TresSugar

Want to Sell Royal Wedding Souvenirs? Follow These Rules

Annie Scudder — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 08:00:54 PST

Another day, another story about the royal wedding. This time it's about how we'll remember the wedding of the decade after it's over (and how people will make money off it). Traditionally, royal-inspired tacky souvenirs are officially forbidden, but Prince William has graciously allowed people to honor him and Miss Catherine Middleton. There are guidelines, however, which start by decreeing that everything must be made in "good taste." Here are some more rules:

You can't advertise something else. Hire an impersonator if you want to use the royals for PR.
No tea towels. They may be very English, but they're just not royal. T-shirts and aprons are also banned, but carpets, scarves, and cushions are approved.
You must include this phrase: "To Commemorate the Marriage of Prince William of Wales and Miss Catherine Middleton, 29th April 2011." So the pre-official-engagement plate above, which uses "celebrate" and the name "Kate" is out. Presumably, they won't be too mad if you write the date the American way.
You can only use approved images.
Using the coat of arms is not OK.
Production must end on Oct. 11, 2011 - I mean, 11th October 2011.

I'm adding a Wills and Kate apron to my holiday wish list. Who's with me? Anyone?

Bid on a Commemorative Kate Middleton Thimble

Colleen Barrett — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 14:00:26 PST

Yes, it's exactly what you think. And, no, I don't know what you do with thimbles. Wikipedia says a thimble is a "small, hard-pitted cup worn for protection on the finger that pushes the needle in sewing." So that means instead of pricking your finger, you stab Kate Middleton's face!

But don't let me tell you why to buy this set, listen to its seller on eBay:

I have up for grabs an ultra rare set of bone china thimbles depicting Kate Middleton which appeared in the Daily Telegraph in 2008. I purchased the set at the time but I think they were discontinued when the article appeared in the UK and Worldwide. 5 thimbles in all with 4 different pictures (one has the same design). Quite crudely printed but never the less great collectible items as they [sic] won't be others like these.

Price right now is 5.50 pounds sterling ($8.84), so submit your bid today!

Souvenirs Inspires Travel, Creativity in Photography

GeekSugar — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:00:17 PDT

Flickr is a dreamland - but while you get to be exposed to a wide variety of photography, amateur and professional, it's overwhelming and sometimes difficult to find new streams that move you. That is, until you find something like photographer Michael Hughes's set of images, called souvenirs.

Hughes's cheeky photos consist of images where he holds the miniature version of a landmark up to the actual landmark that inspired it, like the Eiffel Tower or the Brandenburg Gate.

I'm not usually amped up to take a ton of photos of an iconic monument, but Hughes's work encourages me to see the "same old things" with different eyes - or lens, ahem. Check out the whole set and see if you don't get the same feeling!

Source

Tattoo Your Love For iPhone Photography

Kelly Schwarze — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 11:13:07 PST

It's time for a new twist on photo memorabilia. With photo mugs pouring out of the cupboards, a bedtime t-shirt of last year's vacation, and a mouse pad snap from the trip to Disneyland, you've made sure to keep photo memories nearby. Push those stale souvenirs aside and turn a favorite iPhone photo into the ultimate statement piece: a temporary tattoo.

The set of 16 customizable photo tattoos for $14 through the iPhone app MoPho, make unique party favors or just let you show off your camera phone shots anytime you roll up a sleeve. To try out the MoPho tattoos for ourselves, we made a print of a recent dinosaur Instagram. Putting the tattoo on was simple; just like any ordinary temporary skin art, it applies with a damp cloth and the instructions are impeccably detailed. Once on, the tattoo cracked a bit with our skin, but actually looked better as the hours passed. We weren't expecting tattooed perfection from the temporary ink, rather exactly what it is - a quirky way to flaunt your photo talents.

Make sure your Instagram pics are tattoo perfection with these iPhone photography tips.

7 Easy Ways to Make Vacation Bliss Last

Emily Co — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 03:05:14 PST

All good things come to an end, and that includes vacation as well. Settling back into work is hard especially when you're missing the sun and sand or whatever you immersed yourself in during your travels, but the vacation bliss doesn't have to end. It's said that people reap more benefit from multiple short vacations rather than one long one, because we derive most of the pleasure of our trip from planning. Personally, I think there are plenty of happy aftereffects as well.

I recently took a trip and am determined to make the happy travel buzz last for a good while. Here are some simple strategies I've been using:

Put Your Memories on Facebook: Upload your images and videos of the trip onto Facebook and watch the discussions begin! It's fun to see friends commenting back and forth on pictures and videos, and it'll be a constant reminder of the special moments you captured of your trip with your camera.

Buy Souvenirs: A souvenir is a physical memory of the fantastic time you had on your travels. Leave it around your house or at the office to inspire some awesome daydreams. Reader Lovely_1 puts it best when she said, "I like to buy something nice for my home that i can display. Then when someone comments on it I can be like 'Oh, I got that in Fiji!'"

For more ways to memorialize your trip, read on.

Green Lantern: Ryan Reynolds Is the Brightest Day in Blackest Night

Becky Kirsch — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 05:46:55 PDT

It's a bad sign when the opening sequence of a movie not only fails to grab your attention, but has your eyelids drooping before you even meet the main character. Such is the case for Green Lantern, and the frustratingly dull first few minutes set the tone for rest of the film, which is based on the popular comic book series.

