Tag: crafts

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Unveiling the Magic for 2023: It’s Almost Time for Gothtober

The Moon is out, and so is all that goes bump in the night

Hold onto your hay bales, we’re about to bring you our annual anticipated countdown of spooky and artistic Autumnal delights!

We’re pleased as pumpkin pie to report that Gothtober is now 21 years old. Gothtober is old enough do drink! Our 2023 edition contains creative offerings catered to this new milestone through the theme: “Potions and Elixirs” (in addition to the usual theme, which is simply “Halloween.”)

At the strike of midnight our calendar unveils a new contributor each day of October. In case you’ve never experienced it before, we’re taking you on a lil’ artistic journey.

Enjoy a celebration of the holiday’s rich traditions, and eerie charms, with an ability to stir the cauldron of your imagination. I don’t censor anyone, so it’s kind of a blend of both dark and delightful. For example, you can expect just about anything! There will be many short movies. Gothtober’s also got recipes, and crafts! We’ve always got a diverse ensemble ranging from veterens like Jenny Walsh, an artist who has been in the calendar since 2004 to her son, Harry, an emerging talent, who is now a Gothtober artist as well!

Best thing about the Gothtober Countdown Calendar? You don’t have to go anywhere or do anything. You can find Gothtober.com on your Desktop, tablet, or phone! While older parts of the calendar (dated all the way back to 2003) are not accessible yet, we’ve worked hard to make sure the NEW version of Gothtober can be accessed by anyone with a computer screen. As Head Candy Corn of Gothtober, I welcome you to the mysteries, the magic, the madness of this thing we build every year, brought to you, just a click away.

Yours in goblets of gross gooey gulps of rat’s blood and kitten eyeballs,

JP Head Candy Corn

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Asher Slasher’s Sexy Pumpkin Stencils for Gothtober Day 12

Visit the Gothtober Countdown Calendar and CLICK DAY TWELVE  to download Asher Slasher’s Sexy Pumpkin Stencils!

All right folks! Screen this one please, it’s R-Rated, if you look closely. These are some very different pumpkin stencils than ones you may have used in the past, they’re quite a lot of fun, perfect for attracting certain kinds of people, and repelling other kinds of people, lol.
Unique, sexy, mischievous and pretty darn clever, these designs are easy to carve into any pumpkin you see fit.
Asher Slasher is our FIRST artist to offer pumpkin stencils of any kind, we think they’re a fabulous addition to our growing library of crafty downloads, enjoy!
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Gothtober 2018 OPENS with Horror Movie Survival Guide!!!

Happy Gothtober, everyone! Visit the Gothtober Countdown Calendar and CLICK DAY ONE to see today’s offering! 

The calendar went LIVE last night, we always pick newbies for DAY 1, to get you in the mood for fall fun!

It’s time for puppets! It’s time for, specifically, puppets of the two hosts from the “Horror Movie Survival Guide,” Julia Marchese, and Marion Kerr. Created and puppeted by one of their fiercely crafty producers, Teri Gamble, you can watch the 2-D version of our hosts give you expert advice on how to STAY ALIVE when watching horror movies, very good tips!

This information is hard to get and highly prized, we trust you’ll watch, learn, and keep it away from evil forces, demons, flesh-eating zombies, you know, the horror hoi polloi. From oldies back in film’s beginning days, to VHS classics, to more modern creature features, this lively, witty and candid podcast delves deep with insights, minutia, personal anecdotes, and plenty of great facts and figures to boost your horror movie knowledge. For instance, did you know that Piper Laurie’s bible verses in Brian DePalma’s Carrie are all completely fake and made up… but somehow still amazingly believable?

Find all past and future episodes here!

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Gothtober Day 5 Papier Maché project with Ananda and Kierston!

Visit www.gothtober.com and click on DAY 5 to see a mystery project revealed from Ananda and Kierston VanDeStefano!
From a humble beginnings starts this three dimensional sculptural project, and what, dear Gothtober viewer, will it be? Observe with each frame what transpires next, culminating in quite the lovely centerpiece! I’m not going into detail because I don’t want to give away the surprise! We really enjoyed watching this piece come together, it’s some balm for the turbulence of our times, a cheerful respite that bolsters your psyche for going back out and dealing with the world. Making art is an essential component of what makes up the human spirit.

We’re the only species that makes stuff like this, we’re weird like that. This piece made us itch to go clear a spot at Gothtober headquarters, go get some paints and supplies, and perhaps make our own version of a “specialty fall item.” I hope it does that for you too, because we honestly need more of it right now. We always need more art.

