Little Miseries NYC

About New York Little Miseries:

New York City is full of fun little quirks that make living there an adventure. Winter, spring, summer, or fall, there is always something that you could do without.

New York Little Miseries offers a real taste of The Big Apple!

Misery is when one building on your block doesn’t shovel the snow. Misery is stepping over pool of ugly gray slush at each street corner. Misery is a cold subway platform. Misery is too much heat in your apartment. Misery is a wet puddle on the subway seat. Misery is a metro card machine that only takes cash.

Gripe and groan all you want. You know you love it.

Master the Art of The Stick Figure!

Inside Stick Sketch School, you’ll learn how to create everything from stick characters and stick animals to stick wars and stick cities. Artist Billy Attinger of Stick World has created a teach-yourself-to-draw book describing his renowned stick figures.

Social media feeds and other online resources are the perfect home for this brand of simple, pithy and (often) wickedly funny art. Stick figures are the easiest thing to draw and have a simplicity of their message that makes them popular among those who aren’t as talented in the drawing arena than some.

In Stick Sketch School, Billy Attinger teaches you how to use motion, emotion and personality to bring out the best in the stick figure. With 12 “lessons” and over 50 prompts, your stick figures will be professional grade in no time. Stick Sketch School is a creative and indispensable guide to getting your ideas onto the page, online, and out into the world.
About Stick Sketch School:

Since Billy Attinger founded his company, Stick World, pop culture has exploded with stick figure art. Social media feeds and other online resources are the perfect home for this brand of simple, pithy, and (often) wickedly funny art. Stick figure images and messages are easily conveyed through social media, frequently going viral because of the sheer simplicity of their message (translate: it’s easy to read and share on your phone). However, without motion, emotion, and personality, a stick figure drawing is only what its name implies – flat, crude, and two-dimensional. Billy Attinger’s Stick Sketch Schoolguides artists through the surprising nuance of creating compelling stick figures. With dozens of handy “lessons” and over fifty creative prompts, you’ll figure out how to:

*draw a stick selfie

*sketch big personalities with just a few lines

*express emotion and motion with stick figures

*personalize with embellishments and accessories

*work with stick figures in a digital environment

You’ll learn how to create everything from stick characters and stick animals to stick wars and stick cities. Stick Sketch School is a creative and indispensable guide to getting your ideas onto the page, online, and out into the world.

Merci, Madam, for the Lesson in French

Dear Madam Joie,

Merci beaucoup for being such a boring teacher.

Truly, Madam Joie, my dearest and most sincere thanks to you for being the dullest teacher I had in high school.

I enrolled for your class as a freshman with dreams of walking the streets of Paris, speaking sophisticated, flawless French with my gorgeous French lovers, riding bicyclettes and eating French fromage et baguettes. You crushed those dreams with your endless droning and odd, strangely-conjugated tangents that bored even the most passionate French scholar to tears. Gone was every drop of romance from this romance language. Gone was the grace, the majesty of the l’accent aigu and l’accent grave.

I don’t know if you were having personal problems the year I sat in your French class. Maybe your dog died. Maybe you were battling an addiction. Frankly, it would explain a lot. If so, I am sorry for your trouble during that time.

The good news is that I met someone in your class and your inept teaching helped deepen our budding relationship. My desk neighbor, my partner in boredom, Ben (remember him?), sat right beside me and kept me company. Instead of mastering the French language, we mastered the meaningful sidelong glance and became incredibly proficient at passing secret notes. Ben made me laugh and somehow we got each other through the fifty minutes of torture that you attempted to inflict on us.

So thank you, Madam Joie, teacher of French 101. I write to you on my wedding day. Because of you and all your shortcomings, I met the love of my life.

Merci.

Sincerely,

-T.

Thank You cards for every occasion… “So Many Ways To Say Thank You” Cards:

This set of 15 beautifully hand lettered thank you cards provide a unique way the send a thank you note to someone special. Featuring three cards each of Merci (French), Thank You (English), Danke (German), Grazie (Italian), and Gracias (Spanish).

What Cookie Are You Making for National Cookie Day?

Happy National Cookie Day!

What special cookie will you be making for National Cookie Day? Will it be a classic like chocolate chip? Or, perhaps you’re more of a snickerdoodle fan.

If you aren’t sure where to start, check out Sally’s Baking Addiction. This book is full of fun, delicious recipes that Sally has perfected over time. Or, head over to Quarry Spoon to take a look at how Sally’s recipes worked for them. Take the Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites, they look divine. It seems like they would melt on your tongue instantly upon eating them!

Whichever cookie recipe you are consulting today, have fun! Baking is such an excellent way to unwind after a long day or spend quality time with the kiddos.

