Burger of the Week #42

Portrait of a Burger! This photo dissection was is from the portfolio of Gosha Weivoda. I think it's beautiful—I especially love the ketchup and mustard.

Over the Rainbow 'bout Pacman

Totally went apeshit over these hand-carved pacman stamps from MemiTheRainbow on Etsy.

If you know anything about me you can probably list at least five reasons I love these stamps!

A Feast of Sides

Being a vegetarian hasn't really changed my life, but not eating chicken means it's probably been over 6 years since I'd been to a KFC. Last night, we went and bought all the KFC sides and biscuits and had a winter picnic on the living room floor.

It seems that in the last decade, the colonel has changed his menu, dropping several sides, including potato salad and corn (unless this varies daily or by branch). So our picnic consisted of mashed potatoes/gravy, cole slaw, mac and cheese, baked beans and biscuits.

Our conclusion was, that this was a genius idea and we'd totally do it again. Next time we'd skip the mac and cheese, as the cheese was obviously mixed from some sort of powder, and we'd get twice as many biscuits. The biscuits were exactly as tasty as we remembered them... but smaller.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's the biscuits** that keep KFC in business.

**Gonna have to try this recipe while the taste is still fresh in my memory. See if this recipe comes close. Have a hard time believing the colonel would share all his secrets!

Forwardable Art

I've never been much of a forwarder. But I do appreciate a good forward, and one series I've always enjoyed is the amazing 3D Chalk Guy. If you don't know what I mean, you can check it out here. Basically, the art is drawn in such a altered perspective that from a certain vantage point, reality is distorted. I'm impressed by both the vision it takes to create one of these and the imagination behind each scenario.

I assume the 3D chalk work of Julian Beever would never be considered graffiti. Which leads me to wonder about the line between graffiti and street art— Is it simply a matter of washability?

I bring this up, because this week I was forwarded a collection of street art images. I thought they were incredible — in skill and in creativity. I hate to imagine there's people out there who don't see this as art. Imagine how art like this on abandoned buildings or in dull parking lots could change a city's landscape.

Here are a few of my favorites from the email. For the full forward, send me an email and I'll pass it along!

*Lastly, I can't mention street art without throwing in a word about Banksy. If you're unfamiliar with the mysterious world of Bansky I high suggest you check out Exit Through the Gift Shop.

Burger of the Week #41

I found out this week that one of my good friends is expecting her first baby— Congratulations Friend-who -isn't-at-this-point-announcing-her-pregnancy-to-the-masses!!

Now if I was a baby existing on smelly milk and mushed up vegetables, this is totally what my dreams would look like!

Organic Burger Baby Thought Hat from LEFTright on Etsy

Spirit of 2012.... According to the DL Tribune

Ok, so the card I designed for my parents made it's way to Minnesota—to a friend of their's that my dad met in New Orleans while doing work with Habitat. Said friend sent the card to the Detroit Lakes Tribune, and the paper wrote this article about it.

(Read the full article here) "Patriots come in all sizes, shapes and forms. Some wear the uniform of our military and bravely carry our flag in foreign lands; some are school children who recite the Pledge of Allegiance every morning; some Democrats and Republicans serve in our congress; some are ordinary loyal citizens of all beliefs, liberal, conservative and middle-of-the-road, who love and support their homeland year in and year out in their daily lives; and some are like Frank and Jenny who trumpet their love of this country with calls to action like their “Occupy 2012” statement. I can picture them walking now and I see them as “The Spirit of 2012.” "

I'm so glad the card made it out of Grand Rapids, and that someone understood and appreciated the sentiment and message! You know, I seriously may be more excited about this than I was about winning an Addy last year.

"Whether you agree or disagree with Frank and Jenny’s agenda for 2012, you have to admire the spirit and optimism of the greeting. "

Thanks to Tim and Cheri for sending the card in, and Thanks to Lynn Hummel, for recognizing one small step in a long race.

Put a Stamp on It

Three weeks into the New Year and my New Year's Resolution—by now some of you should have received some actual mail!

In accordance with my resolution and consequential reunion with postage stamps, I am intruiged and impressed with these 3-inch postage stamp paintings by Molly Rausch.

Burger of the Week #40

Mutant Neon Paper Hamburger from French paper-craft extraordinaires Lucie Thomas and Thibault Zimmermann. See more amazing photos here.

Burger of the Week #39

French fast food chain, Quick, is rolling out promotional snack which really has gone to the Dark Side—a Star Wars-themed burger with completely black buns, in honor of the 3D rerelease of The Phantom Menace. Read More.

