Free Ice-cream cone printable gift tags

I was trying to be more systematic with my blog entries and post my latest book read on Friday’s. Well this is Friday and as you will quickly notice, this is not a book post. Last week was the culprit, because I can blame the week vs. yours truly, right? It was one of those weeks where a million of this and that’s cropped up and thus even though I had the entry all ready to post on Friday, it did not get input until Tuesday. I am hoping to get back on track by next week, which trust me, that will be a pretty big feat.

Meanwhile, I discovered that All Us All the Time site has added free ice-cream cone gift tags to their printable gift tag page. And really, shouldn’t all Friday’s be filled with free cute stuff?

More Curious Curse

The Edible Raven Blog has posted another sneak peak of The Curious Curse that will appear in the magazine's debut issue....love the Hotel Rue.

Stories Told in Stone: Cemetery Iconology A Manual for Genealogy Research by Gaylord Cooper

My sister and I got this book for our Mother for Mother’s Day. I am not a big non-fiction reader but since my sister and I have starting cemetery walking, I decided to give it a quick read before putting it in the gift bag. My sister and I are more in to the art and history of cemeteries and needless to say, per its title, this book is geared towards those researching their genealogy. However it still has some sections that I found very interesting. One was a listing of the major epidemics/pandemics by year and region. Another was gravestone symbols and their interpretations. I also found interesting the chapter on how to properly do stone rubbings as well as gravestone weathering and repair. BUT the author emphasized several times in these sections to check with the cemetery management before doing any restoration or taking a rubbing to ensure it is allowed.

For those into genealogy, the book also contains genealogy-related terms, relationship charts, family group sheets, and cemetery worksheets. My only complaint would be the size of the book at 11” x 8”. Since it is a field guide to use when visiting cemeteries, I think a smaller travel size would have been more convenient to carry around. Or perhaps I just need a bigger bag.

Sleeping Gretel

Such a little angel...when she is sleeping.

The Curious Curse - Sneak Peak

The Edible Raven Blog has a sneak peek of one of my stories, The Curious Curse, they will be publishing in their debut issue. LOVING the illustration by Pamela McCarville! If you have time and are curious please go and take a look.

Fables Volume 5: The Mean Seasons by Bill Willingham

**Spoiler alert for those who haven’t read Bill Willingham’s Fables Volume 4: March of the Wooden Soldiers.The 5th volume of Fables, The Mean Seasons, starts out with a story of Cinderella entrapping a Fable who is collaborating with the Adversary, but exactly whom is she working for? The Cinderella story is followed by a couple of other short stories about Bigby Wolf’s secret mission during World War II. Then on to the main event where we pick up after Fabletown survives its attack from the Adversary’s wooden soldiers. Snow White has resigned as deputy mayor and has moved out to The Farm to raise her children since they do not pass as humans. Boy Blue has disappeared and is believed to have gone back to the homelands to search for his long lost love, Little Red Riding Hood. Angered over the fact that Snow has taken his children to The Farm where he is not allowed, Sheriff Bigby Wolf also resigns from his posts and leaves Fabletown. Needless to say, the civil administrative offices are in chaos and the Mayor is not exactly the toast of the town. The recent unresolved murders in the Fable community are not helping make his job any easier. Meanwhile up at The Farm, Snow White received a perplexing letter about her sextuplets from Witch Totenkinder. It is not until the children’s grandfather arrives does Snow realize the grave nature of the witch’s message.

Can’t wait to start on Volume 6.

Sister Weekend

Had a whirlwind weekend with the sis. On Saturday we were planning on beginning the day at the Paris Flea Market but did not get the early start that we had initially planned thus had to pass that one by. They have the flea market the first Saturday of every month May through October at Aspen Grove, we are hoping the timing works out that we can still catch it before it ends.

Jerry’s Artarama ended up being our first stop of the day for sketching materials. Okay actually Starbucks drive-thru was our first stop, and then it was on to Jerry’s. After that we hit the garage sale at Meininger’s Art Supply Store. Besides more sketching materials, my sister picked up a very cool purple and black candle with spiders and cobwebs, as one does at an art store. Lunchtime! So off to our favorite cereal and cupcake shop, The Shoppe. Which, we found out they are now open on Sunday’s for brunch which includes a waffle bar AND you can get frosting on your waffles, if that isn’t reason enough to get out of bed, I don’t know what is.

After a fortifying bowl of cereal, we headed off for the Sketch Crawl at City Park. To make things more interesting I took several wrong turns heading us in all directions except towards the park. Once we finally arrived, an hour late, we found us a nice shady spot. My sister sketched a building while I finished up Neil Gaiman’s Sandman Volume 10: The Wake. Next we headed home via Tokyo Joes for an evening of playing with Gretel.

