SheWalksSoftly

Zombie Plush

October 28th, 2008

The wide world of zombies offers so much material that I have to carefully narrow my topic or I could easily spin this into a separate blog altogether. Therefore, I bring you my personal favorite finds in the arena of zombie plush, mostly because I would be churning out zombie plushies of my own right now if I were home in NY with my craft supplies.

Penguin Zombie gets bonus points for unlikely animal choice:

Zombie Bear is very well done, particularly his removable intestines [*wink*].

Cuddly Rigor Mortis Zombie is actually available on amazon:

Life, craftiness and everything else posted this army of zombie mice last year (definitely best displayed in large numbers!):

And my all time favorite plush zombies EVER: Pinkerton FX zombie hamsters, which come in a lovely variety of colors

They are also available in a less squishy form:

Pinkerton FX will be getting a separate post soon.

(This tiny collection submitted for the approval of writer/artist/fellow zombie lover Johnny Zito)
Laura Plansker

October 27th, 2008

Laura Plansker designs incredible dioramas; absurd, humorous, sad, subversive…interpretations of fairy tales and imaginary worlds.

The image above is also part of a small series of Feral Foes, the finely decorated, gun and poison toting harbingers of death.

Her Tiny Tenants series of photo dioramas is a children’s book concept (which I truly hope gets published). Incredibly well done little scenes are accompanied by anecdotes. For example, “The Meat Eaters”:

View in context of book

Have a look through her wonderful work.
World’s Worst Retro Costumes

October 27th, 2008

You have to see this collection to believe it. Really.

I actually like this one. He’s very happy, dare I say triumphant:

Go see the rest of them and be sure to read the commentary!
Aroha Silhouettes

October 27th, 2008

Aroha Silhouettes created this incredible necklace. Hardcover books, crafted out of recycled vinyl records! A fusion of my very favorite things.

I can’t help but completely swoon over it. The other designs are eye catching (and sometimes tricking).
Chicken Car: Death of a Legacy

October 27th, 2008

For the past decade, it was like an old friend parked on Lincoln Blvd in Santa Monica: the Chicken Car. I vowed to finally photograph it before returning home to NY so I could share its majesty (all the more charming as it tarnished with age).

Unfortunately, it seems the Chicken Car is no more. BUT…it has been photographed.

I’ll dearly miss this sight:

The Chicken Car’s purpose, as well as the details of its disappearance, remain shrouded in mystery.

Note: Matt accurately pointed out that along with the legend comes a legendary misnomer. It is indeed a ROOSTER car. Perhaps when baffled by such a sight, people refer back to their most basic classification skills
The SheWalksSoftly Mystery Prize Contest

October 26th, 2008

I’ve had a fantastic time writing this blog so far. I’m trying to determine whether I can continue posting while in grad school.

My conclusion: if I gather enough readers who want the site to stay afloat, I’ll keep it up.

I’ve yet to attempt any real self-promotion. Sure, there are many strategies to optimize search engine rankings, ratings, stats, etc. (which I admit I haven’t explored because I didn’t want this to feel like a “business”). I’m wondering if decent growth is at all possible through a good ol’ fashioned sense of community.

Therefore…

I want to try an experiment in the form of a contest. I’ll put together a special gift package for the person who makes the biggest effort to share this blog. Even if you don’t aim to win the prize, I’d greatly appreciate any small support such as:

1) An email forwarding the link
2) Bulletins/links on social networking sites
3) A referral or link from your own blog/website
4) Use of social bookmarking
5) Any/all of the above, or anything I haven’t thought of…be creative

It’s the effort that counts. Just make sure to tell me what you did!

Deadline: Sunday, November 23rd.

I’m perfectly willing to hand out multiple prizes if warranted, and promote your projects in return. Although there’s a deadline for the actual prize, I’ll always do what I can to help those who help me.

I wonder what will come of this…
Levitation Automaton

October 26th, 2008

I present: The Great Kundalini Thelema-gician, a one-of-a-kind antique automaton by artist Thomas Kuntz.

The faces are pretty incredible. They don’t make toys like this anymore!

The automaton performs the following sequence:
1 – The magician looks left to right and his mouth opens and closes as if addressing the audience.
2 – He waves a wand over the girl.
3 – The girl struggles as if to covey something has gone wrong.
4 – Her feet wiggle and she begins to levitate.
5 – The magician’s long pointed hat levitates also.
6 – The girl descends and the magician opens the left side his robe (a message or item could be included here).

Amazing, no?

Source
Kris Lewis

October 25th, 2008

Kris Lewis’s portraits are hauntingly beautiful depictions of emotional depth, fragility, and just the right amount anatomical distortion to lend a mysterious, surreal air.

I can’t help but feel slightly heartbroken when I look at the painting above.

Visit his site for more.
Fortune Tellers

October 25th, 2008

I have no recollection of where I found these vintage fortune teller photos…I just like them, despite (well…actually because of their nightmarish qualities).
Kerry Kate’s October Effigies

October 24th, 2008

What a perfect time of year to post Kerry Kate’s work. She hand makes incredibly unique, gauzy, tarnished, deliciously detailed dolls.

Her oddly shaped torsos are painted with a ghostly kind of realism, adding the appearance of depth to a simple piece of stuffed canvas.

She achieves a great antique feel in her pieces, as if they are heirlooms from Great Grandma’s attic (if Great Grandma had a hint of darkness to her sensibilities).

See more of her work on her website.