You CAN Touch This!

I've been a selfish blogger and keeping all my Courtasms to myself! Well, New Year = New Sharings = New Stitches!

Wait, what?

That's right, a large portion of my silence has been attributed to stitches. Not the bloody kind, but the bloody fabulous kind!

I started a little cottage side craft business, Courtastic Creations (Courtastic Creations Facebook and Courtastic Creations Tumblr) featuring quilted items, and for fun, I started playing with needles.

Yes, I now cross stitch! 

Lest you are starting worry that my Courtasms have gone soft, this is not the cross stitch of yesteryear. This is the cross stitch that VH1 "I Love the _____" specials are made of!

I'm talking about Buffy, John Hughes movies, Goonies, Big Bang, Princess Bride, Firefly, Harry Potter, and even superheroes!

To make a long blog entry short, I'm totally courtasming over Wee Little Stitches cross stitch patterns!

 

They are the coolest patterns ever! I highly suggest you check out the Wee Little Stitches Facebook or Etsy Shop, pick your patterns, and then make someone stitch them for you! That's what the New Year is all about, being assertive!

The blog is back, stitches!


Pleasure Rating:
You-Can't-Stitch-This-Courtasm!

My Life Was Blank-Ee Before Pop Art

Hey, have you heard of Blank-Ees?

No?

Really?

Get off my page.

Just kidding...get ready to be schooled.

While walking through Baltimore Comic-Con, I saw the most amazing thing out of the corner of my eye:

Strawberry Shortcake. Not the whore Strawberry Shortcake that currently disgraces shelves, but the Strawberry that graced my room when I was 4.

However there was something special about this Strawberry. A certain fierceness I had never quite noticed before. And then I realized why--because she was "Blank-Ee-fied."

What are blank-ees? Only the most amazing pieces of art created by the coolest, sweetest, hottest artist I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. In other words, Blank-Ees are Lauren Perry's pop art paintings of fantastic pop culture icons.

I was hooked from the moment they caught my eye. However, in a shocking twist of fate, I did not leave the Baltimore Convention Center with that Strawberry Shortcake Blank-ee. No I left with three others. But that is a story for another day because blank-ees get two blog posts. Can you say "WINNING?!"

Anyhoo. Suffice to say, that Strawberry Shortcake blank-ee never left my mind. Upon returning home and visiting the Blank-Ees website my world became even more rocked--Strawberry was not just a singular sensation. No, she was part of a quartet.

 

Oh. God. Yes.

Color me her biggest fan!

What are you waiting for? Hop on this bandwagon! Give some Blank-Ees to the special person in your life!

Pleasure Rating: I-never-knew-I-had-an-art-soul-mate-until-Baltimore-and-Blank-ees-I-just-adore-them-so-much-Courtasm!

Tis the Season for CHER-ing

After a brief hiatus *cough* a little bit of fabulousness came my way and sparked me into a full-on Courtasm.

You may be asking yourself, "Hmm, what could possibly be so fiercely fantastic that it would bring Ima out of the dark depths of real word despair and back into her neon world of pure glee?

Well, I'll tell you....

Why nothing more than receiving my very own CHER doll!!!!!!


Designed by Mr. Bob Mackie, replete with 1980s "Turn Back Time" body suit.

 Purple glitter? CHECK! Black leather? CHECK! Ass tattoo? DOUBLE CHECK!



I've dreamed of having this "little piece" of fabulousness since the "Gypsies, Tramps & Weed" episode of Will & Grace in 2000.

I don't blame you for being jealous.

Since I'm a giver, have a giggle on me with my favorite scene ever from Will & Grace. You're Welcome.

Pleasure Rating: If-I-Could-Turn-Back-Time-I-Simply-Wouldn't-Because-Then-I-Wouldn't-Have-This-Amazing-Cher-Doll-Courtasm!

Gnutty for Gnorm the Gnome!

Ornamental lawn decorations have always held a special place in my heart. I view them as works of art that just bring a lawn to life. They have personality. They have color. They are conversation pieces. And they are often under appreciated when they should be regaled.

Not many people in my life, however, agree with me on this.

