This manufacturer “recycles” stainless-steel coffins collected from Southern California funeral homes. Their site says, “It is a health and safety law that funeral homes cannot resell used coffins to the general public,” but since they go on to imply that their recycling approach gives them a loophole I guess there’s no law against hosing ’em off and turning them into furniture.

The six cast-iron legs are each embossed with the universal biohazard insignia, which I think is a nice touch.

At $4500 these may be a bit pricy, but you can’t beat them for style. They might be worth keeping in mind for your next interior decorating project.

Link (via The Presurfer)

The Haunted Mansion-Northside is the blog of James Lopez, an extremely talented artist and animator who used to work for Disney. He does not do things by halves: Last Halloween, for instance, he turned a friend’s front yard into a wrecked pirate ship. When he moved into his new house, he decided that he wanted his office to have a Haunted Mansion theme. And darned if he didn’t decorate it that way.

I cannot adequately express how thoroughly awesome this is. Three walls are covered with the Bradbury & Bradbury wallpaper used in the foyer of the Disney attraction, and the fourth was hand-painted using a stencil to mimic the wallpaper in the Corridor of Doors. He’s got all kinds of pictures and busts similar to the ones in the attraction, and even managed to find a wall sconce that’s an exact match for the ones used near the front entrance.

A couple of his separate posts cover his creation of the Staring Statues and Bat in a Birdcage props that he uses as decoration.

Lopez sculpted his props from scratch, but we Mere Mortals without his vast artistic skill can find alternate ways to decorate. DoomBuggies offers a 13-Hour Wall Clock, for instance, and Haunted Mansion collectibles are widely available on eBay. You can also check out the DoomBuggies Links page for lots of inspiration and craft ideas.

This office would be a good project to build up over time, as funds and ambition allowed. As a bonus, using a Haunted Mansion decorating theme is a good way to subtly introduce goth elements into otherwise-mainstream decor; folks are somehow more comfortable with rabid Disney fans than with goths, even though I can tell you from long experience that the former are a whole lot scarier.

I’m tempted to start saving up for that foyer wallpaper right now.

This is one of those items that’s going to be viewed very differently by we darker-minded souls than it is by the mainstream. The Wedding Ring Coffin is ostensibly to help divorced people seek closure by “burying the past” instead of selling their ring on eBay like a normal person.

However, would this not be the coolest way to present a ring to a gothy loved one? The solid-wood coffin is lined with black velvet and has four little brass handles. It even comes with a brass plaque that you can have engraved with a personalized message.

I think they’re just adorable. I’m tempted to get one just to hold my rings when I’m not wearing them.

Victorian decorating schemes are a popular choice for many goths; the lush interiors and artful clutter appeal to our dramatic side, plus a lot of Victorian imagery involves death in some fashion: These are the guys who popularized memento mori jewelry and post-mortem photography, after all.

If you’re considering an interior decorating makeover, check out Bradbury & Bradbury, specialists in “art wallpapers.” Their Victorian section–they offer lovely designs from many other periods–encompasses a variety of traditions (Aesthetic Movement, Victorian Classicism), and includes coordinating wall, ceiling, and border elements. You can order sample kits of their roomsets, and there are plenty of components to mix and match.

They’re not cheap–the paper is hand-printed–but the designs are gorgeous and you could expect them to last for years. If you’re looking for a way to add gloomy elegance to a dining room or bedroom, these would be perfect.

p.s. – This company’s Dresser Tradition II-Ashes of Rose” pattern is the design used in the foyer of Disney’s Haunted Mansion. Lovely!

Megan describes herself as having “an unhealthy relationship with black metal,” and her blog somehow manages to channel that relationship into baking. Her recipes (there are only a few right now) are inspired by the music, and include tips on the best things to listen to whilst eating the results.