The following morning we went to our new favorite Comic/Coffee shop, Enchanted Grounds, where we sipped lattes, brainstormed on library sketches, and of course, looked at comics. Then we headed off to Parkerfest to take in the festivities in old town Parker, including the farmers market and live music from the best blues band in Denver, Roadhouse Joe. Unfortunately the day was cut short due to inclement weather (i.e., a tornado), thus it was back home for more playing with Gretel.

I took my camera with me as I was going to take lots and lots of pictures to have a visual documentation of our weekend, instead, these were the only photos I ended up taking:

Crazy Hair by Neil Gaiman

Okay I now have a new favorite book by Neil Gaiman. I absolutely adore Crazy Hair! It is an amusing rhyming tale about all that goes on up in his crazy hair.





In my hair Gorillas leap,
Tigers stalk,
And ground sloths sleep.
Prides of lions
Make their lair
Somewhere
in my crazy hair.

The artwork of Dave McKean is just as fun. I love his hairy illustrations. They are tangled with lots of vivid nuances. In other words, great eye candy.

And though I am not one to usually place a dare...
I would challenge him on who has the craziest hair.

Fables Volume 4: March of the Wooden Soldiers by Bill Willingham

Bill Willingham’s Fables Volume 4: March of the Wooden Soldiers starts off with a flash back to the Fables' last stand in their home world against the Adversary forces. Boy Blue makes it on board the last ship to smuggle Fables through the gateway into our world (the Mundane), but his newly found love, Little Red Riding Hood, does not and is presumed dead. That is why centuries later, the surviving Fables are elated when Little Red Riding Hood shows up on their doorstep after escaping through the gate between the lost Fable homelands and ours. All but her old nemesis, Bigby Wolf, who does not think her story, smells quite right. Meanwhile there are three other new visitors in town that appear to be relation to Pinocchio, but it doesn’t appear they want a friendly family reunion. Then just to add a little more tension and excitement (like any more was needed), the womanizing cad, Prince Charming, starts up a campaign to become the new mayor of Fabletown.

I am a slow reader but made it through the 240 pages in a couple of days because I needed to know what was going to happen next. As always, James Jean cover art through out the book is amazing. A couple of warnings. I know I always say this one, but feels it bears repeating, do NOT get overly attached to any of the Fables. Second this one ends in a total cliffhanger, so have Volume 5 at the ready.

Weekly Gretel

Edible Raven - The Curious Curse

I know it probably seems like lately all I have been doing is playing with our new kitten, Gretel. Well that would be pretty accurate, but before our new little fur ball arrived, I did complete a story which is going to be published in the debut issue of the Edible Raven magazine. The story, The Curious Curse, is heavily influenced by my love of Edward Gorey. It is a short little ditty about a curse, a town, and a Finn written in rhyme.

I noticed today that the illustrator and graphic artist, Pamela McCarville, has posted the cover of the magazine on her blog, Stealing Shadows...LOVE IT!!!!! If you like to take a look yourself, you can view it here, http://stealingshadows.blogspot.com/2009/05/edible-raven.html.

Hellboy 5: Conqueror Worm by Mike Mignola

In Hellboy 5: Conqueror Worm, Hellboy and his colleague Roger the Homunculus, who we were introduced to in Hellboy 3’s Almost Colossus, are sent to investigate the ruins of a castle in Austria where Nazis conducted scientific experiments under the direction of our favorite mad scientist, that crazy head in a glass jar, Herman Von Klempt. Their experiments included launching a space capsule that in the future will land back on earth with an evil spirit from the stars that will put an end to mankind as we know it. Well, as you may have already guessed, that future is now. Hellboy and Roger must battle undead Nazis and Von Klempt’s Frankenstein Ape (#10) to intercept the capsule and destroy its single passenger before it destroys them. Will they make it in time? Who is the lobster costumed-adventurer that comes to their aide? Why did B.P.R.D. plant a bomb in Roger? Is this Hellboy’s final mission? Did Mike Mignola manage to weave Poe’s poem Ligeia through out the story? Okay I will answer that last one. Yes, yes he did!

P.S. The gallery at the back of the book shows where Mike Mignola got some of his ideas for the illustrations including how he based the torture harness control box on a parking meter outside his apartment.

Gretel's 2nd Weekend

This weekend her Granddad and Grandma drove two hours down from the mountains to see their new grandkitty with a bounty of kitty toys. Spoiled? Why on earth would you think that?

I love playing with my new ball because it make jingling noises. It will be even more fun to play with at night while my Mommy and Daddy are trying to sleep.

But what I really like playing with is my CASTLE!!! Yes that is right, my Granddad and Grandma brought me a castle. Shouldn't all kitties have their own castle?

Here is the sack that my new toys came in.

