Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Miniature Apothecary Cabinet and boxes

Love vintage Apothecaries? Now you can have one all for yourself! And in miniature, so space is not an issue.
A cabinet filled up with lots of glass jars and boxes, conveniently labeled with reproductions of real vintage Apothecary labels, and a tiny microscope. This cabinet has been recently featured in a Treasury.

Not your cup of tea? What about some medicine boxes to stock up your bathroom, drugstore or doctor's office?

Available in two different sets, they will sure add up a special touch to your dollhouse!
Go grab them today at Kaleidoskopic Romance!

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Till Death..

I present to you straight from the grave......

Living Dead Girl Nicole's Till Death Wedding Accessories..



















As always I am open to making custom items (if you have special wedding colors or requests)!! So hit me up!

Mrs. Halloween,
LDG Nicole

Friday, August 27, 2010

New Art Print "Plum Mother" available at JasmineWorth.etsy.com


New Fine art prints of the oil painting "Plum Mother" by Jasmine Worth are now available in Jasmine's etsy store.

Handmade Halloween Cards and Invites


EDT's Count Down To Halloween!
This little gem is brought to you by the reigning empress of shadow boxes herself, Nacreous Alchemy. Hers is an amazing little web store filled with all kinds of delectable goodies to tempt you. My favorite item she makes has to be Lady Death in Her Parlor . Today she is kind enough to share her talent with all of you. Please enjoy her tutorial on handmade Halloween cards.

For me Halloween cards are like most people’s Christmas cards, I have an extensive list of people I send to and finding the right card is a must. Most years it’s more cost effective to make my own plus I get just the look I want. And if you are having a Halloween bash this is a great way to make personalized invites. And truth be told I also use these same techniques to make my own Gothic Christmas cards just in case you want to get a jump start on that season. ;) I’ve come up with different themes and techniques through the years but these two styles always get incorporated some how. The first is bleach and stencil application and the second is ink pad and stamp application.

Materials
Black card stock
Halloween stencils
bleach
paint brush
metallic pen
metallic stamp pad
Halloween stamps
Halloween stickers
painters tape


1 For the bleach and stencil lay your card flat outside face up and tape your stencil to the card. Just dip your paint brush in the bleach and carefully fill in the stencil you don’t want to over saturate the card to avoid bleeding under stencil.

2. Once the bleach is dried remove the stencil and decorate further you can take the metallic pen and use some smaller stencils like I did with the star and jack-o-lantern face or use some stickers. On the inside you can use a stamp with a metallic ink pad or stickers for your message.

3. For the ink pad get together any Halloween inspired stamps you have and a silver metallic ink pad and go wild. The only limit you have here is your imagination. In the picture I kept it simple with a spider web stamp and some sticker decorations.

Once you have the basic design down the embellishments can be as subtle or over the top as you desire. There are all kinds of stickers, ribbon and cardstock cut outs with Halloween themes that you can incorporate into your design. Just have fun and get into the spirit of the season!



Nacreous Alchemy features gothic art, shadow boxes and home décor. You can find anything from Victorian Gothic, dark fairy tale, classic horror, and understated dark elegance to add that perfect touch of shimmery darkness to any surroundings.

Find Nacreous Alchemy online at:
Web Store: www.etsy.nacreousalchemy.com
Face Book: www.facebook.com/NacreousAlchemy
Blog: www.nacreousalchemy.blogspot.com

Paper Cuts!

After seeing and purchasing art prints at Comicon last weekend I decided to add a few more to my Etsy Shop!!!

So make sure to check out the Paper Cuts section in the shop if your looking for a unique art print to hang up in your home!!!!

All prints are professionally printed on 10 pt high quality glossy 8.5 x 11 paper. Each print will be signed by me, the artist :)

Please note that my icon/logo will not be on the print that your purchase. That is for online protection only.
 
Get Clickin',
LDG Nicole

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Dollhouse Miniature Cabinet

Yay! Halloween is *almost* around the corner! What better way to celebrate it than to dressing up your dollhouse with some pumpkins and a new witch or wizard cabinet?
Potion bottles, pumpkins, cauldron, crystal ball...
Let your dolls indulge in the most fantastic of all the holidays!
Grab it at Kaleidoskopic Romance!

