Happy Halloween!!!

curiosity cabinet

i just joined an amazing Flickr pool, Curiosity Cabinet- Handmade Specimens. it's just what it sounds like, a collection of objects that might have come from a cabinet of curiosities, and they're all handmade. a few favorites...

malodora

crocheted from plastic bags! by gooseflesh

by laurie brown

by 2Roses Jewelry

I got a custom order for a banner ring with the words "AB IMO PECTORE," latin for "from the bottom of my heart." Here's Steve modeling it.

new ring...

squirrel update

I got this email from my mom today...

"Hello! Here are a few pictures from this morning's breakfast-- we actually had 4 of the 5 squirrels present and at one point I had momma's boy (top pic) on my arm with "Girl" eating from my hand and little buddy running up my leg... Momma's boy actually ran down the tree to greet us this a.m.!"

Cute.

rafflesia

This flower was in a David Attenborough video called "The Private Life of Plants" that I saw years ago, (it's amazing, watch it) and I forgot about it until I happened across a picture of it here, along with a good article.  The flower is huge, a meter across, and it looks and smells like rotten meat.  Awesome, disgusting.  

There's a fantastic post by Sadie on Jezebel about an exhibit of 19th century Native American clothing at the National Museum of the American Indian in New York. "Fast fashion" is a touchy subject for me, and the value and significance of these garments is striking. Clothing doesn't mean as much today. There are small designers who make meaningful, sustainable clothing and people who make their own clothes from recycled materials, but it isn't the norm. At least when the apocalypse comes nobody will have a choice. OK, that's a pretty selfish thing to say, but Forever21 pisses me off. Yes, they have cute clothes, but in two months they'll fall apart and be out of style. And then they go to the landfill. And I won't get into the labor exploitation.

More new etched jewelry... these earrings are etched with images of Porpita nuda, a tiny aquatic invertebrate.  

squirrel rescue

My parents brought home the baby squirrel that was injured, along with 4 of his friends, from the wildlife rehabilitation center. His eye healed, and he doesn't seem to be scared of my parents, like his mom. The squirrels have a little house (until they can build their own shelters), and a food dish, although they prefer gathering acorns from the yard.

more etching... 

star anise