Twelfth Night

"When that I was and a little tiny boy,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
A foolish thing was but a toy,
For the rain it raineth every day."
- Act 5, Scene 1

While I enjoy most of Shakespeare's plays my favorite is definitely Twelfth Night. I really enjoy the story of mistaken identities, humor, mischief and true love. It ends very well and doesn't have any true villains in it. My favorite characters are Viola, Malvolio (cross gartered!) and Feste the fool (too funny!). A few years ago my family and I enjoyed three different viewings of Twelfth Night between March and July.

"Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em."

- Act 2, Scene 5

Twelfth Night - Shakespearian Home-schoolers
In our area there is group of Christian home-schoolers that perform a Shakespeare play each year. My family and I really enjoyed their work and clever staging. They all did a fantastic job acting and even the younger kids only messed up a few times on their lines. I only wish I'd know about this group when I was still in school. I love to see home-schoolers of all ages having fun and working together like this!

"If this were played upon a stage now, I could condemn it as an improbable fiction."

- Act 3, Scene 4

Twelfth Night - Theater At Monmouth

Soon after seeing the home-schoolers do this great play my family took me to see Twelfth Night preformed by a local acting troupe for my birthday! The Theater At Monmouth performs a wide variety of wonderful plays and musicals each year at historic Cumston Hall in Monmouth, Maine. After seeing them perform A Winter's Tale my family and I were so excited to see them perform again. They set this play as if Feste were the director of a black & white looking over a film reel. It was an interesting concept but I'm not sure it worked very well. But the acting was fabulous! There were some familiar faces from the first play we'd see, the costumes and settings were lovely and they added music selections that fit in very well. My family and I sat towards the front right of the theater and we had a great view. I just love watching live plays and especially Shakespeare. I only wish I had the money to go see all of their performances every season at Cumston Hall. They are so good!

"If music be the food of love, play on!"

- Act 1, Scene 1

Twelfth Night (1996)

For a long time my family's favorite Shakespeare film was Much Ado About Nothing, but after seeing Twelfth Night (1996) for the first time I just fell in love! There are so many great period drama actors, beautiful scenery, amazing music and lovely Victorian style costumes. This film is also a bit cleaner that Much Ado in that it doesn't have any nudity and few questionable scenes. I greatly enjoyed Ben Kingsley who was funny and musical in the role of Feste the fool. And Nigel Hawthorne was amazing as Malvolio, seeing him cross gartered in yellow stockings is one of my favorite scenes! Also be on the look out for great period drama actors: Imelda Staunton, Imogen Stubbs, Helena Bonham Carter, Nicholas Farrell, Steve Mackintosh and Toby Stephens among others. I highly recommend this adaptation, it's so much fun!




Very Truly Your's,

Me & Mr. Shakespeare

Well Shakespeare week has begun over at The Erratic Muse and Miss Pickwickian is having a huge giveaway with lots of beautiful Shakespeare themed items! I particularly like the pendants featuring Waterhouse paintings, so lovely! So go enter the giveaway and keep thinking Shakespeare!



My own love of Shakespeare started with my parents who have always exposed my siblings and me to the great classics. As a child I was enamored by Shakespeare's plays even though I didn't understand them. When I found comic books of four of Shakespeare's plays (Romeo & Juliet, Othello, As You Like It, and A Midsummer Night's Dream) I really enjoyed reading and learning the stories, sometimes acting them out with my friends. But it was Charles & Mary Lamb's Tales From Shakespeare that opened a whole new world of understanding. I still love this book and use it to reference and understand the plays. If you've never heard of this book it's wonderful! Each chapter covers a separate play (20 in all) telling the story in an easy to read format.



"A sad tale's best for winter: I have one
Of sprites and goblins." - Mamilius, A Winter's Tale, Act 2, Scene 1

One of the story lines I enjoyed the most from Tales From Shakespeare is A Winter's Tale. It's a lesser known play, funny and tender and it ends very well. I was so excited when my family and I had the opportunity to see A Winter's Tale preformed by a local theater. (The photo above is actually from Twelfth Night which we saw at another time.) We sat in the balcony with a great view of the actor's wonderful performances. I love seeing Shakespeare performed live!


