Shivers of Delight

Having a healthy interest in dark subjects and art doesn't mean we have to be gloomy and dour. In fact people who find the macabre interesting usually have a very good sense of humor and like to celebrate- though often with just a few close friends. Over the years, I've collected a number of dates to celebrate and honor. Sometimes it's just by raising my glass in a toast and occasionally I make the effort to gather people for a small party. The dark side of life should be looked at honestly and acknowledged as part of the cycle of life and death; not with reverence necessarily, but with respect. I hope you find these days as a way to toast life. I'll continue to update this post. P.S. I prefer to mark death dates rather than birth dates because remembering someone's death lets me honor their life's work. January 1 (1818) "Frankenstein; or The Modern Prometheus" by Mary Shelly is published 1-2 Imbolc/Candlemas, Pagan celebration of Spring ...

The moon is on my mind lately- probably because I'm seeing it more often. It's actually shining brightly before I go to bed! I'm an early riser, you see, and that means I often go to bed earlier than the moon rises. (I'm secretly hoping that one day I can have a cup of morning coffee with a local vampire before he heads to bed.) Metal Moon Garland from BASEROOTS Moon & Stars Fabric Wall Decal from KokoKids Velvet Full Moon Pillow from BetsyBennLTD 2020 Moon Phase Tea Towel from alittlelark 2020 Moon Calendar from TheCreativeSparkShop Celestial Moon from TheCircusofLostDolls Little Luna Art Doll from AlteredPoshDrop Large Man in the Moon Ornament from HarlanMcKennaDesigns Moon & Night Stars Combat Boot from ConjuringMages Vintage Stars & Moon Leather Shoes from littlelightVTG Blooming Crescent Moon Print from twentythreefaces Felted Moon Crown from HexHouseCrowns Stars & Moons Cape from EmmaDeeSewing ...

"Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse." It's the night before the "Night Before" and I'm scurrying around like a mouse in a cheese factory trying to get everything done so we can have a nice visit with family. But when I saw the mice taxidermy from Classic Mouse Parade , I knew I had today's post. Rachel's tableaux make me giggle. Her mice are adorable and festive for the holidays. Decorating the Christmas Tree Mouse in Christmas Stocking Bird Skull Angel Tree Toppe r Hanukkah Mouse Happy Christmas Family Krampus Mouse Snow Day Mouse Until this moment, I didn't realize my holiday decor was lacking. I also realize I need to leave a snack for the little mouse living on my back porch.  Posts this week may be rather sparse as I run around with a cocktail in my hand spreading Christmas cheer. Best wishes to you and your's.

Jade Perez's creepy art dolls are also kind of adorable.  I'm not sure how these dolls haven't crossed my path till now. I love that there is always a new spooky artist out there waiting for me to find them. Perez's dolls are hand-sculpted and painted and I feel I need to know the story behind each doll. Her shop is Moody Misfits . Devil Doll Voodoo Doll Skull Collector Creepy Monster Gothic Girl Gothic Boy It's never too late to buy yourself an awesome gift. Head over to the shop!

I came across the work of Ry Pepper and found it so interesting. Pepper sculpts faces from clay, applies them to fabric, and adds embroidered stitches to create odd little characters. I haven't seen anyone else doing this and I like the results! Pepper also makes necklaces with weird little faces.  The shop is The Ry Pepper . Floyd, Clay Embroidery Portrait Stanley, Clay Embroidered Portrait Miranda, Clay Embroidered Portrait Francis, Clay Embroidered Portrait Sybil, Clay Embroidered Portrait Mantus, Sculpted Necklace I kind of want a custom portrait! I wonder if Pepper does that?

Yesterday we had a storm of snow and ice. It wasn't one of those pretty ones where the ice covered the trees and sparkled in the light; it was just one of those miserable, messy, cold ones. It was a constant drizzle of needles. I dread winter more than death. It's true! Therefore, I'm trying to focus on the spooky, dark aspects of winter that are mysterious and magical. I'm thinking that whenever I'm feeling down about all that grayness, I should put on a crown of ice. It's all how you look at it. Kiersten is creating some icy crowns that I love. Does it matter that she lives in Richmond, VA and can only imagine the enchanting, deadness of winter? Probably- I wouldn't want to wear a crown of the dirty gutter snow that exists from January through March. Kierston's shop is Owisteria . Let's be queens. Winter Moon Goddess Crown Stardust Tiara Red Quartz Briar Crown Golden Forest Crown Aura Quartz Mini Moon Crown Icicles Hair Co...

There is something about the strong lines of woodcuts and linocuts that always catch my eye. Kerry and Neil Stavely's shop Horse and Hare have lots of weird and mysterious block designs that are printed on paper, fabric, and interestingly, wood. I featured one of their ornaments yesterday. You're going to find lots of things to like here. Block Printed Skull on Wood Bela Lugosi Dracula Wall Art Edgar Allan Poe Bookend Skull Monster Linocut Print Stephen King Journal La Mort Tarot Card Print Krampus T-shirt Great designs here.

People like to downplay the fact that Christmas is actually a pretty spooky holiday. All the action happens in the dead of night and revolves around a man sneaking into your home. Ok, there is also the story of a pregnant woman traveling a dangerous road to get home only to be turned out into the cold and then angels/ghosts showing up to to make things more confusing. Scary stuff like that. Even if you tend to downplay those details in your Christmas celebrations, you might still want to honor the darkness of Christmas with at least one skull Santa.  Just sayin'. Gothic Skull Santa Ornament from theweewoodturningco Skull Damask Black Santa Hat from GrimoireConjourings Metal Santa Skull Decor from BadDogMetalSigns Santa Skull T-shirt from EvolveInc Skull Santa Ornament from Horse and Hare Skeleton Reindeer T-shirt from FreeWillShirts Skeleton Reindeer Ornament from GagiePoos Spooky Santa Sculpture from Myriam Powell Designs Share your dark Christm...