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After reading on the Times site about a never-published Alice in Wonderland chapter (!) - with a related letter that's up for sale (£15,000 to £20,000!), I happened to notice a story about a new statue that's just been unveiled in London, on Trafalgar Square’s Fourth Plinth . A play on traditional statues, this one's a ship ... in bottle ! Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle was created by British artist Yinka Shonibare. Unusual and whimsical, this is just the kind of statue I'd really enjoy coming across (and I think a trip to London is long overdue!). What's more, there's also an interesting history about the textiles used in the original ship... [...] Shonibare’s model of Nelson’s HMS Victory (his flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar) is gaudy with sails made from his trademark Dutch wax fabrics. “The Dutch wax fabrics were originally Indonesian-influenced fabrics, known as batik. The Dutch tried the Indonesian market with industrially produced versions and then subse...

It's no secret that I have a soft spot for the ukulele. It's small, it's cute, it's Hawaiian. What's not to love? It'd be harder to make the uke any cuter. OK, maybe if the ukuleles were miniature and being played by tiny amigurumi animals... THEN the humble uke could be unequivocally declared to be the Cute Overload of musical instruments. Oh. Wait. YES. I present to you, on this fine Craft Rock Friday, the wonder that is U900 Japanese Ukulele Duo . Here's their video for "Walk Don't Run". The bear's expression is priceless. Their video for "Diamond Head" was awarded an honorable prize "Ukulele Video of the Year 2010" hosted by UkeHunt . You can read an interview with U900's human representative on UkeHunt . U900's new record, Ukulele Beatles, is available for pre-order on Amazon Japan .

Totally digging the "This & That" feature on Oh Joy! , where Joy pairs a fashion piece with a matching item of decor. I really like how Joy takes note of the small details in life, and celebrates them. I love discovering connections between things, and seeing how seemingly random elements are related - whether or not this is intentional. What's more, the act of placing objects side-by-side, like Joy does, really makes them act as a foils to one another, highlighting their best qualities. In the same way that the people closest to you - friends, family, loves - pull out the best in you. Check out more pairings tagged with "This & That" on the Oh Joy! blog .

These bowls by Viennese designers Mischer’Traxler are fascinating and beautiful ... at once simple and complex. The bowls are formed around common vegetables, leaving a negative space that really shows off the beauty of each vegetable. Read more about this series on Edible Geography .

Molly at the Purl Bee posted a great a tutorial for a 20-minute tote bag . It looks super quick and super cute. Best of all, her examples are made with the Spring 2010 Echino Ni-Co fabric collection . I am such a sucker for Echino fabric... I adore the pink glasses print, and the bus pattern is pretty darn sweet, too.

Today's Craft Rock Friday is a little less 'rock' that usual. It's actually an ad for natural gas, but is so adorable I can't resist posting it. It reminds of parts of Michel Gondry's The Science of Sleep - everyday objects coming to life in crafty ways... Plus, my parents are thinking of getting gas heating installed at their place, so there you go. :) The steam on the kettle is a brilliant touch. (via She is Sew Creative )

So fabulous, and looks pretty easy. I love how these three colours look together. Full tutorial here . [ via ]