Printing Issues

I really wanted to print a poster for my home decor. I found it on Pinterest or Tumblr (I don't remember which,) sized it, and sent it to WalMart for printing. When I got there, the man asked me, "Did you find this image on the internet?" I told him I had and he said, "Legally, I can't sell this to you. There's a law against it. Here's a number you can call for your refund."
This wasn't art, it was a still from a black and white movie, but what if it was somebody's art? What if they had no idea it was even making rounds on Pinterest or Tumblr and I had been able to print it? I was bummed, but at the same time I was kind of like, Yeah, WalMart. You go.

So here's the one I wanted:

And here's the one I made:

I like how it turned out. What do you think?

46 Days - Cagey Decor

This is a... erm, lovely bird cage I found at the DI a bit ago. This is the before picture, mind you. I have since gutted it of it's flowery entrails and painted it a nice matte black. It's sitting on my balcony, waiting for me to finish the little fabric birds (free pattern found here, thanks to fern and freckle) and maybe add a little moss. I'm still debating on whether or not I should make one of the birds with wings out and ruffled.

Because I already had the paint, the fabric (which used to be a shirt), and a few other things, I spent a total of $1.50 on this project, which is what I paid for the cage. Not bad, eh?
I'll post the after pics once it's all together. 

How are you getting ready for Halloween?

It's the Final Countdown!

As of today, there are 53 days left until Halloween. I know, I know. You're thinking, Good grief, she's obsessed. And I'd be lying if I said I wasn't. But I am. Obsessed, I mean. So each week I'll throw out a post having to do with Halloween (or Autumn.) Stalkers, get ready for tuts on costumes, recipes for homemade candy, a few makeup tips, or just my thoughts on the Salem witch trials. It's going to be fun.

I was looking around Pinterest, and I noticed there are many different kinds of wreaths, one for every personality. There are those wrapped in yarn, in tulle, some more natural-looking with moss or leaves glued on, some are colorful with purples, greens, and oranges while others are simply elegant with grey and black. I'm sure there are hundreds. There are quite a few I like, but here are some of my favorites:

Flying Lessons

 Wizard of Oz theme

Nevermore

Mummy's Tomb

 

Skull/Boa Wreath

Oh, and check out this cute mummy doll:

He's super-easy to make, and he's a little Waldorf-esque. Don't you think? Anyway, I've decided to make my own version of a wreath that incorporates a bit of everything you see above. Well, most of everything. I'm not Martha Stewart for Pete's sake...

I really like the witchy-ness of the first two wreaths, the raven from the third, and the gauze from the last two. Plus, I have a half-mask that might be kind of fun to throw on. Tomorrow will be my first official countdown post, so check back.

Web Wed

I just finished reading 4+ years worth of blog posts from one author. Slight warning, this may or may not be another Halloweenish sort of post. (In my defense, Halloween is only 81 days away...) The blog featured today is so fun when it comes to ideas for Halloween.

Technically, it is "dedicated to goth beauty, decor, and accessories. This blog will be devoted to projects, news, and suggestions for adding a little darkness to your life."

But to me, it's just an AMAZING resource for all that is Halloween. I'm not into the Ouija boards or tarot cards, but her decor and ideas and her fun Etsy finds... I'm in love with. So. Much.

It is: 

Shadow Manor: The Art of Darkness

(Lightning streaks through the clouds. Seconds later, thunder rumbles your entire apartment. Lights flicker.)

This link takes you to her blog while the one above takes you to her store.

Some favorite things about The Art of Darkness:

She randomly posts Link Dumps. It's just a list of links with short descriptions. The lists always have at least one treasure in them. Etsy stores, awesome prints, etc.

She also features Seen Online once in a while. Just comments or tweets that are ridiculously funny and/or thought-provoking.

Some Tuesdays are Trivia Tuesdays. "No prizes, but if you can answer them all without googling you get bragging rights." The questions cover just about everything, from horror films to actors, fossils discovered to weird facts, and novels to short stories.

You have to see this.

Tutorial for tile coasters.

She also runs HalloWeddings.com (see why here.)

Like I said at the beginning, I went through and read every post. It took me about a week, but I'm lucky and get to pump for many hours throughout the day. And while I pump, I read books. And when I'm not reading books, I read blogs.
If you're into Halloween, this one is definitely worth checking out.

And I promise, my next post won't be Halloween-related.

Maybe...

{:

Web Wed

I love Halloween. And not in a small, looking-forward-to-candy way. I mean in a I-already-have-our-costumes-planned-and-am-working-on-decorations way. Yep. You read right. I know what we're all going to be on the big night. And it's only the end of July. Looking around, I found a blog that has tons of great ideas for cheap decorating ideas. He even says, "Feel free to borrow [this label] if you like... If anyone actually uses my label, send me a picture. I'd love to see it." I love bloggers like that. They know they have a great thing, and they share it. Just fabulous. Here are just a few things he's made that I fully plan on re-creating myself this All Hallows Eve:

Flameless candle from a small pumpkin tea light, toilet paper tube, hot glue gun, and paint.

The hand of Captain James Hook

 A dripping severed head. A little gory, but still so cool!

Ectoplasm

Mummy Dust-this is just a picture he took of window displays at Disneyland, but it would be fairly easy to recreate something similar.

 How to give a newer book an old look and feel.

 Spider Cage

Tomb Stone Polish

(He shows you how to make the plaques on the bottles for both this one and the Ectoplasm.)

Fun, right? So, here it is:

Dave Lowe Design: The Blog!

He's also an amazing sketch artist, and he has the cutest niece that makes appearances in his blog from time to time. He has designed sets on tv shows, designed landscapes for HGTV, he's even been known to knit. Alone. In the dark.

Really, this guy does it all.

Don't just read the most recent blog posts. Go back and look through most of his stuff if you can. I've spent the past few days going through his entire blog (yes, from 2011 all the way back to 2005) and really enjoyed it. If I didn't have to pump and feed a 4 month-old every few hours, I wouldn't have had the chance, I'm sure. So thanks to my baby V for letting me feed him. {:

And thank heavens for Dave and his awesome blog, tuts, and fun inexpensive ideas.