Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice!

Greetings, dear spooky people.

Last week, I shared with you some sweet costume ideas for Lydia Deetz of Beetlejuice; and I've been enjoying keeping with female/male themes biweekly...so--you guessed it-- tonight, I am covering The Juice himself! He's such a fun character to be for a night, as he loves to party! However, as a side note, please do remember to be a respectful Beetlejuice unless you want to lose friends. He can be a dick.

Anyway! I strangely had a hard time finding tutorials on how to make that infamous striped suit; so I will do my best to give ideas and inspiration!






























This cosplayer did an incredible job at getting that Juicey essence we all love so much. Check out the link in the photo to see more of his Beetlejuice look, as well as his Edward Scissorhands creation!




Based purely on observation, my best educational guess on how to create this look is to stroll on down to your local thrift store and find an old, beat-up suit in either black or white.

At this juncture, you could take a few different routes. Personally, I would get out my acrylics and paint the stripes on; however I'm sure duct tape would work great for a quick fix! I choose acrylics because they tend to leave a more distressed look to the cloth once everything's dry; however, duct tape provides removability (in case you're planning a Slender Man cosplay next time around) and nice, clean lines.

Throw on a white shirt, black tie, and black combat boots, and you've got it!


IT'S SHOWTIME!




See you all tomorrow, and...
STAY SPOOKY!

Igor's Hump: Discovering

Good evening, Spooklings!

I've been scrolling on facebook, today, and found a couple of interesting bits of information to entertain on a (possibly) drab Wednesday.

First thing I found was a new product on the horror market! The artwork on these new monster mugs is incredibly skilled and satisfyingly gory. If they weren't so expensive, they would be pretty awesome for that first morning brew--maybe even provide a startle to get your heart pumping before the caffeine--but, due to that price, I would store that guy on a shelf and use him as decor! Check out the link for photos and details on these creepy mugs!

Apparently, there are rumors flying around about the next dark theme of the tv series, American Horror Story. I love to watch where they go creatively, as it's typically right where I'd hoped, even if I didn't realize it until I saw it. Slender Man-inspired antics should make for an interesting and pants-crapping experience. I think I'm in, even if Gaga comes back for this season.





While falling down one youtube rabbit hole or another, I found the following video, which documents the innards of a recently unlocked turn-of-the-century French mansion. It's completely pure to the time in which its doors were locked, which makes it really fun to study and imagine what life was like. It's pretty spooky to me:





Enjoy the downward slope to Friday, everyone! Thanks for joining me tonight.

STAY SPOOKY!

DIY Tuesday: Glass Luminaries

Hello, and welcome to DIY Tuesdays!

Today's post will have two parts because, unfortunately, I'm not feeling well tonight and can't muster the energy to paint anything. Luckily, I already have some of the work done, though! Let me show you:


I have a really hard time throwing away glass bottles; so when I had a job that required coffee on the regular, I started a bit of a collection of Starbucks bottles. I love the versatility of their shape: I'm using them in this project as a type of luminary/hanging light thingy, but I also use one in the shower to hold my apple cider vinegar face wash concoction. They've definitely been great to have on hand!

I'm pretty lucky because my boyfriend works at a glass shop, so we had access to loud whirring things that cut right through them in seconds--a wet saw or something like that; glass needs water to cut. Most people don't have one of those just laying around, though; so I found a simple tutorial for you to follow, if interested.

I asked him to cut just below the label so that I would have plenty of space on which to paint. The saw gave them a pretty clean cut, initially.

Mounted and ready to be cut.

T doing the heavy work. Don't trust me around big blades.

Here are the bottles and their bottoms, probably feeling a little disoriented. I would be too if I was suddenly sitting next to my ass.

T grinding the edges down so we don't cut ourselves while working with them.

Finally, we peeled the labels off (it's pretty easy on these bottles), and used some heavy duty grime remover to lose the last of the sticker yuck. After a rinse, I left them out to dry and haven't touched them since.

Until next week, friends! This adventure shall continue with some cute paint jobs, and then I'll figure out how to rig a light on them! I'm pretty excited about it...but, for now, I'm going to go lay down.

Have a creepy night! STAY SPOOKY!!!

MM Update

Good evening, Spooklings!

I have decided to take a short hiatus on Musical Mondays, as I feel my concept for them is incomplete. I plan on taking a few weeks to gather inspiration and ideas before bringing it back to life!

Here are a few songs to tide you over in the meantime--some of my favorites!













STAY SPOOKY!!!

