just a little bit of pixie dust

Halloween originates with an ancient Celtic harvest festival called Samhain. The Celts believed that the spirits of the dead would visit them to damage crops and haunt the living. Years later, the Romans brought their autumn holiday, Feralia, a day honoring the dead, to the Celtic regions, influencing the Samhain festival. Finally, Christianity spread to the Celtic regions (in modern day England, Scotland, and northern France) and Pope Boniface IV designated November 1st to be "All Saints Day," later remamed All Hallows. The festival of Samhain (October 31st) was thus deemed "All Hallows Eve," and the name was eventually shortened to Hallowe'en.

There...a brief history of Halloween.

I didn't really celebrate it unless you call working the whole day celebrating. I did come up with this super duper Peter Pan outfit after being inspired by myself the other day. Look...I even stuck a red leaf in my hat (instead of a feather)!

I am completely falling in love with these vintage pin up girl prints, especially the ones by Gil Elvgren...soooo beautiful and sexy. The witch is probably my favorite of all time (well, besides the librarian). I like to think that every woman has a pin up girl somewhere inside her...

Wow...could I be any more of a dork? I think not. That's okay...dorks have it goin' on.

Witches are probably my favorite of all Halloween characters. They first started being associated with the day because it was said that all witches of the world gathered together when the seasons changed (April 30 and October 31st) to attend a party hosted by the devil. Remember some of these famous witches (or alleged witches) such as:

• Morgan Le Fay
• Glinda
  
• Anne Boleyn
• Baba Yaga
• Lucy
  
• Joan of Arc
• Samantha
• Hermione Granger

Round about the cauldron go;
In the poison'd entrails throw.
Toad, that under cold stone
Days and nights has thirty-one
Swelter'd venom sleeping got,
Boil thou first i' the charmed pot.

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.

Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg and owlet's wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf,
Witches' mummy, maw and gulf
Of the ravin'd salt-sea shark,
Root of hemlock digg'd i' the dark,
Liver of blaspheming Jew,
Gall of goat, and slips of yew
Silver'd in the moon's eclipse,
Nose of Turk and Tartar's lips,
Finger of birth-strangled babe
Ditch-deliver'd by a drab,
Make the gruel thick and slab:
Add thereto a tiger's chaudron,
For the ingredients of our cauldron.

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

Cool it with a baboon's blood,
Then the charm is firm and good.

Happy Halloween, all. It's probably my favorite holiday (then again...I love Valentine's Day...and my birthday...). There's something so romantic about the history, art, and characters associated with Halloween that I just can't helped but be absorbed with it. I think I'll go watch The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown now.

"I saw Lon Chaney walking with the queen...doing the werewolves of London..."

some call me the gangster of love

Today I was a private eye. Actually, I always am (in my mind), but today I dressed the part. I would totally make an awesome detective because I am very observant and no one would ever suspect me of anything...I'm very innocent and brilliant at becoming different people. To toot my own horn, I guess.

I am in love with trench coats because they are just the epitome of the private eye era, in my mind. Also...this is not my Halloween costume. People asked me if I was dressed up for Halloween...and I was like, no...this is how I dress. Oh well.

This is what I wore to work today. It was surprisingly warm and humid today...weird weather for fall. It was also very blustery and the wind blew almost all the leaves off the trees.


Yeah...those are totally my old volleyball shorts...hooray for spandex! Wow...I remember those days...when I had thighs of steel. Oh, those were the days.


I am so excited for tomorrow to be Halloween but I am not excited at the same time because I have to work 10-7 at Target (it's my last day at Target - yay!). Then I'm going to my grandma's house to help her hand out candy. I really really wanted to go to Haunted High but everyone was already going with someone else. Or something like that. Ho hum.

Please everyone have a wonderful and safe Halloween weekend! I can't wait to see all your costume ideas!

second star to the right

This is what I wore today...I went again for the fall color palette. I got this shirt for $2.95 from Target (snap!) along with the leggings ($5)...These are my precious moccasins that I am in love with (I got them in Bailey's Harbor in Door County last summer), and my trusty green velvet hat.

