This is a really unique little Web application. The Color Of is “an attempt to find out the color of anything.” Type a word into the search box, and the site queries Flickr to find pictures tagged with that word. Then it builds up a color composite of those images–watching them layer is really neat–and presents the “color” of that concept.

Here are a few I tried:

In addition to just being fun to play with, this would provide great color inspiration for things like quilts. Type in something like “bloody” or “monster” and create your palette based on the results.

(via Dude Craft)

The Goth Calendar has been ported to a nicer platform with better export/subscription capability, and lots more events have been added. w00t.

I recently ran across an EMF Detector app which purports to detect the same “ghostly” energies that paranormal investigators look for, and wondered what other smartphone apps might be available for the gothier amongst us. As it turns out, there’s a bunch of ’em.

There are several other flavors of EMF apps, including iEMF (which seems to have a more detailed readout), EMF Meter + (appears to be aimed more at scientists than ghost hunters), and Paranormal State EMF Reader (associated with A&E’s Paranormal State program ; I don’t know how much useful data it collects but the interface is well-suited to costume parties).

Other ghost-hunting tools include:

Ghost Recorder – Claims to record ghostly sounds beyond the range of human hearing.

Paranormal Recorder – Another EVP recorder, this one triggered by unusual EMF readings.

iOvilus – The description of this recorder is sort of vague, but it appears to function(?) on the theory that external forces can cause changes to the phone’s sensors,

Ghost Words – An EVP recorder that is triggered by motion or infrared.

Ghost Radar – Offers a variety of sensors (EMF, vibrations, sounds, etc.) and some interesting management capabilities.

Ghost Hunter – Another multi-function ghost hunting toolkit.

Ghost Detector Pro – Claims to use the phone’s environmental sensors to track ghosts on a radar-like screen. I like that the tagline is, “Protect yourself from the ghosts in 2011!”

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I refuse to be sucked into scrapbooking because the last thing I need is another time sink, but a couple of collections by Echo Park Paper are sorely tempting me. Even worse, the materials lend themselves to plenty of non-scrapbooking uses too.

Their Happy Halloween stuff is sort of cutesy and candy-colored, and would be great for kid-friendly crafts. The Happy Haunting and Graveyard papers would also be wonderful for custom party invitations.

They also have a brand-new collection, Apothecary Emporium, with a vintage look and more muted colors. I can think of a lot of stuff to do with these, from potion bottles using the Apothecary Labels to decoupage projects with Striped Toad or Haunted Forest papers.

The site also has a blog which features suggested projects using their materials, in case your inspiration needs a jumpstart. Neat.

A while back I posted a list of events which provided excuses to party in a Halloween-like manner on dates other than Halloween, and made some offhand comment about eventually expanding it into a proper calendar. Several people responded with, “Yes, why don’t you get on that?” so I have.

Behold The Goth Calendar. This isn’t so much a calendar of any particular kind of event (holidays or conventions or what-have-you) as it is a list of dates and celebrations that might be of interest to those of a gothy nature. The calendar is color-coded for birthdays, deathdays, holidays, and miscellaneous.

It’s definitely a work in progress, with events being added as I come across them. Fixed events show up as recurring every year, and events that move around (like solstices) are up-to-date through 2018. I’m sure that there are simply loads of interesting events that I’m missing, so please feel free to leave a comment or drop me a line if you have suggestions for additions.

Here’s something that’s been hanging around in my Drafts folder for ages looking for a suitable home, and although it’s probably something more suited to Halloween parties I’m tired of looking at it so you guys get it in July.

These are recipes for shots that have spooky names and look good served in test tubes, a la Evil Mad Scientist. There are plastic test tubes purpose-made for serving shots, but you can also get Pyrex ones which both look more authentic and can be reused. (You could also turn some of these into Jello shots using unflavored gelatin and serve them in syringes.)

Embalming Fluid
1 part Apple Dekuypers Liquor
1 part Vodka
1 part Sweet and Sour (or Melon Liqueur)

TruBlood
1 part Chambord (or Dekuypers Razzmatazz)
1 part vodka or light rum
1 part Sweet and Sour

Toxic Refuse
1 part Vodka
1 part Triple Sec
1 part Midori
Splash Lime Juice

Green Spider
1 part Vodka
1 part Green Creme de Menthe

Smashing Pumpkin
1 part Kahlua
1 part Bailey’s Irish Cream
1 part Goldschlager

Neon Ghost
1 part Vodka
1 part Pisang Ambon

Peach Death
1 part Vodka
1 part Peach Schnapps
1 part Amaretto

Nightmareland
1 part Blue Curacao
1 part Jägermeister
1 part Kahlua

Caramel Apple
1 part Apple Pucker
1 part Butterscotch Schnapps

The Morbid Fashion is a blog “dedicated to showcasing grown up goth fashion,” and site owner Zellain has a splendid eye for detail.

