Although I make my own fat-and-lye soap, I’ve never really gotten into any of the glycerine varieties. I may need to re-think that stance, because the soap that Etsy seller Bunny Bubbles makes is awfully appealing.

In addition to eyeballs (which would be one of those perfect “small details” for a Halloween party, or even as a favor for a Halloween wedding), the shop offers lots of unusual shapes like skull-and-crossbones, cameos, and autumn leaves. The leaves in particular would be lovely in a guest bathroom as a “Halloweenish without being spooky” touch.

The prices are quite reasonable and the seller does custom items, so if there’s a scent or shape you’ve been looking for they might be able to help you out.

(Hat tip to Siegmar.S)

Last year Alexa of Hinkenhook planned her own Hallowedding, and she had so much fun that this year she’s sharing a whole month of ideas on her blog.

She’s got suggestions for spooky venues, some great “Save the Date” ideas, and loads more. Her first post is here, and the archive links on the right-hand side are an easy way to get to all of the others.

If you’re planning your own Hallowedding, this should be a fantastic source of inspiration. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the rest of the month.

Just in time for autumn,* MAKE has a tutorial for making some lovely harvesty lanterns out of dried gourds.

The example uses a drill, but if you’re afraid of power tools you can use those little pumpkin-carving jigsaws instead. In addition to making patterns of holes you might also be able to cut larger designs in the gourd, although you’d want to take care not to crack the brittle walls. Since the gourds are lit by miniature fairy lights or LED lamps, you can also embellish them with paint or glue-on ornaments that wouldn’t be appropriate for anything lit by a candle.

The gourds are easy to grow and come in a wide variety of shapes, so if you’ve got a little yard space you can plant some for future craft projects.

I love how elegant these look, particularly with several massed together. They’d make a lovely and inexpensive centerpiece for a dinner party or even for the tables at a wedding reception.

*I’m sorry, Southern Hemisphere readers; you know I love you, but autumn starts now, not six months from now.

A reader dropped me a line the other day, suggesting that I check out Annie M. Vicar’s Dolls and Skellery. I love it when people send me tips; they always suggest the coolest stuff.

Vicar went to school for animation, but when she realized that she missed getting her hands dirty she turned to dolls to make her creations come to life. Her dolls and miniatures are all hand-sculpted and -painted, and their costumes are designed and sewn from scratch. The result is appealingly weird and evocative.

You can see some of her past work on her site (she’s even got an absinthe fairy!) and in her Etsy shop. She will also do custom designs based on photographs or descriptions. Although there don’t appear to be any examples in her gallery, the site mentions that she also does wedding cake toppers; a custom piece featuring you and your intended could serve both as a cake topper and as a post-wedding piece of art.

The dolls aren’t cheap, but one-of-a-kind items rarely are. One of them displayed in a bell jar would certainly be a striking focus for a room.

Thanks, random link suggester!

This is completely made of awesome. The Midnight in the Garden of Evil blog has some great photos of a wedding with a Haunted Mansion theme.

There are all kinds of clever details–like hitch-hiking ghosts place cards–and most of the decor was hand-made. I’m immensely impressed with how much of the mansion’s flavor they managed to capture with things like the spiderwebbed-candelabra centerpieces, not to mention brilliant little touches like custom-printed M&Ms with an HM wallpaper motif.

They apparently also had a bit of luck in the form of a friend who loaned them a couple of props that he had sculpted for use in his home haunt. That might actually be a great project for a wedding that’s a year or two off: Create custom props for use at the wedding, then use them for Halloween decor afterward.

Go take a look at the photos! They’re fantastic inspiration.

Bonus Link: Check out the Carnivale de Mystique on the same blog. It was a local nursery’s Halloween theme, but there are some great ideas for wedding decor.

(via Creepy Cupcakes)

This is one of those simple, brilliant ideas where you smack yourself in the forehead and wonder why you’d never thought of it before. Over at Kootoyoo, Kirsty has a super-easy tutorial for making pretty “lanterns” out of jars, a recycled lace tablecloth, and some LED tea lights.

These would be great as centerpieces for an evening wedding reception, or just to add a little ambience to a room.

