Bats in the Belfry, Cats in the Attic

I read Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte this year. I absolutely loved it. I loved every minute of reading it. Read the book if you get the chance.  I didn't plan very much this Halloween. I work full time and was leading ghost tours and doing other things most evenings. I knew that I wanted to dress up though. So, the weekend before Halloween, a thought dawned on me to go as Jane Eyre.  The only piece of the ensemble I had to buy was the skirt. You can't get a good view of it in the picture below, but it is a sumptuous black fabric. It's stiff, pleated and almost glows if the light hits it right. It was another serendipitous thrift store find, and I'll be sure to wear it again.  Saw this spider in my yard. It's nature's Halloween decoration. We decided not to go out Halloween night but instead continued watching a new Netflix series called The Haunting of Hill House.  A lot of the images from the show have stuck in my mind. We've just watched t...

I know "time flies" is a cliche, but it's exactly what I'm feeling. I was going to write about last year's Halloween, but then I remembered the Halloween on my mind actually happened two years ago! I'm too young for time to go by so fast. Yet it does.  Our Titania and Bottom costumes Today I find myself reminiscing about the Halloween when Ryan came to visit me in West Virginia, and we made the drive to the gorgeous, sprawling Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston. (Click the link for pictures and more information.) I had heard about this place for years as a paranormal investigator, not fully realizing it was so close to where I lived in the Mountain State.  It's one of those huge Gothic structures that dominates the landscape. The town of Weston itself needs some tender loving care. Although it is making progress, plenty of the buildings and homes are "blighted." But then you turn a corner and this magnificent former asylum str...

I have never had a year (as far as I can remember) when I haven't dressed up for Halloween. When I was a kid, my mom would help me put together costumes. We'd look through her closet, do some crafting, or even stop off at the Halloween store to put my costumes together. Perhaps I can find some of my childhood Halloween photos to post one day. This year, I came pretty damn close to not dressing up for Halloween. My Ryan and I took a train ride in the Blue Ridge for Halloween and then walked around town and stopped for some muscadine wine. We didn't get back until somewhat late, but neither of us had actually gotten a costume together because of our schedules. Regardless, I didn't want to make this the first year I didn't dress up, so I pulled something together before a Halloween get-together. The result: Carnival Fortune Teller complete with third eye.  Above, notice the "orbs" and face-like reflection on the mini fridge in the background. It really...

I've been low on ideas this year, but I recently browsed the Google to see if I could find any inspiration, and I did! I think that this year, I am going to plan on doing a vintage Halloween costume. Here's some examples of the photos that inspire me: source source source source source I'm not exactly sure yet about the details, but I do think I'd like to do a vintage-style animal mask costume. Let's see if I stick to that...

It's certainly been a while since I've posted anything worth reading on here, hasn't it? Even though it is midterm time at my university, I will do this tag. The assignment for this tag is to answer the 13 questions and tag 5 more bloggers. I'm declining to tag anyone specifically, but if you want to do the tag, feel free! Here we go! Questions: 1. Favorite Halloween song? 2. Witch or Vampire? 3. Favorite thing about Halloween? 4. Halloween party or scary movie marathon? 5. Skeletons or Zombies? 6. Favorite Halloween candy? 7. Favorite Halloween movie? 8. Favorite Halloween costume? 9. Favorite Halloween store? 10. Jack-o-lanterns, yes or no? 11. Bats or Black Cats? 12. Is Halloween your favorite holiday? 13. Pumpkin spice latte or hot chocolate? 1. Favorite Halloween Song? I listen to a variety of music, but around Halloween, I listen to more Goth Rock than normal. Fields of the Nephilim has been playing on my stereo and in my he...

