Friday, September 30, 2011

Reading Rainbow Was Never This Killer

Today, as many of you know, is the Blogger Zombie Walk! My contribution to this awesome walk is to talk about some amazing Zombie books that have come out over the past six years. Before I start overloading your mind with awesome Christmas gifts and books for your own person library, I would like to remind you that at the bottom of this post you will find a list of other blogs participating in this awesome Blogger Walk. Until we reach that bridge, make yourself comfortable, grab a tasty Sam Adam's Octoberfest, and check out what is in store at your local Barnes and Noble.



I am going to start with three of my most favorite things: Crafting, Cupcakes, and Zombies! There are so many awesome books, but the following are my favorites! I love crafting and being able to combine my love of crafts and horror is a plus and a half. That is why I was tickled when I can across Zombie Felties! This book gives you instructions on how to make 16 felt critters from Michael Jackson in Thriller to a Zombie Infant sucking on a pacifier. My favorite one to make is the Day of the Dead Feltie. Also, a fun little fact, the same lady that wrote this book also has one on how to make Steam Punk Felties.



My favorite Zombie related cupcake book is called, A Zombie Ate My Cupcake. This book has amazing recipes and decorating ideas that will knock your party guests dead! There are cupcakes that are bloodied hearts, ravens tearing open the icing to reveal a bloody inside, and even a T Virus Cupcake! I am dead serious!



Now, I know I can't be the only one that knows a small child that loves horror movies and Halloween. I was that kid. I was up to my neck in horror movies before I hit the double digits years, let alone my teen years. If you know a kid like this, then you and that special little boil or ghoul will love these books! One of my favorites is Pat the Zombie. This book is a parody of the classic children's book, Pat the Bunny. I included some pics of the inside. Enjoy!





A book series that has been getting a huge amount of success is The Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series. Well step aside, wimp and say hello to Diary of a Zombie Kid! Words cannot express how tickled I was to see this on a bookshelf.



For those of you that have children that are struggling with the alphabet, or for those of you that still can't remember your  A B C's, check out Z is for Zombie! This book has amazing pictures and definitions that will make you laugh until you mess yourself.



For those you you that like fiction for more advanced readers, these next few titles are just for you. A few years ago a man named Seth Grahame-Smith reinvented a classic tale, as well as a few others by giving them a touch of horror. The first book he did this with is titled, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.



Soon after came Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, as well as the sequel to the first book, Dawn of the Dreadfuls.



This has spawned a new craze of making several classic tales into horror filled tales!  I mean really, who can resist Little Women with Werewolves!?!!



Another awesome book is called Zombie Vs Unicorns. This book is an anthology of Zombie and Unicorn stories. In my opinion, Zombies will always kick a Unicorns ass, I don't care it they have a weapon attached to their head or not!




Recently, there has been a graphic novel series that has turned into an amazing tv show. If you are as zombie crazy as I am, you already know that I am referring to The Walking Dead! I am not going to run my mouth about this one, the series sells itself as does the show. Check both out or you will forever miss out on all of it's glory.




For those of you that like more serious books about Zombies, for whatever reason, I have something for you too! Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Zombies is a funny, but factual book about zombies. Don't ask. All I can say is if you ever wanted to win a fight with someone over whether or not Jesus is a zombie, this book is your guiding light.



Another awesome book is  Zombies: A Record of the Year of Infection. This book is a biologist's illustrated journal found in the aftermath of the attack, this pulse-pounding, suspenseful tale of zombie apocalypse follows the narrator as he flees from city to countryside and heads north to Canada, where he hopes the undead will be slowed by the colder climate. Encountering scattered humans and scores of the infected along the way, he fills his notebook with graphic drawings of the zombies and careful observations of their behavior, along with terrifying tales of survival. This frightening new contribution to the massively popular zombie resurgence will keep fans on the edge of their seats right up to the very end.




Okay, I can't make a post about Zombie books without bringing up Max Brooks. This man is responsible for World War Z and The Zombie Survival Guide Handbook. One is fiction, the other is humor, but both as bad ass!



Since writing these books, there are now college campuses that have a Zombie Survival Class you can take for college credit. The entire point of the class is to learn how to survive a zombie apocalypse if one ever happened. Brooks actually tours and holds seminars on how to do such a thing. Umm, how do I get this job? Please and thank you!



Have you ever had a song that you couldn't get out of your head? What about a Christmas Carol about zombies? If you are me you can answer yes to both of those questions Thanks to a little books called, It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Zombies!



Ohh yes, this book does exist! And let me tell you, these tunes are addictive. I know from personal experience!





