Christmas

For my Christmas post, I couldn't think of a more perfect picture than the one snapped by Spirit of Halloween. Poor little pumpkin. Probably thinks we've all forgotten him. Well I haven't.

He's like my own personal Tiny Tim.

Last night we had family over for dinner. My mother, on the brink of her sixties, still cares for a household of troubled teenage girls - two of which came with her last night. And while I was out of the room, one of them said as she was looking around "I was expecting more scary things in her house." They both seemed genuinely disappointed. I thought that was pretty funny.

Even funnier were the big smiles on their faces when I took them into my office where I have all my ghoulish goodies tucked away. As if the sight of glowing pumpkins, macabre figures and art, and a flickering skull candle made everything right in the world for them.

And that's how Halloween saved Christmas.

Merry Christmas, folks. Happy Holidays. Seasons greetings. Be kind to each other today.

Fa la la la la, la la la brains.

I've just finished my first batch of Zombie Wreaths. I've never sculpted a zombie head before, and may I say it's very fun to do.

I'm still figuring out exactly how I'd like them painted, but I'm pleased with it. I had no idea what my style of zombie heads would look like. I was concerned they might be too cartoonish, and I didn't want them too gory either (though I couldn't resist making a few with their brains visible).

This set (pictured below) will be coming with me to the show tonight. I've also made some zombie severed hands and feet, but I haven't figured out exactly what I want to do with them yet.

The newest addition to the Christmas ornament projects include these Owl Wreaths.

Using the tiny Christmas tree doesn't help give you a sense of size. They are approximately 10cms high.

Being an owl lover, I think they are ridiculously cute. I'm hoping they will appeal to a wide variety of people.

If you're in Toronto, and hope to get your hands on these, I have two shows coming up. First I'll be at Girlesque at Mitzi's Sister, 1554 Queen West at 9:30 (I'll be one of the people NOT wearing tassells or boas) tomorrow night (Nov 24, 2009).

And for those of you who may prefer a slightly more traditional craft event, I'll be part of Craftzilla on Saturday, December 5, 2009. It runs from 1:00pm - 6:00pm at Kathedral 651 Queen Street West.

At the moment, these are my only shows. Don't miss your chance to get a Peek-a-boo plant for the one you love!

I've started experimenting with scary snowmen, and snapped a quick photo to show you the first two out of the gate.

Decided to go with a classic look for one, from his carrot to his buttons. And the other has a snow-skull for his head.

I'll take some nicer photos when I get them set up in their winter setting. I have two shows coming up in the city, and I need to update the table display to reflect the change in season. I'm fairly excited to have it all set up because I've never done a creepy Christmas display. It's like rediscovering Halloween and Christmas decorating all over again.

My only apprehension as I travel down this path is the unavoidable references or comparisons to Nightmare Before Christmas. It distracts me during the creation process, and I've already steered away from a couple of interesting ideas because of it. It's a bit frustrating.

I know I can't stop people from equating Halloween-flavoured Christmas decorations with Tim Burton, and I'll try to infuse these pieces with Ghoul Friday Flair until they brim over with my own artistic signature. It's the best I can do.

I've been toying with Christmas project ideas. To get into the spirit, I decided to start with transforming some little wooden nutcracker soldiers to reflect a darker side.

We're always complaining that Christmas items are for sale before Halloween is even over. Perhaps we won't be so annoyed by the October book release of It's Beginning to Look A lot Like Zombies: the Book of Zombie Christmas Carols written by Michael P. Spradling and illustrated by Jeff Weigel.

With a reported 24 songs getting infected with a zombie spin, this could either be really amusing, or painstakingly lame:

Tiny tots' eyes are no longer aglow - they're in a bowl. And Mommy's not kissing Santa under the mistletoe - she's chewing his face. Nobody - not Rudolph, Old Saint Nick, or even those three Wise Guys who travelled afar - is spared when the undead come knocking.

(via www.zombiecommand.com)

While Santa Claus is an easily identifiable figure, this horned creature might leave North Americans scratching their head (or fleeing for their life).

Meet Krampus (derived from the old German word for 'claw'), Santa's dark sidekick. While naughty children here can expect a lump of coal in their stocking if they have been particularly bad, misbehaving children in some European countries are destined to face Krampus: a goat-like, horned and hoofed demon wielding a switch (often a birch rod).

Here's a little info on Krampus, who has his own holiday on Dec. 5th each year. Since pre-Christian times, local folk have dressed up as Krampus and stormed through the streets, the bell around their waist signalling their arrival before they've even come into view. Some sources claim the march of Krampus (and Perchten, the female equivalent) helped to scare away winter, but mainly the purpose was to scare straight any misbehaving children.