A Yummy Pairing for a Creepy Evening

Saturday night was a chilly, dark evening- and with only a few days remaining until Halloween, was the perfect time for a horror classics viewing with the projector. I'm not much one for gore, so the Evil Dead sent me blanket diving, but Psycho was just the right dose of eerie surprise. I believe that Norman Bates might just become part of the Halloween season tradition. It really doesn't get better than Hitchcock.

What will also become part of the traditions is this little baker and a funky butter/compote (a different one every year? I think so!). Chris said, and I quote, upon eating baked goat cheese for the first time, "I think I like goat cheese now." That's a pretty strong testimony. 

Petite Maison Goat-cheese Baker - $17.50
Braswell's Pumpkin Butter - $9.00

Opening up the box was a pleasant surprise. The quality of the porcelain was so fine, I knew from the get-go it was going to be easy clean-up and the sweet little bamboo spreader that it came with added a very classic touch. I can't imagine an easier people pleaser, as well as an aesthete's serving delight. No prep necessary, just pop to the shops, buy a brick of goat cheese (about $7), pre-heat the oven to 350, and then toss the goat cheese in. Leave it for 15 minutes, while you work on cooking dinner, or make up some tea and cocoa, take it out, and it is ready to enjoy. No fuss. We paired it with the Braswell's pumpkin butter from the shop and it was an incredible combination. Not to mention, Braswell's products are sold in beautiful, reusable European glass-ware.

Into the oven with you!

No prep necessary, just pop to the shops, buy a brick of goat cheese (about $7), pre-heat the oven to 350, and then toss the goat cheese in. Leave it for 15 minutes, while you work on cooking dinner, or make up some tea and cocoa, take it out, and it is ready to enjoy. We paired it with the Braswell's pumpkin butter from the shop and it was an incredible combination.

I'll duel for the pumpkin butter.

Chris gives his approval!

Charlie-dog gives his approval, too!

Tummies full of delicious things and Mexican spiced hot chocolates in hand, we hit the couch for an evening of sophisticated horror movie watching- peppered with plenty of completely undignified squealing on my part. I will certainly be using the baker again. Easy enough for a move night, but sophisticated and lovely enough for a wedding or dinner party, it's going to see a lot of use in the years to come.

Home-made crostini was the perfect base!

Oh, Spooky Nostalgia

The calm before the storm of children!

I always say that my home-town is where I sleep, but Portsmouth is my home. The biggest culprit in making this a fact was that, as a nerdy youngster, my parents enrolled me in the wonderful Junior Roleplayer camp at Strawbery Banke. There, I spent a few summers learning Portsmouth history in a fascinating range of scenarios and falling increasingly in love with the special magic of the Banke. So, walking in to Walsh House on Friday night to help the new wave of "Juniors" into mutton-sleeved dresses and eye-laced boots, was a lot like coming back to myself.

 

The pirates with their quiet buddy, "Mr Bones"

Aside from being a lovely all-around experience for me, stepping into the boots of the older roleplayers I had once looked up to, Ghosts on the Banke is a precious night for many families within and on the outskirts of the Portsmouth community. Families bring their adorable, dolled up little ones in droves to trick-or-treat in a safe and friendly environment that is a fixture of Portsmouth life. It was a great gift to see so many little hands reaching for Twizzlers and chocolate balls, knowing that they will be the next generation of individuals with lives enriched by the museum.

A pretty happy pumpkin

You go in first...

Handing out candy

Some spooky swingers

I snapped a few shots to put up on here so that those who missed out can be sure to put the event on their calendars for next year. It was a chilly evening, full of howling houses, witty pirates, and creative costumes. Once again, I was reminded of the great privilege it is to belong in such a wonderful city, alongside the special folks that put their all into making Portsmouth what it is.

 

A miniature moon above the event

Modern Dracula

A vintage Irish cover of Dracula (Vintage Irish Bookcovers Blog)
Dracula, Bram Stoker, translated into Irish by Seán Ó Cuirrín, Oifig Díolta Foillseacháin Rialtais, 1933. Design: AóM (Austin Molloy). Courtesy of John Moore/Little Museum of Dublin

I think that the moral of this post is that Chris (the photographer) and I have way too much fun doing Pickwick's photoshoots, but honestly, a Dracula theme makes it easy. We went out to the beautiful Fort McClary to take the tunnel shots and while it was a beautiful morning, the dark underground spaces of the fort still gave off a great spooky vibe.