That's it for today's Shakespeare. Be on the look out for more. Don't forget to check out the Shakespeare Week and Giveaway at The Erratic Muse!

Very Truly Your's

Shakespeare Week!

Guess what? 


Miss Pickwickian over at The Erratic Muse is hosting a Shakespeare Week! 
All this next week she'll be posting about everything Shakespeare and having great giveaways as well!


I'm really excited to join in the festivities celebrating the life, work and time period of the Bard of Avon! 


So be on the look out for Shakespeare related posts here and go over and check out The Erratic Muse for more info on her event week.



To kick off the week here's William Shakespeare and Jane Austen! In this video clip Kate Winslet as Marianne Dashwood quoting part of my favorite Sonnet 116 as she mourns the betrayal of Willoughby. I love this scene from Sense & Sensibility 1996 and like to quote it, especially when it rains. (In fact the whole film is so quotable!) Enjoy!




Sonnet 116
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.




For more on William Shakespeare check out this site with all of his works online! 




Don't forget to check out Miss Pickwickian's Shakespeare Week at The Erratic Muse! 


Very Truly Your's,

A Period Drama Heroine Tournament?

Yes, you read correctly! Starting March 1 Elegance of Fashion blog will be hosting a Period Drama Heroine Tournament! There will be five rounds and voting for the heroine of literature and film who is our favorite! This makes me so excited, I can't wait!





If you haven't heard about Elegance of Fashion go check it out. This is one of my favorite blogs which features period film reviews, old-fashioned literature, and period costumes including a new series on Wardrobes from Pride and Prejudice. I can't recommend her blog enough! Go see for yourself and spread the word about the Period Drama Heroine Tournament!


In other news I've created a separate page where some of my banners are displayed. I tried to divide them into categories. To check them out, feel free to use them and link back to me. Enjoy!

Hope you're having a lovely day!

Very Truly Your's,

New Header & Blog Buttons

Since I've been playing around with screencaps lately I've been making new blog headers and blog buttons. So after you finish reading this head on over and take a look at the newly updated Old-Fashioned Blog Buttons page. (I didn't need new ones but they were so much fun to make and I like to give you all options!) I'm also hoping to create a banner page to feature some of the banners I've made as well.

You'll notice that this new blog header features Meg March from Little Women 1994 and a super cute kitten!

Here's the header I had up for January-February 2011:



Oh, and I've made some signatures to use as well. I'm trying these as an experiment to see how I like them.

Hope you have a blessed Sunday!

Very Truly Your's,

Cravats - Take 2

After finding and posting the above "poster" (or what I'm calling poster) on Thursday I had a few comments that made me want to make some posters of my own.

As Miss Anna Olivia pointed out Jane Austen's gentlemen weren't the only literary characters who would have worn cravats. Cravats were worn throughout the entire 18th and 19th centuries.
So, for your viewing pleasure, here's some other literary (and one historic) gentlemen who would have worn cravats:



Cravats in period art.





Dickens Gentlemen from: Bleak House, David Copperfield, Nicholas Nickleby and Little Dorrit.




Elizabeth Gaskell's Gentlemen from: Cranford, Return to Cranford, Wives & Daughters and North & South.




Two gentlemen and one scoundrel from Anthony Trollope's The Way We Live Now.





Photos of Charlotte Bronte's Mr. Rochester from various Jane Eyre adaptations.





Gentlemen from various period dramas all wearing various styles of cravats.




And for Melody and Charity U who both wished Colin Firth's Mr. Darcy had been included in the first poster. As I said I didn't make the first poster otherwise this Mr. Darcy would have definitely been included (along with a different Captain Wentworth)!





I'm sorry if there was any particular gentleman I missed. I tried to do these posters fairly quickly, otherwise I could spend days going through photos. I had too much fun doing these!

There's really nothing like a gentleman all dressed up in period attire!

I hope you're having a great weekend!

Your's Very Truly,

Quietly Waiting

“It is good to hope, and quietly to wait for the salvation of the Lord under every trial.”
~Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible


I forget this so often and feel in a hurray so many times. But the Lord has His perfect plan and is playing it out in His time.

Cravats & Heroes

Why Jane Austen's heroes are the best!

I don't know why, but I just loved this! 

Nothing beats a guy dressed in period costume, complete with greatcoat! 

