Faux bear skin rug

I have decided that what I truly need from life is a faux bearskin rug... preferably made to look like a teddy bear skin ^_^ I have a great love for anything fluffy, and the thought of having something big and fuzzy to bury my face in makes me way too happy. However, animal fur (particularly taxidermy *shudder*) freaks me right out, so this is an adorable, cruelty-free fuzzy alternative!

A quick Google search yielded some awesome pics from really creative people, and I'm so amped to take a stab at making my own :)

(From BarnabyHuxley)

Then there are also more unusual, and nonetheless very awesome designs, like this Wampa rug:

(From Think Geek. I suspect that the Princess Leia cosplayer is optional...)

But I must admit that my favourite so far, hands down, is this monster rug I found on Deviant Art

(By missmonster)

Definitely a monster-hunting trophy worthy of note!

Teddy Bear Natural History

Whilst browsing the internet like it's my job today, I found some pics of needle-felted bear skulls. Intrigued, I followed the link to this website.

I really am absolutely amazed. Stephanie Metz is a sculptor, and her needle-felting work is both innovative and thought-provoking. No, really. My two personal favourites are the Teddy Bear Natural History and Overbred Animals collections. Both of these collections are commentaries on bioengineering (particularly of animals for human use) and human conceit. This isn't limited to just food animals, but pets as well.The jarring imagery she uses definitely takes a very harsh look at human-centric behaviour and the food industry.

I find this particularly amazing because I am both a genetics student and a crafter, and aside from the quality of her work, I love the fact that she has used a medium I generally associate with purely frivolous crafts to get her opinion across.

I'm not really being excessively eloquent here. Though if you follow the links her work speaks for itself, and I think that the broad scope of the commentary means that it's relevant to everyone, not just veg*ns.

DISCLAIMER: Rights to the above images belong to Stephanie Meitz, and are reproduced here without permission, but with respect.

PS: w00t for teddy-bear skulls! (sorry, it had to be said)