Everyone needs one of these...

Whereas the ladies recieved earrings for Valentine's day, I bought these wonderful chocolate mustaches for the gentlemen of the Smith side of my family. (As modeled by 16 year old cousin Ben and 15 year old sister Haley)

They are made by Neapolitan Printing & Co, located here in Portland. Also available through their Etsy shop, pinkwhitebrown!

Steampunk Spider Sculpture : Work in progress

A while ago i made a cicada with copper , brass and clock gears . I have decided to build more bugs and I'm making a spider with any material i can find around and be inspired by . This is the first preview . I will cover the skin with patch of metal from old clocks and add brass knobby parts to it . For the finishing touch i plan to add some rusty texture or something like that .

Next the legs .

Arriba...Tito Santana

When Merced Solis was a star tight end at West Texas A&M University, his quarterback was Tully Blanchard. This was certainly a sign of things to come.
Cut by the Kansas City Chiefs during training camp, Solis went on to play a season with the B.C. Lions in the CFL. After his season in Canada, Solis entered the world of pro wrestling and became Tito Santana.
Santana entered the WWF (now WWE) in 1979 and stayed there for over 14 years. During his lengthy stay, Santana carved out a career as a solid performer and a definite fan-favorite. Santana is one of just a few wrestlers who stayed on one side of the good-evil fence throughout his entire career in the WWF. Santana never turned to the dark side.
Santana won the WWF Intercontinental Championship twice, the WWF Tag-team Championship twice and the King of the Ring Tournament once. Santana had several big feuds and wrestled near the top of the card on many occasions, but he was never seriously in the WWF Championship picture. After his retirement from the WWF, Santana did win several Heavyweight Championships with smaller, independent organizations and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004.
Santana is now a teacher at a middle school in New Jersey, while his wife owns Santana's Hair Salon. By all accounts, he seems to be living a perfectly normal life. Santana may have never risen to the very top of his profession, but he has avoided the depths that so many have experienced.
It was nice to meet Santana. He was pleasant, talkative and relaxed. My friend looked at the picture and joked that we could have been a tag-team. Well, I certainly could have had worse partners in the ring. Arriba!

Tito Santana and me in Kokomo, IN-October 2007.

Steampunk Fashion : Interview with TotusMel from the Steamteam

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade TotusMel.etsy.com

Steampunk Fashion :
Interview with TotusMel from the Steamteam

Shop name : TotusMel Tats
Name : Pamela Quevedo
specialty : Tatted Jewelry and Accessories
Location : Merced, California

- Tell us a bit about yourself name, location, affiliations, personal stuff?
My name is Pamela, I'm a stay at home mom to two little girls. I've been tatting for about four years and I've been selling on Etsy for about three. I am currently a member of the Etsy street team and not much else.

Please describe your creative process how, when, materials, etc.
I tat off and on all day long. I sometimes start with vintage patterns, but often I am inspired by pieces done in entirely different mediums. My preferred material is simple cotton thread occasionally embellished with crystals.

Apart from creating things, what do you do?
When I'm not creating, I'm spending time with my family. We enjoy video games, comic books and movies.

How did you first become interested in the Steampunk Culture?
I found Steampunk through literature and anime movies many years ago. When I began tatting it seemed natural to emulate a Neo Victorian style that fits in well with the Steampunk style.

Why do you like it ?
I love the dichotomy of the culture. The new beside the old and the free interpretation of it all. It's a very welcoming and all inclusive environment and I've met so many interesting and adventurous people because of that.

What is your favourite piece of work by yourself?
My favorite pieces are always changing, but one of my favorites is the Portrait of An Elegant Lady. It was one of my first adaptions of a 40's era pattern. It was originally one half of a collar and the process of changing it to a necklace was very challenging and rewarding.

Portrait of an Elegant Lady

What are the 3 most popular items in your shop ?

A Kind Of Pale Jewel tatted mask.
I made this piece after someone made a request for a lace mask, they never bought. The mask has given me quite a lot of attention even a mention at boing boing

A Kind Of Pale Jewel tatted mask.

La Petite Goth Tatted Bracelet.
This piece was modified from a simple vintage edging pattern

La Petite Goth Tatted Bracelet.

