Hoboken Art & Music Festival 2013

Hoboken Art & Music Festival
May 5, 2013

Over 300 Artists, Crafters, Photographers, Sculptors, Local Businesses, Restaurants, Food Vendors, local non-profits & more...

Ok... I realize I'm a little late in posting this up. LOL. Brighton and I hit the Hoboken Art & Music Festival earlier this month, and although we didn't hang around the music stages very much, we did get to see almost the entire faire. It was a gorgeous day, and the festival got a lot of traffic. I'm actually looking into maybe setting up a booth next year for my "Simply Divine" series if I can get a few more of them done.

Here's a list of some of show's best:
Custom Ceramic Art (www.etsy.com/shop/drandallpottery)
Garden Gothic (www.gardengothic.net)
James Polisky (www.jamespolisky.com)
Jersey City Urban Art Program (www.ms4urbanart.weebly.com)
La Muse Kalliope (www.lamusekallipe.blogspot.com)
Nick Jodice (www.breakthemoldnj.com)
Nolenz Volenz (www.etsy.com/shop/experiencenolenz)
SepiaLepus Illustrations (www.sepialepus.etsy.com)
The Secret Life of Toys (www.thesecretlifeoftoys.com)

There's An App For That: Menageries

I think I'm probably drawn to the menagerie / zoo apps for the same reason I'm drawn to the city / village building ones... they sate my inner control-freak.

Ice Age Village
I was never really a big dinosaur fan as a kid (nor am I now honestly), but I have seen all three of the animated films in the Ice Age franchise (admittingly however... not in the theater). Though I'm pretty sure there was more than one paleontologist or pretentious geek in the world who cringed at all the historical impossibilities, I did find them enjoyable enough to give Ice Age Village a try when I came across it. The art direction is really impressive. The movie's main characters, species, habitats and miscellaneous village decorations all look as if they came right off of the screen... and right out of prehistory (kinda sorta maybe). Unlike quite a few of the other apps I've played so far, you really don't feel as though you need to spend any real money to advance. Yes, there are some "premium" items and animals only available via acorns, which are purchased with real world money, but there is a way to earn those acorns in game too! Where it fails, however (and quite unfortunately), is in its exuberant cost for further land expansions. Advancement should be a challenge, yes... but it should still feel fun and not like a chore or a tedious impossible grind. Ugh.


Prehistoric species come in all shapes and sizes... and colors!

Tiny Monsters
Love! Love! LOVE Tiny Monsters! This is one of the very few apps I still play. Each animal falls into an elemental category, and interbreeding them can create some really interesting results. "Mythic" (color variant) versions of each animal are random and can be a bit challenging to come across, but there's a Monsterpedia to help you track what you've hatched so far and haven't...

Each Tiny Monster has its own unique animation!

Feliz Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo, Spanish for "fifth of May", is celebrated in the United States and regionally in Mexico, where the holiday is called El Día de la Batalla de Puebla (The Day of the Battle of Puebla). It originated with Mexican-American communities in the American West as a way to commemorate the cause of freedom and democracy during the first years of the American Civil War, and today the date is observed in the United States as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride. In the state of Puebla, the date is observed to commemorate the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín.

To celebrate another important part of Mexican heritage, please vist my CafePress Shop, and check out La Virgen de Guadalupe, part of the "Simly Divine" series. La Virgen de Guadalupe is Mexico's most popular religious and cultural image, bearing the titles of the Queen of Mexico, Patroness of the Americas, and Empress of Latin America.

Simply Divine: La Virgen de Guadalupe

La Virgen de Guadalupe
According to official Catholic accounts of the Guadalupan apparitions, during a walk from his home village to Mexico City early on the morning of December 9, 1531, Juan Diego saw a vision of a young girl of fifteen to sixteen, surrounded by light. This event occurred on the slopes of the Hill of Tepeyac. Speaking in the local language of Nahuatl, the Lady asked for a church to be built at that site in her honor. From her words, Juan Diego recognized her as the Virgin Mary. When he told his story to the Spanish bishop, Fray Juan de Zumárraga, the bishop asked him to return and ask the lady for a miraculous sign to prove her claim. The Virgin then asked Juan Diego to gather some flowers from the top of Tepeyac Hill, even though it was winter when no flowers bloomed. There, he found Castilian roses,which were of the Bishop's native home, but not indigenous to Tepeyac. He gathered them, and the Virgin herself re-arranged them in his tilma, or peasant's cloak. When Juan Diego presented the roses to Zumárraga, the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe miraculously appeared imprinted on the cloth of Diego's tilma.

