Sites that permit you to custom-manufacture various items have been gaining popularity on the Web over the past couple of years: Lulu lets you print your own books, places like Cafepress allow you to customize T-shirts, and Spoonflower offers on-demand custom fabrics.

And now there’s a new service that is kind of blowing my mind. Shapeways will print 3-D objects for you.

They use the same additive manufacturing technology that’s become so popular for rapid prototyping, where multiple layers of material are “printed” on top of each other until a 3-dimensional object is built up. They provide an interface to design objects of your own, and you can also upload a design that you’ve created in a CAD program.

In addition to creating unique objects or prototypes for your own use, they also offer an Etsy-type store where you can sell your creations (such as the skull ring pictured above).

This service is a huge boon to those of us with no sculpting ability whatsoever, or for anyone who wants to (for instance) create a one-of-a-kind ring without investing in metallurgy tools.

(via Curious Goods, who is selling the Key to Oz)

This right here is why I love the Internet.

Last week my blog alerted me that I’d gotten a pingback on my Halloween Calendar tutorial. I followed the link to Simply Sunshine’s version, and had two immediate thoughts:
1) I love the tombstone header.
2) Where can I find that hearse fabric?!?

So I plugged “hearse fabric” into The Great and Powerful Google and discovered that it’s from a collection called “Eerie Alley” by Robert Kaufman Fabrics. You can see the whole collection here. Yay, Internet!

In addition to three different hearse variations, they’ve also got some lovely spiders, pumpkins, and a couple of stripe patterns that I’d expect to see as upholstery in the Addams Family’s sitting room. These would be perfect for quilts or other fabric crafts, not to mention adorable as clothing.

The Robert Kaufman site has a retail finder for U.S. locations, and there are also plenty of places to buy the fabric online: Google Shopping | Amazon | Etsy

There is definitely a hearse-print dress in my near future.

Burning Chestnuts
These glowing nuts are emblems true
Of what in human life we view;
The ill-match’d couple fret and fume,
And this in strife themselves consume;
Or from each other wildly start,
And with a noise forever part.
But see the happy, happy pair,
Of genuine love and truth sincere;
With mutual fondness while they burn,
Still to each other kindly turn;
And as the vital sparks decay,
Together gently sink away;
Till life’s fierce ordeal being past,
Their mingled ashes rest at last.
— Charles Graydon, “On Nuts Burning, Hallows Eve” (1801)

From the depths of my Drafts folder* comes this fragment detailing a favorite Victorian parlor game. As is so often the case, it’s been knocking around in there so long that I forget what my original point was, so I’m just going to publish it and pass the confusion on to you.

The game itself is very straightforward, assuming you have a fireplace. (If you don’t, you can also use a charcoal grill.) Pass around a bowl of chestnuts and let each person choose two: One to represent themselves and one to represent a lover (current or potential). Each player places their chestnuts next to each other in the hot coals, and the nuts’ behavior “predicts” the fate of their relationship: If one hisses and steams, it indicates fretfulness or a bad temper in whomever the chestnut is named for. If both sputter, the relationship will be full of discord. If they pop away from each other, the lovers will separate. If they burn tranquilly side by side it means a life of happiness and harmony (I wouldn’t recommend trying to eat them once they’ve been reduced to ash).

It’s fun to play the game and then eat the results (not too many items can play a dual role as party game and snack food), or just save the roasted chestnuts for later and use them in a soup or dessert. Chestnuts are an underutilized foodstuff as far as I’m concerned, and I’m always happy to see them appear in the markets in autumn. Keep an eye out for their appearance, and you’ll have an inexpensive way to amuse your guests and get something yummy in the bargain.

*You guys. It’s really scary in there. And I think Amelia Earhart is propped up in one of the corners.

Dave Lowe is gearing up for Halloween, and one of his yard props this year will be a skeletal graveyard keeper named Patrick O’Treaty.*

He’s doing a series of posts on his blog about O’Treaty’s build progress, and there’s some fantastic inspiration for the home haunter. Even if you don’t have the space or inclination to build the whole prop, the head would be a fun stand-alone decoration and the lantern is attractive enough to display year-round.

