Betsy Snow White Bibliophile

Category: 614 Pride

  • You Pin Me Right Round, Baby…

    You Pin Me Right Round, Baby…

    So…I have a minor obsession with pins (enamel, lapel, “buttons”). This has been going on for years (20+) and I have a startlingly large collection of these pins including a jar full in my craft room that I am planning to use in some kind of project. Part of this obsession is the fact that you can find them many places and they are fairly inexpensive souvenirs. Thus began my “collection”.

    I have two jackets that are my favorites to wear and they are pretty decked out, so I thought I would give you a “tour” of my favorite jackets and the pins that currently live on them. These will undoubtedly change, but this is their current iteration.

    My leather jacket: Several years ago I told my husband that I wanted a motorcycle jacket. For Christmas he surprised me with this amazing lined buffalo leather jacket from Angry, Young and Poor. I was instantly in love. I decided that only black, white and metal tone pins would live on it. A couple of the pins on here are new, and larger than I anticipated so I am not sure they will stay on here, but they are here for now.

    • The Jacket
    • Nina West, Laser Kitten and Out of Print
    • Cat Coven, Witch Baby Soap, Misc bought from punk rock flea market
    • Angry, Young and Poor, Ohio Roller Derby, MFM Fan Cult
    • Angry, Young and Poor
    • Angry, Young and Poor
    • Puddles Pity Party
    • Angry, Young and Poor
    • Charming Disaster, Enamel Heart, Gift
    • Punk Rock Flea Market, MFM Store, Cat Coven, Creepy Co

    My jean jacket: I bought this jacket a couple of year ago at a thrift store for maybe $9. It is lined and has a fleece collar and cuffs. I love it, but the fact that it only has the front breast pockets is annoying. It doesn’t stop me from wearing it constantly so it must not be too much of an issue. I usually also have a large rhinestone skull brooch on this jacket, but I have moved it to a summer vest for a bit. I will post a picture of me in the jacket with the brooch, just to give that visual.

    • Lot’s of Nina West, Wild Cat Party and Gifts, Cindlou’s
    • Prologue bookshop, Clippers, Tigertree, leighcox, Browns,
    • Cave of the Mounds, House on the Rock, Siomai Moore
    • Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, English Honors
    • Thor, Gift from friend
    • Out of Print, Thrift Store, Punk Rock Flea Market
    • Sara M Lyons
    • Wild Cat Party and Gift, MFM Fan Cult, You’reTheBalmShop
    • Laser Kitten, Feminist Book Cart, Wild Cat Party and Gift, Columbus Museum of Art
    The Skull Brooch…bought from Torso in the Short North here in Columbus.

    Do you have a favorite jacket? Do you decorate it within an inch of it’s life like I do? Do you have a minor obsession with pins?

    I have actually bought a few more recently (yes I am aware I have a problem) and I will share them in another recent purchase post.

  • Headstones and Hitchcock

    Headstones and Hitchcock

    .A couple of weeks ago, Seth and I set off to explore Green Lawn Cemetery. Green Lawn is a large historical cemetery in Columbus.There are a number of “famous” Columbus figures buried within the cemetery and the abbey. I am a huge fan of walking in cemeteries, and this one was beautiful to visit. The grounds are full of beautiful trees of all kinds: oak, maidenhair ginkgo, various evergreens, and Ohio buckeye.

    I brought a plastic bag so I could pick up litter as we walked about, and Seth was happy removing branches that were laying atop grave sites and making piles under the trees. We cleaned grass off of markers that had been covered when the mowers moved through. We are talking about making a kit to take with us to make our cleanup easier next time with a small broom.

    We found a headstone of a type which I have never seen before. Where a headstone may say mother, father, sister, brother, etc. this one said Aunt. I loved it so much, and even more interesting was the fact that the Aunt in question had the fist name Salome. I believe that Aunt Salome is my spirit sister. I am absolutely in love with anyone who dies and is best known for being an aunt.

