Bats in the Belfry, Cats in the Attic

Disclaimer:   I do not claim to be an expert on low waste (or "zero waste") living —far from it . The purpose of this piece is to explore what it means to belong to the Goth subculture in the context of consumerism and making sustainable choices. There are many ways to live sustainably, but this piece will focus on reducing waste. This piece does not seek to shame or blame anyone but rather to challenge throw-away attitudes that dominate our world—and the modern Goth subculture—by offering another perspective. Respectful discussion in the comment section is welcomed.  W hen I hear the words "zero waste," I often think of people making videos to show off three months of trash fitting inside a little mason jar, their magical Whole Foods shopping trip, or even a tour of their impossibly-tiny capsule wardrobe. Search #zerowaste on Pinterest and you'll come up with pictures of tidy little beige pantries with uniform mason jars filled with chia seeds, nutri...

I have a fascination and love for iconography, particularly iconography from Eastern Christianity. What draws me to Orthodox iconography, besides the unique style and mesmerizing imagery, is the complete dedication it takes to create one. There are many elements that an artist does to create an authentic, holy icon . For example, it has to be a true representation of anything "holy" by traditional Christian standards. The work and care that goes in to creating such an image is awe-inspiring. The artist must fast for forty days  and live in an ascetic manner, allowing the artist to be in a prayerful state. During the process and after the icon is finished, there are special prayers to be read, and the icon should be blessed. With all this in mind, I decided to try painting a Theotokos icon for my love's family. Even though I knew that any icon of mine would not be authentic, I tried my best to make due with the time and materials that I could afford such a painting. A...

Sometimes, I get the inexplicable desire to paint patches. This time, I had an image of the moon phases in my head. The next thing I knew, I was pinning the patch on to the back of my jean vest. I was very pleased with how it turned out. What do you think? In progress The finished product

 On the morning of Halloween, I woke up to get together my costume and make-up to wear during the school and work day. I did this last year for my Jareth costume. This year, people were approaching me off the streets asking me to take photos with them (I might be on instagram)! At the sight of me, some people were taken aback and others were beaming with smiles. I was late to my first class because of the make-up, and it was completely worth it for the sake of infusing a little Halloween spirit in the campus. On Halloween evening, I decided to take my skeleton-self over to my infamous aunt's Victorian home. Her house is known for being the most elaborately decorated house on Halloween. They have different themes each year. This year it was "Dead Hat Society." It's a reference to the Red Hat Society, which is comprised of old women who get together and have tea parties. If you see where this is going, you'll know that my relatives set up a giant macabre tea ...

So everyone, I am a little disappointed to say that my Marie Antoinette costume is not a go this year. There has been so much piling up on me between things in my personal life, work, and school, that I have been unable to find the time to get the rest of my costume together. I bit off more than I could chew this year, but I know for next time to plan better. Perhaps you'll see the Queen next year... Although I will not be doing Marie Antoinette, I do have something planned that I can easily do with what I have! I will be using my red dress, a hat, roses, black lace and accessories, and of course some creative make-up, to throw together a Día de los Muertos costume. I think it might even be a better option this year, as I plan on visiting my aunt's house who has decorated her home in a  "Dead Hat Society" theme this year. If you don't remember the aunt to whom I am referring, here is the link to my post about her house.  I will take pictures! It's really spe...

I took a field trip over to my local fabric store this weekend with the intention of purchasing supplies for my pillow pannier (while scouting pretty fabric and lace for my next purchase). For those of you who don't know what a pannier is, they're the big poofy false hips. Instead of making a traditional hoop pannier, which can be costly, I decided to sew two pillows. They should work just as well.  I brought home some white muslin, which I got for $2.99/yard. I also snagged a large bag of fiberfill for $5.99. I have plenty of this stuff left over, so for the materials I used to make the pannier, it cost about $5.00. First, I cut out the shape of the pillows. After I pinned them, I prepared my machine. All in all, it was incredibly easy to sew. The whole thing took less than an hour.  My huge bag of fiberfill  After I sewed the pillows, I sewed up the back. I then sewed two spare ribbons to the front. Here is the finished product. In the picture below...

