Cabbage Patch Kids Return to the Second Generation

My mom called me from Toys-R-Us today, where she was perusing the aisles looking for toys for....who else....Ilah. I've noticed in the past month that Ilah is taking to her little baby doll that my mom got her this past Easter and puts it in her little My Little Pony Car and drives it around. Ha! She also shares her snacks with her baby, and tucks it under her arm and takes it for walks around the house. What a good little Mommy : ) Ilah has plenty of stuffed animals, but baby dolls, not so much. A few months ago I purchased her first one that we will give to her as a gift on her second birthday. But my mom didn't want to wait until then {in case you haven't noticed, she spoils Ilah} so she headed out today to buy Ilah her very first Cabbage Patch Doll!

I can't remember the exact age I was when I got my first Cabbage Patch Kid {maybe 6 or 7?} but I just LOVED mine. Back in the 80's when they first came out, Cabbage Patch Kids could hardly stay on the shelves and parents were on a mission to score one for their child. I remember my first doll was named Melissa. Then came Faith. Then Leon. The ones that came after were equally loved...I just can't remember their names ; )

I remember the old school dolls had hair made of yarn, their body's were plush, and they came with their own birth certificate.

I fully got in to these dolls. I had the playpen, the car-seat...I had it all. Even the Cabbage Patch "record"....and I still remember the song: "Cabbage Patch Kids...growing in the garden....Cabbage Patch Kids...growing in the sun. The most amazing thing about a Cabbage Patch Kid...is that each one grows to be a special one". Ha ha! All these years later and I still remember that song! Classic!

I love that Cabbage Patch Kids are still around. My mom still has some of my old ones {the one's whose hair I didn't cut!}...and I'm excited for our Ilah to get one of her own! I loved being "mommy" to my Cabbage Patch Kids and I know Ilah will too.

A few years ago when my husband and I took a trip to the mountains {in Helen, GA} we passed "Babyland General Hospital". It was seemingly in the middle of nowhere - it caught my eye for that reason, and also because the sign said "Home of the Cabbage Patch Kids". Say what?!

The home of the Cabbage Patch Kids is right here in Clevland, GA - about an hour and a half from where I live. I still think Ilah is too young to visit but what a super fun trip that will be in a few years!!

The "hospital" is massive! And it's always decorated so pretty for Christmas. That would be a great time to go.

I read a lot of great reviews about Babyland General Hospital - they have SO MUCH going on there!! And the cost of admission? FREE!!

Cabbage Patch "Kids" have changed since the "old school" days but they are still super cute....

Cabbage Patch "Babies"....

And now, just released, is this new line of Cabbage Patch Dolls....

Measuring at 14″, these dolls were made to match today’s kids… Skaters, Prepsters, Artsy, and more!

And out on the market already are these "Pop N' Style Me" Cabbage Patch Kids....

You can create lots of fun and funky hair styles in your dolls hair, with different hair clips. Too funny!

I love that this brand has dolls of different ethnicities.

And lastly, have you seen the Barack Obama, Joe Biden, John McCain and Sarah Palin Cabbage Patch dolls from 2008? Hilarious!!

FOREX-Swiss franc jumps; govt will 'live with' strength

* Swiss franc climbs, government accepts strength

* Dollar slides against yen, BofJ intervention eyed

* Markets eye upcoming U.S. payrolls data (Updates prices, adds details)

NEW YORK, Aug 31 (Reuters) - The Swiss franc jumped against the euro and the dollar on Wednesday after a top Swiss government official said the nation would have to live with a strong currency and the Swiss National Bank (SNB) stayed away from intervention.

The SNB has been conspicuously absent from the currency forwards market since last week. It did not take any new measures after making an announcement on three of the last four Wednesdays in August.

Switzerland's economy minister detailed plans to offset the currency's impact on the economy but not to directly counter its strength. For details, see [ID:nL5E7JV2LZ]

"We'll have to keep living with the strong franc for some time. It must be a combination of measures that will lead us into the future," said Economy Minister Johann Schneider-Ammann.

