Haunted Design House

*Please see the sidebar for HDH Macabre Monday Rules* ( Note: entries not following the guidelines are not eligible for prizes or badges ) HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Can you believe it's finally here?!  All of us here at HDH hope that all of our stalkers have a eerily fantastic night of thrills and chills.  Be sure to leave a comment of how you are spending this evening... you never know if the Mistress will be handing out random treats ;) And just a heads-up:  HDH will be taking a break from our formal challenges for the rest of the year after this week's challenge.  Now don't fret!  We will still be posting, and throwing out a few challenges, but the Macabre Minions definitely need a little yard time away from the dungeon :)  You'll definitely want to keep checking in with HDH... because even though the winter holidays seem to take over everything, we at HDH pride ourselves in keeping the creepiness alive all year long!! Ok, macabre fans ... your ...

Well I am usually not one to take photographic evidence of one of my failed craft projects. I usually just can it and act as if it never happened. This one is more of a cautionary tale because I don't want others to make the same mistakes and experience the same frustration without proper warning. I was at Michael's last year around this time, and picked up a couple of those "do it yourself" vinyl toy kits. One a Frankenstein, and the other, a Pumpkinhead. "Perfect!", thought I, as I struggled with this week's MM challenge. The kit comes with stickers and permanent markers. I decided to fore go the included cheapo markers and use my awesome Copics! Epic fail for me. Boo. The markers stayed tacky and then once I started using the black marker it was all down hill from there. In frustration, I sprayed the figure with alcohol and watched it melt. Totally stained from the Copics, I decided to try and paint the figure with acrylic paints. LOTS of coats o...

Where does the time go... seriously?  I can't believe that this is Halloween weekend already!  The big Shriner's Halloween party is tomorrow night... we'll be busy tonight and tomorrow setting up, partying, and then tearing it all down.  I don't know if I'll muster enough energy to scare the kiddies Monday night ;) I have been busy painting a dozen tombstones & cutting out vinyl names with the help of my buddy's Gypsy for the Cricut... thanks, Dawn!  It was a lifesaver.  My living room is a graveyard right now... I can't wait to see everything come together tomorrow... I'll be taking photos! Anyway... how about a little bit o' cardmaking?  These were the cards we made in my Copic class earlier this month: The last photo is a close-up to show how 3-d the 3rd card is.  I LOVE coloring on kraft cardstock.  It gives such a different look... definitely not bright like the white cardstock we usually use. Well, th...

This week's Macabre Monday challenge is Movie Madness: Pumpkinhead .  Now I totally grew up on the horror of the 70's and the 80's. I remember the teenage neighbors coming home from the  theater after seeing the original Friday the 13th. I begged them for  details and then went around to all of my friends acting as if I had actually seen the movie myself. What a little poseur. Ha! Even though the film "Pumpkinhead" was a flop when it was  released back in 1988, it has gone on and attained cult status in today's pop culture. With my mojo being on reserve these days, I did manage to come up with something kinda cool. This is a work in progress. Hopefully, I can get it finished tonight. The Copics that I used to color this guy with are very sticky right now. And the markers don't blend worth a turd on this plastic either. Hmmm. I'm already vested here, so it's too late to start something new. I do have pretty good turd polishing...

 The chosen ones for the Gods and Monsters challenge are Fiona and Jenn B. Congrats ladies!! Grab your badge if you don't have one yet!! The winner of the $10 gift voucher to  The Charm Barn is   Jeanette!! Please email me here  to claim your prize! Thanks for playing along with us this month to celebrate Hallowe'en and all things spooky, creepy, wonderful!

*Please see the sidebar for HDH Macabre Monday Rules* ( Note: entries not following the guidelines are not eligible for prizes or badges ) Ok, macabre fans ... your challenge this week: HDH112 Movie Madness: Pumpkinhead You are to create a dark, Gothic, or Halloween-based art piece that is inspired in some way by that 'gourd-geous' B flick, Pumpkinhead . If you are one of the shameful few who have not seen the movie (you know who you are!), then at the very least, your project MUST include a pumpkin or a jack o lantern. See? We know how to play nice. The Macabre Minions are ready as ever to keep the Hallowe'en party going with these awesome works of inspiration! Sultana of Sinister Lynx : Ack! This is brilliant and beautiful! If you enter this week's challenge, this lovely Pumpkinhead inspired necklace, box, and card can be yours!! Creepy Cricut Cween Donna : That is the wickedest number seven ever!  And that Punk...

