From Pond to Bay: A Tall Tale of Turtles

T is for Turtle Necklaces 

 Fabulous Felt Sea Turtle Barrette

Dress: Marty's, Ocean City

Top: Material Girl, Macy's

Shoes: Christian Siriano for Payless

Bag: Xhilaration, Target

Belt: Wet Seal

Sunglasses: JCPenney

No tribute to 1980s-1990s toys would be complete without a shout-out to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (not that this post is a toy tribute, but when did I ever let such details stop me?).  As a girl (and a girly one at that) growing up during these decades, I was, as I've many times mentioned, a devotee of Rainbow Brite, My Little Ponies, and Strawberry Shortcake.  But there was something about the Turtles too, something dark and gritty and, dare I say, dangerous, that captured my usually cotton candy-clogged imagination.  So, naturally, I watched the cartoon and saw all of the movies, including the originals in the early 1990s and Michael Bay's recent reboots.  Each was enjoyable in its own way, but it wasn't until I caught the 1990 version again on TV (starring Judith Hoag as April O'Neil, more recently known as the departed "Nashville's" Aunt Tandy) that I realized just how much the aesthetic of our heroes in a half shell had changed.  Way back when, they were cute claymantion-like crime-fighters, life-size carbon copies of their cartoon counterparts.  But under Bay's manly tutelage, they've morphed into bona fide warriors, their hulking shells intimidatingly tank-like.  A more subtle difference is the shift in the color of Leonardo's mask; once upon a time it was a cool, cheerful turquoise; now it's dulled to a no-nonsense cobalt.  My first thought was, oh, I'm getting old, recognizing the same righteous indignation I'd felt upon watching Andrew Garfield in The Amazing Spider-Man after years of the aw shucks charm of Tobey Maguire.  Kids -- the audience, I reminded myself pointedly, for whom this face-lift of a franchise was meant -- would pass no such judgments, mesmerized by these anthropomorphized amphibians much as I had been at the age of eight.

Change is never easy, not even in the sheltered world of toy company-aggrandized characters.  That's why I kept my own turtle trinkets simple, using good old-fashioned felt and pony beads instead of the more worldly and weathered bohemian pendants. Just think of me as your keeping-it-real jewelry crafter, a pliers-wielding Splinter dispensing pearls - er, rhinestones - somewhere high above the sewer.   

Martial arts meet masquerade in these iconic turtle masks I embellished.  The guy at the movie theater handed them to me with amusement when I bought two adult tickets.  Little did he know that the husband and I would fight over Leonardo.

One of many turtle crossing signs here in Brigantine.  If only real turtles had super powers.

Movie Moment: X-Men: First Class

I've been watching a lot of movies lately.

The most recent was X-Men: First Class. I wasn't too keen on seeing it. It was the bf's pick, and while I enjoy the occasional Marvel movie adaptation, I'm more of a Spider-Man kind of girl. Nevertheless, I'd seen all of the other X-Men installments, so it was kind of interesting to find out how some of the mutants came to be who they are through the lens of this 1960s-era prequel. For example, the smoldering go-to-hell Mystique (in this version Jennifer Lawrence) was once a scared little girl hiding her blue scales and red hair. Beast (Nicholas Hoult) was a glasses-wearing nerd, and Magneto (Michael Fassbender) began on the side of the mutants before killing his mentor (a menacing Kevin Bacon) and crossing over to the dark side. All that and we find out how Xavier (James McAvoy) becomes wheelchair-bound, too. Despite the convoluted, somewhat drawn-out plot, these kernels of information provided the kind of human interest necessary to keep my interest in a movie barraged by explosions and guns. The 1960s fashions helped, too. At least I didn't fall asleep like I did during Transformers 2 at the IMAX a few years back. With Transformers 3 out in theaters, I may want to stock up on Coca-Cola . . .

A Very Etsy Christmas

This Christmas, I had the best time searching for gifts on Etsy. My purchases ran the gamut from jewelry to prints. Everyone seemed genuinely pleased upon opening everything. Also, each of these sellers sent everything quickly, so I didn't have to worry about stuff not getting here before the big day. So, without further ado, here's what I bought.

My sister was the easiest person to shop for, as she had helpfully marked several Etsy shops and items as favorites. Here's what I picked:

Andy Williams Christmas Album Notebook, Ivy Lane Designs

Red Sparrow Necklace, Design by Cassandra

Headphones Owl Tee, Gnome Enterprises

Ladder Necklace, Jibby and Juna

Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner Magnets, Elloh

Mysterious Butterfly Necklace, Mama's Little Babies

Queen Anne's Lace Jersey Print Scarf, Dwellin Style

Yellow Flower Super Bunny, Murdock Design

My sister liked this Mysterious Butterfly Necklace and Queen Anne's Lace Jersey Print Scarf so much that she put them on right away! And the Yellow Flower Super Bunny was such a hit that she carried it around all day.

Philadelphia Eagles Golf Club Cover, Tracey Knits

Ode to 30 Rock Print, Elloh

At first I thought it would be impossible to find something for Dad on Etsy. But then I interviewed Tracey Rediker of Tracey Knits for my featured artist series. I asked her if she could make a custom Eagles golf club cover, and she obliged in record time! My dad, who is the most diehard Eagles fan out there, got a huge kick out of it. For Dad's next gift, I returned to the tried-and-true Elloh, where I stumbled upon this striking likeness of the 30 Rock crew. 30 Rock being one of Dad's favorite shows, I knew he'd be happy. He was, adding that he had no idea that Etsy offered such personal, unique gifts.

Flirty Brown-eyed Susan Scarf, Babbidge Patch

Mom loves a great accessory, and this Flirty Brown-eyed Susan Scarf screamed her style in brown in gold. She wound it around her neck immediately.

Yoda Star Wars Golf Club Cover, Tracey Knits

AC/DC Vinyl Fine Photograph, Brief Moments

Superhero Fridge Magnets, What's Eating Yin

Looking over my shoulder as I was surfing Etsy one night, the bf spied Yoda and was instantly charmed. "You don't even play golf," I said. "So?" he replied. "You can put him anywhere." I couldn't argue with that, especially because Yoda was so darn adorable. So into the cart he went. The bf started doing a (surprisingly dead-on) Yoda impression upon opening it. 'Nuff said. Yoda now resides on an empty paper towel roll on our bookshelf, on display for all to see. The bf was also excited about the AC/DC Vinyl Fine Photograph (already hanging in our hallway) and Superhero Fridge Magnets. They were my little way of saying, "Here's some masculine décor. Thanks for living in a house overflowing with girly tote bags and shoes."

Nautical Lighthouse Throw Pillow, KelRae Designs

The bf's stepmom loves lighthouses, so when I found this Nautical Lighthouse Throw Pillow, I knew it was perfect.

So there you have it. My first Very Etsy Christmas was a success. I can't wait to see what I find next year!