Here is my Grandma scolding my Mommy for saying that I can be a naughty kitty, because of course I am not, I am a perfect little angel.

Thank you Granddad for the meal-time lap, I think that is a great idea!

I had so much fun with my Grandparents visit, I hope they will come visit me again sometime soon.

Catch Roadhouse Joe Blues Band This Weekend

Two full nights of live gritty hard blues with Roadhouse Joe. Catch them tonight at Denver's hottest new venue in NoDo, Casselman's Bar & Venue, 2620 Walnut St., Denver. Benjamin Wells will open the show at 8pm and Roadhouse Joe will take the stage at 10pm. The venue is promoting the show at the Rockies game only 5 blocks away, so when the game ends the music begins. Bring your Rockies ticket stub for a free beer!

Then tomorrow night head on over to Zephyr Lounge, 11940 E. Colfax Ave in Aurora as Roadhouse Joe rocks down the house at 9pm.

Both shows have no cover charge, must be 21+.

Gretel's Weekend

It was a busy first weekend for our new little bundle.

Her big sister, who is a glamorous actress doing stage in NY, was in town to finalize a few plans for her upcoming wedding in August and a bridal shower, stopped by Saturday morning to play, play, play, play, play with Gretel.



Then her Aunt Pamie and Uncle Paul came on Sunday bearing lots of kitty gifts including feather toys, fuzzy mice with bells, and a couple of packages of purple peep birdies that her naughty Mommy would not let her play with.



All that socializing just wears a poor little kitty out.

The Swamps of Sleethe by Jack Prelutsky

The Swamps of Sleethe by Jack Prelutsky was the book I got at the Tattered Cover’s Book Lover’s Day celebration on 4/23. It caught my eye on their National Poetry Month display. My favorite book by Jack Prelutsky is The Headless Horseman Rides Tonight: More Poems to Trouble Your Sleep, but this one may be a close 2nd. The Swamps of Sleethe take you on a poetic journey through a galaxy far from our own and one that you will soon find that you need to stay far away from.

On sweltering Sleethe, in swamps aseethe,
Malignant beings thrive,
Abhorrent things that need not breathe,
and yet are quite alive .
Within a foul and festering broth,
These mucid horrors ooze.
As gluey fluids fume and froth,
They hold their rendezvous.

I also loved the vibrant alien illustrations of Jimmy Pickering. As an added bonus some of the planet names in the poems are anagrams for you to unscramble (and I thought a couple of them were a bit tricky).

Great inspiration for those poetic souls who like to rhyme.

Introducting Gretel

I know that no one will believe us, but honestly we just went to look. No really, we were just going to look, seriously, that was all we were planing on doing when we visited the Dumb Friends League Buddy Center this past Monday. Then yesterday at 4pm, we went to pick up our new addition - Gretel:

The Buddy Center

At Buddy Center Greeting her new Mommy & Daddy (she cried all the way home, for a little thing, she has quite the set of vocal chords)

The first glimpse of the new home.

We knew the family would want lots of snap shots but at first she was just too quick for us.

Too many things to explore in her new home:

Then we had to play and play and play.

Finally after the first quarter of the Nuggets we finally conked out.

And here are the money shots.

Free Comic Book Day - May 2nd

Free Comic Book Day is held the first Saturday in May, this year that hit on this Saturday, May 2nd. Free Comic Book Day is when participating comic books shops around the world give away comic books free to any one who walks into their shop, yep, absolutely free.

To find out more details on this fabulous day you can visit the Free Comic Book Day website or to find a participating shop near you go to their official FCBD Shop Locator.

More Spring Time in the Rockies

Looking out at our backyard on this beautiful spring day here on April 27th in Colorado.

Hellboy 3: The Chained Coffin and Others by Mike Mignola

I have read Hellboy 1, then 4, then 2, and just finished 3, because why would you want to do that chronological thing? Any hoo, Hellboy 3: The Chained Coffin and Others is like Hellboy 4: The Right Hand of Doom (or should that be the other way around?), where at the beginning of each section there are notes from author/illustrator, Mike Mignola, on his inspirations for the stories. I enjoyed those notes as much as I did the stories because they go into the mythology and folklore he used as the basis for the them.

The stories in this volume include The Corpse, which is adapted from the Irish folktale Teig O’Kane and the Corpse (think Changeling with a Hellboy twist). The Baba Yaga story answers the question in Hellboy 2 of how he shot her eye out. The Chained Coffin is from an English folktale where a witch has her body chained in a coffin so a demon cannot take her soul. The Wolves of Saint August is based on the Irish legend about St. Patrick curing a group of pagans to turn into wolves. The last story Almost Colossus was inspired by a Clark Ashton Smith tale, The Colossus of Ylourgne, as well as James Whale’s Frankenstein movies. Interestingly, Mr. Mignola said he was originally going to kill off Liz Sherman in this story, but then art director Glen Murakami talked him out of it.

