The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Not Necessarily Water & Oil By QB Social Butterfly QuailBellMagazine.com I get it, the Holocaust Museum in Richmond, Virginia is not a particularly cheery place to spend any precious holiday time. However, there is no designated time of the year to just forget about and stop learning from history and the mistakes that have been made. Celebrate life this holiday season by paying respects to the little bit of European Jewish culture that was salvaged. Through December 30 Photographs of a Small Town in Poland 1897-1939 This exhibit pays tribute to ordinary Jewish life in Poland before the Nazi invasion. Admission is free. December 18, 11:00 am Yiddish Film Festival Pre-Holocaust, Yiddish filmmaking had its own niche in film culture. While most is lost forever, a few treasures remain and will be screened throughout the day. Admission is free. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Gift Wrap the Quail Bell(e) Way By Jade Miller QuailBellMagazine.com Even if we weren’t in a recession and trying to save money, the big thing is being green--better yet, crafty! What’s better to go with all your handmade and local gifts than gift-wrap you make yourself? Quail Bell is here to give you a few ideas on how to wrap that one-of-a-kind gift in just as unique wrapping paper. The easiest option is just plain old brown craft paper. My favorite way to gift wrap is to truss up the present in the craft paper and use old books from the used bookstore to cut out letters and spell out the recipient’s name onto the package. That way there’s no need for gift tags, and you look like you spent a huge effort when it was really just a few moments. It’s the small things that really make a present look like a million bucks. By Starling Root Another idea to do with craft paper, straight from Pee-Wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special, is to cut seasonal images into potatoes and use them as starchy stamps! Super easy too with just red and green paint, and maybe even get a little fancy with some gold paint thrown in there, or even better, glitter. Quail Bell(e)s do adore that glitter so. You can also use the potato stamps to make simple holiday cards. Just buy some neutral cardstock, fold in half, and stamp the front.
The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
7 Facts About Nose Piercings By Christine Stoddard QuailBellMagazine.com Whatever your stance on “alternative” piercings, they're becoming increasingly harder to ignore in a Western world that embraces them more openly than ever before—or at least shuns them less than in previous decades. This rings especially true for those little things dangling from nostrils and septums. Once a punk icon, now even All-American girl types are rocking little nose piercings. Maybe nose piercings are the new women's pants. The Victorians found women's pants scandalous; today they are mundane. Even elementary school teachers wear pants and, yes, have nose piercings. On that note, think about how much you probably know about ladies' jeans—the sizing, the cuts, the brands, etc. If nose piercings are the new jeans, you better get the low-down quick. Here are seven things you might not know about nose piercings:
The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Shameless Promotion, Fledglings! Subscribe to our RSS feed. Tell your friends about us. Make us your homepage. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Fairy Food: Carrot and Apple Salad By QB Chef QuailBellMagazine.com Most fairies don't have the convenience of microwaves, toaster ovens, or even just plain old stoves. Making hot food involves building a toasty fire or kidnapping fireflies. That's why so much of their food's served cold--not that that fact makes their cuisine any less delicious than mortal food. For a quick taste of enchantment, chop up some red Fuji apples and fresh carrots. Season the mix with cinnamon sugar and pumpkin spice for a very fairy-like fall salad. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Killer Legs By Nylon By Jade Miller QuailBellMagazine.com By Virginia Nickerson The best thing about being a fashionable Quail Bell(e) is discovering those perfect pieces or creative ways to combine old pieces in that wardrobe into an amazing new take on an outfit. Yet, in the world of fashion, what might seem original and innovative to us has actually been around for ages.
References to hosiery go all the way back to the Egyptians, who wore the first socks, and the Ancient Greeks, where workmen and slaves wore hose and Roman women wore short socks in their homes. These socks transitioned into stockings in the Middle Ages in Europe, where men wore breeches and women wore stockings with garters. This was also when silk stockings were all the rage, with heavier linen socks covering the delicate fabric when worn with boots. Though stockings were originally created without fashion in mind, it didn’t take long for them to become an expression of self. The Dandies, in the sixteenth century, layered different colors and patterns and heights of stockings and socks in order to create their personal looks. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
She & Him Brighten the Holidays By Julie DiNisio QuailBellMagazine.com Thanksgiving had literally just ended when Lite 98 began playing Christmas music to all of Richmond, Virginia. I, ordinarily, have an ambivalent attitude towards the sounds of the season but Lite 98 doesn’t really do it for me. I guess I am just too much of a VCU hipster to enjoy the radio. Or something like that. Fortunately, Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward, together forming the musical duo She & Him, have presented me with an alternative means of getting my Christmas music fix.