Black Caturday: Lydia Deetz

Happy Saturday!
I hope everyone's enjoying their weekend, keeping warm and safe and everything with all that crazy weather happening all over the US.
Well, it's that time of the week again--the time I take to honor our sweet and spooky feline counterparts: Black Caturday! Today's collection is a bit bigger than the previous weeks'...mostly because I wish I had a kitty here with me to snuggle with today!


















As always, sources are linked in the photos!


Yesterday, I covered how to dress like Miss Lydia Deetz from Beetlejuice. One of the cosplayers I highlighted made a makeup tutorial for her look. It's a bit long, but she gets that look down better than most I've seen! I think I'm going to try this look out for everyday wear, as I've been looking for something spooky I can simplify to apply to face daily. We'll see.




Brought to you by Lydia Deetz. Geez, she's so pretty. How?!


Now, I am a fan of AHS, don't get me wrong. I, however, am not a fan of Gaga being added to the cast list, so I haven't even bothered with the most recent season. Fuck that. Sorry (but not really). All that aside, I found this yummy-looking drink recipe that was inspired by Gaga's...ridiculous...appearance on AHS. Can't go wrong with pomegranate!



This recipe brought to you by Obsev Food.


Drink responsibly, friends! May your weekend be filled with Spooky Wonders (and kitties)!
STAY SPOOKY!!!

Jump In The Line

Good evening, fellow night owls!

Tonight, I'm dressing up as Lydia Deetz!
She has quite a few different outfits to choose from--all of which are amazing. Tonight, I wanted to focus on her awesome school uniform (and its quirky, Lydia tweaks).




Everyone's favorite adorable little goth girl (other than, of course, Wednesday...but that's for another day!), Lydia added a dark, longer skirt underneath her knee-length school uniform. Instead of the typical polo shirt most schools use, she went with a formal white button-up that buttoned to the throat. She completed the look with the dark cardigan, black stockings, and simple black shoes.

Here are a couple of awesome cosplays I found of this look:




This cosplayer, Hannah Lydia Cosplay, is absolutely phenomenal! Seriously, check out her page, like it, enjoy her amazing creations! She made a few Lydia cosplays, as you'll find on her page; however this was my favorite of her looks. Super casual, cute, and spooky.

I found Hannah Lydia through CosCouture, which is another excellent cosplaying page!




The additions of the dancing football player ghosts to this costume really made my night. Such a genius idea, and she executed it well! I would be dancing along with them all night!

The school uniform look is so simple that I had a hard time finding a video on how to bring it together. Instead, I found a video that features a unique (and equally adorable) Lydia look. Also included are hair and makeup tutorials, as well as Lydia-oriented jams.
Get your shimmy and float on:




This look brought to you by TheMakeupTroll!



Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice!




STAY SPOOKY!!!

Igor's Hump

Hey, guys! Happy (end of) hump day!




Hopefully, a happy Wednesday for you wasn't as creepy as this picture. I've been wandering around on youtube, today; so I thought I'd share some of what I've been watching.




When I first saw the title of this video, I was like, "what, no?" But then I watched it; and, yes, this game makes art terrifying. Truly.
I really enjoyed Lupus Creepus's reactions to the various scares the game provided. Have you played Layers of Fear? I'd like to get my hands on it, at some point, perhaps when I've got a better laptop to play on (and design on--getting a new laptop is an actual goal of mine so I can redesign this lovely little hideout!).




I love watching abandoned exploration videos so much; and DaaDeeOh provides the best quality in his (and understands that his viewers don't want their ears gabbed off while looking at this awesome, spooky stuff). The house in this video is, like, super-duper dilapidated, which is interesting to observe. It's also a great reminder to always remain cautiously aware of your surroundings whenever exploring in unknown territory!




This popped up on my youtube dash; and it made me so nostalgic that I had to share! These are the yard decorations of one of the many witches I subscribe to (check out her channel, Crystal Dragonfly, for more witchy and spooky stuff!). I love her Halloween decorating style--I have a very similar one, actually. This video makes me want to hang a few trash bag ghosts out front, though I don't think my housemates would approve, unfortunately.

Welp, this has been another trek over Igor's Hump. I'm still figuring out what exactly to do on Widower's Way for hump day (or Igor's Hump) and am looking for suggestions on what my readers would like to see, hear, and/or read about. So, please let me know so I can start giving you the spooky experience you'd like!

Have a wonderful evening, Creepsters! STAY SPOOKY!!!

DIY Tuesday: Banner Decoration

Greetings, Spooklings!