Little Women - Quotes & Thoughts

"My child, the troubles and temptations of your life are beginning, and may be many; but you can overcome and outlive them all, if you learn to feel the strength and tenderness of your Heavenly Father as you do that of your earthly one. The more you love and trust Him, the nearer you will feel to Him, and the less you will depend on human power and wisdom. His love and care never tire or change, can never be taken from you, but may become the source of lifelong peace, happiness, and strength. Believe this heartily, and go to God with all your little cared, and hopes, and sins, and sorrows, as freely and confidingly as you come to your mother." 

Jo's only answer was to hold her mother close, and, in the silence which followed, the sincerest prayer she had ever prayed left her heart, without words; for in that sad, yet happy hour, she had learned not only bitterness of remorse and despair, but the sweetness of self-denial and self-control; and, led by her mother's hand, she had drawn nearer to the Friend who welcomes every child with a love stronger than that of any father, tenderer than that of any mother.  

 -Mrs. March "Marmee"

Little Women, Chapter 8, 

by Louisa May Alcott

I found this lovely gem of a quote while reading Little Women last night. Yes, that's right I'm reading Jane Eyre and Little Women simultaneously! There's quite a contrast between the stories but I like having a serious book and a lighter book to read depending on my mood.

The Penguin Classics edition I'm reading features the first lovely portrait by Jessie Wilcox Smith. I just love seeing their sweet faces of Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy on the cover!

I've seen almost every available adaptation of Little Women but I'd never read the novel. I'm really enjoying it far more than I expected. I shouldn't have been surprised about liking the book because Miss Louisa is delightful! I've read her Eight Cousins and adore Rose In Bloom! I've also read most of An Old-Fashioned Girl and hope to read The Inheritance and the Little Women sequels some day. I always wonder why film adaptations haven't been made of

Have you read Little Women? What other of Alcott's work have you read? Which is you favorite Little Women adaptation/movie?

I hope you're having a lovely week!

Very Truly Your's

Valentine's Day - Jane Austen Style

I've been having too much fun making collages with my Jane Austen screencaps! 
Featuring couples from almost all of the adaptations, here's some eye candy for your viewing pleasure!






Just when I was thinking there wasn't any kissing in Jane Austen films!




Austen Couples:













Emma & Mr. Knightley













Jane Austen had suitors too! Photos from Miss Austen Regrets and Becoming Jane.






All Jane Austen stories end with Happily Ever After!



Who are your favorite Austen couples?

I hope you all had a lovely Valentine's Day! Feel free to use these collages if you'd like, they are my gift to you!



With Love,

Valentine Videos

Recently I've been really enjoying films from the Jost family on their YouTube page JostieFlicks.

The Jost family are Christians who have 11 children (I love big families!) and they also sing as a family. The films at JostieFlicks feature three of the older siblings as they do comedy sketches, music videos, and other fun clean things.

Here are two of their videos that I wanted to share this Valentine's Day!




Jostie Flicks - A Single's Valentine
Some people call February 14th Singles Awareness Day which is I think is pretty funny. As a single young lady waiting for the Lord's best I know that really the worst thing about Valentine's Day is the lack of chocolate! This fun music video features the lovely Emily Jost and her brothers singing about this lack of chocolate!




Jostie Flicks - Love You
Valentine's Day isn't just for romance, it's also a great day to make sure and tell your family and friends how much you love them. This sketch is a great reminder of this. You might need to grab a tissue though!





Jostie Flicks - Better Together
Many things are better together: Valentine's Day & Chocolate, Romeo & Juliet, Cheerioes & Milk? I thought this was cute!


I hope you enjoyed these bits of fun! Make sure to check out their JostieFlicks page on YouTube for more fun videos!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day dear blogging friends! I pray that you are truly blessed as you spend the day with those you love!



"Love is patient and kind;
love does not envy or boast;
it is not arrogant or rude.
It does not insist on its own way;
it is not irritable or resentful;
it does not rejoice at wrongdoing,
but rejoices with the truth.
Love bears all things,
believes all things,
hopes all things,
endures all things.
Love never ends."

-I Corinthians 13:1-8

I will hopefully be posting a bit more for Valentine's Day so keep checking back!

With Love,