The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Voltaire--not the philosophe but the toy-maker By Paisley Hibou QuailBellMagazine.com Aurelio Voltaire Hernández—that's the opulent birth name of the dark cabaret musician whose stage name is just as beautifully old-fashioned: Voltaire. With credits in not only music, but publishing, comics, animation, and even toys, the former wunderkind got his start in show biz animating for Parker Brothers at age 17. Mixing drama with satire, the multi-talented creator has earned a loyal following since Projekt Records released his first album in 1998.
Now the Cuban immigrant with Jersey roots claims icon status in New York's goth scene. Voltaire's music deviates from mainstream goth by infusing the violins and cellos of European folk sounds with poppy vocals and often whimsical lyrics. But, again, this is a man who could not be content with making music alone. Today Voltaire still performs, but he also teaches stop-motion at School of Visual Arts in New York and continues unleashing a flurry of brain children onto the gothic scene. In a recent interview with Quail Bell, Voltaire discussed the territory of his ever-expanding toyland: The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Becoming a Building Resuscitator By Christine Stoddard QuailBellMagazine.com You don't necessarily have to be an architect to make a difference in the lives of buildings. Some people prefer locking lips with bricks or stones and resusitating structures instead. Historic preservationists dote upon buildings so that future generations can lust after their dream homes, churches, schools and office buildings as much as their parents did. While preservationists may not make buildings, they keep them alive. Thus, the practices of architecture and preservation go hand in hand. As such, many universities house (pun intended) their historic preservation programs in their architecture schools. If you're toying with the idea of studying historic preservation after college, don't fret too much about your undergraduate major. While it helps to have studied history or art history, there's no reason why an English or Anthropology or even Biology major can't bring interesting insights to the graduate classroom. Any antiquarian who's prepared for the rigors of graduate school can handle the coursework.
Here are four U.S. graduate programs in the field hand-picked by Quail Bell Magazine: The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
So just how did sock hopping die?By Luna Lark QuailBellMagazine.com So one day the Fonz jumped into the local sock hop, greased like lightning and shining in ten pounds of dead pig sewn up into a jacket, hair all slicked back in a D.A. Naturally, everyone dropped their feet and milkshakes to the floor, entranced by the unabashed display of testosterone that had taken the stage. The Fonz looked every last one of those freckle-faces in the eye and shouted, “No more sock hoppin', losers. Turn the jukebox off NOW and bring out the guitar.” He lingered on the last word, pronouncing it with a mocking country twang. “We're going to rock & roll harder than you've ever rocked or ever rolled before.”
The next thing that came out of the Fonz's mouth was the voice of Robbie Plant. And just like that, the world of sock hopping collapsed. The end. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
How Make a Fairy Greeting CardBy Starling Root QuailBellMagazine As autumn leaves swirl through the air, you might consider taking flight yourself. You might not have fairy wings, but you can bring out the fairy in you by gathering up some moss and Tacky glue to your craft table. Here's how to make a fairy-inspired greeting card:
The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Watching Movies in Gilded Cinematic StyleBy Julie DiNisio QuailBellMagazine.com The Byrd Theatre is one of Richmond, Virginia’s most beloved landmarks. But financially, it’s in trouble. So instead of spending the cold evenings at home in front of the TV, go to the Byrd and support a local legend by purchasing a $2 movie ticket. Most nights, the theatre plays movies recently seen in regular theaters, but sometimes old or cult classics are featured. Here's what they're showing this holiday season:
Saturday, December 3, 2 p.m. Singularium Saturday, December 3, Midnight Dark Side of Oz Saturday, December 10, Midnight Heathers Saturday, December 17, Midnight Breaking Point Saturday, December 24, 7:15 p.m. and December 25, 7:15 and 9:45 p.m. It’s a Wonderful Life (a Byrd tradition!) Sunday, January 15, 3 p.m. Raqs Luminar – Dance of Lights (presented by Khalima Illumination Dance Studio) The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
QB-ish Toys for the 2011 Holiday SeasonBy Paisley Hibou QuailBellMagazine.com ThePerfectToys.com is the self-proclaimed "ultimate Christmas toys shopping guide," presenting consumer info for the season's most popular kids' gadgets and doo-dads. Not everything on their 2011 line-up would appeal to the Quail Bell-inclined child or 30-year-old who still shamelessly collects Madame Alexander dolls (we're not judging), but there are a couple things that would appeal to our favorite fledglings. What are they? Harry Potter Lego Board Games, My Pillow Pets (look for the chubby purple unicorn), and Monster Higher dolls (especially Draculaura & Clawd Wolf and/or Dead Tired Ghoulia Yelps). Start browsing to decide if these picks are imaginary, nostalgic, or otherworldly enough for your taste.
The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
How to Tell if a Tree is EnchantedBy Christine Stoddard QuailBellMagazine.com It taps you on the shoulder and snickers when you turn around with “Huh?” on your lips.
