History of the Ouija Board

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Recently I was at an antique mall I spied a vintage Ouija board with the price tag of “FREE!” which I simply couldn’t pass up, despite owning multiple already. As I walked out with it, I heard one of the employees say “Don’t use it now!” Over the years I have heard and read a constant stream of negative attitudes toward spirit boards; how they are evil, used by Satanists, and those who use them risk becoming possessed. But what so few really know is the history behind spirit boards. Communicating with the dead through séances became immensely popular in American during middle part of the 19th century and everyone from First Ladies to average middle class Americans was doing it, swept up in the wave of the American Spiritualism Movement. However today séances and the sometimes accompanying Ouija board are looked upon with fear and condemned by many. So just how did that happen?

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Country Rapunzel

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Way back in April, during our road trip to Idaho, I scored a square dancing dress that was absolutely perfect for a Rapunzel Disneybound and I’ve been waiting for the perfect moment to wear it. That perfect moment arrived when I was invited to a Disney couples themed Disneybound event! So Patrick, who doesn’t really Disneybound, did his bare minimum to bound as Flynn with a blue shirt, and tan shorts (although I have no photos to show you) and we enjoyed a lovely afternoon at the park.

One of the things we did as a group was ride Kind Arthur’s Carousel and I happened to find a steed that coordinated perfectly with my ensemble!

Outfit
Hair Flowers: Michael’s
Dress: Decades Vintage Clothing, Salt Lake City, Utah
Petticoat: Amazon
D Brooch: Match Accessories
Shoes: Re-Mix

Charm Bracelet Collection Vol. 3

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It’s time for Volume 3 of my Charm Bracelet Collection! In Volume 2 I talked about pre-made charm bracelets, and today I continue with pre-made charm bracelets, but ones that are souvenirs. These charm bracelets are from specific locations and the charms showcase that.

I like that souvenir charm bracelets can summarize a location with just a few images, or literally spell out the place, as you’ll also see.

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These Boots Were Made for Walkin’

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Last weekend Knott’s Berry Farm’s interactive guest experience Ghost Town Alive came to a close. The summer event was like a three month long, family friendly version of Westworld, and I enjoyed getting super dressed up for visits. I originally had much grander outfits planned for visiting during the last couple of days, but humidity and 100 degree days changed all that. The result is only one outfit post from the final days. But at least it’s an outfit that features my new boots!

Last year I wrote an open letter to Knott’s Berry Farm regarding their unique offering of Ghost Town Alive, and took the time to acknowledge specific people involved. I want to do the same, and showcase some of the stunning photographs Patrick took. So I plan to share that sometime soon.

Outfit
Peasant Top: Pinup Girl Clothing
Skirt: Buffalo Exchange
Boots: West of Texas, Redlands, California
Horseshoe Necklace: Knott’s Berry Farm
Deputy Badge: “Earned” last year at Knott’s
Purse: Frock You, San Diego, California

Charm Bracelet Collection Vol. 2

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Welcome to the second installment of my Charm Bracelet Collection! In Volume One I shared my personal charm bracelets, which are bracelets that I have built up over the years with charms I have found. Today I am sharing pre-made charm bracelets. The wonderful thing about pre-made charm bracelets is that they often already have a theme, which is what I wanted when I started to get into charm bracelets.

Pre-made charm bracelets are typically made of a cheap metal commonly called as “pot metal” as opposed to sterling silver. I have one exception within my collection.

This is an extremely picture heavy post! While I wanted to showcase a detail or two from every charm bracelet, I decided not to for a few, because there are just so many!

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Charm Bracelet Collection Vol. 1

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Many of you know I have a rather large charm bracelet collection, and when I asked what y’all would like to see on the blog, I had many requests for my charm bracelet collection. Since then, I’ve been debating on how to go about doing this, because I have so many, and ultimately decided to split my collection into three posts.

For the most part there are two kinds of charm bracelets out there; ones that are personal, they are built up over the years by the owner purchasing individual charms and attaching them to a bracelet, then there are pre-made charm bracelets, often they feature several charms (I have a handful that only have one charm), and often with a theme, already attached. Typically personal charm bracelets are built using sterling silver charms, while pre-made charm bracelets are made using cheap “pot metal” and then often chromed, and/or painted with enamel. Like individual charms, pre-made charm bracelets made excellent souvenirs, and there are many that were made for a specific location, like Las Vegas and Hawaii. Because of the various types, and theming, I have decided to share my collection in the following way:

Vol. 1: Personal Charm Bracelets
Vol 2: Pre-Made Charm Bracelets
Vol 3: Pre-Made Souvenir Charm Bracelets
Vol 4: Pre-Made Disney Themed Charm Bracelets

The subject of Disney and Disneyland is a love it or hate it category for many, and as I have quite a few, I thought it best to give it its own volume.

Most of my charm bracelet collection is made up of vintage pre-made charm bracelets, but I do have a few personal charm bracelets, which I will focus on today, as well as a couple new charm bracelets.

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Flea Market Dos and Don’ts

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With the holiday season (which for me includes Halloween) arriving soon, Patrick and I have been hitting up more flea markets in search of fresh vintage Halloween decor to add to our home, and after witnessing and overhearing certain things at the flea market I decided to go ahead with a dos and don’ts for flea markets. The same of course can be said for antique shows!

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