IDEA!
Everyone should know this.
Ah, refreshing summer treats.
Gorgeous!
This looks like an awesome model kit.
I love this painting. Such a sense of longing.
I left the trademark that says “for personal purposes only,” because I imagine all of us have ultra-cute kitten purposes.
On the other hand, I see no earthly purpose for this:
So…extra crotch room for Chuck Norris style kicks was a selling point?
A turtle skeleton, just because.
Incredible makeup job.
This is technically an autumn item, but I’m posting it as the Northeast US starts to swelter with summer heat because it’s too good to wait.
I present: “Vegetable Harvest Creature.”
Made of early celluloid plastic from the Viscoloid company, this super rare fellow is…wait for it…
…TWO FACED! Yes, he can be happy or sad, tragic or comic (well, he’s always both of those no matter which face is forward).
The price tag is steep, but for serious celluloid collectors, this…exists.
How do I get my hands on this?
This came up in my Amazon suggestions. Best mouse pad I’ve ever seen. I may buy it for my such clicks and many scrolls. And I like its enthusiasm: “Wow.”
I tried to find this album on YouTube so we could take a listen. Art definitely looks the part(y) here.
Dapper Vegetable Man. Wait for it…nobody BEETS him! (See what I did there?)
I have no idea who makes these, but they’re rather amazing.
Take this, Darwin…
Awkward Christ and puppet induced ecstasy:
So chilling…
Control your giant blob, dude.
Not the most practical default posture…but terrifying nonetheless.
“And then the Mammoth took the two of them in the circle of his trunk, and threw them into space.”
Anyone have these as a kid?
The look on the little kid’s face really drive home “poor life choices.”
Let’s start with some sea inspired fashion…
And a gorgeous octopus ice sculpture:
A stunning still frame.
I like the way this woman thinks. Pizza will never break your heart.
A beautiful soul is made of rabbits.
Oh thank you, Rachel, for this…and your other invaluable contributions to this post.
I’m sure it’s happening somewhere…
Traveling in style.
I approve of this progression.
Yep, it’s a wig made of countless earbuds on strings…for people who want to have listening parties and don’t care about personal space.
Who remembers this?
All of my outfits are based on various diaphonized specimens. Fashion at its finest.
Allow me to step on my soapbox and let loose a rant that’s been brewing for quite sometime…*ahem*…
If you don’t want to read the whole post, I’ll lead with the end point:
I’m shutting down the SWS Facebook “page” and keeping it personal, the way I originally intended, by inviting you all to my regular profile. Click “follow” and you’ll get the daily blog post (as well as some bonus content).
Be sure to click “follow” and not “add friend” so you see the artsy content and avoid clogging up your own feed with my name tagged in various memes and medical articles. Follow HERE.
Now the reason…
A couple of months ago, Facebook notified me that they were going to shut down my blog profile unless I submitted legal documentation proving my name is She Walks Softly. So I converted the profile to a “page,” lost all my data, and now my blog posts are listed as reaching about 7 people instead of 500+ per day via Facebook specifically. Since I had barely touched the site for 5 years, I didn’t realize that Facebook wants us to buy ad space so they limit the post audience and don’t let us add anyone or communicate from a “page.”
I take issue with this because Facebook frequently makes announcements regarding its perpetual quest to target the user’s experience to his or her own interests, as if we should be grateful. It appears this is largely a veil for self-serving data mining and manipulation of visibility for financial gain.
I’m an extremely pronounced introvert. And while I adore and admire my extrovert friends who cast a wide social net, due to my own wiring I cannot…even where it would serve me…muster the faintest interest in non-substantive popularity. This quality is simultaneously a gift that ensures a high concentration of quality personal interactions in my life, and a curse in our market-saturated society that requires copious self-promotion for any independent project (an endeavor at which I’m not only miserable, but wholly inept). I’ve never promoted my blog anywhere nor have I taken any measures to grow the Facebook page. Whoever ended up on these sites found them of their own accord and wanted to be there.
