I like things with faces. Animals, people, watches – those kinds of things. Nothing strange about that, I’m sure. But I really like spotting unexpected things with faces – in nature, or on inanimate objects like doors or street signs or pieces of toast.
Many years ago, I found a photography book made up entirely of images of faces in unexpected places and I was excited to know that there was at least one other person who shared my interest. And now, thanks to Facebook, I know that there are at least 63,976 people around the world who also like things with faces. Because there’s a Facebook page called Things with Faces. Their tag line is Admit it, you see a face. And it’s a very good page to look at if you need a giggle.
Time’s up. [image from Things with Faces Facebook page]Say cheese. [image from Things with Faces Facebook page]Surprise! [image from Things with Faces Facebook page]ET, in ice cream form. [image from Things with Faces Facebook page]Happiness in a cup. [image from Things with Faces Facebook page]And finally, one of my favourites.
[image from Things with Faces Facebook page]If you’re on Facebook, I strongly suggest that you check out the Things with Faces page. (Oh, and while you’re there, you might want to like the EverydaySparks page too!) If you’re not on Facebook, you can always google ‘things with faces’ to find similar collections of pics. And when you’re out and about, remember to keep alert – THEY ARE ALWAYS WATCHING.
Hello again. It’s been a while since my last post. For a whole heap of reasons, I’ve been finding it a bit tricky to find my way back after my extended Camino break late last year. But what better way to come back than with some teeny tiny crocheted (if that’s a word) animals from Vietnam. Thuy Mai Thu is the genius behind LamLinh – a ‘mini crochet amigurumi world’. And now that I have googled it, I can tell you that amigurumi is the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small stuffed animals and anthropomorphic creatures. Uh huh.
I am not sure what you’re meant to do with these little guys, but I think the detail is incredible. And I admire anyone who chucks in their office job to pursue their passion – in this case, their passion for crocheting unbelievably tiny characters that can sit on your fingertips. Love your work, LamLinh!
Definitely an apartment-friendly dachshund, at a height of 1cm. [image from LamLinh.etsy.com]Not so scary now, 2.5cm tall crochet Hulk. [image from LamLinh.etsy.com]Favourite ‘room-mates’ of all time & probably my most favourite piece in this shop. [image from LamLinh.etsy.com]Everyone needs ‘Ugly Black Cat’ tapping across their piano keys. Or guarding the milk in the fridge. [image from LamLinh.etsy.com]And a 1.5cm Kung Fu Panda to finish. Just because. [image from LamLinh.etsy.com]If you would like to check out more of the LamLinh collection, the etsy store is here. You can even request a custom-made amigurumi – now that would make a winning anniversary gift / special birthday celebration / amigurumi collector’s dream…
I am having a feeling of deja vu, so apologies if you have been with my blog from the start and are hearing about my Christmas things for the second time. But that’s not going to stop me from sharing my nativity scene with you today – it’s another part of my collection that is guaranteed to make me laugh every year, as I release the players from their 11 month bubble wrap storage.
I can’t remember where I got this set, but these guys have been part of my family for many years now. They are so clumsily painted and bizarrely formed that I can only hope that I bought them from a charity shop. Whatevs, they fit my purchase requirements: a non-traditional nativity scene.
The gender of most of the gang is ambiguous, baby Jesus appears to be wearing lipstick, and I just don’t know about that shifty looking angel. The sheep look like clowns, there are two cows (not pictured, because they pretty much look like larger versions of the sheep + horns) and one of the politically incorrect wise men lost his head in a tragic accident last year (he made a run for it and fell off the display table). But my Dad fixed him right up with super glue and he’s back in action for the 2013 season.
See what I mean about the ambiguous gender? (Joseph, I’m pointing at you.)Look at that fine detail – there’s even a tear!Even with your wings and basketball hoop, I’m still not sure about you, Angel…Oh, the clown sheep. And the shepherd man could be a member of ABBA. Just realised I’ve arranged them to look as though shepherd boy is whispering plans of a mutiny…I’m saying nuthin’ about these guys…
Let me start with a bit of a heads-up: I looooove the festive season. From Thanksgiving through to Christmas and then the wind-down after that, when it feels as though everyone slows down a bit to enjoy the summer (here in Australia, that is). Oh, the thrill of getting a parking spot when the shopping centre is packed; the smell of the fruit cakes baking in the oven (my mum’s); the playing of the Christmas tunes (at this time, I even accept Mariah Carey); the wrapping of the gifts; the popping of the champagne corks; the squeals of delight from the little people; and, of course, the decorating of the tree.
