Just in time for autumn,* MAKE has a tutorial for making some lovely harvesty lanterns out of dried gourds.

The example uses a drill, but if you’re afraid of power tools you can use those little pumpkin-carving jigsaws instead. In addition to making patterns of holes you might also be able to cut larger designs in the gourd, although you’d want to take care not to crack the brittle walls. Since the gourds are lit by miniature fairy lights or LED lamps, you can also embellish them with paint or glue-on ornaments that wouldn’t be appropriate for anything lit by a candle.

The gourds are easy to grow and come in a wide variety of shapes, so if you’ve got a little yard space you can plant some for future craft projects.

I love how elegant these look, particularly with several massed together. They’d make a lovely and inexpensive centerpiece for a dinner party or even for the tables at a wedding reception.

*I’m sorry, Southern Hemisphere readers; you know I love you, but autumn starts now, not six months from now.

I’d watch this.

ClownFails – Clowns that are far from funny. Some neat ideas for “evil clown” makeup, though. (via Empress Pam)

Instructables Halloween – Helpful collection of Halloween-related tutorials.

Shark Knife – Unintentionally hilarious “weapon.”

Super Creepy Pokemon Hack – Probably somewhat creepier if you actually play Pokemon, but still an interesting description of a hacked game.

Aged Wood Spider Chest – Pretty piece at Etsy; probably wouldn’t be too hard to DIY.

Mila’s Daydreams – A mom’s maternity leave hobby is imagining what her baby is dreaming and adding props to re-create it. (Cute imagery, although I have to say that when Shadowboy was that age, I was more interested in using his naptime for things like showering.)

The Buried Soul: How Humans Invented Death – Archaeological/sociological investigation into burial/liminal rites. Sounds like an interesting read. (Hat tip to pdq)

Punk Cupcakes – Great decorating job.

It’s the time of year when upscale retail sites rather self-consciously trot out their Halloween collections. I generally don’t give them much thought, since I figure if you want to spend 300 bucks on a wall hanging that’s your own business.

Occasionally, though, I’ll run across something where the the price is so outrageous, where a DIY version would be so simple, that it just makes me wince. The Beaded Pumpkins from Horchow are such an item. These are resin pumpkins with beads glued on. They are $195 + shipping. Apparently P.T. Barnum was misquoted because it is clear that what he actually said was, “There’s a sucker born every minute, and then they go buy pumpkins at Horchow.” Ye gods.

If you’d like to have something similar a whole hell of a lot cheaper, do this:

1. Get yourself a Funkin or other craft pumpkin. (If you can wait until after Halloween to do this project, craft stores often have them on clearance.)
2. If desired, paint the pumpkin–use something that won’t melt foam–and let dry.
3. Use a pencil to very lightly sketch your desired design onto the pumpkin; you should be able to erase mistakes without much trouble.
4. Glue rhinestones, crystals, or other flat-backed beads over the pencil lines. You can often find self-stick rhinestones that already have adhesive, but you can also use a hot glue gun or a good-quality glue like Gorilla Glue. Let dry.
5. Lie to visitors about how much your gorgeous pumpkin decorations cost.

You can google around for appealing designs; here are some nice ones from Better Homes and Gardens:

Black Rhinestone Spirals
Rhinestone Spiderweb
Silver Swirls
Sequins

Attractive, easy, and at a tiny fraction of the cost of the commercial ones.

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.

The weirdest part about being a parent is having to pretend to your child that the world makes sense.
— amuirin

I’d like to tell you I can keep you safe Son but lets be realistic here, we’re dealing with a closet that has a God damn monster in it.
— OverlandParker

I bet Edward Scissorhands is very much afraid of Edward Rockhands.
— JerryThomas

What doesn’t kill you is busy learning your weak spots.
— JerryThomas

The USPS revealed a new wedding stamp today featuring pansies. If this is their way of acknowledging gay marriage, I call Bullshit.
— CelticWombat

Saw a kid wearing ripped up clothes while getting out of a ’89 Bronco II. I told him how awesome it is here in the future.
— YeahImAshley

Via The Daily What, where the comments are hilarious.

Mine is a sign listing the “Top 12 Things Likely to be Overheard if You Had a Klingon Programmer,” so my only hope is that they’re all geeks and won’t attack one of their own.

Yeah…I’m zombie kibble.

Victorian Witch Cross-Stitch – Free (fairly complicated) pattern for a cute vintage witch.

TheOldHauntedHouse – Site devoted to photos of real houses that resemble the archetypal haunted house. I just adore this one.

Zombie Pillowcase – Cute embroidered pillowcase. I also like these from the same vendor.

My Fair Wedding: Day of the Dead Bride – I’d never heard of “My Fair Wedding,” but it appears to be a wedding makeover show. They had a recent episode where they did a “Day of the Dead”-themed wedding; hopefully it’ll be available on Hulu soon.

How to Draw an Owl – This isn’t even vaguely gothy; it just made me laugh.

DSquared Spine Shoes – Unusual (and expensive; egad) shoes with vertebral heels.

Edwardian Era – Photoblog documenting fashion and life of the era.

“Buffy” Jones Soda – Limited-edition soda collection from Jones.

A reader dropped me a line the other day, suggesting that I check out Annie M. Vicar’s Dolls and Skellery. I love it when people send me tips; they always suggest the coolest stuff.

Vicar went to school for animation, but when she realized that she missed getting her hands dirty she turned to dolls to make her creations come to life. Her dolls and miniatures are all hand-sculpted and -painted, and their costumes are designed and sewn from scratch. The result is appealingly weird and evocative.

You can see some of her past work on her site (she’s even got an absinthe fairy!) and in her Etsy shop. She will also do custom designs based on photographs or descriptions. Although there don’t appear to be any examples in her gallery, the site mentions that she also does wedding cake toppers; a custom piece featuring you and your intended could serve both as a cake topper and as a post-wedding piece of art.

The dolls aren’t cheap, but one-of-a-kind items rarely are. One of them displayed in a bell jar would certainly be a striking focus for a room.

Thanks, random link suggester!

Hee.

(via Cynical-C)