Category: Creative Wonders

Couple Bought an ‘Uninhabitable’ 18th-Century Italian Townhouse and Transformed It Into a Renaissance Holiday Home

A couple bought an Italian townhouse at an auction with a starting bid of one euro (US$1.10) and has managed to transform it into a stunning $250,000 Renaissance-style palazzo. The council in Sambuca di Sicilia auctioned 16 abandoned homes in the sun-drenched mountain village of Sicilia with prices starting at a symbolic one euro. In January…


Man Spends 52 Years Building 160-Foot Rock Castle in Colorado Forest—Now He’s 79 Years Old

They wanted a castle. So Jim Bishop was going to build them a castle. It was 1969 when the ornamental ironworker in his late 20s set out building a stone cottage near Pueblo, Colorado, with the help of his father, intending to make a home out of a shack. But what began as a construction project…


PHOTOS: One of the 8 Oldest Castles in the World—The Fairytale Magic of Reichsburg Cochem

This 11th-century German castle, among the eight oldest castles in the world, was once partially destroyed but lovingly restored centuries later. Still standing today with some original features, the statuesque castle looks as though it fell straight from the pages of a fairytale. Reichsburg Cochem, otherwise known as Cochem Castle, stands on a hill some…


PHOTOS: In 1899, French Artists Depicted Their Vision of the Year 2000—See What They ‘Predicted’

A group of French artists came together in 1899 to depict their vision of life in the year 2000 in a series of illustrated trade cards. At once beautiful and bizarre, the artists’ predictions play the expectations of our predecessors against real-world progress with fascinating results. En L’An 2000 (In the Year 2000) was a…


Extremely Rare Vintage Facel Vega Car Sitting in Garage for 50 Years Is Worth a Fortune: ‘An Absolute Gem’

A rare Facel Vega HK500 car that has been rusting in a garage for almost 50 years is set to sell for tens of thousands of pounds. The right-hand drive classic motor is thought to be only one of 96 models that were made for the UK market. Originally finished in Brunswick blue with grey…


Timelapse Video: Dad Takes Photo of His Son Every Day for 30 Years, Now Son Continues the Tradition

A son who had his photo taken every day for 30 years by his devoted dad has now taken the reins on the lifelong project by continuing to take a selfie every single day. The pair has even compiled their massive image collection into a moving timelapse video. Cory McLeod was born in North Yorkshire,…


Man Spends Over a Decade Building 74-foot Steel Boat in Yard, Sails Down Mississippi to Gulf of Mexico

He was dying to live out an adventure. Stuck in a cubicle for 17 years—a database administrator in oil and gas—Doug Jackson, 62, risked everything to try something that “terrified” him by building his own submarine in 2000. But it so happened, this was just the beginning of his ocean adventures. Today, Jackson has stepped up…


The Silver Tissue Dress: Rare 360-Year-Old Gown Worn to Royal Court Is Still in Pristine Condition

A stunning, rare 17th-century dress, once worn by a wealthy West Country British woman to the royal court, has survived for over 360 years in pristine condition thanks to the historians and curators that have preserved it. The Silver Tissue Dress, once belonging to Lady Theophilia Harris of Bath in England, is comprised of a whalebone…


Mind-Blowing Portraits Made With Fire and Blades on Wood—Check Out the Hyperrealistic Details: PHOTOS

A self-taught Nigerian artist with a passion for representing his culture has found a unique way to use fire and blades on wood to render incredibly hyperrealistic portraits. Alex Peter Idoko, 30, is based in Abuja, Nigeria, and has been practicing art for 23 years, 15 professionally. He describes his field as “surrealism and hyperrealism” and…


PHOTOS: Navy Officer-Turned-Artist Handcrafts Wool Felt Gifts That Are Too Cute to Resist

A Taiwanese military veteran is now a renowned needle felting expert who handcrafts her signature art pieces, replicas of the popular breakfast bread—the polo bun or pineapple bun—and much more, bringing art to our daily lives. Lei Hsiao-Chen, a native of Taoyuan County, Taiwan, developed an interest in art at an early age. Her love…