Archive November, 2019 - What The Red Herring
Jotham’s Journey: A Storybook for Advent

Jotham’s Journey: A Storybook for Advent

This year, Sunday, December 1, 2019 marks the beginning of Advent.

If you’re looking for an activity to remember Advent with your school age kids, I want to tell you about the book we used last year, a gift from my mom.

Jotham’s Journey: A Storybook for Advent, by Arthur Ytreeide, is a saga told day-by-day throughout Advent. The story takes place in Bible times and climaxes with the birth of Jesus.

What are the highs and lows?

The Cruel Prince

The Cruel Prince

Holly Black’s The Cruel Prince is a YA novel our local library was promoting for an adult YA book club that meets monthly at the library.

While last year’s themes were Surrender and Acceptance, this year’s theme seems to be, Find Your People. I’m an adult, and I like YA lit. I picked up a copy of the book at the front desk, and snagged one of two spots left in the book club meeting for later in the month.

Then, I spent several hours I could (and maybe should) have spent sleeping before and after a night shift and binge read it. Indoors, outdoors, and way past my bedtime.

Project Files: The Luna (formerly Kochi) Jacket

Project Files: The Luna (formerly Kochi) Jacket

I’ve been adding a bunch of boxy pieces to my handmade wardrobe lately, all while not wanting to look pregnant and being a little ambivalent about the style. I saw the Luna Jacket bobbing around in the Instagram sewing community during Me Made May, but it took a while for me to decide to give it a try because of that familiar, boxy silhouette.

One of the things that won me over is that the shape reminds me of an 18th century European bedgown. It felt like a natural stop on my foray into historical costuming.

Music for Mister Moon

Music for Mister Moon

It’s been a while since I featured a children’s book, and this is one I haven’t even read to my kids yet. I was immediately drawn to the cover illustration of Music for Mister Moon, by Philip C. Stead, illustrated by Erin E. Stead (I’m a sucker for a husband and wife team).

Strolling Like a Victorian

Strolling Like a Victorian

When I first started pursuing costuming in earnest, I could barely find any events for costumers in my area, at least, not if you didn’t want to be a re-enactor.

I gradually started discovering events, like this one in Troy, NY, for steampunk folks.

But I always seemed to find out about the events days after they happened, and I knew I’d never be ready in time for the couple of other costume/masquerade-type of events I discovered locally ahead of time.

Then, I found not one but TWO Victorian strolls near our house scheduled within a week of each other in December.