The tea lights she mentions seem a little on the pricey side ($10 AU = about $9 US), which may just be the brand she’s using; these appear to be about the same price. If they’re really long-lasting the price might be worth it if you plan to use the lanterns often, but for a one-off event like a reception you could probably get away with the much-cheaper (around $1 apiece) flickering tea lights often sold at craft stores. (If you don’t like flickering, there are also these, which are slightly more expensive but have the advantage of being submersible.) I really do love the idea of using electric lights rather than something that gets hot; it definitely expands the number of ways you could display the lanterns.

Kirsty’s tutorial also involves sewing the lace into a tube and slipping it over the jar. If you’re really hopeless with sewing (or if you use an oddly-shaped jar), you could also hot-glue the lace in position. Glue a pretty piece of ribbon or other decoration over the seam to conceal it.

A whole bunch of these massed together would be a very striking decorative focal point, particularly if you varied the jar size and the lace pattern.

(via CRAFT)

Hilary Pfeifer specializes in handmade carvings made from reclaimed wood, and her particular forte is cake toppers. She does monsters and robots and witches, and recently made this lovely pair of Edward Gorey-inspired toppers. (They were quickly snapped up by a Halloween bride; a few photos of them atop the cake are here.)

In addition to the blog she’s got an Etsy shop, and some additional photos of her toppers are here. If you’re looking for a custom topper with a sort of rustic/shabby chic vibe–that are attractive enough to display as art after the wedding–this might be just the ticket.

I posted about Yankee Candle’s “Boney Bunch” collection when they were released a couple of years ago, and since then one of my commenters has faithfully kept us updated on the status of the collection. wildeprose has come through again, recently leaving this comment:

Hey guys!
Its that time of year again!
Boney Bunch is coming back for 1 last year! The company has stated that this will be “Part 3” and that they will end it at that….not because the demand is not there, but because they are happy to see it go on as a collectors item!
This year…again as an insider…I believe they are doing the next step after marriage which is CHILDREN!
The company is being very secretive about the collection this year…so I cant give you much info….all I can say at this point is that yes indeed it it coming out again, this will more than likely be the last year, and more than likely it will be related to boney bunch children….
The preview party will be between Aug 7th and 9th….BE PREPARED!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Stay tuned….I will give info the moment I get it!!!!
:)

If things work out as they have in past years, these suckers will be snapped up almost as soon as they hit the shelves. If you’re in the market for wedding cake toppers, party favors, or (if wildeprose is correct about the new addition) a very unique baby shower gift, you’re definitely going to need to act fast.

Thanks, wildeprose!

Beetlegirl Design has an easy tutorial for making “springtime blossoms” out of circles of tulle. The examples are soft pastels, but they’d also look great in darker shades.

Branches of these would be great centerpieces at a wedding: You could make the flowers match your wedding colors, or spray-paint the branches black and fill them with orange or scarlet blooms for a gothier look.

A few of the delicate little blossoms would also be pretty on a hat or scattered along a jacket lapel. They’re easy to make, so they’d be a great last-minute way to add a little punch to an article of clothing.

Cheap! Easy! Two things I love in a project.

Brittni of paper n stitch used a vintage book to hold the rings at her wedding, and has posted a tutorial for creating a similar book. I like her suggestion of choosing a book that’s meaningful to the couple (I think goth couples would get extra points for using a copy of Dracula), although I quail at the idea of using a true vintage book.*

Fortunately, thrift stores usually have loads of cheap hardback books that aren’t quite as painful to deface. Depending upon the amount of effort you want to invest (one advantage of this project is that it’s quick), you could paint the exterior of the book to match your wedding colors or even cover it with matching fabric.

You could also decorate the page that’s revealed when the book is open to the little “ring box:” Decoupage pictures of the couple or other relevant photos, glue a printout of a medieval manuscript page over the text, or simply paint the page a solid color. There are lots of ways to personalize this kind of project, and the book could even be displayed as a memento after the ceremony is over.

It’s an interesting change from the traditional pillow, and it’s nice that the basic project is so simple whilst still leaving lots of room for embellishment.

(via CRAFT)

*I have a fairly reverential attitude toward books, and the idea of defacing one makes me quiver a little. Shadaughter can tell you about the high school English teacher she had who thought marginalia was just wonderful and encouraged the students to write in their books…and who granted her special dispensation to use sticky notes instead because I was threatening to drop by the school and chat about the subject. Don’t f$#&k with my books, is what I’m saying.