That's Noice!

This is for all the social networking fans!

Craftsquatch sells social networking and other geeky pillows from their US-based Etsy store.

Even though I’m not a big Digg user, I think I like the Digg pillow the most. The Twitter bird one is a close second, though!

The pillows sell for US$16.99 (convert to Aussie dollars) and they now ship internationally with USPS First Class International.

You can also become a fan of Craftsquatch on Facebook.

Don’t forget you can follow That’s Noice on Twitter!

Did you guys see that one episode of Dance Your Ass Off that aired in Australia? I was glued to the television, mesmerised by the tassels, the torn fishnets and the jiggling fleshy bits! Even more amazing was how much weight the contestants lost in their first week on the show!

I’m not one to go along to a dance class and make a fool of myself in front of a room full of strangers. I’m so uncoordinated that it’s best that I don’t inflict it on other people…

A friend suggested Zumba Fitness as an alternative to stacking it in a dance class — and it looks pretty good!

Are there times when you finish reading a great book and can’t find any decent suggestions on what to read next?

I always find it a tad difficult to get book suggestions online, but I’ve just discovered a nifty little site called The Book Seer.

It’s quite a simple concept – you type in the name and author of a book and The Book Seer will offer some suggestions on what you could read next. The Book Seer gets its data from Amazon, Book Army and LibraryThing but it’s handy to have an easy way to generate these sorts of lists.

I’m currently reading Down Under by Bill Bryson (for about the 6th time) and The Book Seer recommends a book from the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith. Sounds like a good recommendation to me.

You can also follow The Book Seer on Twitter.

Guys, I think my diet is on its way out the window!

Ben and Jerry’s, the famous American icecream brand is coming to Australia, and specifically, to Sydney in September.

WOOHOO! Ben and Jerry’s is my favouritest icecream, although I only got to eat it in the month I spent in the UK. Cookie Dough was my favourite although I hear Phish Food is where it’s at.

The official word is that supermarkets will stock tubs soon and outlets will soon open up at cinemas, with a plan for national domination within the next couple of years.

I’m not sure if it’s still the case, but I saw the real Ben and Jerry interviewed on The Colbert Report a couple of years ago and they said that the top execs of the company only ever earned 20 times the salary of the lowest-paid staff within Ben and Jerry’s. It’s a sentiment that appeals to the HR student in me and I think shows a side of companies that should be seen more often.

If you’re looking for me, I’ll be the one at the front of the queue at the official opening of the first store!

Last week I was lucky enough to stay at Seclusions – a boutique spa retreat exclusively for couples.

It’s a property nestled in the mountains outside Lithgow, near the Blue Mountains in New South Wales with 6 self-contained cabins for the perfect getaway with your special someone.

The cabins are well-appointed and feature a kitchenette with microwave and gas stove – perfect for casual meals when you’re not in the mood for going out. The balconies have a BBQ and 2 spring-loaded rocking chairs (which are fabulous).

We were told that breakfast provisions were included when we booked in, but we received far more than that! There was a basket full of cereals, canned fruit, chocolate, Oreos and baked beans. In the fridge we found tomatoes, bacon, juice, butter and milk. We were spoilt for choice!

Hands-down, the best part about Seclusions is the view. Big windows meant we were always getting a glimpse of the mountains around Lithgow. The famous Lithgow fog makes the view particularly breathtaking. We spent hours sitting on the rocking chairs soaking up the warm winter sun.

If you’re looking for a romantic getaway for one night or five, take a look at Seclusions. Their attention to detail will make your stay a memorable one.

Seclusions
209 Martins Rd, Rydal via Lake Lyell NSW 2790
Phone: 02 6355 6300

I think this is a GREAT idea!

It’s a sad fact that we still live in an era where women can still be chastised for breastfeeding in public (or even worse, at work! Gasp!). There are also many women choose to not breastfeed at all, even if there’s no medical reason not to.

The Breastfeeding Cafe in the town of Rugby in England is working to release a calendar featuring photos of breastfeeding women.

I’ve never heard of a breastfeeding cafe, but it’s exactly what it sounds like: a comfortable place for mums to go and socialise and connect with other mums while getting up-to-date information about breastfeeding and connecting with professionals in the industry.

The 2010 calendar is due to go on sale in September and profits will allow this cafe in Rugby to continue to support its local community.

Do you know of a breastfeeding cafe in Australia?

Fancy Fast Food – turning gross fast food into something that looks more… normal?

It’d still smell like KFC, wouldn’t it? No amount of garnish could hide that smell!

This is a great site for the current crafting phase that’s hitting Australia. Funky Fabrix is an online store (and Brisbane shopfront) selling a huge array of fabrics and patterns and other cool bits and pieces.

