Bats in the Belfry, Cats in the Attic

*Taken from a paper of mine in 2014           The Victorian Era, which took place during the mid-nineteenth century until the twentieth century, is a period characterized by societal change. The Industrial Revolution and clearer class divisions had taken hold, and there was an “increased ordering of leisure pursuits” especially amongst the middle and upper classes who had extra time and money (Lamont 903). Innovations in entertainment abounded, as seen through the burgeoning of cinematography, and Victorians were especially taken with “spectacles,” or shows that shocked or mesmerized audiences. In addition to new advancements in entertainment, Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution forced many to re-evaluate their orthodox religious beliefs, creating a mass crisis of faith. Caught in the middle of the revolution in entertainment and this popular crisis of belief was a uniquely Victorian situation: the emerging Spiritualist movement which challenged both conventi...

"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...

My grandmother and I both went down to visit my aunt's. Before departure, I mentioned to my grandmother that maybe we'd see a ghost! I'm not so sure how my grandmother feels about the existence of ghosts, but she does not like to talk about them. That evening, I had a big slice of chocolate cake, and we all watched some Celebrity Ghost Stories and Dead Files by the fire. As it was time for bed, one of their cats followed me until I tucked myself in. What a lovely host, that cat was! The rain outside beat down on the roof with thunder in the distance. I was sleeping in the "haunted room" yet again, but I slept like the dead this time. It was cold, so I slept with socks on. When I woke up, a sock was missing! I looked under the covers, but I was unable to locate it. My cousin finally found it all the way under the bed. My uncle half-joked that it was "the girls" that took my sock. The girls to whom he was referring are the ghosts who are said to haunt...

I spent this weekend at my Aunt's house. I figured since I had a school assignment at an observatory near her house, that I'd spend the night while I was out there. She lives in a lovely Victorian house that is filled with antiques and Halloween decorations. They even say it's haunted. (They had me sleep in the "haunted" room, but I didn't see any ghosts. :/). I took some pictures of the house while I was there. Below, is just a portion of the Halloween decorations they keep. Around Halloween time, they go all out to decorate. I'm not kidding. My Aunt was even born on Halloween, and she's the one who really fueled my love of spooky things during my childhood.  This is an antique baby carriage they keep in front of my cousin's room.  This table is in the front parlor. I thought it was beautiful, and the witchy sign is a nice touch. This beauty is probably my favorite thing in the house. It was an antique organ that came from a ve...

     I've always loved the structured look of Victorian collars. I also had some excess fabric laying around that I cut off the bottom of a skirt, so I saw an idea waiting to be made. The fabric is a stretchy black jean material with lace running along the hem. Here's what it looked like before. In just a few simple steps, I had my very own Victorian-esque collar.  Step 1 & 2: I cut the fabric to fit the length around my neck, and I trimmed off some of the bottom. I then folded under and pinned down the bottom of the fabric in order to sew. Step 3: After I sewed the bottom, I sewed on hooks and eyes to the back for easy fastening. Step 4: I chose to sew silver buttons along the front, but a cameo pendant or anything else decorative would work. That's it! It's pretty simple, and it didn't take much time or money to make. Simple and cheap projects are my favorites. :)

      Have you ever gotten an item of clothing that has a lot of potential, but it just doesn't quite suit you? This happens to me frequently. I also happen to have a creative eye for improvement. Needless to say, there are many items that I've had fun modifying. I recently received a pair of beaten-up brown leather boots from my boyfriend’s little sister. They have potential.  I really wanted to like them, but I kept thinking, “If only they were purple!” So today, I decided to go get some shimmery purple leather paint. This paint was much more metallic than I predicted... I then worked on transforming my dingy Victorian-esque boots into boots fit for a dignified Victorian Cosmonaut. My mother said they look like something Ziggy Stardust would wear. Why thank you, Mom. After layers of paint, here are the results: Yes, I own purple pants.  I'm not so sure why they appear to be pink here. >< Now to f...