Shock Stock 2015

What a weekend! What a show! This was my fifth trip to London, Ontario for the craziness that is known as Shock Stock. It is an annual Horror Convention put on by the dynamic duo James and Jake. Every year the Con gets bigger and better. This year was no exception. Special guests included Tony Todd (Candyman) and Eugene Clark (Big Daddy).

I had a great time this year vending with my good friends Scary Kerri from Black Orchid Designs and Zack from The Vault. I even set up a table to read Tarot this year. I had an awesome time doing readings the whole weekend. I will definitely do that again next year. 

I was lucky enough to snag a photo with both Tony Todd and Eugene Clark in it. And I picked up an autograph from both of them as well. There were lots of great guests at the convention this year but I keep autographs to a minimum because Cons can be expensive! Here are a few other guests including Miss Shock Stock, Toxic Avenger, and Zombie Jesus Maggot. 

The best part of Shock Stock this year was the awesome vendors. The first year I went to this small Con it was basically just the Horror Guests and tables full of VHS and DVDs for sale by collectors. Shock Stock is still the best Con for VHS. No other show has so many vendors that bring their personal collections of VHS to sell. I even had baskets full of horror VHS and DVDs to sell as well. 

This year there was a definite shift to more diverse vendors. This year there were artists, crafters, jewelry designers, and clothing designers alongside the tables of VHS. I wanted to showcase a few of my favourite designers and artists from the show below:

Midnight Desires- gorgeous hand made jewelry. Every time I see this designer I have to buy a new piece. What makes her designs so different is the attention to detail. 

Pixie Fashions- I've bought quite a few things from Pixie Fashions now. She has everything for your home including mugs with your favourite monsters on them, embroidered towels, and printed pillows. 

Slay It Mosaic- Painstakingly handmade glass mosaics of horror characters. The display was awesome and huge!

Kit Daven- Horror author who also makes the most adorable brain cupcakes and tiny Lovecraftian monsters. 

Sean Chappell- Gorgeous artwork. I wish I had bought a few prints at the show but I'm sure I will see him again soon. 

Roadkill Jill Creations- this artists sells everything from jewelry to wet specimens in jars. 

Rotten Rags- I couldn't resist picking up a new Elvira tee from this vender. And the glow in the dark tees were pretty cool too. 

Dark Sunshine Skullz- Awesome day of the dead skulls, dead little angels, and funny tees. 

It's Alive- all the zombies you can handle! Everything you need to zombify your home.  

Gracie Klutz- I loved her pinup headbands. She had the best selection of fabrics. Adorable!

So it was a fun show and I hope to see everyone again next year!

Fashion Inspiration: Penny Dreadful

Recently I came across an announcement from Hot Topic that they are doing a fashion collection based on the TV show Penny Dreadful. Considering how much I love this show and how I am inspired by Eva Green's wardrobe as Vanessa Ives I was curious to see what Hot Topic had come up with. Well... The dresses are pretty and I like the jacket but they are not exactly Victorian inspired and I'm pretty sure they are the usual Hot Topic quality. Ugh. Have a look for yourself! All images are from Pinterest and the Hot Topic website.

You can also watch the Hot Topic video here.

As you can see the designs are pretty normal. Nothing special really. I'm not saying I wouldn't wear them. In fact I might even buy a few when they come out but they are certainly not special. Maybe I should design a collection of my own that actually looks like something that Vanessa would wear! 

Here a few pics from the TV show that show the detail and quality of the costumes used on the show. I love her wardrobe! I really want to make that coat this year. All the images used were gathered from Pinterest. 

As for the show, it has moved up the ladder to become one of my favourite new shows. It's dark, gothic, and exactly what I love in a horror themed show. It has all the classic horror monsters like Dr. Frankenstein and his monster, vampires, a werewolf, and evil witches.  The sets and the costumes are top notch. The story lines are interesting, it is well written, and the actors are fantastic. What more do you want from a show? If you haven't checked it out yet, you should give it a go! Here is the teaser video for season 2.