Obligatory.

Ring in the New Year... Don't Shoot At It

PSA for Our Fellow Texans: If your evening's festivities include getting completely Merle Haggard (and rightly so), please resist the urge to shoot your firearms into the night sky. What goes up, must come down. And what goes up at a drunken angle, comes down even faster (look it up). Besides, you'll need to save your ammo for the Mayan Zombie Apocalypse of 2012... 

Happy New Year! 

\m/ (>.<) \m/

Your Math Ate My Art

I doodle all the time; it's a big part of my job. So imagine my surprise to find that some of the doodles I make have mathematical principles to them (more specifically, Graph Theory). Gather the kiddies 'round and watch this fun (and fast) video which explains it all...



My inner nerd laughed out loud at her Parseltongue (Harry Potter) and Python (programming language) reference. /nerd

Find out more about this subject and the "mathemusician" who created the video,Vi Hart, at http://vihart.com/ She has lots more videos and other mathy goodies, too!

Merry Trololo!

My Monday morning just got more MacGyver-y...

Someone programmed a milling machine to play the MacGyver theme song…



I want to hug that someone. And I want a milling machine.

Mom, I don't want to do my homework!

For all those kids who think that they don’t need to go to college because Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg dropped out of college… May I remind you that these billionaires managed to get INTO college first. Not just any ol’ school either. They got into the highly competitive, ‘everyone who applies has an incredibly impressive resume’ ivy-league Harvard University.

Your argument is invalid. Go finish your homework.

The Disease Called "Perfection"

Read it , love it, share it! :)

The disease called "Perfection" : By Single Dad Laughing (Danoah)

As a warning, the following post was written in complete desperation. I have recently learned some very sobering truths from people that I love dearly. These truths have set in motion a quest within me to do whatever I can to make a change. Today is not geared at funny. Today is geared at something greater. Read it to the very end. I promise you will be affected in a way you have always needed to be. I spent more than twelve hours writing this post because its message is that important to me.

I wonder. Am I the only one aware that there is an infectious mental disease laying siege on us right now? There is a serious pandemic of "Perfection" spreading, and it needs to stop. Hear me out because this is something for which I am passionately and constantly hurting. It's a sickness that I've been trying to put into words for years without much success. It's a sickness that I have personally struggled with. It's a sickness that at times has left me hiding in dark corners and hating myself.

And chances are it's hit you too.

Felt Swiss Army Knife (... because I heart MacGyver!)

Whew! I've been wrapping up unfinished projects left and right all week long. This felt Swiss Army Knife pin cushion has movable tools. I embroidered the Victorinox logo, too. The tools I feltified include a big blade, little blade, combination saw/ruler/hook thingy, and a couple of combination flathead screwdrivers/bottle openers/thingies. Yeah, I don't know what half of the contraptions in real Swiss Army knives are actually for, but they sure come in handy when I need to diffuse bombs or get into the control panels of runaway robots!

Behold! It can open cans AND hold your stick pins!

The knife opens and closes completely. I even sewed in a little wire corkscrew! To finish the pin cushion, I covered the bottom and sides with a layer of glue and felt so that pins won't poke through.

Note the streamlined stitches and aerodynamic curves... ;)
Corkscrew = Essential

This knife isn't for sale... yet. I may put it on Etsy eventually. But for now, I just want to stare at it, a lot. (Pssst... Did I mention that I heart MacGyver?!)

Bacon and Egg: Together At Last

The long, LONG journey to make the perfect bacon Felt Fuzzi has come to a close. Out of the many felt disasters that didn't look a thing like bacon, comes this simple, majestic masterpiece:

TAAAAA DAAAAAAAAA!!!

And yes, that is a new Egg design. The yolk is padded for a more realistic sunny side up look. The bacon to egg ratio is 1:1 - we're not breaking up the set... for now. It would be sacrilegious. It's B & E, not just B. Enjoy these in your hair or on your shirt, but for the love of your digestive tract don't eat it!

Lil' Fuzzi Clouds

The Sun can get little too close for comfort down here in Austin - I am a smidge closer to the Equator than I am used to after all. Every once in a while, it's nice to have some fluffy clouds to break up all this damn sunshine (*waa*). These clouds (yes, there are two of them sewn together...) are available as snap clips, pinch (alligator) clips, French barrettes, and pins.

