Shopping In The Dark : Macabre Etsy Shops You Need To See

Welcome to installment five of Shopping In The Dark. This week it’s all about candles and collars, crystals and cowls.

I hope that you enjoy my selection (click on the pictures to be taken straight to the product you want to check out further!). Please support these small businesses and help them to flourish in the dark!

Feel free to get in touch at katiemariemetcalfe@hotmail.co.uk or in the comment box below if you know of an Etsy shop that needs a mention.

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Candles have always been a big deal to me, but since I moved to Sweden they’ve become even more essential, and I’m forever daydreaming about the candles I’ll buy when I can afford them. Burke & Hare Co is forever appearing on my wishlist with their candles inspired by dark history and all thing macarbe.

Owner Erica finds beauty in medical sciences, superstitions of the past, spiritualism, gentlemen and lady’s parlors, seances, nature and romanticism. She crafts her passion into some of the most darkly inventive home accessories that I’ve come across. I’m especially eager to get my hands on the Salem Candle. This hand poured beauty comes scented with patchouli dusted with balsamic resin and hints of black teas and jasmine florals.

Erica established Burke & Hare in 2011 with a goal was to create specialty items of a darker aesthetic without compromising her refined and more mature tastes.

Burke & Hare Co doesn’t only provide exquisite candles, but max welts too, and Erica is in the process of expanding the line with bath and body products. There’s already an  Orange And Vanilla Body Butter available which I’ve got my eye on. Keep scrolling to find my four favourite products.

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Gigantic hoods make my world a better place. They make me feel confident when I need a boost, or shield me when I need to be protected from the world.

In an ideal world, I would have a wardrobe stocked with items from US based, vegan clothing line Helvak who specialize in creating some of the most head turning hoodies that you will have ever seen.

Inspired by Norse mythology (their name derives from Hell (or, Hel) and Odin (or, Vak) their made-to-order garments are the sort of things modern day shieldmaidens ought to be adorned in.

I’m forever finding myself returning to their Etsy shop to swoon at the Zip-Up Doomlord Hooded Sweatshirt. Made with a medium weight weight fabric, this head turning hoodie has so many features including; a faux leather hoodie, a two way antique brass zipper with a pentagram detail and a fleece lining.

Below are my four favourite products from Helvek…making my final decision wasn’t easy!

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The older I get, the more experimental I want to be with my style. I’ve never had the opportunity to try leather harnesses before, but I’m feeling more like a warrior with every day that passes, and everyone knows that a warrior woman needs to have a harness of her own. It was through looking for harnesses on Etsy that I stumbled across Blackhorne.

Blackhorne is a Seattle based company which offers the very best in handcrafted leather goods. Run by husband and wife team Elliot and Cat Padiall, Blackhorne was dreamt up by the couple while they were honeymooning in Spain. They had the joint desire to create a product that will survive the many adventures in life.

Drawing inspiration from the forest, as well as from the unknown, Elliot and Cat design and produce their creations from home in a forest near Seattle, Washington. The focus behind each design is simplicity, functionality, and durability.

You are really spoilt for choice by Blackhorne, for they offer bags, wallets, harnesses, neck wear, keychains…and the rest! I’ve been flipping through their beautiful Instagram account  recently and have been ever so inspired. When I’m not on their Instagram account, I’m watching their stunning and ever so practical Black Leather Stocking Straps, which have been cut from a luxurious full grain kodiak cowhide. Just today I was out and about and was forever hoiking up my stockings as they dipped below my knee, so I know I’d use these to death once I get my hands on a pair. I’m also utterly infatuated with their achingly beautiful Black Leather Puritan Collar.

Below you can find which four products I’ll be investing in as soon as I’m able.

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Crystals have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My mother used to put little chunks of quartz and tiger’s eye underneath my pillow in exchange for my teeth. I can remember where each and every one of the crystals I own came from, and could tell you stories about them that would last for days.

So, when I encountered Tail Hoax, I was besotted. I felt a connection to this esoteric jewelry and accessories line in more ways than one after I had read the fascinating and deeply insightful ‘About’ page…

I like to capture the intriguing and mysterious aspects of long ago, and transform it into wearable artifacts. My pieces are meant to tell a story of another time.

I have always enjoyed making art, as well as collecting antiques and old trinkets. My favorites are the ones that feel ancient and imperfect. That makes them more interesting. I began making jewelry when I realized that I had a lot of antiques that I wished I could wear. I began taking antique and vintage jewelry apart and putting them back together with a bit more of my own style. Through time, my love for jewelry making has grown and I continue to learn new ways to create. When not working in my secret lair, I spend my time frolicking in the forest, rehabilitating the wild beasts, traveling to far away places, and reading history books.

All of the products from Tail Hoax are crafted from remnants from the past, found objects, or materials from nature. Everything from the line – necklaces, earrings, bracelets and rings – are cruelty free and handmade in a little cabin in the Sierra mountains of California.

I would wear everything from the Tail Hoax line, though it’s the Luna Arm Cuff which has stolen my heart, with its band of silver toned aged metal, gray smokey quartz point and hand cut crescent moon.

I hope you enjoy my final selection of products, and don’t forget to support independent companies such as Tail Hoax, Burke & Hare Co, Blackhorne and Helvak whenever you get the opportunity!