» Just for Fun

Apple boo boo fixer – Antenn-aid

siliconvalleygirl — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 06:25:58 +0000

Too funny not to post … in case you didn’t see this when I posted it to my facebook page:

Combining traditional with digital crafting

siliconvalleygirl — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 21:38:15 +0000

I got this super-cool packet in the mail of Glue Dots to try out, I love being a part of the Twitter Mom’s Network (click this link for info: http://www.twittermoms.com/forum/topics/2000-in-prizes-up-for-grabs?) and boy I’ve been having fun using them to create everything for my son’s Thomas the Tank Engine-themed 3rd birthday party. I created his invitation myself (of course) in Photoshop and utilizing some of my own digital scrapbook materials, and some from Kathryn Baliant’s Pappa’s Trains digital scrapbook kit.

Front of the Thomas the Train Invitation

I used the Glue Dots in two ways – the front piece I printed on heavy card stock and cut out and used permanent Glue Dots to adhere it to the front of the card. Then I used the mini Permanent Glue Dots and stuck on the blue polka dot ribbon on top of the image of the ribbon on the print out. (I love combining digital and physical scrapbook materials!) On the inside of the card, I created what looked like a ticket and also printed that on heavy card stock. I stuck the ticket down with removable Glue Dots, so the guest can pull off and get their ticket punched as they enter the party. One last permanent mini Glue Dot to hold on the red polka dotted bow, and it was done.

Your ticket to fun - adhered with removable GlueDots

How cool is that?

I’ll be using more GlueDots to decorate my house and yard, and put together thank you cards, along with checking on the Glue Dots facebook page for more ideas.

FYI: I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Glue Dots blogging contest to be eligible to receive a $30 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Even puppets love the iPhone

siliconvalleygirl — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 21:07:45 +0000

Click the image to view a hilarious viral clip from Apple where a muppet-like creature named Limer with an iPhone 4.0 taped to his hand calls customer service. He’s seeking help with the new video conference feature (a front and a rear facing camera on the new iPhones, don’tcha know) and was very happy with is experience.

Too much hulabaloo for a hot pocket

siliconvalleygirl — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 21:56:36 +0000

I’m about to chow down on my meatball sandwich hot pocket when I see it: the url printed on the heating sleeve. Really? Is this what we’ve come to as a society? I wonder what url I’ll put on my headstone …

I digress. So of course I had to fire up my computer and check out http://www.eatfreely.org, a fully fictional website dedicated to the love of eating things while on the go. It’s just a tad over the top, with lots of streaming video and flash. Who is really looking at this site, and do they really want to buy a hat with eatfreely.org emblazoned on it? Is anyone really that into hot pockets? Please, leave a comment and prove me wrong!

Cool Tool for Potty Training Boys

siliconvalleygirl — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 06:21:23 +0000

My friend came up with this awesome tool to help potty train her son – we’re trying it now with my 2 1/2 year old. Thought it was worthy of a post here!

Google.com best Logo EVER

siliconvalleygirl — Sat, 22 May 2010 00:05:18 +0000

There have been many creative logos from http://www.Google.com – but today’s was their best EVER. Not only was it an adorable rendition of a Google PacMan game layout – it is playable. I hope they archive this so you can continue to play, but here’s a screengrab:

Scrabble vs. Words with Friends

siliconvalleygirl — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:48:58 +0000

Like playing word games on your iPhone? If you love scrabble, there’s two options out there for you to play with your friends – one’s free, one’s a bit pricey. I’ve got them both loaded on my phone, and they’ve got pros and cons for each.

Scrabble – the obvious con is the cost. You can get more info on this game HERE.$4.99 is not a lot in the grand scheme of things, but it’s more than I usually spend on an iphone game. What’s cool about the official scrabble? It connects up with your facebook account, so you can play with that group of friends, and they can play online so they don’t even need an iPhone to throw down tiles with you. Scrabble also has a neat feature where after you play your words, it will show you what a better option might have been – or let you know if you did the best you could. It’s also got this neato list of all the two-letter words acceptable to their dictionary. Always handy!