Another great author is a fellow named Scott Kenemore! He is responsible for several Zombie related humor books! The four following books are by him:


 



There is also a book of Zombie love songs called, Every Zombie Eats Somebody Sometimes.  I don't care if you hate love songs or Christmas Carols, if you love zombies, that is all that matters.


Does the Poet in you love Zombies? I recommend Zombie Haiku. Follow the tale a person that gets bitten and begins to turn. Haikus were never this awesome in school.



Are you addicted to sudoku? Check out Zombie Sudoku. Don't ask, just do it!



Ever wanted to speak Zombie? Check out How To Speak Zombie! This book comes with it's own mini sound board to help those of you that are more hands on learners. That that Rosetta Stone!



Are you the sentimental type? Do you like taking a stroll down memory lane? Then check out Zombie High Yearbook '64. This book has amazing detail, glossy pages, and is a steal for only $14.99.



If that's not good enough, check out a picture book called Zombie In Love. It will bring a tear you your eye, and infection to your system, and a smile to your face, and a zombie in your heart.



So boy or girl, toddler or grandma, skeptic or zombie enthusiast there is a Zombie book out there for you!


Now, as promised.... here are the other participants in today's Blogger Zombie Walk!
http://above-the-norm.blogspot.com Above the Norm: Bizarre Arizona
http://www.zombieseverywhere.org Zombies Everywhere
http://hollyshorrorland.blogspot.com Holly's Horrorland
http://littlegothichorrors.blogspot.com/ Little Gothic Horrors
http://www.anythinghorror.com Anything Horror
http://kaybeewrites.blogspot.com/ Katy Bennett Horror Writer and Poet
http://thisisbubbasplace.blogspot.com/ Bubba's Place
http://horrorsmorgasbord.blogspot.com Horror Smorgasbord
http://gnostalgia.wordpress.com/ Gnostalgia
http://petzoldspracticalprose.blogspot.com/ Monkey Man
http://leogodin.net/ Words and Music
http://redshoeschronicles.blogspot.com/ Red Shoes Chronicles http://thewolfseyes.blogspot.com/ The Wolf's Eyes
http://mydayinasentence.blogspot.com My Day in a Sentence

http://pixieshorrorgalore.blogspot.com Pixie's Horror Galore
http://strangestate.blogspot.com Strange State
http://halloweenut.blogspot.com The Misadventures of HalloweeNut
http://www.halloween-blues.com Halloween Blues
http://kweenytodd.blogspot.com Kweeny Todd 
http://thecaliforniabloggingmassacre.blogspot.com The California Blogging Massacre
http://horror-shock.blogspot.com Horror Shock Lolipop
http://vanessa-morgan.blogspot.com Vanessa Morgan
http://improbablefrontiers.wordpress.com/ Improbable Frontiers 
http://noreallyyoucaneatit.blogspot.com No Really, You Can Eat It
http://livingdeadgirlnicoleart.blogspot.com Art By Living Dead Girl Nicole

http://twogorychicks.blogspot.com Two Gory Chicks
http://www.dustbunnyinthewind.com A Dust Bunny in the Wind 
http://aghoulsbestfriend.blogspot.com A Ghoul's Best Friend 
http://zombiesaremagic.blogspot.com Zombies Are Magic 
http://cherrynekostw.blogspot.com Cherry Neko Saves the World 
http://www.lisafee.com Tall Tales
http://atthemansionofmadness.blogspot.com At the Mansion of Madness  
http://www.thehauntedrose.blogspot.com The Haunted Rose
http://therottingzombie.blogspot.com The Rotting Zombie 
http://halloweenoverkill.blogspot.com Halloween Overkill
http://viviennemoss.blogspot.com/ Out of the Shadows

http://keyholegallery.blogspot.com Creepy Glow Keyhole Galleryhttp://creepyglowbugg.blogspot.com Creepy Glowbugg
http://bifocalunivision.blogspot.com/ Bifocal Univision
http://haiku-koo-koo.blogspot.com/ Haiku-Koo-Koo</a>
http://sherrysoule.blogspot.com/ Sherry Soule

http://anchorsandroses.blogspot.com">Anchors and Roses
http://paranormalresearchersgroup.blogspot.com/ Paranormal Researchers Group

http://whispering-pines-history.blogspot.com/ Whispering Pines History
http://lovelymissmegs.blogspot.com Lovely Miss Megs
http://www.fishblogwash.blogspot.com/ Sean Thomas Fisher's Blogwash 

http://www.riseandfight.net Rise and Fight
http://stumptownhorror.blogspot.com Stump Town Horror  