It has an opinion about the World Series. It insults your ability to make a half-decent home-cooked pie for your mother-in-law. It purses its lips and sucks in every passing butterfly just for kicks. It pulls out an umbrella when it starts to rain. It changes the socks on its roots everyday. It complains about pop quizzes. It makes fun of all the other trees in your yard. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Send us pics of your coveted collections!Some of us are hoarders, like the dragons of ancient lore or the Junk Lady in Jim Henson's "Labyrinth" (1986). Do own a coveted collection--or one that should be coveted? Whether your obsession is top hats or ceramic unicorns, Quail Bell wants to lust after your collection. Email us pics of your junk/treasure: submissions@quailbellmagazine.com. We'll post them right here on The Real! Be sure to include your name and a brief description (1-5 sentences) of your collection, too.
The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Give Us 99% Off Coupons for this StuffBy Starling Root QuailBellMagazine.com Dear American retailers,
Quail Bell(e)s have a legitimate complaint about Black Friday. How come you don't ever have stuff that would actually make us wake up at 3 a.m. to get in line at the local mall? We want gifties that address the imaginary, the nostalgic, and the otherworldly—not gym shorts or toasters with ten settings. Next year, could you please put out coupons for the following? *Admission to any rocking history museum we want, since they tend to be open for about two hours total between Thanksgiving and Christmas. *All of the Halloween crap you couldn't get rid of even during your day-after-Halloween clearance sale. *Anything we want from any grandma's attic in the United States (bonus points if you can give us access to attics in the UK, Australia, and the rest of the world, too.) *Time machines! We're not particularly concerned about the model. Any one will do. *Real Egyptian mummies we can prop up in our living rooms for some interesting décor. *All of Etsy.com—down to the very last shop. *Printing presses, books, and camera equipment that date back 'til at least 1900. That's all, really. Please let us know what you can do. Sincerely, The QB Crew The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Medieval Meats=Thanksgiving TreatsBy QB Chef QuailBellMagazine.com As you scrape up the leftovers from this year's Thanksgiving dinner, your mind inevitably turns to food. History and weirdness likely trickle into your thoughts as a QB fledgling at some point, too. One question you might ask yourself is, what if next Thanksgiving you honored traditions not decades old but centuries old? So old that they practically make the Pilgrims look like your contemporaries. What if you celebrated Thanksgiving by substituting medieval meats for turkey? Everybody eats turkey, or some version of it, for Thanksgiving. Even vegetarians have tofurkey. But medieval Europe did not have turkey because the bird was native to North America, which they had not yet “discovered.” Of course, they didn't have Thanksgiving, either, but that's part of what will make this interpretation of the holiday one infused with spunk and originality. Now you have 365 days to channel Maid Miriam and get creative with your meat.
The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Vintage Gifts Coming to QB's Etsy BoutiqueThe QB Crew is thrilled to announce the coming of vintage gifts to our Etsy this holiday season. In addition to our handmade decorative and functional arts & crafts, we're also bringing you a beautiful selection of vintage and antique merchandise. Please continue to check back at our shop for gorgeous new additions. Our first piece? This blue pillbox hat by Patty Elise: The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Add Horror to Your Thanksgiving StuffingBy QB Chef QuailBellMagazine.com If you're wondering what to do with all of those Halloween decorations still dangling around your house, Quail Bell has a solution perfect for Turkey Day. Your favorite stuffing recipe is simply not complete until you zombify it. Take all those plastic skulls, mini tombstones, funereal flowers, and other macabre trinkets from Halloween and plant them on top of your stuffing. Turn that panful of old bread into a graveyard sure to weird out all of your Thanksgiving guests! That one touch of horror will keep Aunt Mildred talking about something other than your singledom for a looong time. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Happy Thanksgiving!Dear fledglings,
We hope that you have a lovely holiday, full of fun and feasting. After you OD on your favorite foods, make sure to pay us a visit! We'll be waiting for you. Feathery Hugs, The QB Crew The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
The Walking Corpses of Pilgrims & IndiansBy Christine Stoddard QuailBellMagazine.com Blood, guts, and mayhem tinged the first* Thanksgiving just as much as they do any horror film. Smiling construction paper hand turkeys hardly evoke the relief the Pilgrims felt during their first harvest season with the Wampanoag Indians. Though they arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts in the autumn of 1620, the majority of Pilgrims took the Mole People approach to life in the New World: It wasn't until March that most of them emerged from their dark, dank ship! Green-complexioned and lethargic, the Pilgrims hardly had the strength to establish their new colony. By then, disease and starvation had killed half of the Mayflower's 102 original passengers. The ship stank of piss, vomit, and hopelessness. (Do you see the potential for zombie stories already?) It's no wonder the Pilgrims appreciated meeting two English-speaking Indians—Squanto being the far more fluent of the two, since he had lived as a slave in London for years. After he broke free of his chains and returned to America, Squanto discovered that smallpox had nearly rendered his tribe, the Patuxet, extinct. So he decided to live with the Wampanoags, whose Algonquin name means “The Dawn People.” Though that, too, sounds like the premise for a zombie tale, the Wampanoag were so named because, as East Coasters, they were the first Indians to see the sunrise each morning.
