PopCap has a weird little game called Plants vs. Zombies, wherein you plant things like “Pea Shooters” and “Wall-nuts” to form a protective barrier against the zombie horde trying to get into your house.

And this is their promotional music video.

I…think I need to go lie down now.

(via Topless Robot)

I don’t miss much about the 1970s–especially the fashions–but one thing that gives me a nostalgic pang is the wonderful Aurora model kits featuring classic movie monsters. My grandparents owned a hobby shop and my dad did some gorgeous detailing on several of the models* for display. I have very fond memories of the toothless old Witch in her workroom, the Mummy shambling out of his sarcophagus, and the Victim…being strangely ineffectual.

That’s why I’m thrilled to discover that Moebius has reissued seven of Aurora’s Monster Scenes models, right down to the wonderful box art.

I may have to get the Hanging Cage as a desk accessory. I’m always looking for new ways to keep people out of my cubicle.

(via BoingBoing)

*I do mean gorgeous. Things like gluing fake fur all over the werewolf. My family’s motto is, “If a Thing is Worth Doing, it is Worth Overdoing.”

Night Magick mentioned the Vampire Candles on this page a while back, and it struck me how cheap and easy it would be to make something similar.

The ones shown on the site are “ritual” candles, but they’re a nice inspirational jumping-off point for some interesting decorative accessories. They’d also be pretty centerpieces for a wedding. A montage effect with spooky clip art and burnt-out fonts would be striking and very easy to do.

Materials:

• 7-Day Jar Candle*
• Translucent paper like vellum or rice paper (thin gift-wrapping paper works, too, if you can find an appropriate design)
• Glue strips or craft glue
• Rubber stamps and ink (optional, see below)
• Glass paint (optional)

*It took me forever to figure out what these were actually called, because I’ve always known them as “those candles in the Hispanic section of the grocery store.” I’m linking to one online just to show you what I’m talking about, but you can probably find them much cheaper locally. You might also see them called “devotional,” “sanctuary,” or “altar” candles. They’re $1.10 at my local grocery.

Instructions:

1. If desired, paint the rims of the candle holder. Let dry overnight.
2. Roll a piece of scrap paper around the candle and cut it to fit, leaving a 1/4″ overlap on the ends. (If you plan to make a lot of these, use the paper as a guide to cut a sturdier template out of cardboard).
3. Trace the pattern onto the vellum and cut out.
4. Either decorate the vellum with the rubber stamps or use an inkjet printer to decorate it with clip art of your choice (depending upon the desired design and the size of the vellum sheets, you may be able to do this before cutting them out).
5. Cut two glue strips the width of the short ends of the vellum (the glue will gum up your scissors, so either use a pair you don’t mind ruining or be prepared for some cleanup).
6. Lay the vellum flat and apply one glue strip along each edge (on the wrong side of the paper)
7. Lay one edge of the vellum on the candle, making sure it’s aligned properly, and press down on the glue strip to stick it to the candle.
8. Wrap the vellum around the candle snugly and press down on the other edge to seal.

Spooky Cabinet – Great inspiration for painting a flea-market armoire or other wooden furniture.

Real Life Mad Scientists – Profiles of real “diabolical madmen.”

ScaryGirl – Flash game featuring a spooky little girl with a giant octopus as a guardian.

Nightmare Before Christmas Trivia – Interesting tidbits about the movie.

Museum of Depressionist Art – Amusingly re-labeled artwork, such as Life Before Martha Stewart and Office Xmas Party, London Society of Morticians, 1905.

Craftastrophe – As their slogan says, “because handmade isn’t always pretty.”

Haunted Mansion of Long Branch, N.J. – This was a “haunted house” which has no relationship to the Disney version. Check out the scans of the rather unsettling “Haunted Mansion Coloring Book” at the bottom of the page.

Goth T-shirt – Okay, I thought it was funny.

Zombie Attack Prevention – The blogger doesn’t specify where the image originally came from, so I don’t know if it’s available for sale or not. It’s amusing anyway.

Ghostly Photographs – This blog allows people to submit photographs that they think capture images of ghosts.

A couple of sources for Latin phrases, which are a quick way to make something look sort of antique and noble: A real one, Latin Mottoes from 16th-Century Sources and an amusing one, Fun Latin, which teaches you how to say things like “The check is in the mail” (Perscriptio in manibus tabellariorum est).

The Bat World sanctuary has a sponsorship program that allows you to “adopt” a bat in need. Sponsors receive a personalized adoption certificate, matted photo of their bat, the bat’s personal story, and lots of other neat items.

This would be a wonderful gift for bat enthusiasts, as well as a good teaching tool for kids. Many bats have long lifespans, and it’s great that this sanctuary offers long-term care for those that can’t make it in the wild. (I also love the idea of proudly displaying photos of my “adoptees” on my desk at work.)

Also be sure to check their Bat Bazaar for merchandise featuring some heartbreakingly adorable photos of bats, and their Wall of Shame if you want to get indignant.