Words with Friends is another version of this same game – with a few less features. You need to play with other iPhone users, there’s no little tutor to let you know if you’ve done the best or not, but other than that it’s a highly enjoyable version of this game. It’s FREE, although there are some ads, and you can buy an ad-free version for a minimal cost. The ads don’t really bother me, though. Get more info on Worlds with Friends HERE.

Either way, both games are a great way to pass time, interact with your pals, and learn a few new words. I like them both!

Love yarn? Want new friends? You should be on Ravelry!

siliconvalleygirl — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:44:27 +0000

Ravelry.com has been in beta for a long time, but this growing online community of yarn-obsessed folks is incredibly strong and filled with content. Before I procreated, I had tons of time to knit. One year, I made custom scarves for everyone on my Christmas list, carefully picking out yarn and patterns that I thought matched each person’s style.

Now that I’ve got rugrats, I have very little time to knit along with a large yarn stash that I had been building for years. I’ve also added to it a little bit over the past few years with the good intentions of knitting for my kids and my friend’s kids. I have lots of half-finished things floating around: a sweater that I never did the sleeves for (can this just be a vest?), a dolly that has two legs, one arm and her head knitted but not sewn or stuffed together, and even worse, bags with patterns, needles, and the yarn … but not even cast on. What is the most disturbing is things like the bag of baby cashmerino yarn in lilac that I purchased with every intention of making a baby blanket for my daughter Serena (who turns five in a few months).

In a quest to use this (very expensive!) yarn to still make something beautiful and useful for my daughter, I searched Ravelry.com at the recommendation of a knitting expert friend. Enter in the name of the yarn that you have, and you will see pages upon pages of suggestions for it’s use along with photos, patterns, and details and comments from others that have made the item as well. You can limit the results of your search if they are too overwhelming, the tool that lets you search the patterns and yarns archived in the community are really excellent.

How wonderful for someone like me, who works days and is home nights with the kids to find a community of like-minded knitters to talk to, trade patterns with, and get advice on how to use my yarn stash. Take the tour and see what Ravelry is all about.

Blast yourself into the past – at NBC.com

siliconvalleygirl — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:22:17 +0000

I regularly watch video content on my computer – whether it be hilarious clips on YouTube or catching up at Hulu.com, I’m always cruising for content. I rarely get to watch what I want to watch on my television as I live with a 2-year-old (Sesame Street and Yo Gabba Gabba), a 4-year-old (anything Noggin or Disney Channel) and a 38-year-old (Sports, Sports, Sports). It’s just easier to tune the tv to what they want to watch, and then pull out my laptop and headphones.

So today, I headed over to NBC.com to look for episodes of Parks and Recreation (one of my fave new shows, if you have not seen this yet give it a chance – it’s quirky and very funny) and noticed a section of their video content that I’d never paid attention to before: NBC Video Rewind. In there, I found a virtual paradise of video from the 1980’s: Battlestar Galactica, Charles in Charge, Buck Rogers, Knight Rider, Miami Vice, Quantum Leap, The Bionic Woman, and Simon vs. Simon. Be still my heart, I cannot wait to tune my tv to Yo Gabba Gabba and let Charles be in charge of me.

Check out the classic TV site that goes along with this content: http://www.nbc.com/classic-tv/

Thank you, NBC – for bringing back some good old content instead of just pumping out a few more stupid reality shows!

Blog tinkering … bear with me!

siliconvalleygirl — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:31:00 +0000

So I’m finally realizing how unhappy I was with Type Pad and am migrating my blog to Word Press. I’ve done so much development with Word Press in the past, I’m not sure why I even decided to use Type Pad in the first place other than to challenge myself and learn a new platform. But with my experience and general unhappiness over the past few months in working with Type Pad, I’ve decided that I’m DONE and I’m now rebuilding my blog into what I know and love.

This process will take some time for the re-skinning, as I’m in a new job, I’ve just moved my family of four. Both my work life and my home life are hectic right now and for the moment, this blog will not exactly match the rest of my site as it had previously. Don’t worry, I’ll get to it!

I have posts lined up on lots of new apps that I’ve been testing out – including the Weight Watchers app, some cool new games, and new fun podcasts I’ve discovered (have you heard of Crimes Against Food? It’s hilarious!)