Fun Internet Friday

Here is a random assortment of fun finds from my time online today.  Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!

Bitey White Plastic Ring

Typographic Lounge Furniture by Tabisso

Funky Cat Tights (love these!)

Bookcase by Saporiti

Game Over sculpture by Kordian Lewandowski

Anatomy of Gamera illustration from 1972

Diaper by Laser Bread

Monster Stamps by Adam McCauley

New Store!

Hi friends!  We have some exciting news on the nickandnessies front:  we just launched a brand new store to feature our growing collection of home items!  We have been busy little bees trying to get everything in order (I just noticed that we haven't posted anything since June - oops!)  Check out the new stuff (still a work in progress at this point) at nickandnessieshome.etsy.com.

Here's a sneak peek at some of our new items:

  

Vintage 60s UNION Black Metal Lunchbox by Thermos

 

Antique 50s Set of 8 ANODIZED RAINBOW Coasters

 

Vintage SAILBOAT Set of 2 Embroidered Pictures

Fashion Documentaries

Nessies and I are pretty much obsessed with documentary films.  We go through phases where we will tackle a subject and watch everything we can that has been released on it.  For instance, we are on a North Korea kick right now (we are also geography nerds) and have been watching everything we can find on the country including a Godzilla-style monster movie that was supposedly made by Kim Jong-il! 

I wanted to share a few of the amazing fashion documentaries that we have seen in the past few months.  Much like watching Project Runway, it is really interesting to get a glimpse behind the scenes of the fashion industry and see these creative geniuses at work.

Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton

Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton is a French film that we actually picked up at a thrift store of all places.  It follows the celebrated American designer as he shifts between designing for the legendary French fashion house Louis Vuitton and his own line. 

Jacobs comes across as a laid back guy that would be cool to hang out with.  Just on a personal note, the way he banned uninvited celebrities from his shows makes him a total hero in my book.  Some of his celebrity admirers and friends like Wes Anderson, Sofia Coppola, Marilyn Manson, and Lil' Kim also make appearances.  

 Unzipped

Unzipped is a 1995 film that documents the creation of designer Isaac Mizrahi's fall 1994 collection.  Besides Mizrahi's personality, this movie is interesting in the way that is captures the essence of the 90s. 

Valentino: The Last Emperor

Valentino: The Last Emperor is a great film that chronicles the last working years of the world's last true couturier.  The life of this haute couture legend is a stark difference from the two previous designers since he exudes opulence with his mansions and grand parties.  It is interesting to see what goes on behind the scenes since every one of his garments is still painstakingly created by hand.  He also travels with a whole family of pugs, so that is pretty cute.

The September Issue

The September Issue is kind of an obvious choice, but it is one of the best films about fashion that we have seen.  If you haven't seen it yet, it shows the work that goes into creating the September issue of fashion bible Vogue Magazine.  I think Wintour comes as more likable than her icy reputation (she was the inspiration for The Devil Wears Prada).  The film also features Vogue creative director Grace Coddington who was a former model before a car accident led her to the creative side of fashion.

This is a good start for a weekend of fashion movies that are fun to watch even if you don't really keep up with that particular world (I didn't before watching them).  I'm sure there are many we have missed - what are your favorite fashion movies (fiction/nonfiction)?

Collect it Magazine

One of our Etsy items is featured on the cover of the British antiques and collectibles magazine, Collect it!  They chose a set of four mod white and striped floral mugs to go along with their "Antiques of the Future" story about collectibles from the 1960s. 

It is a little hard to see from this picture, but our item is right under the "A" in "Antiques."  Here is the original pic:

 Vintage 60s MOD STRIPED Set of Four Mugs

They were kind enough to send us a copy of the magazine, and it is pretty cool.  This issue of Collect it features a variety of vintage and antique treasures like Beatles memorabilia, non-sports trading cards like the original, gory "Mars Attacks" cards, mod fashion, and more.  

Needless to say, we were excited to receive the issue and will look out for them in the future!  Check out Collect it site here for more info.

Here is a video of Nessies and I when we heard the news:

nickandnessies Interview

We did an interview with the Scrivener's Retreat blog that was posted today.  We talked about one of our very favorite subjects - vintage 80s stuff!

Check it out here and leave some comments!  Also be sure to take a look at her super cute cat and ferret toys while you are there!

RIP Gary Coleman

Gary Coleman died today at age 42 after being hospitalized for a brain hemorrhage.  It is especially sad news for people like us who grew up in the 80s watching him as Arnold on Diff'rent Strokes.

 While we kept up with his misfortunes (his freakout on the Surreal Life, attacking fans, his job as a security guard, his run for governor in CA), it was always more sad than funny.  We were always rooting for him to find success again.

