The Art of Darkness

Bohemian Muppets

December 31st, 2009 by Cobwebs

This was all the rage a few weeks ago and you’ve surely seen it already. I’m putting it up again because it’s funny. So there.

Posted in Funny Peculiar | No Comments »

Rollout Creative

December 30th, 2009 by Cobwebs

WallpaperRollout Creative is a Canadian firm which specializes in very cool wallpaper. They have a line of unusual artist series stock wallpaper, but their real forte is custom work. They have artists on staff which can help you design exactly what you’re looking for, plus they offer printing services if you want to supply artwork of your own.

The site includes photos of past work (I especially like the designs they did for Joey’s and Worth) which are worth browsing just for inspiration.

The site doesn’t list prices, but I’m sure they’re not cheap. However, if you’re looking for high-quality wallpaper to complete your perfect decorating scheme, they might be worth it.

(via Haunt Style)

Posted in Bad Things | 2 Comments »

“Midnight Girl” Available for Free Download

December 29th, 2009 by Cobwebs

Midnight GirlAward-winning author Will Shetterly (Dogland, Elsewhere) recently wrote a “vampirish” YA novel about Cat Medianoche, a girl who discovers on her fourteenth birthday that both sides of her family are part of an ancient war and that each group sees her as the key to their victory.

Your dad used to be the spooky-mysteries TV show host Professor Midnight. Your grandmother lives in the basement and only comes upstairs after dark. Your mom died when you were a baby, and nobody will tell you about her. Oh, and you have two birthdays, both on Halloween. And that’s the part of your life that’s normal.

He sent it to his editor, then to the major YA publishers, and they all agreed that it was brilliant and also that they didn’t want to buy it. Everyone felt that vampire fandom was cresting, they didn’t want to commit to a “fad” that was mostly played out, and this is why the publishing industry’s current business model is looking more dinosaurian every day.

Shetterly has thus turned to the Internet, self-publishing the novel in a variety of formats including a free download.

Text (Free – Scribd).
e-Reader (Epub, Kindle, etc.) ($3.95 – Smashwords)
Kindle ($3.95 – Amazon)
Trade paperback ($14.99 – Lulu)
Hardcover ($21.95 – Lulu)

Yay, new media.

This novel sounds very cool, so if you’re looking for a new book for a teen fan (or just a fast and fun read for yourself–I won’t tell), check it out.

(via BoingBoing)

Posted in Needful Things | 1 Comment »

Hallowine

December 28th, 2009 by Cobwebs

TrueBlood WineThe fabulous Empress Pam recently sent me a link to the Wicked Wines site; it used to be just Vampire Wine, but they’ve branched out considerably since the last time I looked. Their TrueBlood Syrah would make a nice centerpiece for a spooky gift basket.

Start with a little coffin: Pushin’ Daisies sells inexpensive cardboard coffins in a variety of sizes. You could also scale up a papercraft pattern such as this one and fold your own. If you’re really dedicated, make one out of wood (check out the awesome wine coffins that WormyT did a while back).

Line the coffin with scarlet tissue paper, add the bottle of wine, then tuck nibbles around the sides: A sharp cheddar or creamy gouda cheese; some crackers; a bar of dark chocolate, and some spicy pumpkin cookies. Fill any empty spots with plastic spiders. Enjoy by a crackling fire with an appreciative loved one.

Posted in Paint It Black | No Comments »

Happy Holidays!

December 25th, 2009 by Cobwebs

Hope your holidays are splendid, however you celebrate.

p.s. – Since everybody pitched a fit the last time I missed a Friday Link Dump, here are a few bonus links for your delectation.

Animal Ancestors – Artist Valerie Leonard paints custom portraits of pets replacing the people in famous paintings.

The Last Day on Earth – A series of interestingly apocalyptic photos by artist Stefano Bonazzi.

Haunted Places – An index of places around the world with reported hauntings. See if your town has any, and plan a visit. (Mine only has two, which seems rather low given that several Civil War battles happened around here.)

The Great Gruesome Christmas Carols – Now these are some lyrics.