I spent the majority of yesterday playing on a project for today, ended up having a bunch of fun (and grumpy moments), and came out of it with a sweet new decoration for my room!

I'll admit, I've been pretty nervous about planning DIY projects that I can afford and do easily by myself...without ripping all of my hair out in the process. I'm still working on that, honestly; but I was lucky enough to already have something started up from a few months back that I could use (hopefully) for momentum. 

I already had these stars cut out from some cardboard I had laying around at the end of the Halloween season. I have a slightly unexplained obsession with stars--I have them cut out in tin foil and paper and scattered around my room for decoration. Never understood it, but never really tried to, either.

I used a tool of my boyfriend's to poke two holes near the tops of the stars to make threading the twine (at the end) easier. I considered just poking one hole so I could have the option of both sides of the stars, as well as horizontal AND vertical usage; but I liked the idea of them laying flat on the wall, so I chose the two hole method.

Once I had holes punched in all of them, I laid them out in the pattern I planned to hang them in. This was to get a good idea for design and color ideas.

Naturally, I started with the purple paint. I'm pretty sad that my camera (and the awful lighting of my bedroom) wasn't able to pick up the gorgeous, perfect hue of violet this is; but believe me when I say it's freaking rad.

I painted the stars on both sides. I'm thinking about going back and painting words on the other side of them for the Season. We'll see.

I mixed my own colors for the orange and green because I didn't quite have the right hues that I wanted. The orange came out perfectly pumpkin-y and the green was wonderfully gross.

Here are a few photos of the progression of designs being made and drawn/painted out.

My paints gathered around my paint plate. I used a plate I knew I'd be able to scrape easily and wash really well after use because I just don't like wasting paper plates and am too cheap to actually go and buy a thingy for paint holdins.

I also used uni-ball pen to draw out some of my black designs. It gave me a bunch more control.

The finished (for now) products before I strung them up.

The top 'rung' all together. I wanted to keep things pretty simple, so I left a good amount of them just solid. I really like how that spider web turned out.

The middle 'rung' with cats' eyes, Frankie skin, and Victorian-inspired scribbles.

The rest will be from the bottom 'rung'. There were too many to fit in one picture!

This was, of course, my favorite; and I'm really proud at how it turned out. It says, "IT'S ALIVE!" in the corner with the life-energy lightening bolts coming down to spark the Bride's curve. Love it. Can't stop looking at it.

I made a fire star and a Jack O' Star.

After everything was dry and ready to be up on a wall, I re-punched the holes through the dried paint and cut my desired lengths of twine. I had that burlap color as well as that awesome orange hue. To get that piecey thread through those small holes, I wrapped masking tape around one end of each piece of twine (pictured above). It made that job so much easier (and less swearing was done).

All strung up and ready to hang. 

I tied clear push pins to the ends of the twine once everything was set, and pinned them to my wall (see below).

Just to show the contrast of colors.

The finished product in all its glory above my bed. Again, lighting is horrible in my room, so please excuse the lack of quality.

Having this little guy over my bed has really opened up my mind to more possibilities in my DIY future. I had a lot of fun making this, and it got my eyes off the computer screen for a good 5 or 6 hours. So, all around success!

I am still very much open to suggestions on DIY projects, as I have only a few ideas! Please let me know what you'd like to see me make! 

I hope you've enjoyed this weeks' DIY Tuesday! Thanks for joining me; and, as always, STAY SPOOKY!!! 

VAMP-y Musical Monday

Happy Musical Monday, Spooklings!

It's a cold and wet one, here in Utah; so I'm going to stay folded away in my little blanket nest for the day...maybe watch some horror or do some art. It's a good day for it!

Today, I am starting something new for Musical Mondays, as I'm still feeling around for what you prefer for these days (and what I prefer to write about). I keep in consideration that a lot of you are probably at work, right now, dealing with the daily grind, which is why I provide fairly subtle entertainment for a bit of escape from the norm.

So, without further ado, I introduce the WW Monster Youtube playlist series! I know that Spotify isn't used by everyone like Youtube almost certainly is, so I thought I'd make the playlist experience a bit easier for you guys and make a few that are easier to access.

Photo taken by Jeff Carlisle.
Click the photo for more.

As you can see, I'm feeling a bit vampy today! So, I have prepared a sweet VAMP playlist for you to enjoy on this shivery day!




Put on your headphones, turn it up, and hit play! Craving blood, yet? This playlist features artists like Radiohead, Kyla la Grange, Deep Purple, and the obligatory Bauhaus!

