Long Live Polaroid

I don't think instant photos will ever die. They are just too much fun! Case in point = Polaroid TWO. The technology of the digital age coupled with the benefits of instant gratification. What a nice marriage!

Yard Sale Treasure Map

If you're a garage sale lover like me, then you are going to love this. Instead of reading the paper and scoping out garage sales, scribbling out addresses and trying to plot out the best way to make it to each location, you can let Google's Yard Sale Treasure Map do the work. Type in your address + driving radius and the garage sales in your area that are listed on Craigslist pop up in seconds showing you the best route to take. You can click on each sale noted to find out more info about it. And, you can also enter other addresses for sales you may find in other sources, and the new spots will appear on the map and get added to your route. Best part? It's free.

via Lifehacker

Book Mooch

Have you heard of Book Mooch? It's a community for exchanging used books. So, you send off books you no longer want in exchange for ones you haven't read. There's no cost to join or to use their site. The only cost you incur is mailing your books off. I think it's a great way to curb book clutter.

Canon Rebel T1i

Canon just released their new digital SLR camera and it's packed with new features and updates. The Canon EOS Digital Rebel T1i has 15.1 megapixels. And, it steps into the ring with Nikon's D90 thanks to it's new HD movie capabilities. For a complete rundown of the specs and advancements, check out this very helpful link.

I've been holding off on purchasing a digital SLR, but this one might help me finally take the leap.

photo via engaget

Kindle 2

Amazon just released a snazzy and streamlined new Kindle that they dubbed Kindle 2. It's super slim - about 1/3 inch thick. It's lightweight. It has 3G wireless built in, which means you can download books super fast without searching around for Wi-Fi hotspots. It's got more storage {over 1,500 books worth!} and a longer battery life than the previous version. It's definitely caught my attention.

Scrabblesque Keyboard

For those Scrabble lovers out there {myself included!}, you'll enjoy this concept Scrabble keyboard. It's made from real tiles and several of the keys even light up. And it's mac compatible. Although it's currently just a concept, the designer is looking into the possibilities of selling them in the near future.

via tech pin

Resolution Helpers

So we are two weeks into the new year, how's your resolve? If you are looking for a couple of websites to help you keep and keep track of your resolutions I've got 'em!


Remember the Milk is a cool little app that allows you manage your tasks from your phone. You can even use with your Google calendar and iGoogle.



Joe's Goals lets you keep track of aspirations and give bad habits the boot. Smiley faces, checks and x's make it easy to navigate. Share goals with your friends too for accountability.

Best Websites

If you looking for new web entertainment, Time has just released the 50 best websites of 2008. Some of them I was familiar with like Apartment Therapy, PopSugar, tinyurl and Mint that Julie posted about but there were lots that I can't wait to check out. Open Source Food, FreeRice and COLOURlovers are a few I will be clicking over to soon.

Gumbo

I love Gumbo. But, not just the kind pictured above. Gumbo, the Dish Network channel. Not sure if the channels are the same all over, but it's channel 929. And it's the music of the French Quarter. A classic blend of New Orleans. From Zydeco to Cajun to Jazz to Big Band to Rhythm & Blues to Mardi Gras music and all the colorful beats in between. If you've got the Dish Network, lucky you.

When we visit hubby's family out of town, there's always music playing. And when we come, it's on Gumbo. It's so wonderful. I love the range of the channel. Locally, usually radio music stations are devoted to Cajun or Zydeco or Big Band, not a mixture. But, not Gumbo. It's an eclectic, melting pot of music just like, well, Gumbo.

pic via flickr

What A Lovely Name

Now that I'm back from vacation, I have a few {lots!} blogs to catch up on. I spotted What A Lovely Name on Swiss Miss. It's a cute and fun little website that helps you find the perfect baby name. You can browse by tradition, personality trait, or even check out celebrity baby names. Once you’ve found some names you like you can share them with friends, create a custom logo for each name and even order products with the logo.

I tested it out typing in Maxwell, which is tagged with elegant, friendly and gentle.

PS - A big congrats to our friends Jim & Lauren on their new bundle of joy, Maxwell, who was born only a few days ago! Hubs and I are very eager to meet him!

Goodreads

Heard about Goodreads? It's a free website for book lovers. Sign up, see what others are reading. Read other people's reviews and their ratings. There are discussion groups and book clubs. You can create themed bookshelves to organize the books you've read, are currently reading, or want to read. If you are a book lover, it's the place to be.

Double Duty Cards

Target is always at the top of the design bunch. It seems that nothing slips by their team. Now they are tackling making gift cards cool! Buy a gift card (valued at $50 or more) this holiday season and you can double your recipient's joy. A gifty gadget is on the shelves--a gift card camera. This disposable digital camera comes with all you need to take about 50 photos. 8MB, 1.2 megapixels, self timer, USB cord, driver disc, instruction manual and a voucher for 40 free prints from Target all come with this little guy. Not a bad free add-on. I am pretty sure if nothing else you will seem uber tech savvy by gifting it! If Target gift cards are on your list I'd snag one of these fast, and online at that. I bet they will be a hot ticket item in a few weeks!