(via Neatorama)

Etsy seller cherylasmith makes whimsically spooky little finger puppets, including skeletons, zombies, and bats. The designs are simple enough for a DIY project, but since she sells them for a mere $5 each it’s almost cheaper to let her do the work for you.

A collection of these would be a cute desk accessory or, if you can bear to part with them, a unique gift for a child. Pair them with a handmade desktop or doorway puppet theater for hours of creepy fun.

Be sure to check out the seller’s other listings. I especially like her voodoo-inspired Speak No Evil brooch.

There are indications that the whole Swine Flu thing might be a bit overblown, which is almost a shame once you take a look at what you could be wearing out in public.

Japanese illustrator Yoriko Yoshida made a whole bunch of these utterly awesome masks, including designs with fangs, dragon snouts, raven beaks, and many that appear to be based on traditional Japanese stage masks. I don’t know if they’re available for purchase (anybody read Japanese?), but I bet they’d lend themselves pretty well to a DIY project.

Link (via Street Anatomy)

Will Ferrell is teaming up with a guy whose last movie involved Nazi zombies to make a movie about Hansel and Gretel growing up and becoming witch-hunters.

The idea is, they’ve grown up and they hunt witches… It’s a hybrid sort of old-timey feeling, yet there’s pump-action shotguns. Modern technology but in an old style. We heard it and we were just like, ‘That’s a freakin’ franchise! You could make three of those!’

I…there’s nothing I could say to make this any weirder than it actually is.

Link (via io9)

Cthulhu Roundup – All kinds of crafts featuring our favorite Old One.

Twisted Twee – UK-based store with amusing babywear.

Psycho Minimates – I especially like “Mother Bates.”

Hello Kitty Hell – This man’s wife is obsessed with Hello Kitty merchandise. His blog rails against all things Hello Kitty. This alone is proof that that cat has gone too damn far.

art = love = life – Artist MelissaSue makes adorable and whimsical soft-sculpture monster…things. Like this and this.

Dead At Your Age – So far I’ve outlived Philip III of France, Lee Atwater, and John Lennon. In 91 days I’ll catch up to Edgar Allan Poe.

Uncomfortable Plot Summaries – TWILIGHT: Girl gives up college for stalker. THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS: Dangerous insurgent invades neighboring country.

My First Dictionary – A “children’s primer” of words, featuring cute vintage-type illustrations and entertainingly disturbing word definitions.

The Museum of the Mad, the Macabre, and the Marvelous – Strange and unsettling images by artist C.D. Richardson.

Honduran White Bats – Cutest. Bats. Ever.

Art by Nemo Gould – I especially like the Boogeyman and his “portable gloom environment.” (I’d link directly to his site, but the navigation appears to be deeply hosed. So you get a link to an article about him instead.)

Well, pooh. I blogged about Urban Threads a while back, but it looks like they’re not all they’re cracked up to be (interesting discussion going on in the comments, too).

PunditKitchen – This has nothing to do with anything, but it made me giggle.

Halloween weddings are a little more mainstream than they used to be, so it’s getting somewhat easier to find commercial invitations like the spooky ones at Gothic Art Gallery or the elegant ones at Invitations by Dawn. If you’re on a tight budget or just have the DIY Nature, however, there are lots of ideas for making your own. Here are a few tutorial links I’ve picked up in my wanderings:

Marilyn’s Creative Inspirations – Pretty scrapbook-style invitations with spiderwebs (shown above).

Better Homes and Gardens – A tattered invitation with vellum overlay.

Associated Content – Instructions (but no photo) for making invitations with watercolor paper.

About.com – Making invitations with rubber stamps.

Instructables – This is for a more generic DIY invitation, but the blossoming tree clip art they use could easily be replaced with something a little drearier.

Halloweddings – My own little contribution.

Coolest Party Ideas – The spiderweb one at the bottom would be especially easy to pull off.

Charisma – This is for a Halloween party rather than a wedding, but I just love the clever theme idea.

A couple that aren’t really tutorials but still might serve as inspiration:

Suite 101 – I love the Ouija invitation idea at the bottom.

Two from MyExpression: Halloween and Black and White.

The links featured here already have a Halloween theme, but it’s not hard to turn any DIY invitation to the dark side (muwahahaha). Google “how to make wedding invitations” for more ideas than you can shake a scythe at. Choose a design that fits your style and budget, then look for ways to make it a little gothier: Trade clip-art doves for bats, use an eroded-looking font, and select spooky colors instead of pastels. For a restrained, just-a-hint-of-Halloween look, you might use harvest colors like russets and deep oranges, choose a font like Black Chancery, and decorate with chic pumpkins. For all-out-creepy, try black and blood red, a spiky font like Zombie Holocaust, and perhaps something like spider silhouettes.

Making your own invitations is a fun way to personalize your wedding and a great option for trimming your budget a bit. Allow yourself enough time so you don’t have to finish them in a frustrated rush, and you’ll be amazed at how easy and satisfying it is to make them.