In loving memory of Mom…from whom I get all my craftiness…we have this PHENOMENAL sewing box cake.
Other great ones here.
Cannot type/talk due to severe illness (all words courtesy of voice software or kind typing helpers)…I read and appreciate all comments…Apologies for not being able to respond.
Posted by proxy from Dana’s “stuff to blog” queue while she is on medical hiatus. She reads and appreciates all comments…and apologizes for not being able to respond at the moment.
Does it get any more secular than Peeps representing a holiday? Happy Easter, Everyone. Now I’m going out to get me some Peeps! Look at these great entries in a recent Peeps diorama contest.
This is just brilliant, from Despicable Me.
The Shining!
Where do those pink slime burgers come from?
“A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Peep”
“Peeps Mourn Their Peeps: Twinkie, Rest in Peeps”
~Dana has been noticeably touched by the outpouring of support and prayers from everyone. Family and friends are so touched by the love this community has shown. Thank you all for joining in her plight and helping ease along the healing. It means the world to us.
Posted by proxy from Dana’s “stuff to blog” queue while she is on medical hiatus. She reads and appreciates all comments…and apologizes for not being able to respond at the moment.
Today this Proxy Blogger is hijacking the post du jour to wish one of the best friends I could ever hope for a Happy Birthday! Here is a Wish for Health and Happiness above all else, and a return to her blog in (hopefully) short order.
These images are a jumble of fun I should think friends and readers would wish to share with her on this day.
(this uncanny found image reminded me what Dana may look like blowing out candles)
As ever I ask this lovely community who read She Walks Softly daily or at random to take a moment to send Positive Energy, Prayers, and Well Wishes to Dana. Her situation is most distressing, keeping Dana at arms length too long. (I hope I am doing OK in her place, but I long to be reading Dana’s snarky comments instead!)
It’s too bad the words in the English language are so limited. I wish there were a thousand different ways I could express my Father’s Day sentiments, but I once again go back to the blurb on my first SheWalksSoftly Father’s Day post:
Today I’d like to like to honor my dad, who is truly one of the most amazing individuals I’ve ever known. This man has been a stellar role model of compassion, responsibility and integrity, who continues to inspire me on a daily basis. I owe so much of who I am, and anything I may achieve in the future, to his love and guidance.
It’s a rare person (and a rare parent) who can seamlessly blend rationality and emotion, regulation and freedom, wish and possibility. He selflessly provided so much, yet taught me to take nothing for granted. From him, I learned to hope for great things…yet never balk at working hard to get them. I learned that love is not only words, but the genuine desire to make someone’s world a better place, honoring their needs with equal (if not more) importance than one’s own.
Dad, not a day goes by that I don’t appreciate the hell out of you! May I go forward in this world with the values you have taught me and make you proud…
Now for a few goodies.
Um…what? Bonus points to whoever has the best guess as to what this supposed to be?
Some nice skeletal father and child hands…
Well you ARE my anchor Dad, but something is lost in the execution here.
#…? Eh, forget it. Math is hard.
A tool.
The perfect gift.
Always a good idea:
Wow. Nothing says love like beating the hell out of your child, in as ad no less.
Hey dad, remember when you would take me to practice sports as a kid even though I was terrible at them and couldn’t wait until they weren’t mandatory anymore? Somehow you made it fun (which for me is the equivalent of enjoying a root canal). Thank you. (I chose this picture because I was probably just slightly less adept than a cat trying to play soccer…but close)
This is the truth:
Get it? Get it? *Nudge, nudge*
You gave me a love of monsters & macabre old and new! How I miss watching movies with you! (Gee, I love how I just start to rhyme like a Dr Seuss book sometimes)
So, #1 Dad (or, World’s Greatest…the best in the world…which is better than #1)…you are my hero now and always. I LOVE YOU!
Happy Father’s Day to the dads out there!
Let’s take a break from the typical spookiness of this blog for something truly beautiful.
Illustrator Ronald Searle (who really deserves another feature post) created a very special project for his wife, now available as a hardcover book.
47 jewel-like drawings by Ronald Searle made for his wife, Monica, each time she underwent chemotherapy. On New Year’s Eve 1969, Monica Searle was diagnosed with a rare and virulent form of breast cancer. Each time she underwent treatment, Ronald produced a Mrs Mole drawing ‘to cheer every dreaded chemotherapy session and evoke the blissful future ahead’. Filled with light and illuminated in glowing colours, the drawings speak of love, optimism and hope.
Like the medieval illuminated manuscripts such as the 15th-century Les Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, to which the title of this book refers, the 47 drawings are on an intimate scale and were never intended for publication. The story of Monica’s survival against the odds and the part played by the encouragement of her husband will move many people who have either experienced cancer for themselves or been affected through a close family member or friend.
