I must say thanks to my friend Jim for showing me Paper Passion, a book scented perfume by Karl Lagerfeld.
Of course, since this is high fashion, Paper Passion will probably cost a bloody fortune (and be rather stinky)…but I like the we bookworms are getting some highbrow attention.
Has anyone smelled this or other book scented products? What’s the verdict?
Last month, I gathered a “Death and the Maiden” image collection on my hard drive, figuring I would do some sort of theme week with it here. But like things tend to do for obsessive image collectors, it kind of got lost in the shuffle.
Roq La Rue Gallery has one upped me with this nicely curated collection in their current Death and the Maiden group show. Here are some previews:
Seattle folks (if you’re out there), let me know how the show is in person if you attend!
If you hadn’t guessed, I’m not a huge wearer of bright colors (it happens, but it’s usually somehow layered with dark things)…however, these bat & flower silk scarves by Klaus Haapaniemi are wonderful:
I’ve always loved the idea of half-hidden darkness or unconventionality. An unsuspecting onlooker would have to look closely to see the bats…but I’d know they’re there.
There are also spider patterns for the arachnid-inclined.
These are giving me craft ideas. I bet some fantastic embroidery creations could emerge with the mingling of bats and flowers.
When I posted about the Mortuary Automaton, a kind reader linked me to this awesome Haunted House Automaton, supposedly from the Edinburgh Museum of Childhood.
Too bad the picture is so small because there’s some cool stuff going on here. I tried to find other videos on youtube to no avail, and googled a bit. In my humble opinion, “Haunted House Automaton” should yield many more results.
After mentioning a migraine, I woke up to a collection of explode-y head imagery (and a glorious decapitation cure) from a dear friend and soul sister.
What more could I ask for in life than friends who “get” me enough to make this sort of perfectly twisted, kind gesture?
Carrie shared one possible cure:
And here are some other migraine inspired art pieces I came across:
Oh wow…others have visited this topic before.
And a favorite, due to the appropriate uncomfortable use of color and contrast…and the puke bucket.
I wish I could read the text on the Milan Bauer website. Such wonderful eye candy…
These retrofuturistic surreal collages of mechanics, man and beast remind me ever so slightly of antique postcards (or perhaps antique postcards as I would like to envision them!).
The Ex Libris section really blew my mind with some of the anatomical inclusions (I wish there were high res, larger images available).
Explore the website here.
I’ve been digging some of Davif Lozeau’s skeleton art lately (pun intended?).
Perhaps I’m just a sucker for skeleton art, but I think these characters are pretty fun.
From the website: David Lozeau has a quirky, character-driven painting style that blends Day of the Dead iconography, 1950s cartoon cell animation, traditional tattoo imagery, and pure Southern California Lowbrow, revealing his unique perspective on life, death, and all the gory stuff in between.
See more here.
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
Does anyone know the artist responsible for this (I bet one of you will!)? I swoon every time I look at this piece.
The lesser known alternative to “shooting lasers from one’s eyes” is shooting pinup models.
My fellow introverts, here is a fabulous KEEP AWAY sign!
Who wants a start a club with this name with me?
From Cake Wrecks comes this awesome reproduction:
Hey, want some fashion? Here goes…
Hairdo hall of fame!
Excellent costume idea:
And while was not intended as a Halloween costume, I think it would work wonderfully as one.
Great alternative to to poodle skirt:
Just make sure you’re not dressed for trouble.
Lovely Crazy Cat Lady:
This has been circulating a lot, but I just have to make sure you’ve all seen it.
Two loves had he…
“Lite Brite, Lite Brite…turn on the magic of colored lights!”
[Imitates Todd Flanders] “Is your source on this reliable?”
This kid is going places in life…
Old Sunday School postcards are always cheese-tastically awesome.
The word of the week: HAMAGINATION.
I love hints of barely detectable darkness amidst standard prim and proper design.
Well done, taxidermist. Well done. Does anyone remember the Ren and Stimpy “Log” commercial that featured “Ultra Log” (which just had a hideous dead squirrel nailed to the top)?
Coincidentally, I also came across what might have been the goal of the project above:
Can this be me, please?
Okay…time to get some reading done…
For some reason, I always thought ouija boards came around before 1890 (when they were first marketed publicly). It seems I’ve been remiss in my spooky geek research. When Elijah Bond introduced the board commercially, it was simply a parlor game. Then around World War I, Spiritualist Pearl Curran popularized it as a tool of divination.
Elijah Bond’s grave is perfect.
For the better part of a century, his grave was unmarked.
It wasn’t until 2007 that Robert Murch, a noted paranormal enthusiast and Ouija Board collector and historian, set out to find the grave, and Elijah Bond finally got the respect he deserved for his invention. Murch claims it took him fifteen years to locate the precise grave in the Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland – and several of those spent working closely with the cemetery owners themselves to accurately identify the grave.
Has anyone envisioned clever tombstones or urns for themselves? Maybe I’m the only one who thinks of these things…
SheWalksSoftly 