Dungeon Coordinates!

Things in my life are starting to really look up and I'm both grateful and honestly surprised. When things go so bad for so long, you start to get used to the dark and the light at the end of the tunnel becomes brighter.

I woke up this morning with a lighter attitude than I've had in a long time and I swear it helped me have better luck finding mob spawners (aka Dungeons) on Minecraft (lol). In a tradition which is classically "Panda", I'm sharing the luck and love with you guys! I will be listing seed numbers and the exact coordinates of where to find dungeons below.

So if you're a Minecrafter on the Xbox 360, check out these seeds and dungeons and you will definitely prosper! I also added some coordinates for mushroom biomes in certain maps too.

If you're a vet of the game, skip down to the yellow section please.

If you're new to Minecraft on the Xbox here's what you'll need to know. The seed is the 'name' of the map. When you begin the game, you will see a menu prompting you to name your new map and pick a seed. If you leave the seed box blank, you will spawn in a completely random map and be able to explore on your own for goodies and dungeons.

Otherwise, if you would like a leg up, you can enter the seed numbers below in yellow to spawn in these maps. Once you spawn,  press Y to look at your inventory. There you will have a map which you can use to find the coordinates listed below in green to find the mob spawners/dungeons. Select the map with the A button and put it in one of the slots on the bottom of your inventory. These slots are often called your ' hot bar' and you can put items here that you can quickly cycle through and use by clicking the left and right bumpers on your controller.

Now that you have a map in hand, you should set up your inventory with wood, sticks, coal, pick axes and shovels so that you can begin searching for your mob spawners.

Mob spawners are Cobblestone rooms with Moss cobblestone floors. Inside you will find a cage with a spinning pig (peaceful) or monster (any other setting) that is on fire. Do not break the burning box. Instead cover it in torches to keep monsters from spawning. Later when 4J Studios adds survival mode, you'll be able to make cool spawn traps in these areas.

The best part about Mob Spawners/ Dungeons is that you will generally find one or two chests with lots of goodies inside. Mostly wheat, bread, iron ingots, buckets, gun powder, saddles, etc. If you're REALLY lucky you'll find music disks to play in the jukebox or the even rarer and coveted GOLDEN APPLE!

The golden apple can be eaten to restore health but because of its exclusivity, I recommend leaving it as a collector's item. Hide it for safe keeping.

I hope that helps. Here's the good stuff:

SEED: 888

Dungeon 1 Coordinates:


X: 38   Y: 63   Z: 18 


Dungeon 2 Coordinates:


X: 237   Y: 32   Z: -170
This dungeon is under the ocean and therefore you should try and access it from this above ground cave entrance at:
X:171   Y:71   Z:-192


Dungeon 3 Coordinates:


X: -105   Y: 80   Z: -355


Dungeon 4 Coordinates:


X: -230   Y: 74   Z: -148


Mushrooms:


Red:   X: -377   Y: 40   Z: -64


Brown:  X: -347   Y: 41   Z:-70

SEED: 2415595968

Dungeon 1 Coordinates:

X: -218   Y: 57   Z: 332

Dungeon 2 Coordinates:

X: -218    Y: 39   Z: 311

Dungeon 3 Coordinates:

X: -128   Y: 26   Z: 328

Very Rich Mine:

X: 63   Y: 60   Z: 281

Mushrooms:

 X: -64   Y: 37    Z: 270 

SEED: 3404921817941437020

Dungeon 1 Coordinates:

X: -295   Y: 59   Z: 280

Dungeon 2 Coordinates:

X: -410    Y: 50   Z: 19

Dungeon 3 Coordinates:

X: -386   Y: 27   Z: -32

That's all for now friends but stay tuned for more Minecraft on 360 fun and info. Here's a picture of an awesome nerdy Spongebob that my bestest friend in the whole wide world, Stacey (gamertag Sp0nG3BOoB) made!

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Mery Ann

Minecraft Pixel Art!

As you may or may not know, I'm a Minecraft fiend!

I play on Xbox 360 and ever since it came out, it's pretty much the only game I play. I have built a theme park, a city, and countless houses.

If you're online and you want to play, my gamertag is La Lady Panda.

Now that we have pistons, I've been building even more and I'm hoping to get it recorded so that I can do tutorials and add them to my youtube page.

In the meantime I wanted to share some of my previous creations with you. Here are some art pieces I've made.

PIXEL ART:

Here's Boo from Super Mario. His mouth is the entrance to the Nether which has a Boo Roller Coaster!

