Remember about a month back when we talked about making your own mad science lab? We mentioned artist Alex CF and his cryptozoological retrofuture art pieces. At the time, none of his amazing creations were available for sale, but he currently has a new piece on eBay! Check out the level of detail that was put into this strange artifact:

“Contained in this large unique display case are the preserved embyronic alien, and a piece of the wreckage from the craft. In the small draw space are other paraphanalia linked to this cover up - alien implants found on board the craft, their obvious goal was to be inserted into the bodies of abductees. a stack of papers regarding MAJIC 12, illustrations of the craft and the aliens themselves, the newspaper from the fated day, photographs of autopsies on the aliens, and much more.”

Talk about one of a kind. There are actually a few people creating knock-offs of Alex CF’s signature style of multimedia art assemblages, so please make sure to support the original artist if you’re looking to purchase.

As someone who has a rotting zombie head on my kitchen table year-round, I have some decidedly unique ideas about decorating and displaying art. What about you? If you won the Crash at Roswell research case, where would you put it? How would you display it? I’m really curious how you Halloweenies would feature it in your home or haunt (or office or nursery or…) so let me know your ideas in the comments section below.

Inspiration can come in the most unexpected places. So can Halloween decorations. A few days ago, some aimless browsing on eBay produced a wondrous discovery: the Vintage Science & Medicine category. Talk about the mother-lode! Collectors of antique items are probably the most frequent visitors, but for a creative Halloweenie it’s a treasure trove of creepy old artifacts that would be perfect to decorate a Halloween mad scientist party. Here are just a few of the curious, archaic, and sometimes chilling items that I found;

• 18th Century Pewter Leaching Jars (you know, to hold your leaches)
• Exceptional antique brass microscope (functional)
• 61 Year Old Syringe and 12 needles (mint condition)
• Antique dental chair (with spooky padded-electrode-looking headrest)
• Victorian Anatomical Watercolor Posters of creepy skin conditions

With a Steampunk aesthetic that merges medical past with a more technological future, you can create an amazing DIY mad science lab. For a quick Martha Stewart inspired Mad Science Halloween party, check out this how-to. A more DIY version can be seen at ljcfyi’s Mad Scientist Dinner Party, complete with tons of inspiring pictures. Want to see what can really be accomplished with a lot of creativity and 80 hour work weeks? AlexCF is a an amazingly talented artist who creates “things you wish existed in forgotten attics or secret rooms“, deftly mixing the past with imagined technology. His work is wildly imaginative and instantly seems to draw you back into a time of wonder that may, or may not have happened…

And if you’re interested in conducting some genuine feats of mad science, I direct you to- of course- Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories. And some safety goggles.

If you’ve never made the acquaintance of Madame Talbot, you are in for a treat. Madame Talbot’s “Victorian Lowbrow” is like an e-curio cabinet, brimming with “one-of-a-kind gothic death-themed creations”. Entering their online store is like stepping back to a time when science was nearly synonymous with magic: when a few leaches and a mixture of alcohol, opium and a little sugar cured all that ailed you. As you navigate through the endless, eerie categories, you’ll be greeted with circus freak shows, folklore creatures of the night, southern Gothic, traveling medicine shows and archaic Victorian funeral practices. Sounds fun, doesn’t it?

They offer “unique dark art”, much of which is produced by Ashleigh Talbot herself. A skilled pen-and-ink illustrator, she creates such wondrous art as tombstone paintings mourning dolls, and creepy Victorian posters. To add to the period-perfect mystique of these one of a kind items, Talbot does everything by hand, without the use of computers or a sewing machine. Now that’s dedication. Her sophisticated art style paired with the bizarre and ghoulish topics is our favorite mix for spooky decor. Like haunted portraits, it gives a more subtle, yet extremely creepy vibe that most Halloween/horror themed decor and art just don’t have.

There is also a selection of vintage items that would be equally great for grim room decor or as props for your Halloween haunt. Our favorite from this section is definitely the poison bottles, some of which are still full!

Whether you’re looking for nightmarish inspiration or want to go vintage Halloween this October, you can do no better than Madame Talbot’s. Step right up, and tell em’ 365 Halloween sent you.

It’s been a while since the last Zombie Friday, but I’ve got a handful of news that will satiate your hunger for the undead. Spanning film, design, zombie walks and more, it’s been a good week for zombie fans…


First up is an incredibly useful roundup of Photoshop tutorials for those of us with a darker artistic sense. 70 Horror, Blood and Gore Photoshop Effects and Brushes covers everything you’ll need to know to transform even the prettiest of photos into a decaying mess… but in a good way.

If you’ve been following the progress of George A. Romero’s latest zombie movie, you know that a release date for Diary of the Dead was uncertain until January. For a while it looked like it would be a direct to DVD release, but thankfully it will have a wide release on February 15, 2008. W00t! (As if that weren’t enough, Zombie Honeymoon will also be playing on Showtime around the same time. Talk about a bloody Valentine’s Day.)

There’s a new entry into the world of niche social networking websites, and this one’s actually useful. Crawl of the Dead has a section that lists Zombie Walks, allowing the undead hordes to better plan their attack. If you know of a local Walk/Crawl going on, please list it here. If you’ve never attended one, now you know where to look!

And because zombies and bad jokes were made for each other, I have a bit of cheesy humor for you, in Photoshop form: What do vegan zombies eat? LAWLS!!1

Know of a website that zombie fans would devour? Tell us about your online zombie finds in the comments below.

Hey guys, it’s Sean, remember me? I haven’t been posting very often, but rest assured I’ve been working behind the scenes. I’ve risen shortly to tell you about some Halloween flavored t-shirts newly available from Threadless.
The one that caught my eye the most is the Derby of the Damned, which portrays some girls you don’t want to go up against in your next roller derby match. Or would you? Either way it’s definitely a 365 Halloween favorite due to the great artwork, color, and zombie/of-the-damned theme. I’m sure the pink chainsaw had something to do with it as well. Be sure to snatch this one up quick as I’m betting it will sell out quickly.
For those that need more orange in your wardrobe there is the nicely designed When I Was Pumpkin shirt. It opens our eyes to what our skillfully carved jack-o-lanterns might see on Halloween night. Another shirt, that looks to be a hit with the kids, is the Imposter. With it’s simple skeleton theme and glow in the dark print it’s a great t-shirt to sport when you know you’ll be in some black lights, or just plain darkness.

For those that don’t know how Threadless works, t-shirts are printed when users vote for them highly. So in an effort to get some more Halloween type shirts printed we’d like to encourage everyone to vote for the design entitled Pumpkin Eaters. Check it out, rate it yourself and feel free to vote for some other designs you’d like to see printed on a shirt.

Imagine if you dedicated an entire day to creating a Halloween project. What couldn’t you make with 20-30 hours and a vision? Norma Jean spends that much time on each one of her handmade horror dolls, giving attention to the smallest details. They are totally one of a kind, and she even sculpts the heads, hands and feet herself. All that handmade TLC is going to cost you, but sometimes you have to splurge for art. (Plus, supporting spooky artists is a always a good thing.) There are such gory categories as dolls with head injuries, mad scientists, and perhaps my favorite, the skeletons convicts.

If you’ve got a barren chamber door, she also has super detailed, ornate Halloween wreaths available. Actually, they’re kind of like Halloween exploded into a wreath shape with all the activity going on (and I mean that in a good way). If you’ve got a specific style in mind, she does take custom orders but be sure to plan at least 2 weeks ahead.