The scaling back of currency intervention speculation pushed the euro down 2.6 percent to 1.15341 francs on electronic trading platform EBS EURCHF=EBS, while the dollar slumped 2.2 percent to 0.8026 francs on EBS. CHF=EBS

"The franc is massively overvalued," Schneider-Ammann said.

It was the biggest daily loss in the dollar against the Swiss franc since Aug. 9, when the dollar fell to a record low of 0.70676 Swiss francs. The euro also saw its biggest one-day decline since Aug. 9, when it fell to a record low of 1.0075 Swiss francs.

The SNB's intervention in the swaps market and moves to flood the Swiss banking system with francs and cut interest rates to near zero had brought the Swiss franc back from peaks.

The low-yielding Swiss franc may recoup more losses from earlier this month as the government lets markets decide its fate, with policymakers expecting the currency to remain strong, according to David Song, analyst at DailyFX in New York.

"The rebound in the franc may gather pace in the days ahead, and the Swissie may continue to outperform its major counterparts as market participants diversify away from the U.S. dollar," Song said.

Analysts said the the Swiss franc looked oversold on daily charts, having hit its lowest level since early July on Monday.

Mounting concerns about European sovereign debt and hopes of new U.S. Federal Reserve stimulus drove investors back into the safety of the Swiss franc, according to Omer Esiner, chief market analyst at Commonwealth Foreign Exchange in Washington.

"While the threat of SNB intervention may slow the franc's rise, it is unlikely to meaningfully deter investors from the safe harbor offered by the franc."

For the month, the dollar has climbed 1.3 percent against the Swiss franc, the first monthly gain since January 2011. The euro has climbed 1.934 percent against the Swiss franc, the first monthly gain since March.

Traders also awaited Friday's key U.S. Labor Department report on August unemployment and payrolls amid renewed expectations the Fed would act again to boost the economy.

The dollar was down 0.3 percent at 76.534 yen. JPY=EBS

With the yen hovering near a record high of 75.941 against the dollar earlier in August on trading platform EBS, traders remained wary of the potential for Japanese authorities to intervene to sell the yen.

The dollar slumped for the third straight month against the yen.

Against the dollar, the euro was last down 0.5 percent at $1.4375 on EBS EUR=EBS. Traders said month-end demand for dollars from investors rebalancing stock and bonds portfolio weighed on the euro.

The euro gained 0.3 percent against the dollar in August, the first monthly gain since June. 

Oil rises above $114

01 September 2011

LONDON — Oil prices rose slightly yesterday as traders tracked buoyant global equity markets, upbeat economic data and sliding gasoline reserves in top crude-consuming nation the United States.
By 1:25 pm EDT, Brent crude was up 89 cents at $114.91 a barrel, after touching a four-week high of $115.19, on track to post its seventh consecutive day of gains.
Spot gold was down 0.7 per cent at $1,824.50 an ounce as rising equity markets weakened safe-haven bids. But it was sharply off early session lows as the US economic data raised hopes the Federal Reserve would use additional stimulus to boost economy.
In currency trading, the dollar fell against the yen, touching 76.84 yen and marking a new bottom since August 19. For the month, the dollar was flat against a basket of currencies.
Wall Street rallied more than one per cent. European stock markets bounced higher, with Frankfurt, London and Paris also soaring. — AFP

Keep ATMs full of cash on Eid, banks told

 

 

KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has directed commercial banks to ensure that ATM’s are not empty during Eid holidays, Geo News reported.

According to sources, SBP has directed all commercial banks to ensure that ATM’s are operational to provide service to customers. Sources add that ATM’s can stock up to Rs 2 million at a time with certain ATM’s capable of stocking Rs 3 million.

Further SBP has issued new currency notes worth Rs 108 billion for Eid which is Rs13 billion more than last year. 

Spotted

Hello, hello sorry it's been a late blogging week. I've been swamped but am happy to report that I've hired two part time assistants! Hopefully with the much needed help, I'll have a bit more time to get creative with the design blogging!! I hope to have some fresh and updated posts to share with you all this Fall!!

