Quite Quiet

I think I might have to buy this book. I definitely have to buy a copy for myself, but I think I might need to buy this book by the gross, because it makes a wonderful instruction manual for anyone who knows me.

When I say that I'm an introvert, some people react with surprise, because I do enjoy being social. I love having my friends over to my house. I am comfortable in my own house, and I only invite people over whom I am confident accept me for who I am and do not judge.

I feel like some of the panels depict my preferences and priorities:

some offer an explanation:

 

while others illustrate some of my darkest thoughts and worries:

A couple of panels were reminders to me:

Self care is the key to a happy ending:

#NotYourPrincess

Another one of my recent non-fic picks. #NotYourPrincess is a collection of poems, recollections, photos  and artwork created by Native American women.

The content within touches upon a range of issues that impact women from these communities. Facing stereotypes, speaking out (or not) about domestic abuse, learning about heritage, and reconciling one's own self with how the outside world perceives you, or perceives how you should be.

The artwork inside is beautiful, and the words provide talking points for discussions surrounding Native American culture, how our history classes and texts treat indigenous people, and portrayals of Native Americans in the media.

While many other stereotypes and offensive tropes have disappeared from popular media (bucktoothed Asians, blackface minstrels, etc.), it's clear that our perception of Native Americans is still suffering.

The title of the book includes a hashtag, which refers to activism on social media. Similar hashtags such as #NotYourMascot and #NotYour Pocahontas have also trended on Twitter.

I think most people understand that wearing these costumes promotes stereotypes, so we frown on their use for Halloween. This is especially true of the costumes which are sexualized:

But sometimes it's difficult to find the line. For example, I was in middle school when the Disney film Pocahontas was released, and I remember how  popular the soundtrack was. I had it. My friends had it. And since I grew up taking dance lessons, I saw firsthand how many dance teachers used those songs for performances. I remember looking through costume catalogs and seeing all the Pocahontas-inspired outfits, and thinking how lucky those dancers were to wear them, and to get to perform to the songs.

These costumes are intended for the wearer to play a character, and perform as that character, so it makes sense that the costume should resemble something the character wears/would wear. However, they are still costumes. They are not authentic. They are made of lycra and spandex, with sequins and faux feather details. They are a pale shadow of traditional Native American costumes, but they are dance costumes, so they're not intended to represent historical accuracy.

I'm still not exactly sure how I feel about dance costumes that are meant to portray characters based on indigenous people, or those from other cultures. (A similar  trend occurred when the next big Disney movie Mulan was released.)

The dance costumes are a tiny bit of a tangent, but since the book is clearly referencing Pocahontas, the daughter of a chief who has become a Disney Princess, I think it's only fair that we interrogate all the merchandise and trends that are derived from that image.

Also, note that all three women from the 'PocaHottie' costume are light-haired, and two of the girls modeling the dance costumes are light-haired. It frequently happens when a Western culture hijacks another, there is a "white washing" of that culture. We're looking at you, Tiger Lily.

Jane, the Fox and Me

Our library recently added two new graphic novels to our collection, by Fanny Britt and Isabelle Arsenault. I was immediately drawn to Jane, the Fox & Me because of the allusion to Jane Eyre. It's been one of my favorites since I first read it.

Helene is a young teen girl who is ostracized by the other girls in her grade. They torment her with words written on bathroom walls and vicious gossip. These portions of the book are done in grayscale illustrations.

But when she escapes into the world of Jane Eyre, she is able to forget about them. When Helene reads, the pictures become colorful.

Her class goes on a trip to a camp, where she discovers a fox. She is entranced by its beauty, and feels bold enough to let it approach her as she sits on the steps of her cabin.

The fox acts as a symbol of impending freedom; soon Helene decides to get to know the other loners in her cabin, and she is freed from her feelings on insecurity and loneliness.

Not only is Jane Eyre one of my favorite books, but it is responsible for creating so many themes and traditions in our literature (the man woman in the attic, and the way Bronte breaks the fourth wall when she addresses the reader with "Reader, I married him"). This book could be a young reader's introduction to that classic story in a way that is colorful and relatable.

It's a Beautiful Mourning

I'm a Caitlin Doughty fangirl. A few years back, I read her book Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons From the Crematory. Ever since then, I've been hooked. I've always been interested in death rituals, specifically the Victorian customs surrounding death. Reading her books, watching her vlogs and meeting her in person has only reinforced my interest in the ways that different societies, past and present, have  perceived death and coped with loss.

This title came up in my suggestions on Amazon, and I knew I had to see it for myself.

Jack Mord's compilation of post-mortem photography gives readers a glimpse into the grim realities of Victorian era life. The title signifies not only seeing beyond a covering (so many people just think of the romance of the 19th century), but also alludes to mourning fashion as well as the practice of having a person who is covered or obscured, supporting the body of the deceased, especially infants. They are sometimes referred to as "hidden mothers."

