A Frankenstein Filled Issue

After months, or truly years, of anticipation, I finally got a chance to catch Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” in theaters. I knew this was one that needed to be seen on the big screen and not just Netflix, and I’m so happy I found a showing.

Surprising no one, I thought it was absolutely incredible. I’m going to wait until it’s out widely on Netflix before sharing my thoughts about specific things, because most of my thoughts are spoilery and I know not everyone has access to a theater showing. For now, you can view my Letterboxd review if you’re over there. I highly recommend catching it in a theater though if you can in order to fully see all the gorgeous sets, costumes, and makeup.

I already have a page of frantically scribbled out notes about the colors and symbolism. I can’t wait to watch this again on Netflix and catch all the things I missed the first time and finish some of my half formed thoughts.

I’m so thankful for folks that get detailed up close pictures of the costumes and share them with us, because unfortunately you don’t get to see all these incredible details on screen fully.

Also, the fanart is already fire.

I don’t listen to podcasts as much as I used to because I don’t get many opportunities for long drives anymore, but when I do get the time for it lately I’ve been loving My Victorian Nightmare. It’s kind of like Victorian true crime mixed with ghost stories and history, and the vibes are absolutely immaculate.

About a month ago I scored this incredible antique combination bookcase at an estate sale that I turned into my apothecary, and since then I’ve been trying to find any information on how old it is and who made it. I haven’t found anything definitive yet, but I did learn that a few companies, including Sears, sold these pieces around the turn of the century and listed them in catalogs. Archive.org actually has tons of these catalogs digitized and I fell down a rabbit hole this week browsing through dozens of them. It’s so fascinating to see how intricately crafted every single household item used to be, and how the language of marketing has changed so much. A warning though, looking at the prices is incredibly painful.

My new (old) apothecary.

This is the closest style I could find to mine so far. Sears catalog from 1912.

I’ve also been doing some research for lampshades I’m going to make this winter (more to come) and I absolutely adore seeing what antique lampshades from the 1920s actually looked like. The colors and detail are amazing.

Did you know carpet used to be this beautiful? I didn’t and I’m mad, minimalism has robbed us.

I’m going to leave this post here because it is an incredibly helpful and comprehensive guide for community care resources to keep on hand and plug into.