DADDY LIKE
Reviews, stuff daddy likes
Kids Battle Cancer Through Design
I’m always amazed and inspired by the artwork children create. Even more so when it’s for a worthy cause.
Earlier this year Ouchies Bandages sponsored an art contest where kids from around the country submitted designs with messages of hope and healing to battle pediatric cancer. Ouchies’ CEO, Ian Madover explains, “Kids with cancer get pricked many times a day, and we thought it only makes sense to put the two together.”
Hundreds entered, thousands voted online, and five winners were recently chosen to be featured on the new line of bandages to be released this summer, as part of the Ouchies for Others campaign. 100% of the profits will be donated to three national pediatric cancer care organizations.
Below are the winners, whose artwork will be featured on the Fight Against Pediatric Cancer line of bandages:
Tenia Richardson • Age 9 • Michigan
“Love is Cure”
I believe with enough love you can cure anything to make a brighter day. more here >>
A long time ago in a gallery far, far away….
Happy May the Fourth from Designer Daddy!
Concepción Studios is a California-based graphic design studio that specializes in vintage-style prints, posters and photographs for its music industry clients. They’ve worked with the likes of Paul McCartney, Lady Gaga, MUSE and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, merging 60s-style design with contemporary irony and whimsy.
Yet it’s the studio’s Etsy store that drew my attention on this most blessed of holidays. The shop features, among other things, an out-of-this-world collection of Star Wars-inspired prints. Let’s take a stroll through the gallery, shall we?…
My favorite is this set of Princess Leia and Han Solo silhouettes. Click to enlarge and read the obvious, yet hilarious, captions.
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Happy Earth Day: Let’s B Global!
I recently checked in with B, toys, my favorite toy creators on the planet, and they asked me to try out their brand new-ish Global Glowball. Being the clever person I am, I thought it would be a perfect way to celebrate Earth Day!
Looking at the Global Glowball (Their toys just have the most awesome names, don’t they?) online, I was immediately intrigued. B. toys always has top-notch playthings: colorful but not garish; creative, never predictable; exciting without being over-the-top-in-your-face. And of course all their packaging is recyclable or recycled [BONUS EARTH DAY POINTS].
Dora’s Back: And Gets Even Realer
You might remember a video I posted a while back — a trailer for a hilarious (but disappointingly fake) live-action Dora the Explorer movie. Well, it’s one step closer to fake reality, as College Humor has posted part 1 of the 3-part saga, Dora The Explorer and The Destiny Medallion!
While it lacks some of the first-time funny punch of last year’s Infinity Orb, it’s great seeing Dora, Boots and (swoon) Diego back in acción. And I can only hope Horatio Sanz will return as the annoying and abused The Map. (BTW, have you seen him lately? ¡Aye chihuahua!)
ALERTA: this installment is a tiny bit NSFW. And certainly NSFT (not suitable for toddlers).
COME BACK NEXT WEEK FOR PART 2!
from www.geeksaresexy.net
Giveaway: Printcopia Canvas Prints!
One of the perks of being a blogger for any length of time is getting nifty stuff to review. Even better is when it’s something that you genuinely end up liking. Such is the case with the canvas print from Printcopia I was asked to create and review for a very cool giveaway that YOU need to enter! (details below)
Not surprisingly, I’m pretty picky extremely anal about what goes on the walls of my house or office. No “off-the-rack” posters, prints or artwork in this Designer Daddy’s personal gallery. Yet that’s not to say I only buy expensive artwork. My main requirement is that it has a story — a painting by my favorite local artist, a framed poster from a trip to Prague, or a charcoal sketch I did in college — it’s gotta be personal, otherwise it’s just decoration.
However we don’t have many photos on the wall. We’ve got plenty scattered throughout the house on bookshelves and dressers; but even more odd, we don’t have more than a couple of photos of our son on the wall… or anywhere. I’ve posted a bazillion on Facebook, Instagram and my blog, and I’ve got a folder in iPhoto for every month since he was born. But since becoming parents, getting photos actually printed, picking out a frame, etc. just takes time we ain’t got.
This is what excited me about Printcopia. It was a way to put up a photo of JJ along with the artwork on the wall and have it fit in — not just in size, but in quality.
I’ve had one photo print made before through another company, and while the quality was good, it only came in one size/shape — square. Printcopia can do square plus a bevy of other sizes ranging from 8″ x 8″ to 30″ x 40.” And not just canvas prints, but also sleek acrylic prints, framed prints, panoramics, decorative wall decals, and yes, even old school photo prints. Images for all of these can be uploaded from Facebook, Instagram, or your desktop/photo library.