I love decorating my tree. It’s a fakey-fake tree, but its creators have tried hard to make its ‘trunk’ and ‘branches’ look as realistic as possible. Which is pretty funny, because there are large brackets along the trunk where you need to insert the branches – that kind of gives the game away. Although they have painted the brackets brown, like the trunk, so I do appreciate their efforts to keep it real. I have a fair few decorations that I have collected over the years on my travels, so I’m pretty much in a dream world as I crank up the carols and take the memories out of their boxes.
Most of the decorations make me smile, some make me a bit teary, others blind me with their bling (ok, so I have some small disco ball decorations on the tree, just because). But there are two decorations that make me laugh out loud every year (or LOLEY, the cool kids might say) and as I put my tree up yesterday, I thought I would share them with you here.
The Christmas sushi was a gift from my sister-in-law Jo a few years back – a sign that she knows me well (I really dislike sushi, but I love crazy glittery decorations, the more ridiculous the better). And the Christmas pickle is from New York – I couldn’t resist its bright green colouring, with a mysterious golden sheen. It just looks so bizarre. Apparently it’s based on a German tradition to put a real pickle on the tree. I’m not sure about that tradition and so, especially in the summer heat, I’ll stick with this more magical version.
Here they are…
This pic doesn’t adequately capture the true sparkle of the sushi ingredients, but you get the idea. LOLEY.The pickle (and a bit of a disco ball on the side there). Every tree should have one!
On the weekend, I read an article about Freecycle. And I thought it sounded like an interesting idea, so I dug a little deeper. In case you hadn’t heard of it either, consider this your cheat sheet guide to this very cool global phenomenon…
According to their website, The Freecycle Network is made up of 5,119 groups with over 6.6 million members around the world. It’s a nonprofit organisation (the site groups are administered by volunteers), designed to help people reuse stuff that they don’t need by giving it to others and keeping it out of landfill. Kind of like swapping stuff with the neighbours in your village. If you actually still spoke to the neighbours in your village.
Their motto is ‘changing the world one gift at a time’, which sounds pretty great to me. And when you check out the groups in your local area, you can see the huge range of stuff that people are either giving or wanting – from shredded paper for Christmas hampers to specific books to chickens to horse poo. And a lot of people want old bathtubs for their gardens, it seems.
But like any community, there are some scammers around. One of the groups that I looked at warned about a FREE PUPPY SCAM!!! and another cautioned members to beware of people charging extortionate delivery charges for their bomby old televisions. So be careful – it’s a jungle out there. And if you need a machete to get through, I think I know of a Freecycler that can hook you up…
Anyways, I highly recommend that you have a look at the Freecycle site and check out groups in your local area. Just be sure to balance out your giving and your taking, lest you end up with a backyard full of old bathtubs and a bedroom full of shredded paper. And a starring role on that show Hoarders.
![Time's up. [image from Things with Faces Facebook page]](https://everydaysparks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/facesclock.jpg)
![Say cheese. [image from Things with Faces Facebook page]](https://everydaysparks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/facescheese.jpg)
![Surprise! [image from Things with Faces Facebook page]](https://everydaysparks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/facesbuilding.jpg)
![ET, in ice cream form. [image from Things with Faces Facebook page]](https://everydaysparks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/faceset.jpg)
![Happiness in a cup. [image from Things with Faces Facebook page]](https://everydaysparks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/facescoffee.png)
![[image from Things with Faces Facebook page]](https://everydaysparks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/facesoctopus.jpg)
![Definitely an apartment-friendly dachshund, at a height of 1cm. [image from LamLinh, via etsy]](https://everydaysparks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/lamlinhdog.jpg)
![Not so scary now, 2.5cm tall crochet Hulk. [image from LamLinh.etsy.com]](https://everydaysparks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/lamlinhhulk1.jpg)
![Favourite 'room-mates' of all time & probably my most favourite piece in this shop. [image from LamLinh.etsy.com]](https://everydaysparks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/lamlinhsesame.jpg)
![Everyone needs 'Ugly Black Cat' tapping across their piano keys. Or guarding the milk in the fridge. [image from LamLinh.etsy.com]](https://everydaysparks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/lamlinhcat.jpg)
![And a 1.5cm Kung Fu Panda to finish. Just because. [image from LamLinh.etsy.com]](https://everydaysparks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/lamlinhpanda.jpg)
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