Monday for me means new beginnings, so it’s the perfect day to launch my weekly series ‘Shopping In The Dark.’Every Monday I will feature a post dedicated to four macarbe Etsy shops that I’m infatuated with.
I hope you enjoy my strange selection and if you would like to recommend a macabre shop for me to investigate, be sure to get in touch at katiemariemetcalfe@hotmail.co.uk or leave a comment in the box below.
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It was the words ‘pine cone natural lip balm’ that drew me to the For Strange Women Etsy cave. This strange apothecary offers natural botanical perfume, entirely handmade from scratch in the United States. As well as lip balm and perfume, For Strange Women also offers the most beautiful perfume jewellery I’ve ever encountered.
The wild harvested and organic ingredients that are used in their wide array of products – they currently hold 84 products in their shop – are sourced from around the globe. One of the things that I adore about this shop is the time and attention that goes into the packaging and presentation of their goods. From the exquisite font used on their Clove Natural Lipbalm tin, to the beautiful arrangement of the foresty props used in the photograph of their Cardamom and Spruce perfume.
Browsing the Strange Woman Etsy Store makes for a sense-tingling, enthralling experience. I mean who would fail to be enticed by a perfume collection with the name Moongarden? Or seduced by Coyote Unisex Cologne, a scent featuring wood, neroli and bergamot?
The four perfect products below are on my 30th birthday wyrdlist…but I can tell you, it wasn’t easy to select just four. You’ll know exactly what I mean when you have made your way to the For Strange Woman shop.
Winter Kitty Natural Perfume Oil
November in the Temperate Deciduous Forest
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I don’t recall when I came across the gorgeously creepy art of Sophia Rapata…but I kind of like it that way. I like the mystery behind my discovery. One thing I do recall though was my immediate obsession with her highly original, ominous creations. My obsession grew threefold when I crept into her Etsy About Page and was giving a brief but tantalizing video tour around her fantastically strange studio.
This full-time introverted artist paints her wyrd and wonderful creations using watercolours, inks and coffee. But it’s not only paintings that she breathes life to…but dolls and music as well.
Making my way slowly though the prints she has available at her Etsy shop is an experience which leaves a bone deep impression. No matter how many times I return, I am still bewitched and left shaken but smiling. I think cutting off my fingers would have been an easier choice than needing to select four prints…but I did it. Eventually.
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As a self-confessed wyrdo, I proudly state that I was instantly lured by the name Old Black Goat the moment it appeared on my Etsy feed. I mean, what wyrdo wouldn’t be? As I clicked my way through the eclectic stock available – careful not to be too quick and miss anything – I found myself saying ‘would buy, would buy, would buy…’ Basically I would buy every patch in this shop without a moments hesitation. Fuck, I’m planning on dedicating a full leather jacket to the offerings that Old Black Goat provides.
But it’s not just patches offered by the Canadian based Old Black Goat (fucking hell, that name. Perfection.) There’s strange jewellry, belt buckles, journals and obscure knick knacks too. But it was the patches which really made my pulse quicken, especially The Witch’s Black Phillip “Live Deliciously” patch. This patch was made in homage to Robert Eggers debut film, “The Witch” and features a white ink screen printed goat (from a medieval woodcut) on black canvas.
I have a document on my desktop which features links to products that I’m going to invest in the moment some money wings its way into my bank account, and the list features these four unparalleled patches which will be introduced to my leather sooner rather than later.
The Witch’s Black Phillip “Live Deliciously” patch
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One of the things that I truly value about Etsy is the unpredictability. You never know what you’re going to see from one day to the next…this is why it’s one of my favourite places on the internet. Dr. Morose & Miss Macabre’s Wicked, Little Shoppe is one of my latest strange discoveries. This bizarre art collaborative is based in California and unleashes abominations in the forms of dolls and poppets.
I don’t have a lot of knick knacks in my home. A few bones here, a couple of antlers there, but I can clearly envisage where I’d place one of their strange little specimens. While I’m talking, I need to mention that their website is an eerie experience not to be missed. I strongly suggest grabbing a hot drink, turning off the lights and paying it a visit.
Sadly the Krampus Ornament Poppet that had drawn me to this sinister space on the web had sold by the time I had made my way there, but here the four choices I would make if I were to make a monetary deal with the devil.
Celebrating the strange and the shadowy, the damned and unseen 