Monday, April 2, 2012

Creepy Crawlies!

Brini Maxwell tweeted about a pair of crab earrings she's selling on ebay this morning, and it was like I read my own name in the paper! Not because my name is "crab earrings" (yet), but because I have a very similar pair Bab bought me for Valentine's Day. I thought I was the only one in the world with a weird, science-y, ooky interest in preserved insects and crustaceans! But I am not alone. Look at some of these like-minded listings on etsy, and tell me....would you? Could you? 

Lucite large necklace

 Vintage Instant Collection


Vintage Real Genuine Scorpion Bolero 

Heart Charm Bracelet Lucite Sea Creatures

Bab and are guilty of the following "weird science specimens in one's home": Item A: Lucite Scorpion:

 I love it! I seriously never stop freaking out about there being an actual scorpion on my nightstand when I wake up in the morning. But I guess it's the good "freaking out", the kind that gives you a little "oh, I'm so gullible" thrill afterwards. We had to actually move it so I would stop being constantly startled at dawn's early light. But it remains one of the most prized items in my collection!

Item B: Taxidermied Piranha (which Matthew is kind enough to share a Juarito with):



Matthew got this weekend before last at an antique store in Franklin (Nashvillians: Harpeth Antique Mall is moving and 90% of the booths are on some kind of discount...get out there and get some goods!). I didn't find ANYTHING, but Bab was so happy to meet this little creature in one of the very last stalls we saw. It's pretty much what it looks like... a piranha, eyes, teeth, tongue, fins and all, attached to a little platform. Like the scorpion, it actually looks kind of creepy up close, but good creepy. My little guy was over the MOON about finding this little guy. The object holds a place of pride on his piano in the den.

Item C: Crab Earrings:



I still haven't figured out what to wear these with, but aren't they picturesque? I love the chandelier, shoulder grazing length of them, but can't decide if they would creep out the even the occasional creeps at the nonfiction desk. Yet! They are perfect in my eye. You can see the seller's listing for these and other vintage repurposed cute-i-tudes (these were originally cufflinks!) HERE.

What do you think? Gross? Kind of fascinating? Both? Which items would you have in your house, and at which do you draw line (hint: you're not going to see me with any preserved specimens of spiders EVER, FOR ANY REASON, PERIOD)? Lemme know!

The Brini earrings that set it all off:



Wouldn't these go great with my red and black dress from the kitchens post a little bit ago? You can fight me for them HERE. Til next time!

10 comments:

  1. Wow! This is a genre of lovelies that I have never even thought about before! I think that your chandelier earrings might creep out *some* people but not *most* people. We nonfiction people are the curious sort so we'll mostly just find them interesting. I love that sea creatures bracelet a lot. And your lucite scorpion. I have a peanut encased in lucite but it's not nearly as creepy.

    And your new blog design looks great!

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    1. Thanks about the blog redesign! I'm still tweaking it but I'm happier with the header for sure.

      I'd never thought to look for things encased in Lucite, then one day I was redirected from some dress inquiry to someone's etsy shop and fell in love with the scorpion paperweight. It's so neat to hold something like that in your hand and get to study it without mortal terror (well, with some mortal terror). Then you search "encased in Lucite" and then next thing you know, you have a pair of crab earrings. I wish I had a peanut, too! The wonders of plastic...

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  2. oh wow. talk about unique! i think i'm falling in love...

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    1. Aren't they fun? Some people wig out, but I think the Lucite bug pieces speak to the Ranger Rick subscriber in us all. :)

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  3. My piranha and I like to party south of the border style!!!

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  4. I have two of those scorpion paperweights. My dad brought them home for us from a business trip he took to Arizona in the 80s.

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  5. There is something both simultaneously scary and beautiful about this fascinating pieces. I'm rather afraid of scorpions (and really, really afraid of larger spiders), so I don't know if I could bring them home with me in any form, but I do rather adore the marine life pieces (especially the starfish ones), and now think I want one a great deal :)

    Thank you very much for your lovely comment on my vintage outfit post yesterday, dear gal, I really appreciate it.


    Wishing you a gorgeous Tuesday & month of April,
    Jessica

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  6. harpeth is moving??? i feel like that place has been there since i was born! i have to stop by!
    AND i love those crab earrings. i would be stoked to see them on my librarian! BUT i am also kind of a weirdo. hah.

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  7. I found the peanut paperweight. It's in the "Give to Lisa" pile. :)

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