Author Archives: Angelique

A Gothic Easter Celebration

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A Gothic Easter Celebration -By Debbi Decker

A Gothic Easter Celebration

With the coming of March, spring arrives and along with spring comes Easter. Although I have yet to meet anyone who does not love a sweet little bunny, there are those of us who are not into all the pastel colors and sugary sweet images and decorations that usually go along with Easter celebrations. And since many of us embrace the darker side of life, Easter leaves us feeling a bit…. left out. While pondering what I would do for Easter that would more align with the kinds of decorations that I like (think Halloween, Goth, Steampunk), I came up with some ideas that I wanted to share with all of you. This will be a two-part series. The first part, this post, will be about decorations and an activity that you and your dark buddies will love. The second post, which I will bring you in April, will be about the food and a wonderful surprise activity for after the meal.

So we know we need to decorate. This is where you get all your chipped and tattered items that could echo Easter and spring. That stuffed bunny or grungy lamb missing an eye or its fur could be gussied up with a lovely ribbon and set in a chair. Chipped tea cups in all those yucky pastel colors can be filled with mosses, a miniature tombstone and some tiny silk flowers, or fill them with black jelly beans. Pair them with some old stained lace gloves or doilies and place them around on side tables. Pale purples and greens are wonderful paired with old gold or rusted tins, tools, horseshoes, etc. Raggedy ribbons in lemon yellows and dusty pinks can be used to tie bows on candelabra, or as a hair accessory for that creepy looking doll that would look wonderful in that chair holding an old Easter bunny tin. The idea is to pair the tattered, spooky and macabre with the more traditional Easter items and colors to give it a Gothic or Steampunk flair.

I am in love with Peeps. Those little marshmallow rabbits and chicks can be used in so many different ways. Get some colored gel frosting in tubes and go to town! Use the red to create blood dribbles and have a zombie rabbit army marching down your table. Or turn the little chicks into sugar skull birds using the gels to make elaborate designs. You could create a monster theme and have your Peeps wearing costumes and put them in a haunted house themed diorama. Really, the sky is the limit when it comes to Peeps! Surround them with gaily colored eggs or egg-shaped candies on a tray and you have your table centerpiece!

Everyone knows that when you put on a bunny mask, the creep meter goes off the charts! Hit the craft and dollar stores, stock up on supplies, and then invite all your friends over for a mask making event! Rabbit masks are fun to make, and you and your friends can go all out with whatever material on hand. After everyone has finished making their masks, invite your friends to an Easter celebration to be held on a later date! Ask them to dress in their favorite style of clothing or costume and tell them to bring their masks to the event. More on this in my April post.

These are just a few ideas to get you started. Be sure to check back here in April for the second half of this post!

Debbi Decker is proprietor of twistedpixelstudio Art & Assemblage Emporium. Check out her artist page to find links to her shop and blog to read more of her writings. Visit again next month for the telling of hauntings and ghostly tales by Debbi Decker.

Easter Hares & Springtime Scares 2014

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“The Easter Hares and Springtime Scares Give Away” has concluded!

A winner has been chosen. Thank you to all who entered the contest and visited our shops. Come back through out the coming months for more promotions and holiday revelry. Look for the Halloween Artist Bazaar “Trick Treat Give Away” this fall. Happy Spring from all us at Halloween Artist Bazaar

In conjunction with the give away we are hosting a Easter Hares & Springtime Hares Art Event. Click HERE to find more Easter Halloween mash ups for sale.

