The Quest For The Mighty Sword Review

Today, I thought I would turn on some instant play Netflix for the kiddos to watch while I worked on crocheting some gnome hats. Browsing through the selection, I ran across "The Quest for the Mighty Sword." This title reeked of low-budget fantasy junk. So I hit play.

This movie was not the most horrible movie I've ever seen. In fact, surprisingly enough, it wasn't even any worse than I expected it to be. I think they may have even had more than $10 to spend on graphics. The storyline is your basic epic tale of the boy whose father died, passing on to the young son the duty of claiming the magic heirloom sword and leading his people back to their homeland or some such.

Of course, I either missed the shot of "his people" or else they didn't really show them; but it did include a rescue scene of some scantily clad woman, and a whole lot of love going around. It also included some really ugly critters that looked kind of like the troll from the movie aptly named "Troll". I think these guys were a little uglier than that troll, but I'm pretty sure "Troll" based their troll on these. In fact, there were a lot of ugly people in this movie. I wasn't overly impressed with the hero guy, nor did I consider the female lead to be particularly beautiful. Not to worry - their acting wasn't any better than their looks; however, that said, I think they were the best actors in the movie, other than the pimply and/or scarred guy who liked to make statues out of people.

Overall, I'd have to say this movie didn't even give Ed Wood a run for his money. If you'd like to see a movie in a fantasy epic-style setting with bad (but not horrible) acting, pretty bad (but again, not horrible for the time) graphics, a sketchy storyline, and a scantily clad, not-quite-beautiful female lead, this may be the movie for you. Or you can save yourself the trouble and watch the old version of Clash of the Titans. You decide.

Beaded Dragonfly Pins Review

Dragonfly Beaded Bobby Pins (set of 2)

I'm generally not into "cute," but I have to admit: these little dragonflies are pretty cute. I can't imagine what use I would have for them, but I imagine that *some* people might be interested in wearing them in the hair, or placing a magnet on the back of them and using them as pretty little magnets. What a cool idea!

The pictures in this listing are nice, but I would like to see more of them. For instance, a more detailed view of the large circular bead on the dragonfly's back would be nice. I would also like to see a frontal view of the dragonflies.

The seller could benefit from changing the tag "beads" to "beaded." Since the next tag is "glass beads," the search for "beads" would already return this listing, so there is no need to write "beads" in the tags again. I would also like to see tags such as "insects," "bugs," etc.

This seller ships everywhere, resulting in the largest user base possible by location. However, the seller limits that base by only accepting Paypal as a form of payment. Accepting at least one other form of payment, such as the relatively safe money order, helps reach out to those customers who do not use Paypal.

Crayon Hearts Review

Crayon Hearts

I remember melting crayon scraps when I was little. My brother and I would dump out the old shreds of crayon shavings onto a piece of paper. We would then fold the paper in half and heat it up in the microwave. We would take the paper out while the crayon was still molten hot, and open it up. After allowing it to dry, we would look at it, and see what we could see in it. We called this making crayon ink blot tests.

Once, we decided to make a crayon out of our shavings instead of making crayon ink blot tests. I can't remember what we used as a cylindrical mold, but we dumped our crayon shavings in, heated it up, and voila! A multicolored crayon. It was so cool, because it was huge, and as you colored with it, you never knew what color you would discover on your paper from one second to the next. When I see these crayon hearts, I think of that.

The main picture on this listing is beautifully done. I love the way that the hearts are piled in a seemingly haphazard manner. The bright colors caused me to think initially that they were heart-shaped candies. Unfortunately, the seller does not mention in the listing what size these are, nor is there any size indicator in the pictures. Interestingly, the seller placed an apostrophe in the title word "hearts." Curious.

Concerning tags, "children" is misspelled and no materials are listed. I love that shipping is offered to anywhere in the world and two forms of payment are accepted - so if a buyer does not like to use Paypal, this seller also accepts money order.

Chocolate Brown Clutch Review

Chocolate Brown Clutch

Is it a flower? Is it an English symbol of royalty? Is it a monster from the depths of I have no idea where? Call it what you will, but the design on this clutch is intricate and beautiful. And, as an added bonus, while you're waiting in the doctor's office for your name to be called, you can play psychologist with your fellow patients by asking them "What do YOU see in this picture?" Be sure to raise your eyebrow when you say this. People find this very intimidating.