Making art is an act of defiance in this world of commercial enterprise, which is why Gothtober is so stubborn and persistent. Growing up, people are like “be a lawyer, a doctor, a salsa salesperson, ANYTHING BUT AN ARTIST!!!” Because… despite the fact that we’re surrounded by words, imagery, shapes and colors everyday that make our lives amazing, people believe that art is a frivolous pursuit. Artists fight a losing battle, starve, and die, and are famous when they are dead. Nobody wants that for you.
In order to make arty stuff, you kind of have to shut out the naysaying voices (both real and imagined) and believe in yourself and what you want. You just have to stop thinking so hard about expectations, results, how any of this is practical, and just roll up your sleeves and make a thing. That’s why this piece is so awesome, it clears the way for autumn crafting in a really fun, no nonsense way, which is refreshing! Thanks for sharing your papier maché skills with us, Ananda and Kierston!
Read Ananda and Kierston’,  and other Gothtober contributor’s bios here! 
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DAY 4: Gothtober Coloring Contest!!!

coloring_shot

For ALL AGES, the Gothtober Coloring Contest is HERE! Visit www.gothtober.com click on DAY 4, download and print your pumpkin page. Color it, send it in! DROP DEADLINE IS OCTOBER 25th!!! 

What will your jack’o’lantern look like? Will it have a scene? Will it be the face of an unknown monster, a spirit being, a scary politician?

We have FIVE DIVISIONS and we know you fit into one of them… unless you’re a vampire or some other form of undead, and if that’s the case, contact us. We will make a special division just for you.

AGE GROUPS

  • Kitten Pumpkins – 5 and under 
  • Pumpkin Scouts – 6 to 10 
  • Tweens-n-Teens – 11 to 17 
  • Logan’s Runners – 18 to 30 
  • Bladerunners – 30 to 125 

Each Division will have 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Prize Ribbons, as well as some very special Gothtober Treats! Prepare to win bizarre and inventive gift baskets containing specialty items hand-picked by Gothtober MONSTERS! Coloring Contest Winners will be announced and showcased on this blog on Gothtober 29th!

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Totally Tubular Tulips for Gothtober DAY 10

Fast & Funsters (visit Gothtober and select luggage #10) bring you a variation on a classic, their interpretation of  Totally Tulips. Just like in the original, every single custom shirt/wearable showcased item was made by Fast and Funsters, this film was months in the making! Tulip fabric paint is still on the market, going strong, you can use “slick” or “puffy” versions to sass up ANY piece of clothing, as demonstrated by Fast & Funsters. After seeing their video, it’s pretty much a given that you’re gonna be feeling tulip. Totally. Tulip. 

Of special note is the “stump dress” which was also sewn completely from scratch. You’ll see it when Lecie pops up from out of a tree stump. Coco the cat, a big fan of Gothtober, who likes to crash Gothtober films often, has outdone herself this year, in a spectacular rainbow-jumping/riding stunt that has to be seen to be believed. Don’t try this at home!

We’re hoping to see “the director’s cut” one day, or when the DVD comes out, hopefully there will be some exclusive outtakes from “the making of” or any footage that was left on the cutting room floor. The credits, by Zola, are featured here as their own movie, if you’d like to know more about who was involved in this early-90s-tastic tour-de-force, just press play!

And if you’d like to see the original vintage Totally Tulips video that served as the inspiration for the updated Fast & Funsters version, here it is below. I can’t stop hearing the song in my head, it’s very inspirational.

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Day 2: Miniature Madness

Jessica Hlavac The PieMY LORD, what’s she going to do with that razor blade??? Will she cut her own wrists? Hijack a plane? Enter into an eternal blood oath with Lucifer himself? What terrible horror awaits you, dear viewer?!

Oh wait. What’s that cute little pie doing there? Hang on, let me check my notes. OH. It’s Jessica Hlavac, the mad genius behind i’m so tiny, where she showcases minuscule foods meticulously crafted with her very own, non-threatening hands! She makes everything from breakfast to dessert, all about the size of a quarter. You know, that thing in your pocket that’s only about an inch in diameter? Yeah, that. Just look at this croissant sandwich sitting on one of them:

Jessica Hlavac Croissant SandwichShe even admits to being a little crazy, having “made a whole damn tiny ham just to slice it up” and make perfect ham slice edges for this diminutive sandwich. CAN YOU STAND IT.

So here we are, on Day 2 of Gothtober 2011, wondering what sort of miniature madness Miss Hlavac has cooked up this time. Ok, it’s a pie. But if you think you can follow her steps and make your own pie, as if the sheer smallness and perfectness of her handiwork isn’t mind-boggling enough… well, she’s thrown you yet another curve ball. Just try and catch it.