alt.gothic.fashion.faq/part7

[Trystan L. Bass]

1.7 where can I get stuff to make my house/room
more gothic?

From: Trystan L. Bass
It pays to watch the mainstream fashions --
every now and then, velvets, tapestries, black,
and jewel-tones are "in" for home decorating.
That's when you'll find goth-ish stuff at all the
stores, from the cheapies to the high-brow.

Don't forget about off-price department stores
like Ross, Mervyns, Strouds, and Home
Express. They often have reasonable prices on
bedding and home accessories. I've found lovely
(and cheap!) burgundy tapestry placemats and
table runners at Ross, along with inexpensive
crystal and silver servingware. Outlet malls
might even be worth a trip -- the discounts aren't
always huge, but some have unusual items in
stock.

Flea markets, garage/estate/yard sales, and
second-hand shops can be good places for old
linens, such as tablecloths, napkins, and
curtains. These can be used as-is, or clever
SewingGoths can make them into fancy
garments and things like comforter covers. My
favorite lace napkins (which I always use at tea
parties ;-) were about a buck each at the Ashby
Flea Market in Berkeley about five years ago.
They don't match, but they're all scrupulously
laundered and very pretty against a dark
tablecloth.

And of course, winter is the ubiquitous gothic
shopping season, and that's when you're more
likely to find black and dark-colored sheets,
comforters, towels, etc.

Collections of the Vatican Museums
3342 Melrose Avenue
Roanoake, VA 24017, US
For those of us lucky enough to have jobs that
leave a little bit of paycheck at the end of the
month, I have discovered a catalog that has all
kinds of cool almost-gothic stuff for your home
in it. As the name would imply, a lot of their
stuff has (Christian) religious
overtones/undertones/somethingtones, but a lot
of it doesn't too, so if you're into the cross thing
or if you ain't, there is good stuff. Does
mail-order. [Eric]

Cost-Plus
stores across the US
A glorified import store with lots of 'exotic'
housewares, furniture, food stuffs, and some
clothing. Always has tons of candles and
candleholders in a wide variety of shapes, sizes,
and prices, plus many fancy pillows from tiny
to floor-cushion type. And their linens and
dishes come in everything from plain white or
black to crazy prints. Pier One has similar
merchandise, but is sometimes more expensive.
[Trystan L. Bass]

Danse Macabre
263 & 1/2 Lafayette St. (between Prince & Spring)
New York, NY 10012, US
Phone: (212) 219-3907
Fax: (212) 448-0602
mac...@mail.idt.net
Carries jewelry, statuary, picture frames, boxes,
goblets, t-shirts, and artwork with gothic and
macabre themes ($10-$185). Does mail-order.

Dead End
3126 Hwy. 594
Morgue, Louisiana 71203, US
Phone: (318) 345-DEAD (3323)
Fax: (318) 343-2262
dea...@linknet.net
Morbid gifts and t-shirts on the subject of body
bags, coroner's office, death certificates, etc.
($1-$30). Does mail-order.

Design Toscano
17 East Campbell St.
Arlington Heights, IL 60005-1472, US
Customer Service: (800) 525-1233
Orders: (800) 525-0733
Fax: (708) 255-1180
Catalog $2
Gothic home fashions! Expensive (but very
high quality) gargoyles, tapestries, furniture,
candleholders, home decor, and some great
jewelry too ($10-$500+). Does mail-order.
[Trystan L. Bass]

Global Trade Group
P.O. Box 841, Oregon House, CA 95962, US,
(916) 692-0619
50 Chester Way, London SE11 4UR, UK,
44 171 58 22 645
gtg...@international-trade.com
Gargoyle, cherub, and skull candle holders,
cups, shelves, sconces, incense burners, boxes,
dishes, beads, and figurines ($4-$40). Does
mail-order.

Orlandi Statuary
Glo...@statue.com
Fine statuary since 1911. Has vampire and
gargoyle candle holders, statues, and such.
[Gloria Orlandi]

Morbid Tendencies
1115 Federal Ave. E
Seattle, WA 98102, US
sil...@wizards.com
Gothic accessories such as coffin-shaped
jewelry boxes, ammo box purses, gargoyles,
etc. Does mail-order.