Vive la Reine necklace.
This one started as a vintage pattern for a chain covering that I added tatted chains to, to create an incredibly bold design

Vive la Reine necklace.

- What is your newest piece ?
I just finished making three new pieces that make up my new footwear line. I started with ankle corsets based on a pair of shoes by Vicente Rey that I spied on a blog. From there I created a pair of barefoot sandals as well.

- Who is you favorite Steampunk artist ?
I have too many favorites to mention!

- What Steampunk items do you cherish the most ?
Well, not to be silly, but I do adore my Catherinette Ring that my husband bought me for Christmas!

-What are your goal , projects & plans for the future ?
My goal is to always create new and compelling designs and continue to give as much exposure to tatting as I can. I am always working on new projects, but I never know which direction I'll go in next.

- Any promotion you would like to offer exclusively on the blog ?
I can offer free shipping . I'll offer it for the entire month of March, Just mention Steampunk Rings at checkout, shipping cost will be refunded through Paypal.

-Social Network & Where can we find you?
ETSY : http://totusmel.etsy.com
Blog : http://totusmel.blogspot.com
Flickr : http://www.flickr.com/photos/totusmel/
Other ? http://twitter.com/totusmel

Proud Member of the Steamteam on ETSY.com
You can search for the members goodies by typing Steamteam in the search engine .
This will allow you to see only the items of the Steamteam and browse throught items created by very talented Artist .

Joan Rivers Comments on Plastic Surgery

A recent article contains some of Joan Rivers' comments on plastic surgery. Here is an excerpt:

Her collaboration with Valerie Frankel, titled "Men Are Stupid … And They Like Big Boobs: A Woman's Guide to Beauty Through Plastic Surgery," is "really a serious book, but I wrote it funny, as if I'm talking to you — because I'm funny. … If you want to put a chin in, go to the chapter on chins. If you want to raise your breasts, it will tell you every thing you want to know."To research the guide, which offers helpful information on the gamut of cosmetic surgery options, she and her co-writer interviewed 25 plastic surgeons. "They are so boring, these men," she said... In spite of the title, which she claims is something Marilyn Monroe once said to her, Rivers recommends plastic surgery as "something you should do for yourself.""But society is based on looks," she said. "And anyone that says that's not so, is an idiot. If you think big boobs make you look nice, put them in."Men should have work done too, she said. "I hate a turkey neck on anyone."Always up front about her own plastic surgery, which she began in college with her nose being "thinned, not fixed," Rivers added a postscript to anyone who doesn't think they need it. "If you are happy with the way you look, that's wonderful. How lucky you are."

Boring??? The truth hurts sometimes...

Photo credit: prphotos.com

Thanks for reading.

Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

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CLEANING UPDATE

Just before getting sick I managed to get more of the studio/library organized. So, to make up for my horrific “before” pictures – here is an “after” picture.
One half of the room is now back to being a sitting area for the library – it’s amazing what some organization will do, isn’t it!
Managed to get my paintings into the closet, after “losing” some things that were in there.

I've made a quick trip to Ikea to look for some shelving to separate the two areas of the room and give me more storage space. Of course, my luck, the one thing I found isn't in stock and will have to be ordered, so I'm taking a bit more time to look around before I commit!
Please tell me it does look better! (my “before” photos are posted on February 11, 2009) .

Comment Moderation *sigh*

After my warning in the comments of my last post, the more-or-less-anonymous poster known as "Kendy" saw fit to leave yet another advertising comment in an older post on my blog. There's a reason I don't advertise here, or use Adwords, or anything like that...it's because you come here to see pretty nail polish, and my amateur attempts at nail art, and some cool (and not so cool) nail related things. If a product is going to be advertised here (in a post), then it's going to be something I have tried, and am willing to give my "stamp of approval" to. There's gotta be standards...

So since Kendy can't seem to contain his/herself, I've turned on comment moderation, which means unfortunately, you'll have to wait until I approve your comment before it's posted. I've resisted this, because hey, it's fun to see what you post show up right away. But I'm at a computer most of the time, so it shouldn't be long before comments are posted, and I turned off the word verification thingy since I'll be approving the posts personally. I hope this doesn't discourage people from posting - I do want to hear your comments or thoughts (even negative ones)...I just really don't want advertising all over the place.