What a profoundly touching gesture. I remember when my mother was battling cancer, I made her a postcard every single week for over a year (complete with quotes or loving statements on the back). I eventually assembled the collection into an album for her. While she did not survive this journey, I believe in the power of art to bring joy and sooth the spirit. It warms my heart to think that the selfless bond between two people (whether lovers, family or friends) can inspire this kind of valiant effort.
“Everything about them had to be romantic and perfect. I drew them originally for no one’s eyes except Mo’s, so she would look at them propped up against her bedside lamp and think: ‘When I’m better, everything will be beautiful.’” ~ Ronald Searle
Dergin Tokmak contracted Polio when he was only one year old, which resulted in partial paralysis from Poliomyelitis. He went on to become a Cirque du Soleil performer and breakdancer.
Check out this informal video from his youtube channel. Give it a minute to get going…and watch the incredibly fluid, gravity defying moves. Amazing.
“I want to pass on to the next generation … so people can see that no handicap is too big or too limiting to dance. My message as an artist is to show the world that there is a creative soul in everyone with or without a handicap.” -Dergin Tokmak
This gorgeous sculpture by David Kravoc was commissioned as an award for Rabbi Yossi Raichik, director of Chabad’s Children of Chernobyl.
The piece represents The Book of Life, and pages are filled with the words of those touched by Raichik’s kindness. What a lovely idea for a memorial, and very well executed.
Hey Dad…I have the wonderfullest thing for you today:
Every word of last year’s Fathers Day post remains true…
Today I’d like to like to honor my dad, who is truly one of the most amazing individuals I’ve ever known. This man has been a stellar role model of compassion, responsibility and integrity, who continues to inspire me on a daily basis. I owe so much of who I am, and anything I may achieve in the future, to his love and guidance.
It’s a rare person (and a rare parent) who can seamlessly blend rationality and emotion, regulation and freedom, wish and possibility. He selflessly provided so much, yet taught me to take nothing for granted. From him, I learned to hope for great things…yet never balk at working hard to get them. I learned that love is not only words, but the genuine desire to make someone’s world a better place, honoring their needs with equal (if not more) importance than one’s own.
Dad, not a day goes by that I don’t appreciate the hell out of you! May I go forward in this world with the values you have taught me and make you proud…
I like this card. I think I could still do this and my dad would barely feel it! (by Dear Nic)
Dad…you’re #1…and the World’s Greatest.
I hate to bid goodbye to the Ryan Matthew theme week because it’s been a blast, but I suppose all good things must come to and end.
Behold this recent creation: a human skull sliced into six sections, mounted on handmade metal fixtures.
The adjustable sections fan out from a central point, and the corresponding split mandible rests on its own stand below.
Apparently the human skull, when cut, produces a staggering amount of dust (coveted by certain collectors…nothing goes to waste).
The remarkable cross sections allow one to view the inner and outer structure of the cranial bones. I love looking at the spatial relationships, varying density, and tiny nuances that (most of us) rarely fixate upon. Like the exploded skulls, these would make phenomenal educational tools.
I see a great deal of potential in this technique, for personal and professional purposes. There was even brief talk of constructing models that incorporate soft tissue specimens (I might have audibly squealed with delight at the idea…I hope not).
This piece is currently under glass, in the center of Ryan’s dining room table…a perfect spot, and fabulous dinner company.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Ryan, he’s not likely to rest on his osteological laurels. His focus, dedication and skills are are highly commendable. I have no doubt that we can expect countless incredible undertakings in the months and years to come.
Brilliant work, all around. It’s been an honor.
(Photos by Sergio Royzen)
Years ago I came across a mesmerizing photo of a disarticulated human skull, cleaned and mounted on display with jointed movable parts. A little something like this:
All I could find was that French anatomist Claude Beauchene, inspired by the work of Leonardo Da Vinci, developed this presentation method in the mid 1800′s. There was precious little information about the process, and very few examples.
Ryan Matthew has resurrected this technique and fine tuned its execution with multiple species. Beauchene would be proud.
Here we have an “exploded” human skull:
Believe it or not, there is no bone cutting involved in this process. The skull is fully disarticulated, using a method of internal expansion. The adjustable metal fixtures are handmade as well.
A baboon version:
And a cat…
Having seen these skulls up close, I must say that the detail and construction are stunning. The lack of cutting ensures that each bone fragment maintains its natural shape and integrity. These models would be fantastic educational resources.
I wonder if exploded skulls will take off as a way to memorialize dearly departed pets. At the very least, I think they will make their way into the personal collections of oddity connoisseurs worldwide.
If you want to commission one, look no further than Ryan himself.