Friday, August 20, 2010

Faux Pumpkin Carving

EDT's Count Down To Halloween!
This weeks post is brought to you by the Zombie mistress herself Rikki of Custom Zombie. She owns a delightful little boutique specializing in not only beautiful jewelry, and photography, but transforming your digital image into that of the living dead. You heard me right kids she will make you look like a zombie so when the zombie apocalypse finally does happen there will be no surprises. Today she has written up a special little treat for us. She is sharing her special way of carving pumpkins. They are just so beautiful I can't wait to start slicing.

Faux Pumpkin Carving
Every year for Halloween I would spend hours carving intricate designs into my pumpkins only to watch them rot. When Michael’s started carrying carvable fake pumpkins I was ecstatic! But if you’ve ever tried to carve one using the standard pumpkin saw you’ll know that it’s not the ideal way to do the job (cuts turn out bigger than they should be, pieces break from all that up-and-down movement….it’s a nightmare!). After a few seasons of doing it the hard way I came across some information that made my pumpkin carving life a whole lot easier: you can use a hot knife to do it!

I’m getting ahead of myself though – let’s start from square one. First pick a pattern. You can design it yourself, use a pattern book, download a free template off the internet, or for some really rad patterns you can check out www.zombiepumpkins.com. Size the pattern to fit your pumpkin then gather up your supplies. You’ll need tape, scissors, a hot knife (mine is a Creative Versa-Tool from Michael’s), and something small, pointy, and sharp (shown are a bead reamer and a clay sculpting tool).


Cut your pattern out, leaving a bit of space around the outside edges of the design. Tape it to the pumpkin – I tape top and bottom first, then the sides. You’ll notice that there are some ridges in the paper and you’ll have to get rid of those before you can start transferring the pattern. Make cuts in inconspicuous places as near to the ridges as possible. Now pull the cut edges together, overlapping as needed, until it lays fairly flat and the edges still mate up. Tape them in place. Go ahead and turn the hot knife on so it will be ready when you need it.


With your pointy tool, start making dots along your pattern. You want to make sure they are close enough together to follow the lines once you’ve removed the paper. The dots will need to be very close, almost on top of one another, in places with very small details. Remove the paper and compare it to your now dotted pumpkin. Make sure you got every line or you’ll get messed up when it comes time to cut it out!



Now that your pattern is transferred you can start cutting. Begin by cutting a hole out of the bottom of the pumpkin. This gives you access to the back of the carving to help punch pieces out and also serves as a way to insert a light in the finished product.

Some things to know about carving with a hot knife: let it glide through instead of pushing it hard, occasionally you’ll need to use a sawing motion to get through tough parts (especially a side seam),and if you have a screw-on blade you may need to tighten it back up from time to time – I use the discarded circle I cut from the bottom to turn the blade. It’s sort of like playing Connect the Dots but we can’t start and end at the same dot for a couple of reasons. Follow the advice below instead and your design will come out much better.

First, cut around all of the smallest pieces (for my pattern I cut around the witch’s face and hat brim, then the arms and the bat, starting with his head). Next cut out the small holes. When you get to the bigger holes you’ll need to cut them into several pieces to be able to punch them out without breaking off things you meant to keep (I cut my largest piece into five sections). When you are ready to punch the pieces through be aware of how the shapes around it are moving. Some pieces need to be punched in and some need to be pulled out – I use my pointy tool to help with both of these things. Large pieces that are suspended by one small area (like the bat in my design) are especially tricky to punch out around. I save them for last so there is less tension holding them in place and typically pull them out, starting by pushing them from the inside of the pumpkin.

Once all of your pieces are punched out you may need to use the hot knife to trim some of the “flesh” (interior foam) to better show your design. Assuming that everything came out intact, you’ve got a perfectly carved pumpkin that will last forever if you store it properly! Stick a light in it and you’re done!




