The Art of Darkness

Like Water for Link Dumps

July 29th, 2016 by Cobwebs

15 Weird, Abandoned Places to Explore – These are US-centric, but neat.

Burrow Afghan – Crocheted afghan inspired by Mrs. Weasley.

Haunted Mansion Umbrella – Folding umbrella with a design which mimics the Stretching Portrait room in Disney’s Haunted Mansion. (Hat tip to Pixel Pixie)

My Little Gargoyle – Knitting pattern for a winsome li’l gargoyle.

11 Books That Scared the Master of Horror, Stephen King – King discusses some novels that scared him.

Bulgarian Vampire Tourism – Bulgaria is positioning the archaeological discovery of a “vampire funeral” as a major tourist attraction. (Hat tip to pdq)

Cthulhu in the House – A new board game featuring artwork depicting the most adorable little Old Ones you’ve ever seen.

Garthim Cosplay – An amazing Dark Crystal-inspired costume.

Fevre Dream – A vampire novel by George R.R. Martin. There’s a review here.

This Supercut Will Make You Jump – A collection of 40 jump scares.

Posted in Link Dump | 1 Comment »

Oh, Look; a Link Dump

July 22nd, 2016 by Cobwebs

What? I said I’d still post occasionally.

Bats in the Night Sky Beanie – Knitting pattern for a hat featuring a bat.

Someone is Making Clothes From Lab-Grown Alexander McQueen Skin – Designer Tina Gorjanc is making vat-grown “human leather” clothing.

The Armoire – Free point-and-click game based on the legend of Bluebeard. (Hat tip to Pixel Pixie)

Memento Mori Watches – If you can afford a Swiss watch, these skull-shaped beauties are ideal.

Oak Tree Farms – “Modern Victorian footwear.” Lots of pretty shoes. (via Burning Prairie)

Strange Stories and Stranger Things – Atlas Obscura has teamed with Netflix to do a “truth is stranger than fiction” streaming web series.

Zombie Brain Cupcakes – I like that they’re touted as “all-natural.”

I donate blood… – This is a really excellent reason to donate blood.

Council confirms it has no written policy on dealing with werewolves – It seems like checking with your city council about their official werewolf policy would be an entertaining diversion. (Hat tip to pdq)

Bride of Frankenstein Hoop – Cute felt-and-embroidery retro Bride decoration.

Posted in Link Dump | 4 Comments »

…And Thanks for All the Fish

July 18th, 2016 by Cobwebs

'ByeSo! I started this silly blog clear back in 2007, as a way to share my love of gothy weirdness with the world. Because I am an idiot I made it a personal goal to update without fail every single weekday, and although I’ve actually managed that for over nine years(!!!) I have to admit that things have been limping a bit of late. It’s time, I think, to pack it in.

I’ll probably still post occasionally–keep me in your RSS feeds (are those still a thing?)–but it’ll be sporadic. My archive, of course, will stay up for as long as I can pay the bills.

Thanks to all of the commenters who’ve encouraged me over the years. You’re welcome to look me up on Facebook; I’m still weird over there.

Posted in Whatever | 19 Comments »

Another Darn Week of Link Dumps: Day 5

July 15th, 2016 by Cobwebs

Nightmare Before Christmas – This fan art by NENEBUBBLEELOVER is great cosplay inspiration.

Blood Red Lipstick – Replica of a color from 1922.

Kenku Cosplay – This costume of a raven-like D&D character is astonishingly detailed.

From the Library of the Evil Orchid – Great collection of creepy bookplates.

Beetle – Steampunk filigree Volkswagen by metal art shop Vrbanus.

Annie Aube – Needle artist whose work includes a series of scenes from particularly gruesome fairy tales and myths.

Abbot & Hast – Publications and tchotchkes for funerary professionals. They sell cute little model hearses and lapel pins with legends like “Embalming Artistry Professional.”

The 7 Most Ridiculous Ghost Stories from Around the World – An amusing roundup.

Dark Tourism – Article which explores the practice of visiting “sites, attractions and exhibitions which have real or recreated death, suffering or the seemingly macabre as a main theme.”

Darkfin Gloves – Gloves that give you “webbed fingers” which supposedly improve your swimming. I don’t care about that; I just want a pair to wear around and make people nervous.

Posted in Link Dump | 1 Comment »

Another Darn Week of Link Dumps: Day 4

July 14th, 2016 by Cobwebs

Next Time You’ll Know Better – This take on vampires is awesome.

Handbook for the Recently Deceased – If you want to troll a friend in this fashion, you can actually purchase a book with this cover.

Plush Jumping Spider – Squishable has a rotund Rainbow Jumping Spider, ready for cuddles.

Moody Voodies – Etsy shop specializing in creepy voodoo-type dolls. I love the Wednesday Addams one.

Madagascar Hissing Cockroach Cake – Wonderfully lifelike cake that about 50 people sent me links to, because my friends understand me.

Fairy Catching Kit – Cute “habitat” for catching one’s own fairy. It’d be reasonably easy to DIY something similar.

Digitised Manuscripts – The British Library has a huge collection of scans from old manuscripts, such as this Medieval book of hours.

Steotch – A variety of entertaining cross-stitch pieces.

Spider Ribbon Snap Clip – This would be cute with a ribbon rose as the body rather than plain looped ribbon.

Lady Symphonia – Artist who specializes in “dark” photomanipulation. Her deviantART gallery is here. (I especially like this one.)

Posted in Link Dump | 3 Comments »

Another Darn Week of Link Dumps: Day 3

July 13th, 2016 by Cobwebs

Take On Me in Minor Key – “This sounds like you’re being chased through a haunted house or forest. Ghosts chant in the background. The monster is slowly gaining on you. You dodge an axe swing from a possessed suit of armour. Scooby Doo is there.”