Many families did not have regular access to photography, so sometimes the only photograph taken of a person, especially a child, was prompted by the need to memorialize him/her. The book itself boasts Victorian vanity, with elaborate script for the title, intricate designs stamped into the leather cover, and gilding on the page edges.

I won't show any of the images of people here, but one portion of the book which I found especially interesting is the chapter on how our animal companions were mourned and remembered. I knew that the Victorian preoccupation with death extended to animals; the examples from taxidermy from this era are amazing. They are so intricate and lifelike, and also life affirming in an ironic way, that they look more like illustrations for children's books than preserved animal tableaux:

                                   "Rabbits' Village School" circa 1888             "The Kittens' Wedding" circa 1890's

This photo postcard from 1915 is inscribed "Pippo, bello morto" ("Pippo, beautiful in death"). Of course we all know how painful it is when we lose our most loyal friends, but I can't help but smile a little to think Pippo's owner, lovingly arranging him and calling the photographer to come over and take a picture, treating her cat like a child. Who among us doesn't cherish our photos of our pets?

And this tiny little  coffin, circa 1875, created for a pet bird. It is made out of brass and marble, so we can assume that the family was pretty well off, if they can afford such an elaborate send off for Wee Wee the bluebird.

Wee Wee made out much better than my several hamsters, who got unmarked graves in my backyard.

Alice in a Winter Wonderland

Since it's another Snow Day in these parts, I had to find a project to work on, so I didn't get cabin fever. I have very little moolah in my crafting budget right now, thanks to all these unscheduled, unpaid days, so it had to be a project using things I already had at my disposal.

We withdrew this book from our library a couple months ago, and I liked the title. I decided to make it a junk journal with an Alice in Wonderland theme.

The inside front cover is a book jacket from an old withdrawn copy of Alice in Wonderland, and the first page is a page from yet another old copy of the story.

In case you're wondering, three different Alice in Wonderland books were deconstructed (although two of them were already in various stages of it) and of course the book The Agony of Alice was altered to accommodate all the extra materials being put inside.

This was an ad from a magazine, and I decoupaged the Disney version of Alice onto it.

I especially like the way this pair of pages turned out: 

And of course, I had to make sure the pink flamingos were well represented:

I will add more embellishments like washi tape, ribbons and other bits but I wanted to get the foundation set up first.

Sneak Peek of Shabby Chic

This isn't the usual kind of blog post, but I wanted to show off some of my furniture makeovers and other creative outlets.

We bought our home in 2014, and the dining room has been in progress the entire time. I think I painted it in 2016, but I hadn't really done much more than that.

Most of the time, it's used as a crafting space or a studio for working on dollhouses, but I recently decided I wanted it to look a little more put-together.

These vintage curtains were a thrift store find a few years ago, and I couldn't resist them. They inspired the shabby chic, cabbage rose theme for the room:

Years ago, I started collecting teacups and china with pink rose patterns. In fact, I found a couple Limoges teacups in the trash can at the Crumpton auction when I lived in Maryland. None of them are from the same set, but because they all have the same colors and theme, they still go together. I really wanted a cabinet or a hutch to display all the little pretties I've collected. I scoured thrift stores and Craig's List for a long time, but I ended up buying a little glass-doored cabinet from Hobby Lobby:

 

That piece of furniture came from the store, but there are plenty of other things in my dining room that are more typical of my roadside finds and whimsical style. This dresser was from the side of the road, and it was really dark wood, and the entire top was missing. I had to put new legs on the bottom,  cut scrap wood to make a new top and repaint the entire thing:

I collect vintage linens, and I had a pink table runner with an embroidered edge that completes it:

The rose patterned wash basin was another thrift store find

The pink and white dresser isn't the only furniture rescue in this room. This old chair was another roadside find. It was UGLY- dark wood with a hunter green pleather seat cushion. I repainted it green and covered the seat using a vintage scarf:

I also made a windchime chandy especially for this room. I found a metal mug tree on the roadside:

It was kind of goofy looking, but it had nice lines, and I thought it would look better upside down and covered in sparkly ornaments and pretty beads, so first I spray painted it light pink, and then I started adding the strands:

I got a metal plant hanger bracket (another win for Hobby Lobby) to suspend it from:

And one day my husband brought me flowers, and they looked perfect in the dining room:

The other pictures and decor in the room also reflect my trademark, thrift store, upcycled style:

 

                                        Wallpaper scrap               Poster from Dollar Tree          Mixed media collage

                                        Frame from the                       Frame from the                  handmade by me

                                       Crumpton auction                   Crumpton auction

Just a little something different today.