Fancies & Fascinations | Alice in Wonderland Tattoo Chain

My friend Meredith introduced me to this project yesterday, and I immediately signed up.

A little backstory: Litographs, a company that creates awesome shirts, art and more from the text of famous books, created a Kickstarter to launch a new line of temporary literary tattoos. The Kickstarter perks included being a part of the world's longest tattoo chain; backers would receive a unique tattoo with a small piece of Alice and Wonderland on it, and were asked to put it on and take a picture, which they then were to share. The pictures have been combined, in order, to create a readable story out of body art.

The Kickstarter was such a success that they opened the project to the public, and expanded the project to the Alice in Wonderland sequel, Through the Looking Glass.

For $5, you, too, can take part in the project. There are only about 400 spots left (out of 5000), so be sure to jump in now if you're interested!

I'll be sure to share my tattoo once I've received it and taken a photo.

Happy birthday, Mister!

Here's to my best friend, my knight in shining spandex armor, my sunshine when skies are grey, the unquestionable love of my life, and the all-around best guy I know.

To the ends of the universe, my darling!

Thanks for the photo steal, Cheyloe.

Over Coffee | 3.22.15

For your consideration:

>> I often turn to things like No. 2. "50 Ways to Have an Adventure Without Leaving Town."

>> Mind. Reeling. This video of dancers wearing light suits is crazy!¹

>> I need to read this one on repeat. "55 gentle ways to take care of yourself when you’re busy busy busy."²

>> I often clean when I'm stressed, but these ideas sound much more fun. Channel anxiety into creativity.²

>> Planning on visiting some of these spots post-SXSW. "Where the Cool People Shop & Eat in Austin During SXSW."³

>> Serious food for thought. Questioning the definition of truth.

Also on my mind: Furious 7 | office yoga² | The 100 (yes, still) | TokyoMilk Dark's Chance No. 18 | silicone-covered teapots

And now, your moment of GIF:

Original sources: ¹ My darling Mister; ² Hiya Tootsie's Weekly Badassery for Wild Hearts and Rebel Women; ³ One of a Kind's Our Not-At-SXSW Diaries

SQUEE! | Lip Sync Battle trailer

The Lip Sync Battle bit on Jimmy Fallon is one of my favorite things ever. So when I saw this trailer, I got very excited.

But to be honest, I'm also a little hesitant. The fact that the battles on Jimmy's show don't happen often makes them unique and special. I just hope this show elevates the art form rather than taking it down.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about:

1. Let me introduce you to my friend; it's called the Internet ...
2. See below for three of my favorite examples of how awesome this bit can be!

Fancies & Fascinations | Adagio Teas' fandom blends

I've seen/heard about Adagio Teas' fandom blends for years, but never got around to trying them until lately. Boy, was I missing out!

Adagio's fandom blends are tea blends inspired by or based on pop culture (TV shows, movies, books, video games, etc.) created by fans. And, if you can believe it, there are more than 70,000 blends available on Adagio's site. Thanks to my new friend Chris, I was recently able to sample a few blends inspired by Sherlock and Harry Potter. They were delish, so I decided to buy some for myself.

Per usual, I might have gone a little bit overboard in ordering, but you never know what you're going to like until you try it, right? I was also drawn in by the fact that many of the blends are by Cara McGee, and feature her art. Tea + nerdy fandoms + great art = irresistible.

Sherlock Sampler

Full sampler

Mycroft | black, rooibos vanilla chai and cream teas with cinnamon bark, ginger root, cloves, orange peels, cardamom, natural chocolate flavor, dark chocolate chips and cocoa nibs
Sherlock | lapsang souchong, assam melody and oriental spice teas with orange peels, cinnamon bark, ginger root, cloves, cardamom
Lestrade | gunpowder, pu erh dante and hazelnut teas
Mrs. Hudson | assam melody and almond teas
Molly Hooper | chamomile, dewy cherry and snowbud teas with rose hips, hibiscus flowers, apple pieces and dried cherries
Watson | assam melody, irish breakfast, cinnamon, earl grey green and ceylon sonata teas, with orange peels and blue cornflowers

Doctor Who Sampler + TARDIS blend

Full sampler

10 | chocolate and irish breakfast teas with chocolate chips and marigold flowers
9 | gunpowder, chestnut and irish breakfast teas with aniseed and cinnamon
11 | assam melody, vanilla and coconut teas, with dried coconut
Rory Williams Pond | irish breakfast and vanilla green teas
River Song | earl grey moonlight, coconut and rooibos lemon cloud teas with orange peels, blue cornflowers, lemon grass, marigold flowers and dried coconut
Amy Pond | orange, cranberry and rooibos vanilla chai teas with cinnamon bark, ginger root, orange peels, cloves, cardamom and raspberry leaves
TARDIS | earl grey bravo, blackberry and vanilla teas with orange peels and blue cornflowers

Avengers ("Hero Recovery") Sampler

Full sampler

Double Agent | lapsang souchong, assam melody and currant teas with raspberry leaves
Stars & Stripes | spiced apple chai, almond and assam melody teas with cinnamon bark, ginger root, cardamom, cloves, orange peels and apple pieces
Sharp Shooter | thai chai, assam melody and gunpowder teas with ginger root, cinnamon bark, dried coconut, lemon grass and cardamom
Mean & Green | earl grey green, green pekoe and chamomile teas with orange peels and blue cornflowers
Exiled | toasted mate, ceylon sonata and black teas with apple pieces, marigold flowers and apricots
Playboy | lapsang souchong, ginger and tiger eye teas with ginger root and cocoa nibs

