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No-Sew Sachet for Lazy People Posted by 💀MV on APRIL 6, 2009 If you’re like me, you absolutely hate to throw anything away. I believe that clutter can really bring down a person’s positive energy, so I try very hard to work through my packrat tendencies. I have been in a decluttering phase that’s lasted… oh, about half of my life now! I figure that if I absolutely must hang onto certain things, I’d better make sure that they can serve a functional purpose. Hence, my mission to reincarnate old things into new, awesome, functional stuff! Unlike a lot of crafty folks who seem to have infinite patience and dexterity, I’m more interested in instant gratification. In my opinion, the best projects (a) produce objects that are functional, rather than frivolous, (b) can be completed in the space of one afternoon, or even a few minutes, and (a) won’t clutter up my house too much during its creation, or after it’s finished and ready to enjoy! It is with this spirit in mind that I share my very humble instructions for a sachet that requires no sewing. Easiest Sachet Ever: INGREDIENTS: 1 pretty, but mateless, sock 1-2 handfuls of scented stuff – try potpourri, pieces of leftover scented candles, or extra fabric scraps treated with your favorite essential oil string, yarn, thread, or ribbon (even rubber bands, in a pinch!) — or just use leftover sock pieces Trim the cuff and everything below the heel off of your sock. This sachet can be made with the heel/toe section, but I like to work with the ankle. Tie off one end with your string/ribbon/etc., and add the scented stuff (I used a handful of leftover junk from my old Frebreze Scentstories discs!). Tie off the top, trimming your sock ends as needed. Sachets are wonderful for adding a nice little burst of scent to closets and drawers. You don’t need to spend piles of money on fancy little trimmings, but do make sure that you choose a scent that you love and that has some staying power. The simple construction of this type of sachet will enable you to change the scent when it becomes necessary. I usually keep the leftover cuffs to use as hair elastics, because even those “ouchless” elastics are sometimes murder on my extremely delicate hair. Leftover cuffs are perfect because they’re gentle, and ready-made in colors to match most of my wardrobe. And hey, free hair accessory… one that I don’t worry about losing or breaking! A word of caution here: DON’T make the same mistake I did, and use a “fuzzy” sock (pictured). If you do, as I have, you will need put in a few stitches to contain any stray sock fuzz. Or you can fold over the ends of the sock to create a finished hem before adding the rubber bands/elastics. These socks were a hostess gift from a lovely relative who stayed with us last fall. I fell in love with those adorable little crocheted flowers, and when the elastic began wearing out, I knew that I’d have to give them a new life!

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2011 DIY Gothy Hair Bows in Two Easy Steps I decided I wanted a hair bow with trailing ribbons, maybe due to memories of the braided ribbon barrettes that were THE thing when I was a little girl. The first bow I made was so easy that I made another.. and another... and another... They are really fun to make. :-) Step one: Make a bow with fabric, lace or wide ribbon. This can be done by cutting the material to your desired size and then folding or squishing it together in the middle. Tie the middle with a piece of thin ribbon, leaving plenty of extra ribbon hanging. Step two: Tie the bow to the barrette. Do this by running the thin ribbon under the metal arc on the back of the barrette and tying in tight knots. You can then leave the ribbons trailing or cut them. I like to add a drop of hot glue over the knots for extra security. Note: Before tying, consider if you want the barrette to open on the left or right. One option will be easier for you, depending on how you wear the bow and whether you're right- or left-handed. For a pair of bows to wear on either side of your head, I suggest making one with the barrette opening on the left and one opening on the right. If you want a simple bow, you are done! Or you can add more ribbon, beads, lace, charms... whatever suits your fancy. Posted by J.Bane

