Michael Davydov places his handmade tiny houses, trees, moons and barns in precarious worlds. Inspired by architecture and nature growing up in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod, he began to sketch and create little sculptures. He was soon making miniature worlds in which buildings and nature come together. The thing with small is that it can look inadequate. On a table top or bookshelves, his work could appear endearing in a childlike way and a little sweet. But when encased in glass domes and vials, the same work takes on a fairy-like quality, a bit of timeless magic, as if he’s not been building, but collecting and preserving wonderful things the rest of us have missed.     “I come from a small town in central Russia, located on a riverbank and surrounded by forests. I lived there until my student years and often spent time outdoors – this partially influenced my work and became an integral part of it.” – Michael Davydov     “One day, I became fascinated with bonsai art, as well as creating florariums—miniature ecosystems under glass. Working with living material led me to master the art of imitation — that’s how I describe my approach to miniatures. I replaced live plants and moss with driftwood and synthetic greenery, using my own recipes, and began creating miniature landscapes in lamps and test tubes. Against the backdrop of long journeys and distance from my homeland, tiny architecture appeared in my worlds. As an image of home and refuge, I tried to “congeal” these memories in the themes of my works.” – Michael Davydov         Via: DailyDoll, Michael Davydov The post Floating Away In Michael Davydov’s Miniature Worlds appeared first on Flashbak.

These are the elections to watch

Happy either way. Nicole and Luke Combs are gearing up to welcome baby number three into their herd. After welcoming their firstborn, Tex, in June of 2022, their second son, Beau, was born in August of 2023. As you’d expect from an artist like Combs, Tex Lawrence, 3, and Beau Lee, 2 have become not only the centerpiece of his life as a husband and father but also a critical part of his evolution as an artist, which was highlighted in his 2024 album, Fathers & Sons. Just announced via Instagram by his wife, Nicole, the couple is expecting a third child this winter, with the caption reading: “Third time’s a charm! Baby #3 coming this winter.” In the adorable reveal video, “Days Like These” plays in the background as Luke and Nicole are shown sitting in a field with Tex and Beau before they show them an ultrasound of their third child. The emotional moment is captured as the children raise their hands in celebration before the camera cuts to a close-up of the ultrasound, while the family walks away in the background. View this post on Instagram As winter is quickly approaching, I can only assume that the Combs household is buzzing with excitement. Tex and Beau are more than likely anxiously awaiting the arrival of their new baby brother or sister, and Nicole and Luke are probably in the process of nesting, getting ready for three littles to be running around the house. And as they are preparing and getting the baby’s new space ready, they have it easy because they won’t have to tailor a nursery for a boy or a girl. If you’re scratching your head thinking, “What do you mean?” Well, of course, they are getting ready for a baby boy or girl to come home, but they can nest with neutral tones until Baby Combs arrives to learn the gender. Nicole James recently asked her followers to submit questions during an “Ask me anything” Q&A session. During this, one fan asked if she was “going to find out the gender this go around?” To which Nicole replied: “Nope! I’m so excited we did it this way, though. If I could go back and not find out each time, I would!  We don’t care what we have. I know a lot of people say that, but we truly don’t. Happy and healthy is always the goal.”  Amen to that. While I am sure there is hope that baby number three is a girl, since the couple already has two boys, Combs’ project, Fathers & Sons, shows the stellar father he is, and adding a third little boy to the mix would bring more fun to the family. Nicole also seems like she is a stellar boy mom, but the bond that a mother shares with her daughter is unmatched. Nicole also expanded on her thoughts about having a girl and shared that, while answering another question, she and Luke will be done having kids when they feel their family is complete, whether they are blessed with a little girl or not. “We are not going to keep going just for a girl. I don’t understand that logic. We are happy with any and all lil nuggets.” We can’t wait to see what baby number three is and to witness Tex and Beu become outstanding big brothers. Before you go, listen to Combs’ emotional tribute to fatherhood, “The Man He Sees in Me,” here: The post Luke & Nicole Combs Are Keeping The Gender Of Baby #3 A Surprise: “Happy & Healthy Is Always The Goal” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Senator Fetterman just suggested on Fox News that his Democrat colleagues are starting to feel the pressure on keeping the government closed. Here’s what he told Martha McCallum: