Rather than picking up your zombie-inspired hair accessories from Hot Topic, you may want to peruse the amazing work from Lipstattoo Designs.  You’ll find a wonderful collection of handmade, horror-themed trinkets, jewelry, accessories, and more. From The Human Centipede necklace to a “Cereal Killer” bowl, Rachel Lipstattoo delivers one-of-a-kind crafts that are sure to spark conversations and inspire jealousy from fellow fans of the macabre. Showing us how horror can be beautiful, check out our interview with the incredibly talented Rachel.

The Blood Sprayer (TBS): Why do you think you’re into horror? Have you been interested since childhood or was it a later development in life?

Rachel Lipstattoo (RL): My interest in horror did come later in life, probably around 11/12, but I was always a movie fan and it was predominantly comedy. When I was younger, I use to have night terrors. I would wake up screaming and sweating from my sleep and would be really traumatized. My mum took me to the doctor’s about it.  One of the suggestions they had was to put posters of happy smiling, fluffy things on my ceiling above my bed, so that would be the last thing I would see before I went to sleep and therefore, hopefully be the thing I would dream about.

Our local video shop would give away posters for films they no longer needed to advertise for, so we popped along there to see if there were any that I would like to fall asleep to. I picked up a couple: Dick Tracy and bizarrely, a poster for a film called Stella, which starred Bette Midler.

I popped them both on my ceiling of lovelieness next to The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Mickey Mouse, a koala bear, and Ghostbusters.  I went to bed happy in the knowledge that Mickey and Bette were going to protect my sleep, but in the middle of the night, I heard a rustling. I opened my eyes and looked up. There was Frankenhooker and the poster for the beaver-esque film, Parents, hanging down.

The blu-tack had come unstuck and let the posters fall over halfway. I didn’t realize that posters from video shops are normally two-sided, so they could advertise on the inside, as well as out. I think I shit myself in fright, but it obviously left an indelible mark on my psyche. Because from then on, I would always try and get a sneaky look at the horror section in the video shop, rather than just looking at the family section, or flick through the horror film magazines in the local shop. I would say pretty much from that point on, I was much more into horror and it has continued to grow.

As for why I’m into horror, I think it has to do with owing a lifetime of easy sleeping to it, because from the moment I saw Patty Mullen’s corpse-like face staring down at me when I was 10, I had never had another night terror. I also look at it this way: there is NOTHING on a VHS or DVD that is worse than what’s going on in the real world, and I feel strangely comforted by that.

TBS: How long have you been crafting horror-themed designs? What made you decide to turn this craft into a business?

RL: Lipstattoo has been running as a company since 2003 and has been selling horror pieces since it opened, but everything else, product-wise, was kind of rockabilly/psychobilly in style (as that’s the kind of clothes and style I like and wear). But, as I’m sure you know, if you’re into psychobilly, horror just goes hand in hand; as all the people in those kinds of bands love and sing about horror films and culture. Turning Lipstattoo into an official business came out of necessity really. I had been working in a music and entertainment store and it was fabulous. I loved it, but the high street and retail in the UK really wasn’t doing too well and our stores were being closed down. I’d been moved to three different branches of MVC before the final nail in the coffin was announced: the entire company was going into liquidation and we would all be losing our jobs. Regardless of being moved three times, I’d already been made redundant a few years before so the thought of going back into a retail job just wasn’t for me. I started up Lipstattoo with the help of a scheme called Job Start via the job centre. It did so well that when the 6 months setup time had ended, I decided to keep going, and here I am!

TBS: What artists have inspired you?

