Things I want . . .

A wish list of sorts . . . . from Etsy!

From CustomCreature!

Also from CustomCreature. I love that shop . . .

From AfterLifeAnatomy.

Sensing a theme . . . .yes?

I LOVE taxidermy!!!!!

Taxidermy Plush FINISHED!!!

That's the last WIP pic! Below, the finished ones . . . . .

Taxidermy is a character created by Roman Dirge. He's kind of a man/taxidermied deer-head . . . .thing.

He was really fun to make, and I made up the pattern as I went along. I made the "skull" first, and added the fur on over that. I think it lends itself to a more loose, this-fur-is-just-hanging-on, look.

This plush is rather big. 12 inches tall sitting, 19 inches overall (not including his antlers). His antlers are wired so they're posable. He has plastic pellets in his tummy for added weight. And yes, his suit does come off. I made it seperate. :D

A Work in Progress

These are sneak peeks of a plushie work in progress. :)

I'll post the finished pics on Monday . . . .

His face is only part-way done here.

Fans of Roman Dirge may recognize him . . . . . :D

Feature Friday - limaceous

Today's featured shop is limaceous!!

WARNING: This shop features Rogue Taxidermy. These pics are graphic. And awesome.

You've been warned . . . .

Zombie bunny!!!! GAAAAAAA!!! Scott a. a. Bibus is an amazing rogue taxidermist. You have to be weird to appreciate/like this type of work, and luckily, I'm both.

This muskrat is happy. Very, very happy.

Why yes. Yes that is a severed squirrel head.

Wanna see more? Head over to limaceous . . . . . . . if you dare.

Sooooo, ah, am I weird?

So I'm wondering what y'alls opinion on this is.Is it weird/strange that I'm fascinated by dead animals?

Let me explain: I love animal skulls and fur, taxidermy and the like. But I also like the ACTUAL dead animal. For example, if I'm driving down the road and see roadkill, I SOOOOOOO badly want to stop! At the very least for pictures, but if the animal isn't damaged I want to load it up and take it home. You know - maybe salvage the skull and other bones . . . . Or if I'm walking in the woods I'm constantly on the lookout for bones, skulls, dead animals . . .I haven't brought any home as of yet, because my hubby thinks I'm barking mad.

Well, let me rephrase - I haven't brought home any roadkill - I have skulls and furs and whatnot.

So what do you think?

Weird?

Am I off my rocker?

Calm down people!!!!! It's just a roadkill CAKE!

I decided to keep in good taste and not share any real roadkill pics.

Taxidermy

DISCLAMER:

If taxidermy bothers or upsets you, please do not read this post.

If you've followed my work at all, you may have noticed that I use real fur and tails in some of my pieces. I have a soft spot for dead fuzzy things. Most people see this as morbid or weird or gross (or all of the above). One of my favorite Christmas gifts was a coyote face from my dad. My collection has expanded to include faces from several species (coyote, fox, badger, opossum, raccoon), tails (coyote, fox, raccoon, bobcat, mink), and full pelts (raccoon, opossum, ermine). For a while I also had a professionally mounted raccoon and squirrel.

Why?, you ask. Well, I'm not sure. I'm an animal lover. I've donated a whole heck of a lot of money to different wildlife organizations, and am all for preserving our wildlife. But taxidermy fascinates me. It always has. So I'm considering doing my own taxidermy mount. Not a traditional mount (like our bear friend above). But a soft mount. Meaning the head is mounted in the traditional way, but the body is soft and plush like a stuffed animal. There are several artists on Deviant Art who do these soft mounts, and I'd love to give it a try. They are made from an already tanned pelt and the results are beautiful.

This is a gorgeous example of a soft mount. This one is by FoxyCreations. She is credited on Deviant Art as being the first to really do the soft mount. Her work is amazing!

If I do start my own, I will be taking pictures and blogging the process.