The plummeting numbers themselves didn’t bother me. It bothers me that many people who went out of their way to tell me they appreciated the blog content and followed daily through Facebook no longer see the posts, and I have no recourse to make them aware of the shift. Even if I could remember all the strangers who have expressed gratitude and write to them from my regular profile, I would get temporarily banned for “spamming.” And, if I were able to write to these kind strangers, the messages would be relegated to the recipients’ “other/request” folder, most likely remaining unseen. I didn’t even know an “other” folder existed until there were hundreds of messages in it…and I still never check it.
In short: people who expressed genuine interest have been shut out. This hardly reflects the site’s purported benevolent preoccupation with targeting user interests. Apparently, there is a penalty for valuing quality over quantity, for wanting followers who actually give a damn about the material as opposed to page views that can be bought.
This blog is a fun hobby that has nothing to do with my career. I will never earn money off it, and that was a conscious choice I made so as not to alter my content for search engine optimization, feel tempted to post shameless clickbait, bombard people with pop-up ads and other flagrant marketing tools…or do anything other than share my love of art, absurdity, and the darker side of life with fellow enthusiasts.
Let’s take a moment to ogle the beauty of nature…
For some reason, people feel slightly uneasy in this chair.
A tad crass…but definitely my favorite faux Rand McNally cover:
Couldn’t they have thought of more appetizing adjectives than “semi-liquids?” I suppose it beats “lumpy, congealed and vomitous.”
Dana, Don’t make a joke about this car being cheesy…Don’t make a joke about this car being cheesy…Resist!
Did anyone have this as a kid? It looks awesome.
How can I get my hands on this book? This woman absolutely has life figured out.
Incredible building of unknown origin.
Gorgeous modern interpretation of Danse Macabre!
The old one was no fun at all…
A children’s book illustration. I’m sure no one had nightmares or anything.
I could have sworn I posted these before, but they don’t turn up in the archives, so I suppose I just collected them years ago in a mad frenzy of right-clicking like I’m so often wont to do.
Vinegar Valentines were a great way to anonymously troll someone before the advent of the Internet (though arguably trolling had a lot more poetic flare circa 1840-1940 when these artistic tools of debasement were in circulation). There were Vinegar Valentines to suit many types and occasions.
For that annoying PDA couple:
The domineering gold digger:
The Cassanova:
The shrill neurotic:
The showoff:
The subtle slithering specimen:
These are clearly tame compared to modern insults, but one aspect of humanity consistent throughout the ages is that the Shadow side makes itself known. It should be a rule that trolls must provide a colorful handmade illustration with every hateful comment they leave (this would most likely cut down on the amount of “OMG ur so UgLy…gO dIe!” statements on perfectly nice YouTube videos).
See more at Collectors Weekly.
Many thanks to the lovely Rachel for the perfect Superbowl Sunday link (not for actual football fans, of course).
This incredible clip of prancing footballers and a leotard-clad Debbie Reynolds playing a football is from the 1953 musical I Love Melvin. The New York Times claimed this “musical comedy contrivance is almost too liberal for words.” You be the judge.
You realize what happened here: this bird was killed, only to be zoomorphized into a bastardized version of itself in a stupid hat. Talk about adding insult to injury.
Debatable:
Terrifying:
I’m completely entranced by this piece, yet can’t find an artist credit anywhere. Ideas? If no one knows…it’s obviously an alien cell phone.
Parenthetical note:
Excellent…I like strong coffee; strong enough to make my head blast clear off my body.
I almost cropped out the caption because it’s so clear that this thing originated from a very unholy place that it just seems redundant.
Isn’t this all our monsters ever really want? (No really, think about it.)
I searched, in gleeful hope, for a vintage TV commercial featuring Drippy the Runny Nose Kid. But alas, no record of one exists. Sorry I couldn’t deliver this thing in action (or maybe I should be saying “you’re welcome”).
1) Reading books about death becomes considerably more difficult.
I find this photo incredibly haunting. It actually stirs up a visceral unease.
Yes, some might consider the following a deal breaker. She seems open minded. The horse (or…man-horse?), not so much.
Your fist becomes a real face.
The truth of how brains really work, unveiled. SCIENCE!
I’m sure I’ve posted this before, but this vintage New Year potato is my favorite greeting of all time for this day. Maybe I’ll make it a tradition to post him every year.
Wishing you all a wonderful 2016!
SheWalksSoftly 