    The abbey at Green Lawn shows films outdoors to raise funds for upkeep during the summer. We went last Friday to see Notorious directed by Alfred Hitchcock. We got to visit the actual abbey, which is gorgeous with white marble and wrought iron. The film was entertaining. It was a Hitchcock I had never seen before, but it was very entertaining. There was an absolutely insane drunk driving scene that made me very tense, but Cary Grant who was actually in the car with the drunk driver Ingrid Bergman seemed generally unfazed. I love a good spy thriller though, so generally it was a good time. Next month they are showing Laura and in August The House on Haunted Hill with Vincent Price. We intend to see those as well. There is something so lovely about watching a thriller with the abbey looming above us.

  • Isolation Chronicles: Support Your Local Businesses

    I had posted earlier in the Isolation that I purchased a mystery book box from one of my favorite local bookshops The Book Loft. Since that purchase I have been trying very hard to support other local and small businesses in any way I can. Whether that is ordering food, buying products, or just providing support. Here are some of my favorite shops, stores that I could not recommend more.

    1. Elder Forest Soap – I call Katie and Nathan our soap people. Seth and I have almost exclusively used their soaps for the last several years. We have stalked them in a friendly “man I need soap” way to many a festival, and we think of them as friends. I also swear by their pain balm, their salves and their natural deodorant. Recommended soap scents: Rosemary, Patchouli Spice, Sandalwood Rose and Woodland.
    2. Brother’s Drake Meadery – One of the first local meaderies to open in Columbus Ohio. They make amazing meads and if you are local and no longer in lockdown you can take an awesome tour with them. They are also delivering locally and nationwide. Recommended meads: Strongarm and Battleaxe
    3. Blonde Swan Hats – I have owned many Blonde Swan hats in my life and I love them. Blonde Swan is based out of Northern Ohio and they make absolutely amazing leather and suede hats. I ordered a new hat for Ren Faire and an amazing feather piece to wear on it in the last week. My wedding hat was a Blonde Swan that cost more than my actual dress, lol. Seth’s wedding hat was also a Blonde swan. If you like Blonde Swan on facebook she is offering some amazing deals as Warehouse Wednesday too. Recommended Buys: Any and all Witch hats!
    4. Prologue Bookshop – Prologue is another amazing local bookstore in Columbus. I am a member of their LGBTQ+Allies book club, and I have been buying my books for that directly from them to support them because I have the funds available to do so.  This book club reads books written by LGBTQ authors and is a wonderful open group.
    5. Zen Bee Meadery – Yep, another meadery. I love mead. Zen Bee is a smaller part time local meadery that creates delicious session meads, which means they are lower ABV than some other meads. They are delicious and easy to drink. Recommended Meads: Braspberry, Karma Apple
    6. Witch Baby Soap – This is my favorite place to get bath bombs. They smell amazing, sometimes they have crystals and stones in them, and they are totally witchy. They offer quarterly spell boxes which give you one bomb a month for the quarter, plus soaps and extras. Recommended: Psychic Bath Bomb, Rune Stone Bath Bomb. and the Astrological Cake Bath Bombs.

    These are some of my favorite local/small businesses. Do you have some you are supporting right now? Share with me so I can check them out.

     

  • Support Your Local Independent Bookstore!

    So, in Columbus we have this amazing bookstore called The Book Loft. It is a 32 room amazing monstrosity of a bookstore that is rambling and confusing in the best way. My friend told me that once former President Clinton wanted to shop there, so the secret service came in to check it out and promptly walked back out and told him that it was impossible to clear and he could not go in. It is unclearable by the secret service amazing!

    Of course with the pandemic issue they have had to close their doors to shoppers but they are still running their online business. Last week they announced something new they are doing, Malamarkus (the skeleton god of the book loft) Mystery Boxes. You pay them $69.99 and give them a genre, book style, or theme you like as well as your t-shirt size and then they send you a box with several new books they choose for you as well as some extras and a Book Loft t-shirt. It is a brilliant idea, so to get some new books and support my local bookstore I bought one.