Like all the other playlists I'll be making, this VAMP playlist will get built upon as I find more slightly but not completely vamp songs. If you've noticed, I'm trying to go more subtle and eclectic with the song choices, as I don't like spooky playlists that are straight up spoopy punkins, if you know what I mean. I like to believe that the outside world believes in monsters, as well, I guess.

Let me know what you think of my VAMP list, as well as any additions you might like to see! Have a wonderful Monday, everyone!

STAY SPOOKY!!!

Frankie and Kittens

Welcome! It's my favorite day of the week again! Black Caturday!!!




Little Halloween kitty in a pumpkin!




So much sass...




So sleepy! So cute!
Follow links in photos for more adorable kitties.


If you were here yesterday, you got to enjoy a bit of old school Frankenstein (with a couple new twists)! Today, I'm sharing makeup ideas for the Monster:



Brought to you by the fabulous MadeYewLook!


I also found this fantastic tutorial that uses prosthetics on the face to create that freshly put-together look:



Brought to you by nimbacreations!



And keeping with that Frankenstein/Classic Monster theme, here are some unique and yummy-sounding recipes inspired by some of our favorite creatures of the night! The video should start at Frankenstein (about 9:30); but it also includes some other ridiculously scrumptious creepy recipes that you ought to check out!



Brought to you by Lupus Creepus!

Have a great weekend! Stay safe, and STAY SPOOKY!

The Monster

Happy Friday, Spooklings! It's time to discover some classic and cool costume ideas for your everyday monster!
Last week, I found ways to recreate the timeless beauty of the Bride of Frankenstein. So, this week, I thought it made sense to...piece together...a few good ways to reanimate the daunting, gloomy good looks of her groom: Frankenstein's Monster! *cue another foreboding, dramatic roll of thunder in the distance*

This kind Creation has taken many faces over the years since his rebirth:



Boris Karloff's classic, boxy, fresh-from-the-grave look was enhanced by the contrast that black and white filming created. I dare say, this look may have not been so daunting if it had originally been filmed/viewed in color, which-- I think--is something to appreciate about the black and white film era.
Frankenstein's Monster has also shown his form in black and white as Fred Gwynne's loveable, goofy Herman Munster:




So intense. So hilarious.
And then, in the 90s, Carel Struycken gave the Monster a face with a tiny bit more color in The Addams Family as Lurch:

 


He just had a bit of a greenish/blue tinge...but everything around him is in color, which probably added a few challenges to the MUAs on the job that day. Either way, his height along with those constantly averted eyes were always disorienting enough without the makeup and costuming additions.

Here is a rather...funky...tutorial on an easy, cheap way to get that Frankie look:




Tutorial brought to you by Shyaporn.

Whether you choose classic or goofy, you can never go wrong with a Frankenstein costume! So go find some flowers to pick, kittens to love, and people to scare!

As a final note, I found this awesome video while looking for Frankenstein stuff and wanted to share:




STAY SPOOKY!

Igor's Hump

Hello and welcome to another hump day, Spooks! How's your week going, so far? How's your year? I've been feeling both busy and bored, lately, which isn't a fun combo. Thank god for music, though. Shit keeps me...kind of....sane. Ha.


Let's spend some time bullshitting on the internet, yeah?

Every wondered what happens to your body after you die? I mean, I'm sure we all have some inkling after so much media and all that. What about a step-by-step on your decomposition, where you're taken when, and generally how you're treated? I found this interesting article that goes into just enough detail. Morbid curiosity? You know where I'm at today!




"Woah! Batt-ries. Have just died. On the camcorder!" I enjoy the unbridled enthusiasm of ghost hunters so very much! Last night, T and I were looking for stuff on poltergeist activity. It creeped me right out (at 2am, literally jogging through the dark to the bathroom so the 'ghosts' won't get me); so, naturally, I thought I'd share some of it with you guys!




Just a few 'are they real?' clips. For me, paranormal videos like these--fake or no--are more about the enjoyment of the fear they cause rather being about how real they are. Because who could actually say except for the people who witnessed it first hand? And even then, there's usually a good amount of confusion and justification.
If I really wanted to get philosophical, I could even question reality itself and our understanding thereof....but I just woke up not too long ago. That's more of a 3am discussion than 12pm one.




Here's another video from Mr. Nightmare, whose work I enjoy thoroughly! Just a bit more creep to distract from work and/or boredom...




And finally, the calm down video: adorable (and terrified) fainting goats. I feel like these guys anytime I'm worried I may be witnessing paranormal activity. I'm such a sissy. But it's ok; it's fun.


