Fashioning My Cyber Microcosm: A Time For Celebration!

So before I get started, I'd like to wish you all a merry Samhain and a happy Halloween!

Source

Since 13 of you rung my bell, it's time to announce the winner of my treat! 
And so the winner is...

Printscreen of Random Generator Results...

Boo! ...no really, Boo... what are the odds that that worked in as a trick, too? Let's just chock that up to happenstance.
Anyway.
I'll be contacting you asap, requesting all the pertinent information.
On my next giveaway (100 watchers), I'll be using Rafflecopter since I have a pretty good understanding of how it works now.

OK!
Yesterday was the birthday of my very significant other. It was made extra special for the fact that it was the first birthday I was able to attend since our 6 years being together; being long distance for so long hardly afforded the luxuries of getting together whenever we wanted. I decided to throw him a little get together with friends.
Much merriment was had by those that attended our small little gathering... my very lovely neighbor and I baked a delicious cheesecake for the birthday boy-- which I then decorated with spooky joy!

With a skull candy border!

Originally I was thinking of cutting the shape into a bat and then cover it with black sprinkles... but then it would've been much too small of a cake. I didn't have a ton of time to work with since we did it the day of.. so I cheated a little. Maybe next year!

Mortem's Tricks or Treats: Hacked and Slashed

One of my lovely neighbors gave me a shirt some time ago, and for a time it sat in my project pile; not knowing what to do with it.

It hit me, as I was sketching a death head moth, that I don't have a single piece of clothing or jewelry that really shows my love for this critter. What better way then bleach art, I say! I could've easily just have used fabric paint and made a print... but I love the grungy rust-like look that bleaching lends.

I also found this as an opportunity to try a couple techniques that I've seen floating around youtube for t-shirt reconstruction: weaving, and skull cut out.

Here's the final result:

And here is how the shirt looked like before, and some in progress photos:

Before Reconstruction

Taking it in a couple notches

My sketch, and figuring out positioning

Chalking the skull to the back

Fashioning My Cyber Microcosm: Guts, Goo, Gore... and Neighbors

Nothing brings people together quite like Halloween; it's the unsung hero of holiday cheer.

In the past couple of days, I spent my time hanging about just generally enjoying life with my two neighbors.

On Thursday, I spent the day out with one neighbor and her child at the Petrified Forest park. She has such a wealth of information that changed my entire perspective on the park during the Triassic period, and its critters.

I snagged some really great photos onto instagram, but my favorite photos are the ones I took with my regular camera:

A beautiful raven perched and posed as I snapped a few really great shots; my finger was not quick to snap when he cawed, but I was nevertheless happy with what I got.

Today I spent what I consider to be the best way to relax with my other neighbor; good company, good food, pumpkin carving and a classic halloween flick: Candyman.

Gutting

Gore

Trophies

We attempted a kitty-in-a-pumpkin-shot, but Poe refused to look at the camera...

However for viewing satisfaction, we lit them up and I became trigger happy with the camera.

I carved the skull, and my neighbor carved the other two.

In all likelihood, I'll be adding more to my pumpkin-- I wanted to add tentacles...

We also ate candy as we watched Candyman... didn't find any razor blades, thankfully.

Only 4 more days till my Halloween Giveaway is over! Don't forget to enter in this link!
This giveaway has ended.

Skeleton Closet: Corp Goth Look 2

My propensity towards extravagant outfits and a lack of imagination for minimal detail has not been in my favor during my current job search; it has become a priority to seek monetary exchange for my abundance of time.

Like any person heeding to an alternative fashion, the choice to look and feel the way we want does not often agree with how the corporate world wishes to see us: this is my second attempt at finding a marriage between the two worlds.

In my last creepy craft post, I was revamping a knit sweater my mother sent me. The dye didn't take as well as I would like. I sort of expected that to happen; I had a hunch it was a synthetic fiber.

I am not really in love with it just yet; I wanted to add some more, but my materials are limited at the moment, and nothing I have inspired use. So it'll have to do for now. It does look quite well with a brooch, though.

Now the outfit without the vest completely transforms the look into something much younger.

This is really the outfit I would've worn to a prospective interview; the vest was just a show of what it looks like, because it is now heading to the project pile (who knows when I'll feel like getting back to it).

What I am wearing:

• Top: thrifted
• Waist belt: Fairweather Co.
• Skirt: thrifted
• Vest: DIY revamp
• Brooch: self-made
• Shoes: thrifted

Do you ever get so enthusiastic about something, only to lose that feeling when you get to working on the item?

Heads up: I plan to amalgamate Hot Weather Goth into Skeleton Closet, and I have this worry that it'll spam everyone with that teeny update, so I'm very sorry for that.

Spooky Basket: Last Haul of the Year

It feels as though this October was a mere whisper of what it once was in the past years; maybe it is because less and less people are inclined to celebrate Halloween ... or maybe it is because I live in a substantially smaller area than previously...

