SheWalksSoftly

100 Year Old Cake

December 30th, 2011

Here’s an oddity that’s right up my alley. A Christmas spice cake baked in 1911 was found in an abandoned closet, and now resides in Golden Valley, MN, with its current owner Pierre Girard.

The cake carried an inscription on the bottom that said “Xmas Cake Baked in Year 1911 by my Mother’s Brother Alex died December 27. Was operated on Xmas Day.”

Though petrified, the cake still carries the mild scent of cinnamon and spices.

It filled me with joy to learn that Pierre recently threw a party FOR the cake, rather than having cake at a party. Excellent move!

Source
Sketchbook Jack

December 29th, 2011

I recently came across Sketchbook Jack while searching for various holiday character illustrations.

I really enjoy his rendition of Scrooge and the ghosts:

Check out Jacob Marley!

I wish I had been aware of this work in time for Halloween so I could have featured these snazzy greeting cards (sold at the Jack and Till Etsy store).

Sketchbook Jack’s professional resume is quite impressive. And you can see more illustrations here.
Claude Verlinde

December 28th, 2011

Claude Verlinde is responsible for one of the paintings I would most like to live in:

He has a few delightful book scenes in his gallery.

This is his magical concept of a library:

I’m forever on a quest for hourglass representations in art, so I was happy to find this:

And of course I must feature his wonderful work with skeletons…

Step into more of Verlinde’s surreal scenes here (click on the images to see detailed larger sizes).
Noah Doely

December 27th, 2011

I am completely in love with Noah Doely’s photographs.

Perfectly surreal little worlds in sepia, with just the right amount of macabre, mystery and wonder…

See more here.
Crafty Christmas Roundup

December 25th, 2011

MERRY CHRISTMAS to those who celebrate it today! I probably should have done this earlier in the season when folks still had time to order cool holiday decorations and gifts, but…here’s a roundup of some of my favorite spooky crafts this year.

Some great gift tags by ThelronDogMercantile:

Classy skull snowflake ornament by OceannaInWonderland:

I’ve made skeleton gingerbread man ornaments, but this reindeer by Wickedjosixx is an ever better idea!

And here’s another bit of skeletal sweetness that I’ve often thought of making myself. Nutcrackers! By PeachyCheek:

Glowreahhh has these little cuties in a number of different colors:

Embroidered baby bib by MorningTempest:

Card variety pack by TrashBatRaven:

And a cute little card by GinerDead:

Have you ever seen the grim reaper looking so adorable and festive? Card by OnCupcakeMoon:

A cute Goreyesque design from PrinceandPauper:

And this piece from Haunted Nonsense would make a dynamite Christmas card!

Wonderful sculptures by SirCedricsGoodHeads:

Or if you prefer sculptures of the maritime persuasion, there is Lady Cthulhia by WoodedWoods

I hope you are all enjoying the holidays!
Holiday Video Roundup

December 24th, 2011

Tired of the same old specials on TV? Here are some alternatives.

Let’s kick things off with this warped and wonderful “Spumco Christmas Card,” by Ren and Stimpy mastermind John K.:

I believe this claymation video was supposed to be aired on TV, but was actually cut (perhaps due to the kiddies getting beaten up?):

If not for my dear, talented friend J.E. Larson, I would not have remembered this 1950 rendition of “The Night Before Christmas.” PUPPETS!

Mr. Larson also made sure I didn’t skip the priceless Nativity Scene (this is just the first part, see the youtube sidebar for links to the rest):

And now to go waaaaaaay back to 1898, a simpler time, before Christmas was about Xboxes and iPads:

For those who haven’t seen it, here’s the 1968 Terry Gilliam Christmas Card:

And here’s a suggestion from My Pink Planet; a post-apocalyptic anti-war cartoon in which forest critters rebuild a world after the humans have destroyed it.

We’ll top things off with a gelatin Christmas tree from none other than Charles Phoenix, whom you may remember from his fantastic Fried Cereal video:
Holiday Desktop Goodies Part 2

December 23rd, 2011

Behold, the Castle Grayskull igloo!

Source

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.
World Tree of Hope

December 22nd, 2011

Until recently, I had not heard of the World Tree of Hope in San Francisco City Hall.

People “from world leaders to school children” have contributed their wishes for a better world via paper cranes that now decorate the tree.

You can make a wish for free and be part of this lovely project.

I would love to make a miniature version of this to adorn with the wishes of (or my good wishes for) my friends and loved ones. I could also see myself having all wishes written on candy, to be eaten up in good cheer during a holiday gathering!

Here are some past World Trees of Hope…

2010:

2009:

2008:

2007:

2006:

World Tree of Hope
The Wonderful Journey of a Christmas Tree

December 21st, 2011

As long as we’re on the subject of books today, Monster Brains has posted some very unique illustrations from the Belgian Christmas book The Wonderful Journey Of A Christmas Tree dated 1943 by author Joseph C. Boon.

I’m so curious about the rest of this book…has anyone seen it?
The Twelve Terrors of Christmas

December 21st, 2011

Here’s one on my wish list: The Twelve Terrors of Christmas, written by John Updike and illustrated by Edward Gorey.

On Amazon: The Twelve Terrors of Christmas
Scans found in this Flickr set