I’ve mentioned the splendid Curiomira site previously, but here’s a prop I’d previously overlooked: A wooden shrine which displays the “corpse” of The World’s Smallest Man. I really like the carnival sideshow feel of the case; it’s very reminiscent of something that P.T. Barnum might have commissioned to wring a little extra utility from an unexpectedly-deceased freak.

I have neither the sculpting ability nor the woodworking chops to pull off something quite this elaborate, but I’m thinking that a perfectly respectable wunderkammer-type display might be made with slightly easier methods. A somewhat more dessicated corpse could be built using the same technique I describe in my mummified fairy tutorial; you wouldn’t even need to bother covering most of the body, since it’ll be hidden by clothing. It should be reasonably easy to find suitably-sized doll clothes, and in a pinch you can also sew your own: Most major pattern manufacturers offer a whole range of doll-sized clothing patterns.

This particular suit appears to have been treated with starch or maybe diluted white glue and then arranged to make it hang on the body a little more naturally. It also seems to be slightly dusty, which could be achieved with a light dusting of baby powder whilst the cloth is still tacky.

The “body” is laid out on a plain white mattressy-looking thing–probably muslin–but it’d be fairly easy to make a casket-type lining instead: Make a sandwich using a remnant of satin or velvet for the top, a piece of fairly high-loft quilt batting for the middle, and whatever fabric you want (since it won’t be seen) for the bottom. Make small stitches at regular intervals through all three layers, pulling tightly and knotting in the back; alternately, you can sew small buttons at intervals: You’re looking for a ruched appearance similar to this. The raw edges of the fabric can be finished with bias tape or simply tucked out of sight beneath the bier.

The case itself would probably be most easily done by embellishing a small wooden shadowbox. The pediment and columns could be made of styrofoam, insulation foam (of the sort sometimes used to make prop tombstones), or the decorative wooden shapes found at hardware stores. The detailing can be hand-painted or computer-printed and decoupaged in place.

The finished piece may not be quite as rich-looking as the Curiomira installation, but it’s something that we Mere Mortals should be able to handle, and it would certainly be an excellent decorative accessory or the centerpiece of a carnival-themed party.

Over at BuzzFeed, there’s an intriguing roundup of DIY themes for a baby’s nursery. They’re listed as “pop culture,” but they skew pretty much exclusively toward the geek/goth end of that spectrum.

They all seem to be aimed more at a parent’s interests, since a number of them (Game of Thrones, Twilight, Doctor Who) really aren’t baby-friendly even if you squint, and a couple (I’m thinking particularly of the Walking Dead one with the zombie-hand wall stencil) should only be considered for a nursery if you’re planning to redecorate before the kid’s old enough to start having nightmares. However, there’s no rule that says you can’t decorate to your own taste until your children are old enough to have their own opinions. There’s also no rule that says you can’t use some of these ideas to decorate your own bedroom: I’m quite taken with both the Tree of Gondor wall stencil and the NMBC Sally dresser.

There are only a few elements for each theme, but some of them are quite clever and it’s a great way to kick-start your inspiration. There are links for each featured piece, which is also helpful.

(No prizes, but if you can answer them all without googling you get bragging rights.)

1. The album cover for Joy Division’s “Unknown Pleasures” is a graphical representation of what?
   A) An EKG of the lead singer
   B) The topography of Iceland
   C) Sonar readings in the North Sea
   D) Pulses from pulsar CP 1919
   E) The first notes of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony
2. Which Neil Gaiman novel tells the story of Nobody Owens?
3. Who is the only actor to have played all four of Universal’s classic movie monsters: Dracula, The Wolfman, Frankenstein’s Monster and The Mummy?
   A) Boris Karloff
   B) Christopher Lee
   C) Lon Chaney, Jr.
   D) Peter Cushing
   E) Lou Costello
4. “Christabel,” an unfinished poem with vampiric overtones, was written by what Romantic poet (who made something of a habit of not finishing poems)?
5. Based on a novella by George R. R. Martin, this movie follows a motley space crew investigating a mysterious alien signal, only to find out that the ship they’re on is alive and probably insane.
   A) Fadeout
   B) Sandkings
   C) Nightflyers
   D) Masques
   E) Override
6. Which Kate Bush song, later covered by The Futureheads, begins with, “It’s in the trees! It’s coming!”–a clip of dialogue from the horror film Night of the Demon?
7. In the South Park episode “Raisins,” Stan briefly joined the Goth Kids. What was his “goth” name?
   A) Damian
   B) Hemlock
   C) Vlad
   D) Absinthe
   E) Raven
8. In Anne Rice’s “Vampire Chronicles,” what is the name of the vampire who owns the Théâtre des Vampires?
9. What is the name of the village that Smaug attacks (and whose defender kills him) in The Hobbit?
   A) Crickhollow
   B) Bree
   C) Lake-town
   D) Haysend
   E) Bywater
10. In The Rocky Horror Picture Show, what word is written above the heart tattoo on Frank N. Furter’s arm?

(Answers below the fold)

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