There are Australian fabrics as well as imported fabrics from countries like Japan.

You only need to take a quick look at the Top 100 Australian Women Bloggers to see how popular crafting is down under at the moment. Looking at Funky Fabrix I suddenly have the urge to buy a sewing machine and start sewing and crafting!

Obviously, we love “big” things here in Australia – the Big Banana, the Big Merino… looks like we’re trying to get in on the “longest” things too.

Nullarbor Links is due to open late October this year and it will be the world’s longest golf course. The course is 1,365km long and would take about 4 days to complete.

The par 72 golf course (I have NO idea what that means LOL) has one hole in each of the 18 participating towns or roadhouses along the Eyre Highway, from Kalgoorlie in Western Australia to Ceduna in South Australia. Each hole features a green and tee and an outback-style  fairway.

Looking at the web site, it’s actually interesting to see the effort that has gone into creating the whole shebang; the planning phase started back in May last year.

Golfing really isn’t my cup of tea, but I know some golf nuts who would LOVE this kind of thing. Imagine four days straight of driving, golfing, drinking and sleeping? Sounds like golf heaven to me!

Brasserie Bread in Botany is an AMAZING place. It has been voted #1 for breakfast in Sydney by a number of newspapers and magazines.

I was lucky enough to pop in there a few weeks ago for quick coffee and dessert. The bakery is viewable through a huge glass window and it’s fascinating to see bakers do their thing. Oh, and the food tastes great, too!

The best part was the classroom – Brasserie Bread offers classes for adults and kids. When I took at look at the classroom it was full of kids making pizza dough – flour was EVERYWHERE and the kids were having a ball rolling out the dough and adding all the ingredients. I wanted to get in and join them!

The team at Brasserie Bread also blog and tweet regularly, giving us even more insight into how a bakery operates.

I’m thinking of booking myself in for the Artisan Baking Workshop later in the year – hope they’re patient enough to deal with me, hehe.

I’ve just signed up at Savvy Auntie – a site for those of us who have nieces and nephews, but no kids of our own (yet?).

It’s an American site, but I’m sure that a lot of their content will hold some relevance for us Aussies.

All I need now is some quality work-free time to sit down and check it all out!

Thinkcards is an Australian business focusing on handcrafted and unique greeting cards.

It’s the brainchild of Andrea, who got fed up searching the shops for the perfect card – haven’t we all been there! Most of the cards on offer are sourced from the UK but Andrea is on the lookout for Australian card designers.

Andrea was kind enough to provide a variety of cards for us to look at, and they’re noice! All good quality on thick stock and different styles to suit varying tastes. All the cards are individually-wrapped in cellophane, so you know they’re of the same calibre as those you get in fancy card shops. The cards in our photos here are priced from about $4.95 to $6.50.

The website is easy to navigate and you can even pay with PayPal.

Friends of That’s Noice can also get a 10% discount at Thinkcards – just use the discount code 454thk at the checkout.

Have you come across The Cupcake Courier?

I’ve been eyeing them off for a good year or two and have always been put off by the $60 price tag. I already own a multitude of cake/cupcake containers, but I’ve always wanted to upgrade to the real deal.

Last month the Cupcake Courier was on special for the bargain price of $40 so I ordered one before I remembered that I still had to make my car repayment for the month.

All I can say is that The Cupcake Courier has lived up to my expectations. I made a batch of cupcakes and lugged them to work this week and they arrived in pristine condition:

My cupcakes are usually more “pattycakes” than cupcakes, so a bit smaller than normal cupcakes. Even so, the cupcakes weren’t damaged in any way.

5 stars for The Cupcake Courier!

This is an interesting idea… the Shape Up! alarm clock is more than just an ordinary clock to keep on your bedside table and set to wake you up in time for work in the morning.

The alarm won’t go off until you do THIRTY REPS with the damn thing. See, it sounds like a great idea, but I’m so far from being a morning person that this feature alone makes me put this in the “not noice” category! (I think I’d prefer the smash alarm clock)

There’s no indication of how much the clock weighs, so maybe it wouldn’t be to hard to do at all. Wouldn’t stop me from complaining, though!

Probably not for the squeamish!

I love these little creations by Brisbane-based Your Organ Grinder. I’m particularly taken by the brain earrings – and they’d be a great idea accessory for halloween.

There are lots of different “parts to choose from, some are earrings, some are in jars and some are even mobile phone ornaments. Could be an interesting way to draw attenton to yourself, hehe.

Check out this adorable cupcake artwork by Sydney-based Amelia K Designs on Etsy.

There are lots of different designs available, but how can you go past this adorable cupcake one?

Prices are in US dollars, so a tool like XE.com’s universal currency converter will be your best friend to work out how much they cost.