Jayne Capps

While we’re sure there are a lot of very experienced, bright and imaginative adults out there designing toys, who knows what a kid wants better than a kid (see: Big)? That’s why IKEA is straying from the traditional, realistic stuffed animal and instead, offering plush toys straight out of the imaginations of a few lucky children.

IKEA’s fundraising efforts this year through its Soft Toys for Education line led it to tap directly into the minds of kids, taking 10 winning entries and turning them into real stuffed animals.

Each toy purchase will donate €1 toward children’s education projects via Unicef and Save the Children.

As one might expect, the winners are pretty much the best thing ever, and will likely make you wish you were six years old again, with a huge, new box of crayons at your disposal. Here are a few more (full list of winners here and their real-life counterparts here), try to contain your squeals of delight:

(h/t AdWeek)

I’ve never been a huge fan of holiday decor, but since Halloween is my favorite holiday, I was determined to make something that I could hang up to celebrate. I didn’t want to make something that screamed Halloween and I also wanted it to be something I could leave up around the studio afterwards. I’ve always loved making pom poms because of how easy they are to make, so I decided to mix Halloween with my pom pom obsession and show you how to make an EYEBALL POM POM garland!

Most pom pom projects focus on a solid color, but did you know you could make designs on pom poms? After you learn this simple how-to, you will be able to master endless pom pom possibilities. Have fun making these, they will definitely be keeping an eye on you. —Sam Ushiro

More about Sam (who is joining us as a regular DIY contributor!): Sam Ushiro is the Industrial Designer, Stylist, and Donut Aficionado behind the blog Aww Sam, dedicated to making every day a party and your life a little bit more aww-sam! When Sam isn’t throwing confetti or herding a group of balloons, she can be found searching NYC for the best donuts, concocting a new dessert recipe, or watching French films on Netflix.

*Editor’s note: If you love pom poms as much as we do, check out Dana Haim’s work. She makes the most creative pom pom designs and does a super cool, oval-shaped eye pom pom, too.

Supplies:

White yarn
Black yarn
Colored yarn (for the iris)
Sharp scissors
Chip board or cardboard (or a pom pom maker)
Bobby pins or paper clips

How-To:

Step 1: Cut out 4 U shapes out of the chip board and fold over and score tabs on the ends of each one. If you have a pom pom maker, you can skip this step.

Step 2: Holding two of the U shapes together (or using your pom pom maker), wrap a small amount of black yarn in the middle for the pupil.

Step 3: Next, use the colored yarn for the iris and wrap that on top of the black yarn, slightly expanding left and right.

Step 4: Take the white yarn and wrap over the blue, filling up the rest of the pom pom maker.

Step 5: Holding the second pair of U shapes together, wrap with only the white yarn.

Step 6: Fold open the tabs and connect both U shapes together, securing the tabs with paper clips or bobby pins.

Step 7: Take your scissors and go in between both pieces of chip board, cutting the yarn as you go to reveal your eyeball shape.

Step 8: Going in between the chip board once again, tie a piece of yarn tightly, securing the pom pom together.

Step 9: Remove the bobby pins and chip board and give your pom pom a little fluff to even it out.

Step 10: Going around the pom pom, keep trimming until the shape is even and there are no stray pieces of yarn. Don’t be afraid to cut away a lot of your pom pom, you will need to take off a large amount of yarn to make it even.

Step 11: Thread an embroidery needle with a piece of yarn and string it through the middle of each pom pom, spacing the pom poms out however you would like on the string. Tie loops on both ends of the garland string and place around screws in the wall for hanging.

Fruit-flavored exotic Oreos don’t generally contain the fruit whose flavor they’re trying to imitate, but that’s all different for the newest flavor, toasted coconut. There are flakes of actual coconut in its coconut-flavored creme. It will be nothing at all like dunking a bottle of suntan lotion in milk.

This is yet another refreshing summer cookie, even though it’s hitting shelves now that summer is over. We would have expected pumpkin spice latte-flavored Oreos to be coming out around now, to follow present food trends. We’ll take coconut, though: the concept sounds delicious, and would probably go nicely with the key lime flavor. If you were making some kind of mixed-Oreo pairings platter.

