Bats in the Belfry, Cats in the Attic

      I've been seeing a huge rise of zombies in the media. It seems like werewolves tried to upstage the vampire trend, but zombies ate both of them. What is it that mainstream culture loves about these creatures? Is it the post-apocalyptic settings, the gore of it all, or are those lovable rotting faces just too adorable? Everywhere I look, there are zombie books, movies, TV shows, and mass produced merchandise. Even the CDC did a post on emergency preparedness citing the zombie apocalypse as an example. (here's the link) There have even been zombie walks, where people dress as zombies and parade through the streets. I have personally attended a local zombie walk, and it was great fun! My best friend Justean hugging the "free hugs" zombie The first zombie movie Zombies are not a new thing. (The Zombie had it's origin in Haitian culture). So why is it just now that Zombies have especially been on the rise?      I think there could be a couple reasons.

      Have you ever gotten an item of clothing that has a lot of potential, but it just doesn't quite suit you? This happens to me frequently. I also happen to have a creative eye for improvement. Needless to say, there are many items that I've had fun modifying. I recently received a pair of beaten-up brown leather boots from my boyfriend’s little sister. They have potential.  I really wanted to like them, but I kept thinking, “If only they were purple!” So today, I decided to go get some shimmery purple leather paint. This paint was much more metallic than I predicted... I then worked on transforming my dingy Victorian-esque boots into boots fit for a dignified Victorian Cosmonaut. My mother said they look like something Ziggy Stardust would wear. Why thank you, Mom. After layers of paint, here are the results: Yes, I own purple pants.  I'm not so sure why they appear to be pink here. >< Now to find some interesting laces to finish

I’d like to wish everyone a merry Christmas, Saturnalia, Winter Solstice, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and end of the fiscal fourth quarter. I think I’ve covered every holiday. May you all Wassail and find spooky gifts under your tree. This year, I received a Nightmare Before Christmas Monopoly, a few interesting novels, a blood-drip choker, eyeshadow, and Jack Skellington pajamas. Here they are: I will definitely enjoy my gifts this year. I still have to finish The Lovely Bones and Lolita before the library charges me and before I start my insanely huge reading list. >< Anyway, I leave you with this: One of the only good Christmas songs I know of.

Many of us dread family events. With the holidays around the corner, I’m sure many people are wondering how to deal with family in order to minimalize conflict. I have a large family on both of my parents’ sides. Needless to say, sometimes I find myself dealing with awkward comments or rude looks. If you incorporate darker, more mysterious or flamboyant look into your wardrobe like I do, you know exactly what I’m talking about. I’d like to offer you internet people some helpful tips if you happen to find yourself in troublesome situations at family reunions, holidays, etc. Here are some questions: 1.        How do I avoid conflict altogether? 2.        How do I react to rude or awkward comments? 3.        What do you do with unfamiliar family members? I love this photo! source 1.        Well, when I see family, I try to tone down my look a little. I don’t throw my style out the window when a family event is around the corner, but I also don’t dress like I’m going to a

I listed on my description that I am a Paranormal Investigator, so I am going to clarify that just a bit by telling you the story of how I became involved. Over July 2011, I was dreading a huge research project. This project allowed everyone to pick almost any topic of interest and gain experience in the field. If you know me, I hardly do anything halfway. I could’ve chosen quilting or pottery-making, but no. I chose Paranormal Investigation. I chose this topic because it is relative to my interests in all things dark, mysterious, and unknown. I also never thought those absurd TV shows did the field any justice. I wanted to see for myself what the field really was about.  When I had my topic decided, I had to then find an experienced Ghost Hunter to mentor me.                 Finding a legitimate mentor was incredibly difficult. I google-searched to no avail until I finally found a group. To my surprise, this group was one of the worst mistakes I have ever made. No joke. This “group

The MAS...RADE!  (Masquerade) The Masquerade, a lovely venue in Atlanta, featured Peter Murphy in “Heaven” (top floor). He toured along with two other bands called Hussle Club and She Wants Revenge.  My boyfriend, Joe, bought tickets to this as a birthday present to me. Since he happens to be a metalhead (and Exhumed and Goatwhore were playing in “Hell” that night), this was very sweet of him. We first arrived, and the venue was nearly empty. I was very disappointed with the turnout at first, but many more people showed up as the night progressed.  I was also a little surprised to see a few people in Crow make-up, but never-mind that. Also, let me apologize in advance for the poor picture and video quality taken on my camera.  The first group that played was Hussle Club, a band from New York. They actually had some catchy songs like “Fxck Shxt Up ” and “Children of the Underground” They had a lot of energy on stage, and a couple of songs reminded me slightly of Marilyn Manson

Yesterday, I decided to haul my butt up to the mall’s music shop. Since the Peter Murphy concert in Atlanta is tomorrow, I decided to buy my own copy of Ninth. I wasn’t expecting that store to have much of what I was looking for. After browsing a couple of minutes, I found the last copy of Ninth. Not only did I find Ninth, I found a used copy of Gothic Rock 2, the double disc set from 1995! One disc was for classic 80’s Goth Rock, and the other was “…into the 90’s.” I found this Classic CD at my local suburban mall…It’s still a shock to me.  O_O Review of Ninth: This is a very lively album of Peter Murphy’s. The songs are quite catchy, especially “I Spit Roses.” The lyrics are great, and it still sounds like Peter. The production is very clean, and the album is nicely done overall. I’m incredibly thrilled to see this brilliant artist in person. I’ll be sure to post pictures soon enough. Review of Gothic Rock 2: This one was from Cleopatra records. It is a compilation of many Gothic Ro

I was feeling especially like Cleopatra today, so I decided to go for that look. This was my first attempt at truly Egyptian inspired eyes. I’ve wanted to try this look for a while, but I finally got around to it.  I got some mixed reactions like “scary” and “spooky” … not really what I was aiming for, but I suppose it’s better than nothing. ;) My materials Step One: Primer! I use Urban Decay. The key to keeping a good look is a good primer. Even the best of eye shadows are useless without a good primer. Step Two: I put light shimmery blue shadow all over my eyes up to my brows. Go darker towards the lid, then fade the color around the brows. Step Two Step Three: I added a darker blue to accentuate the lids, then I did a cat eye swooping motion to just the end of my eyebrow. Step Three Step Four: I added a bit of gold below my eyebrows and in inside corners of my eyes Step Four Step Five: Add a dark line of eyeliner. Act like you are doing a cat eye, but draw the line