Pew! Pew! Pew! They've come for our clouds!!"

Best Marketing Campaign. Ever.

In case you haven't heard, marketing greatness has been achieved. The geniuses at Wieden + Kennedy took a tired, old brand (Old Spice), transformed it's image (with the help of hottie Isaiah Mustafa), and then slathered the social media world with it in a refreshing, unexpected way. I was blown out of the water by the rapid-fire YouTube video responses they made - I would post my favorites here but, wow, there are just too many (although this one directed at Isaiah's daughter is high on my list). Here instead is a funny video from W+K featuring the two brilliant guys behind the campaign:



I'm interested in seeing what Old Spice will do next, how the interwebz will mash and hash all of this footage, and where viral marketing will venture to next. Sadly, this portion of Old Spice's campaign is over. Although, if it went on any longer, there surely would eventually be a backlash. Instead they entertained us, engaged us, and gave us that warm, fuzzy feeling of belongingness we get when we share something good together. More importantly, W+K transformed a brand associated with Dad and clipper ships into something today's youth would actually want to buy for themselves.

Kudos, W+K. You're on a horse.

(Silverfish hand catch!)

UPDATE: There are a slew of Old Spice commercial parodies out there (and I'm sure more are to come), but this one takes the cake:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ArIj236UHs[/youtube]

Felt Geekery

Felt Fuzzies Hand & Arrow Pointer Icons (Hair Clips & Pins)

The hand and mouse pointers are hand embroidered in an 8-bit graphics style. Point, click, BUY!

I also had let my Apple fangirl self loose and make an Apple Felt Fuzzi. But it's just for meeeeee and not for sale.  Sorry, folks.

Ahhh... sweet, sleek, lawsuit-mad Apple. :P

Don't worry. Even though I've only scratched the surface of stylin' geek chic felt-y possibilities, I haven't stopped making other kinds of Fuzzies. Stay tuned!

There are still lots of auctions starting at $0.99. More will be added throughout next week.  Happy bidding!

You like this Felt Fuzzi.

You knew this was coming...

Facebook Like Button : Hair Clips & Pins

UPDATE: These Fuzzies are now available in our store!  HOORAY!

--------------------------------------------

I had a little too much time on my hands today. Here are some well-known social media icons... FELT-ified!

Social Media is so much friendlier in felt. Don't you agree?

Lots of buttons to press...

Happy Birthday, Army!

You're looking good for 235...

The profit from each sale of this Fuzzi will go to the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA). Check our listing for details.

Yin Yang Fuzzies!

Hair bows, snap clips, and rings...

More Headbands!

We now have an assortment of narrower crochet headbands available. Not only can these stretchy bands be worn by little ones as headbands, they can also serve long, happy lives as bracelets, chokers, pony tail covers, and even bookmarks. Or really fancy slingshots for those of you who have boys. ;)

Luscious Pink Strawberry Headband

Skull Headband with a sweeet red and white gingham bow. 

Pink Kendall Flower Headband

Black, White, and Gray Winged Heart Headband

Other designs are also available in the Headbands category of our store.  Clicking on any of the pictures above will take you straight to the category.

Cheers!

Little bald babies...

They can't wear our Fuzzies.  :(  But, now your adorabald baby can wear our Felt Fuzzies Headbands and proclaim to the world that she is a SHE!

Joy!  Triumph!  Buttered Toast!

The Fuzzies are securely sewn on our headbands.  There are several styles and colors to choose from and more are on the way!

**FYI: Our regular Felt Fuzzi snap clips will snap onto plain baby headbands, especially those crochet and lacy ones you find at most clothing stores.  Just a thought...

New: Fuzzi Birdies!

The birds are finally listed.  There are 12 pretty color combinations and 9 backing options (including "None," for our scrapbooking and crafting Feltizens out there) to choose from.  The Quantity Discounts apply as well, which means that buying 3 or more color/backing combinations on the same order will save you 20%.  Buy 6 or more and you save 30%.  Wooo!  Check them out: http://www.karmabox.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=735

P.S.  We will be adding the "None" option to more of our Felt Fuzzies in the future.  Hang tight! :D

Nature by Numbers

Neat.