I'm thrilled with the usage of the photo slots in this listing. However, I think the second picture should be the main picture. The main picture seems darker than the others and may not accurately reflect the actual color of the clutch. Additionally, the angle in the second picture gives more depth than the frontal picture presented in the main picture.

The placement of the brown-on-red designer's tag is excellent. The contrast works very well to offset what would otherwise be a harsh interior. This listing shows excellent picture quality, a great close up view of the flower design, and an adequate view of the back of the clutch.

I approve of the shipping options outside of the US, although the seller might want to consider shipping to Canada and Everywhere Else.

Sterling Silver Chunky Shell Pearl Necklace Review

Sterling Silver and Chunky Shell Pearl Necklace

I was struck by the simplicity of this black pearl necklace. This single pearl strung on a leather cord reminds me of a Christmas tree ornament. With the swarovski rondelle at the top of the pearl, the sterling silver fastening peeking out the bottom, and the wire connecting the rondelle to the cord, this ornament looks sure to hang around any neck with style.

The black necklace set against a white mannequin is a nice visual touch, creating maximum contrast. I really like that the seller used all of the picture slots, although I would make the second picture into the main picture. This would demonstrate the necklace being used in the thumbnail, thereby decreasing the amount of thought necessary for a buyer, and increasing the likelihood that a potential buyer would click through to the actual listing. If a buyer has to think about what an item might be, he or she might simply pass on to the next item rather than read what the title says.

I love the third picture. The way that the seller has swirled the leather cord into loops is very attractive.

I'm pleased to note that this seller has listed four different options for shipping destinations - US, Canada, Australia, and the ubiquitous Everywhere Else. The seller may regret having such a low shipping cost to Everywhere Else when Everywhere Else becomes Russia, however. Sometimes, international shipping can be more expensive than one might imagine.

Clear Rubber Cupcake Stamp Review

Handmade Clear Rubber Stamp -cupcake-

After reading over this description, my first thought is "Gift wrap? Where?" The description claims that a buyer can have the stamp gift wrapped, but shows no indication of this in the pictures.

I love how there is a picture of the top of the stamp, the bottom of the stamp, and of the finished product resulting from the stamp. Still, I'm left to wonder about what the offered gift wrap looks like. As we all know, there's gift wrap, and then there's gift wrap.

The cupcake image itself is very cute. It isn't quite symmetrical and yet it is definitely not haphazard, resulting in a subtle charm. I could see this stamp being used on envelopes, greeting cards (think Happy Birthday!), or in scrapbooking.

Raise Your Hand If You Know What Spalted Means

I was wandering through the Etsy aisles in the woodworking section, when I noticed that I kept seeing the same term over and over again: spalted. Now, says I to myself, what could this word mean? I have a fairly extensive vocabulary; yet these woodworker types seem to know this word that I know not. Because I'm a freakishly curious type, I felt the need to look it up.

However, Webster's remained strangely silent on the term spalted. I tried "spalt" instead, and this is what I discovered: "To split off; to cleave off, as chips from a piece of timber, with an ax." Therefore, this seems to mean that a spalted piece of wood is a piece of wood that has been chopped up. Got it.

So here you go...some spalted items for your viewing pleasure

Spalted Maple Dish




Spalted Birch Pot




Spalted Maple Bowl





Spalted Oak Vessel with Bubinga Finial





Spalted Maple Vase




Seahorse Box

Walgreens Diapers Review

So, you look at the pictures and think "yep, looks like diapers." What you fail to realize is that in truth, this is an optical illusion. There are no diapers here!

I went to Walgrens yesterday in search of diapers. I have always stuck with Huggies since the diaper disasters of my first-born. However, I was at Walgreens and saw a magnificent money-saving opportunity. I could buy two jumbo packs of Walgreens diapers for about the same price as one jumbo pack of Huggies! Something deep inside me cautioned against this. It said things like "We've tried other brands before...it was never pleasant." But how could I resist that enticing price? In the end, the money argument won out.