Musings
P.O. Box 303
Salt Point, NY 12578, US
Gothic accessories such as coffin-shaped
jewelry boxes. Does mail-order.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
(800) 354-4708
Gothic and unusual bank checks (200 for
$18-$20). Does mail-order. [crimson heart]

Snapdragon Gifts
A cyberstore offering bat jewelry, bat boxes,
gargoyles and other gothic and horror inspired
gift items. Does mail-order. [Denise Connell]

Virtual Merchant - Gothic
Virtual Merchant
12291 Charloma Drive
Tustin, CA 92780, US
(888) 905-8825
In...@virtualmerchant.com
Gargoyle picture frames, figurines, candle
holders, wind chimes, etc. ($9-$30). Does
mail-order.

Victorian Papers
P.O. Box 411332
Kansas City, MO 64141, US
(800) 800-6647
They specialize in Victorian-inspired paper
products, but they also carry lots of fancy
accessories like Battenburg lace parasols and
reproduction jewelry, as well as framed prints
and trinkets like picture frames, tea cups, candle
holders, linens, and such ($12-$300). Does
mail-order. [Trystan L. Bass]

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1.7a how can I make stuff so my house/room looks
more gothic?

From: Margaret Rhodes
Some cheap ways to goth up your room: You
can buy really cool fabric for cheap on the
remnant tables at fabric stores. The
upholstery fabric in a lot of these stores is
velveteen and very sturdy and comes in huge
pieces. Some of it is brocade, which lends that
regal aura... Anyway, hang the brocade on your
walls, add tassels... instant tapestry. Staple the
velveteen to your walls... instant change, better
than wallpaper. Some of these fabrics can be
used for area rugs, too.

Get cheap candle holders in thrift stores... get
*a lot* of them, add candles... put them all on
one table. Of course, empty wine bottles of
various shapes and sizes look cool too. (Esp.
red wine, ;-)

Mosquito netting (available in import shops)
draped around your bed from ceiling to floor
adds that "webby" look...

Get old picture frames in thrift shops... big
ones. The more distressed, the better. Hang
them on your wall. Put smaller pictures inside,
in a grouping -- or hang them over a cool poster.

Dried flowers or even fresh flowers in the
process of drying... hang them upside down in a
section of your room. Looks nice that way, or
put them in a glass, vase, or whatever suits you.

Tarot cards look cool framed. Frame them in a
reading, by themselves, or just randomly under
glass. Put a piece of velvet underneath them in
the frame.

Find old (unwearable) velvet or "cool" types of
fabric clothing in a thrift store. Cut the velvet
into squares and sew cushions for your bed out
of them. Add tassels, fringe, sew cool buttons
on them... whatever!

Hang your favorite jewelry from nails in the
wall... makes it accessible and looks decorative
at the same time.

Hang black lace over your windows with
tacks. Add a long scarf over the top, as a sort of
valance (scarves with fringe on the ends look
especially nice). The black lace especially stands
out in the daytime.

Any kind of ornate border along the perimeter
of your room will lend a more "rich" feeling to
the room and draw the eye upward at the same
time. (I have one in black that is very thick with
ornate scrolls and fleur-de-lis.)

Draping sheets (dyed black or crimson) with
staples on your wall lends a nice effect. The
more billowy you drape them, the more
interesting the effect. This looks especially cool
on the wall behind your bed, as sort of a canopy
or headboard.

Draping fabric over lamps will dim them and
make the room more dramatic. Drape beads and
necklaces over the shade also! But make sure
the fabric is at least 3" from the bulb, or it could
be a fire hazard.

