September 21, 2013

It’s a Skull-a-bration of Accessories! Adorn Yourself with Some Bewitchingly-Beautiful Jewelry Pieces Just in Time for the Halloween Season!


Salve Omni!

And a happy Saturday to All!

It has once again been a busy week!  I should be sleeping, but I am just now getting a chance to sit down and relax, and I figured that I would take the time to write at least one new post for the week.  It has been a week of various projects, and a few sleepless nights, but it has been fun!  I have especially enjoyed working on one project in particular – my jewelry business, Designs by EHL.  I finally had the chance to focus a bit more on my Earth, Mother, Goddess Collection, but I also decided to revisit one of my older collections; and for a good reason!

I took a look at the calendar yesterday, and realized that (a) the weekend is nigh, and (b) it is almost October!  Seriously, where has the time gone?  Where has September gone?  I swear, it was just September 1st about a week ago!  Oh well, ’tis not a bad thing…COME ON OCTOBER!!!  And come on cooler weather (I live in Texas)!

Fall is my favorite season of the year, and October is one of my favorite months.  This October, so much will be going on:  Season 7 of The Big Bang Theory will return to TV on September 26th (well, it’s almost October), the Dallas Comic-Con:  Fan Days will take place October 4-6, Season 4 of The Walking Dead will return to TV on October 13th, my husband’s birthday is later on in the month (I’m thinking a Farscape-themed birthday celebration), and then, there is Halloween!  So excited!!!  I am especially excited for Halloween (October 31st) for two reasons:  (1) it’s Halloween!, (2) it is also my wedding anniversary (4 years this year!)  As you can see, it should be a month jam-packed with fun and exciting events and things to see and do.

Since Halloween is just around the corner, I want to re-introduce one of my jewelry collections that I feel is simply perfect for the Season.  It is a small collection of skull-themed jewelry pieces, called Dia de Los Adorables.  Skulls????  What???  Yes indeed!  I like to describe this collection as a mix of the Day of the Dead, Goth, Victorian/Steampunk, the macabre, gorgeousness and elegance.

Now I know what some of you might be thinking, “Skulls?  How can that be elegant, or anything else but dark and creepy?  Well, to answer your hypothetical question, I will have to show you.  Trust me, the pieces speak for themselves.  Skulls can truly be a thing of beauty and shouldn’t be considered scary – I mean, everybody has one.  Yes skulls also serve as small reminders of our mortality, but not just in terms of death and graveyards.  And yeah, they can be a bit on the macabre and creepy side, which I feel, strangely lends a sense of elegance and timelessness to this collection.  But hey, see for yourself…I have included a few photos below.  Take a look, and let me know what you think!
 





I just added these new/old pieces to my online Etsy.com store a few hours ago, so you are the first to get a sneak peek right here on my blog!  If you like what you see and would like more detailed images and information on each piece, and to view the full Dia de Los Adorables Collection, be sure to click on the link to visit my Etsy.com store at http://www.etsy.com/shop/DesignsbyEHL. 

Now let’s get ready for Halloween - the pieces from this collection make great and unique gifts!  But don’t stop there – they can also be worn year-‘round if you are anything like me and love to wear unique statement pieces.

I will return next week with brand new ramblings and brand new posts, so stay tuned!  Wishing you a safe and happy weekend!
 
 
 

September 12, 2013

Delayed Reaction…Batfleck? How About Batcage Instead?!!!


Salve Omni!

Okay, okay…I know it’s a bit late to post my reaction to the announcement that Ben Affleck has been cast as the new Batman/Bruce Wayne in the upcoming Batman Vs. Superman film, but, hey…who am I to follow the norm?  The true reason for my delayed reaction – SHOCK!!!  I am not going to lie – as a super hero enthusiast and Batman fanatic, I was saddened to hear that (a) Christian Bale was not going to reprise his role as Batman/Bruce Wayne, and (b) Ben Affleck had been chosen. 

