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The Department of Delicious Deception should know better than to try to eat wooden food, but the work of Japanese wood sculptor Seiji Kawasaki is so awesomely realistic, we just know they’re going to take a nibble at the earliest opportunity. Just look at these croissants, so flaky and buttery:

But they aren’t flaky, buttery pastries at all. They’re blocks of wood, hand-carved to the tiniest detail and painstakingly painted by Kawasaki. Each piece takes 2-3 hours to complete, some of which aren’t simply decorative. These red peppers, for example, function as chopstick rests:

Follow Seiji Kawasaki on Facebook or Twitter for many more photos of his astonishingly realistic woodcarving.

These whimsical wooden automata are the creations of contemporary Japanese woodworker Kazuaki Harada. We’re particularly fond of the dancing ham and veggies. After first spending a year studying under English master automata-maker Matt Smith, Harada began crafting his own automatons in 2002. His playful pieces vary in both size and complexity, but all are operated by the turning of a single handle and are created in the spirit of simply delighting people. Why else would you create an automaton wearing nothing but socks, with the ability to boil a pot of tea on his own belly?

Visit Kazuaki Harada’s YouTube channel to check out many more of his marvelous wooden automatons in action. You can also follow him on Instagram and check out pieces he has for sale via his online shop.

Inktober Day 8: GENGAR used NIGHT SHADE

Practicing our pareidolia, spotting faces and familiar shapes or patterns in unexpected places, is one of our favorite Surreal Sunday pastimes.

Bored Panda assembled an outstanding collection of photos of everyday object paired with pop culture icons they resemble. It’s a pareidolia paradise.

These are some of our favorite. Head over to Bored Panda to view them all.

Foley artists have one of the most magical jobs in the world. They make all the everyday sound effects added to film and video in post-production. The sounds of footsteps on different surfaces, water sloshing, keys unlocking locks, doors opening, paper rustling, and so on. It’s a job that requires extraordinary patience, concentration, and creativity and when the Foley artists have done their job well, it shouldn’t even occur to the viewer to wonder how or where those sounds were made.

This mesmerizing short film directed by Daniel Jewel and entitled “The Secret World of Foley” features Foley artists Pete Burgis and Sue Harding working their unique cinematic magic, which also looks like awesome fun:

These pieces and more are available via the EarlyBirdDesignsShop on Etsy.