The carpet in our Toy Store (in the mall of my city) is ELMO! :)

Here's a Fire Flower I made and Skull and Crossbones my friend Hunter made for the theme park. Under the Fire Flower is the Tunnel of Love :)

Here's Gir from Invader Zim sitting just in front of water slide, also in the Pandaland theme park.

Super Mario at the entrance of the Boo Coaster in the Nether.

My Little Pony at the end of the Rockin' Coaster in Pandaland.(Don't know why it's blurry, sorry :[ )

NOT PIXEL ART:

Here's a 3D Cookie Monster.

And a Creeper water fountain for Creeper Hotel and Resort.

That's all for now friends. I'll be posting more pics of my creations. Let me know via a comment if you want help with something you're building or you want ideas for what to create. I am a pretty vast wealth of knowledge and creativity.

Thanks for reading.
Love,
Mery Ann

**Christmas in July**

I've had the idea to make a blog post about Christmas in July and today feels just right for it. I love Christmas!


I'm doing it as a pick me up mostly because lately I've been feeling down and in pain. I went to the hospital to check a painful lump in my right breast and they referred me to Libby's Legacy Breast Foundation in downtown Orlando on Orange Ave. for a free mammogram.


If you're a woman, please get yourself checked. Its better to be safe than sorry.


 If you have no health insurance and you live in Orlando, you can call and set up an appointment with Libby's Legacy here 


1718 South Orange Ave
Orlando FL 32806
(407)898-8991


If you would like more information on where to get free screenings in your area, please check out this site:


http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/dcpc_Programs/default.aspx?NPID=1


I'm hoping the lump in my breast is just fibrous and swollen due to fluctuating hormones but I'm going to get it checked either way.


Now that you know why I need a pick-me-up, let's get on to the good stuff...recipes, patterns, and ideas!


RECIPES

Here's a fun one for "Lumps of Coal". Use a regular rice krispies treat recipe from this site:

http://www.ricekrispies.com/en_US/default.html#/en_US/default

and add black food coloring! Look how cool it looks!

There are some great Christmas snack recipes at the Pilsbury site too! Check out these Santa Crackers

http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/santa-grahams/69f0fff6-8ccc-418a-8e23-58d5cfd491e6/

DECORATION

Check out this pipe cleaner Christmas Tree from Martha Stewart:

http://www.marthastewart.com/265414/pipe-cleaner-decorations-christmas-tree

TOY IDEAS

Make some CLOUD DOUGH and put it in a decorative container to play with the kids! All you need 8 cups of flour and 1 cup of baby oil. It feels like flour but you can mold it!

http://www.jugglingwithkids.com/2011/11/cloud-dough.html

PATTERNS

Here's an idea for crochet Christmas trees for a garland or ornaments.

http://theroyalsisters.blogspot.com/2009/11/grandma-tree-tutorial.html

Here's another garland idea, Christmas Lights!

This one is a Ravelry.com Download. You need to be a member of the site to download the free pattern**

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/holiday-lights-2

These are so cute! Here are some more traditional ornaments.

http://greedyforcolour.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-bauble-tutorial.html

That's all for now friends. Stay tuned for more stuff.

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Mery Ann

Flowers and Hearts

I've been out and about friends! Well, not really.

I went to my mom's house for a few hours to sing happy birthday to the boyfriend and the brother and it was actually a lot of fun. I haven't been out of the house in quite a while and although I was shaking with panic, I managed to keep a positive attitude and it paid off! I was able to enjoy my family's company without an anxiety attack. All in all, it was a successful outing and I'm happy for it.

To celebrate, I thought I'd share a bunch of heart and flower free patterns! <3

HEARTS

http://www.planetjune.com/blog/free-crochet-patterns/love-hearts/

http://www.freecraftunlimited.com/heart-crochet-hot-pad.html

http://www.dmccreative.co.uk/Products/Crochet-Collection/Crochet-Patterns/Home-is-where-the-heart-is.aspx

FLOWERS

http://molliemakes.themakingspot.com/blog/tutorial-tuesday-crochet-flowers

http://www.mooglyblog.com/2012/03/05/10-beautiful-and-free-crochet-flower-patterns/

http://6ichthusfish.typepad.com/6ichthusfish/2012/05/free-crochet-flower-pattern-tahiti-blossom.html

I especially like the Tahitian Blossoms because of the colors and I think if you make them in red, white, or green, they could double as Christmas Snowflakes. 

That's all for now friends. I hope you like this new post and I'll be sure to keep posting more free patterns that I collect across the vast world of the interwebs. As always...

Thanks for reading.

Love, 

Mery Ann

Scarves Galore!

