Don't Call it Steampunk

The delectable designs of Will Staehle will be familiar to aficionados of his wonderfully eccentric book covers and graphic novels. What we didn't realize is that not only can you now buy exciting prints by Staehle online, you can explore even more peculiar manifestations of his creativity in the "dollar dreadful" booklets he publishes here. Thrill to the adventures of Octavious Watt and His Pneumatic Bride or The Dressmakers' Detective Journal. There are also lovely bars of cameo- and handgun-shaped soap available at $10 apiece on this page.

Three Vincents for the Price of One

This year, Turner Classic Movies is our go-to channel for nostalgic Hallowe'en thrills. While we adore musty old boyfriends like Frankenstein, Dracula and The Mummy, the seductively creepy intonations of Vincent Price are as essential to our internal Hallowe'en soundtrack as the rustle of a full trick-or-treat bag, or the smack of a raw egg on the front of our house. (You rotten kids, I'm calling the police!!)

Watch House on Haunted Hill, The Tingler and House of Wax back-to-back on Monday night, Oct. 17. It's three Vincents for the Price of one!

Re-formed and OverDyed Rugs

How do you feel about the overdyed and re-formed area rug trend? We like most of the looks out there, from the high-end to the more accessible Cost Plus versions. We're undecided about the patchwork approach, or the overly-pale dyes - we like lots of color. Which tends to obscure the underlying design (how do they get the white parts of the design to stay white?) There's a nice overview of this process over at Design Hole with links to retailers and how-tos.

Move Over, Bacon Donuts

Why torment yourself with the mere flavoring of meat in your donut, when you can just eat the real thing with Dwight Yoakam's Chicken Rings. We were suprised to learn the famous country western singer had so many branded food products in his business portfolio. A wise idea, in case that music thing doesn't work out for him.

Good Things in Small packages

Like to make art? Short on space, materials, time, and a gallery to show it in? You can solve all these problems with Art-O-Mat. Now you can sell your art (limited to the size of a cigarette pack) in Art-O-Mat dispensers around the country! These are of course cigarette machines reconfigured to serve a higher purpose. Your customer inserts money into the slot, yanks the knob and your cellophane-wrapped art tumbles into the bin, ready for consumption. You can learn the details, see samples and submit your prototype at the Art-O-Mat website.

Pop Raj Pillows

One Kings Lane, a cool home decor site, is offering these sweetly eccentric India-print pillows. You have to sign up for access but you don't get spammed for it.

 

 

 

Where Did All The Little People Go?

You might have seen these miniature buildings in thrift stores, museum gift shops and other unexpected places, but you may not know that there is a collectors' society for these things. And that they have conventions. This weekend's is in Washington D.C., if you want to grab a last-minute flight.

The Gallery of Regrettable Food

Fans of James Lileks' Gallery of Regrettable Food website will fondly remember this quivering masterpiece: It's just one of many culinary horrors he describes with such sardonic pleasure. Check Lileks' website to preview his new books, like Interior Desecrations and Gastroanomalies, and revisit more execrable edibles from the original book.

The Color of Summer Sodas

If you're of a certain age, you might remember how sodas used to come in bright colors, often in clear glass bottles with cork-lined caps. I liked the short no-name brand ones (that probably came from White Front); they had a real bite. Rows of them, clanking together in super-cold heavy refrigerators...

Local L.A. heroes Galco's Old World Grocery will actually ship the sodas that time forgot to your door.

Why We Have Food Stylists

How they want you to think it looks versus how it actually looks. Famous food stylist Delores Custer talks about how it's done on her website.

Adventures in Dining

What could be more traditionally Italian-American than pork and beans pizza? As A&P tells us, "Fine Foods Needn't Be Expensive." Needn't they also, at minimum, not make you nauseated at first glance?

From the wonderful Gallery of Graphic Design.

Mommy's Little Monster: Toddlers and Tiaras

If you're on the fence about having children, check out darling Makenzie in these clips from Toddlers and Tiaras on TLC. She's a goblin in crinoline. The new season starts 6/15.

Food Trucks with Wings

We needed a vehicle that creeps over our car and squirts coffee and donuts into it like an insect depositing eggs. Curbed LA describes food trucks that fly, designed by USC architecture students.

It's a Girl

There are a good number of gentlemen out there who like shiny, frilly things. I found a lovely catalog of dresses, panties and accessories for larger sizes from LD Fashions in the UK, which is well worth the time to peruse. I collected a few of the nicest ones in my Facebook album.

I'm Saving Myself for America

Some pictures of patriotic wedding gowns I collected in a Facebook album, here.

Tell me the truth: Does this country make me look fat?



You can order one for yourself here.