M.J. Rose

If this doesn’t inspire you to want to spend a day back in your childhood playing with this, well, we don’t know what would…and by the way, who is this Colleen Moore of old Hollywood who spent a reported half-million dollars on this fairy castle and then sent it on tour to raise money for children’s charities? We like her.

From CBSnews.com,

A Doll House To Dream Of

“It is the ultimate enchanted castle: lush gardens and sumptuous rooms, decorated with precious furniture and priceless art. There are glowing chandeliers and elegant bathrooms. Not bad, for a doll house!

Between 1928 and 1935, Hollywood star Colleen Moore spent a reported half-million dollars on her Fairy Castle, employing some 100 Hollywood designers and craftsmen to build it, and then sent the doll house on tour to raise money for children’s charities.

Chicago’s Museum of Science & Industry – home to the Fairy Castle since it was donated in 1949 – has recently renovated it, as one does with a house that is getting on in years….”

For a huge gallery of the dollhouse and more on its history, click here.

This is most certainly a woman with an interesting story. We wonder who she was and what her life was like….

From The Vintage News,

The Lady of Elche: a mysterious artifact found in 1897 on a private estate at La Alcudia, Spain

“The Lady of Elche, also known as Lady of Elx, is a limestone bust of a woman’s head found on a private estate at La Alcudia, two kilometers south of Elche, Spain.

The Iberian artifact is believed to have been produced in the 4th century BC, although the craftsmanship suggests strong Hellenistic influences. It is one of the most famous sculptures in the world.

The sculpture was found on 4 August 1897, by a young worker, Manuel Campello Esclapez. However, local keeper of the records Pere Ibarra had a different version of the discovery: he stated that a man named Antonio Maciá, one of the workers clearing the southeast slope of La Alcudia for agricultural purposes, was the one to find the bust.

The bust measures some 56 centimeters high, and it features the head and shoulders of an elite woman. The complex headdress features two large wheel-like coils known as “rodetes” on either side of the head and face.

The statue was originally polychrome, or painted in vivid colors. Two of the colors have been identified by experts: classic natural vermillion and Egyptian blue.

Who she might have been continues to be a mystery”…

For the rest, and many more photos, click here.

It’s time for something completely different…and completely nice.

From The Dodo,

Woman Throws Little Parties For The Squirrels Who Come To Visit Her
She builds them dining rooms and even food trucks.

by Caitlin Jill Anders

“After a woman discovered some injured baby squirrels in her yard, she felt a bond towards them, and decided to start doing something special.

Ashly Deskins woke up one morning to find that four baby squirrels had fallen from two different nests in her backyard. She watched in awe as one of the mother squirrels came down to save her babies — but unfortunately, the other two were left behind.

My husband and I attempted to save the other two abandoned squirrels by rushing them to a wildlife center,” Deskins told The Dodo. “Sadly, the injured babies did not survive, but the encounter sparked a special interest in the squirrels, which caused me to appreciate and enjoy them during my daily routine.”

From that moment on, Deskins couldn’t help but notice how many squirrels there were living near her apartment complex, and started to feel connected to them. Many of the squirrels would hang out on her back patio, and so she began leaving almonds for them occasionally. Then, she had a brilliant idea…”

For the rest, and more pictures, click here.