Shake It Like A Polaroid Picture

Ready for some Monday morning fun? Well, get out your digital pics and get ready to drag + drop! Because, now you can create high-res Polaroid-like pics from your own digital photos. How? With Poladroid. For now, it's only Mac friendly, but I'm sure PCs will soon be able to join in on the faux Polaroid making fun. And, oh the possibilities! I've already converted a ton of pics like this one from our honeymoon in St. Lucia. And the best part? Shaking it, of course!

Also, remember the petition to save Polaroid from being discontinued? Well, good news! Three peel-apart Polaroid film packs will be available for purchase come March 2009! It's a little news, but it's good news!

Poladroid via swissmiss

Etsy Envie

{ Blythe King }

Offerings: Laptop, iPhone and iPod cases, moleskin cases, and field cases

This week I'm giving a shoot out to a fellow Louisiana girl. Blythe makes all her products from vintage fabrics she collects (chic and green!). Aside from techie cases another cool offering in her store are the field cases. The roll up easily and have compartments perfect for paintbrushes, knitting needles, tablets+pencils and even makeup. Finally moleskin cases round out the shop--perfect pouches for stashing your moleskin, papers, pens, etc.

Luxurious Laptop

If there was ever any hope of persuading me to switch to the dark side, ahem, I mean the PC side, this laptop would be the closest it gets. HP has partnered with Vivienne Tam to create a special edition laptop that looks like a clutch, complete with a beautiful peony print. Tam also designed the lappy's accessories + packaging which I am sure will be equally as stunning. This pretty PC is stated to be released early next, year so start saving!



Also, check out the virtual catwalk powered by HP where you can design your own virtual runway show and star in it!

Ask Sunday

Have to reschedule two appointments, make dinner reservations for next week, make travel plans, coordinate a meeting for next Friday and do a couple hours of research on the web aside from your full time job? Then your day looks like mine, and I've got two words for you. Virtual Concierge. Seriously. This could be the best thing ever for busy people like you and me. Personal assistants are now no longer for the rich. 





With promo code "savetime" Sunday offers a free week trial here. After that, the lowest plan they offer includes scheduling restaurant reservations + 10 requests for $19 per month. They can also do research for you on a per project basis. You can even gift Sunday's service to the other busy bodies in your life. It's all about what your time is worth.

Mint

Anyone using Mint.com? It's a free online money management site that lets you anonymously organize and keep track of your money. From IRAs to credit cards to personal checking accounts, your whole financial life is viewable in one place.

I like that it can alert you via text or email when your bills are due and when you go over your predetermined budget. I like that it can automatically sort your transactions. For instance, if you make a purchase at Target, it can sort out your groceries from your clothing. Additionally, you can go in and tweak those expenses. For instance, maybe you bought 2 shirts - one for yourself (clothing) and one for your sister (gift). And for us visuals, I like that Mint provides plenty for the eyes to decipher in the form of pie charts and bar graphs.

I currently don't use any programs to track my money, but this looks like an easy to use option.

Color Your World

There are two types of people in this world: Mac people and PC people. I am a Mac person. If funds would allow I'd pretty much own every product they produce. Maybe one day Mr. Jobs will check out our blog and hook Julie (a fellow Mac girl) and I up. Until then, I am drooling over the candy colored goodness that is the new Ipod nano. My white one is still rocking out so I can't justify the purchase, but if you have yet to jump on the bandwagon or need an upgrade, I suggest you color your world!

And on the off chance that Mac headquarters stumbled upon Coveiter...we won't mind an iPhone either. (Can't blame a girl for trying.)

Pandora

Have you tuned into Pandora? It's a free online streaming music site, and it's a fantastic way to find new songs and musicians. Type in one of your favorite artists or songs and Pandora suggests similar ones you'll probably enjoy based on your selection. Don't like the song? Thumbs down it and it won't ever play again. Love the song? Thumbs up it and it will be sure to play in the future. And you can create your own radio stations. Maybe you want a station to just play DMB. Bam, there you go. Or you can create a station full of random stuff. You can even share stations. And thanks to the Pandora App, you can stream them on your snazzy iPhone, too.

Floorplanner

Tired of trial and error? I know I am. Arranging and rearranging furniture only to go back to the original placement. I just discovered Floorplanner and it looks pretty promising. It's an online tool that allows you to quickly and easily create floorplans. You can see it in 3D and add + place things all the way down to plants. Once created, you can save, send and print your designs. And, it's free.