My kids are going to love this.......................

‘Cars’ town of Radiator Springs coming to life at Disney California Adventure in 2012

Radiator Springs will celebrate California’s car culture with a nostalgic trip down Route 66 when the fictional film town built for and by cars makes its debut at Disney California Adventure in 2012.

Cars Land, the 12-acre themed land under construction at DCA, will feature three new rides set amid a faithful re-creation of the isolated red rock desert town populated by Lightning McQueen and other animated vehicles in the Pixar movie “Cars.”

Picture from the movie 'Cars'

As part of the thematic storyline for the new land, downtown Radiator Springs will be celebrating race day against the looming backdrop of Ornament Valley. Trimmed with neon lights, the town’s streetscape will glow at night.

The rides, restaurants and shops of Radiator Springs will include:


East side of street


Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree — Visitors take a spinning tractor ride through Tow Mater’s Towing & Salvage yard.

Cozy Cone Motel — The snack stands will serve chili cone carne, cone on the cob, popcone and other food pun novelties.

Radiator Springs Curio Shop — The Route 66 tourist trap will sell traditional roadside souvenirs, trinkets, knickknacks and bric-a-brac.

Luigi’s Roamin’ Tires — Riders steer a levitating bumper car through tilting towers of retreads behind Casa Della Tires.

West side of street

Fillmore’s Taste In — A hippie-themed snack shack under a tie-died geodesic dome.

Sarge’s Surplus Hut — Disney Imagineers have yet to announce whether the military-style Quonset hut will be used for retail or food sales.

Flo’s V8 Café — Customers dine al fresco on Route 66-inspired food at tables stationed between gasoline pumps. The restaurant will feature Flo’s Motorama girls posters, Doc’s Piston Cup trophies and other memorabilia.

Ramone’s House of Body Art — The retail shop will sell Cars Land and Radiator Springs Racers merchandise.

South end of street

Radiator Springs Courthouse — The domain of town judge Doc Hudson will be reserved for a future use.

Radiator Springs Racers — The indoor-outdoor attraction combines a leisurely dark ride prelude with a dueling side-by-side race-car finale. The ride’s queue will wind through Stanley’s Oasis, Tap N Cap and the Bottle House.

Pictures and information fom the LA Times

http://travel.latimes.com/daily-deal-blog/index.php/cars-radiator-spring-7392/

New "Australian" Artwork coming soon!

Storybook Children's Art are very excited to show a sneak peak of our newest artwork "AUSTRALIA". This Australian themed artwork is something I have wanted to add to the collection for quite some time.

Set in the Australian outback with Ayre's Rock in the distance, this artwork is has an abundance of Native Australian Fauna & Flora. Children will love spotting all the different characters!

This amazing artwork will be available within the next week.

Smart, stylish and best of all no mess to clean up!

As a busy working mother of two, I am always looking for things to make my life easier and to save time. It does not have to be a great amount of time, just simple short cuts that can add up over a period time. That brings me to the Smart Space Countertop Dispenser ($29.00US), I have seen these units in hotel breakfast areas before, however this one is a great deal more stylish and would look wonderful in any kitchen or even in a walk in pantry.

Weekday mornings are a constant rush in my household, Mr 9 is an expert at getting himself cereal whilst I get ready for work, Mr 7 is not so good at this task. I regularly enter the kitchen and find cereal everywhere, all over the counter and on the floor. Rice Bubbles are the worst when this happens as they stick to your feet. I constantly have to get out the vacuum and clean this up. Another problem I encounter is the amount of cereal that is poured out which is never eaten, no portion control here. This unit is designed to dispense one ounce of food at one twist of the handle.

There is also a wall mounted version of this unit available to save counter space, and the great news is they can be used to dispense other foods such as pasta & rice etc: this would mean the oldest food would always be at the bottom, not like when you fill containers, how brilliant is that! I hope these units become available in Australia soon, at the moment they are only shipping within the US.


Here is the link if you are interested. http://store.yankodesign.com/home-and-office/kitchen-dining/smartspace-food-dispenser-wall-mount-by-zevro

The toothbrush every mother has been waiting for!

Once and a while an invention comes along that really impresses me. This newly designed toothbrush does away with concerns about whether your toothbrush is resting on an unhygienic surface.

This upstanding toothbrush makes use of a weight at the end of its rounded handle to create a centre of gravity at the handle base. When the toothbrush is set down, it will sway momentarily until it reaches a position of balance – much like a tumble doll. I know I am not alone in thinking this is "brilliant" especially for children.

I cannot tell you the amount of times I have told my two children to put their tooth brushes back into the holder. I can't wait until this design makes its way into the stores. The person who invented it is a pure genius in my eyes, who knew! So simple yet so effective. I just hope they make them with a replaceable toothbrush heads.

To read more about this wonderful design, visit the  company who invented it Ryan Harc. http://www.7760.org/intro-projects-2