http://loliclownshorrors.blogspot.com/ LoliClown's Little Blog of Horror
http://zombiescantlove.blogspot.com Zombies Can't Love
http://booksandbeyondreviews.blogspot.com Books and Beyond
http://www.thegravebandits.com/ The Grave Bandits
http://www.screaminggoregasm.blogspot.com/ Screaming
Goregasms
http://lazydaisylife.blogspot.com Lazy Daisy Life
http://ickymonster.blogspot.com Icky Monster
http://www.prettyinfiction.com Pretty in Fiction
http://bonjourivyparker.blogspot.com/ Ivy's Closet
http://justineshalloween.blogspot.com Justine's Halloween
http://annie-walls-author.blogspot.com/ Annie Walls
http://thetimebi.blogspot.com/ Just Johnny

http://theautumnforestghosthunter.blogspot.com/ Ghost Hunting Theories

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Pop Art Goes 3D

I am a fan of many things. While John Waters maybe on top of that list, I also adore other things. For instance, I love pop art. I am a huge Warhol fan and I love reading about The factory, Brigid Berlin, Edie Sedgwick, and Billy Name. Recently I came across an amazing artist that specializes in 3D pop art. His pieces are amazing to say the least. He really takes pride in his work and pays careful attention to detail while not overdoing it. The artists name is Joshua Zaitz and he is the Etsy shop owner of Popsic Art. Joshua is one of the may talented people that I have met through The Etsy Massacre.




I recently chatted with Joshua and here is what I learned about him!

Some basic info:

My name is Joshua Zaitz and for a little over six years now I have been creating whimsical 3D pop art of musicians, celebrities, iconic images and famous places.

I am happily married to my wife Coleen. We live in New Jersey. When I'm not creating artwork I am a grant write for the Essex County Department of Parks, Recreation & Cultural Affairs.



1. What kind of art do you make and sell on Etsy?

I create whimsical 3D pop art of musicians, celebrities, iconic images and famous places.

The artwork features vibrant colors and fun themes.



2. How long have you been creating these pieces?

A little over 6 years

3. Where do you get your inspiration from?

I love colorful pop artwork. I get my inspiration from products you can find everywhere (Dunkin Donuts, Coca-Cola). I'm also a huge movie and music fan. I love creating artwork of some of my favorite musicians and movies. I guess you can say I draw my inspiration from everything pop culture.


4. How would you describe your process?

Each piece of art offers viewers a unique 3-D experience.

Hand-cut pieces are glued layer by layer to the background picture.

Since every piece of artwork I create is hand-cut, constructed and embellished differently, collectors of my artwork each receive a unique piece of art.



5. What is your favorite piece currently for sale in your shop and why?

It's so, so hard to choose. Each piece I like in it's own, unique way. But here are some of my current favorites:



                                                                     Twilight Zone




                                                                     Frankenberry



                                                                      Jerry Garcia


6. Are you working on anything new that you would like to share?

Continuing on my love of everything pop culture -- and my new found love for breakfast cereals -- I've recently started to created 3D pop art pieces based on breakfast cereal mascots. So far I've completed Frankenberry, Boo Berry and Count Chocula.

Check out this section in his shop!

I hope to have some others completed soon. Certainly Captain Crunch would be on the top of my list.


7. What advice would you give to a new seller on Etsy?

Etsy is a fantastic market place for selling artwork. As of now, I honestly feel Etsy is the best option for handmade selling on the internet. Sure the site has its pros and cons -- as do most things in life -- but new sellers should just hang in there. It took my months to make my first sale.



8. Do you do custom work? Like if someone were to ask for a piece featuring an image of Divine from Pink Flamingos? hint hint.... ;)

One of my favorite things to create is custom artwork. I adore making 3D pop artwork of newlyweds, couples and families.
Check out this section in his shop!



9. Since you are apart of the Etsy Massacre Team, what is your favorite horror movie?

There are so many horror movies I love. But off the top of my head some of my favorites are the original A Nightmare on Elm Street, Human Centipede, Hostel, and Dawn of the Dead (2004). I'm sure I'm forgetting a few. If I had to choose an absolut favorite I guess I'd have to go with The Shining.




Folks can also find me and my artwork on the following websites:

Website: www.PopsicArt.com
Blog: popsicart.blogspot.com/
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/popsic.art

Monday, September 19, 2011

Coming Soon!

September 30th I will be participating in a Zombie Blogger Walk. I will have at least one Zombie related blog post as well as links to other blogs featured in the Zombie Blogger Walk as well!