brother our troubles are locked in each other's arms.

Dollhouse II

Rainy Day Dolls

 

I am wearing a 1970s dress, antique velvet jacket, 1920s millinery blossoms, and a 1960s velvet hat.

my november guest

My November Guest

My Sorrow, when she's here with me,

Thinks these dark days of autumn rain

Are beautiful as days can be;

She loves the bare, the withered tree;

She walked the sodden pasture lane.

Her pleasure will not let me stay.

She talks and I am fain to list:

She's glad the birds are gone away,

She's glad her simple worsted gray

Is silver now with clinging mist.

The desolate, deserted trees,

The faded earth, the heavy sky,

The beauties she so truly sees,

She thinks I have no eye for these,

And vexes me for reason why.

Not yesterday I learned to know

The love of bare November days

Before the coming of the snow,

But it were vain to tell her so,

And they are better for her praise.

Robert Frost

 

Boo!

Hope you had a spellbinding All Hallows Eve !

Witching hour

ll

Cold was the ground.

This haunted house

"I dwell with a strangely aching heart 
In that vanished abode there far apart..."
--Robert Frost, "Ghost House"

[Self-portrait in the ruins of my family home, September 2013.]

“No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood so for eighty years and might stand for eighty more. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone.” 

--Shirley Jackson, the Haunting of Hill House 

[Andrew Wyeth, Hussey’s House, 1942, Watercolor on Paper.]

"We learned, from listening, that all the strangers could see from outside, when they looked at all, was a great ruined structure overgrown with vines, barely recognizable as a house. It was the point halfway between the village and the  highway, the middle spot on the path, and no one ever saw our eyes looking out through the vines."

--Shirley Jackson, We Have Always Lived in the Castle

 [Clarence John Laughlin, House of the Past, 1947.]

"One need not be a Chamber -- to be Haunted --
One need not be a House --
The Brain has Corridors -- surpassing
Material Place -- "

--Emily Dickinson 

[Will Barnet, the Dream, 1990, oil on canvas.]

born to dye

Recently I discovered the magic of tea dying!

These are some antique underthings I dyed with Lipton Black Tea; I'm really enjoying the soft earthy tint they lend these Edwardian slips. Ironically enough, the tea bath gave the pieces a more antiquated look, as the attic-fresh white cottons here really didn't have any patina and looked like they could've been sewn up yesterday. With their new hue, they're also infinitely more wearable; pure white floor-sweeping dresses look more Cult Wife than ethereal on my frame, and I can't seem to master walking successfully with a coffee cup. I also dipped some slips in Celestial Seasonings True Blueberry, but it just gave it a slight greyish cast; next, I'm going to boil up some actual blueberries and give berry dyes a shot. Don't be deterred if DIY/craftsy things aren't your bag (they're not mine; I'm busy and kinda lazy). Tea dying is refreshingly simple and very foolproof. And how fun is it to stir your clothes around in a giant pot on the stove! Here's a little tutorial if you want to try it.

 

Songstress Style: Texacala Jones, the Cowpunk Queen

Well, I just saw Border Radio the other night, and the Tex cameo reminded me of how much I love that rough 'n' tumbleweeds deathrock goddess!!!



My favorite Horsehead tracks:
Oh Mother
Big House Part III
Lucky Hand

selling some things

Hello, friends. Yesterday I was treated to an armload of magnificent antique and vintage dresses at my favorite antique shop; but good lord, my wardrobe (/dressers/drawers/boxes in the attic) is fit to bursting. And I am also moving house to start up at a new college in the Fall... time to do some wardrobe purging, and let go of some less-worn frocks at the back of my closet. So, here's what's freshly listed...

 

 

After hemming and hawing, I've put this Nineteen-Teens era stunner up for sale! It's replete with some of the most incredible hand-made lace I've ever seen, and in marvelous condition. But it's too roomy for me, and such a beautiful dress deserves to be worn by someone who fits it perfectly!! You'll find the listing here. (I think I may have been wearing it backwards in the pictures, too; pretty sure the closures should be at the back on this one!) 

Also selling this fun 1950s sailor-collar frock...

These swell 1950s zig-zag pocket shorts...

As well as some 1950s and 1960s gowns and suits. See it all here.

i wore the album out

 

Rasputina -- Sister Kinderhook