As I’ve mentioned before, even though Lowe is a master craftsman, I love how his style is inspiring rather than daunting; his creations seem almost achievable by us mere mortals.

Here are links to the O’Treaty posts he’s done so far; check back at his blog as he posts the rest:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8

*Whose name I had to roll around in my head far longer than I care to admit before I realized it was a riff on “Trick or Treat.” I blame a lack of coffee.

Doomestic bills itself as “The Home For Haunted Housewives And Menacing Mommies,” with a mission statement that seems to indicate its focus as being, essentially, “Hints from Hell-oise.”

The site appears to be almost brand-new (its copyright is 2010, and its apparently-now-de-rigueur Facebook page only became active in June) so content is extremely sparse, but it looks like it might have some potential. It’s got what appear to be categories for recipes, sewing/crafts, household tips, parenting, and–somewhat inexplicably–an arcade area. Their sidebar also suggests that they’ll eventually have a blog and forum.

The site is definitely ambitious; it’ll be worth keeping an eye on to see how they build it out.

I’ve had this gallery of masks knocking around in my Drafts folder for so long that I’ve forgotten where it came from originally. There aren’t any descriptions or design information, but a bit of googling seems to confirm that they’re all the work of Linda Bergkvist, who has a blog/portfolio here (some of her paintings are NSFW).

The masks are simply lovely, and are a wonderful source of inspiration. There are a wide range of styles, using everything from feathers and jewels to what appears to be filigree made with hot glue. If you’re looking for a mask to complete a costume–or even to build a costume around–there are some fantastic ideas here.

I’ve had this lurking in my Drafts folder for so long that I’ve forgotten the original intent of the post. I think it was going to be part of a “themed party” idea, where the invitation text would tie into the overall party motif: A party with an Old World theme might use a relevant poem or superstition, and so on. However, that post apparently is never going to get off the ground, so here’s a bunch of poetry and folk sayings that might be useful for prettying up a party invitation.

If you hear footsteps following you on Halloween,
you must not look round,
for it is the dead who are following,
and you should not meet their glance.
— Old Irish Superstition

Go to the crossroads at Hallowe’en and listen
to hear the future whispered in the wind.
— Old Welsh Saying

Halloween will come, will come,
Witchcraft will be set agoing,
Fairies will be at full speed,
Running in every pass.
Avoid the road children, children.
— Old Scottish Saying

Last night was Hallowe’en, you know;
The cowbells rang, the horns did blow,
The goblins stalked o’er stones and planks
And small boys played their annual pranks.
— Hallowe’en, Charles Frederick White

For on Hallow-Mass Eve the Night-Hag will ride,
And all her nine-fold sweeping on by her side,
Whether the wind sing lowly or loud,
Sailing through moonshine or swathed in the cloud.
— Sir Walter Scott

“In order on the clean hearthstane,
The luggies three are ranged;
And ev’ry time great care is ta’en,
To see them duly changed…”
— Robert Burns

An’ all us other childern, when the supper-things is done,
We set around the kitchen fire an’ has the mostest fun
A-list’nin’ to the witch-tales ‘at Annie tells about,
An’ the Gobble-uns ‘at gits you
Ef you
Don’t
Watch
Out!
— James Whitcomb Riley

Here’s a fantastic source of design inspiration. Vintage Blog is a treasure trove of vintage fashion and artwork, with photos and illustrations from the late 1800s through 1930 or so. There are lots of corsets, gorgeous Art Nouveau detailing, and enough unique fashion ideas–like this completely awesome “creature of the night” moth cape–to keep even the most ambitious seamstress busy for a while.

The site is in French (which doesn’t really matter, since the posts are mostly images rather than commentary), but Blogspot’s intrusive “translate this page” dropdown appears to be fouling up the navigation: The archive dropdown tends to display the same posts no matter which week you choose, and the “older/newer post” links don’t show up properly. I finally wound up viewing the site through my feed reader to see the older posts.

