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alt.gothic.fashion.faq [part 10/12]

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Trystan L. Bass

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Jan 15, 1998, 3:00:00 AM1/15/98

Newsgroups:alt.gothic.fashion,alt.gothic
Subject: alt.gothic.fashion.faq [part 10/12]
Followup-To: poster
From: tr...@toreadors.com
Summary: This posting attempts to answer some of the frequently
asked questions in the newsgroup alt.gothic.fashion,
particularly about stores and mail-order resources.
Archive-name: gothic-fashion-faq/part10
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Last Modified: December 7, 1997
Version: 4.0
URL: http://www.toreadors.com/gothfash/

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1.7 where can i buy stuff to make my house/room
more gothic?

Morbid Tendencies
c/o Windy Lewis
1115 Federal Ave. East
Seattle, WA 98102, US
http://www.drizzle.com/~morbid/
sil...@wizards.com
Gothic accessories including coffin-shaped
jewelry boxes, ammo box purses, gargoyles,
chess sets, leather belts and collars, etc. Does
mail-order and custom work.

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

Orlandi Statuary
224 West Park St.
Edwardsville, IL 62025, US
(618) 692-1121
http://www.statue.com/
glo...@statue.com
Fine statuary since 1911. Has vampire and
gargoyle candle holders, among other types of
statuary. [Gloria Orlandi]

Oriental Trading Company
P.O. Box 3407
Omaha, NE 68103-0407, US
(800) 327-9678
Free catalog
Sells novelties and junk toys at wholesale prices.
Of gothic interest are the votive candles (dozen
for $2) and Halloween decorations like plastic
skulls ($4), plastic skeletons ($10-$20), plastic
bats (two dozen for $14), strings of skeleton
lights ($7), plastic 3D wall art ghosts/demons
(looks like it's emerging from the wall; $6), and
plastic glow-in-the-dark bead curtains ($8). Does
mail-order. [Trystan L. Bass]

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
P.O. Box 150
Milford, NH 03055, US
Phone: (800) 354-4708
Fax: (603) 673-4576
http://rosencrantz.com/
Gothic and fine-art bank checks (200 for
$18-$20), plus stationary and nightlights. Does
mail-order (online catalog only). [crimson heart]

Skullduggery, Inc.
624 South B St.
Tustin, CA 92680, US
This catalog is a gold mine. They sell
museum-quality replica skulls and claws.
Everything from a dire wolf skull to a saber
tooth lion skull. They also sell human skulls as
well as many other types of hominids, bears, cats,
canines, cattle, and dinosaurs. If you are into
bones, skulls, or paleontology, check them out.
They are pretty expensive ($50-$500), but it is
worth it. [Chad Redmon]

Snapdragon Gifts
http://www.snapdragongifts.com/
wit...@snapdragongifts.com
A cyberstore offering bat jewelry, bat boxes,
gargoyles and other gothic and horror inspired
gift items. Does mail-order (online catalog only).
[Denise Connell]

Virtual Merchant - Gargoyles
12291 Charloma Dr.
Tustin, CA 92780, US
Customer Service: (714) 544-0136
Orders: (888) 905-8825
Fax: (714) 544-0421
http://www.virtualmerchant.com/gargoyles/
Custome...@virtualmerchant.com
Gargoyle picture frames, figurines, candle
holders, etc. ($9-$30). Does mail-order (online
catalog only).

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.

From: Tom Mary Dobrowolsky
Hang anything and everything you want to...
whether it is something you use or whether it is
Completely Useless Cool Stuff. Some of the
things on my walls include a tri-cornered hat,
sabre, various chains and little tools, postcards,
travel memorabilia, hanging candle holders. I
also found some old Soviet geologic maps and
stratigraphic charts with typed Cyrillic text. I
hung up a few of those and hung a magnifying
glass over a section of one -- pointing at some
random text.

Personally, I suppose I have a fetish for hanging
things and displaying small items. Populate your
walls and ceilings, I say! Conversely, the actual
floorspace decor is quite minimal...only a
dresser, a mattress, and a coffee table with piles
of clothes on it (which the cat has claimed as a
bed).

From: SmokeSerpent
Take one of those cheesy country craft wooden
shelves (preferably one without hearts and teddy
bears) with pegs to hang things on and paint it all
black and any design of your choice over that. It
looks really great with candles burning on the
top, and I hung all of my assorted necklaces and
chokers on the pegs.

From: Thessaly
I don't have the most "goth" room in the world,
mainly because I'm always on the verge of
moving and I don't want to put too much into this
room, but a few things that I have done are:
I have these curtain rods that were about $10
each at Wal-Mart. They're made to look like
wrought iron with gold veining and spear ends
and are very light- weight. I've wound black
tulle around them, left the ends hanging down to
the windowsill (this is a short, wide window over
my bed), and shredded the ends.