About Sally’s Baking Addiction:
 
Named by Huffington Post as one of the “Top 10 Food Blogs to Watch” in 2013, Sally’s Baking Addiction has skyrocketed in popularity since its inception in late 2011. Baking addict and food blogger, Sally McKenney loves to bake. Her famous Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Cookies won Nestle’s Dark Chocolate contest in 2013, and now, in her first cookbook, Sally shares her baking secrets with fans everywhere. Try her No-Bake Peanut Butter Banana Pie, her delectable Dark Chocolate Butterscotch Cupcakes, or her yummy Marshmallow Swirl S’mores Fudge. Featuring a brand new selection of desserts and treats, the Sally’s Baking Addiction Cookbook is fully illustrated and offers 75 scrumptious recipes for indulging your sweet tooth–including a chapter of healthier dessert options for those who follow a vegan or gluten-free lifestyle. With dozens of simple, easy-to-follow recipes, you get all of the sweet with none of the fuss!

 

Win a U2 Prize Package: ‘U2 Revolution’ Book and A TON of U2 Music

Our friends at the Ultimate Classic Rock blog are doing a serious giveaway for U2 fans! Enter their contest, and win a copy of Mat Snow’s U2 Revolution along with the ENTIRE catalogue of U2’s music.

We have teamed up with Ultimate Classic Rock to offer one special U2 mega-fan the ultimate package of history. For new fans, the prize package offers a chance to delve deep into the heart of U2 by listening to the band’s complete musical history including the well-researched coffee table book.

U2 Revolution author Mat Snow is a London-born journalist who has previously talked with the Rolling Stones, The Who, Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd and members of the Beatles, to name a few. The interviews conducted in U2 Revolution all come from Mat Snow, along with accompanying band history.

Ultimate Classic Rock is adding a stack of U2 compact discs to complete your U2 collection. The latest album from U2, ‘Songs of Innocence’ was released earlier this year. With talk of a possible tour to promote ‘Songs of Innocence’, it’s important to catch up on the oldies, right?

WIN BIG:

For a chance to win this prize package featuring the U2: Revolution book and U2 music collection, simply follow @UltClassicRock on Twitter and re-tweet the announcement of the giveaway by Monday, December 15 at 11:59PM ET. Be sure to read our official contest rules, and good luck!

RockPaperInk shares “Stick Sketch School” Ideas

Wouldn’t it be fun to draw your own selfies as stick person sketches? We think so, so we published Stick Sketch School. This book features detailed instructions and guides on ways to make your stick figure drawings full of personality and charm.

Take notes from RockPaperInk and get your selfie looking good!

In the real world, stereotyping and profiling are frowned upon. But in the stick world, stereotypes rule, as they provide visual clues that help make it easier to identify the gender of your stick figure! For example, some artistic details like eyelashes, facial hair, hairstyles, body shape, clothing, and accessories can be closely associated with specific genders in pop culture.

Read the entirety of the RockPaperInk article by clicking here.

U2: Revolution Review by Neufutur Magazine

Neufutur Magazine Online has given U2: Revolution an incredible review! Reviewer JMoore had this to say about the coffee table book by Race Point author Mat Snow:

Yes, there are plenty of U2 bios out there – some good, some dreadful and a couple pretty great; There are also a number of hardcover, coffee table-sized books on the band out there, but music journalist Mat Snow has found a way to marry the two, pulling together a pretty solid, overreaching bio on the band and packaging it in a beautiful, three-and-a-half pound book crammed with fantastic photos of the band and album covers.

Neufuture Magazine Online is the digital answer to the print version. Neufutur print is released on a bimonthly schedule, and has copies available in Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

Read the full review by clicking here.

Scary Delicious Mug Cake Recipe for Halloween

If you’re looking for ways to use up leftover Halloween candy, check out this recipe: The chocolate cake base is made with plain chocolate bars, like Hershey’s milk or dark chocolate. It’s then studded with candies of your choice, such as Snickers, Reese’s, and M&M’s—whatever the trick-or-treaters have left behind!

How to make your Scary Delicious Mug Cake with leftover Halloween candy:

• 1/2 cup (1.5oz) chopped plain chocolate bars (like Hershey’s milk or dark chocolate)
• 3 tbsp (45ml) fat-free milk
• 2 tbsp (15g) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tbsp (7.5ml) vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp chopped chocolate candies of your choice (like Snickers, Reese’s, M&M’s)

1. Combine chopped plain chocolate and milk in an oversized microwave-safe mug. Microwave for about 40 seconds. Mix with a small whisk until chocolate is completely melted.
2. Add flour, baking powder, and oil and whisk until batter is smooth. Stir in chopped candy.
3. Cook in microwave for about 1 minute. If cake is not done, heat an additional 15 seconds. Let cake cool a few minutes. Cake is best consumed while still warm or within a few hours of it being cooked.

WIN a free copy of 5-Minute Mug Cakes just in time to use up those leftover fun size treats!

Don’t think you can make a warm, gooey homemade cake in under five minutes? Think again! 5-Minute Mug Cakes is the perfect gift for anyone with a mug, a microwave, and a dream. With nearly 100 delectable recipes for cakes, brownies, cookies, and more, every single recipe can be made in an ordinary, microwave-safe mug in just a few minutes. Author Jennifer Lee, creator of Kirbie’s Cravings, guides you through simple recipe favorites like:

• 2-Ingredient Flourless Nutella® Cake
• Salted-Caramel Chocolate Cake
• Funfetti Cake
• S’mores Cake
• Strawberries & Cream Cake
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
• Red Velvet Cake
• Lemon Dream Cake and dozens more!