Either way, most of the Halloween treats and awesomeness have almost disappeared off the shelves and been replaced by Christmas ornaments and wrapping paper.

I've managed to scratch away with a couple items from the halloween discount piles; other items were gifts, and items bought in the last haul before this.

What I bought:

• Glow in the dark ribcage shirt
• Bat window decals
• Spider inside purple goo in a coffin box
• Bat bandana
• Spider web and candy corn fabric
• (Not shown) jack o' lantern socks

What was gifted:

• Skeleton couple
• Owl with dead tree glass ornament
• Spider floating candles

My hubby passed the gifted items to me, which were anonymously gifted to him at work: we have yet to be able to thank who gave him the gifts. I plan on having the decals on my craft room window all year long; they're corny, I know, but I fell in love with them.

I bought the fabric intending on making a tie on bustle, but then the idea of knee length bloomers popped into my head... now I'm not so sure which I should do first; I have four yards so I'm assuming I have enough for both!

 I wanted to wait till I have tried these out sufficiently, but I bought a 120 eye shadow palette and a 16 piece brush set off Ebay for a rocking price. I was a bit wary of a purchase of this type from Ebay, but both ended up being well worth the risk! The pigment is true to what it shows-- in fact these are what I used to create my inner spooky child look.

The brushes are super wicked; the bristles are a purple gradient, the handles are deep sparkly purple, and the case is a shiny vinyl purple. They're very soft and feel of very decent quality considering the price.
Both totaled $21.05, with free shipping.

On its way is a beauty blender sponge that I also bought on Ebay for $1.89 with free shipping-- I'm just a tad bummed because they sold out of the purple color, but it's not like the color for this is hugely important, it just would've been nicer to have.
I'm really starting to love Ebay as much as Etsy.

Alas I think these are the last items I will be purchasing for the rest of the year... there's no point shopping when the things I love only come once a year for a very limited time. Clothes aren't as hugely "urgent" a buy as Halloween goodies since I can eventually make it if I don't end up buying it, in most cases.

Is Halloween in your area dying or absent? How do you cope with the loss of neat goodies?

11 more days left to enter my Halloween Giveaway!

Skeleton Closet: Embracing My Inner 'Spooky' Child

In the famous (to me) words of my momma (and probably other mommas too): "One must always expand their horizons because you never know what you'll fall in love with"

Today I was experimenting with color. I bought this shirt during my last trip to Walmart; as you can tell, and probably have seen if any of you ever visit walmart, this shirt is for little girls... I fit little girl's XL, heh.
I bought this along with another ribcage shirt from the boys sections-- I fit a M boys. Both were $4.

Anyway-- this was entirely too cute to pass up, and although I seldom, if ever, wear t-shirts; I am making a huge effort try new things. Since I've been making and buying some great t-shirts, I've been trying to incorporate ways to wear them to suit me, and simultaneously shuffle in some color.

Obviously this shirt doesn't represent my age well, but I figured what the hell, let's embrace that inner spooky child.

Since I've been doing a lot with my make up and hair, I thought that this look might do well with a beehive of sorts; I don't have a ton of experience or tools for hair, so I opted for a faux beehive using the high ponytail method, and topped that off with a bow that is showing up quite often in my outfit posts, hehe.

I took some colors from the palette of the shirt, and used them in my make up. A hot pink, sky blue, and bubble gum purple.

 I used the purple on my bottom lid, and eyebrows to effect. So colorful! Eeep!
Another small indulgence to my inner child would be that of Halloween snow globes... I love collecting them!

$1 each from Dollar Tree

I am such a sucker for Halloween kitsch...

What I'm wearing:

• T-shirt: Walmart
• Cardigan: Ardene
• Skirt: Fairweather
• Tights: from my mother
• Necklace & hair bow: self-made

A reminder: Don't forget to enter in my Halloween Giveaway!

Comment on this link to be entered

Mortem's Tricks or Treats: Dye Hard

My mother sent me a knit vest in one of my care packages. I hated the color, but luckily she had also sent along 3 packs of old Rit powder dye in black.

I'd like to start off by saying I'm sorry.
The reason for that is because I completely forgot to take a before picture, and I realized it as I put it in a vat of dye. The picture shown is after its first bath in black dye. It used to be a powder blue... I did take a "during" shot, though

Doesn't really make up for before shots...

As you can see in the first photo (gross quality), it came out a faded black/ dark grey.
I deduced that perhaps it was because 1.) I forgot to add vinegar during the simmering process and 2.) I only let it sit for about 15 mins before rinsing.

Currently it is drying from a second bath which included vinegar and more time...
So tomorrow, I'll probably put it in a third, maybe a fourth bath. I tried boiling it to felt it the first time round-- didn't really felt all that great.

I'll be adding lace trims to it, so by the next CCC post I'll show it in all its complete glory

When I've blackened it sufficiently, I wanted to replace its buttons with something better, currently they're a milky pearlescent. I'm just not sure what I'll replace them with yet...