I had my first opportunity to try these diapers out last night directly before bed. Upon opening up a diaper, misgivings arose within myself. The texture was all wrong. The diaper wasn't poofy enough. Little things seemed wrong. But I gave it the benefit of the doubt. Then, this morning when I picked up my son, I noted that his blanket was wet and I thought "Uh-oh...bad diaper, like I predicted." However, having spent the money on these packs of diapers, I convinced myself that this was not the case. Instead, I would rather believe that he simply released an excessive amount of urine overnight...more than any diaper could reasonably be expected to hold. So I changed him into a new Walgreens diaper.

Then, less than an hour ago, I was holding my son in my lap while at the computer. Suddenly, I felt an all-too-familiar wetness running down my leg. Yes, my son peed all over me. And himself. And the chair. Not his fault of course...the diaper is entirely to blame. And if you really want to get down to the nitty gritty of it, I'm to blame. Against all instinct, I bought these diapers. I shan't make him suffer from them anymore, however. It's Huggies from now on!

Black Rose Necklace Review

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24326080

Who doesn't like black roses? Being allergic to roses myself, I consider manmade roses to be the very best kind. All of the beauty with none of the sneezing.

The seller says that the rose pendant itself has a one inch diameter, so it should be small enough to not look gaudy (and to elicit closer inspection from the fellows).

My biggest complaint about this item is the darker colored beads. I think that the necklace would look significantly better if it contained all clear beads with the rose. Furthermore, the two beads that the rose is in between are both of the darker variety. In my opinion, this clashes a bit. If the darker beads must be included at all, they shouldn't be so close to the rose pendant. Perhaps putting fewer would help - 1 in every 4 could safely be dark if the rest were clear.

If you haven't had a chance to check out this Black Rose Necklace, be sure to take a peek at it by clicking this link:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24326080

Altered Mirror Review

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20643610

My immediate thought upon seeing this mirror is: "Cool design and colors." This thought is immediately followed by: "Valentine's Day colored? Only if you're a bit on the gothic side." Not that there's anything wrong with goths...but I think more of reds and pinks and whites for V-Day than black (I just went back and realized that what I thought was black is actually dark brown). Granted, it has red in it, and a very nice shade of red. Still, I think calling it Valentine's Day colored is stretching the truth a bit.

I really like the background on this picture. Is that a sheet? Sure looks like it. The folds of the white sheet soften the effects of the red on black mirror design.

Additionally, the angle that the picture is taken from is nice. Taking more of a head-on shot would have not looked nearly as pleasant as this does. Furthermore, taking the shot from this angle prevents the dilemma of the camera being seen in the mirror's reflection. Instead, we seem to see the ceiling reflected in the mirror.

Although the seller lists this item as having "a cute swirl design", I think of it more as a "vines and berries" design. I can't imagine the little round balls as anything besides berries, though this could be partially due to the color. Lots of red berries here in central TX :)

Overall, both the picture and the item itself look quite attractive. If you haven't already, come check it out here:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20643610

On The Border Of Oblivion Photo Review

I'll be reviewing a few of my fellow Etsians' products tonight in a series of posts, starting with this very nice lakeside photo entitled "On the Border of Oblivion."

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25278491

The photographer did a superb job when taking this photo. The image is very clear and the perspective is excellent. I particularly like the angle of the little boat at the bottom left, which leads the eye to the center of the photo. The reflection on the water is marred only by the ripples that go out over the lake. If you've ever tried to take a picture of reflections in water, then you know how difficult this can be.

I think this would look very nice framed in a wood frame and placed in a den, particularly close to a fireplace. Excellent job, OldHound!

To view this product, click here:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25278491

Setting Up This Blog

Well, I've decided to start a blog for reviews. Reviews of what, you ask? Reviews of anything! Movies, books, products, you name it...I tend to be opinionated, so I'm sure I can easily find things to review, lol.

For instance, infant gas drops. I have been trying these Mylicon drops on my two-week-old baby with limited success. One positive is that they are apparently, though not necessarily tasty, at least passable in flavor. My son neither spits out the medicine nor cries inconsolably during or after its administration. On the negative side, it does not appear to completely relieve his gas. He does seem to expel more gas after taking the Mylicon, yet he continues to be somewhat bloated. Nevertheless, I would recommend these drops for babies with gas issues. Any improvement is better than none :)