Before You "Google" It...

... alphabetize, file, and presto turn-o (a page or two)!

That's right, start your own compendium (that's fancy for collection!) and let that sassy, self-professed xenophile (check out what that means!), Fancy Nancy, guide you thru the exciting, thought-provoking, wonderful World of Words! Fancy Nancy's Favorite Words: From Accessories to Zany is an adorable pictionary (fancy that: a dress up dictionary!!!) of her favorite and fancy words. Why use "feather" when "plume" is so much more dramatic? Why just "want" when you can "yearn"? And mon ami, why just "answer please" when you can "respondez s'il vous plait"?

Oui,oui! No matter what your lingua franca, start an early rendezvous (that's way fancy for meeting!) with words! Nowadays, it's just too easy to click, click, and forget it. A picture may be worth a thousand words but, as Miss Fancy Nancy knows: words define YOU! Choose wisely...

PD Trivia

I just love Paper Dolls (ok, ok, I AM a Paper Doll!) but did you know Paper Dolls have been around for more than 200 years (OMG! I'm sooo old! Uh, I mean "vintage"!)? And that Paper Dolls started in 18th century France (je t'aime, Paris!)? And that Paper Dolls have evolved with history and technology (go ahead, "google" me!)? Just goes to show how a simple toy can stand the test of time! So here are a few Paper Doll Links that make for fascinating reading about the history of my all-time, favorite toy! Vive le PDs!

Wildartdolls Collectdolls Opdag

Icon-ic Tudy

BTW, one of my favorite Tudy Icons is my shopping bags! It's a picture perfect image of retail therapy (aka shopping!!!) and those crazy, lazy, "let's-just-hang-out-in-the mall-'cuz-it's-too-hot-to do-anything" days! So what better way to scrapbook an icon than to add it to my Tudy Frames! You know the drill - download the images, resize to fit your pics, and cut out (be careful!). So what are you waiting for, Tudygirls, click on and get framed!

Now Track This!

Ok, ok, so you've tracked my TudyPets! Now, do as Woofy does and help a penguin out of an ice cream shop and a hippo out of a pool! That's right, keep on trackin' with Jack Hanna's just released, 8th book, Romp, Stomp, Waddle Home, and help a bunch of wild animals find their natural habitat.

This is a Woofy favorite because it's fully loaded with moveable magnets, a Jungle Jack paper doll (I'm a fan!), and real photographs (Yes! Pictures!!!)! And it's written by one of the best known and loved animal experts in the world, Jack Hanna, director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Ohio.
So go ahead, trek into a photo safari. Have fun along the way. Back track a little and you just might learn a thing or two. It's a jungle out there, so remember: home is where the wild hearts roam.

And History Will Huzzah You...

"Let us tenderly and kindly cherish, therefore, the means of knowledge. Let us dare to read, think, speak, and write."
John Adams, Second U.S. President
October 30, 1735 - July 4, 1826

"In matters of style, swim with the current: In matters of principle, stand like a rock."
Thomas Jefferson, Third U.S. President
April 13, 1743 - July 4, 1826

Jump start your 4th of July celebration with this believe-it-or-not Tudy Truism: Did you know John Adams, the second U.S. President, and Thomas Jefferson, the third U.S. President and author of the Declaration Of Independence, both passed away within hours of each other on July 4, 1826?

Legend has it both men were so determined to see the fledgling United States succeed, they willed themselves to live till the 4th of July, 1826 - 50 years (OMG!!!) after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence!

Was it sheer coincidence? As if!
Was it die-hard tenacity? So totally!
Was it forever revolutionary? Oh, absolutely!
Happy Birthday, America!
Remember the will that forged your spirit! Enjoy (and cherish!) your birthright!

I Love Pooh

In 1921(!!!), Alan Alexander Milne gave his one year old son, Christopher Robin, a stuffed bear. Soon a few more stuffed toys were added - a tiger, a pig, and a donkey. And before long, these toys came to life in the pages of four books - When We Were Very Young, Winnie-the-Pooh, Now We Are Six, and The House At Pooh Corner. To this day, kids of all ages (that includes me!), still read the Pooh books and fall in love with that "silly old bear!"

We all know Pooh because of the Disney movies and books, but the original stories of Milne and the drawings of Ernest H. Shepard are wonderful, whimsical, fanciful, and Tudy-lightful! They totally capture the tenderness, sweetness, and "funny-ness" of Pooh!

