a really weird gift idea

A couple of nights ago, I was on the phone with TLS flipping through catalogs for two of my favorite stores- Tiffany and Uncommon Goods. (An easy way to freak a boy out- when he asks what you're doing, tell him you're looking through the Tiffany catalog...) Uncommon Goods is one of my favorite places to buy quirky out of the ordinary gifts, and I have found some great gifts for my friends there. One item in the current catalog, however, made me shake my head.

These are roses which are made out of paper and actually look quite nice. So what is so weird about them? The paper is actually made of recycled Elephant poo. Dead serious. Not sure why anyone would want that, I certainly hope that no one gets them for me (ahem TLS). I think this may be a fine example of being *too* green. What are your thoughts on them? Would you get them for anyone? Would you want someone to get them for you?

This made me think of the controversy at the BAM a couple of years ago when Giuliani was still mayor and tried to shut down an exhibit containing an image of the Virgin Mary smeared in Elephant poo.

Freecycle #5

I apologize for not having a freecycle up on my blog last week, but now it is back. I have three items to list for this week's freecycle, all of which are from me.

The first is a brand new, with tag from the Barney's Warehouse Sale pink and green strapless plaid sundress with a slight sweetheart neckline, from Liquid, size 6. My mother bought me this dress, but unfortunately, one of my boobs cannot fit into it, and I have two. It originally came with a white ribbon sash, but that got lost somewhere on the move from my mother's house to my house. You could just buy some ribbon at a crafts store to replace it if you want. item is no longer available

a closeup of the top

The next item is a pair of dark straight leg Joe's Jeans, size 31. These are a regular length, and I usually wore them cuffed. They have been worn a few times and are in great shape. item is no longer available

The last item I have is a brand new with tags, turquoisey pair of cropped drawstring pants from Victoria's Secret Pink line, size Large. The pants were another one of my mom's attempts to get me a gift that failed. They are not only not my size, but have writing on the rear end.

the rear end

(it says "Pink Royalty")

the patch on the front

If you are interested in any of these items, please email me at whaleflipflops {@} gmail {.}com and please pay for shipping.

Not Soap Radio

Do you remember this post where I reviewed some of Not Soap Radio's products? Well, I mentioned that there was one lip gloss that I received which did not work for me. Well, I brought the lip gloss with me to Chicago to have KMH try it to see if she'd like it better, and received this unsolicited review from her in my email about a week or two later:

That lip gloss that wasn't the right color for you?I'm obsessed with it - its a perfect color for me. And it goes on very smooth, not tacky and sticky like some glosses can be.It gets an 8/10 for long-lasting-ness (I reapply about twice in an evening).
Its really kind of like lipstick in a gloss. That is the best way I can think to describe it, in terms of texture and color saturation.
check plus!

As Seen on TV

Ladies, it's time to 'fess up. No matter how cheesy some of these commercials are, we are still fascinated by them, and still buy them. Sometimes, the cheesier that a commercial is, the more likely we are to buy it. How else do you explain the cult following that the Snuggie has gotten? So it's time to spill. Which products are you fascinated by? Currently, I am intrigued by the Perfect Brownie Pan. Also, does anyone remember the Topsy Tail? I told KMH and TLS that I am on a mission to single-handedly make the Topsy Tail cool again. Despite the fact that it's from the 90's, I still think it looks cute today. And it is a lot nicer looking than Bumpits.


So what are you intrigued by? And are you a fan of the Topsy Tail?

Fun Gift Idea

Looking for a fun gift idea for a girlfriend or an "adult beverage connoisseur?" Try Huephoria's Painted Wine Glasses. They're fun, colorful, great for decorating for a party, dishwasher safe, and are a great alternative to sometimes tacky wine markers.

Here is my personal favorite:

Combining my favorite colors, a cute critter, and my deep appreciation of wine. What's not to love?

The site is offering a 20% discount to MRM readers, good through 12/31/09. If you are like KMH and myself and tend to do birthday/Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanzaa/generic winter holiday shopping way in advance, then this is yet another reason for you to do so!

long distance relationships

For all of you bloggers out there who are currently in long distance relationships, how did you do it? I'm slowly starting to go crazy over here. I'm crazy about TLS, but the distance and time difference is really getting to me. How did you handle being in a long distance relationship? What worked and what didn't? How often did you get to see the other person? Did the relationship last? Any words of advice?

the greatest calling card EVER

You know how sometimes you discover a product that's just so good that you can't keep it to yourself? Well, ladies, I have discovered such a product. Say hello to my new friend and the reason for the sanity in mine and TLS's relationship.As you can imagine, one of the downsides to a relationship like ours is the cost of making phone calls. Well, my mother got me a few of these cards to call her when she goes on vacations, so I used one to call TLS, thinking that with the $0.89 I had left on it, we could talk for 5 minutes. Try 2 hours and 35 minutes. Yes, that's right. A $5 card gets you 14+ hours of talk time between America and the U.K. We used one this weekend to watch Night at the Museum over the phone together along with several episodes of How I Met Your Mother, and just to talk, and it's still not done. Needless to say, I will be buying more of these.


My mother found the cards in a Korean deli near her house, you can also order them online here. While I realize that not everyone is in a relationship like ours, these cards are awesome if you have any friends or family who are travelling or studying abroad.