Labyrinth Funko Figures – The Sarah figure includes the ‘ello worm. It is to squee.

Skeleton Banner Pattern – Free knitting pattern for a skeletal torso.

Creepy Phone Cases – These phone cases with teeth and eyeballs are creepy as hell.

Oldschool Gothic – Gallery of 80s goth and deathrock fashion.

Edgar Allan Poe Wedding – Some lovely details.

Haunted Memory Box – Instructions for making and decorating a ridiculously cute little box for spooky mementos.

Chaithulhu – Portrait of Cthulhu as a prim and proper Victorian lady, taking tea. Because why not.

Urban Fairies – Site which collects “sightings” of fairy doors.

9 Ridiculously Creepy Medical Museums Open to the Public – Road trip!

Posted in Link Dump | 1 Comment »

Another Darn Week of Link Dumps: Day 2

July 12th, 2016 by Cobwebs

Just Your Typical Office – Gorgeous steampunk-themed office makeover.

Brutal Bunnies – So much Medieval illustration was just completely bananas.

“Working” Vortex Manipulator – This little wrist-mounted computer has some great steampunky overtones.

Witch Tattoo Art – Some stunning work.

Ghost Babies – Interesting article about Victorian postmortem photography.

Necronomemoticon – This is funnier than it ought to be. There are also other ways to achieve Cthulhoid typography. (Hat tip to pdq)

Bears – Every cryptozoological mystery solved.

Life After Death Designs – Etsy shop full of neat coffin-shaped items like clocks and makeup holders.

12 Ways To Have The Witchiest Vacation Ever – I hate BuzzFeed lists and their gratuitous gifs, but if you can get past that there are some interesting ideas for vacationing in New Orleans.

Deathflake – Free knitting pattern for a snowflake design featuring a skull in the middle. This may be the most metal name for a pattern I’ve ever heard of.

Posted in Link Dump | 1 Comment »

Another Darn Week of Link Dumps

July 11th, 2016 by Cobwebs

It’s time once again to clean out the ol’ drafts folder. Buckle up.

WWII Era Vampires – This is a great hook for a story.

DIY Fox Tail – Tutorial for making a cosplay fox tail out of yarn.

I Heart Guts – This site specializes in organ-related merchandise (if you’ve ever wanted a plush spleen, now’s your chance), and they’ve just come out with a new line of merit badge-style patches which celebrate lady bits. I like “Vadge of Honor,” personally. (Hat tip to Pixel Pixie)

Coffin Beach Towel – Black beach towel shaped like a toe-pincher coffin. You could probably DIY one of your own with an oversize towel and a pair of scissors.

To the Surface – Photo series of period dresses posed as ghostly figures.

Amigurumi Monsters – A whole bunch of crocheted baby monsters. I particularly like how so many different “personalities” can be created by using the same base body plan and just changing the details.

Fairy Berries – LED lights that fade in and out like fireflies. Pretty landscaping detail for parties.

Worst (Best) Metal Album Covers – A collection of very…special…album covers. (Bonus: Check out Fantomas’ cover of “Charade” in the comments.)

Is the Person Naming These Colors of Yarn Okay? – I agree that “Rotten pistachio cream macaron” and “Too much Aperol Spritz” are fairly unique color descriptions, but there’s also “Poisoned blood,” “Rain in a graveyard,” and “Bats in a dark mood,” which I’d buy just for the names alone.

This to That – Choose the two things you’re trying to glue together, and the site tells you which glue will work best. Handy for crafters.

Posted in Link Dump | 3 Comments »

Whiskey Tango Link Dump

July 8th, 2016 by Cobwebs

Suffragetto – A look at a vintage “suffragettes vs. police” board game. (via pdq)

Whoops I think I broke it… – Small collection of tutorials for making props (with entertaining photo captions). I particularly like the Thing in a Jar.

Demon Daycare – Site which allows you to “drop off” your personal demons for a while.

Seymour’s Custom Doll House – Rather sparsely furnished but lovingly detailed spooky mansion.

Vampire Lore – This made me giggle.

Rachnera Cosplay – NSFW-ish. It’s a shame the spider body isn’t robotic, but even just standing still it’s pretty amazing.

Weta – Igunamouth takes a look at one of my favorite bugs.

12 Killer Facts About Shaun of the Dead – A roundup.

At the Mountains of Madness – Animated short film of the Lovecraft story. (Hat tip to DeVries)

Catherine, Called Birdy – Fictional diary of a 14-year-old girl in the year 1290. Good read for kids in the 10-12 age range.

Posted in Link Dump | 4 Comments »

Cross-Stitched Pumpkins

July 7th, 2016 by Cobwebs

Pumpkin Cross StitchYou guys all ran out after Halloween and bought fake pumpkins on clearance, right? (Right?!?) Well, here’s what to do with ’em.

The elsie marley blog has this super-simple idea for poking holes in foam pumpkins with a skewer and then cross-stitching through the holes. This is a wonderfully rustic look, and with the right colors and design they’d be lovely decor year-round.

Obviously, there are loads of different ways to riff on the basic idea. Spray-paint the pumpkins in a variety of colors, or use “special effects” paint kits to make them look like marble or wood grain. Do a search on “free halloween cross stitch patterns” to find lots of ideas for the stitching (you’ll want to make sure they’re fairly simple designs). Do complementary designs on opposite sides, or stitch a different letter on several pumpkins to spell out a short message.

This idea is easy enough that even kids should be able to give it a try (although smaller fry might need help poking the holes), and fixing any mistakes is as easy as pulling out the yarn.

If you weren’t so lucky as to score any clearance-sale pumpkins last Halloween, mark your calendar now to pick up a couple this year.

Posted in Doom It Yourself | No Comments »

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