But my favorite feature was being able to choose any color I wanted for the edges of the canvas. As a designer, having the ability to customize the details is vital (I’m a dork like that). For my print, I chose a favorite from our trip to Italy. Our living room (where the print now lives) has a warm, bright color palette, so being able to sample the orange in JJ’s shirt and make that the border color was pretty dang awesome.
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NOW ABOUT THAT GIVEAWAY…
I’ve partnered with several other parent bloggers so we could get a bigger booty.
The winner will receive THREE canvas prints:
one 8″ x 10″
one 11″ x 14″
one 16″ x 20″
Keep in mind Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are coming up. Enter this contest (and win)… Shopping for your spouse, parents or in-laws? Done. And WAY better than smelly soap or a tie.
Original photo
Printcopia canvas print, in our living room. The only thing I Photoshopped out were the crayon marks on the wall. (Canvas is 16″ x 20″)
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The giveaway runs for two weeks (ends 11:59pm April 2nd), and the winner will be contacted within 7 days. If you have any questions, email orenmil@bloggerfather.com. Oren (AKA A Blogger and a Father) headed up this contest and will be responsible for prize fulfillment. Contest is open to US residents, 18 and older.
(PS: Printcopia has several sister sites that sell car magnets, banners, and bandit signs.)
Valentine’s Day Super Quickie Giveaway!
It’s Valentine’s Day, and who doesn’t love a quickie? I guess because I’ve become so world famous, a company called BellaVita contacted me to see if I wanted to try out their new leather iPhone 4 Wallet, write up a review and give another away. Sweet, huh?
Like most other iPhone owners, mine is pretty much an extension of me. I do it all with my precious iPhone — eat, sleep, use the, um, facilities (When else am I gonna catch up on my Words With Friends games?) And I’ve had a custom case for mine for quite a while — why would I want/need another?
Well, for one, mine’s getting pretty beat up. I’ve had it for a couple of years, so it’s getting scratched and the colors are fading. Plus it’s a bitch to get off of my phone — all kinds of weird dirt and other gross stuff gets down in there, so I need to clean it once in a while. Plus the screen is always exposed, and is definitely starting to show signs of wear, little scratches, etc.
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Click to see larger, if you're man enough.
This nifty, gen-u-ine leather iPhone Wallet helps with a lot of those issues. It fully encloses my phone, so it doesn’t get scratched or smudged or stuff spilled on it. And in case you were wondering, yes I can still feel it vibrate or hear it ring just fine even with the cover closed. It’s also helpful to keep closed if I’m using my phone as an alarm at night, but don’t want to woken up when I get some random alert and my screen lights up. Additionally, while it holds the phone nice and snug, it’s also easier to remove for cleaning than my hard plastic case.
The most unique feature is that whole wallet part. I’ll be honest — I can’t fit all my crap into the room allotted for wallet “stuff.” Perhaps I need to carry less crap (very likely). But how I found the wallet feature useful was for when I want to carry a scaled down version of my crap. Whether it’s to the gym, walking the dog, to the movies, or to a party or club where I don’t want to carry a coat — I like to be able to just grab my driver’s license, a couple of credit cards and some cash. Normally I’d just fold it over and leave it loose in my pocket; or if I’m going to the gym I’ll put a rubber band around it (I know, I’m classy like that). But this iPhone Wallet thing has been a great solution for those situations. It holds it all together in one place, I don’t have to bring my humongous wallet, and it doesn’t look as tacky and homemade as a rubber band! 
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Fiery Red Wristlet, you are SO sassy!
The product I tried is the iPhone 4 Wallet ($55, Amazon) in espresso brown (I guess they’re trying to market to dudes). The one I’m giving away is the Fiery Red Wristlet. While that sound waaay girly, I actually prefer the red color (shocker), and may get one myself and just not use the strap. But I’ll let the winner make that decision with theirs. Speaking of winners…
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HOW TO WIN:
1. Read the review (which you’ve probably already done, so you’re almost done!)
2. Enter by leaving a comment (here, on Facebook or on Twitter) telling me your favorite iPhone app.
3. Share this post (via Facebook, Twitter or anything really) for additional chances to win.
4. If you aren’t yet a fan or follower, Like the Designer Daddy page on Facebook or Follow me on Twitter for yet MORE chance to win. Am I making it easy, or what?
5. Cross your fingers!
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Contest closes at midnight (EST) on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2013. Winner will be notified (and announced) the following day.
Check out all of BellaVita’s products by visiting their web site or Facebook page.
