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Showing posts with label renaissance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label renaissance. Show all posts

Ohio!

23 October, 2011


I would like to apologise now for the lack of posts in the past two weeks. I went on holiday to Cincinnati in Ohio because a friend there was getting married and I was invited to the wedding. This meant that I didn’t make a post because I was on holiday and then when I came back I went straight back to work so spent the following weekend catching up on my sleep and chores.

However I am happy to say that I had a lovely time in Cinci! I was staying with my lovely friend Meg, who was one of the bridesmaids, and also got to see Ames (maid of honour) and Beth (the bride). I left London while it was in a heatwave and found that Ohio was in one as well. It was a good thing I had packed a pair of shorts with me “just in case” since I would have baked to a crisp in my jeans.


Cincinnati Museum, photo by me.

We went to the Cincinnati History Museum, which was very cool, it’s made out of an old train terminal (we don’t have anything the same size in London as we’re still using all our train terminals). We ended up in the natural history wing where we found Native American artefacts, stuffed animals, and a cave! I’ve never been in a cave in a museum before, it had running water and everything, suddenly I wanted to close down Waterloo and turn it into a museum complete with a very nifty cave!

Ice cream! Photo by Meg.

Ames, Beth and Tim The Groom took me to Skyline for a Cincinnati Three-way, which is chilli on top of spaghetti with grated cheese. The cheese was orange! Cheddar cheese is not meant to be orange! As far as “comfort food” (my uncle described it as such when I told him about it) goes I think the British can do much better, if any of them come to the UK I will be sure to make them a nice toad in the hole to prove what comfort food really is. Thankfully the next day I could forget all about their strange orange cheese because Meg took me to an ice cream place and we had cookie dough ice cream that was AMAZING, even better than Ben & Jerry’s (creamier and less sugar-stuffed).

Me and Liz at the Reception, photo by April Besl.
 
There was also a bachelorette party (which was fun but ended in true legendary “we won’t talk about it” style) and a rehearsal dinner and before we knew it the wedding day was here! It was a really lovely wedding, and along with only being my second ever wedding it was also the first time I had seen a Catholic mass. The reception was a lot of fun, I haven’t danced so much for quite a long time. Every time I sat down for a breather I was pulled back up to my feet again. I had to have quite a long lie in the next morning. Between the rehearsal dinner, the wedding and the reception I managed to get to know a whole bunch of people, so a big thank you to Cheryl (poppet XD), Manny, Liz, April, Morgan, Kirk (aka "Ames' bloke") and Karl (aka "Ames' brother") for being fantastic company!

It's not traditional for the Beefeaters in London to kill people with spades,
but apparantly it's common in Ohio.

And then on Sunday, the day before I was flying home, Ames took me, Meg, Liz and Liz' husband Brad to a renaissance faire! We don’t have anything like that in the UK that I know of. We spent the entire day there, live music, people in costume, jousting, the whole nine yards and it was completed by perfect weather, it was an excellent day out! Monday was spent sleeping, packing, seeing some parks in Cinci and having one of the BEST burgers I've tasted before Ames dropped me off at the airport and I had to say my goodbyes.

So a big thank you to Meg, Ames and Beth for a fantastic week in the USA! And many congratulations to the bride and groom, Beth and Tim, and here's to many happy years!

The Tudors

25 September, 2011


I have recently been re-watching the TV series The Tudors. Admittedly it’s riddled with historical inaccuracies but I love the costume and jewellery design. I had a little search on Etsy using the term “Tudor”, and was stunned at some of the super-talented people that have shops there.

 Shakespeare in Love by RomanticThread

This gown is simply gorgeous. The colour catches the eye but it’s the level of detail, especially the beading around the bodice, which really makes this a gown fit for a Lady of the Tudor court!

 Renaissance Nobleman Hunting Outfit by MattiOnline

Because not everyone can wear a dress! From the wonderfully baggy sleeves to the bright red breeches, this makes a wonderful costume for the historically-inclined gentleman.

Tudor Dress Girdle by RecycledRockstah

We all know that the devil is in the details. This girdle means that the details have suddenly become a lot easier! Pearl cabochons and gold filigree really add to the beautifully opulent feel of this piece, a worthwhile addition to any costume.

Henry VIII Costume Set by midnightbreezedesign

And last but certainly not least, if you’ve ever wanted to dress up like a king then this may be the costume for you! This is a full set; hat, breeches, doublet and, mostly importantly, the coat! The use of faux-fur is what draws the whole thing together for me, making this a very regal costume.

I bet you’re now all looking for renaissances fairs in your area!

Have a good weekend!
 
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