She loved them like people.

Victorian Momento mori portrait with dolls.

I went antique shopping this weekend. I enjoy it so very much, unfortunately I was on a budget so I didn't buy anything yet but I have some things that I'll get when I obtain the amount of money needed. I was looking for stuff of the Victorian era, which I love so much. Does anybody have a favorite antique store in their hometown? What are your favorite things to shop for or that you've purchased?

Mirror, mirror on the wall...

March 2012

So this isn't very recent but I thought I'd share something. I love going to yard/garage sales and last summer I found this mirror at one. At the time I bought it, it was an ugly off white color with fake crackle-like lines going through it to make it look aged. I also love spray paint. So I spray painted it black and it looks amazing, new, fresh and stylish. it's one of my favorite things in my room. Almost anything can look better with a coating of paint.

I also found a set of ugly brass candle holders a while back and painted those black, it's astonishing how different things look with a simply a different color.

(I wish I had a before picture to show, but I'll keep that in mind for the next time I do something like this.)

Victorian fetish

March 2012

This is unknown human hair that my mom found for me in the drawer of my grandmas dresser. I plan to use it creatively in my artworks.

The Victorians used to love hair because it doesn't decay. They used it in jewelry and artwork as memento moris. I may write a post about the subject sometime in the future.

Where has my wisdom gone?

Today I had an appointment at 8:00am for the removal of my wisdom teeth. I was nervous about getting them removed because I was only going to get the numbing shots and hearing others stories about their experiences didn't make it much better.  At the consultation they told me they'd be easy to take out  but when making the appointment they said I had a slight impacted tooth and that it'd be better for me to get the anesthesia. I finally chickened out the day of and went with the anesthesia, which I was even more nervous about. 

Surprisingly the experience was very quick and I could barely feel a thing. Also the anesthesia made me feel very comfortable and rested, it was really nice. They told me I'd have little to no memory but I can remember everything. I also got to keep my teeth! 

March 2012

So now I'm icing my mouth and am on a diet of pudding, smoothies, and milkshakes, which is lucky for me because I work at Dairy Queen.

Virgin and Child

Virgin and Child, 1324-1339.

Mary holds Jesus in her left arm with her weight on her left leg creating a gothic S-sway pose. She originally wore a crown,she still holds a fleur-de-lis,(a heraldic symbol of royal France) which served as a reliquary container for strands of Mary's hair. The Christ Child reaches out to tenderly caress Marys cheek and holds an apple, a referance to Christ's role as the new Adam, whose sacrifice on the cross redeemed humanity from the first couple's fall into sin when Eve bit into the forbidden fruit.

(All information I've obtained about the piece I got from Art History vol.II by Marilyn Stokstad)