Shivers of Delight

Eris Kallisti describes her shop My Little Baphomet as "Fluffy Demons, Gods and Goddesses." Who could resist that? Kallisti creates wool-felted puppets and dolls that bring a touch of sweetness to the powerful gods and goddesses of lore. Sure, they may smite you with a sword of fire, but they'll probably pinch your cheek first. You could spend an hour just looking up the history of all the deities in the shop. It would probably be wise to know what you're purchasing. Baron Samedi Aleister Crowley Hand Puppet Hekate Kali Golden Baphomet Gaap Goetic Doll You might think these adorable dolls would take the fire out of these powerful creatures, but I wouldn't bet on it. Treat them with respect or pay the consequences. A little caution goes a long way.

I once took a linocut class in college and really enjoyed it. It's very mesmerizing and can be relaxing (until you knife slips) as you cut into the block. I was in no way as talented as Coralette Damme . Her linocuts and silkscreen prints are inspired by Germain Expressionism and way more creepy than anything I did. She has a website and sells through Etsy at The Crafty Hag . Soul Effigy Winged Skull Alien Tattoo Space Cat Sideshow Human Tripod Das Vampyre Silkscreen Tote Dare Devil Shoulder Bag Skeleton Telling a Ghost Story Damme has a few upcoming shows in Florida if you're in her area. Check out her event schedule on the website. I have an urge to get out my old linocut tools. I know they're around here somewhere.

On the eastern coast of the US, the moon reaches it's super status- exactly full- at 8:52 am.  Hopefully you got a good look at it last night or early this morning because I don't think it will be as spectacular at that time of day. None the less, if you would like to acknowledge the full moon at it's height, I have a 3-minute Full Moon Ritual for you from Mooncircles.com.  It's only 3 minutes. What have you got to lose? For some people, the moon and it's cycle is ever present in their life, but I'd guess that most don't even know what phase the moon is in on any random day. That's a shame because it's such a handy way to mark time. After all, the sun looks relatively the same everyday. I discovered a jewelry shop that lets you mark occasions with a piece of jewelry showing what phase the moon was in on a particular date. The shop is called Moonglow Jewelry and it's kind of cool. You pick a design and supply the date and they'll drop in...

Sometimes the world needs a little dreaminess. Soft edges and veiled color are just what I need right now. The painting by Sophia Rapata are on the whimspookal side to be sure, but they're not images of nightmares. Rapata paints the magical night beings that just want to come out to play. Spider Winged Bat Faeries My Little Cat Crazy Old Coffee Cat Lady Follow the Witch Crescent Moonlight Dance on the Totem of Jack-o'Lanterns Twin Sisters Just lovely.  I wish my dreams were filled with Rapata's characters. Watercolor is one of my favorite mediums. You don't see it often in dark art and certainly not as well done.

The jewelry being made by Goksu Simsek is pure witchery. The jeweler lives in Istanbul and maybe that's part of the magic. Simsek says her jewelry is inspired by alchemy and folklore. Her pieces look like they were made under a full moon and I'd be careful of wishing for anything while you are wearing one. That being said, I'd wear one. Key to Hell Arsenic Alchemy Symbol Ring Le Petite Mort Ring Horned Hand Pendant Shadowgraphy Hands Goat Pendant Bat Pendant If you want to leave your family with an impression at Thanksgiving, I'd encourage you to order quickly. It may take some time to travel to you. They'll be talking about you for years.

It's my new word- whimspookal. It perfectly describes those artists that float between dark and whimsy. I think Raffaele Bafefit Iodice's art can be described this way. He works mainly in ink and the creatures he creates are kind of fun. He is known as Bafefit in the art circles and his Etsy shop is Bafefit as well. You'll find limited edition prints of his work there. The Bat King Jack Cleo the Demon Cat Narcoleptic Monster The Death I Hate Halloween These are absolutely charming. I want them all. Take a look at his shop to see some necklaces too.

I'm trying to make room for all the plants that have set on my porch this summer. Bringing them into a dim house where every table is already holding something is not so easy. I know that they're annuals and weren't meant to be coddled through the winter, but I can't just throw out a healthy plant. I like to kill them slowly, I guess. The thought of a few air plants to take care of is becoming more and more attractive. I guess that's why the skull planters by Michael McDowell from Mudpuppy caught my eye. Well, that and they're skulls. Duh. Skull Planter Baby Head Planter I also like the cool skull votive holders in pastel colors. Pastel Human Skull Votive Luminary And then, there are the hands. I have a thing about hands lately and warding off evil. All Seeing Eye Hand Amulet There are some beautiful moon wind chimes in the shop and some other planters you should look at, but I'm not giving everything away. Take a loo...