Toast Pop Travels: Blue Moon Café

Shepherdstown, West Virginia is the oldest town in the state, but a blended atmosphere of home-grown, country, and contemporary combine with its antiquity to make it a wonderful place! There is just as much of a unique atmosphere at its Blue Moon Café. Much of the dining area is furnished outside among a shady green oasis that even includes a fountain. The menu is an affordable variety of sandwiches, salads, soups, wraps, pizza, and a little crab. They have many vegan and vegetarian options, along with several alcoholic beverages. Blue Moon is locally sourced, meaning many of their products were grown or made right in the region. Local entertainment can even be found here at their open mic nights.

Blue Moon Café gets my “Toast Pop Approval” for its support of local agriculture, food quality, meal price, and unique dining experience outdoors! Its well-worth the walk from anywhere in the heart of town.

Plan your visit to Shepherdstown and the Blue Moon Café!

Blue Moon Café homepage: http://bluemooncafeshepherdstown.com/dining/

View the menu, get directions, and get to know their local sources

Blue Moon Café Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/bluemoonwv/timeline

Get updates on specials and performances

Shepherdstown Visitors Center: http://shepherdstown.info/

Learn the history, find out about local events, plan a stay, and more!

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Cute Cats–Cool Gift Ideas for Cat-Lovers

Da Vinci was most certainly right when he said that the smallest feline is a masterpiece! I mean, who wouldn’t stop and stare in googley-eyed awe at the sight of a kitten? Likewise, cats are a popular subject for online entertainment. From YouTube to blogs, nearly everyone everywhere is showcasing or parodizing the cat’s personality and antics in some form or fashion. More popular and successful works have been published, publicized, and franchised—which is convenient if you’re stuck trying to find a gift for someone who adores cats. There are a few cute and cool cats on the internet that I know which also have some of their own merchandise! Their comic craftsmanship and charming nature will make them the gifts you’re looking for to give to that cat-loving friend or family member!

Simon’s Cat—Simon’s Cat is a delightful cartoon phenomenon from YouTube! Hand-drawn frame-by-frame, this feline is aesthetically simplistic, but lives the hilarious and crazy life all cats lead!  Just recently produced for Simon’s Cat are a brand-new cartoon book, an animated short, and even a few iPhone apps!

Pusheen the Cat—Pusheen the cat is a cute, plushy GIF character that lives on Tumblr! In addition to being a blog-able statement, Pusheen is quite a fashion statement too as she is on a number of apparel and accessories.

Gemma Correll—Gemma Correll is a freelance illustrator and cartoonist. Her artistic interests are a wider range beyond just cute pets and her style, especially those of her cat cartoons, is satirical and sketch-like. Her cats can be found on several of her nick-knacks and in her book “A Cat’s Life”.

Naturally, felines are beautiful and graceful creatures. Artistically, they are even more ingenious as a statement on their dispositions is expressed for entertainment! Any feline-fan will appreciate a gift with any of these internet sensations this holiday season! They’re each a masterpiece in their own right, and totally the cat’s meow!

Signature DNA Unleashed

How much do you love your pet? Do you love them enough to buy their DNA? Don’t go calling me crazy just yet, one company on the market is literally giving you the opportunity to own your pet’s DNA as a piece of art. Signature DNA Unleashed is a company that specializes in taking your animals spit and turning it into a memorable piece of art that you can keep forever. They take the pattern for your four legged friend’s DNA and place it over a picture of your pet in a way that makes it a masterpiece each and every time.

Don’t worry about placing your pet’s DNA in the hands of an untrained person because the process is done in a lab made specifically for Signature DNA Unleashed and the whole procedure is made possible by a trained professional in the DNA field. The whole process of making the art takes about 2-3 weeks, and get this, you can even give it as a gift! If you know someone who loves their pet and want to give them the gift that is sure to be a surprise and one that they will cherish forever, then give them the gift of Signature DNA Unleashed!

How does the process work? It’s quite simple really. You buy the DNA Collection Kit from them and it includes the step-by-step instructions that guide you through the entire process of collecting your pet’s DNA. While the kit itself is only about $20, the art can be pretty expensive, for example the $200 Picture Personal product, and their other options go all the way up to $699 for the most expensive art they offer of your furry friends DNA. When you think about it, that’s not really too much to pay for an everlasting memory of mans best friend!

A Whimsical Twist on Practical Houseware

Wolfum creator Annabel Inganni spent nine years in apparel design before her designs took an interesting turn in 2010. Inganni is now creating household items like linen napkins, bookends, and coasters, but her flair for the unique provides a whimsical and stylish twist to these seemingly traditional pieces.

Los Angeles based Wolfum makes simple, everyday products from organic cotton, recycled poly twill, and FSC certified walnut. Quality materials mean lasting items, and lasting items mean less replacement and waste. If that wasn’t enough, bold patterns and colors like sage, olive, and navy adorn each hand-made product.

Wolfum’s collection of unique linens have a timeless appearance, with patterns that could have easily been taken from a trunk of beloved vintage items or used to embellish a modern tabletop. Wolfum’s colorful animal bookends and wall hangers also add a fanciful feel the the collection. Tigers, rabbits, coyotes, and a slew of other creatures in a variety of delightful patterns and colors would be perfect for a child or adult.

