I used to be intelligent.

GEEKY GIMPY COOL > Covetable cozies

It really is tough being a girl sometimes, especially when it comes to fitting out your gadgets with suitable attire. I’m specifically talking about the tortuous effort I went through to try and find something that a) wasn’t boring b) made of wetsuit material c) only comes in black or d) ridiculously overpriced and made of designer leather, that would fit around my iPad and keep it snug and safe whilst I carry it around. What with it being a portable device and all, this is quite important.

You can buy me (the Chanel number above) for $1555! Woooooot?!

I became so frustrated over the lack of iPad cozies in a style that I liked I even considered crafting something myself. And that’s when I realised…CRAFT! I hopped on Etsy and scoured the handmade market for iPad cases and discovered something wonderful.

 The Woolly Avenger.

http://woollyavenger.com/

A felt designer who makes a whole manner of gadget cases, from Macbooks to iPods to Mobile Phones Cases, all designed and made from Merino wool, using a great combo of colours, materials and fun characters. Now it’s not be to everyone’s taste (but that’s just the point), I discovered a squirrel design (I love squirrels), called “Snickers”. It was a cozy made in heaven just for me. And a few emails later with the lovely designer En I had in my hands and around my iPad my dream cozy. I can’t tell you how happy I was. After all that searching (it was a long time).

Snickers the Squirrel. What a cutie!

En (aka the Woolly Avenger) has a whole host of other designs on her website, and she can custom make designs to order. If you’re looking for a cute, well-made and unique gadget case then look no further.

After owning it for a few months now, the cozy is withstanding a lot, as well as surviving a trip to Vegas. It’s handmade and well made, and I’m madly in love with it!

WONDROUS > ANDREW KOLB, SPACE ODDITY

I was emailed this at work today - a wonderful illustrated version of the really sad and iconic Bowie song Space Oddity. I have never really visualised a song in this way before or thought how songs could be transformed into books. I love it!

You can download the whole book here, and view Andrew’s other illustrations and portfolio on his website:

http://www.kolbisneat.com/Images/Work/SpaceOddity_AndrewKolb.pdf

YIKES! > The grimmest stories ever told

I always knew that modern day fairy tales had pretty gruesome origins. But I didn’t realise quite how terrible they were until working on a Snow White retelling for a forthcoming girl’s princess book that I am working on. Having worked on Disney books my current knowledge of Snow White mainly stems from the 1937 Disney film with the cherub looking Snow White, the demonically beautiful wicked Queen, the slightly wet but terrifically handsome prince, not forgetting the charming little rascals that are the seven dwarfs whistling on their way to work. It’s all quite nice really.

But by god, how different the original is. Here are some disturbing highlights:

The huntsman who is ordered to kill Snow White in the forest is asked by the queen to bring back Snow White’s lungs and liver as proof she is dead. The queen then cooks up a storm eating the liver and lungs. They are not really Snow White’s, but still, it’s murder with cannibalistic intent!

Then there are the three attempted murders on Snow White – strangulation by enchanted boot lace, death by a poisoned comb in the head, and finally the poison apple which she horrifcally chokes on, and dies. My favourite might be the prince with necrophilia. He finds Snow White’s dead body in the coffin in the forest, falls in love with the corpse and asks the Dwarfs if he can take it away and keep her body in his castle because he “loves” her. SICK!

Finally the poor old evil cannibal queen gets her comeuppance in the form of molten iron shoes, which are placed on her feet (ouch!), and she’s made to dance in them until she drops down dead. I’m not sure I’d wish that upon anyone.

That’s not all: the Big Bad Wolf in Little Red Riding Hood, wears the grandmother’s skin like clothes and offers LRRH a cup of her grandmothers blood and entrails upon her arrival; the Ugly Sisters in Cinderella, having just chopped their limbs off in desperation to fit into a glass slipper, then have their eyes pecked out by birds; and, finally Sleeping Beauty is raped during her slumber by the handsome “can’t keep it in his trousers” prince and is not woken up by true love’s kiss but instead by baby twins trying to nudge their way out of her womb.

It’s a blood bath of sex, poison and violence, and it’s given me nightmares. The Saw movies seem quite chipper in comparison.