I've come across some amazing free scarf patterns that I thought I would share with my friends. I have a design in mind for a new scarf and once I write up the pattern, I'll be sure to share it. In the meantime here's a pattern I made for a rose to accent anything you'd like.

http://www.facebook.com/notes/cool-beans-and-things/free-rose-crochet-pattern-by-cool-beans-and-things-mery-ann-m/343496765716715

Here are some awesome free scarf patterns for your enjoyment!

http://www.learn-how-to-crochet.com/flower.html

http://clevercheshirecats.blogspot.com/

RAVELRY DOWNLOADS

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/stained-glass-scarf-5

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-wavelength

That's all for now friends. I hope you find this entry helpful and happy crochet adventures to you all.

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Mery Ann

Ugh...Bills

Woke up this morning and decided it's time for that dreaded number one on the priority To Do list...budget my bills.

Ugh. Even after all these years of being an adult...it doesn't seem to get any easier to be responsible with money. Don't you get the urge to say fuck it and go blow all your money on candy, pizza, and games sometimes? 

I don't think I'll ever really grow up. I just want toys and junk food all the time. Maybe it's just a metaphor for what we all really want...happiness. When you're a kid it seems so easy. All you need is some entertainment and a full belly and tah dah! Happiness. Maybe that's why as an adult (I use that term lightly) I still want to be irreparably irresponsible about my finances.

I get paid once a month, for reasons I won't go into detail over, and life is pretty simple for the 2-3 weeks remaining but once the groceries run out and the collectors start calling...my God, does it get hard to keep it together. 

I've thought about being responsible and consolidating my debt. Calling collectors and asking them to make me an offer. Did you know, that they are authorized to lower your total bill in order to get a settlement? Sometimes at a fraction of what you owe. That's how consolidation companies work. They call your creditors for you, ask for a settlement in writing, and wait for the letter in the mail confirming the agreement. If the mail doesn't come in 30 days, they can write off the debt from your credit as invalid. If they do get the letter, they pay the amount of the lowered settlement and charge you a monthly fee for a higher amount. It's a win-win for them but you can probably just do it yourself. 

Now, don't quote me on any of this of course, my information is from about 8 years ago so things may have changed since then and I'm not licensed or educated in these matters. I'd google it if you're interested in more info. If you find out more, feel free to comment and let my readers know more. I'm too stressed from writing out my budget and depressed by it to research more right now. 

I've known this for years and I still don't know why I don't just do it myself. Maybe it's the rebel inside me saying, "We shouldn't have to pay debts to creditors who steal our souls at an age when we don't know any better! This capitalist society is bullshit!".....or maybe I'm just lazy and avoiding the anxiety and depression that I feel would bombard me when trying to call and haggle with all those people. 

Someday I might get around to it. 

P.S. sorry about all the swearing. 

Thanks for reading.

Love,

Mery Ann

Ugh, cleaning....

Every Saturday morning growing up, my mom would blast some old school Salsa music and get my sister, my brother, and myself up for our weekly deep cleaning session. We would all eat a nice big breakfast and set to work cleaning the house room to room systematically.

She taught me a lot about cleaning and tried to instill a sunny morning disposition in me. I can't say it was a rousing success but I will say that I appreciate it.

In honor of my mother's cleanly habit forming teachings I wanted to make a super neat blog chock full of useful household crochet patterns and cleaning and cooking tips.

Here's a poppy granny square design that would make an awesome dishcloth or hot pad!

http://colourinasimplelife.blogspot.com/2012/06/granny-bobble-spiral.html

If you want an even intricate design, this hot pad from Naztazia,com could be just what you're looking for:  (requires Ravelry.com account)

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/weaved-hotpad


Every one could use some coasters. Try some neon colors for summer or pumpkin spice and burnt umber for the upcoming fall season:

http://www.lululoves.co.uk/index.php/item/crochet-coasters

If you're looking to purchase some sweet coasters instead, check these out for your wine glasses!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/CoolBeansandThings?section_id=11609311

COOKING:

Crockpot Strawbery Jam!

2 lbs of strawberries all cut up 

4 cups white sugar 

1/4 cup lemon juice 

(I think to keep them looking red)

 Crockpot, high setting, 2-4 hours depending on size of strawberries.

Gotta love Jello!

For a much quicker and more chocolatey snack, check out this microwave delight:

Cleaning:

Want to save money on fabric freshner? Check this out:

What you need:

• 1/8 cup of your favorite fabric softener
• 2 Tbsp baking soda
• hot water
• spray bottle (32 oz)

What you do:Add fabric softener and baking soda to spray bottle. Fill the rest of the bottle with hot water. Shake it all up. Use as you would Febreeze.

