Frankenstein

Okay, so compared to vampires and werewolves, created creatures of the night like Frankenstein's aren't exactly given much attention. There's no tween romance about a monster getting zapped by lightning and lurching to life, falling in love with a patchwork mate, and I think that's because you just can't romanticise the way these guys are created. Every monster like this is intrinsically linked with death. Vampired can abstain (Black Ribboners), zombies can be cured, and witches usually turn out to be good, but for a monster like this to even exist, several people have to be murdered or maimed, which just isn't going to make 'em that popular. My goodness, it's getting hard to keep a light-hearted tone for these Halloween posts; there are such dark roots to all the stories. Fascinating stuff, I do love this holiday.

Anyway! These nifty gifts are mostly great for accessorising yourself or decorating a room for Halloween. In my search, I found there's not so much for the Frankenstein fans on Folksy, but what there is, is very cool. ^_^

 ~♥~ FRANKENSTEIN'S MONSTER ~♥~ 

         

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Victoriana

The Victorian era is one of my favourite periods in history, being a fascinating mix of cultural repression, refinement, and subtle decadence. I can trace my love for it right back to my childhood, when I went on the school trip to St Fagans. St Fagans is a history-come-to-life sort of place, and is a fantastic place to go for the day. It was one of those school trips where you dress up. I wore a white pinny and a ruffled hat. We spent a whole day in costume, having Victorian lessons, playing Victorian games, having a very serious picture taken, etc. (I seemed to confuse being serious with being an aggressive owl). Wonderful stuff. I heartily recommend going, whatever your interest in history.

These pieces have been chosen in part for their authenticity, and in part for their innovation. You might have noticed that the theme is not "Victorian" but "Victoriana", which I think leaves a certain amount of leeway in terms of design and function. Victorian-inspired, then, instead of Victorian replicas. Victorian Victorian Victorian. Ooh, that word looks odd now.

 ~♥~ VICTORIANA ~♥~ 

         

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Dragons

Being Welsh, I've always had something of a penchant for dragons. I remember myths and legends being told to me when I was a little girl, about the mountains being sleeping dragons, their hoards of gold inside, transforming into beings with glittering scales and needle-sharp talons. One fantastic children's book about dragons, and one of my favourites, was the wonderfully written and illustrated Jane and the Dragon which, I just found out from googling it, is now a children's tv show! Hooray! (Though books win hands down). I love the wings of dragons, their tails, their beautiful eyes, and I really love the way that they can be created in so many different ways.

This is one of them. ^_^

Here, we have a selection of beautiful dragons, from the ridiculously cute to the proud and noble. A great gift for someone who has a love of fantasy or is of Welsh heritage.

~♥~ DRAGONS ~♥~

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Cakes

I'm quite an unorthodox baker. I know that various combinations of flour, butter, eggs and sugar tend to make delicious things. I rely more on my nose than by the recipe books, which I don't tend to use for more than just ideas for things to make. If something smells good, have a check of it. It's probably done or nearly done. I've also got a shelf full of sprinkles, chocolate chips, fudge pieces, butterscotch chips, various colours and flavourings, cooking chocolate, jams, spices, etc. I chuck in the flavours I want, and a combination of Things To Make Cake With, and voila! I might end up with a giant cookie when I meant to make little biscuits, or a sponge when I was going for brownies, but whatever happens when it goes into the oven usually tastes pretty nice when it comes back out again.

This selection of cake-based gifts would be great for someone you know who loves baking, and even better for someone with a sweet tooth. I absolutely love all of these pieces, though if I had to pick a favourite, it might be the doughnut earrings as they just look incredibly realistic. :)

~♥~ CAKES ~♥~

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Owls

I think I got my love of owls from my Grandma, who had several owly things. Paintings, pens, magnets, everyone knew she loved owls and so she always ended up with lots of owly gifts. :) This is a tactic I have started to employ myself as people never know what to get me for my birthday, and I now have my own owl collection of owly things. Even though owls remind me of my Grandma and that she's sadly no longer here, it's still nice to have that connection. I miss her very much.

These pieces here are a great mix of the way that owls can be represented in arts and crafts, from a fun cartoon depiction to a specific and realistic portrayal of owly loveliness.

~♥~ OWLS ~♥~

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