This post is coming way too late! I am just finishing my semester at school, though, and the workload is starting to slow down (but not for long!).  So, late last month, I went with my boyfriend to New Orleans.  I've been dreaming of visiting this city for years, and I finally took the chance to go. When we arrived from our bus, we went to go eat some tasty beignets at Café du Monde and then proceeded to walk all around the French Quarter, stopping at shops as we went along. While we were there, we got to stop in old Catholic churches and pray, we had some delicious New Orleans food and drinks (Ramos Gin Fizz at Bar Tonique being my favorite), we got to see a great down and dirty blues band on Frenchman street, and we met some really cool locals who told us their stories. One of the ladies, who had thirteen cats who lived in her shop, told us her Hurricane Katrina story. Another guy, an Oi! punk working at a hat shop, talked with us and gave us free beer. It's no wonder s...

This post is coming pretty late, but I've had a lot going on recently and not much time. Better late than never, I suppose! As I just mentioned, I did not have much time this year. Halloween was fast approaching, and before I knew it, it was the eve of Halloween, and I had no costume. Thankfully, I already had some ghoulish pieces in my wardrobe. This year, I incorporated my stitched tights, a babydoll dress, and some doll-like accessories for the haunted doll look. After that, I topped it off with white powder foundation, rosy cheeks, creative eyeliner, and black lipstick.  With my boyfriend- I gave him fight makeup Also, I just had my 21st birthday yesterday! It was a wonderful weekend.

"I have endeavoured in this Ghostly little book, to raise the Ghost of an Idea, which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it. Their faithful Friend and Servant, C. D."  - Charles Dickens, December, 1843 source I've just finished reading A Christmas Carol from Charles Dickens for the first time. I thought it'd be appropriate for the holiday season. Growing up, I watched The Muppet's rendition of this novella at least once a year, and I confess that, at certain points, I envisioned The Muppet Christmas Carol as I read. source Even if you haven't read this story, you're probably familiar with the phrase, "Bah! Humbug!" (A humbug is a fraud or something nonsensical.) You've most likely heard the name Scrooge, because it's so closely associated with tight-fistedness and an aversion to Christmas. Ho...

 On the morning of Halloween, I woke up to get together my costume and make-up to wear during the school and work day. I did this last year for my Jareth costume. This year, people were approaching me off the streets asking me to take photos with them (I might be on instagram)! At the sight of me, some people were taken aback and others were beaming with smiles. I was late to my first class because of the make-up, and it was completely worth it for the sake of infusing a little Halloween spirit in the campus. On Halloween evening, I decided to take my skeleton-self over to my infamous aunt's Victorian home. Her house is known for being the most elaborately decorated house on Halloween. They have different themes each year. This year it was "Dead Hat Society." It's a reference to the Red Hat Society, which is comprised of old women who get together and have tea parties. If you see where this is going, you'll know that my relatives set up a giant macabre tea ...

So everyone, I am a little disappointed to say that my Marie Antoinette costume is not a go this year. There has been so much piling up on me between things in my personal life, work, and school, that I have been unable to find the time to get the rest of my costume together. I bit off more than I could chew this year, but I know for next time to plan better. Perhaps you'll see the Queen next year... Although I will not be doing Marie Antoinette, I do have something planned that I can easily do with what I have! I will be using my red dress, a hat, roses, black lace and accessories, and of course some creative make-up, to throw together a Día de los Muertos costume. I think it might even be a better option this year, as I plan on visiting my aunt's house who has decorated her home in a  "Dead Hat Society" theme this year. If you don't remember the aunt to whom I am referring, here is the link to my post about her house.  I will take pictures! It's really spe...

I took a field trip over to my local fabric store this weekend with the intention of purchasing supplies for my pillow pannier (while scouting pretty fabric and lace for my next purchase). For those of you who don't know what a pannier is, they're the big poofy false hips. Instead of making a traditional hoop pannier, which can be costly, I decided to sew two pillows. They should work just as well.  I brought home some white muslin, which I got for $2.99/yard. I also snagged a large bag of fiberfill for $5.99. I have plenty of this stuff left over, so for the materials I used to make the pannier, it cost about $5.00. First, I cut out the shape of the pillows. After I pinned them, I prepared my machine. All in all, it was incredibly easy to sew. The whole thing took less than an hour.  My huge bag of fiberfill  After I sewed the pillows, I sewed up the back. I then sewed two spare ribbons to the front. Here is the finished product. In the picture below...