"Must Fix" ~ Part 2

I am very happy to say that I have met my goal. I had wanted to finish all of my CafePress Shop's revamping before the end of April, and the last three sections were completed last night! In a nutshell, I reorganized most of the existing sections, surprisingly retired a few designs, reposted others, and even added some new things (finally). Yay. Progress.

Update 05.02.13: Ugh. I noticed that there have been some more product additions to the marketplace, so I'm going to make a quick run through all the sections once again to add those into my storefront. However, I must add that having done all the back end work I talked about in my original "Must Fix" post, the process for updates and additions has gotten significantly easier!

Update 05.19.13: All the new stuff has been added. >collapse<

YouTube Treasures: Loreena McKennitt ~ Huron 'Beltane' Fire Dance

Beltane is the Gaelic May Day festival. Most commonly it is held on April 30 ~  May 1, or halfway between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice. It was observed in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man.

 

Beltane was one of four Gaelic seasonal festivals: Samhain (November 1), Imbolc (February 1), Beltane (May 1) and Lughnasadh (August 1). Beltane marked the beginning of the pastoral summer season, when livestock were driven out to the summer pastures. Rituals were held at that time to protect them from harm, both natural and supernatural, and this mainly involved the symbolic use of fire. There were also rituals to protect crops, dairy products and people, as well as to encourage growth. The sí (often described as "the spirits" or "the fairies") were thought to be especially active at Beltane (as they are at Samhain) and the goal of many Beltane rituals was to appease them. Beltane was a "spring time festival of optimism" during which fertility rituals were important, perhaps connecting with the waxing power of the sun.

There's An App For That: Explorers of the Lost World

 

Despite the fact that we've seen its plot played out in dozens of books and movies before (not to mention Gilligan's Island! LOL), Explorers of the Lost World had a lot of charm going for it, initially. As your adventurers explore the enormous island, they slowly begin to come across different civilizations (Native, Druidic, Voodoo Cannibal, Gypsy, etc.) and try to befriend them in order to increase the size of the "Base Camp" by adding new buildings appropriate to the group you just encountered. Ok. Cute... up until I came across the Surfer... and the Cowgirl. 

All That Glitters...

41st Annual New Jersey Earth Science Association Gem & Mineral Show
27-28 April 2013: Franklin, New Jersey

After a quick breakfast over at Tick Tock Diner, Brighton and I spent the better part of the early afternoon over at this year's Gem & Mineral Show. Thankfully it was a gorgeous day, because most of the booths were set up outdoors. This is actually only the second mineral show I've ever been to, but I have quickly come to understand just how overwhelming they can be. There's literally stuff everywhere. Some vendors' booths are so over-cluttered with gems and crystals that it's next to impossible to really appreciate what's for sale. Now while it's always nice to come across a truly knowledable salesman, I just "love" the ones who spew out obviously fabricated nonsense about how each and every specific crystal in their inventory was unearthed. I mean really... how many "rare one-of-a-kind finds" are going to be unexpectedly unearthed by a group of Mexican miners who were drilling for materials used to create lenses for submarine periscopes? Really? My personal favorite, however, was the guy popping pain pills and eating a chicken wing who was selling chunks of broken glass from discontinued vases. Glass. Broken glass. Chunks... of... it.

My sarcasm aside, we did manage to find a few beautiful treasures though, but spent a little bit more in the process than I had honestly expected we would. We also met up with my witchy-rific friend, TarotVision, her husband and their munchkin to exchange some very overdue hugs and smiles. Yes, "witchy-rific " is a word.

Here's a picture of (and a little info on) the Titanium Quartz Pendant I fell in love with, and absolutely had to have.

