Bought: Batty Bat Bag

With the exception of a few years in high school, I've gone out of my way to not be like everyone else.  This was so bad when I was a kid that I ended up failing a test in the 2nd grade because I could see what everyone else was answering and I wanted my answers to be different.  Fortunately, the teacher was smart and moved me to separate table during test time because I was anti-cheating. :)

Even when I go out to eat with other people, I have to know what they're ordering before I decide so I don't get the same thing.

I just don't like feeling like I am copying other people.

So when I see something that someone else has, I will most likely NOT get it myself (but will certainly window shop the f*ck out of the store if they list it).  So when Bane at Goth It Yourself posted this really cool batty bat tote bag last year, I knew it was not in the cards for me.

Except I really liked it.

A lot.

It sounded perfect for me and my needs and the bats were frickin' cute.

But I didn't get it.

Until over a year later, anyway. :)

I recently happened across an Amazon store who was selling it for a ridiculously low price (not such a low price now but reasonable still).  I hmm'd over it for a while but ultimately decided to get it.  I mean, as awesome as Bane is, I don't actually know her in person and I've only recent come out my lurk-phase to comment on her blog.  So it'd be okay just this once, right?

I have to say, I *love* this bag!  It's the right size to carry all my non-purse stuff, it fits over my shoulder well, and it zips close so everything doesn't spill out when I drop it.

Even though I will try to not get things that I know other people have, I get SO excited when I see that I already own something someone else does or if I see it on a TV show or movie.  Like this bat necklace that Meagan Kyla from Coffin Kitsch is wearing.  I have that!  Actually, I own a few necklaces that she does and I got excited when I saw each and every one  of them after discovering her blog. :)

I'm a fancy lady with a fancy purse!

Dress: SWAK Designs
Purse: Unique Vintage
Necklace: I don't remember - Walmart?  Walgreens? Walstore?

So, just how weird is that or do other people do these things, too? :)

Tagged: The Darkling Tag!

I was tagged by the awesome Meagan Kyla at Coffin Kitsch for the Darkling Tag.  Thank you, Batty McGothson! LOL  I, in turn, tag 3 of the 4 people who actually follow me since Meagan already tagged one of them.  Bane at Goth It Yourself, Laura at Roses and Vellum, and Goth Gardener.  I would have tagged Syl at There's Bats in My Coffee, too. :)

What is your favourite candle scent? Anything apple-scented but not apple-cinnamon.

Do you have a favourite book? "Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett

Are you a tea or coffee person? Neither.  I don't even like the smell of coffee and I have yet to find a tea that I like.  Now, good ol' Southern sweet tea?  That's another thing entirely that I only enjoy every once in a great while. :)

What is your favourite perfume/cologne? Either "Funeral Parlor" by Vampfangs which is a musky combination of candles and flowers or "Purr" by Katy Perry which is sweet and flowery (I know, I know... but I like it!)  I do realize that these scents are not alike! LOL

Do you have a celebrity crush? I will always have a crush on Annie Lennox (Eurythmics) but my current crush is Gustaf Skarsgård as Floki in Vikings.

If you could change your name to a stereotypical 90s/2000s gothy name, what would it be?  (*giggle*)  Moonface Ravensblood :D

What are your top three tips for surviving hot weather while black clad?  Light fabric, UV-blocking parasol, and a fan

What song always makes you happy (doesn't have to be a goth band?)   Love by Matt White - it's so cheesily happy :)

Are you active in the arts (eg. Play an instrument, paint, write, etc)?  Yes!  I sew, draw, paint and just generally craft.

What is your number one non-gothy hobby?  Food.  I subscribe to a number of food magazines, read a bunch of food blogs, love cooking shows, collect cookbooks, etc.

Thought Provokers:

If you could be a supernatural creature, what would it be and why? I think I would be a muse so I could help people create.

What horror monster-based super power would you have?  Mess with people in their dreams >:)

Do you feel confident or comfortable interacting with other Goths or gothy people (online or irl)? Why or why not?  Goth or not Goth, if a person engages with me first, I am fine.  I just have a hard time approaching others and starting a game of small talk.  I was a lurker online for a long time before I got the confidence to comment on other people's blogs and now I wonder what I was so scared of. :)

Is there something you wish there was more of in your subculture? Like many others have answered, more acceptance and less elitism.  I've only fairly recently decided to use "Goth" as a way to describe myself but have been lurking the blogs and forums for a while.  There seem to be quite a few who believe their way is the "one true way" and everyone else is a poser.  I have also been a part of the Pagan and BDSM communities and they were just as full of the One True Pathers.  It seems to be common in most alternative scenes which is a little sad.  But the thing I like about the Goth blogs that I follow closely is that they don't buy into that philosophy

Care to share an embarrassing story related to your "darkliness"?  This isn't embarassing but I thought it was kind of funny. :)  There was a contractor from another conuntry that used to work on my floor that I would often run into in the rest room.  At first, she wouldn't make eye contact with me but over time we did the small talk dance.  Finally, one day, she asked me "Why are you so sad?"  I wasn't feeling sad... at all.  In fact, happy is my normal state of being.  I asked her what she meant and she said, "You wear so much black and bones.  Doesn't that mean you are sad?"  I happily explained to her that I just preferred black clothing and the bones helped remind me that life is too short to be sad.