Ryan Reynolds is the actor throwing his hat into the superhero ring this time, and he's actually a great choice. With charisma coming out of his ears and a perfectly chiseled body, Reynolds easily fits the bill as Hal Jordan, a self-assured test pilot with a taste for adrenaline. Hal's fearlessness eventually makes him a candidate for the Green Lantern Corps., a league of alien warriors that keep the peace amongst the galaxies. Seemingly out of nowhere, Hal is absorbed by a large green bubble and transported to a site where a dying alien gives him a ring that signifies his place as a Green Lantern (and provides Hal with a slick CG suit and superpowers in spades). If you think the green bubbles and purple aliens sound silly, it only gets more convoluted from there. To see what else I thought of Green Lantern, just

read more. The movie shifts back and forth between the Green Lantern realm in outer space and Earth. On his home planet, Hal wrestles with his new superhero status, which makes for a few entertaining scenes as he shows off his suit to his best friend Thomas and tries to repair his fractured relationship with his childhood sweetheart, Carol Ferris (a mostly bland Blake Lively). I found myself cringing every time Hal skyrockets off into space again where Reynolds's charm is swallowed up in a world that's almost entirely CG. Even Hal's suit is animated, which makes him look like a floating head performing stunts on a cartoon body. There is some semblance of a good story when you're not having comic book facts spewed at you in rapid succession, thanks in part to Peter Sarsgaard's performance as Hector Hammond. He's Hal's nemesis, (though their history is a little foggy), who's recently acquired some superpowers of his own. Though Sarsgaard doesn't get as much screen time as a standard comic book villain, he makes his mark as a nerdy loser turned evildoer who's drunk on power and literally grows a giant head. Trying to tell too much at once is ultimately Green Lantern's downfall. Hal's human interest story isn't nearly developed enough, and the climax of the film feels rushed and stuffed in between everything else. The space aspect is what makes Green Lantern stand out as a superhero, but it's an other-worldly experience that's hard not to scoff at. You can't blame Reynolds for seizing the opportunity to get his own action figure, but he may end up with nothing more than a souvenir of a failed attempt at a franchise.

Nate Berkus's 3 Resources For Color Inspiration

Julia Walsh — Wed, 11 May 2011 14:20:00 PDT

On Monday, I attended an intimate event in New York City for Lowes and Valspar Signature Colors paint hosted by Nate Berkus. Nate presented about the power of paint and let us in on the secret of where he finds color inspiration. The biggest takeaway for me, I think, was that color really should be the inspiration for a room. You can add style influences like "rustic" or "shabby chic" later but choosing your paint and palette choices up front gives a room direction and keeps your design on track.

But how do you choose your colors? Here are the three places Nate Berkus finds color inspiration:

Nature. Berkus says he looks at "combinations in the colors in nature" for inspiration. Ever the designer, he's always on the hunt for interiors inspiration. Berkus says when he was snorkeling in Thailand at the islands made famous by The Beach, he saw a "bright, bright turquoise and orange fish," and thought to himself, "I'm so going to turn that into someone's family room." According to Berkus, "You can't go wrong with colors from nature because you're just knocking off what God's done."
Fashion. Berkus also looks to fashion for color inspiration. While, he said, the "tailored, structural, and architectural" pieces by Jil Sander may influence the shapes in his interiors, he was inspired by the colors of Derek Lam's collection this past fashion week - cloudy blues, brick red, and olive greens - for future decorating palettes. Whether it's pieces straight from the runway or from the pages of Vogue, the color inspiration in fashion is everywhere, he says. "Paint is the greatest equalizer," because everyone can afford it and do it themselves, and it "cuts out the middle man between fashion week and your living room." You don't need to own a Dior bag or Louis Vuitton suitcase to achieve that style: "You can re-create those combinations through color."

Continue reading for one more place to find color inspiration!

Video: The Weirdest and Wackiest Royal Wedding Memorabilia!

PopSugar — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 20:04:34 PDT

The royal wedding is almost here! Prince William and Kate Middleton tie the knot in a matter of hours, and these off-the-wall souvenirs are guaranteed to get you in the spirit. From tea bags to plates to condoms to a fridge, you won't believe the stuff that's being sold to commemorate the big day. Take a look at these crazy finds, and then check back later for all of our coverage of the ceremony - including our very own watch party with a live stream of the wedding and editor commentary!

Impressively Good: Japanese Instant Noodles With Mayonnaise

Susannah Chen — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 14:18:29 PDT

My idea of a dream gift isn't an expensive piece of jewelry or a fancy new bag; it's a food-related souvenir from another country. So when Emily from SavvySugar paid a visit to Japan and brought back some instant noodles for me, I was over the moon. Two of my favorite things - travel gifts and ramen? It was almost too much to bear.

Emily couldn't read the package but found the instant noodles noteworthy because of an additional condiment: mayonnaise. (Yes, you heard that right.) It sounded questionable, but my curiosity meant that I had to give it a try. See what I thought of it when you keep reading.

2011 Cannes Lineup: Pitt, Depp, Gosling, and More Are Heading Overseas

Becky Kirsch — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 10:29:44 PDT

The 2011 Cannes Film Festival is less than a month away, and the event will host some of Hollywood's biggest stars and premiere a ton of movies we've speculated about for months. We already knew that Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris would open the festival, and that Terrence Malick's much-anticipated Tree of Life would be in the competition. So what other films can we expect to hear about? The Ryan Gosling vehicle Drive will also be competing as well as Lars Von Trier's Melancholia and Pedro Almodovar's The Skin I Live In. Disney will be showcasing Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides out of the competition along with Jodie Foster's The Beaver.

That's just the tip of the iceberg though. See the full list of films after the break.