April 2011 – Page 2 – Concert Katie

Crafty Corner: French Memo Board

Katie April 26, 2011 0 Comments

Recently I decided that a great addition to my room would be a French Memo Board. I wanted a place where I could put my concert tickets without having to poke them with a tack, or keep them in an envelope tacked to a bulletin board so I decided that a French Memo Board was what I needed.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with a French Memo Board, it is a board with ribbons crisscrossed on it so that you can tuck your memos underneath them to hold them in place rather than tacking them to the board. I am not sure why this makes it “French”, though there must be an explanation.

I took a trip to JoAnn Fabrics. I already had a TON of ribbon in my scrapbook stash and I figured I could come up with plenty of brads and or buttons to use where the ribbons criss cross as well. All I would need was a foam board or a canvas and some fabric.

First I found foam board. I got a piece that was 20×30 (there weren’t many other options). On my way to the fabric, I found a few that were pre-made for sale! They were $19.99, but I wasn’t a fan of any of the fabric choices they had. One was alright and I figured if I couldn’t find something I LOVED in the selection of fabric, I’d settle on it. But JoAnn’s has a TON of fabric and it was no problem to find something really awesome. I got a print that seemed very 70s and had bright oranges and blues among other colors and I knew that HAD to be the one, even though I looked around for about 10 more minutes just to be sure.

For $9 ($3 for the foam board, $6 for a yard of fabric) I was going to make my own customized version. I would be saving myself about $10 and I would be using up some of my ribbon (I seriously have so much it is INSANE, especially since I rarely use it in my scrapbook layouts)

When I got home, I found the middle of the foam board, scored it with an exacto knife and broke it in half over my head. Seriously! Then I hot glued the two pieces together so that my board would be a bit thicker.

Then I had a bit of a mishap cutting the fabric. I think I was channeling my inner Tim the Tool man Taylor and threw the idea of “measure twice cut once” out the window. Fortunately I did not screw up TOO badly and I still had enough fabric left to cover my board. (HOW I tried cutting a straight line up and down and ended up cutting the fabric diagonally, Ill never know!) I also had to iron the fabric so the crease in it would not end up being seen on my board.

Using a stapler, I stapled the fabric to the foam board. Then it was time to go through my ribbons and figure out which ones looked good with the fabric I had and lay out how I wanted it to look. I am not going to lie, this was the hardest part. First I had every thing laid out, but then I realized I’d have to do things one by one or everything would be a mess. I started by going diagonally top left to bottom right and top right to bottom left. Then I tried to fill everything in from there, making sure the ribbons were in an over/under pattern and stapled them to the back. If you look closely, everything is not spaced perfectly, but that’s ok!

Then was the fun part. I got to stab through everything so I could put the brads in. After I had them all in place I used the hot glue gun to make sure they wouldn’t fall out and also filled the holes on the back with hot glue. (With the foam board doubled up, the brads were not long enough to fit through the whole board and then be secured)

The finishing touch was adding some fun stickers I bought at the Sanrio store to each of the corners!

Random

Random Thoughts

Katie April 25, 2011 0 Comments

3 things I feel the need to share today…

1. Maroon 5’s co-headlining tour with Train was announced today. At first I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go because it is all the way up at Foxwoods and I don’t particularly like Train. Then I found out Gavin DeGraw is the opening act and he is on my “must see” list, so I’ll probably be getting tickets on Saturday morning…

2. I got an email today for some product review website. I was not interested as I would have to pay to get access the site and I have plenty of sites where I don’t need to pay that have been working out ok for me. Whoever sent out the email CC’ed everyone and now it has turned into a Reply To All free for all. Some are RTA’ing asking to be removed from the list (why that needs to be sent to everyone, I don’t know) and others are RTA’ing promoting their blog or websites since they now have this large list of emails. It is so frustrating and I don’t know where they got my email… but in the future they should BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) instead of CC so none of this Reply To All Free For All nonsense can happen!

3. The WordPress speed bump has been resolved (yipee!) so the blog move will be happening probably mid-week… depends on if I can get my act together to fit it in around posts that need to be scheduled for certain days. So once again if the site is not working or looks funky for a little bit – it is most likely because I am in the process of the switch. Once I’m on wordpress you’ll know because I will have an all new layout.

Product Review

Own a Piece of New York!

Katie April 25, 2011 0 Comments

I am always looking for unique items to accessorise with, especially necklaces, for when I go to concerts. Baileybe’s Etsy shop offers a great item – a piece of New York in the palm of your hand!

BAILEYBE is now creating one of kind souvenirs from the Big Apple. Necklaces that literally contain a piece of New York – subway Metro Cards, street vendor coffee cups, central park dirt and more! No two necklaces are alike! Custom city ingredients available upon request (even from Brooklyn)!