Besides the fame, he seemed to have a pretty rough life and will be missed as one of the iconic pop culture figures of our favorite decade.  First Michael Jackson, then Corey Haim, now Gary Coleman...Corey Feldman needs to be super careful...

Sad news.

Cabbage Patch Kids Baby Land

Last week, we took a day trip to the outskirts of Atlanta with our BFF Emily.  One of the stops was Baby Land General Hospital in Cleveland (middle of nowhere, seriously), Georgia.  What is Baby Land you might be wondering?  It is where all the Cabbage Patch Kids in the world are born!

Apparently, Xavier Roberts, he of Cabbage Patch Kids butt-signing fame, is from this sleepy mountain town and converted an old medical clinic into the birthplace of his famous dolls in the 1980s.  Fast forward to 2010 when Roberts and his friends built a brand new Baby Land General Hospital that includes a birthing center, medical staff ("nurses" who seriously walk around in scrubs), extensive gift shop, and nursery.

Baby Land is extremely cute and seems like a wonderful place to take kids.  However, I didn't see many children there...so it was extremely creepy.

A few unusual sights at Baby Land General included a room full of real medical incubators with Preemie dolls inside, speakers in the ceilings that pipe recorded baby sounds (like coos and such) into the nurseries, and last but not least, an actual birth in which a nurse pulled a doll out of a fake cabbage while saying things like "the cabbage is dilated ten leaves!"  Whaaaa?  Too much strange awesomeness for one building!

Video of piped-in baby noises in the nursery

To make matters weirder (and I guess better), there are hundreds of Cabbage Patch Kids everywhere.  In one plastic cabbage patch, little doll heads poke up out of the ground and move around like moles.

Cabbage Patch birth (not our video) - be warned, it is fairly graphic

Also cool was the entryway that had several walls of signed photographs from celebrities like Donald Trump (with his classic mean muggin' look), Fred Savage as a child, and 80s Michael Jackson with messages to Xavier Roberts and the Kids.

If you ever find yourself in Northern Georgia looking for something truly strange and wonderful (or if you have kids/collect cloth ones), Baby Land General Hospital is absolutely worth a visit.  It is like stepping back through a time warp to a special place where the good and ridiculous stuff of the 80s never ceased to exist.

Join Us...

Pac Man Fever

If you have used Google in the last day or so, you may have had a blast from the digital past in the form of a playable Pac Man screen where the site logo usually is.  This is to commemorate the 30th anniversary of one of the greatest video games of all time (and also serves to make me feel old lol).  Here is the front page of Google if you haven't seen it:

To celebrate this momentous occasion and pay tribute to the many quarters we spent in vintage video arcade machines, we present a collection of some fun video game finds from Etsy:

 Ms. Pac Man Pillow Cover by Modernality

 Vintage Pac Man Cross Stitch Patterns by nickandnessies

 Old School Joy Soap by eatsleepshop

 Mario and Koopa Paratroopa Felt Collage by pixlpshr

 Victory Wheelie (from Excitebike) Painting by retrobit

 Atari Pong Tank Dress by repurposefulpunk

 Super Mario Handmade Toy by michellerheaume

 Vintage Set of 10 Atari Games by nickandnessies

 Tetris Fused Glass Pendant by urbanfusions

 Before we say "game over," take a look at the trailer for "King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters."  If you haven't seen it yet, it is a fantastic documentary that chronicles the rivalry between two gamers battling each other for the top score in Donkey Kong.  It is truly gripping, even if you aren't crazy about games like we are:

Snack Time!

We are all in favor of a healthy lifestyle.  Just like many of you, we like organic vegetables, farmer's markets, and are always on the lookout for a good recipe (if anyone has an easy bread recipe, please share!  My last loaf weighed about three pounds and I don't know why...).

That being said, we also loooove some junk food without (much) shame.  We crane our necks to read the new Taco Bell signs as we drive by (Doritos with the new value meals?  Puh-lease!) and dream of the day when we can install a soda fountain in our kitchen.  We are both trying to muster the courage and intestinal fortitude to tackle one of these monsters:

The text on the KFC site actually says, "The new KFC Double Down sandwich is real!" I assume this is written because this ridiculous breadless (the "buns" are fried chicken patties) sandwich comes across as a hoax at first glance.  lol

Anyway, we have found some of our favorite food-related clothing and accessory items from Etsy to share with you.  Dig in!

Burger Beanie by ProPortional

Bubblegum Dress by devaniweaver

Burger Tank Top by newyorkcouture

Cuts of Meat Dress by imyourpresent

Pancakes Necklace by CharmStar

Popcorn Dress (available as custom order) by nicolelindner

Sub Sandwich Necklace by JamieEATworld

Potato Chip Tote Bag by nickandnessies

Spaghetti Stiletto by SoleSensations