Here’s another film that didn’t do particularly well at the box office but deserves to be rescued from obscurity. It’s based on a “White Lady” legend local to the area where the film is set, concerning a ghostly woman who eternally searches for her lost children. It’s probably a bit too spooky for small children, but reasonably okay for older kids (with the caveat that part of the plot involves a serial killer of children).
You don’t even have to go rent this one, since the whole movie is available on YouTube. Ta-da:
We’ve been doing this virtual fake gift swap for a while now, and darned if we aren’t going to do it again.
It’s easy (and free!) to participate: Between now and December 10, leave a comment on this post or email me saying that you want to be part of the swap. On the 12th I’ll tell you who your assigned “giftee” is, and some time before December 21 you post a picture on your blog of what you would have gotten that person if you had money and, y’know, cared.
Your “gift” can be as silly or serious as you like, and since you probably won’t know the recipient, feel free to make up whatever story you want about why the gift is appropriate. (If you don’t have a blog, you can arrange to have your gift posted here.)
On December 24 I’ll post a list of everybody’s entries so we can all marvel at each other’s good taste. It’s a silly, fun way to take a short break from general holiday craziness, plus we can all discover new blogs we might not otherwise find. The more people who participate the more entertaining the gift list will be, so put your inner Scrooge in a corner and join in!
“High fashion” tends to make me roll my eyes a whole lot, but I ran across these two designs by Jean Louis Sabaji and they strike me as something that could be turned to darker ends.
The spiky bits on the red-and-black dress are beads (click the thumbnail to see more detail), but I initially thought they were made of Sugru, and I suspect that a low-rent knockoff could be made exactly that way. At the very least, you could add some dragon spikes to shoulders or neck.
The butterflies on the other dress appear to be made of hard plastic. I love the 3-D effect, and a dress or blouse would look stunning dotted with bats or ravens cut from acrylic film.
Sabaji’s site has a back view of the red-and-black dress which shows that the spikes run across the upper back, making it at least theoretically possible to sit down whilst wearing it. There’s no back view of the butterfly dress but you would want to confine them to the upper areas of the back, lest they poke you in odd places when sitting.
If you’ve got a plain dress or shirt and feel like experimenting, these would be a really unusual way to give them a lift.
The Smithsonian Will Allow 3-D Printing of Artifacts – If you’ve got access to a 3-D printer, this is a pretty fantastic resource. The collection of patterns is small at the moment, but should continue to grow. (Hat tip to WitchArachne)
Just in time for the holidays, here’s a site to spend a whole bunch of money! Woo-hoo!
EvaDress specializes in creating reproductions of patterns dating from the 1860s through the 1950s, including several interesting designs that I haven’t seen on other vintage pattern sites (the single caveat being the same one I have about most pattern vendors, in that men and children tend to be underrepresented). The prices are quite reasonable for repro patterns, and the styles are very goth-friendly: Of particular interest, obviously, is the Bat Dress dating from the 1880s. I’ve seen the drawing elsewhere and have always been struck by how adorably vintage it looked. (There are a couple more photos of the reproduction here.)
The site also has a companion blog with loads of photos and build notes, which are either an excellent source of inspiration or (if you’re like me) a super-fast way to feel really inadequate about your sewing skills.
There’s some gorgeous, really unique designs–go take a look!
When you see an old lady whose dog is wearing clothes, a fun thing to ask her is how long ago the evil wizard turned her husband into a dog.
— KenJennings
Once again, the World’s Oldest Living Person has died– Serial killer?
— kellyoxford
If you found out you were dying would you be nicer, love more, try something new?
Well, you are.
We all are.
— shanethevein
[sexy librarian removes glasses] nice [removes hair] what [takes off wooden arm] NO [rolls glass eye across counter] um, just this book ok
— ceejoyner
“The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be… AWESOME! Watch me shoot lightning FROM MY HANDS.” ―Palpatine
— DeathStarPR
He died doing what he loved: revealing his evil plans while I unlocked my handcuffs
— briangaar
Lets take a moment and thank God that spiders can’t fly.
— OhMrWonka
We are the livestock of plants and trees, which feed us and give us air knowing that we will soon die and feed them.
— NightValeRadio
1. Dress as puppet. 2. Stand in elevator with strings running from your limbs to ceiling. 3. Whisper, “Help me…” as other passengers enter
— rolldiggity
“JEFFREY ALLEN MCINTOSH! IF YOU DON’T GET IN THIS HOUSE RIGHT NOW, I SWEAR I WILL GET WERNER HERZOG TO STARE AT YOU WHILE YOU SLEEP!”
— sween
This is much more adorable than it has any right to be.
I recently mentioned Evil Mad Scientist Labs’ Snap-o-Lantern kit, which allows you to animate a mini-pumpkin with snapping jaws and light-up eyes. They’ve used the same kit to create a Peek-o-Book: An innocent-looking book which periodically opens and peeks out with its LED eyes before snapping shut again. Here it is in action:
It just looks so…coy.
The mechanism does require that the book be hollowed out, so it’d be best to use a thrift-store find rather than a beloved personal book. You can always cover it with paper if you don’t care for the subject matter.
The book could also be decorated: Painted, decoupaged, covered with pretty gift wrap or ribbon; you could even go the full Harry Potter route and make a prop Monster Book of Monsters that opens up and snaps at you. The only caveat would be to make sure that the cover doesn’t get too heavy for the li’l motor to lift.
This would be a great candidate for wiring up with a motion sensor rather than a timer, so it could wake up and take a peek whenever it detects movement.