From: Ethereal
Me, I like to dry roses and stick them in big
mason jars. I also think that christmas lights
strung up like crazy all over the place give my
room a nice effect when I turn them on: not
quite direct light and not quite darkness.
Candles always add to the mystery of a room. I
love to drape velvet pieces and satin on all of
my free furniture with the edges all tattered up. I
also like to string up old vinyl records and cds
I didn't like from the ceiling... with the air
conditioner on it creates a slight breeze and
when they get a spinning the effect is just
priceless (may not be 'gothic' per se, but I think
it looks pretty d*mn cool). Another thing is to
cover up all your lamps with scarves. As for
bed covers... I always like black coverlets but
found black sheets uncomfortable (yes, I sleep
in semi-pink felt sheets, but d*mmit, I need my
comfort)... Gargoyles, of course, but they can be
expensive. I'm focusing on the cheap goff tricks
here... my room is such a riot of _things_
anyway. Make your own posters out of
watercolor on paper (be creative), or you can
draw on a white sheet (or a black sheet with
white) with fabric paints or acrylics.

From: Magda Bathory
Black sheets can become a multitude of
things... drapes, furniture throws, even
wallpaper with judicious use of a staple gun.
Check your local discount linens place for sales
or buy a bunch of plain light-colored sheets at
thrift stores and dye them in the washer (be sure
to run it with soap afterwards to de-stain it!).
Add some fancy cord swags with tassels from
a craft store x-mas decor section in red and gold.
You can even tie the sheets around chair legs
with them. Use red pillowcases to cover throw
pillows or bed pillows, roll them up and tie
with more cords for the look of cylindrical
bolsters. Buy unpainted plaster gargoyles,
dragons, or 'Greek' vases at a crafts store and
paint them yourself in whatever color scheme
you fancy... be sure to spray them with several
coats of clear acrylic to protect them from dust
or dampness. If you actually want to put water
in them, line them with the two-part epoxy stuff
known as Enviro-tex to be sure of a good
non-toxic seal!

From: Christabel La Motte
Curtains are one of those areas where you can
save SERIOUS money sewing -- so much of
what's available on the market is overpriced
*CRAP*.

Make your own, and you can use the same
fabric that you've used for other accessories. Or
if you're really lazy, sheets can often make nice
curtains that are easily washable and a perfect
match for your bedding... and they'll require
minimal hemming. Slap some pleating tape on
one end, and you can have spectacular-looking
curtains in an evening with no effort or thought
beyond sewing a few straight lines.

A few other ideas: scout hardware stores or
frame shops for odds and ends that can be used
as non-traditional curtain rods. Drape long
swags of fabric over said rods dramatically,
rather than fussing with hooks and tape and
such, or get swag hooks and do the same.
Improvise!

From: Trystan L. Bass
Not all curtains require sewing. Get long, long
lengths of cheap fabric -- muslin looks nice and
is frequently 99 cents a yard (don't overlook
sheets and thrift-shop fabrics too). Wind it
around your old curtain rods, leaving long
lengths at each end. Allow the fabric to 'puddle'
on the floor (no hemming necessary). This is
admittedly a decorative look, not functional. But
you could add mini-blinds or shades (which, if
you have average size windows, can be cheap)
or second-hand sheers.

Tab-top style curtains don't require much
sewing (could even be done by hand or use that
iron-on no-sew tape). Can either drape fabric
over the top or make a valance out of cardboard
and hot-glue fabric over it (I've seen this done
on lots of how-to home decorating tv shows ;-).

Another fun thing or around the house is
gothically decorated candles. This is an idea
from Rubberstampmadness magazine that is
pretty cool, IMHO (and makes nice gifts!). Get
cheap pillar candles. Stamp designs onto tissue
paper -- color and emboss, as desired. Cut out
the designs and place on the candle (wet the
edges of the paper a little to make it stick, but do
not glue). With an embossing tool or heat gun
(often sold as paint strippers), warm the candle
area over the tissue paper design. Do this
carefully, until the wax slowly melts and
absorbs the tissue paper, then turn off the heat.
The design will then appear to blend into the
candle.