Custom Zombie’s business was born out of her love for horror, Halloween, and all things zombie. Though she has dabbled in many art forms, Photoshop is her preferred medium. She spend’s most of her free time building Halloween props, playing with her two black cats, reading graphic novels, and plotting the worldwide invasion of my undead masses!

For more of custom zombie on the web you can find her at …
Website: customzombie.com/
Blog : customzombie.blogspot.com
Twitter: twitter.com/customzombie
Facebook: facebook.com/CustomZombie

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Emerald Quartz Choker

Emerald quartz is the stone of successful and the hearlers stone. It's also mays birthstone. Length of choker is 16 1/2 inches and fastens with a lobster claw clasp




Emerald offers physical, emotional, and spiritual balance as a power stone.



It encourages the following:



Spiritual growth



Clear Vision



Memory



Faith



Intelligence



Communication



Inspiration



Joy



Intuition



Clairvoyance



Sensuality



Love, to name a few.



Emeralds healing properties include:



Healing in areas of eyesight



upper respiratory tract



liver function



strengthens the immune system and helps you to recover from infections like pneumonia



Detoxifies the blood; anti imflammatory



Strengthens the heart chakra for:



abundance



Growth



peace



harmoney



patience



love



fidelity



monogamy



honesty



Lifts depression and insomnia and is a excellent general healer.



Thanks for looking

Quartz Crystal Pendant

Description


Last but definately not least is the quartz crystal choker. It hangs on a loop chain and measures 18 inches in length and fastens with a lobster claw clasp.



A little information about this crystal:



It is the most pure of the quartz and is also the most popular among the mages.



Quartz comes in clear though its sometimes cloudy, as seen in the picture above. The clear varieties represent purity and also power and tend to be good for conducting magical power.



Quartz crystal also represent chastity. When not as clear, they represent protection and sterility.



The symbolism of quartz crystal is:



Communication



Wisdom



Clarity of thought



General healing



Memory



Meditation



Transformation



Awakening



Cleansing



Pureness of heart



Intention



Higher Consciousness



Positive Thoughts



Harmony



Love



The metaphysical properties are that its the most powerful and versatile, multi purpose stone, particularly regarding self esteem and healing the wounds of a neglectful or abusive childhood.



It will not allow you to wallow in self-pity. It amplifies the energy of all other stones and increases your emotional energy.



Thanks for looking!

Pink Quartz Crystal Choker

The thing with pink quartz is that it tends to be a little cloudier than most varieties, as seen in the picture above. There have a few instances that these stones were impossible to see through due to the cloudiness of the stone.




With pink quartz, it is of a pink color that can be dark or light and is never red. Some can be dark with veins running through it or the other way around.



Pink quartz symbolizes love, harmony and compassion. It also brings:



Gentleness



Forgiveness



Compassion



Kindness



Tolernace



Raises Self esteem and sense of self worth.



Balances emotions and heals emotional wounds and trauma, even grief and also brings peace and calm



Choker hangs from a loop chain and fastens with a lobster claw clasp and measures 18 inches in length.



Thanks for looking!

Friday, August 13, 2010

POP Corn Halloween Style

EDT’s Countdown to Halloween!
This week’s installment of EDT's Countdown to Halloween delves into two of my favorite treats combined into a loving symphony of snacky goodness. That is the perfect creation of pop corn and candy corn together at last. Please enjoy…

Ingredients
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup white sugar ( white sugar makes it taste little kettle corn or popcorn balls, brown sugar makes it taste like Carmel corn you choose)
• 1/2 cup unpopped popcorn kernels
• ½ cup of candy corn ( or any other candy you prefer i.e. … gummy worms etc)
Directions
Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Place three kernels of corn in the pot. Once all three kernels have popped, your oil is hot enough for the rest of the corn. Stir in the sugar and popcorn. Cover, and shake the pot constantly to keep the sugar from burning. Once the popping has slowed to once every 2 to 3 seconds, remove the pot from the heat and continue to shake for a few minutes until the popping has stopped.Lift lid and immediately sprinkle with salt. Recover give it one good shake to make sure all the popping has ceased. Pour into a large bowl, and allow to cool, stirring occasionally to break up large clumps. Then toss in your favorite treat. I love throwing in candy corn, but gummy worms, and even little broken up pieces of candy bars will work just fine.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

New Kid On The Blog...