Wow...this silhouette is totally Peter Pan. That's pretty cool, now that I'm looking at it (talk about costume ideas!)...green hat and all. Now where did I put my shadow?

until she's home again with me

I am in love with fall. The colors, the atmosphere, the weather...mmmm!

I also really feel like mimicking the gorgeous fall colors in my outfits... The rich bright reds and golds and also the muted rust and mustards. Mmm...



I am wearing a vintage velvet hat that I thrifted (for less than $5 I think). It is so chic and so perfect for this season. I am loving velvet at the moment and have a wonderful velvet dress that I can't wait to wear (also thrifted)...it would be a great witch dress...yay, costume ideas!

Ever try running in heels? I always feel a strange exhilaration, kind of like the way I feel running as fast as I can in Converse (or any other shoe with zero support basically). But in heels it's like you could be in a movie and running towards your one true love just as their train is about to pull away from the depot...you need heels for that old romantic feeling. Including gloves, a impractically tight pencil skirt, and a cute little hat would increase that old-time romantic feel. Hmmm...perhaps for tomorrow's outfit?

I wish for every one of you a warm cup of cocoa to warm your hands and a cat to curl up on your lap. Have a lovely afternoon!

the music to the story in your eyes

Today it's chilly outside, but when you can still feel the sun beating down on you with its warm rays...mmmm. Look at all those beautiful fall colors! I felt like mimicking the gorgeous red of the burning bush behind me with these opaque red tights (I was also inspired by Nadine...she always puts the most beautiful colors together in her outfits).

I was meandering around Target yesterday before starting work and stumbled across this faux leather jacket...it was the last one and it was in my size and it was on sale for $4.75!

I am trying really hard not to resort back to pants just because it is cold out (can you tell...I wore the same skirt in the last post!). I have invested in some textured tights and warm socks (like a sweater...for your legs!) so hopefully I'll be able to get through the cold Wisconsin season without returning to my old and not-so-stylish ways...

Yay...another jumping pic! Today is going to be a wonderful day (after my Heredity exam, of course)!

hello goodbye

Today was a perfect example of Indian Summer...perfect weather (if not a bit rainy) and beautiful autumn colors. Here is what I wore to uni and work...probably the last for a short summery skirt for this year.

I tried to mix the summery pink stripes with the navy blue and red for a good bi-seasonal mix. This hat is the perfect shade of red for fall, though harder to fit over all my curls since the last time I wore it...

In the next couple of days I will be bogged down in tests and studying - one tomorrow, two on Friday, and one on Tuesday. Not to mention that family tree project I have yet to start...

Wow...after glancing back to all those pictures from the spring...I'm kind of missing my super short hair...but at the same time I really want long mermaid hair. I am not a fan of this in the middle length at the moment. After I grow it out long enough to satisfy my mermaid hair cravings for a while I'll cut it all off and donate it to Locks of Love again (remember last time?).

does anybody really know what time it is?

So, a big hip hip hooray for having no work today! But I did have my classes in the morning, and here is what I wore. My Logic class is kicking me right in the behind lately...we're doing deductions of arguments with rules of inference (and stuff). It's something that my genius boyfriend would be able to get just like that, but I struggle with just looking at things and being able to come up an aha! moment. But, this is a fashion blog, so I won't bore you with such.

It was a nice day, though...high '50's and sunny!

My favorite part of this outfit is probably the beautiful bag. My perfect bag for autumn that I got last summer sadly had a tragic accident (one that a bit of love could fix, but I've been at a loss for time at the moment), so I've had to find an alternative. I really like the size and color of this particular one. The design on the side is kind of cool, too.

