I'm pretty sure our Christmas tree *needs* one of these ornaments

I know it's a little early to be talking about Christmas or any of the other upcoming winter holidays, but I think you'll forgive me for doing so once you lay your eyes on the Christmas-y thing about which I want to talk.

Showcased in the photo below is a GameBoy ornament (or keychain, if you prefer) that's currently being sold by Canadian fiber artist Michelle Coffee via her etsy shop.



A single 2.5-inch-by-3.25-inch ornament will set you back just over $12 (not including shipping, it seems)--which really isn't too much when you consider the, er, adorableness it'll add to your tree or wreath this holiday season.

See also: 'Kirby in process'

Kirby in process

Since I haven't injected this blog with a massive dose of cuteness in a while, I thought I'd do so today by posting the work-in-progress hoop-thing (can you tell I'm an embroidery expert?) below that's being made by fiber artist Michelle Coffee.

Apparently the final product is going to be a part of the "20 Days of Kirby" series that's taking over 4 color rebellion for the next week or so. (It started on April 27. Check out the Kirby-inspired creations that have been published already here.)



To see more examples of Coffee's abilities (including the most adorable plushes you're ever likely to lay eyes on), head on over to her Flickr photostream and her etsy shop, Deadly Sweet.

See also: Previous posts about Michelle Coffee (aka misscoffee) and her creations

Hey Nintendo, where's my 'New Legend of Zelda'?

You know what I find strange? I find it strange that the folks at Nintendo have yet to release a back-to-its-roots Zelda game (à la New Super Mario Bros. and New Super Mario Bros. Wii).

Instead, they seem to be obsessed with either recreating Ocarina of Time (see: Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword) or re-imagining Wind Waker (see: Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks).

Personally, I'd prefer it if the company's designers and programmers took the series back to its 16-bit glory days and produced a game that brought to mind A Link to the Past. It wouldn't have to be sprite-based, of course--although I certainly wouldn't complain if it were--but I do think it should use a top-down perspective similar to the one seen in the above-mentioned SNES (or Super Famicom, if that's your thing) classic.

"Watch Out for the Octopus 2" by folkfiddle

Going back to this so-called New Legend of Zelda's graphics for a second: Sure, the game could ape the New Super Mario Bros. titles and feature acceptably-crafted-yet-somewhat-boring polygonal characters and environments, but I'd much rather see Nintendo's developers push the envelope a bit. For example, they could make it appear as though everything in the game were created using clay or fabric (à la Kirby's Epic Yarn). Or they could turn to the Paper Mario series--or the image above--for inspiration and make it look like a pop-up book.

That said, I'll gladly accept slightly uninspired visuals if it means I'll get to play a "modern" Zelda game that feels and plays like A Link to the Past.

What do you think? Would you like the folks at Nintendo to release New Legend of Zelda for the 3DS, Wii U or both? If so, how would you want the game to look and feel?