The blog grew out of her Morbid Fashion Tumblr site, where her posts of goth-fashion images attracted so many followers that she decided she needed a site for more substantial articles and tutorials.

The posts tend to be centered around a particular theme, like red and black for the home or men’s goth purple, so they’re a fantastic source of inspiration. She also offers useful tutorials and tips such as what makes a good shoe and how to put together a goth spring wardrobe.

You can also contract for her services personally via Subtle Goth, where she will offer sourcing and styling advice for wardrobe and interior decor.

The site is really a treasure trove of fashion and decorating ideas. Go take a look!

I recently ran across some pretty skull-print damask fabric, and upon poking around discovered that the designer has quite a number of goth-friendly patterns. Here are some of my favorites:

Skull Damask – This would be wonderful for upholstered items.

Fairy Frost – Pretty all-over pattern that would be nice as part of a quilt. Comes in several contrasting colors, including blood red.

“Pirates” Fabric – Cotton fabric featuring skulls and knitting needles. There’s also a version with scissors. (And may I just comment at how tired I am of skull-and-crossbones imagery being so thoroughly co-opted by the “pirate” crowd?)

Luna Moth – I love how delicate and lacy these moths look.

Bonehead – Kitschy, colorful skulls.

Ornate Crosses – Gorgeous gothy crosses on a black background.

Petals – Black fabric with a subtle rose design. I’d love a dress made out of this. There’s also a really dramatic red version.

Venice Floral Script – Black flowers on a cream background. This would be another lovely fabric for a dress.

Zelda – Black-and-white floral design that looks like patterned lace.

Delovely Damask – Another very formal fabric that would be great for home decor. Available in a number of shades including onyx, linen, and cherry.

Knitmare on Elm Street – This is just sort of bizarre, featuring a repeating pattern of Chinese take-out with knitting needles instead of chopsticks, dogs and cats interacting with knitting, the skeleton of someone who appears to have died whilst knitting and rotted right where they sat, and an annoyed-looking kid in a hoodie who has no noticeable connection with knitting; perhaps he’s annoyed because he accidentally wandered into the wrong fabric. I’m assuming drugs were involved in the development of this design.

Knitty Gritty Skully – Vintage-looking skull and crossbones on a rather formal background pattern. (And this one doesn’t mention pirates. Yay!)

There are lots of other patterns that would be great for quilting, crafts, or home decor. If you’re looking for some unique fabric for a sewing project, go take a look.

How have I never encountered this site before? It is utterly splendid.

How to Be a Retronaut is run by historical consultant Chris Wild. The site’s tagline is “Ever get the feeling you’re living in the wrong time?” and it is an almost inexplicable collection of vintage/time-travel/steampunk/godonlyknows photos and minutiae, ranging from Victorian surrealism through eternally-cuddling skeletons to memorial effigies.

There are videos which purport to show time travelers and photos of Australian criminals from the 1920s and anatomical drawings of mermaids and…let’s just say you’re going to be here for a while.

Every so often I run across a site and immediately regret it, because I can easily envision it sucking all of the money out of my bank account. The latest entry on that list is Alpha Stamps.

ShellHawk’s Nest recently pointed to their Halloween Stamps page, noting that they’d be excellent motivation to start scrapbooking. They would indeed, and it turns out that Alpha has many more items than just stamps to spend money on enhance your creativity.

They’ve got things like “vampire” epoxy stickers, “death” tarot collage sheets, skeletal cameos, and entire collections devoted to Halloween, Steampunk, Grimm’s Fairy Tales, and many more.

The site also features tutorials for interesting projects like a haunted house decoration and an Alice in Wonderland lunch box.

One thing I particularly like about the layout is their use of “inspirational” thumbnails throughout the catalog, suggesting interesting uses for various items. The sugar skull stamp, for instance, is accompanied by a beaded, embroidered patch featuring the design. They also have an entire gallery of items made with their products, which is a fantastic source of design ideas.

If you’re looking for the perfect little detail piece for a craft project, check this site out. They have all sorts of lovely things.