Apologies...

I have been the worst blogger ever. Truth is, my life has been so busy that I simply can't keep up with all of it and a book blog. This blog has been a lot of fun, and I miss the chatter and relationships with all my readers, but I just can't do it justice anymore. So, after much agonizing, I have decided to end the blog. I will leave the existing posts up, but I will not be posting anymore book reviews. I may occasionally post craft tutorials, but posts will generally be few and far between for the time being. I want to thank all of you for having stuck around for so long, you are very much appreciated and I will miss you all. Thank you for making this blog one of the things I am most proud of in my life.

The New Dark Shadows Trailer, AKA Losing Faith in All Humanity

The trailer for the upcoming Dark Shadows remake has been released. Did you hear that? That was the sound of every horror fan in the world throwing up simultaneously. This film, directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp, is a travesty. They took the original gothic horror soap opera of the 60's and 70's and turned it into a freaking slapstick comedy. I'm not kidding. Take a look for yourself:

Now, I really wanted to like this. I was really excited for the potential that a Dark Shadows reboot had. And I love Helena Bonham Carter, Michelle Pfiffer and Chloe Moretz. I really do. But holy mother of crap. This looks like someone crossed Scooby Doo with Willy Wonka and the bad years of Saturday Night Live. I'm heartbroken by this, to be honest. Compare this to the original Dark Shadows:

Sure, it's a little cheesy, it's a soap opera. But it is not, by any means, a comedy. I'm a huge genre fan, as we all know. I can't stand to see perfectly good horror material ripped to shreds by the hit and miss (mostly miss) work of Tim Burton. I can't help but wonder what the hell his thought process was when he was gearing up for this film. I imagine it went something like this:

*flips on the Netflix Instant, sees "Dark Shadows" in the Recently Added section* Hmmm. It's been a while since I watched this old show. I remember it being pretty good, let's check it out.
*36 hour "Dark Shadows" marathon commences* WOW! That was amazing! But I bet, if I add some horrible make-up, ridiculous dialogue and Three Stooges style slapstick, I could make BILLIONS! *calls up Johnny Depp* Hey, J-Dawg. You feel like ripping off all our fans by putting out a piece of garbage remake of Dark Shadows? Yeah, the vampire show. Well, I was thinking I'd dress you like a pedophile and borrow the script from a few episodes of Scooby Doo. Yeah, we'll make out like bandits on this one. I'll go vomit on some paper and send that in as the script, I'm sure the studios will fight to the death to get it. I mean, I'm Tim friggin' Burton, I could film my pinky toe for 2 hours and sell it. I'll get back to you, J-Dizzle. *hangs up*

Yep. That's exactly what went down.
I often use this blog to express my distaste with the state of things in the movie business, and this is no different. If film makers would just *try* to come up with something original instead of ripping off every movie, TV show and book that has ever been made, the movies that are released wouldn't be near as bad. So my message to Hollywood is, once again, STOP RUINING GOOD MATERIAL. This is why I don't go to the movies anymore.

Fin.

Product Review: Dr. Jekyll Apothecary

One thing that we're doing a little bit differently at Things Liz Loves in 2012 is that we are going to start including some small business product reviews. This is an effort to help spread the word about some small businesses that are doing amazing things and to help support the handmade movement by promoting businesses that feature handmade products.

The first business that will be a part of this new feature is Dr. Jekyll Apothecary. Dr. Jekyll Apothecary specializes in handmade, vegan, paraben- and sulfate-free soaps and body care products. All of the products are hand made by my dear friend Elena, who started Dr. Jekyll Apothecary in her spare time between work, motherhood and hardcore gaming. First up, we have an interview with Elena about her amazing products.


Tell me a little about Dr. Jekyll Apothecary. What got you started?

I always wanted to start my own business, and I hate being a paper pusher, but I could never really figure out exactly what I wanted to do.
The internal monologue went something like this...
“Hey there you”
“What's up”
“I really hate this day job crap”
“MEEEE TOOOO”
“And, just in case there's an apocolypse or something, I really need a trade skill too.”
“mkay” some googling a soaping book later.....
“Soap, eh?”
“ MUAHHAHAHAH!! I've done it!”
“Stop talking to yourself. Weirdo.”
So, I made soap for the first time, loved it, then realized theres a multitude of things I can do in the same field. 

What sets you apart from other similar businesses?I really wanted to step away from all of the harsh chemicals and toxins that we put inside and all over ourselves every day. We are all-natural, paraben-free, sulfate free, and 100% vegan. We dont even use beeswax. All-natural is a marketing term loosley used and there is no actual enforcment of who gets to use it. When I say all natural I mean it. I don't even use most pigments because although they are “natural” they are now only produced in laboratories.

I also strive to produce products and packaging that are eco-friendly. Everything is glass, metal, or recycled paper and I have a container return program. Return your empty containers and I will give you a $1 credit, per container, towards your next purchase.

What kind of ideas and products can we expect to see from you in the future?The next thing I'lll be rolling out is my Legendary Locks Shampoo Bars. The bars are formulated specifically to work with your hair color. These are super gentle, effective, good for the environment, and most of all good for your hair. I'll also be offering a line of massage oils, and some new soaps should be out by the end of January. I have many planned additions to my product line, so these are just the near future, keep and eye out for LOTS more to come. Salves and pet sprays and bath bombs, Oh My!

