Serve Your Heart on A Platter

This weekend I had a chance to test out our new heart mold. After searching the internet for a good recipe, I chose this one from the Pumpkin Nook.

While Peach or Watermelon flavors are the ones favored for a more realistic look, we chose Tropical Explosion. Jello has a "flavor finder" on it's website to help find other suitable flavors by color. We greased our mold with coconut oil instead of spray-on cooking oil, and used blue food coloring to lightly paint the veins in the mold before adding the Jello mixture.

While the recipe calls for leaving the jello-filled mold in the refrigerator overnight, we found that our heart was ready in a few hours. We also found that the recipe is almost enough for two hearts. Fortunately I own two of these gelatin molds.

(the heart pictured below is the second one made with the left-over mixture.)


I was able to corral some teenage boys to taste-test. Three out of four boys were willing subjects. The fourth was a bit squeamish (screamish).

We give this creation two thumbs-up for being tasty and having just the right amount of gross-out factor!

Tis the Season!

Yesterday a new shipment came in with some really awesome beverage napkins and mugs for the Holidays and we couldn't wait to show them off!:


Awesome cocktail napkin:

For our Jewish friends who like to celebrate ALL the Holidays!:Another fun cocktail napkin!:

My new favorite Christmas mug!


This mug also makes me smile:

Time to start making the list & checking it twice!

Goodbye Mr. Scrubs!

Recently, we have to say farewell to one of our favorite action figures. Sadly sold out and no longer in production, we will dearly miss this behind-the-scenes hero: the Male Nurse. Proudly wearing his stethoscope and clipboard complete with x-ray, the 5-1/4 inch tall figurine will always be in our minds and in our hearts.

Adios Mr. Male Nurse! No one will ever be able to replace your dry humor and genuine bad-news smile.

Bitch & Kitsch - Ed Polish and Ephemera - 30 Years of Sarcasm Served Daily!

If laughter is the best medicine, then Ed Polish and Ephemera provide a prescription-strength antidote for ailing attitudes in these trying times.

2010 marks 30 years since Ed started his business that uses the juxtaposition of sweet vintage images with jarring, modern slogans. Polish grew up watching Jerry Lewis and reading Mad Magazine (we share a common fan-boy love of Alfred E. Neuman and his famous quotes). A life-long collector and influenced by the punk-rock movement, Ephemera got it's start creating buttons. The line has since vastly expanded to magnets, mugs, napkins, calendars and the wonderful world of publishing.

"Pissing off the world one person at a time"

When asked about any 30 year celebrations, Ed is surprisingly low-key. "It's only time..." and while he has nothing planned for this auspicious anniversary, he did have a party for his 28th year in business. He has no real explanation but I couldn't help but make the correlation of 28 being 4 in dog years due to his "bitch"-laced themes. Let's see if there's a 35th year (5 in dog) Gala.

We were also curious how Ephemera comes up with a seemingly never-ending supply of pure comic gold. In addition to "writing a lot" they also take suggestions from writers and comedians. If you are an aspiring humorist, there are guidelines on their website but be forewarned, the odds are against you. Only 1 out of 1,000 submissions are used.

As we were ending our interview, I asked for any words of advice (words to live by) and Ed left me with this gem...

"Being weird isn't enough" - Ed Polish 6/22/10

Oh Boy! postscript:
We would be remiss in not mentioning that we have a nice assortment of Ephemera products for sale on our humble website!

P.S.S. - I've just been schooled in Math (by my younger sister). 28 Human Years = 196 in Dog Years and 35 Human Years = 245 in Dog Years. This totally voids my correlation made above. It also shows how Mathematics is not one of my strong suites. And it totally blows what I thought was an awesome "bit".

Oh Boy! Father's Day is Coming!

Father's Day is just around the corner! This coming Sunday, June 20, it's that time of year to show Dad you know where your allowance comes from. When dad's retro ties and power tools don't cut it anymore, show him how you really feel with a gift just for him.

Dad's are like beers. No two brews are the same. And let's face it! Fatherhood requires an extreme sense of humor. So what better way to tickle dad's funny-bone than by giving him a hand-crafted gift for a home-brewed man. As a bonus, we offer special gift packaging and a tailored card for each gift purchase. Dad will really have to think hard about those extra chores he was scheming up.

For orders that are being sent as a gift, we offer
a gift enclosure card and special packaging free of charge.

Need more help? Why not try our sister site? Baskets By Bonnie

Perhaps the best way to dad's good side is through his sweet-tooth. At our sister company, Baskets By Bonnie, you have the ability to choose from a wide variety of items where the basket can be completely customized by your own hand-picked items. Just give us a call, and tell us what you want and how much you want to spend. Presto! Dad has a basket personalized just for him!

Don't forget about Dad! Give him something to really make this Father's Day a special day!

For A Cool Dad

Puzzle for a Rainy Day

Product testing is an important part of my responsibilities as a purveyor of games, toys and novelties. It's a tough job but someone has to do it.

Who am I kidding??? The kids love it when I bring home new products to "test".

Last night I brought home IZZI from Thinkfun, "The Game With Almost a Zillion Solutions".
The only rule for this puzzle with 64 squares is that: Black touches Black and White touches White. As this puzzle game is mastered, more challenging versions such as forming a diagonal across the square, can be attempted.

We all found IZZI oddly addictive and a perfect way to spend a lazy, rainy afternoon or evening. This is a great alternative to mindless television-watching or playing video games.

Are you a "Puzzle Master"? If so, do you have a favorite?

"A" is For "Administrative", "Assistant" and "Attitude" ...and " April"

Last week we received a few shipments to stock up on attitude gifts for the office. We have a few new styles of Ann Taintor pithy mugs. The one pictured above is my new favorite. We also have two new mugs perfect for relationship-themed gifts such as Ready to Rebound and Ready to take a Risk.

Just in time for Administrative Professionals Day on April 21, we have these nifty 3" square Sticky Notes. The ones pictured below are just two of the nine new styles currently available on our website.

I'm having a hard time picking my favorite quote. What's yours?