It’s worth the trouble to see the images, though. There are all kinds of ideas for hairstyles, jewelry, accessories, bridal, evening wear, et cetera, et cetera, and of course et cetera. I’ve already found half a dozen dresses that I’m going to have to try and replicate.

(via TYWKIWDBI)

Hayden Peters is one of the world’s foremost collectors of “mourning jewelry,” and he showcases “memorial, mourning, sentimental jewellery (sic) and art” on the wonderful Art of Mourning site. There are photos and descriptions of art, jewelry, accessories, textiles, and ephemera from many different periods and cultures. The site also has a nice resource section, including a discussion of common symbolism, a list of books on “funeralia,” and contact information for several vendors who handle such items.

This is a fantastic resource for funeral artwork and mementos mori, and it makes me wish I had the kind of disposable income that would let me collect this stuff. It’s just gorgeous.

Bonus Link: Collectors Weekly recently did an interview with Peters, discussing the history of mourning jewelry and how he got started collecting it.

(Hat tip to pdq)

I don’t often post about events that are specific to one location, but this upcoming conference in PA sounds interesting enough to warrant a mention.

Fashion In Fiction – The Dark Side

October 8 – 10, 2010 Drexel University Antoinette Westphal College of
Media Arts & Design Philadelphia, PA.

Location: Pennsylvania, United States

Roland Barthes proposed that fashion was not a just an industry, but also a set of fictions. Barthes did not wish to ignore the economic function of fashion, but rather underline fashion’s mythic dimension and suggest that fashion is a language in itself. Fashion and fiction have long existed in close proximity; writers have been driven by their experience of fashion and fashion has been developed through and by literary tropes. What makes dress and fashion such a fascinating subject for writers? How are fashion’s mythologies constructed and disseminated through fictional texts? How does fashion relate to art, popular culture, business, the body, consumer studies, and those who might read it as a form of text?

This interdisciplinary conference seeks to investigate the role that fashion has played in our culture. These “mini-narratives” can include fiction, non-fiction, cultural and historical studies, and other types of comparative, descriptive and/or empirical research. In particular, it will examine the dark side of fashion discourse, assessing the role, function, and purpose of clothes, fashion movements, style, and image in creating narratives within narratives. The dark side of fashion can include such obvious topics as gothic, punk, the color black, and vampires. Other topics that have traditionally been viewed as “dark” include polyester fabric, couture knock-offs, deviant fashion advertising, sweatshops, and child labor. Authors are also encouraged to define their own meaning of “dark”.

Papers fitting the conference theme are sought from those engaged in the fields of fashion studies, social sciences, humanities, creative writing, media, cultural studies, design, philosophy, and business.

Papers, work-in-progress and workshop proposals are invited.

Possible topics may include but not limited to:

• gothic
• feminist versus feminized discourses in fashion and display
• animated texts
• fashion in crime fiction
• graphic novels
• the semiotics of fashion
• historical fiction
• queer readings of fashion
• mystery
• textiles
• the color black
• marketing
• the body/body image
• consumer studies
• new media
• script and cinematic texts
• metaphor/metaphorical fiction
• subcultural style

Abstract Deadline: June 1, 2010

Submission Process: Those interested should send an abstracts of no more than 500 words. Everyone will be notified of acceptance by July 1, 2010.

Peer Review: All abstracts will be peer-reviewed. Those abstracts accepted for presentations will be published online as well as in the conference proceedings.

Paper Submission for Possible Publication: Those interested in having their papers published may submit the entire manuscript for possible book publication.

For more details, please see our website at http://www.drexel.edu/westphal/events/fashioninfiction/ or email Dr. Joseph H. Hancock, II at jhh33@drexel.edu.

If you’re interested in or involved with the fashion industry, this might be an excellent source of inspiration and/or exposure. Hopefully they’ll publish the abstracts online so that those of us who aren’t local can still play along.