Dark Artist Sillycut has opened her very fist blog. I am celebrating this by giving all my followers 20% shop discount on etsy. See the blog for instructions ;D
Enjoy!

Friday, August 6, 2010

Spooky Confetti Eggs

EDT’s Countdown to Halloween!
This weeks installment of EDT's Countdown to Halloween is brought to you by me EJPcreations . I'm going to share a little item I love to make for Halloween. It's my spooky Confetti eggs! I hope you have lots of fun making them.

Materials
Eggs- As many as you desire
Confetti- I use the paper that has been shredded in my shredder, but you can buy confetti or just make some with a hole punch
Tissue paper
White glue- Elmer's or Modge podge is fine
Pin or needle
Acrylic paints

At my grade school for our May festival, each child had to make a dozen confetti eggs to be sold for the school fundraising. This was always one of my favorite things to do because it is fun to make them and even more fun to use them. The whole point is to run up to people and smash them on their heads leaving confetti streaming down their hair, or throw them at someone so that when they break there is a puff of confetti exploding in the air. The shell makes them very durable, but when they are broken it doesn't hurt the person they are broken on. The only thing that can hurt is if the person breaking gets over zealous and smashes them full force on your head. I never understood why this was a spring activity when it would be just PERFECT for Halloween pranks so here it is I give you my spooky confetti eggs...

1- Take all the eggs that you want to make into confetti eggs and leave them out on the counter for a little while. Not too long you don’t wan them to spoil, but it’s much easier to empty them if they aren’t cold.

2- Next you need to get all the egg parts out of the egg so you are just left with the shell. Make sure you have a bowl under you so you can do something with the egg goop later... looks like scrambled eggs for dinner ... or French toast Yummy!

3- Take a pin ( I use a bead reamer, but not a lot of people have those lying around), and at one of the points of the egg's oval poke out a tiny pin prick of a hole. Just make little tiny poking jabs at the egg to open it up, but be gentle you don’t want to crack the egg. Once you have that one get to work on the other side. The next hole should be much bigger than the first because that is where the eggs insides are going to come out of, but don’t make it to big so that the egg shell looses its structure integrity. This takes a little practice and some finesse but just take it slow with little pokes nipping away at the edges of the hole until it’s about the circumference of a dime or a penny.

4- Next put the little pin prick hole up to your mouth and gently blow. Your breath will force the egg goop out of the shell on the other side ( just like getting frozen orange juice out of those little cans as a kid) Just remember to go slow and gently so the weight of the liquid doesn’t force the hole to crack and get bigger.

5- With all the eggs liquid out it’s time to wash the inside of the shell. Just put it under the faucet and flush water through it. Give it a really good rinse you don’t want a spoiled egg smell to accompany your eggs weeks later when you use them. After your done rinsing, them make sure to blow all the water out as well just like you did to the liquid part of the egg.

6- Now let them dry at least over night. Other wise when you put the confetti inside it will be all mashed together and clump.

7- The next day it’s time to fill your eggs. You can use any type of confetti you choose I use the paper that has been shredded in my shredder, but you can buy confetti or just make some with a hole punch. Maybe even getting some orange and black papers and hole punching them. gently take a little pinch of confetti and place, or spoon it inside. If your little hole is small enough on the other side the the confetti wont seep out, but if that hole is to big take a dab of your white glue on your finger and spread it around the hole then tear off a little square of your tissue paper and place it on the glue covering the hole. That will seal it up nicely. Finnish scooping in the confetti don’t make them too full but you want enough in to make a big impact. Maybe fill up the egg half way.