The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
A Poor Man's ThanksgivingBy Julie DiNisio QuailBellMagazine.com Courtesy of Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum Thanksgiving is a holiday that has really retained its original values over the years. It’s all about mingling with friends and family and, of course, eating excessively. During the Great Depression, food was obviously scarce for many people, though friends and family with empty stomachs were not.
Before 1939, Thanksgiving was held on the last Thursday of the month. Due to a flagging economy, then President Franklin Delano Roosevelt moved it back a week to grant merchants an extra shopping week before Christmas. When this method proved ineffective, Congress passed a law declaring Thanksgiving the last Thursday. Though turkey is the main event for many celebrators, during the Great Depression, many families could not afford meat. Due to the inflated food prices, families made everything they could from scratch. Some recipes used include chestnut stuffing and candied sweet potatoes. Nowadays, food costs and unemployment are also high. Looking at a Great Depression Thanksgiving is a way to remember that food really is not the most important aspect of the holiday. Get creative with recipes and focus more on catching up with your loved ones. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Rise from the dead, O Gobbler!By Paisley Hibou QuailBellMagazine.com Addressing the dead is serious—even if the deceased in question has severe limitations in communicating with you. Say, he only gobbles and you don't speak the language of funny birds. You still yearn to get in touch with him and chances are he appreciates the attention, especially since all the supermarket flyers bearing his image are being replaced by ones with candy canes. He might have a message of his own but you'll never crack the subtle code of wattle wiggles if you lack respect and concentration. Hosting a turkey séance may be the single most transformative experience of your life. After all, ever since you read “Hansel and Gretel,” haven't you always wanted to know how it feels to burn in an oven? Here's how to call upon the star of your Thanksgiving dinner:
The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Turkey Day Circa 1863By Jade Miller QuailBellMagazine.com Not many Quail Bell readers may know this, but when you’re sitting down to feast on Thursday, you could have also done the same thing in the Victorian era. Many of our current traditions date all the way back to when Thanksgiving was declared a holiday by Abraham Lincoln in 1863. By Starling Root Having a turkey with all the trimmings is an old tradition, and started with pretty normal (and boring) bread, seasonings and cornmeal as the stuffing. However, when the cooks started getting more creative, beautiful things happened. Soon there were nuts, cranberries, and even oysters mingling side by side with the turkey. The Victorians were ahead of their time, too! They had to use local and seasonal ingredients, something a lot of people strive to do now in their own families, and this green style of living meant that every turkey was just a little bit different depending on what was used.
Doubly awesome (especially to broke college students) is that the Victorians used their leftovers! They turned them into things more along the lines of pot pies than sandwiches, but if anyone accuses you of being frugal, say you’re simply being Victorian. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Winter with PoeBy Julie DiNisio QuailBellMagazine.com The Halloween season may be over, but Richmond, Virginia’s Edgar Allan Poe Museum still has a host of upcoming events. This petite treasure of a museum houses the largest collection of Poe related antiquities. Which basically means Richmond can claim this ultra-famous American author. Not Baltimore.
Friday, December 2, 6 to 9 p.m. Poe Illumination In honor of Richmond’s Grand Illumination, the Poe Museum’s Enchanted Garden will be resplendent with Christmas lights and décor. Local band Beggars of Life will be playing at this family friendly event, and special exhibits and activities will be held. While there will be a charge for (hot!) drinks, admission and food are both free. Saturday, December 3, 1 to 2 p.m. “My Adventures with Poe” Lecture by Richard Kopley Unlike most of the Poe Museum events, this one will not actually be at the museum. Instead, lecturer Richard Kopley (a renowned Poe scholar) will be speaking at the historical St. John’s Church in honor of the bicentennial of the death of Poe’s mother. He will be sharing how this woman and her reputation may have influenced the dreary writer’s works. Admission is free. Saturday & Sunday, January 14 & 15 Edgar Allan Poe Birthday Bash The Poe Museum will be celebrating Edgar Allan Poe’s life – not death – during their birthday bash. After all, this poet achieved fame only after dying his mysterious death, and for many, he still lives within the pages of his poems and stories. Details for this event are pending, be checking the museum’s website for more information. |
|