Sunday, February 16, 2014

the Scarlet Pimpernel

I've been focusing on little things, recently, as the nature of business has left my regular fashion shop languishing and unpopular. C'est la vie!
The past year has been ten pounds of awful in a five pound sack, and my favorite escape from life is reading. But you know what? Reading depressing and miserable things or books starring unlikable hero figures is just too much for me right now. So I've been reading a LOT of classic brain candy. Jane Austen, Terry Pratchett, the Scarlet Pimpernel. Especially the Scarlet Pimpernel.
When I was growing up in the sticks the field at my father's house grew a profusion of wildflowers (or as some would call them, weeds). White bindweed, which is sort of like a morning glory except that people don't like them. Blue speedwell, a tiny flower with blue and white stripes. Wild geranium. Lawn daisies. And my favorite, a little orangey red flower with a purple center and yellow stamens. When I was about 11 someone gave me an Audubon guide to wildflowers, and the very first one I looked up was my little orange friend. It was a Scarlet Pimpernel. Honestly? This is the only reason I was at all interested when a new adaptation of the Scarlet Pimpernel series aired on TV.
But I kind of loved it. In fact... I've never met a version of the Scarlet Pimpernel that I didn't like. And I have seen basically all of them that I could get my hands on (admittedly I have not watched the musical). The premise is the same simple idea of a millionaire dandy who saves the proverbial day that you have seen in every other show throughout time. Of course, I am also inordinately fond of Zorro, so you can see where I am coming from, here.
In any case, the stories and the flower inspired these little button earrings. I took a bunch of awful pictures of them last week but they all turned out blurry and something had to be done! This is the new photo for the listing, inspired by the 1930s film version. In all honesty, that book is not a bible (as it was in the movie) nor even a copy of one of the Scarlet Pimpernel books (I've read them all on my e-reader) but a cheesy compilation of ghost stories. But SSHHH! Don't tell anyone!