This project is easiest if you've already collected
a bunch of goth-ish rubber stamps, like I have.
I've got tons o' skulls, skeletons, bats, cats, celtic
knots, demons, fairies, and the like. I did white
candles, but if you get colored candles and have
tissue paper that matches, it should work too.

related web links:

alt.gothic.arts-and-crafts
http://www.haas.berkeley.edu/~tmiller/aga-a-c.htm
A collection a.g.f. posts about crafty little projects.

is your room spooky enough?
http://www.novaproj.org/~gabriel/roomgothic.html
A collection of a.g.f. posts on the subject of how to
make your room more gothic.

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1.8 i'm visiting city x soon -- are there any good
goth stores there?

Check out these goth city/country guides (for
goth nightclubs, check out the International
Gothic Club List at
http://www.vamp.org/Gothic/clublist.html):

Australia:
The Aus.Culture.Gothic FAQ
http://www.omen.com.au/~synic/goth/auscg.htm

Boston, Massachusetts, US:
Newbury's Underground Guide to Boston
http://www.newbury.com/guide.htm

Cincinnati, Ohio, US:
Cincinnati -- What's a Goth to Do?
http://www.uc.edu/~poppac/cincy_guide.html

Los Angeles, California, US:
HalluciNet (gothic e-zine)
http://www.hallucinet.com/
and
LA-Goth-L Email List Info.
http://www.necronomi.com/elists/lagoth-l/

Montreal, Canada:
Black Page for a Blue Boy Montreal Gothic Resources
http://www.odyssee.net/~apathy/gothic/gothic2.html

New York, New York, US:
NYCgoth-L Email List Info. and Archives
http://www.necronomi.com/elists/nycgoth-l/
and
Ph0ebus' Guide to Gotham City Shopping
http://www.necronomi.com/elists/nycgoth-l/locations.html

Oregon and Washington, US:
Industrial Gothick Northwest
http://www.oz.net/~czone/ign/

Portland, Oregon, US:
Monk's Guide to Portland
http://www.neo.com/Monk/Portland/guide.html

San Francisco, California, US:
The Black Pages Directory
http://www.reed.edu/~pwilk/black/black.htm

Seattle, Washington, US:
Caustic Seattle Compendium
http://www.oz.net/~evad/
and
Seattle After Dark
http://www.eskimo.com/~prote/seattle/

Southern Ontario, Canada:
Monk's Abbey of the Blade Gothic Events and Resources
http://www.goth.org/events/

Other US cities:
Check out Boulevards at
http://www.boulevards.com/cities/
It's not explicitly gothic, but it's got lots of alternative
nightclub, shopping, dining, vegetarian, gay and lesbian,
and other off-the-beaten path info.

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2.1 what should I use to dye my hair an unusual color
like purple, green, blue, etc.?

General info.: If you have naturally dark hair,
you will have to bleach your hair to some extent
if you want to get truly bright colors. Putting
purple dye on dark hair, especially untreated
hair, will result in pale highlights or tints at the
most. If you have never bleached or lightened
your hair before, you might want to have a
professional do it for you at first. After you
bleach streaks or your bangs or whatever, then
you can apply the purple hair dye and it should
show up. Most unusual color hair dyes are
temporary, though some may permanently stain
very pale hair.

From: Sande
Manic Panic and Directions are pretty much
the same thing. The color that Manic Panic has
on its guides is what you would get if you had
White Hair. So don't even bother thinking you
can get that color with your ultra-dark hair.
Manic Panic will also lovingly dye everything
else but your hair. To help Manic Panic take,
don't rinse it out for a long while, and then when
you do, use conditioner afterwards.

From: Gnat Hammerstrom
With Directions and Manic Panic stuff, the
darker colors have a better chance of showing
up on dark, natural, or otherwise healthy hair.
Just be sure to layer the stuff on thick and leave
it in as long as possible. Normally, this stuff is
supposed to work for weeks at a time, but on
healthy hair, you're lucky to survive two
washes.

From: Trystan L. Bass
Another interesting dye is the Clairol Torrids
series. They're permanent dyes that you mix
with peroxide, tho' the colors don't veer *too*
far away from natural hues. Their Bodacious
Burgundy is pretty cool, and the blue-black has
a lot more blue than any I've seen. The rest of
the Torrids are variations on bright reds and
blondes.