    I ended up with a lot of books and adult mad libs and a gray book loft shirt. I am so chuffed by my new reading material. This is absolutely worth the price. Look at all this gorgeous bounty.

    So overall, support your local bookstores, and if you would like a Malamarkus Mystery Box you can order one here. Honestly support all your local businesses. Please. They need you.

     

  • My Birthday in a Post.

    My Birthday in a Post.

    Yesterday was my birthday. I am officially 39. I spent most of early yesterday with curlers in my hair getting ready for the Fancy Dress Party at the Forge Tavern later in the day. My husband, Seth, surprise d me at midnight while I was putting my curlers in with my birthday present from him: Dungeons and Dragons Castle Ravenloft the Board Game. It is a stand alone version of the Curse of Strahd which is a module for D&D that I am planning to Dungeon Master later this year. We can play it to prepare, and also use the figurines from the game when running my game later. I am super excited.

    maxresdefault

    Once we were ready we met my mom and sister for dinner at Tomatillo’s in Worthington for dinner. They gave me my present from them then. They got me a new Fitbit Versa, the game Punderdome and The Literary Witches Oracle. They also got me a unicorn hand sanitizer holder, which my mom bought before all the chaos really started, but it is super handy now.

    Then we all headed to The Forge Tavern for the Fancy Dress Party. Jameson’s Folly, which is made up of the Wenches a’ Wailing from the Renaissance Festival and their friends, was performing as a St. Patrick’s Day celebration.  The Forge made the decision not to cancel in spite of the covid-19 restrictions and instead to limit the number of people who are allowed to attend. I would say there were about 50 of us in attendance in the end, but it was a lovely night. I was gifted a lovely unicorn music box from my friend Carol, an adorable birthday wineglass from my friend Mary, and my friend Susan made me a necklace based on the book The Starless Sea. I will absolutely admit to having far too much to drink, but in spite of that it was a lovely night. Jameson’s Folly even wished me a happy birthday in a bunch of languages, did a toast to me and sang an encore song just for me.

    All in all it was an absolutely amazing birthday. Today they have officially closed all the restaurants and bars, and I am so thankful that I was able to have one more night of fun before that hit. I am 39 and the world feels like chaos, but last night I was surrounded by my favorite people so it is all okay.

  • Sister Sunday!!

    Sister Sunday!!

    Yesterday my sister, Traci, and I had a sister day to hit a couple of record stores around Columbus. We decided to start at Spoonful Records but since they didn’t open until noon we decided to grab lunch at Dirty Franks. Dirty Franks is an amazing hot dog joint in Downtown Columbus. I got two veggie dogs, a Puff the Magic Popper and a Columbus Crew Dog and a side of Spicy Fried Cauliflower. Traci ordered Corn Dogs and tater tots  cheese and bacon. The food was delicious as always. We used to have a Dirty Franks location about a block away from my house, but they closed a year or so ago and I miss them so much.

    Once we finished our food and split a shot of Monkey Shoulder Brandy because we just wanted to see how it tasted we walked over to Spoonful to peruse. Spoonful is a lovely, orderly and bright record store. The staff are knowlegable and very nice to speak to. Traci bought several records but I did not buy any at the first stop. I did however stop to admire their absolutely amazing Dolly Parton Pinball Machine.

    wp-15837155307153523029626809039882.jpg

    We then headed to Used Kids Records which was a little more punk rock and had albums in every possible nook and cranny. While we were browsing a guy from the neighborhood came in with his adorable black pug named Pig who went immediately behind the counter to get treats which they keep for just such visits. At Used Kids I found two New York Dolls albums, a Cyndi Lauper I did not have on vinyl and in an act of pique Taco with Puttin on the Ritz.