Then I took a trip to Baltimore. Talk about life throwing you a weather ball....

by Brad Samuelson

In the midst of the Baltimore Comic Con sat a table. With a gnome on it. I was drawn to this gnome and there it was:  a comic devoted to the hijinks of a delusional lawn gnome, a daschound and a PINK FLAMINGO!

Ima has a thing for Pink flamingos. And lawn gnomes. And delusional warriors.

As the Grass Grows is a webcomic written and drawn by Brad Samuelson detailing the adventures of Gnorm the gnome as he tries to protect his lawn from total annihilation. He has some help from Bob, the pink flamingo, and Jack, the dachshund. He even has an evil nemesis, Gned. It's funny, it's smart, and it's just plain cool.

You'd be Gnutty not to check it out.

Rating:A-talking-lawn-gnome-and-a-snarky-pink-flamingo-what's-gnot-to-love-Courtasm!

If you leave....wear this T-Shirt!

Sometimes you find out about things in life too late. They may be life lessons, truths or in my case.....really awesome t-shirts! Sigh. Although the shirt is now sold out, it was created and that's enough to make my blood rush and a smile come to my face!

If this were cave-men times, this shirt would contain the drawings that tell my life story....

www.dutchsouthern.com

Pleasure Rating: Duckie-Andy-Keith-Watson-Ferris-Wheeler-The-Geek-OH MY! I-want-you-so-bad-Courtasm!

Luco Brasi Sleeps with the....Waterhorses???!!!!

My father is a rather large Irish man who grew up with the Eye-talians and believes he is Vito Corleone. I've always listened to his stories of growing up with friends with connections, last names that all end with "ello, ini" and guys named "Paulie, Zito, and Crazy Ernie with the viking hat." These stories are par for the course and I never really get tired of them. It's my own personal Bronx Tale...but more like an "Orange Tale."

He grew up tough in a row house on Scotland Road in Orange with NJ Transit running through his backyard. He was known for fighting in high school and generally running with a rough crowd. As I grew up we bonded over mob culture, Goodfellas and gambling. At my wedding we danced to the "Godfather Waltz" and I pinned a red rose on his lapel.

So imagine my surprise when we were driving to Atlantic City earlier this week and he turns to me and says, "I saw a great movie. What a great movie this was." I waited anxiously, assuming it would have the regular cast of favorites--DeNiro, Pacino, Brando....and then he told me.

He kind of smiled behind his dark sunglasses, shook his head a little bit and said, "The Waterhorse."

"The Waterhorse?" I asked.                                                                          

"What a great movie," he said. "I DVR'd it."

He's come a long way from the streets, the trains, the fights and crazy ernie.





Pleasure Rating: The-waterhorse-is-just-like-the-greyhounds-of-course-he-loves-it-Courtasm Rant!

He's...like...so soulful. His eyes...like..are like fireworks.

This is the first time in a few years that I haven't had any fireworks to "ooohhhhh" and "aaaaahhhhh" over. I really think it would be unpatriotic of me if I didn't have something to watch, while dropping my mouth open in awe and exclaiming..."Oh, that's so beautiful! Oh, look at that one! Oh.My.God, Give it to me again!"

What? I really like fireworks.

I also really like angst-ridden, brooding television boys from the 90s and just happen to have the same reaction to these two that I do to fireworks. 


So welcome to Ima's 4th of July Spectacular!!

Ahhh, Trent Lane. Lead singer of Mystik Spiral. Brother of Jane. Only person to render Daria speechless. Definitely one of the swoon-worthy cartoon characters of my time. 

...and he was in a band!!!!!!

Then there is Jordan Catalano. "Huge events take place on this earth every day. Earthquakes, hurricanes, even glaciers move. So why couldn't he just look at me?"  Oh, but when he did  actually look.....fireworks.

...and he was in a band!!!!

Pleasure rating: I-keep-coloring-my-hair-red-so-that-Jordan-can-call-me-red-and-then-hold-my-hand-in-the-hallway-in-front-of-people-while-Trent-tries-to-turn-me-into-a-comic-like-in-the-A-Ha-video-Take-on-me-Courtasm!