Boudoir Musings

Anyone who is a fan of the English Regency and Victorian eras is well acquainted with concept of a boudoir, a somewhat strictly personal internal refuge of a lady's home wherein (at least in certain Regency romances) hastened gentlemen make daring escapes over balconies, ladies plot and plan {amongst other things} and maids curl hair with hot tongs and put away vast Bond St. creations into lavender sached wardrobes. Today, like so many other things of the past the boudoir is becoming in many ways extinct due to the sharing of sleeping quarters, lack of space, and the slow erradication of ways of yore due to the passing of time.
However, if you simply thumb through the pages of such monthly periodicals as Victoria, Architectural Digest, or Cottage Style you still see the much coveted romanticized look of that era brought out into other now less formalized aspects of the home. From Aubusson carpets in the living room to peasant style rag rugs in the bath, the delicate unfurling of cabbage roses painted across a wall, and various vintage tchotcke this particular fashion has also finally reached suburban domestication in recent years via Target's 'Shabby Chic' home decor line.
The style has been one of the few decorating rages from the past couple of centuries that's become more than a passing trend.
Although we may be beyond the stifling social restrictions and prim repression we can still luckily enjoy the beauty in battenberg lace, yet we aren't obliged to drape our pianofortes with it! {For anyone unfamiliar with Victorian customs it was their preference to cover furniture lest it cause improper thoughts.} One must inevitably think that the modern world would cause the Victorians a fit of the vapors at least; the Regency folks with their dampened petticoats, (and pre and post French revolution decadence) perhaps not so much. :)

Reminiscing

Hey there! Hopefully everyone's having an awesome Friday night! Tonight while I was being a hybrid cross of couch potato, channel surfer, and unkept hausfrau during blaring boring infomercials I picked out a couple of back issues of one of my favorite magazines that I had picked up from a five and dime type of thrift shop at the stunningly cheap price of a quarter an issue. Before you shout out Cosmo, Vogue, stop! The magazine I'm actually talking about is Reminisce. Just like the title implies reading this magazine is part time capsule, part time warp, and part time machine. Through its vintage snapshots as well as reader submitted anecdotes its focus is primarily on what life was like during the beginning to mid 20th century and it's definitely a must read for anyone who's interested in social and suburban styled history.

Relics of The West

Even though we live in the 21st century remnants of the 19th century still remain. For example in Barstow California a Harvey house still stands today. In the past Harvey houses served as stopping places along the rough route of train traveling where you could briefly wash up and eat a hot meal before rushing off to the depot again and boarding your next train. Ghost towns are also another awesome example of surviving history such as the one in Calico California and various others throughout the western states. Spanish missions from the bygone era still dot the California coastline today some still resplendent in faded religious grandeur. Trading posts still flourish today in their modern forms of pawn shops. Gold rush fever gripped the 49ers and those seeking fast fortunes back in the day and gold remains a hot commodity today evidenced by hot trend of gold buying and selling.

Hello and Welcome! Thanks for taking the time to stop by my digital parlor and if you have either an old fashioned Kindle, fancy newfangled Kindle Fire, or handy Kindle app for your mobile or computer check out my new novel "Garters, Gunslingers & Grace" for sale in the Kindle store! Meanwhile be sure to bookmark, favorite, and frequently check back on my blog here for like a sensational 19th century high society scandal sheet or tawdry supermarket tabloid it will be full of interesting and delicious tips, tidbits, and relevantly random electronic ephemera!