Yesterday was the birthday of my absolute favorite Mr. Darcy: Matthew Macfadyen. Matthew is now 47 and in my opinion every bit as fine as when I first saw him walking into the Meryton Assembly in Pride and Prejudice. Matthew was 28 when filming the movie, which is exactly the...
Powder flasks have been in use since the early 15th century to carry the black powder necessary in the use of firearms. Whether made from ox or cow horns (appropriately called a “powder horn”) or from wood and iron, powder flasks had to not only hold the black powder, but...
My earliest music memories are listening to the greats from the “oldies” genre, such as Bobby Vinton, Smokey Robinson, Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Frankie Vallie and the Four Season, and so on. My mom was of the sock-hop generation, but she also appreciated the crooners as well as...
This wonderful fashion print from Ackermann’s Repository of Arts for October 1816 depicts a woman in a white and pink ball dress with a white shawl, gloves, and a headdress. The dress is pink with a white translucent over-layer with white detailing around the neckline and hem as well as...
In an era before Avon or Mary Kay, the fair maidens of the Regency Era relied upon homemade concoctions. Fortunately, well-bred ladies weren’t without resources. Magazines of the day devoted pages to the topic of cosmetics and skin care, in between fashion plates and gossip. Then, in 1811, a publication...
The repeating of parts of words to make new forms is called reduplication. There are various categories of reduplication words: rhyming, for example okey-dokey exact, for example wee-wee ablaut (vowel substitution), for example zig-zag The impetus for the coining of these seems to be nothing more than the enjoyment of wordplay....
Originating in Ireland, bubble and squeak migrated into England as a common breakfast meal somewhere before the middle of the eighteenth century. As a dish with the sole purpose to not waste leftover food from dinner the night before, it was essentially a mish-mash of vegetables shredded or chopped small...
My husband discovered this Amazon Original Movie a few weeks ago while scanning desperately for something decent to watch. Upon my viewing of The Map of Tiny Perfect Things trailer (watch below) I liked what I saw but also got these hints of Nicolas Sparks vibes. Meaning, I feared the...
Continuing the theme of my blog on hat making – Millinery: A History of Headwear and the Profession – today I shall talk about the various styles of headwear worn by women during the Regency. First, before getting to the specifics and pretty photos, I shall try to shed some...
In January of 2018 I wrote a blog introducing our new fur-baby, a miniature poodle we named Olivia Marjo. That blog can be read by clicking the link below. Meet the new member of my family: Olivia Marjo As I suspected when writing that blog so soon after adopting Olivia,...
For a while, during my exploring craft stage, I delved into the world of making hats and bonnets. Despite never being a huge fan of sewing, I discovered I was fairly good at it. I even opened an Etsy store and sold nearly all my stock! I ended up experimenting...
My big BACK TO BLOGGING GIVEAWAY is over so it is time to announce the winners. So exciting! I will be attempting to contact each winner by email, but of course cannot guarantee the mail-gremlins will not chew it up and spit into a spam folder!If your name is below,...
In the eighteenth century, children’s clothing underwent a gradual evolution from constricting garments patterned after those worn by adults to loose fitting dresses similar to those worn by women the standard apparel for both sexes. Along with this philosophy of freedom, the practice of swaddling infants tightly became a thing...
Fashion plates showed women and dressmakers what fashionable society was wearing in London and Paris. In 1812, a neoclassical look with tubular silhouette, empire waist, and open neckline reigned for London’s evening events. This evening dress from the September 1812 volume of Ackermann’s Repository of Arts publication features sleeves that...
The first, actual “curling iron” was patented by Sir Hiram Maxim (the same fellow who invented the machine gun) in 1866, but the device itself dates back over 6000 years. Considering antique curling tongs are seen or referred to in numerous cultures, it is doubtful a single person is responsible...