My necklace contains authentic NYC dirt, authentic NYC metro card and authentic NYC coffee cup! I know that this will be a great conversation starter the next time I am waiting in line to get in to a show! (Trust me – everything you are wearing comes up as a topic of conversation when trying to pass the time in line – and an item as unique as this is sure to be talked about!)

The small bottle of NYC goodies came with a black cord to wear it around my neck. The stopper on the top of the bottle is also in there VERY tightly – I am not afraid of it popping off at all when I wear it. I (heart) NY and I am so excited that I will get to have a little piece of it with me wherever I go, as long as I am wearing this necklace.

Be sure to check out Baileybe’s Etsy page for your own piece of New York and other great jewelry items as well! At only $8(+shipping) this item is a great deal!

I received this product for free in exchange for my honest review. I was not compensated in any way, nor was I asked to write a positive review about this item. All thoughts are completely mine!

Random

My mail sure travels!

Katie April 23, 2011 0 Comments

During Spring Training, I often send baseball players photos I have taken the season before with a SASE (Self Addressed Stamped Envelope) and ask if they wouldn’t mind signing it and sending it back.

Recently I got an envelope in the mail from Colorado – the return address said “Veterans Affairs” or something to that extent. I was confused. When I opened it, it had an autograph from Mets pitcher Jon Niese inside. (The only ACTUAL autograph I have received (so far) this year!) Also inside was my original SASE (in which I stamped my address in the “To” and “From” spots) with a stamp from the post office saying “No Such Number”

Here I try to make it easier by using a stamp of my address rather than writing the envelopes out (if I am writing out 20 or so envelopes, my handwriting is going to get really messy towards the end) but someone still can’t seem to figure out where it is supposed to go!

So my mail went from FL to CT by way of CO…

(I once had a postcard coming to me from China get to me by way of PA! Which you can read about at my postcard blog)

Rock N Roll Fridays

Rock N Roll Fridays – R.E.M

Katie April 22, 2011 0 Comments

1. MAN IN THE MOON “If you believe, they put a man on the moon…”

What public scandal such as Roswell, Kennedy Shooting, Agent Orange, etc do you question?
After watching “Wag The Dog” several times in Journalism classes, I tend to question almost everything and its timing.

2. RADIO FREE EUROPE “Radio Free Europe, radio free europe, calling out…”
Have you ever used a shortwave radio or listened to another country’s radio broadcast?
No I have not. But I have listened to recordings of Hanson interviews from Australia. If that counts lol

3. IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT “It’s the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine”

What would you eat if you knew it was the end of the world soon?

Probably everything in site.

4. LOSING MY RELIGION “Losing my religion, and I don’t know, oh no I’ve said too much…”

Have you ever said something to someone that was negative about a religion only to find that person was of the faith you were speaking about?
I try not to speak out about religion unless I’m at home.

5. NIGHTSWIMMING “Nightswimming, remembering that night…”

Have you ever gone skinny dipping at night, or night swimming in a lake, pond, river, beach, pool?
Nope

6. THE ONE I LOVE “This one goes out to the one I love. This one goes out to the one I left behind”

Is there a song you hear that reminds you of someone in your past every time you hear it?
Absolutely. Several songs, different people. Also a lot of times if I hear a song it takes me back to the first time I heard it

7. STAND “Stand in the place where you work, now face west…”

What was the last childhood game you played as an adult?
I’m not sure.

8. EVERYBODY HURTS “Everybody hurts, everybody cries, sometimes, sometimes everything is wrong…”

What is wrong right now?
There is not enough room on this blog for what is wrong! But I’ll be a bit happier if I can knock out some more of my massive to-do list for this weekend.

9. DON’T GO BACK TO ROCKVILLE “Don’t go back to Rockville, and waste another year”

Where will you never go back to?
I don’t know that there is anywhere I will NEVER go back to…

10. ORANGE CRUSH “I’ve got my spine, I’ve got my orange crush”

What is your favorite fruit flavor and your favorite way to have it?
My favorite fruit is cantaloupe.

11. SOUTH CENTRAL RAIN “Did you never call? I waited for your call…”

What was the last call you were waiting for?
From a job!

12. DRIVE “What if you did what if you walked? What if you rocked around the clock?”

What was the last thing you did that took hours and hours to finish?
Almost everything I do takes hours and hours to finish because I get bored and move on to something else!

