It probably won’t come as a huge surprise to my readers that I am not a frequent Pottery Barn customer.  But when my dad sent me a link to the above picture which was featured on a Blog we both like, Catalog Living, I immediately wanted my own vase filled with skulls.  Dead things are pretty much the only thing I can keep in vases.  I have an atrocious history with houseplants.  (sidenote: Catalog Living features Catalog snapshots accompanied by snarky commentary from a Second City vet, I highly recommend it).   Anyway, my dad traced the picture back to Pottery Barn (isn’t it great when other people do your work for you?).   To recreate that look, Pottery Barn is selling Mini Skull Fillers, $24 for 6 and 3 ounces of Dead Spanish Moss for $9.  They also sell lots of clear glass vases which are just dying to be filled with dead things.  It turns out Pottery Barn has a good selection of Halloween decorations at a reasonable price.

To see the rest of Pottery Barn’s Halloween decor, check out their website.

Flash drives have become indispensable tools for anyone using multiple computers, especially students.  But why should something you carry around everyday look boring?  Thanks to MIMOBOT Designer USB Flash Drives, there are some funky, artist designed flash drives available.

MIMOBOT flash drives come in a standard size of 4GB for $34.95, but they can hold up to 16GB for $79.95.

To see more MIMOBOT Flash Drives visit their website.

Other Cool Flash Drives:

Postertext creates posters depicting scenes from classical books.  Each poster features the entire text from the book.  According to the website, the text is legible to the naked eye.  Most of the posters measure 20″x24″.  What a cool way to celebrate your favorite book!

Postertext is also working on a War of the Worlds poster to be released soon.  At some point in the future, they plan to introduce more contemporary literature to the line.  To see the other available posters, visit their website.

Heading back to school?  The only thing I really enjoyed about going back to school each year was picking out new school supplies.  I always got so excited to coordinate my notebooks, binders and folders as if by finding the perfect combination I could guarantee a good year.  I was especially thrilled if I could find an item that reflected my personality such as a notebook with a skull and crossbones or a folder with a glittery design.  I wish that these Zazzle custom printed binders were around because they make school supplies even more fun.

Zazzle’s binders are much more expensive than regular binders with most priced around $20.  But if you consider that you’ll be using them all year long and find one that really expresses your style it might be worth it to you.

Hello lovely readers, I’m having a rare indecisive decorating dilemma I’m hoping you can help me with.  For the last several weeks, I’ve been overhauling my apartment (as best I can on a very limited budget).  I’m trying to make sure everything I need and love has a home, and I’ve been shoveling excess stuff out of here.  I’m sick to death of clutter.  Anyway some of the stuff I love includes my Pirates of the Caribbean collection.  I’ve designated a small area of my kitchen for its display.  Here’s a picture of the work in progress:

The big picture on the wall is a Limited Edition print done for Disney by Eric C. Robison.  Underneath that is an autographed photo of Johnny Depp that my aunt gave me.  The little Captain Jack’s Rum sign that’s leaning against the wall is going to be hung next to that.  There’s also a pirate hat sitting on the chest that is probably going to be hung on a hook on the wall.  I got the trunk at a flea market years ago.  I haven’t arranged the treasure since moving it into the kitchen, and I have more jewelry that will be spilling out of it.  The phone cords are going to be moved too.  So the whole thing will look a little neater.

I’ve had the sword pictured below for at least five years.  It has a pirate ship on the handle and skull and crossbones at the top of the leather hilt.  It’s not valuable or anything, just a toy, but I’ve been wanting to get it up off the floor.

Captain Jack Sparrow Caribbean Pirate Cutlass Sword available through Amazon for $32.76

So I did a search for ways to mount swords on the wall, but I don’t know which one to get.  The sword will either be above the big print or to hanging vertically to the right of it.

That last one above is my favorite.  They even show it with the sword I have so I know it will fit.  But it’s significantly more expensive and I’m not sure it’s really worth it.

There are also plain racks like the one below, that start around $15 online.  Another possibility is to buy some hooks at the hardware store.

So what do you think?  Pirate themed sword mount or something simpler?  Mounted horizontally over the picture or vertically alongside it?  I’ll post another picture when the display is done.

There are few things more taboo than cannibalism, making it an ideal theme for Halloween.

Look the Part:

Above: Meateater (Jordu Schell) Butcher Halloween Mask from Amazon for $36.90

Set the Scene:

Hungry?

Children interacting with corpses, a touch of bestiality and the apocalypse are just a few themes found in San Francisco painter Fred Einaudi’s work.  His photorealistic portrayals are juxtaposed against surreal, grim backgrounds.  They are scarier because they look so real.  Somehow, within the destruction there is serenity, curiosity and relief.

To see more of Fred’s work, visit his webpage.

Mizna Wada is a Tokyo illustrator and soft doll maker.  Her style is inspired by horror comics.  I love her big-eyed, creepy-cute aesthetic.

To see more of Mizna Wada’s work, visit her website Mizna Lens or Gallery Nucleus.

I’m always on the lookout for inspirations for unique Halloween decorations and when I saw a picture of a life-size man-eating plant sculpture, I knew I’d hit the jackpot.  How cool would a front-yard, greenhouse or basement jungle of fantastic carnivorous plants look?

Kalapusa, real name Jaime Margary, is a sculptor and illustrator working in Orlando who thrives on giving life to impossible, imaginary creations.  I love his Odd Plants series, especially the Piranha plant and baby Piranha plant.

The plants are made of clay with a strengthened wire skeleton and painted with acrylics.  To see some of the amazing and complicated process that went into the Piranha plant, watch the video below.

Besides the Piranha plant, Kalapusa has created a couple of other fantasy plant sculptures as well.

To see more of Kalapusa’s work, visit his Deviant Art page.

Every year around Halloween I fall prey to a recurring substance abuse problem.  The substance is Lemax Spooky Town, and I’m unable to resist its call.

Spooky Town consists of animated buildings, table accents and figurines that can be displayed in infinite configurations.  My favorite pieces are the more twisted and gruesome with humorous touches.

This year Michaels has four exclusive pieces: The Wheel of Horror, Vicki’s Cattery, Peter’s Pumpkin Patch and the Brickle Residence.  The Pumpkin Patch and the Brickle Residence are cheerful, lighted buildings that are more fall appropriate than spooky.  The Wheel of Horror and Vicki’s Cattery, on the other hand, are delightfully horrific.

So far this year I’ve only picked up two figurines, a creepy faceless ghoul and a grave robber, but I have my eye on Grisley’s Greenhouse, the All Hallows Hospital and Vicki’s Cattery.

To see more of the 2010 pieces, or to order buildings online, visit the Spooky Town website.