Ex libris, meaning ‘from the library of’, or ‘from the books of’ is a Latin expression attached to the art form of bookplates. These are stamps or labels that appear inside books to denote ownership, and range from the simple to the decorative and elaborate, to the obscure or even bizarre and surreal.

Noble families often used a personal coat of arms or crest, frequently featuring a family motto in their native language or in Latin. Naturally, styles change over time, but most bookplates reflect the decorative styles of the era in which they were created.

 A vast range of illustrations feature on bookplates - dragons, angels, trophies, animals, birds, children, musical instruments, weapons, floral displays, trees, plants, landscapes and much more.

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It doesn't only look beautiful, and it would make Jon Ive and Steve Jobs wet, but this naked Coca-Cola can would help save energy while reducing air and water pollution. Would it really make a difference? Let's do some math...

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Margaret Daalman came to hospital complaining of stomach ache - and one glance at her X-ray shows why.

Surgeons in Rotterdam in the Netherlands were flabbergasted when X-rays showed 78 different items of cutlery in the 52-year-old woman's stomach.

They rushed her to surgery in a desperate attempt to remove the dozens of forks and spoons trapped inside her body one by one.

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How many words do you speak during an average day? No, I am not talking about text messages, emails, or slang chatroom words, I am talking about words that actually come out of your mouth.

The average figure is 16,000 words. Even then, much of what we say can be meaningless chit-chat, brisk, necessary exchanges or even angry rants. Here are ten things that we could all do with saying more often. While reading, I'll bet you believe the list is pretty simplistic. However, the positive impact they will have on your mood and your day is pretty dramatic.

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This clever candy is packaged to look like our favorite lucky cat, Maneki Neko! But open the cellophane and all you get are two white balls of candy. The cellophane is where the cat is at -in fact there are several wrappers with different cat expressions.

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From J&D's, the people who brought you Bacon Salt and Baconnaise (among other bacon-flavored products), come bacon-flavored envelopes. Yeah, instead of tasting like paste, you can now dream of breakfast as you pay your bills. 

(PS: I checked out the Bacon Salt when I was up in Solvang recently, and it wasn't very interesting.  Perhpas the mayo is better?)

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(a nod to Half Pint for the heads-up)

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A few months ago, I went to an In-N-Out before seeing a movie. 

When I sat down in the booth, there was this package of peppers sealed in a small, clear plastic bag.  I stared at it for a few moments and began my Double-Double feast.  The peppers remained on the table and I kept thinking to myself, "How utterly random!"  It was like someone brought them in, and just left it there on the table, forgotten.

Well, the mystery has finally be solved.  Click HERE for the why.

Photo taken in Tokyo, which sells hundreds a cookie cutters.  If you like making cookies, you better bone up on your Japanese and make a visit.

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