Nature by Numbers from Cristóbal Vila on Vimeo.

[Make:Online]

Why didn’t I think of this?

Would you pay $6 for a set of already-been-chewed wads of gum?

[caption id="attachment_319" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Look at the teeth marks!"][/caption]

I know I wouldn't.  That is, unless these aren't really nasty pre-chewed pieces of gum at all but are instead, MAGNETS. 

You Need Fuzzi Bunns.

We have Fuzzi Bunns...

Shown here in 6 bright colors. Thirteen colors available in all!

Bazinga!

This girl has some serious talent.

“And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” to see My Little Ponies “Defying Gravity”

In theory... combining two of my favorite things, Ponies and Broadway, should create a whole new, even-more-spectacular favorite thing.  In reality, however, it just makes for some entertaining awkwardness:



Weird, huh?

P.S. In case you haven't heard, Conan O'Brien is finally on Twitter.  Yay!

Bored, in the afternoooooon…

Ann didn't feel like working or studying this afternoon... so she made some silly Facebook Faces for you to download/save/share/use/abuse/scoff at.  They are totally free and of very low quality.  Enjoy!



Pssst... Clicking the photo takes you to a photo album on our Facebook fan page - http://www.facebook.com/feltfuzzies - BECOME A FAN! :D

Procrastination

Procrastination from Johnny Kelly on Vimeo.

I get the feeling the people who made this animated short have been spying on me...

(Thanks to The Daily What - My preferred procrastination resource.)

We have your tiny hat, Mr. Leprechaun...

We also have your little pot of gold.  So why don't you make nice and show yourself long enough for us to get a little taste of YouTube stardom.  I'll just set your hat right here on my blog... you know what we want...

Now, DANCE, Mr. Leprechaun. DANCE!

Pot 'o Gold!

Oh, the lame leprechaun jokes we could tell you... but you'd rather just see our latest Felt Fuzzi, wouldn't you?




Approved by the National Association for the Awareness of Leprechauns


(On a completely unrelated note, Happy Fat Tuesday!)

Thought for the day…

"Abundance is not about how much money you have, it's about how much you are enjoying your life."

~ Summer Pierre, The Artist in the Office: How to Creatively Survive and Thrive Seven Days a Week

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="448" caption="Enjoy! (Pic from CuteOverload.com)"] [/caption]

♥ Happy Chinese New Year! ♥ Happy Valentine's Day! ♥ And tomorrow, have a happy President's Day! ♥

Today, the Year of the Tiger begins! So for those of you born in 1902, 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, and of course, 2010... this is gonna be your year.  For everyone else, find your nearest Tiger friend and hang on tight!  Relax, you don't have to be Chinese to celebrate this week-long tradition (being non-Irish hasn't stopped me from partaking in St. Patrick's day frivolities!).  This is a time to party down with lots of food, fireworks, and family.  RAWR!

It's also Valentine's Day today... Some call it a day to commemorate love and romance, while others call it the day Hallmark, florists, and chocolate makers plot to screw up our already cynical and sad lives.  Personally, I think that any day a mature adult can go out in public adorned with red and pink hearts and NOT get odd looks or heckles is a very good day.  The aisles and aisles of chocolates doesn't hurt either.

And finally, tomorrow is President's Day for those of us here in the U.S. of A.  A day set aside to honor our country's highest office and the men (and hopefully someday, women) who have served in it.  Of course, it's also a day to get a great deal on mattresses, electronics, and cars...

We should celebrate life, family, love, patriotism, and the slashing of retail prices everyday...  But setting aside these special days give us opportunities to get together and be creative.  They are also great excuses to go over-the-top crazy in our own illogical, very human way.

Blessings,

ann:)

(Photo credits: Tiger cubs - Telegraph.co.uk; Cupid wings - BuyCostumes.com; Roses and wings - Microsoft Clip Art; Chinese red money envelopes - ChinaFamilyAdventure.com; Mad photochopping skillz - AnnYin)

GREEN!

We have new St. Patrick's Day green goodies in the store!  More will be added soon (including... a Pot 'o Gold Fuzzi, a Leprechaun Fuzzi, and a newly styled Rainbow Fuzzi).  Click on over and check them out:

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="282" caption="It's VERY easy being green..."][/caption]

New Items in Our Zazzle Gallery

Browse other personalized gifts from Zazzle.