Thanks for your understanding and patience...I'll try to get comments approved as quickly as possible.

Phoenix in Chicago

Jennifer Widerstrom was a track and field star at the University of Kansas. She excelled in the hammer throw. Phoenix is a star on American Gladiators. She excels in hammering contestants.
Everyone knows my fascination with the American Gladiators goes back to the days of Zap, Nitro and Gemini. Sure some of the events were a bit hokey and the announcers a bit over the top (remember Todd Christensen?), but I still watched it every week. Even now, when I come across it on ESPN Classic, I end up watching the rest of the show.
I met Phoenix at the Wizard World convention. Fortunately, she did not have any pugil sticks, so I was safe. Even without any weapons, she still looked like she could put a hurtin' on most people. Wisely, I did not annoy her.
I didn't get much time to talk to Phoenix, because she was quite busy. Apparently I am not the only fan of American Gladiators. I also did not get the chance to compare biceps (I probably would have lost anyway).

Jennifer Widerstom and me in Rosemont, IL-Summer 2008.

Drawing with my eyes closed...

Melissa has a great post on her blog about drawing blindly. I do it from time to time and forgot about how much fun it is to create like this. Here is what she said.

Drawing with my eyes closed, then painting with watercolor. Hey, I draw better with my eyes closed, than open!

Me likey #1 (big mac)

Me want one now :(

A Quick, Little GG Fix

The CW has been leaving us high and dry lately with Gossip Girl repeats every Monday (boo!) ... So we thought we'd just give you a quick fix of some GG love.

I want to raid Leighton Meester's trailer/Blair's wardrobe. She's just the cutest.

*Splash News

and yet another Moleskine page....

Cards That Never Were

Steve over at White Sox Cards was at it again. A couple months ago, Steve wrote some blogs about baseball cards that never were and then cleverly brought them into being. Recently, I gave him the challenge of making a Mick Kelleher baseball card depicting Kelleher with the Cardinals. Steve produced another masterpiece and I am grateful.
Kelleher had several real cards, starting with the 1977 Topps issue. This card and the next few years, showed Kelleher in a Cubs uniform. Kelleher left the Cubs after the 1980 season. Subsequent Kelleher cards showed him as a Tiger and an Angel. Before all of that however, Kelleher's career started with the Cardinals. Kelleher played parts of 2 seasons with the Cardinals, 1 season with the Astros and 1 more season with the Cardinals before he joined the Cubs.
Very few pictures exist of Kelleher with the Cardinals, but Steve did not take the easiest path and use Kelleher's SSPC photo. The photo Steve used had a blue signature across it, which Steve carefully eliminated.
The 1973 Topps design was a great choice for the picture. It fits perfectly. If mixed in with other 1973 cards, it would blend right in. It just has that feel.
I will be printing two. One just to keep and one to send to Kelleher for signing. The card looks so authentic, it might confuse Kelleher.
The scrappy Kelleher was one of my favorites. Kelleher was slick and versatile in the field, but weak at the plate, hitting 0 HR's in over 1,000 AB's. One of the more inspirational moments in his career occurred when the 5'9" Kelleher mixed it up with the 6'6" Dave Kingman after a play at 2nd base.

Thanks to Steve for another masterful job of creating a much-desired card (at least by me) where none existed previously. Steve runs a great website and is a devout White Sox fan. Producing a card of an ex-Cub favorite might not have been Steve's first choice, but I really appreciate his effort!

Mick Kelleher's 1973 Topps card as produced by Steve of White Sox Cards.

Cherry - Spring is comming !

