Big Is Beautiful
July 29, 2008
Take a look at this 44 lb cat!
Photo credit: Philly.com
You can call her chunky because that’s actually her name! Princess Chunky, a stray cat temporarily residing at the Camden County Animal Shelter, is only 2 lbs shy of the 1987 Guinness World Record for um…cats with curves. I personally think she is just adorable! According to the Philly.com article where I found this story, Princess Chunky’s foster mom is working on getting her on a regular exercise regimen. I’m betting that there is going to be a line out the door of people wanting to adopt this cat. This kitty is a cutie!
Linny
Room Candy – always yummy!
Shark Week
July 29, 2008
This is going to be a great week for me because it’s the start of Shark Week on the Discovery channel!
Photo credit: Terry Goss, wikipedia
Yes, I’m a total shark geek! My very first memory of sharks was when I was three or four – my Dad had rented a videotape of Jaws and was watching it with my older sister, and the combination of the music and the sight of the large creature on screen scared me to the point that I bawled nonstop until my Dad resignedly stopped the movie halfway through. To this day, I can’t go swimming without the passing thought of a shark creeping up behind me…even if I’m in a swimming pool! Hey, don’t fault me for my overactive imagination – it comes in handy when I have to design dog toys. :)
Of course, after seeing multiple documentaries about sharks, it is now clear to me that sharks are really quite complicated and misunderstood creatures. And to pay homage to this magnificent creature, I decided to do a Room Candy version of the Great White.
Sebastian The Great (JUMBO and mini).
Like any toys that we do, it all starts with a sample.
This shark sample needed some serious editing! There are three key things I needed to get right – the teeth, the fin and the tail. I knew that if I can get these features to look good, I got myself a shark toy that’s big, bad but also cute!
My edits, done in Roxio photosuite. In real life, sharks have multiple rows of teeth because they are continuously replaced, but I simplified our shark toy with just one row of *sharp* teeth made of felt. I also “fattened” up the toy so it looks more tubular in shape. While real sharks actually don’t make any sounds because they do not have vocal chords (funny how the movie version always roars like a lion!), our version squeaks!
Sharks – they always make my heart beat faster!
Extra yummy: You can read more about sharks on the Discovery channel’s website. There is also a feature where you can upload a picture of yourself and change your smile into a shark-tastic smile!
Tiki’s Before Picture: The Great White Maltese
Tiki’s After Picture: The Great White Smile?
Linny
Room Candy – always yummy