French Fry Taste Test Round 2

There was recently big buzz in the fast food world when Burger King updated their french fry recipe—I presume in response to Wendy's successful introduction of natural cut fries earlier in the year. It was the first time the chain reformulated their fries since 1998, when they transitioned to "extra crispy" fries. The new fries are thicker, and supposedly retain heat longer.

So, in light of this new introduction, it was time to redo our face-off. Same judges, three contestants: McDs, Wendy's and Burger King. And the consensus was mutual.

Right off the bat, Burger King loses the right to call themselves fast food. Their drive-thru took about 5 times longer than the other too. But this is about taste, so I will digress....

When dealing with a fresh french fry, Wendy's wins on taste. They're still serving their natural cut fries, and while not technically healthier for you, they taste more like an actual potato. Mmmmm. Burger King tastes distinctly coated, and even a little chemically (perhaps like a heat retention coating should taste?)

However, over the course of the meal, as the french fries cool, Wendy's quickly loses it's appeal—their fries get mushy as they cool. Burger King's fries definitely retain their heat, they stay crispy and over time, lose the chemical taste. So the rankings actually flip. McDonalds just sort of hangs out in the middle of all this. They taste like a salty McDonalds fry—exactly what you expect from the fast food mogul.

So fast food now has a strategy. If you're eating on-site, go with Wendy's (or McDs if you're all about the Big Mac). But if you intend to go through the drive thru and have a 15 minute drive before you actually eat, Burger King's heat retaining chemicals would actually be a benefit here.

Yes, boys and girls, fast food really is that complicated.

Got an Angry Baby?

Is your baby mad? Dress him up!

Fun Angry Bird hats from our friends at ScrappyLynn.
Available on Etsy.

⌘C and ⌘P All Over the Place

Three days back at the office and I'm eager to get to my weekend so I can reconnect with my gluesticks and mod podge. I had a fantastic time doing a little old school ⌘C and ⌘P over the holiday and I'm ready to get back to it!

My mom had found these issues of McCall's needlecraft magazine from the '50s and '60s while doing cleaning house. One girl's garbage is another girl's jackpot— the photos, fonts, ads, and images in these magazines are quite fantastic. Combined with my vintage fabric pattern collection and some actual fabric, they were excellent fodder for a little mixed media collaging. Here's one I finished, and I have two more in progress I hope to finish this weekend!

Off to stock up on more mod podge! Happy crafting!

Burger of the Week #38

It's a new year—make a new wish on a fancy burger!

Dear 2012,

When I make my New Year's resolutions, I like them to be measurable. Sure, general overarching goals are great— "Be a Better Person", "Eat Healthier", "Gossip Less"— but success is then objective and relative.

Last year, my resolutions included "Cook 5 new recipes a month" (Success!), "Run at least 5 miles a week" (Fail!). But having a quantitative goal gives me something against which to hold myself accountable.

Anyhow, it's 2012, and while I plan to keep cooking, it's time for a new goal/s. Here's one I'm particularly excited about: "Send one Just for Fun snail mail letter every week."

There's two motivations behind this. 1). I love stamps. I think stamp designs are some of the most charming I've ever seen. 2). Going to the mailbox is a favorite part of my day. Sure, it's usually full of trash, but for that 30 second walk, it feels like anything is possible. So I want to give my friends and family a periodic surprise.

Here's some of the stamps that have inspired this resolution.

So in 2012, I'll finally make a point to use those adorable notecards I love to shop for and design. Besides, we don't know how much longer the USPS is going to be there for us, and I want to take advantage of this amazing public service.

Cheers!

Assembling an Army

After a long morning of "but I don't wanna"s, it was back to work today. After a leisurely few weeks, it was a rough transition. Not having any family holiday obligations, I spent my days doing something I love— watching tv while crafting.

In fact I made a whole gaggle* of argyle friends to keep me company. I love monkeys, I love argyle—could there be a better combination??

See my monkeys on Etsy here.

*Gaggle of geese, a pack of wolves, barrel of monkeys?

2012: And I'm Feeling Good

It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's new year and I'm Feeling Good.

I do feel good. ... resolutions are written, the ground is snow-free (for another hour or so) and I have 7 seasons of Gilmore Girls to watch.

It's 2012— Year of the Dragon, the London Summer Olympics, and another presidential election.

Now keeping with Lynn family tradition, Frank & Jenny didn't send holiday themed cards. Instead it's a little subtle New Year's propaganda.

And of course, keeping with our 2001 agreement (they receive free holiday card designs for life in return for my college tuition) it was designed by yours truly.

So welcome 2012—your revolution starts today.