I always like to do an Oriental Trading Co. roundup this time of year. Here are my favorite offerings from the 2016 catalogue.
Big Top Terror Cardboard Stand-Up
I love all their Day of the Dead offerings. This is the basic design.
Day of the Dead Skull Wall Decoration
I handmade a version of these years ago. Not your grandma’s die-cuts.
Bloody Weapon Cutouts
And if you’re looking for something kid friendly, there are adorable Halloween Owl Favor Boxes
Be warned:
Sometimes I write fictional surrealist resumes in my head just for fun. I’m definitely adding “Can appear as a disembodied head and hypnotize crocodiles” to my skill set.
The daintiest amphibious juggler.
There is something very wrong with this cat’s hind quarters (or maybe very right as far as he’s concerned).
An unlikely friendship, indeed.
There are not nearly enough meat puns in the sentimental postcard industry.
So delightfully subtle…until you step in the wrong spot, that is.
Thank you, Rachel, for these next two. I’ll quote her here: “No means NO, Jesus!”
…but this is a sweater that many can afford. (I’m sure this man’s parrot has become clinically depressed from living with him).
Genuinely creepy. Not sure where this comes from. Hell, presumably.
I was going to write an individual comment for each of these, but they kind of work as a dyad.
I spent a while trying to figure out this “twelfth finger” thing. Does anyone get it?
Now, a giant chicken absconding with a child, anyone can understand.
Be careful if you like cute things (that lean a little left of center). Oso Polar’s creations are addictive, and you may find yourself clicking through all 80 pages of her handmade creature sculptures on deviantART. Not that I can tell you from experience or anything (*shift eyes*).
In an utterly surreal event, THIS ran under our car in the middle of moving traffic on a gigantic highway yesterday. It was the very last place one would expect to find a kitten, as there were no wooded or residential areas for many miles. He was all the way in the left lane, and undoubtedly seconds from being roadkill. We screeched to a halt and scooped him up. He’s 7-8 weeks old, one pound, around the size of an adult fist.
He has a shockingly sweet temperament for a feral, and checked out fine at the vet. We have a black and white cat already, and this fellow is black AND white. Fate, right?
I’ll never forget the site of Casey emerging from under the car holding this fellow as traffic frantically whooshed by in all directions. He opened the door and said “I guess we have a new kitten.” “Um…I guess so!” I said…already completely in love (can you blame me with that face?).
Name ideas, anyone?
Keri Pajutee’s hand crafted miniatures could very well be the answer to my irrational wish to always be covered in cats.
These little cuties are constructed in mixed media at standard dollhouse 1:12 ratio. If I had one I’d keep it in my pocket or purse for emergency doses of feline energy.
There are many other animals in her portfolio as well. You can read about how she makes them here.
It was this particular character that drew me into Renee French’s work. This fellow was the subject of a daily drawing series, and each one was amazingly expressive. I love this little lump with limbs.
A deeper look in her portfolio brings us a plethora of creatures; some impossibly wide-eyed and cute, others appearing content, trepidatious, shocked or frightened.
She does a brilliant job creating very nuanced emotions in her non-human subjects.
In 2009, Rotocasted posted this impossibly adorable vinyl brain toy, designed by the talented Junko Mizuno, manufactured by Kidrobot.
There’s very little information about it anymore, but (just seeing it for the first time now), I wish it had been mass produced.
My cat looks at me like this when she’s hungry:
What a great item.
Charmed Confections is a “whimsical Sweet Shoppe of unique folk art.” I can be a bit picky about cutesy Halloween decor, but artist LeeAnn Kress does a fabulous job.
A young Dana would have gone mad for this doll.
The eyeballs in the drinks are an excellent detail. One doesn’t often say this about skeletons, but, they really look like they love each other.
Here we have a little dose of You Can’t Handle the Cute before things stay spooky this season.
Chloe Giordano’s miniature embroidered animals are nearly photorealistic. Her Tumblr has progress shots so you can see them emerge on blank pieces of fabric. It’s quite a thing to behold.
Look at the level of detail in this tiny work! Many, many close little stitches…Can’t you almost see it breathing?
LaliBlue creates adorable three dimensional necklaces featuring beloved fairy tale characters and other original creatures.
So much depth in a tiny piece!
The shop description says :
Handmade, childhood memories, classic tales, romantic jewelry, women’s accessories, vintage decor, tenderness,dreams, fantasy, dolls, circus, magic, dioramas … All this and much more will you find.
I love Pinocchio in the belly of the whale…
Alice falling down a rabbit hole…
And Miss Cauliflower (my favorite original piece!)
SheWalksSoftly 