Overall, folktales and legends intertwined with great suspense up to the end where then Hellboy just kicks major butt against some nasty demons and monsters. Oh, and there is also a Hellboy gallery at the back of the book. Good stuff.

Book Lover's Purchase

As mentioned in the previous post I ventured out to the Highlands Ranch Tattered Cover to take part in the Book & Lovers' Celebration. They did not have any Gorey, Hellboy, or Fables in-stock (just probably too hard to keep those on the shelves), they did have Dresden Files, but then this book caught my eye on their display of poetry books for children. Well, what could be more inspirational than poetry from beyond the solar system? Poems from beyond the solar system with lots of bright and shiny pictures. I think I am going to be very happy with my The Swamps of Sleethe by Jack Prelutsky and after all, it is National Poetry Month. Also as part of the celebration, with my galactic purchase, I received a bookmark and rose. Luckily no one was behind me in line, because you had your choice of several colors. It was between a yellowish pink or pinkish peach one, I ended up going pinkish peach. I guess I should have gone with glow-in-the-dark alien green to go with the book, but you know, surprisingly, they did not have that color. Maybe next year...

Book & Lovers’ Day

If in Barcelona Spain, you would be amongst a celebration of romance today. Per an article from the Tattered Cover Book Store here in Denver:

It all began in the Middle Ages with an annual Festival of Roses to honor St. George, Patron Saint of Catalonia, who as a brave Roman soldier allegedly slew a dragon about to devour a beautiful young princess. Accordingly, a rosebush sprouted from the blood of the dragon and the soldier plucked its most perfect blossoms to give to the princess as a remembrance. In 1923, the Rose Festival merged with International Book Day, established to celebrate the lives of Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare, both of whom died on April 23rd in 1616. Now, bookstalls and flower stands sprout up along the Rambla, a two-mile stretch connecting the city with the Mediterranean Sea. Thousands of Barcelonans crowd the streets to enjoy a festive atmosphere of readings, music, literature, and dance.

The An Open Book in Greeley CO, will be celebrating the day with a 20% off one book discount (if newsletter subscriber) and complimentary flowers.

I will be heading out shortly to the Highlands Ranch Tattered Cover Book Store where they too are celebrating with a 20% discount (if newsletter subscriber) and giving away complimentary roses and commemorative bookmarks with the purchase of a book. I haven’t decided what book yet, I am making my way through both the Fables and Hellboy graphic novel series, so those are strong contenders; however, I have been kind of missing Harry the Wizard from Dresden Files. On the other hand, I feel in need of some inspiration and nothing inspires me more than Gorey, perhaps the The Twelve Terrors of Christmas? Decisions, decisions.

Happy Book and Lover's Day!

Earth Day Stuff

Happy Earth Day!!

Here were a few things I came across Earth Day related that I thought I would pass on in case anyone out there in cyberspace was interested.

There was an article in The Denver Post this past Saturday on household items you could use to celebrate for Earth Day all year long. A few of them listed were: Post-its made in part from recycled paper available at select Target stores or online at target.com; The P3 International P4400, and really with a name like that, does it even matter what it does? Actually it is an electricity usage monitor that allows you to find out which appliances are using the most energy; UGlu adhesive strips, which are chemical-free, acid-free, odorless and waterproof glue strips supposedly powerful enough to hang artwork or hold down carpeting.

Sunset also listed a few ways to eco-nomize for Earth Day all year long:

• Compost and recycle
• Forgo disposables
• Line-dry your laundry when possible
• Garden wisely by choosing low-water or native plants
• Turn your wood-burning fireplace into a décor statement
• Support green businesses
• Replace incandescent lightbulbs with compact fluorescent lightbulbs (I also saw where Home Depot now recycles CFLs)
• Install an Energy Star-related programmable thermostat
• Clean or replace furnace and a/c filters
• Caulk and seal walls, ceilings, floors, windows, doors, and ductwork
• Host a solar party: get the information with friends over wine & cheese. I also think a “green” party would be a cute idea where all your party favors, table settings, and invites would be the color green (using recycled materials of course). It could be a potluck where every one has to bring a dish made from home-grown or local grown ingredients, perhaps every one has to wear green too and bring one green idea. The one with the best green idea wins a green prize. I don't know, could be fun?

Okay, just thought I would pass those along. I bought some lavender seeds the other day, which is a low-water plant, and also a plant I love (great for decorating). I don’t have much of a green thumb but maybe with it being Earth Day, the planting gods and goddess will be kind and in late summer I will be blogging about my abundant lavender crop.

If interested, you can visit the Earth Day Network site for a listing of Earth Day events by location and date.