Dark Roasted Blend recently posted an article featuring close-up images of spiders, such as this one (I totally want to hug this guy). It strikes me that a framed series of these would be an unusual and colorful decorative accent.

Searching on “spider macrophotography” or, conversely, “spider microphotography” (there doesn’t seem to be a lot of agreement on the proper term) will bring up quite a number of sites, including this macrophoto gallery and this Flickr photostream.

A number of photographers sell prints of their work–the average seems to be about $35–but if you’ve got a camera you can take your own photos. There are loads of tutorials to help you get started, such as the ones here, here, and here.

Obviously, if gazing into the limpid eyeballs of spiders doesn’t appeal you could turn this technique to other spooky subjects: The webbing of a bat wing, the delicate strands of a spider web, or the thorns on a rose would all make unique and attractive photographs. A series of botanical closeups of plants like hellebore and deadly nightshade would also be pretty.

I’m a big fan of massed pictures as a way to bring a lot of interest to a wall. This would certainly be an unusual way to accomplish it.

The MyHomeIdeas site has a nice little feature on “Halloween” decorating ideas featuring a refined Victorian-ish theme. They provide information on retail sources for most of the items used in the decor, plus instructions for making some yourself.

I’m particularly taken with the dried-flower wreath hanging above the mantel. (Using apothecary jars to hold big hairy spiders and rubber snakes is an inspired touch, too.) Most of the display items aren’t perishable, so you could keep this look year-round.

Also check out their Thanksgiving section for a few suggestions on “harvest”-themed decorating. In my experience, pumpkins are a little less threatening than vultures if you’ve got relatives coming for the holidays.

(via The Steampunk Home)

Metropolitan Home Magazine recently did a “Showtime House” feature, asking designers to decorate rooms in themes inspired by various Showtime series: The Tudors living room, Weeds lounge, and so forth. The dining room had a Dexter theme, featuring blood spatter-embroidered chairs, gory plates, and fingerprinted glassware.

Setting the mood are Amy Lau’s chairs, elegant, wounded and slashed; the clean, protective plastic tablecloth; the blood vials centerpieces. The table is surrounded by Steven Antonson’s candlesticks, reminiscent of vertebrae and filled with blood red candles, they easily fit a murderer’s grip. Sip fine wines from Thomas Fuchs/Otium designed glassware with luminous ‘blood -filled’ stems and ominous fingerprints. Chose your weapon. Savor the delectable dinner while challenged by Steve Butcher’s dismembered flatware, a fascinating and disturbing set. Nadeige Choplet’s handmade ceramic plates celebrate the love of blood via an intricate pattern of blood splatters, veins and capillaries under a delicate porcelain skin; and finally dessert can be enjoyed on Klein Reid’s fine porcelain, served with the fine trace of a fingerprint.

The designer, Amy Lau, has also made a few of the pieces used in the model room available at Spring3D. Unsurprisingly, they’re fairly pricey–$2500 for a chair, for example–but they might be useful to get your own creative juices flowing.

The ultramodern design scheme is something that tends to underrepresented in gothy decorating, so if your tastes run in that direction this might be good inspiration for your own home. I’m impressed with how effective the blood-red accents are against the mostly-white interior.

(via BoingBoing)

The I Make Projects site, whose tagline is “A good project is made better when its parts have been misused, and the result is hideous” (a sentiment I can heartily get behind), has a nice tutorial on making pickled punks and other monstrosities. (via BoingBoing)

If you’re good at working with Sculpey or polymer clay, check out Uncialle’s alien specimen page for ideas on creating miniature beasties to bottle.

For additional inspiration, there’s Aranamuerta’s Witch Kitchen tutorial which shows how to slick up jars and bottles and includes some great suggestions for potion ingredients.

And for some unbelievably gorgeous labels, take a look at the Love Manor Halloween haunt’s Flickr photostream. (via Spooky is as Spooky Does)

I love this kind of project because the method could hardly be simpler–stick a plastic thing in a jar–and the impact is all in the presentation. Thinking up imaginative labels and choosing the appropriate prop is loads of fun. A collection of jars would be an arresting decorative accessory for a cubicle or living room. It’d also be fun to send small (plastic) specimen jars as invitations to a Mad Scientist-themed party; just write the party details on the bottle’s label.

Go forth, and pickle some punks!

