Christine H. McConnell is a photographer, artist, baker and all around Queen of DIY. She has a reputation for her creepy aesthetic which owes much to her influences, some of whom she lists as: Tim Burton, The Munsters, The Addams Family and Tales from the Crypt, to name a few.
She is almost entirely self taught, teaching herself how to make vintage cut dresses with the assistance of many cats, including the very fluffy Vincent Price, and creating a 500 lb haunted gingerbread mansion, baking each sheet herself in a vintage Aga.
Within a few years she began to attract the interest of numerous publishing and production companies. Many offers for reality TV shows were rejected before a producer pitched the idea of a collaboration with the Jim Henson Company. The resulting show 'The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell' found it's home on Netflix, and premiered in time for the Halloween season of 2018.
The show only had one season which is more haunting than any of her creations but luckily Christine started up a YouTube channel "From the Mind of Christine McConnell" alongside a Patreon account, where she shares her skills and teaches how to transform seeming plain items like a pull out sofa into a sinister masterpiece. In the episode below, she refurbishes a battered vintage gramophone.
As of August 2020, Christine along with her captive (more commonly know as a husband) and menagerie of animals have moved to a gothic Victorian mansion in upstate New York. I know that whatever rooms and themes she creates in her new home will be like nothing we've seen before. The anticipation is truly killing me.
Seeing Christine's creations always inspires me, which resulted in the creation of a velvet pumpkin patch in my living room last October. Her resourcefulness, creativity and craftsmanship always amazes me and so I could think of no one better to share with you for a Halloween treat, or trick as Christine may prefer.
Reading Recommendations & Content Considerations
Christine McConnell YouTube
Patreon