My reaction…NOOOOO! 

I have yet to see Argo, but I do remember Daredevil, and to be honest, I was not impressed…at all!  I don’t think that Ben Affleck has what it takes to don the mantle of The Batman; maybe (and I mean, maybe) he could pass as Bruce Wayne because of the dark hair and appearance, but his acting range would have to broaden greatly and quickly in order to encompass the duality of my beloved Batman.

Now we could all be proven wrong when the movie debuts…who knows?  Stranger things have happened.  Affleck might blow us all away with his version of The Batman.  Obviously, when he auditioned for the role, the studio saw something of quality in his performance that made him fit (in their eyes) to be cast.  So, I guess we will just have to wait until 2015 to either be pleasantly-surprised, or extremely disappointed.  But until then, I can always dream of a different Batman…of my choice for Batman.  And that, Dear Reader, is why it has taken me awhile to respond to this matter – I had to thoroughly ponder which actor would make a qualified candidate.  And I have come up with the perfect solution – Nicolas Cage!!!

Now, before you take to the comment section to blast my decision, I ask you to first read on to understand why.  Other than my slight, harmless obsession with Nicolas Cage, I took a look back at some of his films.  Ghost Rider – awesome!  Kick-Ass – excellent!  Knowing – (one of my favorite Cage films) he played the crap out of that role.  Shall I go on?  Let’s see, there’s also Valley Girl, Leaving Las Vegas, Face/Off, City of Angels, National Treasure (see, he can do adventure), Adaptation, and, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.  I could go on, but I listed these films to showcase his role versatility.  Whether you love Nicolas Cage or hate him, his impressive acting skills and believable characters tend to stick with you because he gives each role/character 150%, and, well, it is just so darn entertaining to watch him on screen!

Who better to play Gotham City’s sort of eccentric and well-respected socialite billionaire, than a real-life eccentric.  We all know that Mr. Cage is quite the eccentric gentleman – with his fondness for exotic pets and real estate purchases; he once even owned a castle!  It is also noted that he is a fan of comic books, and even auctioned off a large collection of his vintage comic books.  See, he has an advantage!  One who has great respect for comic books will have a great respect for the comic book character he or she portrays onscreen, don’t you think?

I could see Mr. Cage playing an older Bruce Wayne, eccentric, wealthy and impeccably-dressed.  Come on – it would be worth it to just to see him interact with Alfred, as long as Michael Caine reprises this role (I know there would be plenty of witty banter).  As Batman, he would be kicking ass and taking names.  And he would look awesome in the Bat suit.  He would definitely make Superman seem inferior…yeah, because Nicolas Cage does that!  If we’re lucky, maybe the studios will reconsider and let him go up against Superman; or, at least let him play Batman in the upcoming Justice League movie (fingers crossed)! 

Well, you’ve heard my suggestion for the next Batman…I’d like to hear yours – send me a comment or two…don’t be shy! 

 

September 7, 2013

Sugar in the Morning, Sugar in the Evening, and on Saturday Mornings = Cereal Gold!


Salve Omni!
And greetings to you, Dear Reader!  I hope you had a great week!

This week, I found myself awake most nights, watching late night TV cartoon episodes from “the olden days”.  Yep, I’ve come to terms with the fact that I am officially old!  If you have cable or satellite TV, and remember the awesome weekday and Saturday morning cartoons that aired on TV during the late 1980s and ‘90s, then I highly-recommend two channels – HUB and Boomerang.  Between the two, they show classic cartoons and TV shows from a time almost forgotten.  In the wee hours of the morning, I found myself watching some old The Adventures of Captain Planet episodes (don’t judge me).  All I can say is the old episodes that I watched as a child seem so much different now from how I remember them.  Not as cool as I remembered…actually, a wee bit disappointing!  I found myself going, “huh?” a few times.  But I digress…Believe it or not, I am not here to talk about the cartoons of my childhood (I’ll save this for a lengthier future post), but rather, something equally important – breakfast cereal!!! 
It’s so strange, the thoughts that run through my mind late at night!  I, more than often will find myself analyzing some pretty random (and quite insanely genius) ideas.  This time, by watching “oldies” like The Adventures of Captain Planet, I started reminiscing about early morning cartoons and breakfast cereal.