    Traci asked if we could run next door to Evolved Body Art so she could get her septum pierced. We went over, but they had a bit of a wait at that location, so they gave her a 5 dollar off voucher and sent us to the High Street location. We went there and we basically got right in. She looks adorable with the new septum ring.

    wp-15838011910141996815555264227128.jpg

    It was a gorgeous day so we walked a mile or so to Magnolia Thunderpussy where I found the original Star Wars trilogy on Laser Disc that I bought my husband for his birthday (Yes I have a working Laser Disc player). Traci bought a couple more albums. We ran across the street to The Garden which is a Woman owned adult emporium and I bought a pair of thigh highs to wear on Saturday for my birthday/ the fancy dress party.

    On the way back to the car we stopped to get a margarita and some queso at Condado Tacos.

    wp-15837155676884655629484092942987.jpg

    I love my sisters!

     

     

  • New Hair and a Night Out With the Lady Gang

    I can’t remember if I have ever mentioned that when I am craving change I will first look to change my hair. Most major decisions or life changes have been made for me after a hair cut or a new dye job or something else similar. Well I have been feeling that familiar pull again, and it manifested in visiting my hair stylist Melissa and getting an undercut, which is when you have the underneath and sides of your hair shaved out leaving the top. wp-15837155297743713443590371409992.jpg

    After my haircut I went out to meet several members of the lady gang to see a local cover band, The Pretty Filth, play. It was an amazing night out with the ladies.

  • Ta-Tas and Tequilla – March

    Ta-Tas and Tequilla – March

    March 1st we went to brunch at Local Cantina for their Ta-tas and Tequilla Drag Brunch hosted by the fabulous Virginia West. Her guests were Anisa Love, Mary Ann Brandt, Demonica Hunter, Candie Panties, Catia Lee Love from Arizona, 6 from LA and Axel Andrews from Orlando. It was a fabulous time. My mother, sister and I drank a pitcher of margaritas and a pitcher of mimosas. Then we walked and shopped a bit in an attempt to sober up a bit. Oops! lol. But I bought this amazing fish ring!

    Here are some photos of the gorgeous queens we were lucky enough to see and meet!

  • March Onward!!

    It’s March! It is my and my husband’s birthday month! I will be 39 on March 14th and Seth will be 36 on the 30th. I was very excited that The Forge Tavern is holding another Fancy Dress Party on my birthday, so we have decided to attend that as my birthday celebration. I am going to be doing some random about me posts through the month in honor of my not almost forty birthday.

    On the first day of March here is a photo dump of things I got into in February.

    On the 15th The International Wenches Guild Local 73 met up in my hometown of Newark at the Buckeye Winery, for a Galentine’s celebration. We also hit up the new Sand Hollow Speakeasy and The White Cottage, a shop that sells beautiful jewelry and clothing.

    Last week we saw Stadium Virginium IV: Rock of Love featuring Virginia West. As usual it was an amazing show with amazing performances. I am always so blown away with the quality and production of the West Family shows. They are beyond expectations. There is definitely a reason they sell out all the time.

     

    }””””””””””””””””””””’\

    February was a mixed bag with super highs and lows that included being sick for nearly two weeks but also amazing shows, several runs of dungeons and dragons, wenches, the lady gang, and amazing shows. I cannot wait to see what March brings.

  • Finally Feeling Fine…Lost Weeks and Drag Queens

    I had the flu, or something similar to the flu the week of the 27th. I was achy, coughy, sleepy, barely moving and just generally blah for approximately a week. I watched a whole lot of Netflix (the new season of Sex Education is beautiful) and more crappy rom coms than I can shake a stick at. I lost an entire week being barely conscious and incredibly icky.

    Then on the first day I was almost feeling human (Sunday) I went with my mom and my sister to a brand new drag brunch in Columbus at Local Cantina called the Moustache Riders Drag Brunch (interesting note the name of their house margarita is The Moustache Rider.) The food, and drinks, were delicious. The entertainment was top notch. We will definitely go again.

    I am finally feeling truly better and healthier and I am trying to get myself back on track.