Halloween Crafts from Etsy's Dark Side!

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade DreadfulDesigns.etsy.com

Behold the many handmade wonders of the Etsy's Dark Side Street Team! We're a sort of headquarters for Halloween DIY. We're pulling out all the stops this season and are speedily stocking our Etsy shops with creative creepyness. That is the best kind, you know.

I encourage you (if you haven't done it already) to have a look around on Etsy and do a search under 'etsydarkteam halloween'. Here's just a few devilish delights I found by browsing through the search results! The DarkTeam has you covered; from jewelry, home decor, clothing, softies, and just about anything else you can decorate for Halloween.

Go explore and enjoy!

Black and White Crafty Frights

There's so much talent on Etsy's Dark Side Street Team that I could literally spend hours just doing random searches of team items. Our mission is to make Etsy a spookier place this Halloween!

I did a search on Etsy under 'Etsydarkteam black white' and here's a few macabre master pieces I found.

Nightmare Pillow by Creeplings

Skull and Crossbones Quilted Ornament Ball by CustomZombie

Portrait of an Emo Girl by TheTinyTragedies

Be creative and go on an Etsy search bar adventure using the tag 'etsydarkteam' and see what other horrific handmade finds there are to discover!

Dangles, Spangles, & Skulls

A while back I went through a strange and uncontrollable compulsion to make cutesy heart and skull things. It's as though a doe eyed Kawaii creature were whispering in my ear and my hands were not able to disobey.

I have other heart shaped items in my shop, but here are some of the latest from the "OMFG I should put a skull or heart on this!" era.

Click the image to view the item's listing.


The skull charms dangle earrings are very tiny and it was quite a task to get the details right.

I have a deep abiding love for green and black. A quick look through my shop makes this pretty obvious. Here's a little adjustable ring for $5.


Simple purple and black skull/heart earrings. For under $10.


The green/black counterpart to the above pair. Also under $10.

Halloween is creeping ever closer! The Etsy's Dark Side street team is planning some AMAZING give aways, contests, and scavenger hunts. Not to mention all the ghoulish handmade Halloween items they're producing! Keep an eye on the team's blog and mine for the tricksy treats coming this October!

Panic at the Karaoke Bar

August has been a trialing month here at the home front of DreadfulDesigns.

The Washington Renaissance Faire was going on, DIY home renovations have been happening (more on this later), and lastly, my mother was in town to visit.

We had fun, don't get me wrong I enjoy my mother's visits. But at one point I did find myself in a karaoke bar at 2:00 am wishing I could drown myself in a 30 ounce Margarita Grande as the resounding boom of my mother's voice filled the sombrero hat adorned bar. Yes, driven by the bitterness only a fresh divorce could empower her with, she regaled the patrons of Puerto Vallarte with a whiskey fueled rendition of 'I Will Survive'. Which I never realized, until hearing her sing it, is very much the untold anthem of divorcees.

This is a directly efficient example of how my mother and I differ. Her song list that night included 'Dark Woman' by Cher, some Donna Summers songs, and 'R-E-S-P-E-C-T'. Leaving me to wonder how I, a withdrawn and shy brunette eccentric geekling ever managed to wander out from betwixt the loins of a tall, blonde, big haired, song bird Glamazon Diva.

There are questions in my mind now as to whether or not there may have indeed been a mix up at the hospital. But, as Gloria Gaynor would want me to: I will survive. And to my mother's credit, she does actually have a very strong, lovely voice. If she hadn't birthed my siblings and I she might be making the professional lounge singer rounds right now.

That interlude has taken up quite a bit of August. There was, sadly, no time for a Dark Artist Spotlight this month. But there WILL be one for September Oh yes.

For now, here is a medley of spooky, nifty handmade items from my talented friends and team mates of Etsy's Dark Side Street Team. I was browsing through Etsy (and you can too using the tag EtsyDarkTeam) and just had to favorite these items. Click them to view their listings.

More is happening this August; just wait and see! Oh and if you have any interesting, horrifying, or embarrassing karaoke stories, I'd love to hear them.

There's a Spider in your hair!

Normally, the shout of 'hey there's a spider in your hair' would bring on (depending on the individual) reactions of shock or surprise. In some; shrieking, uncontrollable fits of hysterics. Or in my particular case, excited amusement and curiosity to know what kind of spider.

And given my love of arachnids and hair accessories, I simply had to share this awesome DarkTeam find! This is one of Jammerdesignz new styles of hair flowers. Dead center you will find a hand sculpted and painted spider. (click image to view the listing)

If you've not seen Jammer's shop; check it out! She has so many cool handmade lovelies in there.

DIY Zombie Outbreak!

Damn right.

I've been an aficionado of the living dead since I was young. I used to sport a sizable collection of VHS tapes. Horror movies by the droves! My favorites as a youngster were the really campy "Return of the Living Dead" & "Dead Alive" types, but I later I developed an intense obsession with Italian horror movies. Particularly, anything D.Argento or L.Fulci had made.

Ah, how the buckets of stage blood and profuse violence in those films gave me endless hours of delight. Sadly, those VHS videos have since retired into whatever oblivion that is the inevitable fate for both VHS and Betamax tapes. But not to worry, most of my former collection has reanimated itself in the the form of DVDs.

My intoxication with undead corpses has spilled over into my crafty side, as several of the items
in my shop have obtained a zombie-esque and overall cutesy death theme. If you've not noticed them, I invite you to do so now. Click the green text to view their listings.

Black/Green ZOMBIE Plaque Necklace

Green Zombie Teddy Bear Magnet



I Heart your Brains Magnet

And a GREAT many of my EtsysDarkSide team mates make zombie themed items! Forgive the intentional pun, but trust me, they're truly to die for! Go to Etsy, and do a search for 'Etsydarkteam zombie' and pages and pages of amazing handmade zombie goods will turn up. I myself could spend the day looking through them all.

What's it like to burn?

Hullo there, how's your summer playing out? Are you drinking in the sunshine and turning cartwheels in the dew kissed sweet grass? Or are you like me; taking shaded refuge beneath or behind anything that will hold still long enough to save you from the sun?

Well, whatever the case is, I thought it might be fun to showcase some fiery, handmade items from Etsy's Dark Side Team. Click the colored text to view the item's listing.

Light My Fire Earrings from MountainScreamer

Flame Mini Top Hat by CarpeNoctem

Reversible Plush Heart in Flames and Pinstripe by MadScienceCreations

Flaming Bat Winged Heart Bottle by KitCameo