From: Christabel La Motte
I've been dying my hair with semi-permanent
(Natural Instincts) red shades for about two
years now. Reds are particularly notorious for
fading quickly. However, I've had noticeably
good luck in keeping the color brighter longer
by using hair products, like L'Oreals Colorvive
conditioner, that contain a UV block. If you're
tired of having to do touch-ups before your
roots have even grown in, look into using a
conditioner or styling product with a similar UV
blocking effect.

From: insijma
I have got relatively boring darkish brown hair
and have been trying to dye it purple for years. I
have found the solution Stargazer 'magenta' (2
bottles) stayed purple for 2 washes then faded to
a pinkish red color that lasted a month. There
was no need to bleach it. I did however be a tad
naughty and leave it on for and hour and a half. I
can get in Glasgow and Edinburgh only.

From: Julia
I just tried Punky Colors hair dye which is a
US brand but you can buy it in England too I
think. Anyway, my medium->dark brown hair
usually laughs hysterically at hair dye and
ignores it. However, one container of tulip red
and half a plum have dyed my hair dark reddish
pink and purple. Mind you, the dye is still
bleeding when I wash my hair (3rd wash) but
the color is staying in and looking better. I left it
on my head for 14hrs which may explain why
it's in my hair so well. Put a plastic bag on my
head and slept on it, which I highly recommend
doing. Also, for people in the US, use Apple
brand pectin conditioning pack. Makes your hair
happy after making it sad by chemically abusing
it.

From: Otterley
My hairdresser uses Farmesi hair coloring... it
comes in primary colors (i.e. red, green, blue)
and you mix them together to get whatever color
you desire! It's also supposed to be at least
semi-permanent. She used it to dye her son's
hair a nice shade of blue. Her son is 7! :) She
says they import it from Italy, and that it's
virtually impossible to get unless you run a
salon.

From: blue girl
i have another method for dying hair. it lasts
longer than anything i have tried before, stays in
darker and dyes over darker colors of hair. (all
except black)

it might seem a little odd and strange that
someone might even try this. but i have been
using biological and chemical indicators
intended on testing the pH or to staining
cartilage, tissue and bones. i know it doesn't
sound safe, but so far i have found that the
methylene indicators such as methyl green and
methylene blue have worked wonders. of
course, this is only available to people who have
a way into biology and chemistry labs. the best
way is to get the concentrated powder form, mix
it with a little bit of water and brush in. leave it
in for an hour and you have vibrant hair. i kept it
dark dark purple for a month before stripping it
and doing it another color, while things like
manic panic only last a few days.

From: Darren Grant
To all the people who have questions on how to
dye their hair a funky color and have it last, I, as
a hair artist, would recommend: generally,
having a professional do it because we have
access to excellent color lines like Farmesi ,
who does have outstanding permanent colors.
Another way to go is to use the Punky Colors
and overlay them with Sebastian's
Colourshines or one could have Sebastian's
Colourshines straight because it is pure color
that will only deposit color and condition and it
does not fade as fast as Punky Color, Manic
Panic and Kool-Aid. One concern that I have for
those people out there who are coloring on their
own, is keeping the integrity of the hair because
bleaching is needed to achieve the maximum
results, I couldn't STRESS any more to use
professional products to keep the hair healthy.
When doing so you will probably find that your
color will stay in a lot longer.

Some more brand names that have been
suggested on a.g.f. (particularly in reference to
burgundy and red hair dyes) include:

Castings, Cellophanes, Clairol Naturalistics,
Colorations by L'Oreal, Directions, Jazzing,
Natural Instincts, and Prisms. Many of these are
available in either drug stores or beauty supply
stores.

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2.2 how can I dye my dark hair white?