Hang weird things. A friend who works in
ceramics made me a small "green man" shelf that
is lightweight enough to hang with 2 small nails; I
have a little brass communion-type cup sitting on
it. I have small velvet bags hanging from the
walls. I have a shelf with a lot of candleholders
and my dresser is covered with candles and
doilies. I have several masks (some handpainted
by me) hanging, and a lot of medieval and
pre-raphaelite art in between music, film, and
comic book posters. I also stick posters to the
sides of shelves, have postcards everywhere, etc.,
etc. I have a small ceramic box with my cat's
ashes in it. It's all in the mood of artistic
clutter.

You can do things to modify the light in your
room, but I wouldn't recommend it if you're an
irregular sleeper: I can't have blankets or heavy
curtains over the windows because I would never
wake up on time if I did. However, in the
"overhead" light, I have a blue lightbulb, and my
other main light source is a halogen floor lamp
with a dimmer switch, so I have a great deal of
control over what kind of light comes into the
room.

From: Sean Hexed
In some craft stores (like Michael's) they have
scroll-bodied, flat topped plaster wall sconces.
Many of them have a hole running side to side
through them. They are perfect for mounting on
either side of your windows and putting an iron
curtain rod through the holes. I've done this with
dark almost burgundy velvet curtains and a bunch
of white Mexican jar candles atop them. It'll look
bitchin' with the "longer than the floor" curtains.

From: Sarah
when redecorating i use two of my favorite
things, halloween decorations and a ton of
glow in the dark things. decorations are on
sale cheap about four months before halloween
and almost free around thanksgiving. glow in the
dark things are always pretty cheap.

related web links:

http://www.toreadors.com/martha/
Gothic Martha Stewart -- Do it yourself home
decor for the morbidly inclined.

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

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

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Below is a list of goth city/country guides. Also
check out Gothic City Info. at
http://www.interlog.com/~silentq/travel.html,
a *long* list of tips, suggestions, and links perfect
for gothic visitors to a great many cities around
the world.

For goth nightclubs, try the International Gothic
Club List at http://www.vamp.org/Gothic/clublist.html.

Atlanta, Georgia, US:
http://www.avana.net/~elenni7/atlanta.html
Atlanta Gothic/Industrial Scene

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

Boston, Massachusetts, US:
http://sinister.com/~purp/netgoth/
Boston After Midnight
and
http://www.newbury.com/guide.htm
Newbury's Underground Guide to Boston

Charleston, South Carolina, US:
http://members.aol.com/chasgoth/
Charleston Gothic

Charlotte, North Carolina, US:
http://angst.webserve.net/~eldritch/chapel.html
Chapel of Sorrows

Chicago, Illinois, US:
http://www.yourplanb.com/gothchgo/
Gothic Chicago
and
http://www.tezcat.com/~exile/chindex.html
Chicago Gothic Page

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

Colorado, US:
http://waynesworld.ucsd.edu/~sbowman/co-goths.html
Colorado Net.Goths

Devner, Colorado US:
http://www.Dimensional.com/~valanian
Darkness Over Devner

Los Angeles, California, US:
http://www.hallucinet.com/
HalluciNet (gothic e-zine)
and
http://www.necronomi.com/elists/lagoth-l/
LA-Goth-L Email List Info.
and
http://www.batbones.com/belfry/westwing.html
Gothic Guide to Hollywood

Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, US:
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/1059/gothtwincities.html
Goth Twin Cities

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

Nashville, Tennessee, US:
http://www.geocities.com/Nashville/1663/
Gothic Scene in Nashville

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

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

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US:
http://www.lacemaker.com/phillygoth/
Philadelphia Goth Scene

San Diego, California, US:
http://www.sdgoth.org/
San Diego Gothic/Industrial Community

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

Santa Barbara, California, US:
http://www.rain.org/~carcajou/sbdark.html
The Darkside of Santa Barbara

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

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

United Kingdom:
http://www.darkwave.org.uk/~dok/Helix/
UK Goth Scene

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

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2.1 how can i dye my hair an unnatural 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, unnatural 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
including 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.

From: Corinne
I use Punky Colours, and it stays in for months
after a little initial fading. Before dying, wash
hair with shampoo once or twice, and
dishwashing soap or hand soap afterward to get it
really clean. It helps the dye take, but isn't really
good for your hair. The drier your hair when
applying dye, the better. For long hair (actually
anything over about four inches), do sections, put
them into pin curls, and let it stay in overnight.
When you go to take the pincurls out, you'll end
up with interesting "dreads" that wash out. I
usually leave mine in for a few days, and once the
dye is dry it doesn't much come off. Just be
careful about rainstorms and sweating. If the dye
does happen to drip, I've had some luck with cold
cream, but GOOP hand cleaner (get it at
hardware stores) works the best, and it is really
gentle, smells OK, and works on just about
everything, even clothing stains.

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.