It's a Giveaway!

Check it out! A surprise Christmas giveaway by Dianie Mac Designs! Dianie Mac's Surprise GIVEAWAY! Drawing is December 6th!

Autumn is knocking

Autumn is knocking at my door clothed in deep reds and burgundy, florescent orange and yellows and warm browns and tans. This is my most favorite time of year. It conjures up thoughts of crisp, crunchy apples, the smell of wood burning stoves as the evening temperatures drop, homemade apple cider with just the right amount of cinnamon and cloves, the forest floors carpeted in a patchwork quilt of beautiful color as the earth prepares for its long winter nap. All of these delightful stimulants to my senses calm me and make me feel warm and happy.

It is this time of year when my brain starts churning out the freaks and creeps that live inside it and want to come to live in the real world. This is the time of year I live for. Halloween just around the corner and all the creepies and crawlies start bubbling up inside my head, moaning and screaming to be set free into the real world. Just waiting to scare some unsuspecting child or, better yet, adult. Now is the time to make plans for the annual haunted house come to life. Skeletons, bats, vampires and spiders clear out the cobwebs of my mind, begging to be made flesh.

The time has come, my little friends, to talk of scary things,
Of snakes and spiders, tombstones and rats and bats with black leather wings.
Monsters and ghouls and zombies that creep 'round cemeteries in the night,
Witches and vampires that rise from the grave, turn into bats and take flight.
Insane killers who stalk the night and carry a big butcher knife,
Mad scientists and their creations and the lightning that brings them to life.
The time has come, my freaky friends, to think of the things not quite seen,
Of ghosts and goblins, and pumpkins with scowels, my friends, it's Halloween!

Skully Goodness

In need of some interesting skulls?

Check out their etsy shop.

Vintage Style Paper Mache Halloween Candy Bowls

Some really cool, vintage style, paper mache candy bowls at blackbirdfolkart's Etsy shop.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/blackbirdfolkart

The Cat With Hands

Click here to watch this creepy little movie.

My Ghoul Friday

Ghoul Friday" (gul/frid/e; noun)




Definition:


1. A female assistant with a range of duties who contributes to the furtherance of an effort


                                               2. One who takes delight in the revolting, morbid or loathsome


This website is for Halloween artists and enthusiasts, as well as those who enjoy creations and celebrations of all that is delightfully dark.


Join me as I mutter about alternative & lowbrow art, Halloween, props & countless creepy pop culture discoveries.




This is what it says on her blog page header. I just had to blog about this blog by a great creative mind and wonderful little creepy Canadian artist. I have been reading her blog for some time now and the things she comes up with just amaze me at times. Her latest creations, the Plague Doctors, are truly awesome. From horrific how to's, to Halloween party planning, to her wonderful art, she continues to impress and enchant me with all she does. If you haven't heard of her, stop by and check out her blog and sign up for her email list for updates. You will not be disappointed!

Freaky but Fancy Foul Skull Jewelry

So, I found some really cool cast resin replica skulls to play with a week or so ago and decided they were too cool not to make into jewelry. The next step was to decide what kind of jewelry I wanted to make. Everyone has seen a bird skull on a cord around someone's neck at one time or another, so I wanted to do something different. Something a bit fancier but still slightly creepy and in keeping with the Halloween/ Goth genres. So I went to my studio and dug through the boxes and boxes of parts and pieces and accessories that I have collected for jewelry making and got down to work!

First things I found were some really nice Vintaj brand lead and nickel free brass filigree pieces. I thought these would be perfect to fancy up my crow and quail skull replicas. I also found that I had more Vintaj stuff floating about in my boxes. Jump rings, chain, eye and head pins and all the little goodies I needed to make the jewelry cohesive. So I pulled out my bail making pliers, my electric drill with the smallest drill bit i had in it and the rest of my jewelry making supplies and I got down to business!

