The Chicago Tribune had a contest for Easter, the theme being dioramas featuring Peeps. Jason Day’s wife didn’t quite make the deadline, but her “Bunny the Vampire Slayer” diorama is too cute not to mention. There’s a Flickr set here.

BoingBoing mentions a couple of other gothy entries, one involving the dire consequences of having a death-metal band playing a prom gig, and one based on Edward Gorey’s Gashleycrumb Tinies.

I still have a soft spot in my heart for Xena, Warrior Peep, though.

The 3DTotal site has put together a set of 100 Photoshop Tutorials for Making Beautiful Art. Some are not formal tutorials so much as notes on how a work progresses, but there are some great ideas for digital painting and photomanipulation to create spooky effects.

I particularly like Sebastien Gaucher’s Maison Hantée, turning a cheerful and well-kept house into an isolated wreck. It would be fun to do this with a photo of one’s own house: Just because you happen to live in a sunny bungalow doesn’t mean it’s not a dilapidated mansion in your head. Spook up a picture, frame it, and hang it in the living room as inspiration.

(via The Presurfer)

1 3-lb rabbit, cut with a cleaver through bones into 2-inch pieces
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp cayenne

1/4 cup olive oil, divided
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes in juice, drained, reserving juice, and chopped
1 10-ounce package frozen corn
1 10-ounce package frozen lima beans

Pat rabbit dry and sprinkle evenly with salt and black pepper.

Whisk together flour and cayenne in a shallow bowl. Dredge dredge rabbit in flour mixture, shaking off excess.

Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a wide 6- to 7-quart heavy (preferably cast-iron) pot over medium heat until it shimmers but doesn’t smoke. Brown half of rabbit, turning once, about 10 minutes total. Transfer to a plate. Add 1 Tbsp oil to pot and brown remaining rabbit; transfer to plate.

Add remaining Tbsp oil to pot along with onion, celery, garlic, and a large pinch of salt (about 1/4 tsp) and cook, stirring and scraping up brown bits, until vegetables are softened, about 8 minutes.

Add bay leaf, broth, tomatoes with juice, and rabbit with any meat juices from plate and bring to a simmer. Simmer, covered, 50 minutes.

Stir in corn and lima beans, then simmer, uncovered, until stew is slightly thickened and vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Discard bay leaf.

Serves 4.

Cut Out + Keep has a short tutorial on creating a goth handbag with an embroidered front panel. There unfortunately isn’t a pattern for the panel, but there are instructions for making something similar of your own.

The project is quite simple, aside from the embroidered panel, and lends itself to all kinds of embellishment.

Handbag Tutorial

Instructions for Front Panel

Tote Bag Tutorial (which is mentioned in the text but not linked to).

Artist Julia Lohmann works in the somewhat unusual medium of animal parts. The lamp shown here is made of a preserved sheep’s stomach, which she says “triggers feelings oscillating between attraction and disgust.”

There’s no information about how the stomachs are preserved, although I’d suspect some form of plastination. There’s also no information on how to obtain one of your very own; they may be only available at her art exhibits.

Anyway, I think it’s pretty.

Link (via Everlasting Blort)

Before Christopher Walken became an actor, he was trained as a dancer in musical theater. This clip was done in 2001, so he was 58 at the time.

Huh.

(via Neatorama)

One of the DIYnamite posters likes mug cozies but doesn’t know how to crochet. So she made a mug corset instead. She’s put up a short tutorial so that you can get all dominatrix with your own mugs.

The instructions are very easy (there aren’t any step-by-step photos, but there are only eight simple steps so you hardly need them) and all you need is fabric, ribbon, and eyelets.

You could make your mug a whole wardrobe to match your mood: Black leather, satin and bows, maybe something frilly and peek-a-boo. Of course then you run the risk of your mug getting more dates than you do.

Link (via CRAFT)

Roylco is a paper die cut company that has lots of art and educational products. Their new “science” line includes X-ray images of humans and animals printed on heavy-duty plastic. They’re meant to be used in the classroom, but these would be fun to hang on the refrigerator or use as living-room art.

Link (via CRAFT)

Here’s one of my favorite types of project: Something that looks way better than it ought to, given the amount of time and effort involved.

This uses some of the same techniques as the picture frame tutorial I did a while back, and it could hardly be easier. The book would be great for a diary, grimoire, or wedding guest book. It would also make a nice decorative prop for Halloween.

The complete tutorial is here. Knock yourselves out.

Crafter FutureGirl has produced a wide variety of awesome projects, but I think she particularly shines with stuffed things. Her stuffed octopus pattern, Octophrost, inspired an all-cephalopod Christmas tree, and just in time for Easter she’s created this cute little decapitated bunny egg.

The other side of the egg features the bunny body with blood-spurting neck stump. She doesn’t offer a pattern, but there are some nice close-up pictures which should provide enough detail to inspire something similar. You could also branch out with other animals (chicks, ducklings and lambs spring to mind) and do a whole series of macabre eggs.

Link