I featured this on my company blog but I had to throw it up here too.

For most, there is no crueler day of the calendar year than that of Valentine’s Day. While a tiny fraction of the population can look forward to a holiday of wine and roses, poetry and song, the vast majority of us can anticipate a day of nausea and grimacing, trauma and grief. A day in which minutes seem like hours, and hours like days, as we reflect sorrowfully on yesteryear’s romantic indignities, today’s loneliness, and the unknowable but certain heartbreak that will be visited upon us repeatedly in the years to come.

“Dysfunctional” sayings include:
RUMORS TRUE | PRENUP OKAY? | HE CAN LISTEN | GAME ON TV
CALL A 900# | P.S. I LUV ME | DO MY DISHES | UWATCH CMT
PAROLE IS UP! | BE MY YOKO | U+ME=GRIEF | I WANT HALF
RETURN 2 PIT | NOT MY MOMMY | BE MY PRISON | C THAT DOOR?

Gotta love Demotivators.

All around the world children are raking in heaps of presents and parents everywhere are attempting to put together complicated toys using instructions written in broken English.

Merry Christmas!

However, Christmas is also a time to be thankful for everything that we have. Please take a look over at The Kim Family Benefit Art + Craft Auction in memory of James Kim. Bidding starts on January 3rd through eBay. All proceeds will benefit the Kim Family (schooling costs for the girls etc…)

There are some very beautiful hand crafted pieces there, and I’m sure I’ll be bidding on a few of them.

Welcome! We are happy to announce an online auction of fine art + craft to benefit the family of James Kim. Over 40 different artists have contributed auction items in a wide range of media. You’ll find paintings, prints, ceramics, soft toys, jewelery, paper goods, home decor and more. 100% of the auction proceeds will go to the Kim Family Fund. Bidding will begin January 3rd and end January 7th. Please check back here for a preview of the auction items in the coming weeks.

We want to thank the contributing artists and the online art and craft community for this opportunity to help the Kims.

Our best,
Lisa Congdon, Stephanie Barnes, and Gerrie Congdon.

Pictured Right: “Strength” by Andrea Heimer. Acrylic on canvas, 4×12″ and signed. From the website: “I called this one ‘Strength’ because that is what I wish for the Kim family.”

You know the kind of home made ornaments that you used to make in preschool that consisted of a tupperware top, glue, and macaroni combined with some pony beads? Well, here’s a little White Ninja to lighten your day and remind yourself of the good old days of crappy Christmas ornaments weighed down with too much Elmer’s glue (because it was just so much fun to glop around!) Click the comic to view the real version:

Our Christmas tree, with Blacky (our black cat) basking underneath.

So I think it’s pretty clear that I’m obsessed with Christmas at this point haha! Just launched the new design here… adding on to my Christmas design festivities over at Blog What.

So… I’ve been slacking off terribly on my blogging duties! The entire college application process has taken up much of my time along with a BUNCH of projects over at BWD. Have no fear though! I’m going to try harder to get stuff up here! I even have a few half finished stories too ;) Plus a few minor changes and tweaks to this design.

There are some fun new additions to our blog radio:
Elvis: Blue Christmas
Let it Snow
Silver Bells
Little Drummer Boy
Chestnuts Roasting
Have A Holly Jolly Christmas
Frosty the Snowman (A Personal Favorite haha!)
Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Anyways. Here are some fun and funny holiday pictures… Keep reading this »

All of this goodness and holiday cheer has me itching to create some Christmas designs. I’M ALREADY LATE! It’s past Thanksgiving. Oh well.

I will have something done for this site and Blog What BY December 1… or else my holiday won’t be complete.

Happy Holidays!
(I love saying that.)

edit: Holiday greeting and header up over at Blog What Design. I love the graphics in the one set I got from iStock… I think I’ll use them for this website. Keep watching ;)

Happy Halloween everyone! In spirit of the festivities, I present to you:
EXTREMEPUMPKINS.COM

Here is what Rick from near Rochester NY had to say about this masterpiece.

I usually grow a few Atlantic Giant pumpkins every year and carve them up. Some of the giants have a recessive gene for *green* skin; those look particularly striking when carved. While the skin is green, the flesh is still normal orange color. Here’s one 280 pounder that I carved last year… hope you enjoy it!

I think it was pretty damn cool.

Have fun tonight and don’t scare too many little kids!

So we just got back from a great time in Manhattan overnight. The first thing my sister and I did upon entering our own room at the Essex House (my parents had their own separate) was open up the minny bar and eat the $8 gummy bear jars and pistachios. We then sat around, ordered roomservice and took showers.

We managed to get a reservation at the best French restaurant in New York, Alain Ducasse. The food was extraordinary, and the wait-staff were lovely too. I even spoke french to the waiter hahaha.

We headed off to the show at Lincoln Center to see the Nutcracker. The dancers were amazing, the best I’ve seen yet (we’ve been going to see the show for about 10 years now.) We were fortunate enough to have orchestra seats so I could see all of the expression and feeling the dancers gave. The pas de deux of the Sugar Plum fairy and her prince was amazing, the lifts were flawless and it was so wonderful to watch. :)

So now I’m off to wrap presents for under the tree, get things ready, and it’s off to my Aunt’s house for Christmas Eve. I wish every a very Merry Christmas and a safe, healthy New Year!

Pictures under the cut… <3

Keep reading this »

Controversy is brewing in Boston after a Christmas tree donated to the city was changed to a giant “Holiday tree.”

When the donators of the tree were informed of the city’s official name changed, they would have preferred to take it back.

The matter was brought to the attention of city officials by Dr. Jerry Falwell and the Liberty Counsel, a Christian legal group that had vowed to take legal action against the spreading of “misinformation” to city and government officials.

“My family donated a Christmas tree. If Boston wants to call it something else, maybe they should send it back,” said Donnie Hatt, according to the Chronicle Herald of Nova Scotia.

Boston should “just put Return to Sender on it because we sent it as a Christmas tree, not a holiday tree,” he said.

The controversy represents the concern which cities around the country have faced over the possibility of being sued when publicly-funded displays at the year’s end come under scrutiny over first amendment and church-state implications.

The government is attempting to throw Christmas into its big black hole of political correctness. Well… I’m not going to let it happen! (Hence “Merry Christmas” plastered across this design.)

On another note, my family and I picked up our 12′ tree yesterday.I love the smell of a fresh Christmas tree!

[Source]
[Source]

Finally, after tedious testing in IE to get the CSS just right for that broken browser and such, (everyone please just go download Firefox) the new design is ready! The theme is entitled Where’s Santa based on the title of the image I used for this design. You’ll notice a lot of awesome plugins with this theme with more to come, be sure to check them all out. If you notice any bugs or display mishaps, please let me know by commenting here. Thanks a bunch!

>> Just added a bunch of Christmas tunes to the blog radio ;)

Ahhh! A new design is coming for all to enjoy. It’s in testing right now, with this very post. :P