WW128:WILLY WONKA, RANSACK THE UNIVERSE and CRAP SOUVENIRS

Hello all!
It's time for a little Wonderful Wednesday!
HUZZAH!
Here are the 5 things I love this week - that I want you to love too!!

1.) This is a project that I like a lot If there is one thing I cannot stand in this world, it is having NO COMPASSION. If there are 2 things I cannot stand, they are no compassion AND BAD SIGNAGE! This project called "Signs for the Homeless" is really neato! Boston-based artists Kenji Nakayama and Christopher Hope interviewed and photographed a number of homeless people on the streets of Boston, replacing their beat-up hand-drawn signs with brand new hand-painted ones. Each interviewed person was also given a small donation in exchange for their old sign. Nakayama and Hope have documented the project on their Tumblr blog hoping to raise awareness about the current state of poverty and encourage others to follow suit offering a helping hand.

See more about this project HERE
[via Design Taxi]

2.) Ransack the Universe. If you are in Toronto, looking for vintage and vintage themed bric-a-brac.....you must go check out Bloor west village!

Lots of great finds!!! You will not regret going!!! Here are a few things that caught my eye!!!

They also have a BLOG to check out!!

3.) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory THE MUSICAL! Come on. We knew it would happen eventually! This kinda looks like fun.....at least eye candy:

ROALD DAHL's deliciously dark tale of young Charlie Bucket and the mysterious confectioner Willy Wonka comes to life in a brand new West End musical directed by Sam Mendes!!!

Featuring ingenious stagecraft, the wonder of the original story that has captivated the world for almost 50 years is brought to life with music by Marc Shaiman, and lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman (Hairspray; Smash), a book by award-winning playwright and adaptor David Greig (The Bacchae; Tintin In Tibet), set and costume designs by Mark Thompson (Mamma Mia!; One Man, Two Guvnors) and choreography by Peter Darling (Billy Elliot The Musical; Matilda The Musical).

A chocolate garden, an army of squirrels and the curiously peculiar Oompa-Loompas must be believed to be seen in this spectacular new musical that is choc-full of fantastical treats to dazzle your senses.
ANOTHER reason to take a trip to the UK!!!

4.) I can't decide if I hate this....or love it........BUT.....back in 1983, Andy Warhol produced more than 40 works of art inspired by Perrier. To celebrate these works, Perrier has collaborated with the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts to create Perrier by Warhol–a limited-edition series of Perrier packaging based on Warhol’s original works.......they are super attractive.......

And so ends this week's corporate sales job.........

5.) So.....you're looking to waste VAST amounts of time??? Let me recommend Crap Souveniers.com!

You'll find all sorts of treasures that you NEVER wanted to see/own. Here are some examples:

yes....actual crap!!!

Just pull his woodpecker.....go on.....

Smell like a hunk-a-hunk-a burnin love.

No comment - you're welcome!

WHAT THE WHA????

Nothing Nanny loves more than her slots.....except cheap mugs!!!

(Thanks Cindy)

WW110: D'LISH, THE WYCHWOOD BARNS and TIME MINCHIN (again)

Here 'ya go.......5 things I LOVE this week! If you have a place/person/thing that you think I NEED to experience to be a contender for this weekly post - I encourage you to email me....and let me know!!

Your favourite thing - might be mine - and my regular readers favourite too!!!

Ok.....on with the post....

1.) Do you like your cupcakes? ME TOO! Try D'lish!!!! Very fresh.....a little pricey - but SO YUMMY!!!!!!

The only part that is a little work...is the daily menu. They only bake certain cupcakes on certain days. NO EXCEPTIONS. See the menu HERE!

I went to the Yonge Street shop.....it was cute!!

If you are looking for a treat......this may be it for you!!!! 