So here's a cute game featuring the original Winnie-the-Pooh drawings! Gotta "think, think, think" for this one!

And if you get the chance, visit the real Pooh and four of his best friends (not the cartoons or drawings, but the real stuffed toys!) - at The New York Public Library's History and Social Science Library at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, Manhattan, New York. It'll be like visiting the 100 Acre Wood.

But of course, all you really have to do to visit Pooh, is to open one of Milne's books...

So, do you love Pooh?

A Whole Lot of HOOp-la!

In 1958, Wham-o owners Richard P. Knerr and Arthur K. Melin manufactured a plastic hOOp in a variety of bright colors. At first, they gave away the hOOps to get kids to learn and play. But four months later, with 25,OOO,OOO sold (count those hOOps... I mean zerOs!), the Hula-Hoop® became one of the greatest toy fads ever! And 5O years later, it's still a simple toy that fascinates a lot of people, including grownups who now use it to exercise!

But kids and adults have been hOOping for much longer than 5O years! More than 3,OOO years ago (!!!) kids in Egypt were doing just about the same thing with hOOps made of dried grapevines! And a lot of dislocated backs (OOuch!) were reported in 14th century England because of a hOOping craze! And of course, the Hawaiians were doing the same hip action with or without the hOOps with their hula dancing! Just goes to show that a simple toy can last a really lOOOOOOng time!

So get those hips gyrating for some summer fun! It's a whole lot of hOOpla!

A Ride On The Wild Side

Long lines (sigh, they're everywhere!), flight delays (that's such a given!), and baggage fees ( oh, let's not even go there!!) getting you down? Don't you just wish you could fly?

Then pick-up James Patterson's thriller series, Maximum Ride! The first book, The Angel Experiment, will have you flailing and flapping your arms in no time!

You'll meet Max Ride and her "flock" - all part of a human and avian experiment gone awry. Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman, and Angel are kids who decide to run away from "home". Home is called The School, a school for "the gifted," and The School will stop at nothing to get them back. They'll welcome Max and her friends back anytime - dead or alive! (Shock-ER!!! Don't you just love YOUR school ? It's so much better, isn't it?)

Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment is a great, made-for-movie, summer read. It's a well-crafted, video game in book form! But at the heart of it all, it's still a story about family, humanity, and responsibility. So buckle up and turn on your reading lights, this read gets faster and faster.

Kawaii says, "Dude! It's pure migration!"

It All Started Here

If you haven't yet, then you've just got to read J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. Ok, so you've probably seen The Lord of the Rings trilogy movies, but this started it all! It was written by Tolkien for his own kids, and it's funny, witty, and thrilling.

It's the classic tale of a quest, the adventures that come along the way, and just how important true friends really are. You get to meet Gandalf, Bilbo, and Frodo when they and Middle Earth were younger. So what's not to like? And you do know The Hobbit is coming to the big screen soon, so get a head start and read the book now. (Oh, I just can't wait to see Smaug the Magnificent!)

It's All About DAD!

Dad’s the alpha, he’s the man!
What’s his mantra? “Yes, you can!”

He’s a life coach, name the game.
Without Dad, it’s not the same!

Dad’s the sun, the moon, the stars.
Skies the limit! He’s never far!

Dad’s your mentor, Dad’s your friend.
Tried and tested to the end.

To all Dads out there, here’s the pitch:

Happy Father’s Day!

Furrific, Purrific, and Featherrific...

TudyPet Frames! Let Woofy, Meowry, and Kawaii frame your summer photos! And if you have your own pets, these TudyPet Frames keep your favorite pet photos perfect company!

You know the drill - download the images, resize to fit the pictures you want framed, and cut out (be careful!). Use a cutter and cutting mat for this project for best results! Get framed!

A-maze-ing!

Get lost in Rick Riordan's The Battle of the Labyrinth, the fourth book in the Percy Jackson and The Olympians series! Percy is entering ninth grade and aside from the usual monster angst (Hello? It's ninth grade!), he now has to face an a-maze-ing problem, literally AND figuratively! Greek mythology never had a better poster boy! To begin with, Greek myths have some of the best stories ever - loaded with revenge, heroism, treason, and quests for justice - but when they're given a modern twist, they're even more engrossing! So get your hands, hooves, and claws on this book and get lost!

Check out Rick Riordan's website for more Olympian stuff! It's all Greek to me! And it's all Good!