Just in time for the Grammys*… DD’s Top 10 Albums of 2012
Whoever decided End of Year lists had to be done by the end of the year are just poop-head literalists who clearly don’t have anything better to do than tell us how cool they are.
Now that I have that out of the way… This is my sixth year** posting a Top 10 Albums list (Top 40 Songs to follow…eventually), but the first time on Designer Daddy. In case you’re asking, “How is this dad-related?” – as far as I know, it’s not. But I’m the dad of this blog, and that’s why. I’m also the style maven (Is there a male counterpart to maven? Master? Manven?) and arbiter of all that is hip — in my house at least — so it fits quite nicely in my wheelhouse, thankyouverymuch.
Please enjoy and be sure and let me know YOUR favorites of 2012 in the comments!
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10. Hot Chip – In Our Heads
Hot Chip has a great knack for crafting songs that are both danceable and heartfelt. As with their last album (One Life Stand), In Our Heads thumps and simmers with lots of energy and emotion, both blissful and deep.
Choice tracks: Night and Day, Motion Sickness, How Do You Do?
Win a pair of SOL REPUBLIC headphones! (Ends Jan. 21)
…We interrupt our regularly scheduled cute toddler pics for a Designer Daddy giveaway…
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If you’re looking for the best way to drown out the din of daddyhood (or life in general), enter to win a set of SOL REPUBLIC headphones, valued from $99.99 to $179.99! Sign up below and you could be tuning out Dora, Elmo and The Fresh Beat Band in no time.
Designer daddy that I am, I wouldn’t hook you up with some drab-looking earbuds. These are completely customizable (mix + match colors) and come with interchangeable pieces, a remote and a microphone. You can also choose from several designs featuring college sports teams.
My faves, though, are these hot-looking, exclusive deadmau5 headphones. YUM.
To enter, “log in” using the widget below with your email or Facebook. You’ll then see a list — scroll down and click “Easy entry for all DesignerDaddy fans on Facebook.” You can also Tweet or post about the giveaway here, or “Like” any/all of the dad blogs represented for even more entries!
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The giveaway ends January 21 at midnight, and the winner will be contacted within 7 days. If you have any questions, email orenmil@bloggerfather.com. Oren (AKA A Blogger and a Father) headed up this contest and will be responsible for prize fulfillment.
(P.S. I partnered with a few other bloggers for this, all members of a new Facebook group of blogging dads (started by that Oren guy I just mentioned). You can read about the group here, or if you’re a fellow dad blogger, head over to Facebook and click JOIN GROUP.)
DooDad of the Day: Portrait of a Superhero
Okay, so this is the best Christmas present of the year, hands down. My wonderful, long-suffering husband has often complained that I’m impossible to buy for. I wouldn’t say I’m impossible to buy for, but I can be kinda picky. And as a collector of many things, I tend to buy said things for myself a lot. So I understand where he’s coming from.
However, this year Papa genuinely surprised me with this hilarious Superman-ish portrait of me and the kiddo. And JJ was just as excited as me to see us in costume (and recognized us immediately). I admit I teared up a little bit — at both the image and at JJ’s shared enthusiasm. And damn, I’m looking fit!
Want to purchase your own customized portrait? You can get them from AllPopArt.com. There’s quite a large selection, including a bunch of other superheros and even some licensed Marvel Comics characters (Spidey, Hulk, Thor, Cap). However, I think I prefer our Superman knock-off getup, as it adds to the cute/cheesy factor.
Good job, Papa! You’re my hero!
A (not so) Brief Note
We’re currently trudging towards the epic milestone of bowel autonomy. JJ had one rapturous success, got derailed (understandably so) by our trip to Italy, and has yet to regain his commode momentum. We’ve employed several potty training tools, which so far have produced squat in the way of results. But I thought I’d share them with you since I think they’re fun. And who knows — hopefully they’ll work for someone else in the same, um… poodicament*.
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DC Super Friends in POTTY TIME POWER!
This book is all kinds of awesome — each page features a different DC superhero explaining some aspect of potty training (Superman blows away a giant stack of diapers! Plastic Man shows how much toilet paper is the right amount! Flash warns to give yourself enough time to get to the can!) Many of the pages have flaps for your child to reveal more fun and action, and there are 2 full pages of stickers! The book is nice and thick and well-laminated to avoid any bathroom mishaps or accidental drops in the tub/sink/commode. ($8.99 on Amazon)
And oh yeah, my man Aquaman gives a lesson (kind of) on the importance of washing up afterwards!
So far the book hasn’t “worked,” but its repeated use has helped JJ’s spelling. And the fact that it’s chock full o’ heroes makes it a wee bit more bearable for me to read over and over and over.
more here >>
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