Shivers of Delight

I'm on vacation today because my office celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day. After listening to some public radio pieces on Dr. King, I will watch yesterday's episode of Downton Abbey. Or maybe I'll watch Downton Abbey and then listen about Dr. King. Either way, my feet will be up most of the day and so I'm posting this simple do-it-yourself project. Enjoy. source: Socpetit.cat Follow the link for a proper printable pdf. If you make this today, you can put it on your desk tomorrow.

Thomas Shahan is going to make you feel lazy or maybe just inadequate. Perhaps I'm projecting. I first saw his art on Etsy and was impressed. It was when I looked at his website that I felt that I'm possibly just wasting my life. Not only is Shahan an accomplished artist, his macro-photography of insects is breathtaking, he has a link to a video game that uses his art (possibly he created the game?), and there are downloadable links to music he has recorded. It would be safe to say that Shahan is a Renaissance man. Prints of some of Shahan's art pieces are available in his Etsy shop  TShahan . His artistic style is precise, clean, and simply beautiful, although his subjects are anything but that. The Proposed Egg Distressed Man Beetle The Other Side of the Pond If you like what you see, you need to continue over to Shahan's website to see his macro-photography .  It's a virtual nest of stunning images of insects. Here is a taste of what ...

I'm heading to Salem, MA today for a workshop that has absolutely nothing to do with witches or anything else delightfully spooky. But since I'm headed to the land of witches, I thought I'd post some dreamy shoes today that would make any witch proud to wear them.  Would you wear them in your day-to-day life? I think I might. They're adorable! Salem Matte Heels: GoodGoth.com Salem Patent Leather Heels: FunkyPair.com Endora Witch Shoes: Jet.com Pointed Court Shoe: Rosashoes.com Black Widow Shoes: PyramidCollection.com Witch's Buckled Shoe: PyramidCollection.com Admit it. You love them.

  Agatha Christie , the famed murder-mystery writer, died on January 12, 1976. That's 40 years ago and I don't think we'll ever forget her contributions to death. I jest, but Christie really was the best at coming up with inventive ways to die. The Guinness Book of World Records calls Christie the best-selling novelist of all time. She wrote 66 detective novels under her own name. No two murders were alike. That's impressive. There is even a rumor that she tried to frame her first husband for murder when she found out that he was leaving her for a mistress. She disappeared for ten days and it made world news. She had spunk. In honor of Agatha Christie's death, (which I feel is more important to commemorate than her birth) I hope the next book you read will be a Christie novel. Pick any one. I don't think you can go wrong. Check out the delightful Christie doll at UneekDollDesigns . She can watch over you while you plan your next murder. Agatha Chris...

I know that they're not meant to be ghostly, but I can't help looking at Milk Glass Hand Dishes and thinking they're disembodied spirits at a seance.  I'm thinking I need a collection of them. I'm also thinking that I had better jump on this while there are many available on Ebay and before it becomes a big trend.  You know how that happens. Someone writes about it in a blog post and then the price goes crazy. We'd better hope The New York Times doesn't see this. Vintage Westmoreland Milk Glass Hands Vintage 1940's Milk Glass Queen's Hand Westmoreland Victoria Open Hands Antique Victorian Milk Glass Hand Search for "milk glass hands" on Ebay for a heap of hands from antique to vintage to new with a variety of prices to match.  I'm adding this just because I liked it. Beggar's Hand Toothpick Holder If you want to read more about the milk glass hands and how to identify antique from vintage there...

Every once in awhile, I like to clean up my Easy Favorites. I really like these objects, but I haven't been able to write a full post about them individually. So, here are some things I've been eyeing that you might like too. MoxieMadness: Poison Pencil Skirt OtherCreations: Buried Skull Garden Stones VividElementClothing: Sugar Skull Skirt Clayopera: Fester the Spider Ceramic Plate Tinkerforge: Iron Snake KimKu: Ghost Noir Pop-Up Book Thank you. I feel much better now.

First I saw this stunning, antique, vampire bat brooch on Etsy from PeacockVintageJewels. He's biting the moon! I instantly fell in love. I seem to do that a lot with things. Antique Victorian Bat Head Since I kept thinking about it, I found myself humming the Wesley Willis song "Vampire Bat" and couldn't get it out of my head! I tried to calm things by looking at other vampire bat jewelry. I know, makes no sense, but I was possessed by the song. I found these: Bat Necklace: Frenchtutu Sterling Silver Bat Necklace: JunesNight I definitely like these other bat necklaces. Of course, they did nothing but increase the volume of the song. So, I'm afraid there is nothing to do but pass it on to you. (If you're not familiar with Wesley Willis , you should read about him.) This is an unofficial video, but the song is all Willis. Now we can sing it together!