Of all your products, which one do you like to use the most and why?I can't even convey how much I LOVE the body butter bars. They moisturize really well but still absorb into the skin and they last SO LONG. They just make me feel decadent and fabulous. I personally love to use them on my feet and legs after shaving. I also dont need lotions, cuticle oils, or anything like that. Those bottles take up space. Now its just one bar, one tin. Awesome.

This interview sums up why I freaking adore Elena. Isn't she great? 

And now, the product review. Dr. Jekyll Apothecary supplied us with 2 bars of their amazing vegan soap in Ambrosia Lemon Tea and Ocean Rose scents, as well as a Bewildering Body Butter Bar in Rose. I did a side by side comparison of the Ocean Rose soap with my regular soap, and the difference was truly astounding. The first and most noticeable difference between this soap and the standard Caress body wash I had been using was how clean the Ocean Rose rinsed away. Compared to the Ocean Rose, the Caress made me feel like there was a filmy layer on my skin, and the Ocean Rose made my skin feel incredibly soft and clean. The scent of both soap bars is incredible, and the herbs in the bar add a bit of exfoliation to the mix. The bars take a little more work to create a lather because of the lack of sulfates, but the delicious scent and wonderfully soft skin are totally worth it.

The Bewildering Body Butter Bar is a personal favorite of mine as well. I have chronically dry skin here in Utah, especially around my heels and elbows, and this bar totally fixed that. The rose scent is lovely and mellow, not overpowering. The bar smooths onto the skin easily because of the low melting point of the oils used in the bar, and the moisturizing properties of this bar leave other lotions in the dust. My skin has dramatically improved since I started using these products, and I'm definitely going to continue to use them as long as Dr. Jekyll Apothecary is making them! And with prices as low as $2.50 per bar of soap and $5 per body butter bar plus shipping, switching to these incredible products is easy on the wallet. You can get a basket with all of Dr. Jekyll Apothecary's incredible products for $25 plus shipping, which is an incredible value!

Head over and check out the selection, which includes bath salts, lip balm and a clay mask that will wow you. Visit the Dr. Jekyll Apothecary Facebook page to show your support for this awesome business and get a coupon code for 10% off of your purchase!

Time Travel Tuesday: Scrooged

In honor of the impending Christmas holiday, I'm doing today's Time Travel Tuesday on one of my favorite Christmas movies of all time. Not the old standby's, like It's a Wonderful Life or A Miracle on 34th Street, but the Bill Murray classic Scrooged. This movie is late 80's take on the classic story A Christmas Carol, following Ebenezer Scrooge and his life changing journey through time to find his Christmas spirit. The film is hilarious and complete with all of the glorious 80's decadence and fashion you can stand. I try to watch this movie every year.

Ahh, the eye poke gag. A classic.

This film was packed with hilarious actors. I am a firm believer in Bill Murray's comedic genius, in spite of Ghostbusters 2. With a supporting cast like Bobcat Goldthwaite, David Johansen and Carol Kane, it was a sure bet that this film would have the people in stitches. Here's a few of my favorite things about the movie:

Carol Kane's Ghost of Christmas Present
Carol Kane rocks this movie. Her Ghost of Christmas Present's "tough love" approach to showing Frank Cross the error of his ways is a throwback to the slapstick awesomeness of The Three Stooges. She kicks him, jabs him in the eyes and decks him with a toaster to get her point across. Because sometimes you have to slap them in the face to get their attention.



Ahh, the Christmas Spirit
The funny of this movie is not the focus. After all, it is A Christmas Carol: 80's Style. There's such a wonderful speech at the end of the film that I can't really put into words, so I'll just post the video.



Tell me that doesn't warm your heart.

Watch Scrooged with your family this Christmas and get into the comedic 80's Christmas spirit. Happy holidays everyone!

Winnah!

We have a winner for the big random giveaway! Out of 56 entries, the winner was chosen using a random number generator. The random number was 28, which was...Stephanie Fields!!! Stephanie is being notified by email and will have 48 hours to claim her prize. If she does not respond in that time, her entries will be discarded a new winner will be chosen from the remaining entries. Thanks so much to everyone who entered, and stay tuned for more giveaways!

If you haven't entered yet...

What are you waiting for! Entries in the current fantabulous giveaway are still pretty low, so everyone has pretty good odds for winning! Hurry and get your entries in here. The winner will be chosen and announced on Monday, so you have the weekend to spread the word and max out your entries!

Happy Turkey Day, Folks!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! And for my international bloggy buddies, Happy Thursday! I hope everyone has a safe and fun holiday weekend!

Thanksgiving means Black Friday and Cyber Monday are upon us as well, so if you're in the mood for some shopping, hop over to Things Liz Makes and take advantage of the big 20% off Thanksgiving week sale! "THANKSGIVING20" is the coupon code you use to get 20% off of everything in the shop, including mini-batts, services and custom orders! The code has been extended to be valid through Monday, so go over and get your holiday shop on!

Have a wonderful weekend, guys!