The winner of the 500 Follower Blog Candy is: cgl1539 Congratulations!!! Please email me here to claim your prizes!! I want to thank everyone who commented and posted about the candy, and followed the HDH blog for a chance to win some candy! Now for my second order of business...  here is my card for this week's Macabre Monday challenge. The challenge is "Lurid Landscapes" and this was the best I could summon. I really like it, even if it is rather plain.   I really wanted the focus to be on this gorgeously wicked image from Spesch Designer Stamps . Love that kitteh!! So fun to color and create with! Stay tuned, because I have a "fun sized" candy up for grabs on my  personal blog next week. 

That's right, stalkers... finally!  And it took about 5 minutes including clean-up time. And it looks like it.  :P No ribbon, no bling, no foof... just rubber stamps, paper & ink. Stamps:  Artful Illusions (grass, tombstone), Tim Holtz (bats), Bombshell (barbed wire) Paper:  Moxxie - Midnight Dreary line Ink:  Palette Noir, Burnt Sienna & Charcoal What do you think... too blah?

I know, I'm late. I'm always a day late and a dollar short. I just choose to let my sunshiney disposition make up for my lack of punctuality and funding. I just wanted to pop in real quick and remind you that there is still time to  enter the blog candy giveaways going on here and here . I have added some more goodies as room allows.  The cut off for entries is tonight, at midnight California time. The lucky wieners will be posted on my blog and here on HDH as well. I will be back later today with last week's GT and the $10 voucher for The Charm Barn, plus my submission for this week's  Macabre Monday challenge. Really, I will.    

*Please see the sidebar for HDH Macabre Monday Rules* ( Note: entries not following the guidelines are not eligible for prizes or badges ) Ok, macabre fans ... your challenge this week: HDH111 "Lurid and Looming Landscapes" You are to create a dark, Gothic, or Halloween-based art piece that uses, includes or is inspired by a landscape scene . Think cemetries, fields, lakes, abandoned battlegrounds. Remember, the Minions and the Mistress prefer things more on the scary and creepy side. The Macabre Minions have out-done themselves once again! Check out these fantastic creations: Sultana of the Sinister Lynx : Creepy Cricut Cween Donna : Agent of the Abominable Andrea : Devious Digital Demoness Susan : Chaotic Creepy Glowbugg : will post on Wretched Wednesday, so tune in!

The Haunted Design House is nearing a huge milestone. Nearly 500 followers!!!! As a special thank you to all of our wonderful followers, I am offering up some Hallowe'en blog candy . I am a collector of "schtuff". This kind of random Hallowe'en schtuff.  There are some  Monster wind-ups, a Monster note pad, some Bloodbath Body Spray, a couple of rubber duckies, a Ouija board tin of mints, and some cute argyle snot paper.   Here we have a cool Skull and Roses pen, some cork board skull stickers, some star confetti, an eyeball ball, a Bath and Body antibacterial gel, and some other random bits of Hallowe'en cheer.   Rules for entering the giveaway: 1. Be or become a follower and leave a comment = 1 entry 2. Re post this blog candy on your own blog, fb, or twitter. Leave a comment with a link to your post = 1 entry per post That's it! I will randomly draw and post the winner on Friday the 22nd. No...

***DISCLAIMER*** The following bit of art is purely intended for entertainment purposes and is in no way a direct slap to organized religion. I hope you can appreciate it in the spirit in which it is intended. If you are devoutly religious, easily offended, or just new around here, you have been warned.  This week's Macabre Monday challenge here at HDH is Gods and Monsters . I love the movie and I like the juxtaposition of the two words. Here is my interpretation of the challenge. Say hello to ZomBaby Jesus ! I remember the cashier at the thrift store telling me that they had the whole Nativity set  if I was interested. I can also fondly recall the look of disdain and the rush to end my transaction after I told her what I had planned for this sweet baby Jesus. Don't ask. I won't tell.   There is stil time to play along at HDH this week, and there is an awesome prize up for grabs from this week's sponsor The C...