Over the weekend, I scoured the racks at the thrift store, and I actually found a decent base dress for $6 to start my Marie Antoinette costume. It's much more Antebellum than Rococo at this stage, but it's certainly a start. I will be cutting off and re-sewing new sleeves, adding lace trim and new ribbons, and poofing it up. In addition, I will perhaps make a jacket/over skirt. Such a bright red color was not my preference, since pastels abound in Rococo fashion, but I will make it work by adding more pastel accents. Hopefully, I'll get my start this weekend when I go to the fabric store.  For inspiration, I've been looking at The Costumer's Guide's Marie Antoinette Page , which includes about 65 web pages for each of the dresses from the Sophia Coppola film. Marie Antoinette Exhibit This is quite the grandiose undertaking for me. I'm not as adept at sewing as I'd like to be, but this is a learning process. I just hope that I can do my am...

Fall is officially here, and the month of October is right around the corner. I find myself still in the contemplation stages for my Halloween costume. Most years I'm very last minute, but I can't afford to procrastinate this time around. That's because I've decided on a more elaborate costume for this Hallow's Eve: Marie Antoinette (with a slashed neck, of course). Source I've been searching online for inspiration, and I've been developing a tentative plan for how I'm going to pursue this costume. For the dress, I will keep an eye out for a prom dress at a local thrift store. It will need to be a sturdy fabric, preferably in a mid-to-light blue. I will need to make any necessary alterations and add sleeves, bows, and lace. As for the poof under the skirt, my idea involves sewing a couple of small pillows to tie to my hips. This would be easier that making a pannier . What I am most worried about, besides my limited time, is the wig. I cannot affor...

Lamentation of Christ is a beautiful painting and a noteworthy example of foreshortening. One of the perks of living in a family that celebrates Easter is food. In fact, since no member of my household actually attends church, Easter really is mostly about the food traditions. It was a lonely holiday this year with just my mother and I at home (come to think of it, Christmas was terribly lonely too!), but that did not stop us from making ungodly amounts of food. I thought I'd share one of my favorite holiday dishes. It was passed down from my grandmother to my mother, and my mother to me. It's called "Heavenly Hash." No, not that kind of hash... Ingredients: 20 oz. can of crushed pineapple 29 oz. can of mandarin oranges 12 oz. jar of maraschino cherries 7 oz. bag of sweetened coconut 1 3/4 bags of 10 oz. "fun marshmallows" 8 oz. sour cream  Simply drain the fruit, cut the cherries in half, and put them in a large bowl. Add the coconut to t...

For those of you who've been trying to hunt down a nose chain, you probably know that they're difficult to find. Even online , there isn't a big selection. The ones I've found at a local Indian mall were pretty, but they weren't exactly what I was looking for. I finally decided it would be easier to make my own.  What you need: Any kind of necklace chain (preferably lightweight) Nose ring (you can also make a lip chain if you have a lip ring.) Earring Hook Metal loops (You might be able to find a couple on your necklace) Jewelry pliers (I used regular pliers, but it's a lot more difficult.) How To Make It: Measure out the length you want your nose chain. Using the  pliers, separate the chain to your desired length. Take the piece you need, and attach both ends to  the bigger metal loops. Attach one end to your earring hook and the other end to your nose ring. Make sure the ends are tightened enough where the ...

Surprisingly, there's not very much information on the internet pertaining to keeping a spiritual journal. Sure, there's a WikiHow  page, but most of the information I've found is either vague or relating to specifically Christian spiritual journals. Actually, there are no limits for spiritual journals, so why and how you write one depend on you, the author. source I felt compelled to keep a spiritual journal for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I consider myself to be a spiritual person. I wanted to write this journal to make sense of past experiences that could possibly be paranormal-related, and I also wanted a way of tracking my spiritual growth. These are not the only reasons for starting your journal. You can use it to explore what inspires you as a person. You can also use it to reflect on dreams and nightmares .  You can even write the journal to reflect on fate and the meaning of life . If you are a religious person, you may want to write down meaningful p...