8- Once you’re done filling it’s time to seal up the other end. Again take a little of your white glue on your finger and spread it around the hole then tear off a little square of your tissue paper and place it on the glue covering the hole. I prefer to use white tissue to blend in with the egg, but I have seen amazing confetti eggs where they had used different colors of tissue paper and incorporated it into their design. Just remember try to use as little glue as possible. The main point of these eggs are to crack or smash them on peoples heads if you use a lot of glue when they hit the head instead of a nice soft crack the glue will make the shell very hard and might hurt someone.


9- After the glue dries it’s time to decorate them. Acrylic paint is the best for this. Get as creative as you want. It could be a great activity to do after pumpkin carving.

10- Then you can place them in a pretty bowl for a lovely table decoration, once dinner is over the egg battle can begin!!!

11- An alternative version of this is that instead of confetti you could fill the eggs with really small favors for a prank Halloween gift giving. You have to crack the egg to get at the surprise... just a thought.

EJPcreations specializes in tiaras, chokers, earrings, necklaces, fascinators, and hair combs with a noir, and gothic flair. Creating body adornments with a hint of vampire elegance, a dash of Steampunk bravado, and plenty of Neo-Victorian sensibilities. Perfect for prowling the streets, haunting the clubs, or adding an aristocratic air to any outfit.

For more of EJPcreationson the web you can find me at …
Website: EJPcreations Website
Shop: EJPcreations Etsy Shop
Blog: EJP's Blog
Facebook: EJP's Facebook Fan Page

Vending in Chicago this weekend!

If you're in Chicago and looking for some spooky sparkly jewelry, stop by the Crafter's Round-up craft fair. The show runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, August 7 and 8, in Chase Park, 4701 N. Ashland (just south of Lawrence) in the city.

I'll be vending my goth, Victorian-inspired, and chainmaille jewelry -- here's a sneak peek of what you'll find!

Etsy
Buy Handmade
DoBatsEatCats

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Review: CoffinCritters' EDT inspired Day of the Dead Bedroom

My bedroom was a challenge. My walls are a bright turquoise (brighter than these photos) and my colors are strange. I didn't want to re-paint my walls and I had some art hanging in there that I liked. Therefore, I had to work with the bright, odd colors that were existing.
it all started with the Deady Bear I bought from Shadovnia. Although I am not 5 years old, I love having a giant teddy bear to snuggle with at night. My old Care Bear was getting worn, and was a bit too cheerful for me. I loved Shadovnia's shop, especially her dolls. She had one listed called "Deady Bear". I convo'd her and asked if she could make me a giant one, and boy did she ever! He is HUGE and so snuggly! Although I wash him sparingly, he has held up quite well in the washing machine even though he barely fits in it. lol
After receiving my beloved Deady, I was upgrading from a twin bed to a queen. So of course, I needed new bedding. I spent HOURS shopping in stores trying to find bedding I liked. But when dealing with colors of fuchsia, brown, purple, and turquoise the only options I had were obnoxious florals. I really want bright colors, but with a dark twist. I posted an ad on Alchemy, and of all the bids I received that were NOTHING of what I was looking for, one bidder really seemed to get what I wanted. She created for me pillowcases and a comforter incorporating a solid brown fabric mixed with damasks and sugar skulls. Of course, I needed it to match my Deady Bear. And the great thing is that her pricing was BETTER than the awful pre-made things I was finding in stores.

[image]

As I was browsing Etsy one day, a particular painting caught my eye from Meeshah's shop. Besides it having perfect colors for my bedroom, something about just *called* to me. I hearted it and kept my eye on it for months. I finally contacted Meeshah regarding purchasing it. She was so cute and great to work with. When I received it, I was so happy. It really was just the perfect icing to my Day of the Dead Bedroom cake!

[image]

Here are the great shops that made this all happen for me:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Shadovnia
http://www.etsy.com/shop/DesignedForUniqueYou (Not a Dark Sider, but she did an awesome job)
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Meeshah

~CoffinCritters

Sunday, August 1, 2010

New Original Drawings available in my etsy store




Hello Friends,
I am pleased to announce that the last batch of original framed drawings Sold Out, but I have listed two new ones in my etsy store. I have made these affordable enough so that anyone can own an original piece of art for their home. :)