Blogger Mr. Peacock came up with a wonderful way to add interest to a ceiling by decoupaging clip art all over it. It’s dirt cheap, extremely innovative, and open to all kinds of personalization. He used black-and-white photocopied artwork on a white ceiling, but you could also paint the ceiling and use color images.

He chose a “Birds and Bees” theme (actually birds, flowers, and bugs), but it goes without saying that you could choose darker imagery. Victorian graveyard images (City of the Silent has a nice collection, although the site currently appears to be wonky), a collage of vintage Halloween graphics, or nature illustrations featuring spiders and scorpions are all possibilities.

I like the crisp, clean lines of the art against the ceiling; they draw the eye without being overwhelming. Decoupage is fairly easy to remove, so this would be a good decorating idea for renters. It’s also a project that doesn’t have to be done all at once; you could make your ceiling an ongoing work of art, filling in blank areas as you have time.

Link (via Apartment Therapy)

Here’s another one of those expensive-but-pretty-easy-to-replicate home decorating ideas.

Badder Homes and Gardens recently posted about this “Dita” lamp from oooh!design (caution: evil Flash site), which features a corset-shaped shade made of laser-cut powder coated steel. Something similar would be pretty easy to do using a regular paper lampshade and a hole punch.

Mark the design lightly on the inside of the shade (or draw the design on a piece of paper and tape to the shade as a pattern), then punch holes at even intervals. Glue fabric trim to the top and bottom, then thread satin ribbon through some of the holes to mimic the lacings on a corset. If you’re feeling especially frisky, you could make your own lampshade out of a sexy brocade fabric and then give it the lace-up treatment.

Bonus link: For another take on the corset lamp, check out this shade by DeviantART user LotD.

The marvelously talented Dave Lowe, who has a job that requires him to do things like find a storage location for ten gallons of slime, recently posted about a little throwaway detail he noticed at Disneyland: Prop candles made from wood and hot glue.

Unlike many props which are far beyond my meagre abilities, this is something that isn’t hard to do. I’ve posted a tutorial if you’d like to try it yourself.

This is a fun and easy way to add a lot of drama to interior decor. Wooden candles are less fragile and much longer-lasting than real ones, you can paint them to match your room, and you can make them look as drippy and gothic as you want.

If you’ve got a bare corner that you don’t know what to do with, a big candelabra filled with spooky-looking candles might be just the thing.

Here’s an antique shop worth a look: Teardrop Memories, in New Hope, PA, specializes in “Memento Mori, Vintage Goth, and Victoriana.”

Fine funeral fancies, exit strategies and vintage tangible aids to the grieving process abound. Rare cemetery memorial ornaments, antiquarian books and photographic images post mortem, and just plain bizarre mortuary collectibles.

They have some lovely and unusual pieces, including real death masks, vintage Halloween decorations, “widow’s weeds” (some very nice mourning attire), furniture and lamps, cemetery art, and much more. Some pieces are (obviously), quite expensive, but there are many attractive items such as this remembrance card or this black funeral vase that are reasonably priced and would make an amazing focal point for a room.

They ship worldwide, so even if you aren’t local they’re worth a look. If nothing else, browse around their catalog to get an idea of the kind of thing you might inquire about at local antique shops. I’d love a sitting room done in Victorian funeral style, and this site gives me all kinds of good ideas.

(Hat tip to Tinman)

Etsy seller foldedpigs is a self-described “porcelain snob” who likes to experiment with unusual designs. She takes restaurant-style ceramic dishware, adds her own images, then re-fires them to fuse the design into the glaze.

Her current designs include skull and cross…utensils plates, cereal bowls with the slogan, “I love you more than zombies love brains,” and espresso cups with anatomically-correct hearts on them.

Given that they’re handmade, the dishes are quite reasonably priced. I’d love to have a set of the plates for dinner parties.

(via Badder Homes and Gardens)

The Hostess with the Mostess blog has an unbelievably gorgeous tablescape for a gothic dinner or Halloween party, and includes sources for all of the items shown. There are some fantastic ideas for spooking up inexpensive craft items (like the little monster figurine place cards. So Cute.), and the whole layout is elegant and lovely.

The site also has a number of other articles with splendid ideas for gothic decorating. The three-part Ghoulish Glam Halloween Party offers theme inspiration, another
tablescape, and ideas for mood lighting. There’s also some more “goth glam” items here, a wonderful modern Halloween tablescape here, as well as ideas for spooky chic decorating and a pretty candy corn-inspired table setting.