Official Rules of entry:

Must complete all three steps to be eligible to win. Entry deadline is Midnight on April 15th 2014. The Winner will be chosen at random. One entry per person. Winner will be notified via email. The prize will ship on April 16th 2014. The winners name will be posted on the Halloween Artist Bazaar website and Facebook page. Members of Halloween Artist Bazaar are not qualified for entry. Contest open internationally, however please note that prize may not arrive before April 20th for Easter due to international shipping times.* your countries custom charges may apply. *

Contributing Halloween Artist Bazaar Artists:(check back as the list grows and photo’s of the winnings are posted!)
Twilight Faerie
twistedpixelstudio
Sauvage Raven Creations
Gothbunny
Jan’s Beads

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Krampus, The Valentine Devil

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Krampus, The Valentine Devil -By Angelique Duncan

Krampus originated in early history as a winter holiday icon as the antithesis to St Nicholas or Santa Clause. He was a reminder to children to be good. He is the horned devil like creature with one human foot and one hove and a long tongue who would carry away naughty children in his basket to his liar in the Black Forest. In his early incarnations he was depicted as menacing and gruesome, a sight to be feared.

Greeting cards in the early nineteenth century with the frightening image of Krampus became popular as a way of giving warning to children that Krampus was watching. As the greeting card industry grew in popularity, images of Krmapus became more tongue in cheek and humorous in nature and were targeted to adults. Krampus remained sinister in his appearance despite his more comical and sometimes romantic escapades.

Krampus began to emerge in modern history on greeting cards in a more adult context depicted seducing and voyeuristically interacting with attractive and often scantly dressed women. This more romantic and erotic version of Krampus began to appear not only at Yule and Christmas time but found their way to the lowbrow Valentines Day greeting card market. Krampus evolved into a less gruesome monster to a more sophisticated and human like devil form. He began to be featured wearing suits and sports jackets and sometimes wore a cape. With his new smoother appearance Krampus sometimes took on an almost cupid like role matchmaking couples or “pulling the strings” of romance. The card sentiments were subversively erotic in nature and Krampus had become synonymous with deviant sexuality. In a role reversal Krampus cards sometimes displayed a woman in a “Krampus” suit seducing or chasing a man. Some cards even put Krampus in the submissive role, shown as the captive of a pretty woman.

In last 50 years Krampus began to appear outside of his activities with seduction and would commonly appear in traditional Valentine settings with his switch broom, hearts and symbols of romance as a Valentines Day Devil. During the 1960’s as sugary kitschiness gained in popularity in the greeting card industry, Krampus became sweeter and gentler in his appearance and youthful. His basket and chains were replaced with a pitchfork. He often was illustrated as red or wearing a red suit and more traditional devil-like with smaller horns and more human. The Krampus card sentiments became cheeky with puns and plays on words. Krampus had become the pre-curser to the Valentines Day devil we often see today.

Angelique Duncan is proprietor of Twilight Faerie Nostalgic and Capricious Objects. Check out her artist page to find links to her shops and vintage inspired traditional holiday art. Visit again next month for more traditions and folklore.

Crossing Over

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Crossing Over -By Debbi Decker

Usually when you hear that term, it is in connection with death, ghosts, and other paranormal events. But I can’t help using that term for my recent vintage discoveries.

I collect images and post cards from the Victorian era to around the early 1960s to incorporate into my art. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I was interested in finding some old Valentine images to add to what I already have. It’s not a favorite holiday of mine, and I rarely do create anything in that genre, but I enjoy looking at the old Valentines, and sometimes find quite interesting and unusual images to add to my collection.

It is not unusual to find spooky images in connection with Christmas. After all, there is Krampus and so many creepy Santa Claus images. But, imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon Valentine images chock full of Halloween and spooky images and references! And a Valentine that references fairies and elves too. Wow, talk about crossing over!

The images included in this post are from the late 1950s and possibly as late as the 1960s. Now that I have found these, who knows, maybe I can rouse myself to create a spooky hauntingly beautiful Valentine item for next year! I know that I will now be searching for more!

Debbi Decker is proprietor of twistedpixelstudio Art & Assemblage Emporium. Check out her artist page to find links to her shop and blog to read more of her writings. Visit again next month for the telling of hauntings and ghostly tales by Debbi Decker.

Valentines Day 2014

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  Happy Valentines Day 2014!

Find dark and unusual as well as traditional retro Valentines Day decorations and gifts from your favorite Halloween Artist Bazaar artist by searching HAB Valentine on Etsy and HAB on Zibbet!