Loki ("Adopted") blend

Adopted | Gunpowder, spearmint, rooibos and jasmine teas

Guardians of the Galaxy blends

Tree | green chai, hojicha and kukicha teas with raspberry leaves and lemon verbena
What's a Raccoon? | mambo, hazelnut and lapsang souchong teas with apricot and red peppercorn
Pelvic Sorcery | almond, cream and tiger eye teas with chocolate chips, cinnamon and sprinkles
Vengeance | lapsang souchong, gingerbread and candy apple teas with aniseed, ginger and cocoa nibs
Surrounded by Idiots | spiced green, thai chai and vanilla green teas with red peppercorn and cocoa nibs

I haven't tried them all yet, but the ones I have tried have been, for the most part, very tasty!

Want a $5 to try some of your own*? Leave your email in the comments and I'll send you a coupon.

*And help me earn points toward future discounts.

Over Coffee | 3.15.15

For your consideration:

>> Fascinating! Meet Olive Oatman, "the girl with the tattooed face."

>> The movie looks terrible, but these, these are golden. Vince Vaughn and Co-stars Pose for Idiotic Stock Photos You Can Have for Free.¹

>> Thou Teareth Up My Heart. 'N Sync + Shakespeare.

>> I'd have put FDR higher on the list. A ranking of U.S. presidents from hot to not.²

>> I got 11. The Online Color Challenge determines how well you see color.³

>> Move aside Mr. Jackson. "A Campaign to Put a Woman on the Twenty-Dollar Bill."³

>> You do you, ladies. "On Being a Badass."

>> This sounds a little too easy. (But I dig it.) By following these three steps, you can achieve something big.⁵

Also on my mind: The 100's season finale (and the future of Bellarke) | Churro dogs | grilling (on our new grill!) | neon forever | gummy bears | smoky under-eye | tree stumps | black flatware | Chia seeds

And now, your moment of GIF:

Original sources: ¹ My mister; ² Author (and all-around awesome person) Mary Weber; ³ Of A Kind's Our Deal Diaries; ⁴ The Ann Friedman Weekly's Bad B!tches Only; ⁵ Hiya Tootsie's Weekly Badassery

Other Work | BIRTH. MOVIES. DEATH.

Although I write for my day job, and spend much of my free time writing (or reading) for Forever Young Adult, I occasionally write pieces for other places/publications, too. One of my favorite "other" publications to write for is BIRTH. MOVIES. DEATH., the official magazine of the Alamo Drafthouse.

I'm in the magazine this month with a piece about Kenneth Branagh's directorial career, which I've embedded below if you care to take a read.

(You can also find physical copies of the magazine in every Drafthouse theater; click the link above for all of the locations. If you have one near you and haven't gone—WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!)

This piece was inspired by the release of the new live-action Cinderella, which I think looks like a visual treat. And, as evident by the title of my piece, Branagh's got skills when it comes to adaptations, so I'm hoping it's fun, plot-wise, too!

Nerd News | "Final" The Avengers: The Age of Ultron trailer

BRB HYPERVENTILATING.

So much to love about this trailer. And so much to love about the fact that I bought my tickets for the pre-opening night* showing of this movie earlier this morning.

Questions/thoughts I had once I stopped squeeing internally—haha, who am I kidding? I'm still squeeing internally, and probably will be until April 30:

• When do Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch actually join the team?
• Why does it look like Bruce and Natasha are about to kiss?
• Where's Loki? (Kidding again. Somewhat.)
• Oh, hai, Vision.
• Is this not the best GIF ever?

Let's squee together in the comments, friends!

*I don't really consider an 8 p.m. showing a midnight premiere, so ... I don't know what else to call it.

Welcome, March

The 2015 Man Calendar:

Mr. March: Jensen Ackles
Mr. February: Tom Hiddleston
Mr. January: Eoin Macken

Download this page of the 2015 Man Calendar for personal use by clicking on the image; it will open in a new window. Right/control click to save it. Then print the page on letter-size cardstock, and trim it to 6"x9".

Over Coffee | 3.1.15

Sorry for the unplanned two-week break!

For your consideration:

>> How do these fit so well? Classic paintings mashed up with Mean Girls quotes.

>> It can be hard, but it's important to keep this in mind. "Love Your Life: Stop Comparing Yourself to Others."

>> I've always been a fan of my real ones. The fake freckle trend is a real thing.

>> I don't want to get mine removed, but if I ever needed to, painless would be nice. Painless (and cheap) tattoo removal cream coming soon.

>> This makes me smile. Real boyfriends trying on boyfriend jeans.

>> Hooray! Net Neutrality got a big win this week.

>> I'm going to save this as a reminder. "I love you and believe in you. ..."¹

>> SCIENCE! (Also: Really creepy.) Human head transplants might become reality next year.

>> Loving #23. "24 Ways to be Your Own Superhero."

Also on my mind: Growing my hair out | bad boy ballet dancers | this amazing spot² | Friday Night Lights | grapefruit snow | concrete hearts | turquoise flats | springtime changes (even though it's literally freezing right now)

And now, your moment of GIF:

RIP, Mr. Nimoy.

Original sources: ¹ The Ann Friedman Weekly, Raising eyebrows and twirling mustaches; ² Messy Nessy Chic's 13 Things I Found on the Internet Today