Giving new meaning to the phrase “with every beat of my heart,” the Pulse Ring from C. Roule Design features a custom EKG engraving on the inside of the band.

Send them an EKG printout and they will create a ring engraved with the pulse pattern, name, and date. This would be a unique and very personal wedding ring, but you could also have an engraving of, say, your baby’s heartbeat from an ultrasound or the EKG of a loved one who’s recovered from illness.

The rings come in several different metals and pricing starts at $495. They also offer a Pulse Pendant, starting at $795.

Their online store is “under construction” and their downloadable order form is a bit flaky,* but the form lists pulse@roule.com as a contact e-mail so you could probably just write and ask for ordering details.

(Incidentally, you could go DIY with the personalized-EKG idea and paint or embroider a pattern on decorative objects or clothing. The rings are very pretty, though.)

*It has a “.pdf.bin” extension: If you’re running a Mac, drop the file into StuffIt. If you’re on Windows, change the extension to “.pdf”. If you’re on Linux, good for you!

Etsy seller foldedpigs is a self-described “porcelain snob” who likes to experiment with unusual designs. She takes restaurant-style ceramic dishware, adds her own images, then re-fires them to fuse the design into the glaze.

Her current designs include skull and cross…utensils plates, cereal bowls with the slogan, “I love you more than zombies love brains,” and espresso cups with anatomically-correct hearts on them.

Given that they’re handmade, the dishes are quite reasonably priced. I’d love to have a set of the plates for dinner parties.

(via Badder Homes and Gardens)

I may have to expand my shoe collection significantly. I keep finding interesting footwear.

Zazzle seller Dynomoose offers a variety of unusual printed Keds shoes, including these X-ray Shoes showing your bony toes. I also like the internal organ and I Heart Zombies shoes.

Their neckties and other accessories are worth a look, too. If your employer forces you to wear a tie, you at least should be able to wear one with pentagrams all over it.

Artist Elizabeth McGrath takes little cleavers,* hand-paints them, tarts them up with fake rust and glitter dust, and presents them in a pretty box. She offers a range of designs, from anatomically-correct hearts (which can be personalized!) to freaky little bats with crystal eyes. For $25, it’s a pretty good deal.

The cleavers are small–just 4″–so they could be displayed on a desk or mantel without trouble. It also occurs to me that a bunch of these would be an arresting set of ornaments for a Christmas tree. But maybe that’s just me.

Link (via Neatorama)

*She calls them “butcher knives” all over the site. Apparently she doesn’t cook.

Old gravestones are works of art, and if you’re lucky enough to be near an historic graveyard, you can (with permission) make rubbings and even castings of interesting stones.

The Gravestone Girls have taken it to the next level: They offer wall art, jewelry, and magnets made from castings or rubbings of 17th, 18th and 19th century gravestones found in cemeteries throughout the New England region.

They’ve recently begun to offer classes, so if you’re in the New England area you can learn how to non-invasively take castings of your own stones.

If nothing else, go take a look at the site for inspiration of your own. I’d never considered using details of old tombstones as decorative objects, but I absolutely love the result.

Link (via Pumpkinrot)

Disney’s Haunted Mansion attraction is about to turn 40, and they’re planning all kinds of commemorative merchandise to celebrate. My favorite are these awesome shoes, featuring the spooky eyeball wallpaper pattern from the entrance hallway.

You can view artist’s concepts of all the planned merchandise here. They’re expecting high demand for some of these limited-edition items, so they’ll be using a “Random Selection Process” computer program to choose who gets to purchase the merchandise.

Incidentally, if you’re in the Anaheim area, there’s an after-hours special event planned for the ride’s anniversary. It looks like the tickets are mostly sold out already, but I’d be surprised if they weren’t available on eBay.

UK-based jeweler Butler & Wilson offer a large selection of skull-themed jewelry encrused with Swarovski crystals. They aren’t cheap, but they’re certainly arresting. This skull tiara would be an awesome bridal accessory, and this trinket box is intricate and creepy.

If you’re patient and good with gluing on fiddly bits, you might be able to hand-make something reasonably similar. (You’d have to be much more patient than I am.)

Link (via Haunt Style)

The lovely Crypt Stitch recently held a contest to give away one of her Changeling dolls, and I was the lucky winner. It arrived last week, and it’s just adorable (you can see more pictures on her site, and there’s a similar one in her Etsy shop).

The doll is reversible; her skirt flips up over her head and she changes from dark to light. I just love the fabrics she chose, and the little lacy sleeves and necklace are nice touches. (Not that I’ve actually gotten to play with it much; Shadowboy thinks it’s the Coolest Thing Ever and is hogging it for himself.)

Go look! She has some lovely things.

Etsy seller The House of Mouse creates inspired little felt mice dressed up as all sorts of things.

In addition to Axel the Executioner here (and isn’t he the snuggliest little killer you’ve ever seen?), she has Emily the Emo Mouse, Hannibal Lecter, Abercrombie the Zombie, and all kinds of famous mice, including Star Wars and Harry Potter characters. She’s in the Netherlands, but ships worldwide.

I just love how…I dunno…mouselike these look, with their little beady eyes and expectant expressions. Their costumes are just adorable, and I’m amazed at the variety of “characters” she offers. A little mousy companion would be a lovely gift for anyone from a librarian to a Rocky Horror fan.

She also does custom work; a pair of goth mice would be an adorable cake topper or unusual wedding gift (particularly if presented in the bell jars she also sells).

So! Cute!

Link (via CRAFT)

Unlike 97.3% of teenage females, Shadaughter harbors a deep disdain for the Twilight series.* Shadow Jack had a custom T-shirt made for her for Christmas, and so many of her friends liked it that he’s decided to make them available over at Cafepress.

If you feel like encouraging my husband’s peculiar sense of humor, go have a look!

*Not that I blame her. Somehow, vampires who have to avoid sunlight because when it hits them they become EVEN MORE FABULOUS leave something to be desired. (See also Eric Snider’s Rejected Twilight Screenplay for a pretty good summary of the whole thing.)