Red one didn't live a long life, yesterday came up with an idea and couldn't wait to see what it is going to look like. Honestly i love it. Very easy to make, First i put a base color, then i took a brush ( can use also a pen or a pencil or anything) and made a dots of red polish using it upside douwn , then drow green and wite with acrilick paint, with the same brush, but using the right side now.
Yeah.. i know that i should get a real tools and stop using evrything i can find in my desk drower... just waiting for the right moment to get some real tool.
Hope you like it. If you will try this design yourself, take a pictures and let me know, really want to see it. May be we even can organize a cherry week or something like this - little flash mob, when all the readers will have a cherry nails in the same time :)

...and some more

Cubs Versus Dodgers

Today, the Chicago Cubs begin exhibition play against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The last time these two teams met, it didn't turn out well for the Cubs. The last time these teams met in the regular season, the Cubs won 3-1 and I was there from (way before) the beginning to the end.
As I have mentioned before, I was at Dodger Stadium to interview Rick Monday for an online piece I was writing for Global Traveler magazine. Armed with a Press Pass, I decided to make the most of it and venture all over the field (and the dugouts and the clubhouses and the pressbox).
Among the highlights was Lou Piniella's pre-game interview session. Piniella discussed Ken Griffey Junior reaching 500 HR's and then answered questions from everyone, including me!
As a (frustrated) freelance writer, is it okay for me to say how cool it was to be there? Aside from playing in the majors, this was about as great as it could be. I wasn't some kid (or strange 40 year old) shoving a ball into his face asking for a signature. I was on the major league beat...part of the culture. Hey, we're all professionals here!
Since I was on the field for about 3 hours, there are many stories to be told. During the baseball season, I plan on telling them. Hopefully, you will have as much fun reading them as I did being involved in them.

Lou Piniella and me (and other reporters) in the dugout at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA-June 2008.

Neha Sharma

Neha Sharma is a Telugu Actress. The shots below are from her portfolio.

More Details on Usher's Wife Tameka Foster's Plastic Surgery Complications

More details are emerging regarding the complications suffered by Usher's wife Tameka Foster as she underwent liposuction surgery while in Brazil. Apparently her doctor, Brazilian plastic surgeon Dr. Silvio Sterman, planned to perform liposuction on her while she was only two months postpartum. After being placed under general anesthesia she suffered a cardiac arrest and was revived via CPR. She was then placed into a drug-induced coma in order to run tests and make sure she was stabilized. She has now been discharged from the hospital and is said to be "doing very well."

I do not perform any cosmetic surgery on women who are less than 6 months postpartum. There is no scientific studies which determine that 6 months is a mandatory time frame, but I believe the changes that occur in a woman's body (both physical and hormonal) can persist for months after a baby is born. Liposuction just 2 months after giving birth? In my opinion that is too soon.

Source

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

Art Deco

The Art Deco period was from the 1920's to the early 1930's. This is one of my favorite design periods, I love it's clean geometric lines and beautiful color combinations! The styles of this time where innovative and a little risque. The women wore short sheath dresses showing a bit of leg. The jewelry of this was spectacular with emerald cut stones and black enamel details. Long opera length beaded necklaces and large dangle earring showed off their short bob hair cuts. There are so many design elements from that time, architectural and art, that are still used by current designers. This was one of the greatest times fashion and design. You should check it out. It's truly inspiring!lisascala.com

Extreme Shininess!

Thanks again to Brooke of "Getcha Nails Did" (link to the right) for the Maybelline Mirror Image Chrome polish set she sent me this month! I decided I had to try it out this week, and it definitely lives up to its name.
Because this is a nail “art” blog, of course I had to try imbedding some heart-shaped rhinestones in my super-shiny nails. But I wasn’t sure if a regular top coat would dull the finish or not. Hence, the empty spots you see on a few of my nails, where the rhinestones have already fallen off. I’ll try some regular top coat on these later, and if it doesn’t dull the finish, I’ll replace the stones. I suspect that a stamped design would be really cool over these, but again, have to test the top coat first. Top coat would really be handy for this one, since I’ve got some tip wear going on after only two days.In any case, talk about “bling” for your nails! This is a two-step system, a clear base coat that goes on cloudy and dries to a very shiny finish, followed by 2-3 coats of the silver, which goes on alarmingly streaky, but dries to a nice, smooth, super-shiny mirror. These babies do actually reflect shapes and shadows, and give my nails a lot of “dimension”. The “yellow” based photo above is without a flash inside, and the brighter photo below is with a flash. You can see that they’re shiny no matter where they are – even in the dark, they pick up any little light in the room to reflect.
This is a great “party wear” polish, and I intend to try doing a French-type manicure with it one of these days, using this polish on the tips. Super-groovy, and it dries pretty fast, so not too much wait time between coats.