Call of the Wintermoon Lemon Curd Cookies

I’m pretty sure lemon curd doesn’t exist in Norway. However, if by some miracle Odin had bestowed upon the snow beaten north the gift of citrus, the vikings would have probably made these. Buried beneath the mountains of frost…are cookies!

I like that her filled cupcakes include instructions for making a “cream cheese sea of woe.”

Link (via The Slumbering Lungfish Dybbuk Hostel and All-Night Boulangerie)

I’m sort of reticent to mention any business that calls itself “Hipster Home,” but I have to admit that these rings are awfully cute.

It’s quite a nice ring: The eyes are cut diamonds rather than chips, and the metal is sterling silver and/or 14k gold. The one shown here is gold-plated, but they have several other options, and they also do custom work. This would make a nice engagement ring for the goth-minded girl. It’s got the “Til Death Do Us Part” thing built right in.

(via Awesome)

In honor of Passover, Evil Monkey was inspired to quiz a Jewish friend of his as to the kosher potential of various imaginary animals. He’s put together a handy guide, just in case you’d like to know if you can take a bite out of a Chupacabra or a Bugbear and still remain observant.

Man-Eating Tree – A: “Tree part yes, man-eating no, therefore treyf.”

Mermaid – A: “No, for the obvious reasons.” EM: “What if you marry one? Is that kosher? Will a rabbi marry you?” A: “Kosher is a term about eating, not about sex.” EM: “I’m not talking about sex–I’m talking about marriage!” A: “If the mermaid is Jewish, the rabbi will probably marry you. But only if you’re Jewish too. But you’ll definitely have to find the right rabbi…”

Mongolian Death Worm – A: “No, because you cannot eat anything that crawls on its belly.” EM: “Does that mean an injured kosher animal that is crawling along isn’t kosher any more?” A: “Yes, because you can’t eat an animal that’s been injured or is sick.” EM: “It’s a wonder you haven’t all starved to death.”

:::giggle:::

Link (via BoingBoing)

If you’re familiar with the iGoogle page, you probably know that you can customize its appearance with several themes.

What you may not know is that every night at 3:14 a.m., some of the themes get a little creepy. On the Beach, Nessie surfaces for 60 seconds, then takes a deep breath and dives back underwater for another day. In Cityscape, UFOs descend and start abducting pedestrians. A monster appears in Spring Scape, and the fox spirits of Japanese folklore appear out of the mist in the Tea House theme. The timestamp is a geek homage to the mathematical concept of Pi–and in fact, the 3:14 Easter Egg in the Sweet Dreams theme is the Greek letter pi made out of stars.

You can see screen shots of a couple other theme Easter eggs here, along with a method for unlocking the other themes at a more decent hour of the day.

(via Museum of Hoaxes)

For those of you in the Philadelphia area, the Eastern Haunter’s Convention is scheduled next month. Their Saturday night festivities include the Cadaver’s Cotillion, billed as “The Ultimate Halloween Ball.”

The zombie and undead-themed Mardi Gras costume ball will feature Cajun and Creole food, an open bar, and a costume contest. I know Mike Bruner, one of the convention founders, and I think you can count on him to know how to throw a party. This would be a fun way to wear your finery out of season and celebrate all things dark and creepy.

The cotillion is May 3, in Valley Forge, PA. You can find out more information here and purchase tickets here.

Opal is releasing a line of “Harry Potter” sock yarn. According to their importer the yarns will be released in September to coincide with the release of the Half-Blood Prince movie.

Rather than any “house color” yarns, the yarn palettes all appear to be based on characters from the movie. The one with the Hedwig label is sort of, um, owl-colored, for example.

The Opal site includes a list of yarn shops which carry their products. And here’s a photo gallery of promotional images for the product.

The palettes are pretty, but I don’t think you could expect the casual observer to immediately discern the yarn’s significance. I suppose you could use the yarn for one of the Charmed Knits projects and completely embrace your inner HP geek. If you do, don’t tell me about it; I’d prefer to maintain a few illusions.