2.) Last night I saw 'Oz Great and Powerful'. Now I know haters gonna hate....but I liked it. I didn't have an overblown idea of what I thought the movie should be......so I was not disappointed! I enjoyed the costuming, the scenery, and the technical FX that went into it. It is what you would call a good old fashioned SPECTACLE. If you haven't at least seen some of the scenery stills........you are MISSING OUT! Check them out HERE! The acting was pretty good - although a winged monkey and a china doll steal the show! They seemed to keep a lot of the mythology of Oz.....but then again, I didn't read the books! Yes, the 3D was TOTALLY necessary - and at a couple points was REALLY magical!!! All and all I liked it!
Was it as good as "The Wizard of OZ"?
NO.  But how could it be???
COME ON PEOPLE - shake your heads!!!!!!!!
But what it IS - is an entertaining spectacle......and that is good enough for me!
But the blog worthy-est part? For me....it was the opening credits.......they are AH-MAH-ZING (I DARE you not to love those!!) :

Now go out and see the movie - so that they make MORE of them!!! ;-)

2.) The Wychwood Barns. I was out on the weekend for the first time to this area. It was just GREAT!

Artscape has transformed the historic Wychwood TTC streetcar repair barns located in Toronto’s St. Clair and Christie neighbourhood into the Artscape Wychwood Barns.

The 60,000 sq. ft. multifaceted community centre brings together arts and culture, environmental leadership, heritage preservation, urban agriculture and affordable housing to foster a strong sense of community.

 They have tonnes of programming here.....go to the site to check it all out!!!

4.) I love these!!! Emily Roose designed and stitched breaking news stories into cross stitch samplers.

 Emily says, "I juxtaposed content that is extremely fast and ephemeral (breaking news stories) with a very slow and archival medium (cross stitch). I wanted to see how this transference of medium affects the message of these stories and highlights the absurdity of the way stories are reported in the media and the way we consume them."

Go to her site!!
(thanks Junk Culture for this one)

5.) I like this song....it amused me!! BUT IT IS NOT FOR YOUNG/DELICATE EARS!!

or....if you cannot understand his crazy foreigner accent......or you are missing some of the words.....

WW105: CHIC HOTEL, OSCAR REINVENTED, and 22 THINGS YOU ARE DOING WRONG!

ok...as you loyal readers probably know, I am up to my armpits in T.A.P. preparations.
(The Artist Project opens Thursday February 21st - READ MORE HERE)
But I wanted to make sure I had a Wonderful Wednesday post for y'all!
I know, give, give give!!!
So...let's not waste any more time:

1.) The Academy Awards are this upcoming weekend...and I am IN LOVE with the poster. Each Oscar statue represents the winning movie of that year.....look at it larger.....it is FANTASTIQUE!!!

2.) Let's go vacationing!!! HERE!! The Chic & Basic Ramblas Hotel was envisioned by lagranja design and is located few steps away from the emblematic Barcelona’s Ramblas. This hotel wants you to "reminisce about the thrills of a genuine cultural Spanish period". It is super!!!!!!! LOVE IT:

READ MORE (and see more photos) AT http://freshome.com/

3.) These Toronto photo "mash ups" are super cool!!!Alden Cudanin mixes old Toronto with new. The effect is both jarring and fantastic!!! It is cool to see how much things have changed!

Here is part of Alden's Artist Statement:"For over 100 years Torontonians have defined their identity and heritage through the buildings they have raised. Toronto Before: Arches is a collection of Then and Now Remixes that offer a glimpse of the city’s civic buildings and the people who gathered in their public spaces.The entrance arches of Ontario Legislative Building and Old City Hall set the stage for the re-entry of these historical photographs into our modern digital world."

You can check out his Facebook page....or his blog.

4.) ok....THIS article will CHANGE YOUR LIFE!!!!!!!!!

"22 things you're doing wrong" - sounds awful.......but is actually both USEFUL and surprising!!!!
Here are a few that amazed me:

READ ALL 22 HERE!!!! You will wonder how you ever lived life without these tips!!!!!!
I kid you not!

5.) This is from my nephew Jake. It is for all you geeks out there. It made me laugh and laugh!!! I give you 'Harmonica Darth Vader':