This Is For You Halloween Party

I think the roots in this shift of thinking (see previous blog) really took hold last October when I threw my first Halloween party. I had always wanted to throw a Halloween party. Halloween is my favorite holiday and I love hosting parties. What could be more wonderful.

At first I wasn't going to do any of it because I was worried about my lack of space (small apartment) but I decided I was tired of waiting to have a fabulous Halloween party someday in the future. And even if it wasn't perfect why not just give it a go. So I did and it went great. I did go a little overboard with the streamers, homemade hanging bats and Halloween themed party food. (I chalk it up to my suppressed desire to decorate.)

But to back up a moment, when I first moved to Austin I needed to furnish my new place. But since I didn't know what my style was I subconsciously chose the most plain, dull, square furniture I could find. Like an artist choosing a white canvas on which they would later paint I grabbed my purse and went to IKEA! Now before IKEA lovers get up in arms let me say that I think IKEA is great. It's inexpensive, most pieces are light and easy to move. Good products for people on the go. It's very modern and goes with our modern day style. Perfect for a beginner too like I was at the time. (And let me add that IKEA might be perfect for some people's tastes but not really for me.)

I guess the Halloween party jump started my brain into thinking about what I liked. I ended up trying to decorate my place for the party like a witch's cottage. Candles, mason jars and fake fall leaves you could have picked up on one's way to look for potion ingredients or something. :)

It also got me thinking about the story I'm working on set in a Halloween world. As I molded the world I had to think about what the world looked like. What did the characters wear? What did they put in their houses? I started with small things like boots. I wanted one of my characters to wear black witchy boots but I couldn't put my finger on what kind of boots they were. So I began to look it up and discovered that the picture I'd had in my mind was what a Victorian woman in the 1800s would wear. I began to look at more Victorian fashion which led to all sorts of other things. I scoured the Internet searching for websites that would help me pin all these interests down. And in the process I realized that I myself could actually purchase the things I wanted in my story and, in a sense, bring my imagination into the real world.



I found these at: http://www.shoebuy.com/funtasma-victorian-35/266204

They are super comfortable and good to wear on fun occasions.

Now this buying of the imagination discovery may not seem like a big deal. But inwardly it was like someone handing me a key to unlock the joys of my mind and make them tangible.

The weirdest part was the confidence that sprang up from this knowledge. That the things I liked actually existed. They were being sold or I could at least make them. And in some small way I could take control of the way the world looked around me instead of being a victim to my indecision and what was popular or common. Life became a treasure hunt and whole worlds opened up.

Anyway, all this is just the beginning. I will have many more pictures to post as the blog goes on. But since all this is new and I'm just feeling out what sorts of things I'd like to include I will be adding at the end of each of my posts a recommendation from me. Rene (a.k.a Christina) Dante. In the past two years of living on my own I've discovered some really great things that have enriched my life though they aren't all necessarily Victorian related. Some of these things came about by happy accident and some not so much. But I'm going to just tag them on at the end of each post because I love all my readers and want them to benefit from what I've found out about. So adieu until tomorrow.

Rene's Recommendation:

I found these Rice and Adzuki Bean Natural Salt Artisan Snack Chips at HEB just a few weeks ago. The ones I found are actually an HEB brand so if you look for them at HEB they won't have the Boulder Canyon logo on them. I have found a few different flavors, natural salt and chipotle cheese. There might be more so be on the look out. But they are both really tasty. Light and crunchy with a unique flavor that's not a potato chip. So if you're tired of crackers or plain old chips this might be a good compromise.