13. POP SONG “Should we talk about the weather…Should we talk about the government?”

What was the last thing you said about the weather and the government?
I think the last thing weather related I said was whining about it being cold. I’m not sure what I last said about the government though. Might have been going off on one of my rants of things I would do if i was president – like get rid of curbs. Or making the work week shorter.

Book Review

Book Review: How Music Works by John Powell

Katie April 22, 2011 0 Comments

What makes a musical note different from any other sound? How can you tell if you have perfect pitch? Why do 10 violins sound only twice as loud as one? Do your Bob Dylan albums sound better on CD or vinyl? John Powell, a scientist and musician, answers these questions and many more in HOW MUSIC WORKS, an intriguing and original guide to acoustics. In a clear, accessible, and engaging voice, Powell fascinates the reader with his delightful descriptions of the science and psychology lurking beneath the surface of music.

I won the book How Music Works by John Powell from Just Another New Blog in January and have finally gotten around to reading it! I was really excited when I won the contest since being an engineer and music fanatic (though believing I had no musical skill whatsoever) I thought this book would be interesting. And it was! My only “negative” thought was that sometimes the chapters seemed to be a bit too long. I often read before bed so I would finish a chapter and just not want to continue on to another if it was going to be as long as the one I had just finished. Or it could just be I picked the book up when I was already too tired to be reading.

The book had a few things I had already known from Physics classes and hearing things here or there, but it also had a lot of fun tidbits in it that I did not already know and I am wowing my friends while we wait for concerts with my musical knowledge! 😉 I was sad to find out that perfect pitch most likely can not be learned after the age of 6. I don’t know why, but that was something I was hoping I could train myself to do. I suppose there is still a chance it can happen though, so I won’t give up hope just yet. However, I learned it is not too late for me to learn to play an instrument. Although, considering I tried this in elementary and middle school with less than stellar results, I’m not sure I’ll be picking up a guitar or anything else any time soon!

Also included with the book was a Free CD with examples from the book such as: How To Get Different Sounds From A Guitar String, Can You Guess What Instrument This Is?, Different Ways to Accompany A Tune, The Horrible Out-Of-Tune Bamboo Whistle and How to Bring Tears To The Eyes Of The Audience among others. (10 tracks in total)

One of the great things about this book is that you don’t really need to read it all at once. You can read a chapter here and there while reading other books (I read 2 or 3 other books in the middle of reading this book – something I hardly ever do because I tend to get stories confused) or just whenever you are looking for random facts about music to impress your friends with!

American Idol

Idol Thoughts

Katie April 21, 2011 0 Comments

Last night it was time for the Top 7 to perform! But before that could happen – the 6 cast-offs came back and butchered P!NK’s “So What”. I am not sure what the point of that was but I thought it was pretty ridiculous! (Especially since there is no reason why 7 singers can’t be fit into an hour show.. but no it is 90 minutes! I guess they need to squeeze in all the ad revenue they can to pay for James’ demands)

The theme was very very broad – Songs of the 21st Century. So basically anything after 2000 of any genre was up for grabs. Can we give these contestants a challenge? PLEASE? Perhaps force Scotty to re-work something into country? I was watching Idoloonies from last week and they mentioned how there hasn’t been a “Heartless” or “Always Be My Baby” or anything like that this season. That is what I am looking for… something to wow me.

I also need to get out of my “but last season they never..”, “before they never let them…” box. I am shocked that they let James have so much production every week. But I guess if he asks for off the wall things and they oblige, might as well keep asking so I can’t really fault James. And I guess if the other contestants wanted something like that they could ask too… but it just seems a bit unfair to me.

I really enjoyed them all “picking” on each other in the intros. It was cute and it was nice to finally see the girls being goofy. (Has anyone noticed that they almost always have the guys being goofy and hardly ever the girls? It is part of the big conspiracy over why almost all the cast offs so far have been girls)

My picks for the bottom 3 this week are HARD. I thought everyone did really well, although Lauren and Scotty really went “safe” with their choices, I think they are too popular to have that really go against them. Everyone else did really well. Of course in MY perfect world – it would be James or Jacob going. Actually, I think there could be a chance of Jacob going. I also think that Haley and my dear Stefano will be joining him in the bottom 3. I really hope Stefano doesn’t go home because I hurt my wrist text-voting for him! 😉 (Unlimited texting plan – where have you BEEN all my life?)

Dial Idol has Haley, Casey and Stefano as the bottom 3. I’m kind of shocked they don’t have all but one of them yellow again. Although they have not been all that accurate so *fingers crossed* that Stefano will make it through. I’ll be totally bummed if he goes home. I was ok with him going home the week Pia did but now he is bringing it so I am not prepared for his leaving anymore haha Although as I’ve said before, I don’t think he can win it so if he doesn’t go this week, it’ll probably be next week. 🙁

Scotty – For some reason this whole performance came across as creepy to me. The eyebrow raising and the verses, I don’t know, it was just weird. His vocals were good but I dunno. Still not a fan.

