Scotland/England Vacation Photos on Flickr!

   So one of the many reasons I've been posting so little is because I was away in Scotland for some time during the end of 2012.

   Scotland has to be one of the most inspirational places to me. Not only is it incredibly old and beautiful, it is haunting and full of bloody history that can still be sensed as you walk the grand streets of Edinburgh and drive through the Scottish Highlands.

   Mostly I spent my time in Edinburgh, which I must say is one of my favorite places in the world. This city is full of friendly and interesting people. It's a fairly diverse city with all of its university students so I didn't feel like an odd ball out as "the only American girl" in town. Like other great cities, it's got amazing shopping and restaurants, but UNLIKE other great cities... it's Edinburgh. It's got some of the bloodiest, darkest, spookiest history known to us all. Home to the most notoriously haunted cemetery in the world, home to the most infamous body snatchers Burke and Hare, and home to the famous underground vaults... Edinburgh is creepy, beautiful, and macabre. My kind of place!

   The underground vaults tour was so eerie and amazing, nothing but a few candles down there. But even in the small amount of light that was in there, I swear I saw a dark shadow pass through one of the vaults. No wind or anything can get down there, so... maybe it was a ghost! I don't know, but I sure would like to think so. Our tour guide decided to scare the crap out of us, by putting our tiny group into the most haunted vault (which had no candles) and then blow out his tiny candle that he was holding. And then unfortunately, my embarrassing SoCal-Girl instincts kicked in and I said "Um, you did not just do that!" like I was straight out of OC (which I am)... kinda lame I know. But hey, I will admit: I was spooked! You could definitely feel something in these vaults, the air felt so thick, and there was a constant feeling that something was watching us from around every corner...

   I took a few strolls the beautiful and spooky Greyfriars and I must say that it also felt as spooky as they say. The famous Black Mausoleum (home to the Mackenzie Poltergeist) was definitely distinguishable from the rest of the cemetery. I truly wish I had taken a night tour, but I had no close friends with me on this trip and I knew I'd be pretty scared to go on my own, but even so I know I'll get another chance to go back someday and I will definitely bring my cowardly friends along.

   Another must-see in Edinburgh is, of course, Edinburgh Castle. I could go on and on about the history of Edinburgh Castle, but something you may not always hear about are the prison doors they have on display. Most visit the castle because of its royal history, but something that really stuck out to me where these old prison doors, and how they still had the original carvings in them, done by the prisoners themselves. For some reason these carvings really drew me in; I suppose it is because they were done by people who were anything but royal, and they did these in the cells where all they had were the darkness and each other.

   I took a day trip to the Highlands and as our tour guide told us old tales about the pagans and celts who lived there centuries ago, I got to thinking... is this there Halloween began? Am I really in the areas of Europe where All Hallow's Eve first started by the druids and pagans that lived in these hills? It was definitely an area that felt heavy, in a good way. In a historical and natural way. The Highlands are stunning to look at, but being there and feeling the crisp air is really what makes is special.

 

 I visited Loch Ness that day and had myself some delicious whisky in hot chocolate on our little boat ride... but as relaxed as I was, still, I was on the look out for Nessy!

I believe the spec in the top left corner is Nessy, so... case closed!

   My aunt, who I was staying with, took me down to London for a weekend, where I saw three of the most amazing exhibits.

The first was a Tim Walker Exhibit in Somerset House.

His photos captivated me not only for their direction and beauty, but for their sinister, macabre, and eerie moods. 

Read more about it and view more pictures on "Avery Sweet Blog"

   The second exhibit was a Hollywood Costume exhibit at the V&A.

This exhibit was truly emotional for me as I have grown up on cinema and aspire to make movies of my own. Getting to see some of the most iconic original costumes from the movies that have inspired me throughout my life was unforgettable and moving. I don't know if the rest of the audience enjoyed it as much as I did, however. We as Americans tend to look up to movie stars as our own version of royalty, not sure if the Brits quite get that, but regardless of the other patrons, I enjoyed this exhibit with all my heart. 

View the Gallery Here

   The Third exhibit was called "Death: A Self-Portrait" at the Wellcome Center.