Whether it’s a mix-and-match collection or a coordinated set, Wolfum products are Inganni’s answer to a boring room. U.S. made and built to last, Wolfum’s whimsical products can be purchased at California shops like ST&NDARD GOODS and La La Ling, as well as Wolfum’s website.

Greeting Cards with a Different Spin

Tis’ the  season to begin looking at greeting cards, and as always, we see the same round and frosty snowman or jolly Saint Nick with his reindeer and sleigh. Once in awhile we’ll see the serene nativity scene wishing us a merry holiday, but what if we want something a little less traditional and a little more creative?

Wrenay Gomez Charlton obviously saw the need for something new and provides a breath of fresh air to the greeting card world with her unique prints, cards, and calendars. Each one contains the silhouette of an animal, and within the animal is a road map from the state the animal is indigenous to. Maps have been used as décor for quite some time, but never before have they been displayed in such a way.  Each card is beautifully imaginative and would be a wonderful way to say Happy Holidays, Happy Birthday, or even to just let someone know you’re thinking of them. Just checkout the Wrenmade online shop for more information and inspiration!

Pura Vida Bracelets

Are you looking for a great stocking stuffer for the holidays or do you simply just want something unique and hand-made to complete your favorite outfit? If you answered yes to either of those, you  should check out Pura Vida Bracelets! The bracelets are very pretty and hand-made, they are 100% water proof and, to top it all off, the profit the company makes goes to a good cause.

Pura Vida started out when two friends went to Costa Rica in celebration of their college graduation. While there they met a man named Jorge who was peddling bracelets on the streets. It turned out that he had made the bracelets himself and was selling them to support his family, who were living in a single room and sharing three beds. This inspired the two friends to help. They took some of the bracelets home with them and sold them to some friends. Before long they had many people wanting a bracelet. They contacted Jorge and ordered more bracelets and before long it was a business.

The phrase “Pura Vida” is Spanish for Pure Life. It means to live life to its fullest and not let things worry you so much. This is a great name for this company because the bracelets are simple yet beautiful and each one is hand-made and unique. It is also a fitting name because for every bracelet sold, Pura Vida donates 1% to the Surfrider Foundation through 1% for the planet. They also provide full time jobs to the talented artisans of Costa Rica.

These beautiful bracelets are great for completing outfits, stuffing stockings, and even starting conversations. They are durable and water proof and completely unique. If you’re interested in learning more, visit the Pura Vida official website at PuraVidaBracelets.com!

Unique Gift Ideas For The Holidays

Are you at a loss as to what to get someone for Christmas this year? Well, we know where you’re coming from. It may just be you are wanting to give a really cool and unique gift instead of the normal gift card. We have compiled a small list of some really cool things you may want to look into. We give you the product name, website you can buy it at, and the price. Always keep in mind you can search Amazon.com for these items and they may be cheaper there. Just click the image below to view them!

Shop Michelle Rose

It is almost impossible to find cool things that are different and unique anymore, with all of the chaos of industrialized clothing and gifts. Yet, we sought out an amazing artist who creates unique things, and guess what? We found one! This jewelry creator describes the style that she creates as “Retro Futuristic Rock Star Style”.

Michelle Rose is a Los Angelas based entrepreneur who is making quite the impression on those who buy her jewelry. While her main talents consist of jewelry making, she also does her own graphic designing and promoting, and she does it well! We had the opportunity to get the inside scoop on what is behind this amazing artist with jewelry’s self made store.

When asked what got her started with jewelry making, Michelle told us,”I’ve been dabbling in jewelry making since I was a kid but was frustrated by my lack of training in creating components of my own design. Soon I found a way to laser cut plastic, which excited me, but that method has its limitations. I hope to take a metal casting class soon so I can create my own designs in three-dimensional metals, and perhaps other materials.” The fact that she uses different mediums when creating her jewelry is perhaps what makes it so unique.

We were curious if she does it for just a hobby or as a career, so we asked her and she responded with,”I left my job in the garment industry this year to pursue self-employment as a sole source of income. It’s been tough, but I am hoping to see an upswing within the next year as I realign myself and use my time to explore more creative outlets including creating more artistic clothing & jewelry pieces, handbags, paintings, and home decor items.” It’s possible to have a career in a field that you do enjoy working in, and Michelle is living proof of that. She currently only sells on the website called Etsy, but it appears that this business plan is serving her well.

Finally, we were curious as to what her plans are for the future of her business. We assumed that a business this creative has to have plans for expanding. She told us,”You’ve caught me in a major stage of transition! Many new things are coming up. It’s hard to say what exactly they will be, but as I said I want to work in a lot of other mediums. My new goal is to create more unique pieces with plenty of artistic value.” We can’t wait to see what is in store next for this artistic entrepreneur, but we have no doubt that it will be creative and surprise us all! With her unique sense of style and drive to make her brand successful, we know we will be hearing more about her in the future!

If you want to learn more about her business and where it is headed just check out her website at Michelle-Rose.com or to buy some of her uniquely styled jewelry pay a visit to her shop on Etsy by going to ShopMichelleRose.Etsy.com!