Creepster Cast 2013

Thank you everyone for your input on what creature might make a good sixth character for the Bindlegrim cast this year of 2013 Halloween! In fact, I have one character more than I had planned.. and so I have decided to do some special things, as far as numbering and availability... (Don't forget too that these portraits are just sneak peeks of what in future will be a four-sided candy-container lantern).

Spot #6 (regular cast member) is now taken by a creepy clown who, by one comment, appears from the sloppy make-up job to have been vivisected. This weirdo has also tarted itself up in baby blue, mauve and pink polka dots... a real carnival geek. Eek!

Extra #7 (not officially part of the cast) is a haunted house with a quartet of skeletons lurking about the premises. While in general I might decide on different production amounts, depending on what might sale best - (re: devils & witches don't do so well in some states, and a clown maybe not such a hot item for Halloween (?) while in reverse of that alot of folks loved the cat)... so I'm seeing the haunted house as a very limited run at a larger size compared to the smaller six. (And just perhaps it's their six faces that will appear on the transparencies)...

Well, more details to follow. Just so happy to get these characters down as a set for the coming year! I have an inkling that there may be a Bindlegrim 2012 vintage-style Halloween lantern with the six 2013 character faces on the panes... hmmmm....

Halloween Lantern for a Haunted House

12 Eerie Visions of Creeps and Chills, Glow for HALLOWE'EN Thrills!

Bindlegrim vintage-style 2012 Halloween Hex Lanterns are officially here, with one listed as of yesterday evening via ebay (ending 2/19)! So I wanted to share a spooky batch of detail photos taken of this old school lantern featuring all new Bindlegrim imagery. (Below is the lantern front and back in its packaging).

This is style #3 The Haint House - a limited edition of only 5 offering this particular Bindlegrim imagery. As mentioned in a previous entry (The Haint House Halloween Lantern) inspiration came from vintage images of haunted houses - and unlike the old lanterns usually displaying a repeat of 6 images - these new lanterns offer 12 distinct panels (also because I have so much fun creating the images). The Haint House reveals doors, windows, and cracks, oozing with skeletons, mice, ghosts, mice, ghouls, mice, witches,  mice, bugs, snakes, mice, zombies, and other Halloween oddities such a winged moon with sharp teeth.

Here is a flickr gallery of The Haint House that shows the Halloween lantern from various viewpoints - hung in pendant style, with detail shots and in its packaging.

For consideration of the materials of this paper novelty - the lantern frame is made from acid-free 2-ply matt board with a nod to archival quality. The images are printed of durable laser-prints on vellum. And just like the good old days are Made in the USA and hand assembled. Holes are in top for string or thin wire for hanging: (I didn't wire any of these as to keep them pristine - so the photos below show it hanging by the flip switch on the socket --- not recommended for long term placement).

It's hard to tell in current photos (created more for detail rather than mood) but I'm using a 3 watt flicker bulb from the local hardware store in this lantern (and suggest either this or a battery operated candle). It creates the perfect eerie ambiance since the vellum allows low light to shine brightly. Any hotter/brighter bulbs, open flames, or moisture are not advised since this is a fragile paper novelty, and those are the very same terrors that warped, burnt, and destroyed vintage lanterns from the 1920-30s.

If you have any questions on availability of any limited edition styles --- (still hoping to see earlier versions for #1 The Pumpkin Dream and #2 The Cornish Litany follow soon) --- feel free to contact me.

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In other notes - I want, in future, to get a list of additional links for great vintage holiday artists and sellers, but in the meantime wanted to mention a wonderful seller that I've had the pleasure of purchasing items from in the recent past - 55audrey.

The seller offers a long-time popular booth on Bonanza (Audrey Grace Vintage) as well as Ebay (Book Shop) --- and also provides holiday tidbits through a newsletter and twitter. Recommended!

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Happy Valentine's Day everyone and heres to more haunted fun throughout the year of 2012.