Okay, onto the post. I'm still spying spots everywhere! Which for me is a good thing, they add just the right amount of energy and a bit of hip factor to a home or outfit. Be it antelope, polka dots or leopard, it doesn't really matter to me, I adore them all. Happy Wednesday!

 Images: Pinterest, Elle Decor and Atlantic-Pacific, Coco Cozy (top right image)

Green and Glam... a house that proves you can have both

*tip - click on each image if you want a closer view

check out the gorgeous rough backsplash

A clever way to create a laundry room if you don't have one

amazing coffee table, amazing cabinet, amazing floors!

I've been loving navy lately

Not crazy about the laser cut mirrors - but otherwise this foyer is gorgeous...

What do you think about this home?

via Pure Green Living

one room 2 Looks with: FULL HOUSE

Ever think to yourself, 

"Hey I wonder what would life be like with one set of twins AND one set of triplets???"

To be honest, the idea has NEVER crossed my mind until I stumbled upon Christina's blog over at

  Full House blog. 

You see Mrs.Amazingsupermom of the century, is not just the mother of 5 kiddos. She also has a wicked design eye. She is very talented, and has fantastic great taste..... Oh and did I mention that she is rully rully purty and has awesome hair??!!

Anyways, I asked if she wanted to partake in a good ole game of "One room Two ways"....and she said yeahhaaa.. SO here is the end product...

Buckle Up Lovers!

****************

Hi there dearest readers of Amber's blog...whose blog I truly do enjoy.  It is a pleasure to be able to play with you all today.  I mean who wouldn't want to play dress up of the home...especially the non-committal kind.  Anyway I had this lavender guest room just hanging out and since I have a handful of children I decided to make my styling come to life in a place that I could lock up if needs be.  For starters I recruited my husband to haul the black and white sofa into the room.  The sofa actually has a damask print seat cushion and needs to be updated to my liking but for this exercise we went with the rigging method.  In fact I do not think I have ever rigged as many things in my life until I had a handful of kids.  You learn to do that on the fly when managing a home with a bunch of little ones and resources are slim.  With that being said don't look too closely because you will see a tablecloth wrapped around the sofa cushion, fabric folded on the side brass chair that clearly is covering the gold vinyl cushion and a set of curtains that may be thumb tacked to the wall.  I tried really hard to use what I already had around the house but I must admit that through doing this that I finally took fabric that I had sitting around and turned them into the curtains and pillows that they were meant to be (thank you Amber).

For the first look we tried to go with what I am calling the uptown hippy girl look..or whatever.  The colors are much more feminine, well travelled,festive and full of life. To achieve this particular look then I would say the colors and that ethnic looking rug were key.  I didn't want the room to look too boho so I tried to offset with the clean lines of the mirror, a painted abstract city scape piece and with sleek neutral pillows on the sofa. Everything in the room was either collected at the thrift store or Home Goods with the exception of the curtains, rug, oh and those nice colorful little accent pillows.

For the second look I was going for something edgier with a splash of masculine.  You know, to offset the lavender walls..just in case my husband had to live in a room like this in real life (In real life it also has a full size bed in it if you catch my drift.ha).  Back to accomplishing that objective...I made sure to use colors that would look fine with lavender but were masculine.  I first pulled the striped curtains from my husbands office as the starting point.  I then made a pillow out of a bunch of scrap leather to give it an edgier look.  Next I went with the dollar bill art and the little triangle square number to hang on the wall.  I switched out the "fruity' little pineapple lamp for a big sculptural brass lamp and pretty much called it good..well except for the switch-a-roo of a few accessories and that rug.  Again everything was basically from Craigers, Home Goods or acquired through the art of thrifting...just in case you were wondering (even that ikat fabric was thrifted).  Thrifting was also how I justified purchasing a couple of the finer fabrics shown...because I save SO much money by thrifting...and that is the story and I'm stickin to it;-)

Again thanks again for having me Amber.  Now I am off to finish decorating the room for real life.

