Very recently on a leisurely day, my husband and I chanced upon two mixed skeletons by the side of a country road. One was an almost complete small carnivore (possum perhaps?) and the rest was a few large ribs, several vertebrae, and part of a pelvis. The larger skeleton had been there quite some time. The bones were all very dry and brittle and had begun to crack; several had moss growing on them. The skull is absolutely gorgeous and I can't wait until it's clean so I can start trying to identify it!
Instead of an instagram post this Sunday, I thought it would be fun to share what my mom got me for Christmas. With the little I gave her to go on, I have to say she totally nailed it! I thought you would like to check it out as well.
I was so excited when I opened this up. Finally, a wet specimen to start my collection! And he's so handsome too! I love all those curly tentacles, and he has such beautiful spots. I'm hoping that (depending on how fragile he is) I might move him to a fancy jar for permanent display.
I also got these gorgeous butterfly wing necklaces! It really felt like jump-starting two collections at once, since I'm hoping to get started with pinning insects soon. The nice thing about the wings is that they are different on both sides. The red one is the most dramatic. At first I was smitten with the red side, but the more I look at the brown side the more I notice the beautiful subtle detail and color.
My weird and crazy side was very satisfied by these gifts! Hopefully I can grow these cool collections to giant proportions by next Christmas!
This bone harp by artist Evan Voelbel is actually made of cast, painted glass, which I think makes it all the more impressive.
Far too many gorgeous bone-related items at Modcloth right now. Sadly the awesome cardigan is out of stock, but sweater has such a beautiful design that it makes up for it.
When I saw this sweater from Le Bomb Shop I fell in love with it. At first I hesitated because that's more than I tend to spend on one item, but I couldn't stop thinking about it! So it's on its way to me now!
And finally, if you're interested in specimen preservation, this video is a nice little intro to that. I had the privilege of helping a PhD student to prepare some taxidermy bird specimens for study once, and I have to say it's a very unique experience. It looks as though preparing a skeleton mount is much more time intensive than just preparing the skin.
Too bad I don't have access to those helpful little dermestid beetles! They would have made cleaning my deer skull a little easier ;)
I don't know if many of you have heard about this, but it's a great story. A rich French bachelor didn't want to be forgotten, so before he died in 1905, he declared in a 100 years that his mansion should be made into a museum for all the people of his city to enjoy. Well, after extensive restoration the mansion has finally reopened.
His collection of eccentric and decadent furniture and art is really incredible to look at. Check it out!
