Here’s a brilliant use for a bunch of thrift-store belts: a fantastic Edward Scissorhands-style cincher.
craftygoths member hkcreations riveted them together using leather strips that she cut and dyed herself. If you want to use the same technique you’ll need a few specialized tools: CRAFT has a great article on making a dog collar which discusses the same kind of leather-working equipment you would need for this project, and the accompanying photos will give you a pretty clear idea of how to attach the strips to the belts. (As a bonus, you can use the same equipment and technique to make your own studded collars and bracelets.)
If you don’t want to invest in a lot of tools, you could hand-rivet or sew the belts together (use pieces of an extra belt for the leather strips): This post has a short overview of different ways to join leather, but the basic idea is to punch a hole with an awl and then stitch or rivet through it. (If you’re brand-new to working with leather, get an extra belt or two at the thrift store and use them for practice.)
This is a wonderful project: Inexpensive, fairly easy, and a really striking result. Lovely!
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.
Steampunk Buttons – Buttons shaped like gears and such; nice detail for a costume. This link goes to JHB’s wholesale site, but since the brand is widely available you could probably request that your local retailer stock them. (Hat tip to Kitten Herder)
I love beer, and although I’m not quite so far gone as to choose one based solely on the label, I have to admit that if all other things are equal I can be swayed by eye-catching packaging; this is particularly true if I’m choosing something to serve at a party, where I’m fond of theming my drink selections.
I can only hope that the newly-opened Grimm Brothers Brewhouse has a quality product, because their labels are awesome.
The brewhouse, located in Loveland, Colorado, specializes in German-style lagers and ales. It’s named, obviously, in honor of the German collectors of folktales, and each of their microbrews are named after one of the stories. The first three they plan to produce are Snow Drop (an alternate name for Snow White), The Fearless Youth (based on Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was), and Little Red Cap (aka Little Red Riding Hood). They chose those stories because “They’re a little darker, a little bit whimsical…more adult story lines,” and the labels bear that out; I particularly like Little Red Cap’s sly smile and hidden hatchet.
The Grimm Brothers site is fairly sparse, and doesn’t currently list any non-local distributors for the beer. I do hope they’ll eventually make it outside the Colorado area; I’d love to try them.
Haunt Style recently pointed to this interior decorating design, which included consolidating the customer’s extensive collection of Carrie memorabilia in the home office.
Preferring my spookiness to be more Gorey than gory I’m not wild about the theme (although I do think the blood-red walls are a clever touch), but I really love the idea of designing a home office or other space around a collection of movie posters or other related images. Walls full of Hitchcock movie posters or vintage absinthe ads would present a rich visual environment at relatively little cost. Paint the walls a complementary color and perhaps add a few related curios (a framed dagger, absinthe spoons, or whatever fits your chosen theme), and you’d have an appealing space that reflects your interests.
As a bonus, the posters are a good choice for renters because they don’t harm the walls (use those sticky hooks instead of nails), plus you can move them around or change them out if you get tired of them.
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.
Here’s some neat B&W footage of the Museum Of Witchcraft shot in the 1960s.
The museum is in Boscastle, Cornwall, and is still open today. Its site features a tour of a few of its artifacts, and some of them might be great inspiration for artwork or crafts.
Garage Alchemy Is Not for the Weak of Stomach – Teaser post for an upcoming Discover article about a science historian who is recreating the work of alchemists. He’s also co-authored a book on the subject.
I first ran into Iron Fist a couple of years ago when I found their Zombie Stompers (now available as flats! Hee), but didn’t realize that they actually had a whole line of footwear and clothing.
They sell a subset of items on their site, but it appears that they mostly sell through retail outlets. However, searching for “iron fist clothing” or “iron fist shoes” turns up loads of items for your perusal: Amazon has shoes and wallets, Google Shopping lists a wide selection of products, and simple searches on Yahoo (Shoes | Clothing) and Google (Shoes | Clothing) turn up lots of individual retailers.
The prices are generally fairly reasonable, and the designs and colors are certainly arresting. Many of the shoes also appear to be Vegan-friendly.
(Incidentally, the shoes pictured above, which I am currently lusting after, are available at Hot Topic.)
Doing my laundry in a dark suburban basement. With my sexual history, Michael Myers and Jason are flipping a coin.
– AinsleyofAttack
I just read a list of ‘the 100 things to do before you die’. I’m pretty surprised ‘yell for help’ wasn’t one of them.
– has2b_christyv
In the guy from You’re So Vain’s defense, that song is about him.
– thesulk
I think the worst kind of ghost would be a barbershop quartet.
– badbanana
I bet if Jimmy cracked skulls you’d care.
– Xytrex
Cows are ultimately unknowable. If you fell in love with a cow, the lack of emotional feedback would slowly drive you mad. You’d never know whether your feelings were reciprocated. You’d know if the cow thought it was going to rain, because it’d lie down. But you’d never know if its heart skipped a beat when you whispered its name. That is the tragedy of human-cow romances. That and the locals beating you to death with hoes.
– Charlie Brooker
The voices in my head that tell me to kill are making a lot of sense today.
– derekasaurus
Here’s a brilliant use for a bunch of thrift-store belts: a fantastic Edward Scissorhands-style cincher.
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 
I love beer, and although I’m not quite so far gone as to choose one based solely on the label, I have to admit that if all other things are equal I can be swayed by eye-catching packaging; this is particularly true if I’m choosing something to serve at a party, where I’m fond of 
Hilary Pfeifer specializes in handmade carvings made from reclaimed wood, and her particular forte is cake toppers. She does 
I first ran into Iron Fist a couple of years ago when I found their