That wraps up our Wednesday, here at Widower's Way! Have a wonderful day today and tomorrow; and I will see you with some awesome costume ideas and tips on Friday!

STAY SPOOOKY!!!

The Birth Of DIY Tuesdays

Greetings! I skipped last Tuesday's post because I realized I was already sick of writing about news, even in the horror world. So, I've decided to start DIY Tuesdays, instead. I'm still working out how I'm going to do (and afford) this; but, as of right now, I'd like to have a new, small project to work on and share with you all every week. We'll see how it goes.

For my first DIY Tuesday, I would like to share with you some of the spooky-inspired jewelry I've made!



I've made around 10 simple friendship bracelets, a few necklaces, and one anklet. Only a few of those are from my spooky line; however, if you'd like to view all of them, go to my art/modeling Facebook page: Violet Moon Arts. Above is a photo of my spooky line all together (most of it, there are a couple of stragglers that didn't make it into this shot).




This was one of my first. It's a simple, three-strand braid with two threads per strand. The colors I used include Pumpkin Flesh (orange), Witches' Wart (purple), Cross My Path (black), and Frankie's Skin (green)! All colors were (joyfully) named by me!




While making these, I was going for a fair amount of variety with designs that I could work out from once I got a feel for what people like (I didn't sell very many of them, so I just wear them around, now!). I liked playing with bead placement and consistency, as I was still working with simple braids--it was all I knew, at the time!
Materials/Colors used in this bracelet are Gerbil's Eyes (black beads), Pumpkin Flesh, Cross My Path, and Witches' Wart.




This is the one anklet I made--I actually made it to convert from anklet to bracelet...but I think that's just any anklet, really. This is probably my favorite piece in the collection because it looks like I did way more work for this one than I really did! I just tied a bunch of different-colored threads together, tied individual knots to hold the beads in place, and then tied the other end to make them drape a little unevenly. Super simple and really cute!
Materials/Colors included are Gerbil's Eyes, Dried Blood (reddish brown), Witches' Wart, and Frankie's Skin!




Lastly, this is my Frankenstein-inspired bracelet! The creating of this one is harder to explain. If you'd like to know how I did it, click this link and scroll past the bleach tutorial at the top of the page. The second tutorial on there should be this weave. If it doesn't show, let me know and I'll find a way to get it to you!
I gave this bracelet classic Frankie colors (Frankie's Skin and Witches' Wart) and added the Gerbil Eyeballs to look like his bolts, hence why they're grouped in twos. This bracelet is a bit more durable because I added wax string as my reinforcing middle, looping string; and it had a button to clasp it instead of a grouping of Gerbil's Eyes.
I also made a Swamp Monster- and Mummy-inspired bracelet; however, I sold the Mummy one almost immediately after making it and the Swamp Monster one is buried deep....somewhere....


I hope you guys enjoyed the first DIY Tuesday! If there's anything spooky you'd like to see me make, please comment below and I will see what I can do budget- and Genius Virginia-wise (I have a hard time figuring these things out, sometimes...so, if nothing else, this series should be amusing). I appreciate the suggestions (in advance)!

STAY SPOOOKY!!!

For Bowie

Hello, friends. As if Mondays weren't already hard enough, we got the devastating news in the wee hours of the morning that the legend David Bowie had passed away after about a year and half's battle with cancer. The world mourns its horrible loss by rocking to him today.



Unfortunately, I know more David Bowie fans than songs; but I wanted to share what I do know and appreciate. I hope you enjoy this little journey into the insane with me!


















Thank you for all the beautiful sounds and glorious wonders you shared with us, Bowie! See you on the flip side, buddy.

Black Cats and The Bride Returns

Welcome to another wonderful Black Cat Saturday!




Doesn't that just melt your heart? Batkitty!




Listening in...




Curious nature kitty on the prowl for new adventures. So sweet!
All sources are linked to the photos.


Yesterday, I gave you guys some Bride of Frankenstein costume inspiration. While I was looking at tutorials for her hair, I found this excellent and stunning makeup tutorial:



This tutorial was made by Desi Perkins, who has some gorgeous everyday looks on her channel in addition to her amazing Halloween creations!


Going along with the BoF theme, I've found an absolute genius drink recipe that was inspired by the Bride herself! The Bride Of Frankenstein Cocktail:



Follow this link for the recipe of this delicious-looking blackberry champagne cocktail. The article is written by a fellow Bride enthusiast, which is really awesome! I hope you enjoy the read as much as I did!


Have a great weekend, dear Creepsters! And, as always, STAY SPOOKY!