Over the weekend, I scoured the racks at the thrift store, and I actually found a decent base dress for $6 to start my Marie Antoinette costume. It's much more Antebellum than Rococo at this stage, but it's certainly a start. I will be cutting off and re-sewing new sleeves, adding lace trim and new ribbons, and poofing it up. In addition, I will perhaps make a jacket/over skirt. Such a bright red color was not my preference, since pastels abound in Rococo fashion, but I will make it work by adding more pastel accents. Hopefully, I'll get my start this weekend when I go to the fabric store.  For inspiration, I've been looking at The Costumer's Guide's Marie Antoinette Page , which includes about 65 web pages for each of the dresses from the Sophia Coppola film. Marie Antoinette Exhibit This is quite the grandiose undertaking for me. I'm not as adept at sewing as I'd like to be, but this is a learning process. I just hope that I can do my am...

Fall is officially here, and the month of October is right around the corner. I find myself still in the contemplation stages for my Halloween costume. Most years I'm very last minute, but I can't afford to procrastinate this time around. That's because I've decided on a more elaborate costume for this Hallow's Eve: Marie Antoinette (with a slashed neck, of course). Source I've been searching online for inspiration, and I've been developing a tentative plan for how I'm going to pursue this costume. For the dress, I will keep an eye out for a prom dress at a local thrift store. It will need to be a sturdy fabric, preferably in a mid-to-light blue. I will need to make any necessary alterations and add sleeves, bows, and lace. As for the poof under the skirt, my idea involves sewing a couple of small pillows to tie to my hips. This would be easier that making a pannier . What I am most worried about, besides my limited time, is the wig. I cannot affor...

Lamentation of Christ is a beautiful painting and a noteworthy example of foreshortening. One of the perks of living in a family that celebrates Easter is food. In fact, since no member of my household actually attends church, Easter really is mostly about the food traditions. It was a lonely holiday this year with just my mother and I at home (come to think of it, Christmas was terribly lonely too!), but that did not stop us from making ungodly amounts of food. I thought I'd share one of my favorite holiday dishes. It was passed down from my grandmother to my mother, and my mother to me. It's called "Heavenly Hash." No, not that kind of hash... Ingredients: 20 oz. can of crushed pineapple 29 oz. can of mandarin oranges 12 oz. jar of maraschino cherries 7 oz. bag of sweetened coconut 1 3/4 bags of 10 oz. "fun marshmallows" 8 oz. sour cream  Simply drain the fruit, cut the cherries in half, and put them in a large bowl. Add the coconut to t...

Making resolutions are cliche, but I'm going to make a few regardless: I'd like to cook more, and I want attempt to make vegan and vegetarian meals. I'm not a veggie, but a few vegan or vegetarian meals a week is very heart healthy. I need to get outside more. Fresh air does wonders for anyone. (This also means spending less time on the computer.) I'm going to start a spiritual journal, obviously for my spiritual benefit (by tracking my growth and what not). For The New Year in The South, or for my family at least, we always eat black eyed peas and greens (collard, mustard, turnip, I love 'em all!).  It's supposed to symbolize luck and wealth, but I participate in the tradition because I very much enjoy Southern/Soul food. Does anyone else have any New Years traditions to share? Yum! I hope everyone had a lovely end of the year, and may the new year bring you fulfillment and happiness.

I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday (whatever holiday you do or don't celebrate). We celebrate Christmas in my household, but I wouldn't really call it celebrating...more like going through the motions. Regardless, I got some gifts I'm excited about! This is a neat little crushed velvet backpack-purse. I'll be decorating it with patches and pins in the spirit of DIY. So..many...books. I'm looking forward to reading Zak Bagans' (of Ghost Adventures) book. For any new followers, you must know that I regularly partake in making fun of this "ghost hunter." It's all in good fun. I think I'll do a post about his book when I get around to reading it.  This is such a neat little necklace. It makes me wonder how they punched the cross out of the coin...It must be Christmas Magic! ;) These lipsticks and the lip brush are Make up Forever brand from Sephora. The colors look lighter than they actually are. I tried these two colors in...