As a child growing up in the 1980s and ‘90s, some of my fondest moments (other than my strange, nerdy elementary school fascination with completing lots and lots of extra homework) were spent before school and Saturday mornings, watching cartoons and eating some awesome breakfast cereal.  Unlike the foods of today, America didn’t seem as concerned with wheat and fiber being the main contents of kid’s breakfast cereals, but seemed more concerned with cereals appealing to kids and tasting pretty darn good to boot.  In my opinion, kid’s breakfast cereals of the past were full of yumminess, sugar-packed goodness and marshmallows and lots and lots of food coloring!
I considered myself to be a connoisseur of cereal.  Like fine wine, they must be sampled and rated.  I had my favorites and I had my dislikes (to be honest, I’m surprised I didn’t keep a cereal journal), but I rarely ever managed to finish a full box of anything before moving on to the next cereal – hey, my eyes were definitely bigger than my stomach!  And I also blame the darn TV commercials – how dare they try to appeal to me by making cereals based on my favorite TV shows and video games!  Almost weekly, there seemed to be a brand-new sparkly commercial boasting of a fantastic cereal that I just had to try. 

I’ll be honest, a lot of these cereals were very disappointing and tasted like crap, but I still had my favorites (some are still around today):

v  Super Golden Crisp

v  Apple Jacks

v  Kellogg’s Corn Pops

v  Fruity Pebbles

v  Lucky Charms – (I’ll admit it, I only ate the marshmallows – soooo good!)

v  Cocoa Krispies

v  Kix – (Okay, pretty bland, but for some reason, I Like It…and still do!)

v  Honey Comb

v  Reese’s Peanut Butter Puffs Cereal – Didn’t taste much like the candy, but still quite yummy!

v  Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes – “They’re ggggreat!”

v  Frosted Cheerios – Remember this?  Thank God for this version, because face it – regular Cheerios were not that great – unless you poured a ton of sugar on it.

v  Cinnamon Toast Crunch – The best bit – after you are done with the cereal, the milk is full of cinnamon/sugary goodness!

v  Nintendo Cereal System – Two cereals in one!  One side was Super Mario Bros., the other – The Legend of Zelda.  The Super Mario Bros. side tasted like crap, but The Legend of Zelda cereal, well, I hate to admit…was quite tasty!

v  Hidden Treasures – Some had fruit filling in the middle – a very interesting taste!

v  Circus Fun – Almost forgot about this one…was good, man!

v  Dino Pebbles – Pretty darn good!

v  Cap’n Crunch

v  Marshmallow Krispies – Shouldn’t have happened, but I ate it anyway.

v  Ghost Busters Cereal

v  Cookie Crisp – Didn’t taste much like chocolate chip cookies, but it was okay.  I prefer getting a box of the Mini Chips Ahoy! cookies, and pouring them into a bowl of milk – THE BEST CEREAL, EVER!!!

Well, there you have it – a visit from the ghosts of breakfast cereals past!  I hope you are pleasantly haunted by the thoughts of tastiness and nostalgic goodness.  And, just in time for today’s Saturday morning cartoons!

Happy Saturday, Everyone!
 

September 3, 2013

1,000 Page Views...And Counting!!!


You Made It Possible!!!

Happy Monday Everyone!

I am so excited to announce that my blog site, It's Just A Thought...has now received 1,000 page views!!!
 

A big THANK YOU to all who have stopped by my site, read a blog or two, and made this possible. 

Here's to another 1,000 - I'll keep on posting if you keep on reading!;)

Stay tuned...more original ramblings to come!!!


-Trijan Maddux