I hope you liked all these useful hints and tips and as always, thank you for reading.

Love,

Mery Ann

Best Friends

Every once in a while, fate takes pity on you and sends you a friend <3
-Enlightened (TV show)


Just now it struck me how much friends mean to me. I was looking through my crochet patterns and ideas notebook and found this quote written on an obscure page. I heard it the first time while watching the HBO series, Enlightened and it stuck in my head so I wrote it down. 


Recently, I've been having a rough time with my anxiety. I suffer from a few nervous and depressive conditions that keep me from having what I conceive as a normal life. 


I don't go to work anymore. I don't hang out with friends (except on Xbox Live). I don't go to the movie theater, or out to eat, or to theme parks, or parties. The more I think about it, the more I don't do a lot of things anymore. 


It makes me feel so much....less. Less than normal...less than me. 


People I used to count among the closest of friends no longer call, they no longer come over. Some have even lashed out at me about being a bad friend. 


It's true though. I am a bad friend. I don't call, I don't text, I don't come over, I don't hang out. I've had episodes where I push people away. Mostly because I don't want them to see me having panic attacks, feel guilty that they can't help, or worse...


During those times I'm at my very worst. I'm contemplating suicide. I'm in deep depression and near constant bewildering panic.


I never want people to see me like that. Everyone who knows me always hears me giggling and laughing and so that kind of happy persona is the one I want them to remember me by. 


Luckily for people like me, there's friends out there that do stick around. That see you at your worst and are willing to wait out the storm, holding their arms out, so that when you do get through it, they can welcome you back with hugs. They whisper to you, "It's going to be ok. I'm here for you."


They offer consolation and open-minded love. The best kind of love, unconditional love. 


Those friends come in all packages.


The boyfriend best friend. The sibling best friend. The mommy best friend. The across the world best friend. Even the although-we've-never-met-in-person-I-love-you best friend.


To all those who love me and all those who care...thank you so much for being there. You mean the WHOLE world to me.


Thanks for Reading.
Love, 
Mery Ann

Cookie Monster Sculpture I made for my Cookie <3 Stacey Gerrish <3

Combining Two Loves to make EPICOSITY

Once I began playing Minecraft, it quickly became a time consuming obsession. I enjoy being able to create with all of my imagination and this game definitely gives you plenty of room to build your dreams.

I normally move from one new obsession to the next, sometimes abandoning the last hobby for a new one but this time around I wanted to combine these two and create a Minecraft inspired crocheted item. Beanies are my specialty, so to speak, and so naturally I wanted to make a creeper beanie.

A creeper is a cubed, pixelated monster from the Minecraft. It's so scary! When you're playing and the game's sky rolls into night time, these creepers come out and sneak up on you. The only warning is a hissing sound followed closely by a .....POW!!!!!LARGE BOOM!!! and they blow you away.

They're always good for a scare and a laugh! That's why they are beloved and hated equally by all Minecrafters.

I created this beanie:

I played around with some felt and polyfill and made this adorable matching key chain that looks like the dirt blocks from the game. It's about 1 inch cubed.

They are for sale as a set at my etsy.com shop and I wanted to showcase it and some of the other AWESOME Minecraft inspired gear my fellow Etsy shops have for sale so I made a Treasury List.

A Treasury List is a collection of items for sale centered usually around a specific theme. For example, let's say you want to make a list of all of your favorite pink shawls you've found around etsy, or wedding dresses, or in this case, Minecraft EPICOSITY!

Here's a link to the Treasury List I made called Minecraft Mania:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MjEzMjQzMTd8MjcyMzAyOTExOA/minecraft-mania

*This picture belongs to ArtbyMark of http://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtByMark?ref=seller_info

I'd have to say my absolute favorite is a square cake shaped kitty pillow with cat nip! Look how stinkin' cute!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/78614018/minecraft-inspired-kitty-catnip-cake?ref=tre-2723029118-12

I definitely want to make more Minecraft inspired gear. Maybe some felt goodies like hair clips and jewelry. Do you have any suggestions?

I wanted to include free patterns for something geek and awesome that you could create for yourself or maybe a smaller person you know so here it is!

This picture of Link amigurumi and the pattern are the sole property of "Becchin" as mentioned in the pattern translation page. Please click on the link to view the pattern and enjoy!

http://tanoshimou.wordpress.com/2010/05/27/link-legend-of-zelda-amigurumi-free-pattern/

If you and/or your kids LOVE Super Mario as much as I do, you'll definitely appreciate this free crochet pattern directory for ALL things Mario!

http://freeamigurumipatterns.wordpress.com/category/mario-video-games/

Well friends, that's all for now. Thanks for reading <3

Love,

Mery Ann

Cause Crochet is Awesome

What's better than a Free Pattern?

