Tattoo Kitsch of Terry Bradley

Local Northern Irish artist Terry Bradley's dockers & pin-up girls have made old school tattoo images accessible for those who before might have thought tatts just meant tack.

My husband & I are both heavily tattooed with old school designs (swallows, dice, skull & crossbones, sharks, ships) so Bradley's work was an easy choice for a Christmas present for us last year from my parents-in-law.

I have very few things hanging on our walls that I wouldn't tag as 'ugly art', this is one of them. We have two, but this is my favourite. Sailortown Hero.

Claire

Blinging Mirrored Dresser

Landlady, I love you. Take a peak at the dresser in our bedroom. We took a look at the still attached, vintage store price tag & almost fainted.

Classy kitsch here, nice vintage design rather than my typical ugly taste.

It also had a huge mirror behind it, so there was no escaping your reflection in the bedroom. Two weeks ago I came home to find the cord holding it had snapped & it had crashed down smashing part of the table top of the dresser.
Sad day for furniture.

Claire

Art Deco Tea Set

I bought the rest of the Russ Metro Garden items that were on sale at the garden centre.
Gotta love those shapes.

Claire

Halloween Tree

Here is the whole tree, mentioned yesterday. A black, plastic Woolworths Xmas tree, obviously intended to be a classy item at the correct season, adorned with skull tinsel & the knitted figures.

The skeleton tinsel is a Halloween item, but without the tree I'm not sure where the gods of holiday decoration expect us to drape it.

Lovely Tim Burtonesque stripey star on top completes the odd picture.

I'm still not entirely sure if it's too Christmassy, maybe decorating a big fake potted plant would be better, but for this Halloween it's staying up.

Claire

Kitsch Knitted Halloween Toys

It's the 1st of October, so now I'm a 'grown up' with my own home, I can decorate it up to high hell with as much Spookcore as I desire!

In the coming weeks I'll reveal all my Halloween goodies, but today it's the turn of my hand-knitted hanging decorations.

We have a mini-black Christmas tree which I have previously used at the appropriate time of year as a goth Xmas tree, but this Halloween I'm just putting it up anyway to hang things on.
It's not a new feature of the living room to have fairy lights on the go, so it doesn't look as mental as it would in a normal house! Photos in the next few days.

The knitted figures were bought in the Oxfam shop in Bangor, N.Ireland. Seasonal knitted items appear through out the year, chicks at Easter, puddings at Christmas, and these were just too cool to not buy all three.

They were bought two years ago, but may well appear in the shop again if anyone is looking to buy them.

The ghost with the knitted ball & chain is my personal favourite.

Claire

Fiesta Crockery by Baker Brothers

Fiesta design, one of the many Homemaker rip offs of the time.
Two saucers.

Claire

Our Lady of Grace Candle

Another piece of religious kitsch. I'm not Catholic so I don't know the form, but I think these candles adorned with various saints are lit when you want to pray to the person in question.

£2 for a wee cheapy shop in Yorkgate.

Claire

Halloween Decoration Begins! Properly Creepy Picture

I can't remember the name of this famous painting of a farmer & his wife, the original of which spooks me enough.

It won't surprise you that I tend to go overboard with festive decorating, Halloween is a entire house-dressing occassion which lasts all through October.

Asda the past few years have been a surprising source of American style (eg. Excessive) Halloween house decor.

Last year I got one of these holographic pictures in faux gothic frame of a Napolean figure. Got this one today again in Asda for £2.
I'll be posting all my Halloween decorations over the coming weeks; once I start putting them up (tomorrow!).

Claire