Thimbleanna’s sister and brother-in-law recently did some remodeling and decided to include a whimsical little accent in one of the new walls.
It’s like a fairy door, but doesn’t just open to the wall. There’s a mouse in there — with his pretty wall paper and fine furnishings.
I particularly love that the space lights up–the switch is inside of a laundry chute above the door–not only because it makes it easier to see small details but also because it just makes it seem more “real” somehow. Of course such a high-living mouse would have electric lights. (Helpfully, it also doubles as a night light.)
Thimbleanna notes that she’d like to something similar in her own house, but that it’d have to be a fairy door instead. I quite agree; this would be a splendid showcase for tiny fairy furnishings.
Obviously this would take a lot more work than simply sticking a door to the wall, but if you’re planning on remodeling anyway then adding an alcove wouldn’t be much additional trouble. And of course if you’re feeling particularly ambitious–and don’t rent–you can hack one into an existing wall whenever you want (with the caveat that wiring in a light switch will be harder).
A similar, somewhat easier, mouse or fairy house could be done using a bookcase or wall unit: Cut a piece of particle board, plywood, or similar thin wood to fit across part of the bottom shelf (top to bottom). Get several hardback books from a thrift store, cut off the spines, and glue them side-by-side to the front of the board; what you’re trying to do is create the appearance of a row of books. Carefully use a small saw to cut a door through some of the spines (and the board). Place the “books” on the bookshelf, add furniture and decorations behind it so they’re visible through the door, then fill in the rest of the shelf space with real books. The finished appearance should suggest that tiny interlopers have tunneled into your bookshelf and set up residence. Perhaps not quite as impressive as an actual hole in the wall, but infinitely easier on the wallboard.
1) Even though cats are great, this right here is why I will always prefer dogs.
2) There is a fine line between “hobby” and “mental illness” and these people are dancing all over it.
Phillip and Sue Lauer are a California couple* who own three pug dogs. And they’ve spent the last six years dressing them in elaborate costumes and taking pictures of them. As you do.
They apparently started by making unique holiday cards and also competing in “local dog-dressing competitions” which…I did not know were a thing. (Why are they a thing? And are there also, y’know, international dog-dressing competitions? So many questions.) Eventually it grew into a full-time hobby. To the point where they had a custom photo studio built in their home so they could take really good pictures of their dogs dressed in costumes.
I…got nothing.
But! As ridiculous as this whole thing sounds, the photos are hilariously awesome. There are pictures of preternaturally patient pugs dressed as characters from Lord of the Rings, as rock stars, as bathing beauties, and many more. The Guardian and The Daily Mail have galleries for your delectation.
*Of course they’re in California. Author Calvin Trillin once remarked after seeing a man blowing enormous bubbles on Venice Beach that people in California tend to become very, very good at completely pointless things.
Don’t Starve is a weirdly appealing little indie game with the slogan, “Survive! Collect! Attack!”
Play as Wilson, an intrepid Gentleman Scientist who has been trapped by a demon and transported to a mysterious wilderness world. Wilson must learn to exploit his environment and its inhabitants if he ever hopes to escape and find his way back home. Enter a strange and unexplored world full of strange creatures, dangers, and surprises. Gather resources to craft items and structures that match your survival style. Play your way as you unravel the mysteries of this strange land.
It appears to be a hybrid adventure/resource gathering game, with artwork that’s rather reminiscent of Gorey. The game developers appear to have a fine sense of humor, as evidenced by the recent update notes on the site:
New Things To Discover:
Peaceful rock lobster herds roam the gloomy depths.
Bunnymen turn into beardlords when your sanity is low.
Ever wonder what’s right below a tentacle? MORE TENTACLE!
The invasive Lureplant will taunt you with its delicious veggiemeat.
Eat exotic cave bananas!
Ferns! You can burn ’em!
More colourful mushtree varieties.
Stalagmites come in more varied shapes.
New Things to Craft and Use!
The vampiric BatBat.
The marginally useful Compass.
New Map Generation Features:
Gaze into the abyss in the caves!
Cave walls are prettier.
Cave layouts are… caveier.
(I was hooked the moment I learned that the main antagonist is a demon named Maxwell.)
There are lots of gameplay screenshots and videos (the latter, unfortunately, featuring flickers and scratches that are supposed to mimic old-timey film artifacts but are mainly just annoying) in their gallery. Here’s a trailer:
The game is playable either through Steam or as a standalone on Chrome. You can buy it here.
