Philadelphia Weekly’s style blog (full disclosure: my girlfriend is the editor) ran a piece the other week (full disclosure part II: the writer, Emily, is a friend of ours) about making a wonderful piece of home décor…

An 8-foot giant squid pillow!

Emily provides dimensions and pictures of all the patterns you’ll need and detailed instructions to get you from start to finish. I can’t even sew a button back onto a shirt, but the idea of cuddling with a cephalopod is enough to make me want to try this one myself.

If any of readers decide to make one of these, please send us pictures. The _floss and the style blog will be happy to show off your handiwork.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world…

Elsewhere, however, they’re eating squid instead of snuggling them. Beth, an Aussie PhD student in the biological sciences who blogs at Cloth and Fodder, isn’t so much interested in another entry in the endless parade of fried calamari variations as she is in squid cake. Which is to say, a cake shaped like a squid (though squid flavored pastry sounds like something worth trying).

It looks delicious, and the delightfully realistic eyes have a great story behind them. If squid aren’t your thing (what’s wrong with you?), Beth can also show you how to make an axolotl cake.

So there you go, folks. Get to sewing and baking!