As promised, I have the goodies I made from my pumpkin. Below are the Cajun pumpkin seeds . They're really easy to prepare: Wash the pumpkin seeds in a colander, and dry them with napkins.  Prepare a baking sheet, and spray it with cooking spray (I used butter flavored). Spread out the pumpkin seeds. Cover with salt and Cajun Seasoning. Add to taste. (featured below). Put them in the oven on 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes (making sure to stir them around once or twice) These are the pre-seasoned seeds.  I am very pleased with how the pumpkin seeds turned out. Cajun spices never fail. Next, I started on the pumpkin pie.  * This is enough for two pies. Put on a large pot of water to boil. After it started boiling, Pour the pumpkin meat in and cover with a lid. After you let it boil for twenty minutes or so, drain in a colander.  Put the meat back in the pot, and start mashing (or you can put it in a blender). Add about two ...

Last night at about 1:00 in the morning, my brother and I decided to make some s'mores cookies. These things are so good, they're disgusting. You'll puke awesome if you manage to eat a whole one. So! If you're willing to risk eternity in Hell for gluttony, here's how to do it! Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.  We made our homemade dough, but you can buy ready made dough if you'd like: Nestle Toll house recipe Spread aluminum foil onto a baking sheet. Lay out the bottom unbaked cookie. (It's going to look like a cookie sandwich) Make your S'more (graham cracker, two large marshmallows, and a segment of chocolate)  Put the S'more on top of the bottom unbaked cookie, and lay a second unbaked cookie on top of the S'more. Take some more dough, shaping it around the sides. Make sure the dough encompasses the whole S'more. Put your cookies in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Let cool and enjoy, and then go curl up in the fetal position to re...

Have you ever wondered why people tend to display carved pumpkins during the Halloween season? If you really take a step back to think about the tradition, it seems a little random and perhaps odd to carve out a gourd for the sake of decoration. Like many traditions and legends, It's steeped in folklore and the supernatural. The origin of the Jack-O-Lantern comes from an Irish Folktale about "Stingy Jack," aka Jack of the Lantern (hence the name, Jack-O-Lantern). source As the story goes, there was a man named Jack in Ireland who happened to be a drunkard and a trickster. One night (some say Hallow's Eve), he happened to meet the Devil at a pub. Jack and the Devil had some drinks. When it was time for last call, "Stingy Jack" lived up to his name by not wanting to pay for his alcohol. Jack convinced the Devil to turn himself into a sixpence to pay for the drinks...in exchange for Jack's soul, that was. When the Devil did so, Jack put the sixpence ...

I've recently been getting into doing interesting designs on my nails. In no way am I good at painting my nails. I'm the person who gets polish all over my hands and the sides of my fingers, but I've been trying. I originally got this idea from my mother who said, "Katie, wouldn't it be cool if you did your nails to resemble cat's eyes?" I thought about what a great idea that was, and how I didn't know why I never thought of it. I got out my metallic green, black, and clear polishes, and I retrieved a toothpick from the kitchen. This is all you need to achieve this look.  All you do is paint the base your desired metallic color. After you let your base coat dry, dip your toothpick in the black polish and carefully dab the slit shape onto the nail. After you're finished, paint on your clear top coat to finish it up. After that, you're done. It's that simple!  Here were my results:

It's the first of August, which means It's my best friend's birthday! Happy birthday, Justean! Being the zombie fanatic she is, I thought I'd make her a present to feed her unhealthy obsession with the undead. The first thing that came to mind was...Zombie Feltie! I'd seen them online, and you can even purchase the book of how to make them. Mine wasn't as elaborate as some of these in the book, but they're still fairly simple to make. source Here's what to do if you want one of your own: Step 1: Sketch a plan of what you want your creature to look like. This may not seem so important, but if you don't brainstorm, you might end up with something you don't like as much as you would've hoped. Step 2: Cut out (in felt material) the pieces you need.  Make sure you don't accidentally forget to cut out two pieces for the body. Try not to make the shape too perfect looking since creatures of the undead aren't perfect looking e...