Bats in the Belfry, Cats in the Attic

Staying in and getting more sleep is wise. I love sleep, and sleep is good for my health. But lately, the desire to bedeck myself in gothic clothing and become a creature of the night at local goth nights and shows has risen once again. Why? I love music, especially music that happens to fall under the "goth" umbrella. That's no surprise to readers of this blog. I like to dance to that music too. I'm not the best dancer (my mother once said I dance like Elaine from Seinfeld ), but I do it nonetheless. I also like dressing up in clothing that's black, creative and perhaps otherworldly. I don't get to do it all day everyday because of my corporate™ job, so I've been relishing these chances. My husband's been working hard to finish his doctorate these last few months, so I've had more time on my own in the evenings. I've been using this time to dress up and get out and even socialize with other folks in my local scene (which is relatively new to...

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 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...

I have been living in Cusco, Peru for over a month now. When I packed my bag, since I only had so much space and wanted room for souvenirs, I made sure that all the clothing I packed was practical and matched with everything else I had. For this reason, I brought hiking boots, running shoes, and flats, a few t-shirts and plain sweaters, jeans, and a couple of skirts. Oh, and I brought one necklace and only a few earrings. It's been a month of me wearing plain clothing, recycling the same outfits over and over. Because the air is so cold and dry here, it's harder to wear a lot of make-up. I also haven't used a hair dryer or styling products in a long time. This is how I look most days. Not bad! I just miss alternative clothing. On the Machu Picchu excursion- taken from Wayna Picchu. I love Cusco! It's a city with so much personality, history, and culture, and there's quite a lot to do here. However, after doing a month of the minimalist look (2 and a half ...

There's something special about a good haircut. For me, having a fresh haircut, especially if it is an interesting style, gives me a spring in my step. I gain a little more confidence, and I get just a bit more excited about getting dressed and ready in the morning (or in many cases, afternoon). I had previously been wanting to grow out my hair after having much of it buzzed close to my scalp, so for a while, I grew it almost to my shoulders in my natural color. All the while, I craved something different. After I got tired of the color, I dyed it purple. Then, I was somewhat happy with it for a short while. Now, I am back to a short, punky haircut. I don't think I'll be cutting it anymore for the time being. Rooster comb hair next to a rooster bell.

As soon as Lion was released in June, I went to various stores to get my hands on a copy. It was after having little luck that I turned to amazon, receiving a copy of the deluxe version in the mail (which comes with the album + a live Bauhaus set). I put the CD in my car's player and subsequently jammed out for about a week straight including on the way to an observatory trip with my lovely and handsome astronomer. With great care, Ryan had planned out our evening for when Peter Murphy was to roll up into town (7 August, 2014). I got all dolled up in a white dress, since Peter Murphy commented about no one wearing white on his Ninth tour, and I did my hair up in a braided turban wrap with a flower headband.  Ryan took me out to dinner at a place called Bone Garden Cantina ( link ), which is a Day of the Dead themed restaurant filled with beautiful paintings and sculptures. Ryan had a nice looking margarita with a taco and enchilada, and I had a couple of hibiscus (flores de ...

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...

I mentioned in [this post] back in February that my best friend's father, who owns a photography business, wanted to shoot alter-ego photos of me. Alter Ego photography involves taking two photos of one person portraying different egos and then photo shopping them together. For my photos, I dawned my Jareth Costume and another more feminine outfit I wore to give a ghost tour. I thought the photos turned out well. I even half-joked that I was going to have portrait-sized photos made to put over my mantel when I get a house of my own. I think it would be amusing to have guests over and see their reactions. The piece would be a conversation starter, that's for sure! You remind me of the babe! I move the stars for no one.

Today was a very long and eventful day, but it was nevertheless a very good one. That's because, my mother and I went to Burt's Pumpkin farm in the north Georgia mountains. It's kind of a tradition in my family. Every year near Halloween, we drive all the way up to the mountains to select our pumpkins. It's really nice to take in the sights. On the way up, I took some pictures of the scenery. I just wanted to show everyone how beautiful it is there.  Burnt Mountain was the name of the mountain we were on. Sharp Top Mountain in the distance We arrived to Burt's Pumpkin Farm, and it was extremely crowded. I expected as much since it is close to Halloween. There were many cute children dressed up in spooky finery like little petticoats, striped leggings, witch hats, etc. Unintentionally photo bombed so...many...pumpkins Yes, the pumpkins really are this enormous. I definitely had my fair share of exercise to...

This year was my first time going to Dragon Con. Although it was exhausting, I had a great time. I definitely plan on going again next year. Me and Justean She's feeling zombified. Justean, I think you need medical attention. Getting strangled by my demon friend.  I had to. haha I tried on two authentic steel boned corsets. I originally wanted the underbust (since they're versatile), but the overbust looks really good too.  I'd like to order one for birthday or Christmas. Which one do you guys like better on me?  or I did a lot of shopping, but I didn't actually buy anything. :(  However, I did get some cool pictures. The Goblin King!   Dr. Rockzos (Metalocalypse) I'm not sure who it's supposed to be, but I thought it was very interesting. Guess What! I shook Nelsan Ellis' (Lafeyette from Trueblood's hand)! I love the show (I've only watched up to the 3rd season so far), and Lafayette is my favorite characte...