Next week – more moodies!

Moleskine pages

Copeland and Reso...Edge and Christian

Adam Copeland and Jay Reso have been friends for a long time. They made their professional wrestling debut in the early 90's and won some independent tag titles before signing with the WWF (now WWE) in 1998.
Once in the WWF, the duo became known as Edge and Christian. Originally part of a gothic stable known as the Brood, the duo eventually ventured on their own and started to rise to the top of the tag team ranks. Edge and Christian went on to win the WWF Tag Team Championship 7 times.
Like most tag teams, they eventually split and feuded for a while.
Edge went on to major success in the WWE, winning the tag titles 5 more times (with different partners) and the WWE Championship 4 times and the World Heavyweight Championship 4 times. He is currently one of the major stars on the WWE Smackdown roster.
Christian left the WWE for TNA, where he became a singles champion, winning the Heavyweight Championship twice. Christian recently returned to the WWE and made his redebut on the ECW show.
I met the duo at the Pillman Memorial Event in 2001. This was just before the team split. In retrospect, they seemed so young, but had done so much as a team.
Edge and Christian have succeeded where many have failed. They have switched from a great tag team to excellent singles wrestlers on the rise to greatness.
When I met them, they were extremely funny and outgoing. They were having fun with their fans (or their peeps, as they liked to say).

Edge and Christian and me in Cincinnati, OH-August 2001.

Red Nails

Go red! :) This is what i made on my nails yestoday:

Moleskine

I have been working in my Moleskine for about a year now. I have 7 full pages to go, and then it will be complete. Here's my latest.

Friendly Encounters

This is another in a series of meetings of my friends and celebs.

While doing some autograph research, I came across KC's Hockey Memorabilia, a blog by Kolin Walters, concentrating on signed hockey jerseys and photos. Kolin has other blogs as well, featuring signed hockey sticks, helmets, pucks, baseballs, golf memorabilia, Saskatchewan Roughriders stuff and one devoted to the Hart wrestling family. Each is filled with great stories, pictures and names. Kolin has quite an autograph collection and he is doing a great job showcasing it.
Of course, I couldn't pass up the chance to ask him to share a story on Friendly Encounters. He agreed and told me about meeting Pat Quinn, one of my favorite hockey players from my youth. During his time as coach of the Philadelphia Flyers, Quinn became one of my first autograph successes obtained through the mail.
Kolin's story is a lot more interesting than mine. Without further adieu, here is Kolin's story in his own words.
My wife and I attended the 2006 Telus Skins game in Banff Alberta Canada; a fund raiser for children’s hospitals in the area. The charity event included Jack Nicklaus, John Daly, Greg Norman, Stephen Ames and Sergio Garcia. We had tickets for the two days and spent a few days prior in Calgary.
On the second day, after the practice rounds we walked by the Sponsors tent. The day before, Stephen Ames was signing autographs for ‘Making the Connection’, a heart healthy organization. I was taking pictures of the Cadillac Escalades in the parking lot that were marked for the golfers. I ended up bumping into Jason Zuback’s vehicle; it was clearly marked by the Alberta plates ‘GOLFZILLIA’.
My wife called me over to a lineup to something. She had no idea who people were waiting for so I walked to the front of the 30 or so people and saw ex-Leafs coach, Pat Quinn signing autographs. I came back and told my wife to get in line; we have to meet this guy. The line moved quickly and within 10 mins, we were in front of Mr. Quinn.
He is a very large man, almost forgetting his days in the NHL as a ‘tough guy’. I told him I had 4 questions for him; he laughed and said, “Sure”. I asked for his autograph, a handshake, a picture with him and while my wife was taking the picture, I asked if knew where he was going next year. He said, “Not yet” and I wished him the very best of luck and we walked off.
He is a kind and very cordial person. I hope he gets back in the game soon, so he can chase the only one he does not have; the Stanley Cup.

Pat Quinn and Kolin Walters in Alberta, Canada-August 2006.