The FLOR company has just released a brand-new carpet tile design featuring cute little skulls. Each tile is nearly 20″ square, so you’d only need a couple for a small area rug. (via Halloween Hotlist)

To match your skull rug, check out Skull-a-Day’s “Secret Skull” stenciled wallpaper. There’s a downloadable pattern of the design so you can add a wee bit of goth to your own walls. I particularly like the subtlety of the image: You have to really look to see the skulls, but once you see them you can’t stop seeing them.

Skull-a-Day also offers prints of the popular Ornament(al) Skull, which would make a nice accent in a powder room or boudoir.

I have to admit, one nice thing about the wholesale mainstreaming of skull imagery is that it’s much easier to decorate without seeming overly morbid. Puts a little less stress on the in-laws’ psyches.

Here’s a definite “Why didn’t I think of that?” idea. A submitter by the name of Balint sent some images to the Skull-a-Day blog that he made by putting animal skulls on a flatbed scanner.

This would be an easy way to create some eerie, unique images to decorate your walls. Small animal skulls (or plastic replicas, if you’re squeamish) are reasonably inexpensive. You can find them at local taxidermists or online at places like Skulls Unlimited or American Headhunters.

I really like the sensual, mysterious quality of these images. A collage of different skulls (or the same skull scanned at different angles) would be an arresting focal point for a room. After you scan them and frame the results, you can also display the skulls as objets d’art.

Inexpensive! Easy! What’s not to like?

Here’s a quick project to get you in the Halloween mood:* Erin of Schlosser Design has a tutorial and downloadable pattern for making these cute fabric pumpkins.

It’d be fun to do a whole pile of these in different sizes and fabrics and use them as throw pillows or decorative accents. You could also fill them with plastic pellets instead of batting for a floppy beanbag pumpkin.

There’s lots of room for decorative excesses, too: Sew on buttons or charms, embroider pretty designs, use fabric paint or markers to give them jack-o’-lantern faces. Little personalized ones would make a cute hostess gift or wedding favor too.

Sigh. Is it Halloween yet? How about now?

Now?

Damn.

Link (via CRAFT)

*I’ve been in the Halloween mood since last January, but that may just be me.

The Decorating with Lace site offers a wide variety of lace decorative items, including a bunch of Victorian and “Period Reproduction” Scottish lace. Best of all, they have a page dedicated to Halloween!

A few pieces are kitschy, but many of them are really very elegant; I particularly like the Gala Mantle and the Lampshade Cover.

Their prices seem fairly reasonable, although the crafty goth could probably reproduce some of the simpler pieces (like the spiderweb coasters) themselves. Spiderweb-patterned lace fabric isn’t hard to find (US source here, UK here), particularly around Halloween, when it’s everywhere.

I love the daintiness of these pieces, and the fact that most of them aren’t terribly spooky until you look closely. They’d be a nice way to keep a little gothiness around without scaring your houseguests.

(via Spooky Moon)

The Better Homes and Gardens site has a slideshow and project instructions for spooky decorations. Some are rather twee, but there are several that would be appropriate for year-round decorations in a gothy house. I particularly like this birdcage display and these easy chair covers.

They also have a feature on outdoor decorations. These don’t lend themselves quite as well to year-round decorating, but there are some attractive seasonal suggestions such as this raven pumpkin.

Also check out their Halloween craft ideas for some easy projects and inspiration.

I love this time of year. All of the mainstream magazines trot out their Halloween ideas and for a while there’s an embarassment of decorating riches.

Framed posters are an inexpensive and easy way to add interest to a room. You can select designs to match your decorating style, and swap them out when you feel like a change.

There are plenty of Halloween- and Goth-themed posters available from sites like AllPosters, Posters.com, and BareWalls. (The latter two have a smaller selection, and the designs seem a little more skewed toward “dorm room” than “interior decor.”)

You can also make your own posters using graphic editing software and have them printed professionally. Choose artwork you like, or do something like Mike Matas’ Life Poster. As long as you’re getting a print, consider doing multiple copies for unique gifts or party favors.

Framing is essential if you don’t want your interior to look like a teenager’s bedroom. It can be expensive if you have it done professionally, but it isn’t hard to do yourself. Most large craft and office supply stores sell frames and mats inexpensively, and many can give you tips on proper technique. You can also check out this eHow article on how to frame a poster.

Display proudly. For ideas on how to set the posters to best advantage, you can check out these articles on making the most of posters and paintings here, here, and here.