James – Once again he tries to be like Adam Lambert. Adam did Muse on the Idol tour. I didn’t like Adam, but James makes me want to marry Adam. His performance was awful. He needs to spend less time worrying about pulling all the stops and worry more about actually SINGING.

Haley – Great great performance, I loved it and it was a great song choice 🙂

Jacob – He seemed to trip up a bit in the beginning but then he found his way (ear monitor problem?) and did pretty good. But I can’t say I’m a fan.

Casey – I dont know what to think about this performance. It was a risk but did not blow me away… though Maroon 5 is one of my faves so that might have something to do with it. Hard to compare to the originals. It certainly was a lot better than some of his other performances.

Stefano – Damn.

Lauren – She sang well but it was a safe song choice. I’d really like to see her take a risk.

GetGlue

Get Glue Stickers April

Katie April 21, 2011 4 Comments

Since my last request, Get Glue changed how they are sending out their stickers and have said that stickers will be mailed out in a more timely manner. My request was made on April 5th and they arrived on April 18th, so I would have to agree that things are moving quicker now over at Get Glue headquarters. They are also coming on a sheet which basically guarantees that you will get 20 stickers along with 3 get glue stickers ‘to give to friends’ This batch was a lot of book stickers!

Book Review

Book Review: No Place Like Holmes By Jason Lethcoe

Katie April 20, 2011 0 Comments

I just love good mystery book and No Place Like Holmes does not disappoint! The book follows Griffin Sharpe, a young boy from America who is sent to London to spend the summer with his Uncle. His uncle lives at 221 Baker Street – which is also the home to Sherlock Holmes. (Although Mr. Holmes lives in 221B and Griffin’s Uncle lives in 221A)
At first, Griffin’s Uncle Rupert Snodgrass is not very impressed with the fact that his nephew is with him for the summer. However, Griffin stumbles upon a case that is supposed to be for Mr. Holmes, but as he is not home at the time of the problem – the case becomes Rupert’s to solve. (He is also a detective, though much lesser known than his neighbor). It is basically Rupert’s goal in life to solve a mystery before Sherlock Holmes.
The two then go on a fantastic journey! Mrs. Dent believes that her husband was eaten by the Loch Ness Monster and those who were witness to his disappearance believe the same. Griffin and Rupert are on the case and need to figure out what really happened. As Griffin pays great attention to detail, all the descriptions in the book are incredibly detailed and make you feel like you are really there. (However I did notice what I believe to be a continuity error – Griffin knows that Rupert is his Uncle because he notes that he has the same eyes as his Mother. Later, Rupert tells the story about how his mother re-married a man who had a daughter – which was Griffin’s mother. How do they have the same eyes if they share no biological parents?)
As the book is geared towards kids – things in the book are a bit over the top, but everything keeps your attention. (I didn’t want to put the book down once I started it!) It also contains several questions at the end of the book to really make you think about what you read and would be great for a group discussion.

No Place Like Holmes will be on bookstore shelves in May!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review

Book Review: The Chocolate Diaries

Katie April 19, 2011 0 Comments

I recently finished reading an advanced review copy of The Chocolate Diaries by Karen Scalf Linamen, which will be hitting stores May 3, 2011. The book shares stories from Karen as well as from dozens of other women on what they do to cope on this rocky road we call life.
Each chapter contains “Sweet Secrets” where someone answers the question: “What’s your favorite secret to a sweeter journey on the rocky road of life?” Some answers include taking a break to indulge in their favorite chocolate treat, others read excerpts from the bible and look to God to help them.
The end of each chapter contains some “Food for Thought” questions. These questions help you take the stories that you read about overcoming difficulties and make you think about them in relation to your own life. I liked this feature in the book because they would be great questions for discussion in a book group but they are also just great questions to answer for yourself to try and get yourself into a more positive mindset.
Also included at the end of several chapters were “Because Real Women Don’t Need a Cookbook” recipes. All of which include one main ingredient, yep, you guessed it – Chocolate!

The book was enjoyable and eye opening and I definitely recommend it to anyone who might be looking for guidance to a sweeter journey on the rocky road of life!

About Karen – No stranger to good chocolate, Karen Scalf Linamen is a popular speaker and the author of several books for women, including Just Hand Over the Chocolate and No One Will Get Hurt and Chocolathereapy: Satisfying the Deepest Cravings of Your Inner Chick. Karen writes, entertains, cooks, and pursues the sweet life with her family in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.