Oh, this is kind of embarrassing.  I saw the movie "Fargo" when it was in theaters (I'm old LOL) and laughed hard for a good 2 minutes over the wood chipper scene before I realized no one else was laughing and people had shifted away from me.  :)

How are you at DIY? Pretty darn good if I have the right tools.  Not like Bane, though.  She is my DIY idol!

Confessional (aka True or False):

I love watching cheese romance films. Mostly true.  I'm also addicted to bad TV shows meant for teenage girls like "Gossip Girl".

I ALWAYS remember to wash off my makeup at night.  False.  Unless I get super made up, most of my make up has been rubbed off my the end of the day.

I sleep with plushies.  False.  Rustle and Sidia would get jealous.  It's already hard enough keeping Sidia from turning Rustle into a minion and taking over the world.

I wear non-black pyjamas most nights.  False.  I don't really wear pajamas and most of mt at-home-lounge clothes are black but there is some grey, red and pink thrown in there.

I think Andrew Eldrich is overrated. I'm really not sure on this one.  People seem to like joking about him.

I don't like vampires.  False.  As long as they don't sparkle.

I don't like clubs. True and false.  I want to like clubs but I get overwhelmed with sensory overload.  So if I do go to a club, I get there earlier and find a nice spot with a wall behind me where I can people watch.  I am also the dork with ear plugs because my hearing is bad enough on its own. :P

I don't enjoy graveyards. False.  If they weren't outside, though, I would enjoy them a lot more. :)

Blood makes me queasy.  False.  I've never had an issue with blood, mine or others.

I'd sooner faint than pet a spider.  True and false.  If someone introduces me to their spider and it seems friendly, I'm more than happy to pet it and play with it.  If it's some random spider on the street or leashed up in someone's yard, though, I'll keep my distance.

I don't like haunted houses. False.  The tourist trap ones are fun but they are not scary.  I can't suspend disbelief enough to actually get scared.  Real ones, however, are fascinating.  I'm a skeptical believer, though.  I believe in ghosts, spirits, hauntings, etc. but I also know/think a lot of phenomenon can be explained by the physical realm.

I've never read Dracula. False.  It's been quite a while, though.

I think "Bela Lugosi's Dead" is a long and boring song.  True.  Not my thing but I can see why other's like it.

Craft Along with GIY: Food and Beverage (Meat Head)

Yay!  My first Craft Along with Goth It Yourself!  And this one is right my alley. :)  Since my favorite time of year is right around the corner, I wanted to share with you my recipe for making your own dinner guest!  This is something I have made for numerous parties, including my sister's engagement party!

My sister's horror movie themed engagement party buffet

The head is pretty massive so it's best for parties or large family gatherings.  But you could also make everyone their own individual shrunken heads!

From my old cooking blog, Get Off The Couch And Cook

My full recipe is below but you can also use your favorite meatloaf recipe as well.

Start by sculpting 3-5 lbs of ground beef mixed with the seasonings, etc.  Be sure to embed large pieces of onion for the eyeballs and little pieces for the teeth.  It doesn't need to be perfect but should at least resemble a face.

Place it in a roasting pan on top of some rolled up foil to help get it out of the pan when it is done cooking.  I'd also recommend using a baking rack underneath it.  Then cover the face with tomato sauce, avoiding the eyes and teeth.

Cover the tomato sauce with broken up slices of mozzarella or provolone cheese (I like how provolone chars up better.).

Bake, bake, bake until the meat is cooked through and the skin is charred. :D

Hack and enjoy!

To make the shrunken heads, the process is the same except in smaller scale and the cooking time is a lot shorter.

Meat Head Recipe

For the head
3-5 lb ground beef
1/2 c thick and chunky tomato sauce
1/2 c panko breadcrumbs
1 Tbsp jarred minced garlic
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 egg

For the face
1/2 large sweet onion, peeled, ends cut off and layers separated
1 – 1 1/2 c thick and chunky tomato sauce
8 thin slices Provolone or mozzarella cheese


Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°.

2. In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the meatloaves.
Shrunken head: Divide into 4 parts if making shrunken heads.  

3. Pinch off a small piece of the meat and set aside. Form the larger piece into an oval head shape.
Shrunken head: do this for all 4 parts

3. Cut 2 pieces of the onion to look like teeth and press into the meat where the mouth will be. Press 2 more pieces of onion where the eyes will be.

4. Divide the reserved meat into 8-9 parts.  Roll 6 little pieces into tubes and place where the onion and meat meet on the head.

5. Smooth the tubes to cover the onion partially.

6. Form the last 2-3 pieces of meat roughly into a nose shape and place on the head. Smooth the edges.
Shrunken head: Repeat the head making process for the other 3 portions of meat mixture. 

7. Place the head(s) on a baking sheet or in a roasting pan.  For the large head, I recommend putting it on a baking rack inside the pan and using rolled up foil like in the pictures above to help lift it.

8. Spoon tomato sauce over the meat, being careful to avoid the onion pieces.

9. Break up the provolone slices and cover the tomato sauce, again avoiding the onion pieces.

10. Bake at 350°F for 90-120 minutes, until the “skin” is dark brown and the meat is done in the center.  The cooking time seems to be the same for 3-5 lbs of ground beef.
Shrunken heads: 45-50 minutes