Octopus Tentacle Victorian Masquerade Top / orderabandon

This hat was custom made for a fashion event in Minneapolis called The Deep, but I enjoyed it so immensely that I decided to offer this piece for sale.

For this one I really have to let the photos talk – a sturdy top hat with tentacles spilling out of the top – what could be more eye-catchingly awesome? Embellished with real seashells and starfish, glass and real pearls, silver German glass glitter, Swarovski crystal rhinestones, silk and ribbons, and poufs of white dotted tulle to mimic seafoam.

Your hat will be created in the same manor, with the same attention to detail, in the colors of your choice.

Professional buckram and wire construction, entirely sewn by hand.

Hat is about 8-12″ tall counting the tentacle — via Etsy

Triumph Bonneville Trackmaster

We’ve shown several of former Cycle World magazine boss David Edwards’ customs over the past few months, but our new favorite is this British Racing Green Triumph Bonneville 750 based on a nickel-plated Trackmaster flat-track frame, and bristling with drilled alloy and carbon-fiber bits — via Bike EXIF

German officials order all stray cats to be neutered

All stray cats in the north German city of Bremen are to be neutered under plans by the local council which campaigners hope could be extended to the whole country.

The drastic measure has been proposed by Bremen’s interior minister, Ulrich Mäurer, in an attempt to control the city’s burgeoning feline population, which is threatening local songbirds — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Microsoft Shuts off HTTPS in Hotmail for Over a Dozen Countries

Microsoft appears to have turned off the always-use-HTTPS option in Hotmail for users in more than a dozen countries, including Bahrain, Morocco, Algeria, Syria, Sudan, Iran, Lebanon, Jordan, Congo, Myanmar, Nigeria, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan. Hotmail users who have set their location to any of these countries receive the following error message when they attempt to turn on the always-use-HTTPS feature in order to read their mail securely:

Your Windows Live ID can’t use HTTPS automatically because this feature is not available for your account type

— via redwolf.newsvine.com

Montesa Cota

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a customized trials motorcycle before. And they don’t come with a much better pedigree than the Montesa Cota, the machine that won the 1968 Championship in trials-mad Spain. The bike in the images is a 1974 Cota 247 model, but it can trace its lineage back to the first Montesa trials bikes of 1967. More to the point, this bike looks a little different to the machines that rolled off the factory floor in Barcelona. It was restored and customized by the Dutch designers Studio RAAR for their client Buddha to Buddha, a company that’s just released a line of motorcycle helmets and leather gloves — via Bike EXIF

Hermes Time Suspended Watch

This is the new and very cool watch Le Temps Suspendu watch, or Time Suspended watch from Hermes. The wearer can literally suspend time… and return to it whenever he wishes! Works like this: Pressing the button on the nine o’clock side of the watch brings both the hour and minute hands to noon and hides the retrograde date hand (the one on the lower right quadrant of the watch). ?? The movement, however, continues running so that when the button is pressed again the hands fly back to their rightful position, taking into account the period that has passed — via Perpetuelle.com Blog

Honda CR 750

If I had to make a list of the most iconic racing motorcycles of all time, the Honda CR 750 would be in my top ten. Not only for its achievements, but also for its aesthetics: to my eyes, it’s one of the most beautiful bikes to ever roll down a pit lane. This particular bike might only be a replica, but it’s the closest thing to owning one of the original four Honda factory racers. It was built in Minnesota by Mark McGrew and M3 Racing in 1996, and over the next eight years racked up an impressive classic racing pedigree — via Bike EXIF

Tips For Buying a Vintage Sewing Machine

Vintage sewing machines always intrigue me, but also kind of scare me. I’m never quite sure what to check for if I find one for sale, and I’m not sure what models might suit my needs. Thankfully, Pete Lappin has a very handy column full of tips and advice for purchasing vintage sewing machines over on Burda Style. If a vintage machine has caught your eye, be sure to read this first — via CRAFT