The Descent

The black silk blouse is thrifted, as well as the red wool mini-skirt, so it was fun to mix some of my own pieces with new products from Pickwick's. I love textured socks with a clean-lined skirt and some flat ankle-boots. I don't think there's anything wrong with the idea of vampires going a little biker glam on the shoe side of things. Dracula would definitely do leather.

I'm only hardcore for photoshoots
Campomaggi hand-crafted leather bag - $160 at Pickwick's!

Besame Lipstick looks amazing, even in black & white.
Very film noir...

 I'm of the mind that old school vampires are best, because they are just so darn classy. Whether it's Stoker's original Dracula or Anne Rice's deliciously wicked Lestat, there is a special place in my heart for some toothy, supernatural seducers. With that in mind, I tried to channel their stream-lined fierceness, with a nod to the Victorian chic tendencies of a modern-day Mina. I think the hand-made faux cameo earrings are a great nod to that femme fatale. I love how the light shines through them and really brings out their beautiful blood red color. I wish you could see the beautiful detailing on the golden exterior of the earring, it's perfection.

Extasia (hand-made in the US) intaglio- $60 at Pickwick's

Skull ring - only $10 at Pickwick's!

I love the Jazz Age vibe of this hanging necklace-
Also, matte beads!
Triska necklace - $32 at Pickwick's

But of course, all work and no play... you know how it goes, so we went a little crazy towards the end with some of the fun Halloween things we found in the store. False teeth? Maybe not convincing, but definitely delicious.

I am the spookiest of them all!

I'd come out and say "Hello", but it's a bit bright out there...
Wax candy vampire teeth - $1
Black/Orange Satin Adult-size Cape - $

 Unfortunately, it's impossible to work in all of the funky Halloweeny things that we love into a photoshoot of a person, so we were sure to tack some of the best here at the end. Mina certainly could have used our "Eau de Protection" from fine perfumers Etat Libre D'Orange (originally created for Spanish actress Rossy DePalma) when Dracula came for her. Not familiar with the reference? Grab a copy of the book from our shelves! Finally, our hand-dipped Wicked candles are the perfect addition to any Halloween scene!

Besame lipstick in "Red Noir" - $20
Dracula in beautiful hard cover - $20
Large Wicked candle - $32
Etat Libre de Orange "Eau de Protection" - $
MOR lipgloss in "Cassis Noir" - $1

A confession- I have never read the original Dracula (although you can test my I Am Legend and Interview with a Vampire cred, anytime). BUT! I am fixing that before Halloween and you can hold me to it! I'll let you know what I think on twitter! I hope you guys are planning all sorts of wild variations on classic themes for Halloween, or coming up with new themes that are all your own. I'll be at Strawbery Banke for their annual Ghosts on the Banke celebration and then it's a weekend full of Hitchcock and zombies- I'm a pretty lucky girl. 

-

See something you like, but too far off or busy to pay us a visit? E-mail me at thistlejones@gmail.com and we'll make sure it comes to your front door!

Public Service Announcement

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Are you one of those people with a thousand usernames, or perhaps a blogger like me? Well, there's good news for Pickwick Style readers! As of today, you can follow us on Bloglovin'! Otherwise, we have:

Pinterest: thistlejones

Instagram: pickwickstyle

Twitter: @pickwickstyle

Al regularly updated by yours truly! And remember, you can always get in touch with me: thistlejones@gmail.com, to place orders or chat about anything that sparked your interest on the Pickwick Style page! 

We track #pickwickstyle, just about everywhere!

Pancakes for the Soul

The kitchen is a sacred space in our house and it falls under the delicious rule of my mother. The incredible creations that she brings to life there have long enchanted house-guests and the spoiled tummies of family members, alike. Needless to say, stepping into her culinary shoes can be intimidating, but for her birthday, that is exactly what the gentleman and I did. 