From: Dita
I keep my hair white and have a few tips from a
hairdresser. After bleaching (Born Blonde is
great stuff), deep conditioning, and drying, use a
Clairol color with a violet base and 20 volume
peroxide ( I have naturally dark brown hair and
use 40 volume myself). This really takes out the
yellow since violet is yellow's direct opposite on
the color scale. Also, Clairol Shimmer Lights
shampoo can be applied to dry hair to be even
more effective. Leave on no more that 15
minutes and check a few strands every five
minutes to see the effect. Be careful, if left on
too long it will turn your hair lavender. Also, the
ends of your hair tend to be more porous than
the roots, and they will absorb the
shampoo/color faster than the roots. In order to
keep from frying your hair, don't re-bleach the
ends -- just keep bleaching the roots as needed.

From: Wozzeck
I have been dying my hair white (from dark
brown) for almost two years. Last time I went
into the beauty supply store, the girl working
there asked my advice on what to use, so I
thought I'd share the method I use.

Needed:
Rubber Gloves
Cheap Towel
Wooden Stirrer
Paul Mitchell Conditioner (leave-in style)
Clairol 20 Volume Ultra Blue Creme Developer
Clairol Tint and Tone Applicator
Clairol Born Blonde
Clairol Lightening Activators (3)
TreSemme 4+4 Hot Oil
TreSemme 4+4 Hot Oil Shampoo
TreSemme 4+4 Hot Oil Conditioner
Shimmer Lights Original Shampoo (Purple)
Shimmer Lights Original Conditioner (Purple)
Beautique Anti-Static brush
Clairol Toner 5 Levels Lift Violet (Platinum
Blonde)

Take the leave-in conditioner and put it on the
ends of your hair. This minimizes hair frying.
Put on rubber gloves, have cheap towel nearby,
and then pour all three Lightening Activators
into the Applicator, 4 oz. of the Creme
Developer and 2 oz. of Born Blonde. Stir with
the wooden stirrer. Apply to hair: be sure to
cover all of your hair. If you have really long
hair, you might need to double up on the
ingredients: better safe than sorry.

When applying, try to keep off of scalp as much
as possible. Use the towel to wipe off any that
gets on your skin, ears, etc. 20 volume is the
weakest developer, thus safest for your skin and
hair.

Leave in for 45-60 min. Continue to reapply or
add developer as necessary (when your hair
stars drying, keep it wet with or if one area isn't
lightening as fast as the surrounding area, hit it).
If your scalp starts to really burn or hurt (a very
mild discomfort is OK): STOP
IMMEDIATELY!

Wash out the mixture. Apply heated hot oil
treatment (leave in a minute) and rinse.

Now the shampoos: 4+4 shampoo is great
because it is thick and heavy and protective of
your hair. Purple shampoo will wash out
yellows and get that white look. I use about a
50-50 to 75-25 of 4+4 to Shimmering Lights.
Condition with a similar mixture and then apply
more leave-in conditioner. Conditioner is your
friend. Anti-static brushes are the least likely to
tear brittle, tangled hair, so use them.

At this point, if you have brown or lighter hair,
you should have yellow gold hair. If you have
dark hair, you might need to repeat the above:
wait at least a week. To get yellow gold hair to
the platinum white, use the Clairol Toner and
Creme Developer. I would wait about week
after doing the Born Blonde routine.

Continue to use the 4+4 as your
shampoo/conditioner and end with leave-in
conditioner. Use a hot oil treatment once a week
or as needed. Paul Mitchell makes an excellent
"Super Charged" conditioner you might want, if
needed.

What do I mean by if needed? Your hair should
always feel soft, heavy and oily. It won't look
greasy, because it will be white, so don't worry.
Use the purple shampoo as needed. Continue to
use it until your hair takes a faint purplish tint
(very faint) and then hold off until a yellow tint
returns, etc.

I would never do this to permed or other
damaged hair. Colored hair might take longer to
strip (Effasol strips dye out of hair, and leaves
hair a bozo orange).

I am not, was not, and never will be a
hairdresser: I am only conveying what I do to
myself and what works on friends. Do this at
your own risk and don't sue me [or the faq
maintainer!] if you fuck up.

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