This exhibit showed how death was viewed throughout history and among different cultures, by placing dozens of works of art inspired by death all in one exhibit. 

Check out videos and Images Here.

Also while I was in London, I got to have lunch and tea at the Laduree in Harrods, a girly dream come true!

And of course, what's London without stopping into 221 B Baker St to see our good old chap Sherlock Holmes...

To view the rest of my vacation photos, check out my Flickr here!

A Whole New Year: 2013

Hope all your winter holidays were celebrated wonderfully! Time for a new year everyone!

Thanksgiving Nostalgia...

Yes it's corny, but it's my all-time favorite Thanksgiving moment in cinema...

Happy Thanksgiving to All!

Happy Thanksgiving to all. I am actually visiting my Aunt in Scotland right now (don't worry I'll update and post pics soon), so I won't be getting to celebrate Thanksgiving, one of my all-time favorite holidays. So if you do get to celebrate, enjoy it even if you get stressed or don't want to deal with family, be grateful! However, if you do feel the relatives are getting to you... there's nothing wrong with giving them a little history lesson...

Halloween 2012: My Costume...

Lydia Deetz.

For as long as I can remember Beetlejuice has always been an absolute favorite of mine, especially for it's Tim Burton style. The elements, and design throughout the film are truly unique to itself, but one of the costumes always stood out to me; this being Lydia Deetz's red wedding dress. 

The iconic look became Lydia's signature costume, as it contrasts her entirely black wardrobe that is seen all throughout the film prior to the wedding scene. 

When I first decided to create the look for myself for this Halloween, I did what I do every year: hit up the goodwill and other thrift stores. This year however, I did not find any great pieces to work with or alter. So I figured I'd have to sew and base for the skirt and then look for a top that might work. After making the base for the skirt out of regular red taffeta, I still struggled to find a good top and lowered my standards by seeking out a simple red tank top, v-neck, to at least attach lace too, but shockingly I couldn't find that either. I then foolishly attempted to make my own top out of the left over taffeta... keep in mind I know very little about sewing, and only sew what I have to. I pretty much glue-gun everything else. Did I also mention that my sewing machine broke before I really got going on the costume? 

Anyway, finally I had stitched the "top" together (which looked as jaggedly put-together as the flesh of Frankenstein) and of course, there were so many mistakes the top wasn't going to fit. When this moment of realization happened, it was 4 in the morning, day of my Halloween party. Pumpkinrot recently posted about every Haunter's nightmare, you know that one where you're scrambling to get everything together and people are coming over or trick-or-treaters are on their way? This was one of those moments. As early as it was, I knew I had so much still left to do that I felt rushed. So I did what every resourceful haunter does, I think "what do I have that I can rip up to pieces?" Then I remembered I had an awful Christmas shirt from a tacky Christmas sweater party from a few years back and it happened to be the same bright red. I pull that sucker out of the back of my drawer and cut off the ridiculous snowman design on the front, and turned the shirt around to reveal the back and create a v-neck for the front. 

Anyway, the costume somehow became a success - oh wait, I know how, my magic glue-gun! Thank goodness for that... 

 However, I mustn't brag about my own costume. My friends impressed the hell out of me with their clever ideas and great costume executions; characters from Pulp Fiction, Gangs of New York, and Moonrise Kingdom, as well a few cowboys, indians, and pirates... One of the most clever costumes was my roommate's, the bp oil spill...

 

Dia De Los Muertos

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Halloween 2012...

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    I am a terrible blogger. Not only did I not continue with my Halloween Movie Countdown, as I had hoped, but I also failed at posting anything this entire month! I guess that's how it is being a part time haunter and a busy college student involved in film, theatre, and improv.
    Despite my lack of blog activity, I still managed to have a fun-filled Halloween with many of my closest friends, but continued to keep all of my east coast haunters in my thoughts and prayers during all of the chaotic weather. It's upsetting anytime something gets in the way of our favorite holiday, but more disturbing, of course, when something this massive disturbs one's daily life. I wish them all the best as they return home and deal with getting back to normalcy.
   Again, sorry for posting so little this season, I'll soon post some photos of my halloween festivities and costume and continue sharing all bits of spookery that strike my fancy as they come...