RL: There are so many artists  who have inspired me, less in designs and style, but more in drive and determination, and just the inspiration to create something, anything. Artists Like Glenn Fabry (Hellblazer, Preacher), Eric Pigors (ToxicToons)  Basil Gogos (Famous Monsters), D.W.Frydendall (Haunted Mansion, The Creeps), and Ghoulish Gary (Rue Morgue art dude). I’m also a huge fan of Rob Zombie’s art. He’s incredibly talented. He designs all his CD art and packaging, and set design for his tours and posters. He has a thing for lowbrow, spookshows, and 70′s horror; a kindred soul. I’m also loving the work of Piggy D (Rob Zombies guitarist). He has designed the show costume/outfits for Wednesday 13. Rob Zombie and Alice cooper. They are so intricate and detailed, and of course steeped in horror!

TBS: What is the most bizarre custom piece that you’ve made?

RL: Maybe it’s because I’m jaded, but nothing seems that bizarre to me anymore. Even the concept of The Human Centipede necklace doesn’t seem that odd. I guess that is what happens when you’ve made nearly 700 of them! I guess if I had to choose I’d have to say a moldy sandwich necklace. I made it, but I still have no idea what the person wanted it for or what the joke was, if there even was one.

TBS: What is your favorite piece?

RL: It’s not the most jaw-dropping or the money-making piece, but I do like painting on bangles. I have a sketch book with loads of rough pen drawings and horror phrases, which is now so full it’s like a little sweet shop for me to pick and mix and use on my accessories. My bangle designs actually hold quite a dear place in my heart, because it was how I met and became good friends with the band Devilish Presley. They saw a fan wearing a custom bangle, which I had created that read “Black Glitter” (the name of one of their songs), and promptly got in touch with me. They ordered 100 to sell at their shows. Hand crippling work, but so worth it.

TBS: Can beauty and horror go together?

RL: I believe so. As the old saying goes, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” It’s personal and subjective, so what is a perceived beauty by one can be seen has hideous by another. For example I hate tans and blonde hair to look at. It’s not what I find beautiful at all, but I love pale skin and dark hair. The same goes for art. Landscapes and kittens in boots make me want to jump off a very high building, but a painting which is dark, dusty and disturbed will always pique my interest. I make my items with the hope that they will adorn a like-minded person. The strap line for my shop is ‘Horrors for the beauties,’ because I believe that the kind of people who buy my kind art and accessories, my horrors if you will, are in fact beautiful.

TBS: How do you think the internet and sites like Etsy have changed things for artists?

RL: Before, if you were a DIY’er and wanted to sell your products, you either had to sell at craft shows or use eBay — both of which have a lot of negatives. The problem with eBay is that everyone is after a bargain. So unless you started your listings for your handmade goods at 99p, you very rarely had any interest. If you did get bids, it would never go for what your items were worth. Craft shows are ok if you’re selling more mainstream accessories, but I imagine I wouldn’t have gone down too well at the local vicarage craft fair with zombie brain hair bows and necklaces with pentagrams on them! Etsy, Folksy, ArtFire, etc. have all really opened up the market for DIY’ers and self-representing artist. They have made it easier for your work to be seen, as have social networking sites (as much as I hate it). There is no way that Lipstattoo designs would still be trading without the help of Etsy, Twitter and the friends I have made there. I sell such niche items; I really do rely on word of mouth recommendations.

TBS: Do you have any future plans for Lipstattoo Designs that you’d like to share?

RL: I’ve just made the new batch of official merchandise for Devilish Presley, which you can only buy at shows, some really cool ouija board designs, and I am also going to the 3rd rock and art festival in Strasboug, France with the guys to trade. I’m also collaborating with two amazing artists, one of which I can announce now, Mr D.W.Frydendall (who has worked with Disney on the Haunted Mansion comics, girls and corpses magazine, and has designed art for bands such as Calabrese and The Ghastly Ones). He and myself will be joining forces to bring you boils and ghouls limited edition accessories, using my crafting abilities with D.W’s art. It’s going to be amazing. I’m currently working on the samples, but if you want to be kept up to date on the developments, follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/lipstattoo666.

If you’d like to check out Rachel’s designs, follow this link to her Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/lipstattoo. You can also place customer orders!

Tags: Crafts, Lipstattoo Designs, Rockabilly