I love how these items could be mixed and matched to come up with unique and beautiful decorating schemes. I may have to start hosting dinner parties just so I can make some of these decorations.

(via Spooky is as Spooky Does)

Pink Tentacle has a post about the mummified “monsters” that lurk in Japanese temples and museums. Most are of the Jenny Haniver/Feejee Mermaid variety, but there are a number of different examples that might provide inspiration for artwork.

If you can find good-quality photos of some of these mummies, a collection of framed prints would be an interesting decorative focus for a room. You might also try your hand at building a small “mummy” using a plastic skeleton as a starting point (Dapper Cadaver has a nice–and expensive–example). Embellish it with polymer clay, bits of cheesecloth, a dried fish tail, or whatever else catches your fancy. Paint or corpse it to tie all the elements together, then pop it in glass display case and display it as an unusual objet d’art.

If you’re not feeling quite that ambitious, “mummify” a hand and display it under a bell jar with an antiqued label identifying it as a monkey’s paw.

I love the “what if…?” nature of these kinds of faked mummies, and their vintage looks make them an appealing decorative element for any room that needs an elegantly gothic touch.

(via Strange Attractor)

Calavera is the Spanish word for “skull,” and is frequently used to describe various traditions associated with the Mexican Day of the Dead celebration.

I like calaveras because you can come over all skull-having and just claim an interest in a perfectly mainstream cultural phenomenon.

There are the traditional figures, which make wonderful little desk accessories, wedding cake toppers, and decorative accents (a bunch of different ones massed on a shelf or side table make an interesting conversation piece). You can find them engaged in virtually every profession and activity imaginable, so they make a cute personalized gift for a hairdresser, new mother, cat lover, or anybody else you can dream up.

There are also sugar skulls, which are fun to decorate and make an unusual party favor (or place card, if you frost each person’s name on the skull). They’re a fun group craft, too: A supply of blank sugar skulls, tubes of icing, and decorative stuff like colorful candies and edible glitter will keep kids or adults entertained. You can use the same molds to cast plaster skulls, then paint or glue on jewels for permanent decorations.

Crafters can make soft-sculpture calaveras like the ones above, and can also find fabric, embroidery patterns, and lots more.

There are also higher-quality (and higher-priced) calaveras like these statuettes, which would be a lovely and elegant addition to a room’s decor. These calavera-themed voodoo dolls are kind of interesting too.

Finally, a Dia de los Muertos theme might let you darken up a wedding ceremony without unnerving your mundane relatives. The Ask Ginka site has some ideas to get you started.

If you’re looking for a way to subtly introduce a few more skulls to your life, just dig up (so to speak) a calavera or two.

If you’re looking for any kind of cast hardware for home decor or craft projects, look no further than Whitechapel Ltd. They’ve got all kinds of insanely cool items, from doorknobs to antique key blanks to reproduction hardware.

They also offer a variety of technical guides for doing things like antiquing brass or choosing historically-accurate handles.

You can go a long way toward gothing up a piece of furniture with the appropriate hardware, and adding easily-removable items like doorknobs is a good way to bring a personal touch to rooms that you don’t want to permanently alter (like rented apartments or bedrooms in a parent’s house). Although some of the items at Whitechapel are pricey (like the $875 solid-brass lion door knocker), many are surprisingly affordable. The iron bat knocker above, for instance, is only $34. I know what I’m asking for next Christmas.

If you’ve got a steampunk project in mind, or just want to bring an antique touch to a room, check these guys out.

Link (via Steampunk Workshop)

Someday when I’m rich I want the inspired woodworkers at Coffin it Up to build me a custom kitchen like the one they did for a homeowner in Las Vegas.

They’ve taken casket decor to a whole new level, building everything from cat beds to contact lens cases shaped like classic toe-pincher coffins. They offer an almost endless selection of coffin-shaped display cases and cabinetry, and they do a wide variety of custom work, ranging from stereo speakers to a Jack-and-Sally cake serving set carved from obsidian. Almost as an afterthought, they also offer real coffins for your funeral needs (although it seems a terrible shame to bury such craftsmanship).

If you’re thinking about remodeling or just want to go drool at their lovely cabinetry, go check ’em out!