So what am I going to do with my work-less night? Well, I tried to work on some logic problems (tried being the keyword), got fed up and took a nap (had a totally weird dream that involved my mom, something trying to get us, and some people that I don't know), am now doing a blog post whilst listening to Styx, and then I'm going to read The Westing Game. Anyone ever read it? It's a classic whodunit, and it's teriffic! And buy Westing Paper Products!

corduroy

Today I was well enough to attend classes and I will be off to work in about half an hour. This is what I wore to my classes. My mom gave me this beautiful vintage corduroy vest/dress for my birthday and I've actually worn it several times, but each time it seems that I never get around to taking pictures (well, once was the day I rode home in the torrential downpour...). It reminds me so much of the dresses everyone wore when I was in kindergarten and first grade...the color, the texture, the buttons, and the way it has practically no form.

It is so much harder for me to get dressed in the fall/winter seasons...it's not the making up outfits that's hard...it's the getting out of my nice warm bed and warm jammies. At my house, we keep it as cold as can possibly bear (around 55 degrees F usually) to save money, so you can imagine that "jumping" right out of bed is an issue most days...

haunted

I'm still sick! But, hopefully getting better as of today...I've missed two days of school and work but have gotten a lot of rest in, which is nice. Since there haven't been many posts in the last few days, here are some of the La Belle Cemetery pictures that my boyfriend edited (see previous La Belle post for more).

The Nathusius marker (above) is allegedly the most haunted grave in La Belle cemetery.

Thanks to my sweet boyfriend (ie my personal online nurse) for taking these amazing pictures and editing them to look nice an' spooky.

zero

Well...today I'm sick (well, I have been for the past five days or so, but today is the first day I've actually taken my temperature), so I called into work. I didn't skip school, however, because I need to go to my logic class at all costs!

This is what I wore...I don't know why I'm always attracted to really ugly sweaters (see more of my collection here and here...oh, and here, too!). I got this one in the bag sale.

I'm wearing my new Snoopy socks today ($1 from Target)! New socks are probably one of my favorite things in the world...seriously. It made me smile whenever I remembered that underneath my boots lurked Snoopy, Halloween style.

Oh, yeah. The title is a reference to the song Zero by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs...a quality song, and introduced to me by my friend Brandon who leaves for the National Guard on Wednesday.

amigo

Here's what I wore on Monday when I was surprised by my boyfriend with lunch before he left to go back to NY (lame NY). We had a lovely time at Taco Amigos and taking pictures in the parking lot.

I just opened up my boxes of winter clothes and was delighted when I found this beautiful cardigan that I had bought at a thrift store early last spring and hadn't worn yet. It had the original tags still on - $60! Hah, I probably paid, like, $4. Yeah, that's how I roll.

I had some random person in one of my classes come up to me today and tell me that they really dig my outfits and on and on...let me tell you - if you have a chance to compliment someone on something, do it. That person made my day because it's not often that people who don't even know you approach you, let alone compliment you. Let's hear it for random acts of kindness (even small ones like this, because they still make you feel amazing)!!

I want to order a pizza

There's something so great about fall the way you can combine the warmer pieces with the still-trying-to-be-summery skirt. This (faux, of course) vest is absolutely the warmest ever, so it made this brrrr chilly day a little warmer.

You can just see the chill in the air, can't you?

la belle

My boyfriend and I went on a day trip to a beautiful graveyard yesterday to take some ghostly pictures, and here is a preview. My boyfriend is going to work on editing some of them in a special program or something and try to make some cool spooky effects, but we'll have to wait a few days to see how those turn out.

I am wearing a gorgeous robe that I thrifted (it is originally from Victoria's Secret) that and a vintage nightgown handed down to me from my great-great grandma. Whenever I put it on I always imagined a satin clad ghost floating and flowing along a graveyard...

La Belle Cemetery actually has some spooky legend associated with it - there is a statue of a young woman next to a cross that marks the Nathusius family graves. Some have reported seeing the statue cry blood and drip blood from her cupped hands, and others have claimed to see her apparition walking towards Fowler Lake (which is only about twenty feet away) where it is rumored that one of the Nathusius family members drowned.

It was a lot of fun taking these pictures with my boyfriend...the only thing was that is was freezing and there was goose poo all over. I actually wish it would have been a bit more into fall so the trees would have been more bare and sinister looking, so maybe another shoot later in the (chilly) season?