A kind reader sent me a link to CMooreGlass; a wonderful collection of hand made made glass pendants inspired by sea creatures.
Amazing jellyfish pendant (now on my wish list!):
Sea anemone:
Each one is unique, and quite beautiful. See more here.
My favorite creature of the week is the adorable Bobtail Squid.
From Wiki:
Bobtail squid (order Sepiolida) are a group of cephalopods closely related to cuttlefish. Bobtail squid tend to have a rounder mantle than cuttlefish and have no cuttlebone. They have eight suckered arms and two tentacles and are generally quite small (typical male mantle length being between 1 and 8 cm).
Sepiolids live in shallow coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean and some parts of the Indian Ocean as well as in shallow waters on the west coast of the Cape Peninsula off South Africa.
Like cuttlefish, they can swim by either using the fins on their mantle or by jet propulsion. They are also known as dumpling squid (owing to their rounded mantle) or stubby squid.
Why are they so bright, colorful and just plain awesome, you ask?
Bobtail squid have a symbiotic relationship with bioluminescent bacteria (Vibrio fischeri), which inhabit a special light organ in the squid’s mantle. The bacteria are fed a sugar and amino acid solution by the squid and in return hide the squid’s silhouette when viewed from below by matching the amount of light hitting the top of the mantle. The organ contains filters which may alter the wavelength of luminescence closer to that of downwelling moonlight and starlight; a lens with biochemical similarities to the squid’s eye to diffuse the bacterial luminescence; and a reflector which directs the light ventrally.
If you want to watch how these little guys dig in the sand, have an eyeful:
Artist Kirill Rozhkov designed a set of H.P. Lovecraft themed designs to be used for carpets (I wish the link listed where there are actually installed).
Here is how these designs translate into floor and wall decor…
These should also be made in Cthulu area rugs for home use.
See a few more photos from this project here.
Mermaids have a rich (rather culturally diverse) folklore surrounding them. What do you envision when you hear the word “mermaid?” An illustrious beauty with long, flowing hair?
Well, consider some renditions from 19th century Japan.
These illustrations range from about 1805-1840.
Apparently, reports of mermaid encounters were quite common during this time period…though undoubtedly far less desirable than running into one of our own culturally appropriated versions of the creature.
I’m always drawn to any kind of angler fish art or sculpture (it’s a bit like my odd penchant for Predator). Kezeff has a wonderful handmade model of this special fish in his gallery:
If you like this, check out the felted angler and Cuddles (a quick project of mine that is nowhere near as awesome).
A couple other favorites from Kezeff…
And very reminiscent of Stephen Gammell illustration…
See more here.
This little baby buggy tends to circulate every year on various sites. Awww…precious.
Swoon-worthy decoration…
I’d like to see real photos of these:
These as well…
A lovely sculpture by Kate MacDowell:
Ugh…there were always the dreaded houses that dispensed awful Brach’s candy when I was a kid. No one even wanted to trade this stuff.
And arguably even worse…
(I’m not anti-raisin, but this is HALLOWEEN…who wants to gather typical lunchbox fare?)
Definitely an inspirational image for awesome kitschy decoration:
Best passive-aggressive note card ever:
Well, hello there.
One lump, or two?
This is either pretty great, or a sad sign made by a dyslexic man named Brian:
Hang on while I hyperventilate because this collection is so fantastic (wish I had the source!):
Groovy retro style pattern:
Not intended for Halloween…but amazing:
Also unrelated, but this octopus looks monstrously friendly. He’s smiling. At you.
Quite an interesting articulation…
Couldn’t help but laugh at this:
Aww…it wouldn’t surprise me if someone started selling soaps on Etsy designed to look like these (there has been a surprising amount of fetus soap…why not put a sea life spin on it?).
A vintage depiction of an onion bringing HERSELF to tears. How meta.
Yes, it’s a claw…but doesn’t it look like an alien head?
So much pink…so much…meat. Valiant effort on the part of the meat roller.
The logical dessert spread after a setup like the above would clearly come from this book:
I’ve seen some bad wax figures, but Wax Jesus is looking a little rough.
I suppose it could be worse…these things could be happening.
Ha! No idea where this comes from, but it’s entertaining.
Here, have some emotions:
And now for your daily dose of confusion:
Let me preface this by saying I have not had Internet for four days due to Hurricane Irene. My entire town and surrounding areas are still without it and we don’t know when it (or other media/communications) will be restored. I feel VERY lucky to have electricity right now. I drove to the closest place I could find to get online for a moment, and will try to do so again as soon as possible. In the meantime…
This made my day, because outside of saying it myself I’ve never seen the phrase “Zoologically incorrect”…and it’s a favorite.
Peeeeeeek-a-Boooooo!
Another unsettling Peek-a-Boo:
Think about this next time someone uses the fine colloquialism “He/she’ll have my head on a platter!”
This actually got printed:
You might be living in an insane, surrealist dictatorship if your “Dear Leader” is plastered on boxes of tongue scrapers…and walks by to inspect them for quality.
Awww…
Go ahead Betty…one Business Casual Angel Donut won’t hurt…
Yep.
The comic panel of my life (books rule!):
The female of this species probably takes a ages doing her makeup in the morning.
And speaking of other species…we will never be as awesome as this guy…
I’ll leave you with this, folks…
Let’s begin this post with a luminous sunrise over the rolling hills of a meatscape…
As you may know by now, I love photos of glistening industrial structures.
Nature is amazing.
Two bits of street art that really grabbed my attention recently:
Excellent display.
He’s late for a very important date, indeed…
No idea:
Had this mode of transportation been available to me, I might have attempted to attend Sunday school…once.
I know nothing about the origin of this illustration, save for the title: “Experiment With a Unicorn Horn.”
Arguably the world’s most useful superpower:
I wonder if there’s a number around which the subject matter starts to get a bit tired (101? Really? It’s almost impressive).
Ooh…the candle makes it fancy.
A beautiful clock (it sings!) for the minimalist:
Where is this an actual problem?
I’ve saved the best for last. Here’s a great wedding greeting to send all your newlywed friends. Feel free to post your interpretations in the comments.
There’s so much I love about this…I don’t even know where to begin. This fish, hilariously named “Gary,” was so addicted to Kit Kat bars that he outgrew his tank.
Aquarium staff were baffled when the 8.8lb giant gourami called Gary rejected normal food after being donated to them.
Then the previous owners of the exotic Asian freshwater fish admitted feeding it only with the chocolate-covered wafers.
Experts at the Sea Life London Aquarium had to put crushed Kit Kat pieces inside grapes and banana slices to tempt the 15.7in-long fish on to a normal diet.
Oh Gary…I understand, buddy. My loved ones have tried those techniques to wean me off chocolate too.
SheWalksSoftly 