Featuring special chapters like Skinny Mug Cakes (all under 200 calories!), Gluten-Free Mug Cakes, and even 4-Ingredients-or-Less Mug Cakes, there is no excuse for eating tasteless, packaged desserts anymore. Every recipe in 5-Minute Mug Cakes is simple, fast, and delicious. The best part? If you mix your ingredients right in your favorite mug, there is next to no cleanup!

How To Build a NASA Shuttle Paper Airplane

Paper airplanes are a unique form of origami that you can fly! Fold & Fly Paper Airplanes is small book packed with a large amount of fun! There are several plane models to make with 180 sheets of paper to make them with!

The first official record of a true paper airplane was a patent registered in 1867 by a pair of Englishmen. J. W. Butler and E. Edwards. Their patent described a folded paper glider that resembled the simple paper airplane nearly all of us made as children.

Let’s take a look at how to make the NASA Shuttle Paper Airplane!

Follow along as we fold and fly this beautiful shuttle:

Step 1: Find the black and white sheet of paper that resembles a space shuttle. Fold diagonally, so equal lengths of paper extend off the bottom and left sides.

Step 2: Rotate as shown in the diagram and fold the left and right points up to the top.

Step 3: Fold the top portion of the front flaps back down as shown in the diagram.

Step 4: Fold overhanging flaps under to the other side.

Step 5: Fold top flaps down on dotted line as shown in the diagram.

Step 6: Tun back over and fold in half.

Step 7: Create creases and invert along folds as shown in the last portion of the diagram.

And there you have it, a life-like NASA Shuttle paper airplane! Fold this shuttle over and over, or fold a different kind of plane from Fold & Fly Paper Airplanes!

About Fold & Fly Paper Airplanes: 

Learn to build the perfect paper airplane in no time! Fold & Fly Paper Airplanes includes a full color book full of history, stories and science celebrating paper airplanes. With instructions to create 12 different styles of planes, you’ll be soaring.

This kit also includes over 180 sheets of paper printed in free-form patterns and fold-specific art. The designs are patterned with ‘starter’ guidelines so you can master the art of paper flying, and advance to more complex patterns.

Fly higher, fly further with Fold & Fly Paper Airplanes.

 

Scary Spicy Hellfire Tuna Burgers

October is the time for ghouls, ghosts, devils and scary movies. Kick your dinner menu up a notch by making something scary spicy!

Have you tried a spicy Sriracha recipe from Red Hot Sriracha: 50 Recipes by Melissa Petitto? There is no time like the present to try this scary spicy recipe for Hellfire Tuna Burgers. These Sriracha-infused fish patties won’t kill you, but they will definitely make your tongue feel like it took a lick from the devil’s pitchfork!

These easy-to-make burgers have a 5 of 5 spicy hot rating in Petitto’s book, combining jalapeños and Sriracha into the patty. Two doses of heat inside the patty is only the beginning. Add a slice of pineapple on top of the patty to cut the heat, or if you’re a real devil, add sliced fresh jalapeños on top for added heat!

Pro tip: Buy sushi-grade tuna from a trusted fishmonger, making sure it’s handled separately from all other fish.

Ingredients:

2 pounds sushi-grade ahi tuna, diced
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
1/4 cup sriracha
3 tbls soy sauce
2 tbls good quality mayonnaise
7 scallions, green and white parts, minced
2 tbls toasted sesame seeds
1 tbls fresh ginger root, peeled and minced
1/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
2 tbls sesame oil
4 pineapple rounds, 1/4 inch thick
4 butter lettuce leaves

Cooking Instructions:

1. Preheat a griddle or large saute pan over high heat.
2. In a large bowl, combine the diced tuna, jalapeño, sriracha, soy sauce, mayonnaise, scallions, sesame seeds, ginger and panko until just mixed. Form into four patties.
3. Brush the hot griddle or pan with sesame oil. Sear the burgers for 2 minutes per side for medium-rare or longer for more well-done burgers. Transfer to a plate and tent with aluminum foil to keep warm.
4. On the same griddle, sear the pineapple rounds for 1 minute per side.
5. In a small bowl, prepare the sauce. Whisk together the hoisin and sriracha.
6. To assemble the burgers, spread one-quarter of the sriracha-hoisin sauce on each bottom bun. Layer with lettuce, tuna burger, pineapple round, and top bun. Serve hot.

About Red Hot Sriracha: 50 Recipes: 

Can’t get enough sriracha? Neither can we! With over 50 of the hottest, eye-watering recipes featuring everyone’s favorite hot sauce, celebrity chef Melissa Petitto brings heat to a whole new level with Red Hot Sriracha.

From Firehouse Beef Sliders and Pulled-Pork Tacos to Jalepeno Poppers and Cracklin’ Candied Bacon, there’s a fiery new sriracha-infused recipe for everyone. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, appetizers, drinks, and, yes, even sriracha desserts are covered here. Only true devotees will want to indulge in the Dillish Thriller Shot and Sizzling Chili and Lime Donuts.

Will these recipes kick your ass? Absolutely. But you can take the heat!