6: Watch

I CAN NOT believe it took me this long to start watching Breaking Bad. Matthew bought me season 1 for my birthday on Monday, gave it to me early, and then bought me season 2 the next day. Gosh babe, you're the best!!! I think it's safe to say I'll be buying season 3 this weekend (and maybe 4 and 5 too).

What's on your Christmas Wish List?

Wish List: Amigurumi Books

I learned to crochet a few years back, and haven't really made anything other than hats and scarves. I've been wanting to do granny square blankets, but I think it's the time commitment that has kept me from doing one yet. Sometimes I just need instant gratification on a project ya know? Which brings me to Amigurumi! What's cuter than little crochet characters? Ok ok kittens are, but when you don't have a kitten the next cutest thing might just be little crochet characters right?! Sometime within the next few weeks I'm going to become a first time Aunt, and there are SO many amigurumi projects that would make great little baby gifts! It's well past time, I tackled the art of amigurumi! Here are a few books that are currently on my "to-buy" list to get me started:

Amigurumi Toy Box by Ana Paula Rimoli

Crocheted Softies by Stacey Trock

Amigurumi Two! by Ana Paula Rimoli

Have you ever made Amigurumi dolls?

Featured Fan Art: Peter Strain

Inglorious Basterds Film Print, The Lost Boys, American Beauty Film Poster

Momento Film Poster, The Shining Screen Print

I'm really loving this artist style! I'm a sucker for black and white with splashes of color and these are fucking AWESOME!!! It doesn't hurt that these are some of my favorite films :) Check out more of Peter Strain's work in his Etsy shop here!

I Love Cicadas!

All my life, I've considered myself an explorer. When I was a kid, my favorite way to spend my time was outdoors searching for this or that. I was never afraid of catching or picking up ANYTHING. I learned about cacti that way as a matter of fact, and a painful lesson it was! One of my favorite things to hunt for though are cicadas and their shells. It's always a special treat to find one as it's emerging, which hardly EVER happens, but I'm content just finding and collecting the shells. I even keep a little apple jar on my shelf that's full of them :)

I'll usually just grab a jar or small bowl and go around checking trees, the house, or any standing structure really. Those little guys aren't picky :) In the above photo, I found all of those within about 10-15 minutes at my moms house.

I also collect bones, neat rocks, and dead insects. I'll save those for another post :)

Do you collect anything from nature?

Quirky Pet: Sprinkles

My cat Sprinkles has discovered a new favorite spot to lounge and sleep. I can't help but laugh every time I see it. I first saw her doing this last week and she does it all the time now. I keep waiting for her to fall asleep and slip, but it hasn't happened yet.

She also loves burying herself in blankets, couch cushions, boxes, etc.