Drea Ming – I’m not sure if this little polymer clay sculpture is adorable or horrifying. (It’s been sold, but the artist has similar work available. This one is definitely adorable.)
The willowday blog has a really interesting idea for teabags that resemble flowers. The method involves trimming the tops of empty paper tea filters into petals and then dyeing them with a red herbal tea. Once dry, they’re filled with tea and then decorated with “leaves” cut from more tea filters and dyed with green tea. A bunch of them massed together is particularly striking.
It seems to me that this idea could be expanded considerably by cutting the filters into different shapes and using food dyes for more color options: A couple that spring immediately to mind are blood-red roses and black bat wings. Fill the bags with loose tea of your choice, tie with cotton twine, and pack in a pretty jar or basket.
For extra points, you can fill the bags with your own custom tea blends. Googling “herbal tea recipes” will turn up plenty of information, but here are a couple to get you started: Herbal Tea Recipes and Custom Tea Blends.
A “bouquet” of these tea flowers would make a thoughtful (and also easy and inexpensive) gift.
When digital artist Josiah Moore got married last year, he had the wedding party pose as an attacking zombie horde. As you do.
The resulting photo was, of course, simply a bunch of people looking sort of shamble-y in front of a scenic building on a lovely sunny day. So he plugged into into Photoshop and manipulated it into something quite wonderful:
There’s a large, high-quality image of the finished photomanipulation here.
He also did a time-lapse video of the work in process. It’s a little seasick-making because it jumps around a lot, but watching how he altered the image (erasing people in the background, using parts of other photos to add fire and rubble) is really interesting.
Even if you don’t have the digital chops to do a full-on transmogrification of an image, a group pose like this would be a fun addition to wedding photos.
As in previous editions, here’s a bunch of images I’ve run across which I want to share but might not be able to hang a whole post on. Some of them have no attribution, so if you happen to know the source for any of these please leave a note in the comments. (Click to view larger.)
“Poison” Tea Set
This was a set called Treacherous Tea Party from Etsy shop BurkeHareCo. The set has sold, but it’d be possible to DIY something similar with ceramic paint.
Cthulhu Cross Stitch
I tracked this back to Reddit, but no information on where the original pattern came from; a few comments indicate that it might be a digital image instead of real cross-stitch. Regardless, the pattern is simple enough that it should be easy to replicate.
Update: In the comments, Jay says that his wife made this for him, without a pattern. Most awesome.
Ouija Tattoo
This is the work of Emmanuel Hele from Martian Arts Tattoo Studio in Portland, OR.
Pentacle Braids
This is a scan from a book on Wicca that an acquaintance posted. It’s an interesting hairstyle.
Caution Sign
I can’t find an original source for this, but it’s certainly good advice.
Norman’s Ghost Show
This vintage sideshow attraction was the work of Orton and Spooner, major 19th century ride-builders and decorators.
In Case of Zombies
If you don’t enlarge, it’s hard to see that on the end it says, “or yard work.” I don’t have an original source for this, but it’s an amusing idea for a garage or garden shed.
The Power of Books
This photo series by Mladen Penev is wonderfully evocative.
Lovecraft’s Secret
Cute little tentacular treasure box. This is by Trolladriel’s Creations on Etsy. You can see more photos (and buy the original if you so desire) here. Something reasonably similar might be DIY-able with polymer clay and an inexpensive wooden box.
Vampire Emergency Sign
The sign actually says, “Break Off In Case of Sparkly Vampires,” but I think it would be infinitely more amusing to simply have it read, “In Case of Vampires” and let the broken-off stake speak for itself. It’d be reasonably easy to DIY this using a dremel tool on balsa wood (or even styrofoam).
This short black comedy concerns a living dead girl who decides she needs some friends. (Unfortunately, the only version still available on YouTube has subtitles.)
The Shambling Guide to New York City – Amusing novel about a travel writer who gets a job writing tourist guides for monsters. The author discusses the work in a Big Idea here.
Plasticland – Lovely goth/retro clothing, accessories, and decor. (Hat tip to Cookie)
Ghost Pig – Odd little sculptural thing depicting a porcine phantom arising from a sliced ham.
Historical Sewing – Fantastic resource site for period costuming. (Hat tip to LimeyFish)
Girlprops – Inexpensive jewelry and accessories. Some goth-friendly stuff like bats and medieval weapons. This would be a good source for costume or craft supplies. (Hat tip to Terri)
Two things:
The willowday blog has a really interesting idea for 