One early review of the cookie is positive, comparing them favorably to a coconut cream pie.

Eaten together with the sweet cream, these Toasted Coconut Oreos taste like eating a crunchy, portable version of a coconut cream pie. Coconut and vanilla are a match made in Heaven, and Nabisco struck the perfect balance here. They’re not Marshmallow Crispy good, but what is?

As far as exotically-flavored mass-produced sandwich cookies with cream filling go, there may not be much better than that.

The cookies in the photo above were spotted at a Meijer store: we don’t know where else you can find them. Some limited-edition flavors have been exclusive to one store or another: if you see them elsewhere, let us know!

SPOTTED ON SHELVES: Nabisco Limited Edition Toasted Coconut Oreo Cookies [The Impulsive Buy]
REVIEW: Toasted Coconut Oreos [Junk Banter]

Some relationships never make it to the commitment stage. Like a summer crush, they are short-term, exploratory and experimental. Sure, they are fun but often lack the important elements of something more substantial and cohesive.
Nonetheless, some flings mature into something new and exciting. They build on the simple, even the mundane, with a freshness that changes everything. This freshness – this commitment – is what sets Dilly Diner apart from just another sandwich shop or diner.

“We are homemade top to bottom,” says Chef Trevor Tack. “We are a passion project from our heart to the heart of our customers. We are all in.”And it shows. From the stylish makeover of the space to the gourmet daily doughnuts, this commitment to an excellent customer experience shines through.

With a nod to mid-century elegance, the space is long on charm and short on pretension. Located in the heart of the Blue Dome District, Dilly Diner is a place where a business lunch or a daily break-from-it-all is met with the same commitment to customer service. And with hours that accommodate the dinner hour – or the breakfast hour – Dilly Diner is a perfect choice to find adventure and comfort.

This passion shows in the simplicity of their menu with a distinctive touch: I love how the menu is organized offering foods in one column that are “savory” and in another column, “sweet”. This is ideal for first-time diners to confidently choose dishes that reflect their likes without having to read through descriptive menu texts. On my visit, I enjoyed the two egg breakfast and the bagel and salmon lox from the “savory” side of the menu and both were big, full plates of color, texture and flavor. And with Dilly Diner’s late night-early morning hours, I expect I’ll return to pick up breakfast to enjoy at home.

Other standout menu selections include the Dilly Burger with a fancy, special sauce (Yes, I asked. No, they wouldn’t divulge the secret.) The Summer Steak, ribeye with fresh tomatoes, basil and aged balsamic makes my top steaks in Tulsa list. The simple Reuben, made exciting served with sauerkraut on pumpernickel. Again, the sizes of the entrees really captured my attention.
I experienced this commitment to guests upon entering the diner.

I was enlivened with a sensory jolt of fresh-baked bread with the visual artistry of Executive Pastry Chef David Robuck’s “daily doughnuts”. Here, the commitment to a first-rate guest experience shows in Chef Robuck’s choice to offer decorated doughnuts daily, a first for Tulsa diners. “Who doesn’t like a doughnut? It makes any day better,” says Robuck. Additionally, the bakery offers pies with a distinctive touch: a commitment to honest baking methods. Instead of the usual 3 -2-1 pie crust, Chef Robuck uses Pate’ Brisee method. The result: incredibly flaky pie crusts that would impress even my pie-champion grandmother.

Commitment takes the diner even further with a bar menu that rivals any I’ve seen. Here, the passion of Corporate Beverage Manager Tony Collins is evident. On my visit, I swooned for Pimm’s Cup and flirted with the Pendennis Club. It’s gin, lime, apricot and peach liqueurs mixed with Peychaud’s refreshed and soothed on a sultry Tulsa afternoon.

Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, with rum, Triple sec, Velvet falernum and lime hinted at a musky heritage drink from the boys’ club of yesteryear. Remember the Maine also dazzled me, making it hard to choose only one. If I have to make a choice, I’ll commit to Pimm’s Cup both for it’s slightly sweetness and it’s lovely coloring with lime and strawberry fruit garnish. One especially tempting detail: the price point of these beverages are perhaps the best in town. Now that’s the way to win my heart.

