I vaguely remember this special…

Aww…look at this little gentleman from Handmade Stuffs:

A little metallic minimalism:

And for those who don’t want minimalism, a giant ball of Christmas pudding:

Absolutely no comment here. This blog is a family establishment.

Hey…Santa isn’t supposed to be a rugged lumber jack! If this version of our beloved St. Nicholas showed up at my house, I’d give him yard work to do.

If Santa were a Shih Tzu:

And this one appears to have had a run-in with some pepper spray.

He sees you when you’re sleeping…

Now for some beautiful sweets, a gingerbread typewriter:

If anyone has either of these musical gems, please share!

On the other hand, please do NOT send me this album. Oh Scott Weiland…why? I gave STP quite a few spins in my adolescence, but Weiland’s crooning on this album makes me sad, uncomfortable, and a bit embarrassed for him. Go ahead and listen to some samples if you want to see why this is what the bad children should get for Christmas.

Speaking of sad, it looks like this Santa was just released from the burn unit:

One of a series of Christmas illustrations by Graham Wilson (he does some great Christmas/Halloween mashups too).

Proportion? Never heard of it. Santa is magical. He can do what he wants.

A decoration for the Trekkies!

Kitteh refuses to be your holiday prop (I love the hand on the left, presumably going to help…a little too late).

This X-ray tree by Nick Veasey (whom I could have sworn I posted about before, but is not turning up in my searches) would make a wonderful holiday card.

Or if you prefer a glow in the dark variety:

We’ll finish with this amazing Harold Lloyd Christmas tree, recently posted by my friends at Unusual Life.

If you’re in the area, go see some creepy, cuddly, bony, fuzzy little monsters!

You can see some of the exhibit online here, but these are probably fun to see in person.

Little goth deer…

Zombie bunny!

Violetpie

Sun:

Moon:

Earth:

Mars:

They range from $19-30 (a little pricey if you ask me), but oh…the cuteness…

Celestial Buddies

They come in three sizes and three color schemes…

Everything on the site is hand crafted and hand painted. This robot is another favorite of mine…

Projects range from sweet folk art characters, to surreal flora and fauna, to slightly dark personalities.

The Cart Before the Horse

Amazing:

From Bob Doucette:

Lovely little bunnies from Ron English:

I spotted this rabbit on speed in a grocery store (note the oddly placed block of cheese next to him. Did he steal it in an amphetamine rampage?):

A bunch of bunnies by Frijol Boy:

This one’s a meat eater:

And this one is…like me:

Two by Nicoletta Ceccoli:

Double sweetness:

This is what you will dream after too much Easter candy:

No comments necessary.

Just a happy day in the garden…

Not sure I understand what they were going for with this military theme.

Love the Easter Witch!

And here’s a bit of nostalgia…

I feel awkward looking at this:

HAREdo! Get it? Get it?

Happy Easter…we’re halfway to Halloween!

Paintings…

Drawings…

Sculptures…

Plush…

See the rest here.
Artist site
Previously on SheWalksSoftly

I understand why people go all out on this day; conversely, I understand why they detest it.

My official standpoint on Valentines Day: Yes, it’s capitalist nonsense. The fabricated publicity, pressure and expectations are absurd. But you don’t have to be Hallmark’s bitch to honor the one you love.

Why not take this opportunity to celebrate love in your own creative fashion? You can bypass the drug store aisles filled with pink and red things. Let it be a personal ritual between you and a partner…or friend…or your family…or your pets.

But celebrate love. It’s rare. It’s important. It’s worthy of recognition.

People are gross. We have bad habits and bodily functions. We do stupid things. We start wars, kill each other, institutionalize hatred and prejudice, indulge in greed and senseless drama, get wiped out by natural disasters or illnesses. So if you have anyone who loves you despite your humanity…be grateful, and damn well celebrate in a way that resonates with you.

Even if you’re jaded, cynical and misanthropic, send someone a card that says “Thanks for not being the total bloody disappointment I thought you’d be.” Let someone know they are just a little less horrendous than everyone else.

To my loved ones: thank you for all you given, inspired, healed, comforted, supported and for all the ways you’ve made my existence worthwhile.

For some reason, people who share my viewpoint on this holiday are few and far between. But I encourage you to consider that even ideas founded upon capitalist greed are ours to reclaim…if we choose to do so.

Today? VINTAGE STRONGMEN, inspired by these bandages seen on Swissmiss:

Outlets for the general fascination with physical strength shape-shift through generations, but the fascination itself appears to be a constant of the human experience.

Since images like the ones above are easy enough to search out (if you’re so inclined…which you’re probably not), I’m going to focus on a few of the things that surprised me in my strongman odyssey.

I came across many more dolls and toys than I expected. Particularly modern ones. There’s a strongman revival in the works, folks. Believe it.

Perhaps the toy trend comes from the recent hipster adoption and pop culture resurrection of the handlebar moustache.

They just kept popping up!

Inherently contradictory paper strongman:

Awww…

There are a variety of vintage toys as well.

No idea about this one…

I really wonder what this old “Rover” LP sounds like:

For those who wanted to measure their own “strongmanity” (my adjective describing one’s degree of strongman attributes):

Lou has Muscles and Might (though surprisingly weak ankles):

Mildly uncomfortable…

More uncomfortable…

Best left unexplored, really…

Yearning to know more? Try a Composite Guide.

There were indeed comic representations too, but that’s a whole other story.

I’ll wrap it up here with a classic poster.

You’ll find the greatest wealth of images on Oldtime Strongman (I didn’t take images from the site for this post because I found the logos distracting to look at, but much effort clearly went into this site).

This post is dedicated to the mighty Buff Jenkins, who has helped me loosen many a jar lid. May your tankinis always be striped and well-fitted!

Lady Cartoonist is actually doing a scarf-a-day project this year.

Lady Cartoonist