“A Moveable Feast”: How to Host A Victorian Picnic

"A table spread in the shade...everything as natural and simple as possible.” —Jane Austen, Emma   Ahhhh summer...that exuberant succession of fair-weather months strung together with long days and balmy nights. The gardens are a riot of color, dappled in sunlight and abuzz with bees. The whole world is alive and abloom and bursting with...

Midsummer Celebrations

The summer solstice, also known as “Midsummer,” has been celebrated throughout the ages as the longest day and shortest night of the year. Solstice festivities date back as far as The Stone Age and encompass a variety of cultural and religious rites centered around notions of harmony, femininity, and fertility.  According to ancient pagan folklore,...

A Field Trip to the Flower Farm

“The earth laughs in flowers.” Sage words from the great Ralph Waldo Emerson and in these days with dark and dismal headlines weighing upon our spirits, we could all benefit from more joy in our lives. Simple pleasures of watching bees hover over plump blooms or the sound of nothing but carefree summer breezes rustling...

There is a Secret Hiding in the Blooms

The Language of Flowers There was a secret language in the Victorian age used to express emotions known as Floriography.  The codes and significance of certain flowers could convey a passionate pledge of love or a bitter message of disdain.  In a society where etiquette discouraged outward displays of emotions, the mysterious language of flowers...

Infamous April Fool’s Jokes of the Victorian Age

April Fool’s has been notorious for pranks since its beginning centuries ago during the Spring Equinox of 1582. During the Victorian Era there was a widespread enthusiasm for the holiday, where it even lasted for multiple days in areas such as Scotland. Many newspapers got in on the fun, publishing comics with new prank ideas....

The Roots of Superstition

Admit it. There is that token… that little something that eases your mind and comforts your fears.  Adversely, there are also those things that can cause an unexplainable flood of anxiety and tickle that place deep in your imagination with a sense of dread. Horseshoes, 4-leaf clovers, and a rabbit's foot. Black cats, broken mirrors, and...

Your Victorian Love Match As Told By The Stars

Looking for a love as deep as Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s, and renowned for centuries? Or maybe one reminiscent of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet? Leave your chances to the stars to discover your Victorian zodiac love match. Aries - Emmeline Pankhurst As an Aries, you need your other half to listen and dote...