Haunting your House for Halloween: Decor and Details OCTOBER 13, 2014 / Z. Lots of people find joy in decorating their house for Halloween, but those with a Gothic bent are especially bound to to relish it. These people will take particular care in crafting a beautiful yet bone-chilling atmosphere for their guests… For them, it isn’t so much “decorating” as it is “haunting” the house. Here are some of the easiest and most effective ways to perfect an eerie atmosphere: Cluster Candles. Clustered candles create a haunting and visually interesting focal point. At once reminiscent of somber Gothic cathedrals and spiritualist seances, try turning the lights out and illuminating the room by candlelight alone, as shown in the image below. If you are throwing a dinner party, this kind of lighting will hide any distracting, non-themed parts of the room and will keep guests’ focus on each other as they dine. For an even more magical effect (and double the light), place candles on a mirror or reflective platter. Paint it Black. Everyday items take on a commanding and ominous tone when given a coat of matte black spray paint. Consider painting pumpkins, cheap vases, figurines, candleholders, branches, and wine bottles. Mirror, Mirror. Mirrors have always been a bit uncanny, so use this to your advantage for Halloween! Place fabric or a veiling over the mirrors in the house– this was actually a Victorian mourning tradition to prevent the soul of the deceased from getting “trapped” in the looking glass. Covering all the mirrors in your house will definitely ramp up the creepy factor. You can also make your own haunted mirror (which is I guess what happens if you didn’t cover the mirror?) Eerie Vignettes. For the top of a mantle or table, consider grouping eerie objects together to form a “vignette”. Wilted or dried flowers in a vase beside antique glass bottles work well (below). For the most effective haunting vignette, stack old leather-bound books on a table and top them off with a skull. Phantom Photos. Round up some picture frames you already have, or buy some at a dollar store and paint them a matte black. Print out creepy Victorian-era photos (look up spirit photography) and place them in the frames, then put them around the house where people are bound to see them. Your guests will gradually realize your home is filled with ghostly portraits. Utilize your windows. Cut-out silhouettes always add a element of fun to your haunted house for Halloween, but consider going subtle for a more spooky effect. You can also forgo silhouettes altogether and create a foreboding atmosphere by covering your windows in red tissue paper (your house looks like this, doesn’t it?) Use LED lights as glowing eyes. Nocturnal creatures have tapetum lucidum, a reflective layer on the back of their retina helps them see clear in the dark. If you happen to unwittingly shine a light on an animal’s face, it can create an unnerving effect– two glowing dots stare back at you, disembodied in the dark. You can recreate this effect in your yard or house with a few methods by placing LED lights in film containers. A similar effect can be achieved by placing a glowstick inside a toilet-paper roll with two holes cut out. People passing do a double take as they try to figure out what kind of creature is staring at them– a cat, an owl, or something more sinister?

https://thetastefulgoth.wordpress.com/2014/10/29/haunting-your-house-for-halloween-mind-games-and-parlour-tricks/

Sunday 17 April 2022 Black Widow Spider Truffles What's more appetising, I ask you, than biting into a huge fat venomous spider? And which deadly spider is more instantly familiar than our cannibalistic friend the black widow? God they're creepy aren't they. Even looking at this photo below gives me the creepy crawlies. Anyway, I long thought it would be a fun idea to make chocolate truffles decorated to look like spiders. They'd make a nice addition to a spooky afternoon tea, a Halloween party, a children's party, or just whenever you feel like baking spooky sweets. This was fairly time consuming, but the hardest part was tracing around the spider stencils and cutting them out. If you're more artistically talented than I, you might want to draw spider shapes straight onto the black card instead of printing out an image. This recipe yielded enough for about 10 of my fairly large ones, but you can make them any size you like. Ingredients: 100g unsalted butter 100g dark chocolate 1tsp cocoa 1 cup icing sugar + Cherries (morello, glacé, etc.) Rum, rum essence, or vanilla essence Black fondant Red fondant For spider bases: Black card stock (fairly stiff, not paper) Cardboard Glue Pencil Scissors Bases Method: Print out the image at the bottom of this post. Glue image into cardboard. Cut around the image carefully to create a stencil. Hold the stencil onto the black card stock and (this part is particularly fiddly) trace around it with a pencil. Cut out your spiders! Arrange them on a plate or pretty tray. Truffle Method: In a pot, melt together the butter and chocolate on the stove, slowly stirring til combined. Add half a cup of icing sugar, the cocoa, and the rum or vanilla essence. Stir, then add more icing sugar until the mixture is stiff and firm. 1 cup of icing sugar wasn't enough, so I added another half a cup, and a bit more cocoa for luck. Let cool til it's comfortable to handle. Using the spider stencil as a guide for how large the truffle should be, roll some mixture into a rough ball. Mush a cherry (or two) into it, then roll the mixture around in your hands until it's pleasingly round. Place on a plate, it doesn't matter if the bottom flattens. Repeat for as many truffles as you want, then put them in the fridge to chill for a couple of hours. Flatten out the black fondant as thinly as you can, you only want it a few millimetres thick. Lay the fondant over each truffle, and roll it in your hands until the whole truffle is covered. It doesn't matter if the underside is bare or untidy. Flatten out some red fondant, and using a sharp knife (xacto knife or non-serrated kitchen knife) carefully cut out hourglass shapes. Gently place the red hourglasses onto each truffle and pat to smoothen them down so they'll stay in place but not lose their shape. Put each truffle onto the black card spider base. Serve!