***********

I mean...... Right, totally, like OMG..

Here...let me help you lift your jaw up off the floor.

INSANE!

Don't you dare forget to go and say hello to Mrs. Full house and don't you dare forget to tell her how amazing she is.

smooches 

No Smoking Pencil

No Smoking Pencil

Church Keys To the City. Map-Engraved Beer Bottle Opener Necklaces.

Husband and wife design duo, Vivian Cheng and Eric Jean-Louis of Blend Creations have added some new designs to their inspired collections of modern stainless steel jewelry. Joining their designer artist pendants, bar code, QR code and custom photo necklaces are engraved pendants that double as a functioning bottle openers. The abstract looking patterns are maps of the birthplaces of eight well known and loved beers from around the world.



Now, no matter where you are, you can open a bottle in style. Better yet, if you find yourself drunk and wandering the streets of Amsterdam, you can just glance down and find your way to more booze.



Leuven, Belgium the birthplace of Stella Artois:





Dublin, Ireland, the birthplace of Guinness:





Mexico City, the birthplace of Corona:





Burton upon Trent, the UK birthplace of Bass:





Amsterdam, the Netherlands birthplace of Heineken:





Bremen, Germany birthplace of Beck's:





Groenlo, Netherlands birthplace of Grolsch:





Newcastle upon Tyne, UK birthplace of Newcastle:





Each pendant comes on a hand-knotted waxed cotton cord that can adjust from approximately 20" to 32" in length.





Pendant size: About 1.75" dia x 1/16" thick



Pre-order these Worldy necklaces here!

Pharmacy Restaurant Ashtrays by Artist Damien Hirst Now Available.

Contemporary artist Damien Hirst tried his hand at the restaurant business in 1998 when he opened the art-filled Pharmacy Restaurant + Bar in London. Filled with pseudo-scientific pharmacy-themed items, Hirst curated every design element from metallic pill-printed wallpaper and pill-shaped ashtrays.





above: the gold and silver pill covered wallpaper by Hirst for the restaurant.



The gourmet restaurant featured fine dining and cocktails with names like "Cough Syrup" or "Voltarol Retarding Agent" served up by a waitstaff decked out in surgically inspired outfits designed by Prada.



The Pharmacy restaurant closed its doors in 2003. Sotheby's then auctioned off the contents after the restaurant closure, with bidding ranging from £1,920 for a pair of salt and pepper shakers to £1.2m for a giant mock medicine cabinet.





above: The Sotheby's Hirst Auction catalog.



However, these ashtrays weren't included in the Pharmacy auction at Sothebys on October 18th 2004, so now they are available for purchase from Other Criteria.



Pharmacy Ashtray 8630 by Damien Hirst, 2011:



Painted Aluminium

111 x 111 x 31 mm

Unlimited edition



Pharmacy Ashtray THREE HEADS by Damien Hirst, 2011:



Painted Aluminium

91 x 91 x 31 mm

Unlimited edition





Pharmacy Ashtray LILLI U53 by Damien Hirst, 2011:



Painted Aluminium

107 x 93 x 31 mm



Pharmacy Ashtray N by Damien Hirst, 2011:



Painted Aluminium

111 x 111 x 31 mm





Pharmacy Ashtray NICOTINE by Damien Hirst, 2011:



Clear glass

99 x 99 x 31 mm

Unlimited edition



Pharmacy Ashtray SALVOY 1023 by Damien Hirst, 2011:



Painted Aluminium

131 x 73 x 31

Unlimited edition



Pharmacy Ashtray WYATH 765 by Damien Hirst, 2011:



Painted Aluminium

99 x 99 x 31 mm

Unlimited edition



Please note that if used as an ashtray (or other than for display purposes) the gallery cannot guarantee that it will retain its original condition.



The painted aluminium ashtrays shown are priced at £450. The Glass Nicotine ashtray is £300.



Contact Other Criteria for ordering info.