Yet, the drink menu extends to include Topeca coffee and a variety of legacy sodas, milkshakes, beer on tap and a good selection of wine by the glass or bottle.

Like any new romance, there is so much more to discover so come early, come late and come back. Dilly Diner is no summer fling, it is the real thing.

Dilly Diner
402 E. 2nd St.
Tulsa, OK 74120

Monday- Thursday 7am-10pm
Friday-Saturday 7am-1am
Sunday 8am-8pm

The post The New Dilly Diner in the Blue Dome: a down-home diner like no other in the heart of Tulsa appeared first on Tulsa Food.

For the first time in nearly 100 years, a Sierra Nevada red fox was spotted in Yosemite National Park.

The fox is one of the most endangered animals in North America with an estimated 50 left in existence.

The above image of the rare creature was captured by a motion-sensitive camera in the northern part of the park, and it was seen on two separate occasions.

“Confirmation of the Sierra Nevada red fox in Yosemite National Park’s vast alpine wilderness provides an opportunity to join research partners in helping to protect this imperiled animal,” stated Sarah Stock, Wildlife Biologist in Yosemite National Park. “We’re excited to work across our boundary to join efforts with other researchers that will ultimately give these foxes the best chances for recovery.”

The park service is now attempting to collect hair samples from it, to see if it is related to another group of foxes last spotted in an area called Sonora Pass.

I've been painting pumpkins during the fall for a very long time- so long that I kinda consider myself a pioneer of pumpkin painting! Back in 2010 my pretty painted pumpkins tutorial went viral and since then it has become a yearly tradition of mine to come up with a variety of unique pumpkin tutorials with the hope to inspire others to push the boundaries with paint and a pumpkin! While I've got a couple of fun ideas coming you way in the weeks to ahead, I thought I would dedicate a post to sharing a few of my favorite tips that I have discovered over the years painting pumpkins.







PICK A PUMPKIN
Any kind of pumpkin or gourd works great for painting. I typically like pumpkins that have an interesting shape and will use whatever is cheapest. I have found that white pumpkins make it a little easier if you are painting with light colors (or if you are collaging paper or fabric), while and the orange pumpkins work great when using dark colors. 

The question I get asked more than any- is why I don't use fake pumpkins and if I am sad when I throw out my painted pumpkins. Most people figure that if I am going to spend a lot time painting something then it should last forever. But I love the concept of creating art that is temporary.  There is something really cool, at least for me, about picking out a real pumpkin that I paint knowing that it's shelf life is limited. This concept is not for everyone but for me it's a great challenge to get creative with unique materials. And no I don't get sad when I throw them out :)





USE PUMPKINS AS DECOR
Most people associate decorated pumpkins with Halloween but I like to use pumpkins throughout October and November in my decorating. I use them on the front porch, as a table centerpiece and around my home and studio.


START WITH A BASE COAT
Starting with a quick base coat is the best advice I can give when painting pumpkins (unless you want the surface or color of your pumpkins to show through). Since pumpkins have a slick surface, that coat of paint will make it much easier to paint or draw on. I use a quick layer of either black or white acrylic paint and once that layer is dry I add my color or pattern. 





USE UNEXPECTED SUPPLIES
While I like to paint or draw on my pumpkins, there are so many different supplies and mixed media techniques that can be used! Back when I created my pretty little pumpkins, I was told that puff paint should not be used on slick surfaces but I didn't care! I had been using puff paint in so many different ways I knew it would work great and since I wasn't creating art that needed to last forever, I could be unconventional with my materials. Anything that can be in art or mixed media projects (stamps, stencils, paint, ink, collage materials, etc) can all be used on the surface of a pumpkin.







EXPRESS YOURSELF
Don't be afraid to express yourself! While it is really easy to duplicate tutorials that you see on Pinterest, try challenging yourself to use your own style and favorite mixed media techniques to decorate your pumpkins. With a little creativity and time a pumpkin can be transformed into a piece of art.

Looking for some pumpkin painting inspiration? Here is a look at all the pumpkins I've shared over the years-



painted pattern pumpkins    sketchbook pumpkins    messy pumpkins   black and white pumpkins