Titanium Quartz Pendant

Titanium Quartz
Rainbow Titanium Quartz is the name given to natural Quartz crystals which have gone through a special treatment process. The raw crystals are cleaned, heated and placed in a vacuum chamber, where they are exposed to Titanium vapors. Titanium molecules are bonded to the Quartz by the natural electro-static charge of the crystal. The amazing colours created by this process are permanent and will neither rub off nor fade.

Supposedly, because the colours are produced by blending natural substances with a natural affinity, and not by a dye, the crystal's metaphysical properties are enhanced rather than destroyed. Rainbow Titanium Quartz is an excellent stone for creativity, both removing blockages to creativity and enhancing creative powers. An intensely visual stone, it promotes clairvoyance and all forms of "seeing". Titanium Quartz is very energizing on all levels, and can awaken all seven chakras, the energy centers of the body. It is said to increase zest and enjoyment of life, and to dispel sadness.

Because my OCD needed a distraction on Sunday morning, I decided to give all my gems and crystals (old and new) a good witchy cleansing. I also reorganized their placement around the house, making sure each room now had its own little batch of sparklies...

There's An App For That: Lil' Pirates

Lil' Pirates suffers from such a severe case of "Cuteness Overload" that I very nearly broke out in hives just by coming in contact with it. Surprisingly however, there's quite a lot to do in Lil' Pirates! The avatars for the captain and crew are completely customizable, as is your ship and the captain's private cabin. You can set your little pirates out on raids, have them fulfill quests, play mini pirate games, unlock new areas, upgrade your treasure for shiny trophies, engage enemy ships or even join an armada with your friends! Yay for piracy!

 

"Poor, old and haggard Jane loved Richard from afar, though she knew their love could never be, for his heart and his eyes were set on the young Charlotte, the Captain's beautiful sister. Charlotte was trusting and still so very naive about much in the world. It was beyond her comprehension that Jane could plot against her. After all, Jane had always seemed so proper and reserved... but Jane's scorned heart was a cold and heavy stone. If she could not have Richard, then neither would the lovely Charlotte. Charlotte... must die."

There's An App For That: Infect Them All

The premise for this little gothic hack-n-slasher is very simple. You're a vampire... now go kill or convert everything you see, hence the title. Unfortunately however, despite a fairly constant varying crowd of victims (some of which can and do fight back), it just can't help but feel incredibly repetitive. That's not to say this isn't a great little distraction to sink your teeth into, though... it totally is!

 

Initially you only have access to one, but there are actually three different vampires to eventually choose from... each with their own set of strengths, weaknesses and unique vampire abilities (Warning: Miss Elizabeth's Vampire Bat Swarm is absolutely killer ~ >insert fingersnap<). You can unlock the other two bloodsuckers, Elizabeth and Dracula, by going on a endless murderous rampage to raise the body count you leave in your undead wake.

 

Feliz Happy Earth Day

Earth Day is an annual day on which events are held worldwide to demonstrate support for environmental protection. It is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network, and is celebrated in more than 192 countries every year.

 

To celebrate, here's a little bit of nature's beautiful greenery. Gaea is part of my "Simly Divine" series, and is available over at my CafePress Shop.

Simply Divine: Gaea

Gaea
Gaea (Gaia) or Mother Earth, was the great goddess of the early Greeks. She represented the fertile Earth and was worshiped as the omnipotent Universal Mother. In Greek mythology, she created the universe and gave birth to both the first race of gods, known as the Titans, and the first humans.

YouTube Treasures: Jinkx Monsoon

I absolutely adore Jinkx Monsoon! She is now in the top three of season five's Rupual's Drag Race, and I am so very happy for her! I sincerely hope she wins the title. She's amazingly talented, and seems to be such a genuinely kind person. It would be truly wonderful to see great things happen to good people for a change. She has had such an unfair amount of absolute nonsense dumped on her by some of the other contestants, but has somehow managed to take all of it with exceptional grace.

She'll be performing live in New York on July 14th in Vaudevillans, and I was able to snag a pair of VIP tickets for my boyfriend and I before the show sold out! I'm almost embarrassed to admit, but I have never ever been to a drag show, and am beyond excited that the first one I'm going to see will be Jinxk's!

Update 4.28.13
I'm a little disappointed that the video I had originally embedded into this post is no longer available. However, I was able to find an equally fabulous replacement. The magic starts at 1:11...