New hand-cranked mechanical greeting card gives a thumbs up sign

Brad Litwin, creator of the ingenious line of MechaniCards, has uploaded video of his new creation. This one is titled Thumbs Up! for reasons that will become apparent after you watch the video.

For those of you who don't know, MechaniCards are miniature, hand-operated, kinetic sculptures, designed and produced in limited editions. Each piece comes with instructions and display recommendations. They are available assembled or as do-it-yourself construction kits. The new model shown here will soon be available via www.MechaniCards.com.

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Miniature automata of L & A St. Leger on Tumblr

Check out my favorite tumblr site featuring the wonderful miniature automata created by Laurence and Angela St. Leger! Shown here is a piece featuring a fisherman titled The Struggle.

Here is a link to the L & A St. Leger tumblr site.

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A blinking-eyed metal teapot automaton

The maker of this piece, says it is their first automaton and that it is not finished yet. So far, so good; I love where it is headed!

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Taxidermy mice incorporated into automaton

While some of the Roullet et Decamps animal automata use real fur, I don't think they ever use entire animals. Inspired or creepy? The idea of using preserved mice in an automaton is fascinating to say the least!

From the ebay description:

The piece is one of a series of circus themes, and it is titled "The Lesson". The larger mouse who wears a ringleader style suit bounces high on his ball, while the smaller mouse only jumps a little way up. Juggling balls are scattered around where they have been practicing balancing and juggling. A very small mouse, too young to train yet, helps by picking up the balls and handing them back to the ringmaster.

Here is where you can learn more about the automaton with taxidermy mice.

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