RATE IT/HATE IT! Knit Your Own Royal Wedding

Quick! With just over a month until the big day you STILL have time!


Time to knit your very own ROYAL WEDDING!


At least the Corgis are there in full force. Not sure about Kate's gown, or William's jowls.


Are there any limits to the royal souvenirs people will create.... or better yet, BUY?!


Thanks to Nicola for the tip! :)

HATE IT! Disney Couture Shark Bracelet

The first word that came to my mind was "seriously?"


Disney Couture is peddling this questionable bracelet fashioned after a jaw-shaped animal trap. 


Seriously!


Complete with a starfish charm and Swarovski crystals, this trinket retails for around $54US.


Personally, I can think of many more uses for that $54. 


I think Disney missed the mark on cruelty free beauty.

HATE IT! Hudson Bay Rip-Off

Trolling through the latest offerings at Urban Outfitters, I came across this toasty campsite cover-up... all iconic yet trendy colourful stripes woven together in a cozy cocoon that only virgin wool can offer. It's the Pendleton Glacier National Park Blanket, created to honour the "history and romance of America's National Parks"... or so they tell me.

BUT what it really is, REALLY is a rip-off of the traditional Hudson Bay Company Point Blanket. THE iconic blanket - the 230 year old historical blanket used by Canadian traders for centuries, and a design that is still sold today by the Hudson Bay Company, otherwise known as HBC on Canuck home turf.

Don't give me this classic American park blanket nonsense -- they copied the world famous Canadian HBC Point blankie, plain and simple!

Time to send an all-points bulletin to the copyright infringement police!

RATE IT! Star Wars Crochet

Star Wars, and the craft of crocheting seem like odd bed fellows... until you take a peep at these babies!

Adorable!

Ten tiny Star Wars characters, all made by hand by crochet. What talent! Darth Vader, Yoda, Chewbacca -- they're ALL here! Who knew crochet was so cool, and pop culture-esque!

Lucyravenscar of England -- you are a GENIUS!

You can purchase Lucy's patterns on Esty to make your own Star Wars crochet characters - if you dare! As for me I think it's best that I just admire this fabulous handywork from afar, and leave this unique craft to the professionals!

Check out Lucyravenscar's blog for more of her amazing work.

HATE IT! What's that Crunch?

No, it's not a stale bag of Lay's sour cream potato chips, or past-their-sell-by date pretzels...

Nope, it's a handy snack size bag of crispy Crick-ettes. You read that right - CRICKETS!

REAL ....well, *dead* crickettes, seasoned in a grab bag with a choice of zesty flavours including sour cream & onion, bacon & cheddar or salt & vinegar for the Anglophiles in the room....

I don't think there's enough vinegar in the world to make these insect husks delectable. I'll pass, thanks.

HATE IT! Leno Limbo

After butchering their prime time drama budget to make way for Jay Leno's abysmal talk/variety show weeknights at 10pm, NBC is now rumoured to be scrambling to dump 'Chinny' back to his old 11:35 pm timeslot.

Is it any surprise that Leno's 10pm program is drowning in ratings oblivion? It's dull, he's dull -- all that audience running up to "high five" him -- SO lame, dated and irrelevant. Even his once-faithful viewers who previously were lulled to sleep by his whiney tones back in the midnight hour of old, have abandoned him...probably off watching 'The Good Wife' or some other compelling 10pm drama that NBC thought too pricey and ratings dicey to fund. Kinda funny when you think of the irony!

I don't really care what happens to Jay Leno. I *am* annoyed that in order to save this old fart, NBC are willing to drop-kick Conan O'Brien from his newly anointed 11:35 pm to a later timeslot, like the 12:35 pm spot he previously occupied. Conan IS FUNNY! Leno is not! Doesn't take a college education to figure that one out. NBC is freaking, trying to save the ratings bleed by moving Jay back to where he was once comfy & successful, but seriously.... it just won't work!!

The late night line-up shuffle from last Fall has finally settled in and found its comic groove. Conan is on a roll, and Jimmy Fallon who follows is just getting better and better. Young viewers can relate -- at last, a host who knows what time shifting and the internet are all about. Plus, his thank you notes are really funny. Can't get better than etiquette & humour wrapped up in one silly package!

Having worked in television myself for many years, I'm completely dumbfounded at how the NBC brass continue to make such costly decisions time and time again. They totally deserve the ratings hell that they are mired in - but not at the expense of Conan, Jimmy or their faithful viewers. Perhaps it would be best if Conan jumped off this shinking network ship and got the respect and timeslot he deserves some place else. Can't say that I'd blame him.

HATE IT! I Am Speechless...

Searching around Google yesterday for wedding dress images to use for my 'Last Bride Standing' post & I stumbled across THIS....

...um...pregnancy wedding gown, anyone?

Nah, didn't think so.....

No surprise that it didn't catch on...

HATE IT! Worst. TV Show. EVER!

I love crappy television -- but even *I* have to draw the line somewhere....

Yes, I have ceremoniously broken out the Crayolas and my ruler in preparation to create that line...

Stumble into the spotlight 'Last Bride Standing.' Easily the WORST reality show ever created. I'm gobsmacked that someone would green light this train wreck. IT'S SO, SO BORINGLY BAD! An infomerical would be more entertaining. Sham-Wow, anyone?

The "wacky" idea: a bunch of zealous bridezillas drunk on the dream of the ultimate wedding extravaganza compete to win $100,000 worth of wedding *stuff*, including a reception for 250 of their nearest & dearest. The would-be brides must stand with one of their hands pressed against a wall -- yep, literally -- for hours, days even --until the last bride standing triumphs & scoops up all the goodies, while her wedding gown bedazzled 'sisters' fall -- again, literally *yawn* -- by the wayside.

Hmm, kinda kooky in theory but in execution it's painfully slow and uninteresting to watch. The gals are hungry, stressed, tired and very very unwatchable. Unlike 'Big Brother' where the stresses and strains put upon people stuck in a less than ideal situation make GREAT television, 'The Last Bride Standing' is the EXACT opposite. It also proves that dimwits will do just about anything to get on telly -- including making fools of themselves, crankily whining about needing the loo while wearing the most hideous of wedding dresses. Who wants to see that? Imagine how their prospective family-in-law feels? Ugh... is it too late to call the whole thing off? Just what everyone needs... a nutter married into the family.

In all of this, I'm most surprised that SunTV in Toronto would even purchase (gosh, I hope they didn't commission!) this series! It's laughable -- and they have it scheduled right before '60 Minutes'! Not the best of lead-ins, let me tell you! No doubt I've piqued some people's interest in this fiasco - but if you do seek out a YouTube clip or tune in for the TV show proper, don't blame me about never getting that precious time back!