Wait for it..........FREE YARN!
Too bad there isn't any. :(

But at least I have a free pattern for you!

I came across this adorable newborn dress pattern and I just had to tackle it. I found it on Ravelry.com and let me tell you, if you aren't already a member, go join! It's free and painless. It could seem a little intimidating at first because there's so much to do and see but with a little practice I'm sure you'll get the hang of it. (See bottom for quick tips.*)Besides, you could always ask me for help! I'm always happy to lend a hand!

I had previously crocheted a pair of baby sandals and a headband from an original pattern I wrote and used the same colors and puff stitch flower for each of them like this:

And then added the dress to the set as shown here:

This set is available for sale on my etsy shop here:


https://www.etsy.com/listing/101238603/summer-newborn-baby-dress-headband-and


For the free dress and diaper cover pattern click this link:

http://www.oocities.org/crotiques/bgs.htm


And for the puff stitch flower check out a fellow crocheters Blogger page here:


http://easymakesmehappy.blogspot.com/2010/07/6-petal-puff-stitch-flower.html


I have a database of free crochet patterns on my Pinterest page here:


http://pinterest.com/cbatcreations/favorite-free-patterns/


I have the sandal and headband patterns scribbled into my crochet notebook and I haven't decided if I write it up and post it. I'd need people to test it of course and then I would post it for free, just because.

Do you think I should write it up and post it?

I don't know why but I don't think I would ever be the kind of person to sell patterns. I love seeing all the amazing patterns people have for sale but if I wanted to make something bad enough, even at my amateur level I would probably just try and figure it out myself first. It could just be because I'm stubborn though. It would definitely be easier to just use an already created, written, and tested pattern instead. Oh logic, why must you lose to stubborn all the time?

HA! Just thought of something. What if kids said, "Let's play logic, stubborn, pride!" instead of rock, paper, scissors?

Anywho :)

Thanks for Reading
Love, 
Mery Ann


*Ravelry tips: At first you'll want to look around at the literally thousands of free patterns for either knitters or crocheters by typing a category into the search bar on the top right of the main screen. From there you'll see pictures and descriptions of the patterns and a menu on the left hand side of your page to narrow down your search by category, sizes, and even hook or needle size. Once you find some you like, click on them and either favorite them to show support or add them to your library so that you can access them at any time. I'm CoolBeansnThings on there so add me if you'd like and message me for help with anything. :)

All You Minecrafters!

Sooo I was checking out OXM magazine on twitter a couple of weeks ago when I ran across a build competition for Minecrafters on Xbox worth 800 microsoft points to the top 5 winners and I said to myself...HECK YES!!

I quickly jumped on and added OXM to a couple of my favoritest builds and took screenshots to then tweet to OXM magazine's UK twitter.

Keep in mind that ALL of my creations have sub-creators and master builders who work along side me to create these awesome builds. In a later post I will be detailing my collaborators so if you're one of them and you're reading this...would you like just your gamer tag mentioned, your real name, or both and let me know if you have a site or page that you want to shout out?

Here were my submissions:

 This one is a bird's eye view of a city currently still under construction. The city so far boasts a bank, hospital, police station, fire department, restaurants, clubs, kwi-e-mart, gas station, church, botanical garden, office buildings, pre-school. elementary school, high school, McDonalds, Krusty Krab, Taco truck, Ice cream truck, suburbs, community pool, hot air balloon, and a full mall with a food court, movie theater and nearly a dozen stores!

And this one is a theme park that is already finished. It has two roller coasters, two water slides, two mazes, a food court, cookie kiosk, cake kiosk, tons of pixel art, bow and arrow mini games, a tunnel of love, bumper boats, and even a music fun house.

The city submission got me into the TOP 5 and the theme park got honorable mention! I'm saving most of my points for the next DLC content which should be dropping in the next few weeks. 

If you would like to see the article about the competition and the other winners and honorably mentioned click here:

http://www.oxm.co.uk/43124/features/minecraft-xbox-360-the-five-greatest-oxm-community-creations/

I'm hoping to create a section in this blog to walk you through my creations picture by picture for those of you interested. If you have any Minecraft 360 creations you would like to show off, leave a comment with your gamer tag or send me a message on Xbox, my gamer tag is La Lady Panda.

Thanks for Reading!
Love,
Mery Ann