Three book suggestions from Kitten Herder:
Haunt Your House – Grown-up tips for decorating.
Extreme Halloween – Putting the “scary” back into Halloween.
Ghoulish Goodies – Cupcakes (sooo cute!) and other treats.

Posted in Whatever | No Comments »

Secret Santa Exchange List

December 24th, 2009 by Cobwebs

Our Secret Santa Can Suck It exchange was a lot of fun, and I’m thrilled at how creative everyone was! Below is a list of everyone’s “gift” post on their individual blogs. Go take a look at all the awesomeness!

Cobwebs (Recipient: Marissa Darling)
Marissa Darling (Recipient: JoAsakura)
JoAsakura (Recipient: DZC)
DZC (Recipient: Pam)
Pam (Recipient: ShellHawk)
ShellHawk (Recipient: David)
David (Recipient: Tala)
Tala (Recipient: Jayson)
Jayson (Recipient: poopisan)
poopisan (Recipient: Martie)
Martie Cobwebs (Recipient: Melissa)
Melissa (Recipient: Kris)
Kris (Recipient: The Frog Queen)
The Frog Queen (Recipient: Dixie)
Dixie (Recipient: Cobwebs)

Posted in Whatever | 4 Comments »

Second Secret Santa (Sorta)

December 23rd, 2009 by Cobwebs

One of the participants in our Secret Santa Can Suck It virtual gift exchange has a bad case of the flu, and she sent me a note yesterday tearfully apologizing to her assigned giftee for not having a chance to follow through with a pretend present. No problem! My bag of gifts is large and I’m sure I can rummage around and find something appropriate for a second recipient.

This gift is for Melissa, and it’s almost a no-brainer. Melissa loves crafts and sewing, so she gets a big craft room of her very own:

Craft Room

(Image from Younge)

The gift includes a fabric storage area stocked with bolts of velvet, brocade, and satin; a new sewing machine and serger; and a crew of shirtless workmen to help with organization.

Happy Holidays, Melissa! (You, uh, might want to claim your gift quickly before I change my mind and keep it myself.)

Posted in Whatever | 2 Comments »

Good Books Gone Bad

December 23rd, 2009 by Cobwebs

Black BookMRX Designs is doing a series of prop books made out of thrift-store encyclopedias that are completely awesome.

The books are covered in fabric or vinyl and the custom fixtures are cast resin. The artist adds gilt edges, end papers, closures, and other whatnots to make the “tome” seem more realistic. His posts are a wonderful source of inspiration and include lots of pictures and design notes on the build process.

Reclaimed books so far are:

Baphomet Tome
Rites of Azathoth
The 9th Gate
The Black Book of Evil
Unholy Cross of Cthigla

Be sure to check out the rest of the site as well, since there’s all kinds of marvelous stuff to be found.

In case you’d rather buy than build, he also has an Etsy shop and does eBay auctions. Given their quality, his props are surprisingly inexpensive.

(via Propnomicon)

Update: I’m pleased to announce that we’re also going to carry a few of his books in the store as wedding guest books. I can’t wait!

Posted in Doom It Yourself | No Comments »

Welcome to the After-LIFE

December 22nd, 2009 by Cobwebs

MoneyDisney is taunting us.

One of my friends who still works for The Mouse recently sent me this teaser for an extremely cool Haunted Mansion-themed game of “Life.”

It’s apparently available at retail locations in the parks, and although the Disney Store lists the item, it’s also marked as being unavailable. It’s not listed on Amazon (although this cute Pirates-themed version is available), and while it’s apparently in stock here and here they’re also selling it for significantly more than the regular retail price.

Poop.

I’m sure it’ll show up on Amazon eventually, although likely not until after the holidays. Oh well; I suppose there’s always next year.

Posted in Needful Things | 1 Comment »

Chiron Beta Prime

December 21st, 2009 by Cobwebs

For extra credit, try to get this song out of your head now.

(Video courtesy of The Jonathan Coulton Project, dedicated to making music videos out of Coulton’s music.)

Posted in Funny Peculiar | 2 Comments »

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