The first piece I made came out so nice and I liked it so much I decided to use the Vintaj stuff on all of the skulls I had. Vintaj brass is nice because it is solid brass, not coated or filled or plated stuff, so you can bend it and shape the pieces without the finish cracking and flaking off. I decided that with some creative bending of the filigree pieces and some drilling and wiring, I could make the skulls look like they were adorned with hats or armor and also attach glass beads and jewels to them to make them a bit more fancy and sparkle a bit.

So in conclusion, I have ordered more skulls and I am going to have to go shopping for more Vintaj because I am obsessed with the great way these necklaces I made came out and I want to play some more! Below are some pics of the pieces I have created so far. I am trying to decide if I should add these to my Etsy shop or save them for my little jewelry table I plan to have at Great Lakes Fright Fest next year. Please leave some comments on these and let me know what you think of them so I can decide.  Click on any pic to see a larger higer rez. photo.

I'm still alive!

I know it has been a ghost's age since I have posted anything and I do apologize. I am trying to get my schedule back in order so I can work more on my blog posts and jewelry and art and Halloween and, and, and... See where my problem comes in? Anyway, just wanted to throw out a few scribbles to let you all know I am not dead ( undead, maybe) and still lurking about.

My wife and kids and I attended Great Lakes Fright Fest, in Petersburg, Michigan, last weekend as we do every year and had a wonderful time. Kkrazy Kkaren Taylor and her hubby Brain and their staff out did themselves once again. We even had some real frights as the event takes place at a camp ground and we all stay there in our tents, etc. We had a really bad storm blow up Saturday night and apparently it produced a couple tornadoes that missed us only by a few miles on either side. If you would like to see some pics form the event you can go here to view the ones I took while I was there. We ha d loads of fun seeing great friends and learning new things. The new manic Midway was amazing and from what I hear it raised quite  a bit of money for the charities the event supports! The haunted house was great, as always, with, I believe, 13 rooms. Correct me if anyone knows otherwise. All proceeds from this event always go to support a couple local charities. It is a great time for a great cause and if you are interested in learning ways to make new things for Halloween, doing makeup, haunting your house, camping and just having a great time, I highly suggest you plan on attending next year. You can go to the website for it here and check it out for more info. Well, I guess that is all I have for now.  Until we meet again....pleasant screams!!

Creepy bits of fantasy at Shadow Farm and now a giveaway!

Creating creepy bits of art from the nether regions of his brain, Dave the Dead is now doing his first ever giveaway! Check it out here http://theshadowfarm.blogspot.com/2010/03/shadow-farm-2010-easter-giveaway.html . Also be sure to visit his Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/theshadowfarm to check out more cruel creations and darkly delightful creations!

The giveaway prize

WINTER BLUES and a light at the end of the tunnel.

Well I know I haven't posted anything in a long time, but I haven't had much to write about lately. The holidays came and went with nothing too awe inspiring to say and winter has just droned on and on and on with lots of cold and tons of snow. Did I mention I HATE winter? If I could I would follow the bears' example and just hibernate it away until spring. At last, the past few days here have warmed up above freezing and the snow has melted a bit and so I am finally seeing a light at the end of the winter tunnel. The stores are starting to put out the spring clothing and the gardening sections are filling up with seeds and soil and all the great stuff that comes with warmer weather. I am an avid gardener and love to get out into the dirt and plant and care for flowers and harbs and veggies and everything green and growing. Spring is my second favorite time of the year, with fall and Halloween being my first ( of course). Although I have to say it is a very close second. There is something amazing to me about being able to go out and dig in the soil and sew some seeds and being able to watch what I planted grow into adulthood and being able to use it to feed my family and friends and myself, or to be able to use what grows to make my yard and patio look wonderful all spring and summer and into fall. So I guess what I am trying to say in my rambling kind of way is that my winter blues are starting to turn green and I am beginning to see that this winter WON'T last forever, even though sometimes it feels that way. So maybe I will be posting more in the near future and you all can come by and visit me once again.  Thanks for stopping by to read my ramblings!
Damien