DIY Gift Thing

“There are three ways to get something done: do it yourself, hire someone, or forbid your kids to do it.”

~ Monta Crane

Keilen Bread Warmer and Basket

While filling out my wedding registry a few months ago I came across this little beauty. You put the terra cotta stone in the oven, heat it and then slip it into its pouch in the cloth liner. You put the liner in the basket, fill it with rolls or bread, cover up with the rest of the cloth and voila! This way your bread stays warm and looks quite fancy on the table!

This product gets great reviews and makes a wonderful gift, but I can't help but think that some craft-oriented people out there might be able to make one for much less than the $17.99 Amazon charges. It's essentially made of a basket, a cloth with a pocket, and an oven-safe stone/ceramic piece. Wouldn't this be a charming idea for Christmas?

10 Posts Giveaway Thing!

"The very first step towards success in any occupation is to become interested in it."

~ William Osler














Woo, ten posts! To celebrate, I'm going to give out a small prize pack. Here's how it will work:
 

You know that old wedding addage, "Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue?" Well, this is a blog of things. Muse things.

This will be the first offical Somethings Giveaway. Because this is the first one, it's going to be a bit different; you get to choose the first three categories of Somethings to go in the box!


Part one is now over! Thanks to everyone who voted. Remember, you can still enter part two for another chance to win!


The winning categories are purple, sweet, and nerdy. Add in the mystery category (to make it rhyme!) and we have:

"Something purple, something sweet, something nerdy and something neat!"

Something Purple - Cube Stamp & Purple Ink + bonus random purple item

Something Sweet - Godiva Hot Cocoa

Something Nerdy - Darth Vader pencil tin with Nerds Candy inside

Something Neat - $10 Wal-Mart gift card



To enter part two, follow me on Google Friend Connect (on the sidebar) or Twitter (@MnemosynesCall) and post below letting me know which method you chose.

You might also check out some of my other posts - it won't help you win, but since this is a sort of "blog-warming" giveaway you can see what sort of things I'll be posting! Any comments or suggestions would be very welcome.


* This will be a two-part giveaway. You can enter either or both parts to have a chance to win - entering both will give you a better shot! There is a maximum of two entries per person for the entire giveaway.


* One (1) winner will receive a pack of four (4) items. Prizes will be determined on September 5th after first period is over. Prizes will fit the top three categories chosen by entrants during the first period and one additional category chosen by me and will have a combined value of at least $25.


* Part One will last until noon (central time) on September 5th, 2010, at which time Part Two will be announced and entries for part one will be closed. Entries for Part Two will be closed at noon (central time) on September 12th, and a winner announced soon after.

* U.S. residents only, please; unfortunately shipping internationally can get expensive!


Somethings categories:



Something nerdy
Something music
Something purple
Something cute
Something glowy
Something sweet
Something tricky
Something soft
Something hard
Something crafty

Free Cookies! Thing

"C is for cookie; that's good enough for me!"

~ Cookie Monster (and MaHo)

This video always makes me smile! The lady is Marilyn Horne, one of the greatest living legends of opera. I've been lucky enough to take lessons from her (as well as attend dozens of master classes) and she has an incredibly sharp sense of humor. I love her headdress in this!

In cookie news, Mrs. Fields is now running a promotion where you can earn $20 of free cookies just for getting three people to sign up for their email newsletter! Nobody has to buy anything, not even you. Pretty sweet, huh? If you get even more people to sign up, you get even more cookies. Click below to go to the site.

ME WANT COOKIE!

Nerdcore Halo Thing

"Space. It seems to go on and on forever. But then you get to the end and a gorilla starts throwing barrels at you."

~ Fry, Futurama







This story is simultaneously groan-worthy and strangely heartwarming.

Apparently, Xbox LIVE has discontinued support for Halo 2 on April 15th. Players weren't automatically disconnected, however, and several have been hanging on to the last vestiges of their online world by keeping their systems up and running and logged in as long as possible.

Ah, the resiliency of the nerd spirit . . .

Carnal Thing

"All jocks think about is sports. All we [nerds] ever think about is sex"

~ Lewis, Revenge of the Nerds

www.carnalityball.com
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=108936229136457

Date: Saturday, May 8th
Time: 7 or 8 pm to 1 am - the posters and facebook event say 8, but their actual website, ticket-ordering page and several other places say 7
Cost: $15 in advance/$20 at the door, or $50 for VIP access

This is a fairly young annual event in Oklahoma City celebrating the sensual side of life and art. Local artists, performance groups and other talent will ply their trades and hopefully make for an interesting evening.

The theme this year is Pandora's Box; the idea is Greek Deities, Sexy Underworld and Mythological Stuff. Costumes are encouraged.

I've never been to one of these before; I'm hoping it will be fun. I've got a pair of 8-inch heels and a costume idea that says it should be!

White Wolf (Role-Playing)Thing

"Remember to always be yourself. Unless you suck."

~ Joss Whedon

http://thegrandmasquerade.com/


White Wolf (the company behind the World of Darkness games, including Vampire: the Masquerade) has announced a rather vague get-together in New Orleans this September. It'd be nice if they'd actually tell people what they're going to get for their money.


On a similar note, one of my current creative quests is finding a decent 1920's-style male outfit for my character in an upcoming game. A big enough fedora will be a tricky find . . .

Random Haiku Thing

"Aesthectics are irrelevant."

- Seven of Nine, Voyager




Here's a haiku generator for you. Refresh the page for more results.



Some examples:


Box wine bandit.
Tokyo kid sings the blues.
Cryptonomicon.


Disgruntled snowman.
Oh, how ruthlessly absurd.
Conjunction junction.


Can you handle this?
Privacy is not a right.
Could be your giblets.