Shivers of Delight

On January 29, 1845, the Evening Mirror published The Raven under Edgar Allen Poe's name. This wasn't the first publication of the poem, but it was the first publication using Poe's name. This calls for a celebration. Where would the succession of shoe-gazing, dark romantics be without The Raven ? In honor of The Raven wear black and feathers and jewelry depicting Poe and ravens today. Writing with a quill pen would be a nice touch too if you have one. We can at least change our computer font to something swirly today. What? You don't have anything with a raven or Poe's image on it?! Let me help you out. PaperStatue: Instant Download Raven Mask FreshComfy: The Raven Scarf Skeletos: Raven Skull Belt Buckle CostureroReal: Raven Queen Ball Cown RebelMadness: Raven Halloween Skirt What's a celebration without cookies? CookieDoughCreations: Raven Cookie Cutter If you're need a bigger Poe fix, click on my Edgar Allen Poe link ...

I came across an interesting Etsy shop that is owned by Lynda M. Jasper-Vogel. The shop is Sir Cedric's Good Heads and has an offering of jester sticks that were created by Jasper-Vogel in her California workshop between 1980 and 1990. According to Jasper-Vogel, "The jester stick, bauble, or fools head originated in the Middle Ages as a large phallus on a long stick with which fools and entertainers would hit each other during comedic sketches. When comedy became more sophisticated so did the jester stick. It evolved to the likeness of the jester and was used in the same way the a ventriloquist would use a dummy. Members of fashionable society would often have one made in their own likeness to be carried during important festivals." The jester sticks for sale in her shop are one-of-a-kind or limited edition pieces that remained after the shop closed. These would be perfect accessories for Mardi Gras or perhaps a Halloween Ball. Diablo Tres Mystic Reveler ...

I really admire and am so jealous of the beautiful beading done by Nepinka . Her Etsy shop says that she combines new and old practices by doing time-consuming handwork to create modern images. I've tried my own hand at doing bead work and it's not as easy as it looks. Trying to get tiny beads to go where you want is like herding cats. I'm captivated by Nepinka's attention to detail and touch of humor. Ne Pinka's (I think this is her actual name) shop says she lives in Europe. I think I saw somewhere that she lives in Estonia. (Actually, a message from the artist says she lives in the Ukraine, oops!) You can follow what Ne Pinka is up to on her Facebook page too. She recently took a long break from beading, but has come to realize beading is her dream job. I'm glad she came to this conclusion and will be around for awhile. Flower Heart Necklace Anatomical Heart Military Medal Burning House Brooch Human Ear Necklace Anatomical Heart and...

I'm doing something I typically don't like to do. I'm going to post photos without a clear source or explanation. I searched for definitive sources and explanations, but didn't find much. I'm going ahead anyway because I'm intrigued. Maybe someone will be able to point me in the right direction? I saw most of these Catholic funeral vestments on Pinterest first. A Google search led me to various Catholic blogs with photos, but provenance was often weak. So, here is what I've learned: Catholic priests no longer wear black at funerals. This is because of the Second Vatican Council that took place during the 1960s and modernized the Catholic liturgy. (Don't quote me on this kids, my history of the Catholic Church is shaky at best.) There does seem to be a small movement to put priest back in black though, which is kind of cool. I love renegade priests. Priests also haven't worn vestments (or chasubles) with skulls on them since before the eight...

Matt Darling's pins and patches are just plain fun. Darling's Big Cartel shop Bad Vibes has a nice selection of inexpensive statement pieces. For certain people, they could even serve as memorial gifts.  That's how I found Darling's shop. I was searching for interesting funeral gifts and the skeleton in the coffin pin popped up. Like I said, it's not for everyone, but I think you could carry it off. Life Was OK Hang In There Baby Cat Skull Cat Moon Whatevs 4-Evs Anxiety Ghost I think I need several of these.

Between New Year and Lent there is a festival to chase away evil spirits in Bulgaria called Kukeri. Let's go! source: freesophiatour.com People wear costumes depicting scary animals and parade through town making lots of noise to scare the bad vibes away. I love these raucous festivals celebrated around the world that simply acknowledge evil and attempt to do something about it. I imagine everyone leaves with a lighter spirit. I like the idea of getting to chase away my bad luck and put all of my negative energy in a pile and burn it once a year. In fact, I might just do that this weekend. source:novitiate.com If you feel foolish doing this in your neighborhood, there are packaged tours you can take that will guide you through your first Kukeri festival. They take place throughout the month of January in Bulgaria, but the largest festival takes place in Pernik. This year the Pernik festival takes place January 29-31.  One of the tours is led by V Travel Ltd. and you mi...

You probably have no idea who William Price was, but he is someone with whom we should be familiar. Price was a Welsh physician born in 1800 who is known as one of the great eccentrics. The son of a (some say insane) minister, Price went against his father's wishes and became a physician. In the early nineteenth century that would probably be enough to call you eccentric, but Price went above and beyond. First, after returning from an exile in France (long story), Price started a druid group that attracted a great many followers. He is credited with being one of the catalysts for the neo-pagan movement that exists today. He lived the part, too, wearing green flowing robes and growing his beard and hair long. For the Victorians, this was not normal. Need I mention that Price was also a nudist, vegetarian, and opposed vaccination? Second, when his son died after living only five months, Price held a funeral on a hilltop and attempted to cremate his son. Cremation was taboo...

Fashion designer Betsey Johnson and skulls go hand-in-hand. I've always liked Johnson's vintage-prom-girl-gone-bad style and I own several pieces of her jewelry. My skull earrings by Johnson are a favorite. All of the pieces I'm showing today are available on Amazon. Johnson's own shop doesn't always have past-season designs. Let's indulge in some bright and sparkling skulls and spiders to cheer us up from the winter blues. "Dark Shadows" Haunted House and Cat Earrings "Mini's" Skeletons Earrings "Spider Lux" Statement Necklace "Spider Lux" Earrings "Caribbean Queen" Skull Stud Earrings "Dark Shadows" Skeleton Bride Necklace "Spring Fling" Bug Drop Earrings "Lady Lock" Skull Drop Earrings "Turqs and Caico's" Snake Necklace "Crystal Rhodium" Snake Earrings "Dark Shadows" Haunted House Necklace ...

I came across some really bizarre, jointed dolls that I want to share with you from Doll Chateau . The cool thing about these dolls is that you can purchase them fully designed with makeup and clothing or you can buy just the jointed doll and dress it any way you like. These are not inexpensive. Nude dolls cost hundreds of dollars. To purchase a doll you need to go through an agent or independent shop. There are several in the United States and across Europe and Asia, and you'll find links on the website. Here are some of the available completed dolls. Carol: Limited Edition Lily Arali Kevin Snow Nymph Douglas Damara The detail in these dolls is breathtaking.  You really should clink on the links to see them fully.  You will be charmed.