Tumbling my time away...

KarmaBox now has Tumblr photo blog (http://karmabox.tumblr.com). It will be updated with our product pics, like Felt Fuzzies and other pretties. Occasionally, we may add pics and links to other people's handmade goodies.  Hoooooray!



Our Tumblr page also has Mobile capabilities and adjusts the posts to fit on your cellphone when you click on the, well, 'Mobile' link to the right of the page.

Basically, our Tumblr page will be less confusing than our TWO Facebook pages [You: "Why do you need 2 Facebook pages, Ann?"/Ann: "Because two is more than one, that's why."] and far more focused than our rambling, blessedly pointless Twitter feed.  Hooray, again!

So, please follow us on Tumblr!

Thanks!

P.S.  If you have a hankering for random photos of boring things taken at interesting angles and Terry Pratchett quotes... Check out Ann's other Tumblr blog: http://thepictureimp.tumblr.com

“Is he died?”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAtBki0PsC0[/youtube]

A not so electric, guitar.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="432" caption="A Black and Pink Electric Guitar - Feltified."][/caption]

Yes, it's a guitar.  Yes, it is black and pink.  Yes, it even has shiny silver strings.  But alas, it does not play. Not one single note.  Oh sure, I could wear it in my hair to tell the world that I, Farnsworth McQueen Simmons, can rock (and perhaps even roll).  Yeah, I know I could have also gotten the pin version of this miniature electric guitar to stick onto the miniature guitar case I bought (but that would be a little weird, don't you think?).  I just thought you should know that I am hugely disappointed in your relentless pursuit for cuteness over musical functionality.

What will I do with my miniature rock band now?  What, pray tell, shall I tell my fans?

Sincerely,

Disappointed Miniature Guitarist/Backup Vocalist (aka, The Electric Fly)

And she builds robots in her spare time!

Today, my boys and I played with our puppy, drew some lovely pictures to post on our fridge, and built a couple of blood-thirsty killing machines programmed to enslave humanity. =^_^=

[caption id="attachment_251" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Don't let their size and mediocrity fool you... these robots are vicious."][/caption]

These cool kits are designed by a fleet of smarty-pants over at Middlesex University in the UK.  Robot Duck and Tin-Can Robot are easy to build and even easier to start a Robot Fight Club! with.  (You can't build robots and not make them fight each other, sheesh.)

[caption id="attachment_252" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Robots are cool."][/caption]

I <3 Robots.  Rest assured that a Robot Fuzzi is high on my to-make list.

ann:)

Dinner Blurb

[Un]Chef Ann is mutilating a chicken in the oven... with lots of veggies. It all smells divine, but if it turns out to be inedible, Domino's is on standby. They are a very understanding franchise.

Always have a Plan B.

How to help the victims of Haiti's earthquake:

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Haiti and their families around the world. Please help out in any way you can and if you find a good organization or business not listed here that is directly helping with the relief efforts... please share the info with the rest of us! :)

Red Cross Haiti Relief and Development Fund

http://www.redcross.org/

Doctors without Borders- Building emergency triage centers and medical services in Haiti

http://doctorswithoutborders.org/

Partners in Health - Provides international emergency medical services and personnel.

https://donate.pih.org/page/contribute/haiti_earthquake

Or bring donations to your area Whole Foods Market (check with the store first):

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/

The Salvation Army has numerous locations in communities around the world that can accept cash or other donations:

http://www.salvationarmy.org

Please use your common sense and take a few minutes to do some research so that your help can get to where it's needed.  It's a sad but true fact of life that ne'er-do-wells will crawl out from under their rocks in times of need to take advantage of the generosity of good folks.  I listed the direct links to some well-known and reputable charities; however, I have already seen some shady links online in Google ads, Facebook, and on other websites.  Check the URLs (web addresses) first!!

Thank you Feltizens and God bless!

ann:)

2010!

We survived another decade.  That is all.  Return to your hangovers, citizens.  There is nothing to see here.  Except an epic "Dick Van Dyke Show" marathon to help you forget the disastrous aughts (and those strange sparkly blue drinks from NYE...).  Enjoy!  We'll go back to exploiting our mad Fuzzi-making skills on Monday.