Fowler's Mill Buttermilk Pancake Mix - $6.50
Noble Handcrafted Maple Syrup - $4
Acorn Cookie Cutter - $2.50

I ransacked Pickwick's for some fun things to bring to the table, and found everything I needed short of the griddle. While my mother certainly appreciated the little acorn touch to the pancakes, I really picked it up because several pairs of little hands have recently been added to the eaters in the household. It wasn't Mickey Mouse pancakes, but they were all old enough to recognize the shapes and it made the size of the pancakes perfectly kid-sized. As for maple syrups, the adults all voted for the bourbon barrel-aged option, while the kids got vanilla-chamomile.

Action shot!

No lumps allowed

Chris D'Amore, the multi-talented,
took pictures AND flipped pancakes.

After a spirited debate over the benefits of using egg-whites over yolks, the goodness of the buttermilk mix covered a multitude of our inexperienced cooking sins. I stood way back for the flipping process, but there were few casualties of war.

The many shades of success

Baby pancakes!

One of Mr Jones' favorite maxims: "Waste not"

Chris enjoys the fruits (and nuts) of his labors.

So many choices? Banana or pancake? Banana or pancake?

The final verdict was four out of four smiles from the itty-bitties and one glowing one of approval from my mother. The entire acorn-shaped morning was one that I will always remember. In the rush and bustle of life, there is nothing that can measure up to the healing power of taking a minute to make some pancakes and sit down and enjoy them with the people you love.

A Night at the Opera (sorta)

One of the wonderful things about living in Portsmouth is that it's only a hop skip and a jump to Boston. I'll admit it. Most people would look at my hometown on a map and call it the middle of nowhere, so going into the city remains an object of excitement and a rare luxury for me. The only thing that could make it better is going in for the express purpose of seeing the Boston Symphony Orchestra.Classical music is far from dead. I'm willing to bet that watching those strings swim between crowd and upstage in such inconceivable unison would make you feel more alive than you have in a very long time. But, let's be honest, aside from all of the existential and spiritual benefits of seeing the BSO perform, there is also the feeling of losing yourself in the opulence of a night out at Symphony Hall. One must dress to suit the occasion.

Ankle boots were definitely the right choice for tackling the steps to the balcony...

We didn't see the entire symphony perform, but we did get to witness a whittled down, still beautiful performance of Mendelssohn's "The Hebrides", Ives' "Orchestral Suite No. 1" and an ocean inspired work by contemporary composer Thomas Ades. It was an enormous privilege to see the composer conduct his own piece. Even with fewer instrumental voices, Symphony Hall was full of incredible, beautiful sound.

H & M Kimono-inspired silk top
Maurices ankle boots

I'm a print addict, can you tell? East Asian florals kill me and I bought this kimono inspired piece for 7 euro (a steal) at H&M, last year. If you ever see anything like it, get it. I wear this with jeans to class up a day outfit, or over a simple black shift dress to dress up for evening. It's one of the most flexible things I've ever owned.

Two Back Flats floral headpiece - $84 at Pickwick's Mercantile
Gold fan earrings from a Portsmouth neighbor, Serendipity! - $15

Chanel would have approved of my head-piece and I think that people appreciated seeing some retro chic come through the doors. People should do more with hats and headbands, there's a whole realm of hair-topping possibility out there that just isn't being explored, these days.

Silk Wrap Bracelet - $40 at Pickwick's Mercantile
MK Totem leather clutch - $80 at Pickwick's Mercantile

To draw the oranges out of the flowers, I added a silk wrap bracelet, but especially loved how the little skull details kept the whole ensemble from getting too cute and frilly.

Thank you for the shots and the evening, Chris D'Amore of Chris D'Amore Photography

It was a beautiful evening, in a way that only Boston could really serve up. I've added on a little bit of what we heard (albeit by London Symphony Orchestra), for your enjoyment. Close your eyes and let Mendelssohn take you away to Boston Symphony Hall.

-

 New Feature! If you see something you would love to own that we carry in Pickwick's in this post, or any other, send an e-mail to thistlejones@gmail.com and we will make sure that treasure reaches your doorstep!