Colorful Steampunk Jewelry

This is just a few of the new jewelry i will be adding to my ETSY shop this week .

FEELING BETTER!

Ambulatory, stuffy and coughing, but once again I've survived the Cincinnati area "winter bug", thank goodness.
Of course, now I'm even further behind. But I've made an executive decision - rather than try to catch up, which is impossible, I'll just start from scratch - the old "today is the first day of the rest of my life" thing.
This isn't much of a post, I know, but it beats a blank and gets me back in the game!
More, and better, things to come soon, I promise!

Mickey Rourke Admits to Plastic Surgery by Hack Surgeon

According to Monsters and Critics, Oscar-nominated actor Mickey Rourke has admitted to having plastic surgery by a hack plastic surgeon. He reportedly stated,

"Most of it was to mend the mess of my face because of the boxing, but I went to the wrong guy to put my face back together... I had my nose broken twice. I had five operations on my nose and one on a smashed cheekbone... I had to have cartilage taken from my ear to rebuild my nose and a couple of operations to scrape out the cartilage because the scar tissue wasn't healing properly. That was one of the most painful operations, but the worst was hemorrhoids."

It's funny that he admits to having hemorrhoids but doesn't admit having a facelift, which he appears to have had. For my opinions on his previous surgery, click here.

I hope he wins the Oscar tonight. I saw his performance in The Wrestler and think it's amazing. He really deserves it. I'd much rather see him win it instead of that smug Sean Penn.

Photo credit: prphotos.com

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

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Oscars 2009: Who Will Win?

Finally... it's Oscar day! After a month of discussing whether Slumdog Millionaire will win Best Picture or if Kate Winslet will finally get her long-awaited golden statue, the moment has finally arrived.



As huge lovers of movies and all things Hollywood, we thought we'd share our picks for the top 6 categories. Our choices are based on industry buzz, personal preference, and gut feelings. We do not under any circumstances suggest you use our picks for any Oscar pool you might be doing...

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
Yes, we realize this is the safe choice. But with the amount of buzz this movie has generated, we feel it's an absolute no-brainer. Every now and then, the Academy votes for the feel-good movie of the year--and Slumdog looks like the next big winner.

Best Director: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
Do you see a trend? We think they'll sweep these top two awards. Beg to differ?

Best Actor: Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
We're not huge fans of Mr. Rourke but his performance was amazing and well respected across Hollywood. Many think Sean Penn may nab this one but we're going with our gut and picking Mickey. (Now if only he'd stop stalking Evan Rachel Wood...)
Best Actress: Kate Winslet, The Reader
Winslet's Oscar win is long overdue--we know it, she knows it, even the Academy knows it. Let's hope the universe works itself out and she wins a golden statue tonight. We heart Kate.

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Because his performance was THAT GOOD. He commanded your attention while onscreen and delivered an almost-perfect performance. The academy will most definitely recognize this with a win.
Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz, Vicki Cristina Barcelona
You couldn't take your eyes off her. She's an underrated actress who just might come into her own tonight.

Steve Trout, NIE and an Ad

When I was running the NIE program at Lerner Newspapers, I did whatever I could to promote the program. Since our budget was literally zero, I relied on advertising in our newspapers. Aside from the Lerner Salutes Literacy ad series (mentioned here several times), I also attempted to do as many other NIE-related ads as possible.
One such ad involved former major league pitcher Steve Trout, who had just written a book, Home Plate, about his father (Dizzy Trout) and him and their careers. Trout is a Chicago favorite, having pitched on both sides of town.
I was helping out at AU Sports in Skokie (IL) when Trout was doing a book-signing there. When I approached him about appearing in an ad promoting NIE and also his book, Trout quickly agreed.
Pictures were taken with a disposable camera (remember...zero budget). A few days later, I took a picture of my niece, Laura Fitzpatrick, reading a book. This picture would be presented as happening at the event.







Later that week, I presented all to our Graphics Department. They produced a decent, but uninspired ad, throwing all of the elements together. Had Laurie (the driving force behind the beautification of the NIE ad series) been involved, I am sure the ad would have looked much different. However, with the way things were at Lerner at the time, I was happy with what was produced (meaning I was happy that anything was produced).