You might not be familiar with the rhyme in this post's title, but I bet you'll recognize the poem it comes from:
Lizzie Borden took an axe, and gave her mother forty whacks. And when she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty one.
If you're wondering why I have Lizzie on my brain (that just sounds wrong) it's because of the very exciting package that arrived a few days ago! This package contained a gift bag full of prizes I won from my blog buddy Holly. She has a spooky blog over at Holly's Horror Land: http://hollyshorrorland.blogspot.com/.
From the gifts I was sent, it's clear that Holly really knows me! Hands down, my absolute favorite gift was the pair of earrings Holly made! They're a set of dangling, silver axes:
I love the way these little axes swing from side to side as I move my head. Check out this happy little photo accident!
I guess I was moving my head slightly as I took this one. The axe earrings came in this adorable coffin box:
You can see a bit of my new skull scarf beneath the coffin. I was in a Keith Richards/pirate type mood when I found a couple of those scarves on ebay. Anyway, here's a photo of me wearing the axe earrings as well as an eyeball ring Holly made!
That pink flower doesn't have anything to do with anything. I was just having fun playing dress-up for this little photo shoot.
It's clipped to my shirt here so you can see it. I have a lot of hair and it overtook the little clip in the photos. She also made me a witch hat clip, which you can see alongside the other prizes:
As you can see, Holly also sent me a Lady Gaga mini book, some pumpkin lip gloss, and a trick-or-treat load of candy! This all came in an orange and black polka dot bag. Opening this bag made me feel like it was Halloween and Christmas!
I can't wait to delve into the Lady Gaga book and learn more about one of my favorite singers! Here are a few pages from the book:
Holly plans to sell her homemade fashion accessories on Etsy. Here's her Etsy profile:
http://www.etsy.com/people/HollyHorrorshow
You can join Holly's Etsy circle from this page, and be updated as she adds her creations to the shop!
Now here's a treat for you: The Lizzie Borden themed episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. The Older Sister:
This twisted episode will stay on your mind for a while... Even if you don't have the time to watch the full episode, at least watch the intro. It's funny as usual!
I'd also like to share an episode of Ghost Adventures. This video shows a paranormal investigation at the Lizzie Borden House. There are some silly parts to this, but I wanted to share it because 1) The tour guide is wearing my little axe earrings! and 2) I learned a few things from this. For instance, I had no idea that Lizzie was acquitted of the murders and inherited a pretty hefty sum of money from her dead parents.
There's also some explanation about the first double murder that took place in the Borden house. No, not the murder of Lizzie's parents. This murder happened in the same house several generations earlier!
I know this is kind of a long video (at 45 minutes) but it's worth watching to the end. There are some potential bombshells revealed by one of the psychics. If what is heavily implied here is true, Lizzie would have had reasons to go nuts. This visit to the Borden house is far more entertaining than most ghost shows I've watched. Usually, there's some mumbled EVP I can't even understand, but these are pretty clear. Even if you're skeptical of the whole episode, it's interesting to watch.
Have any of you visited The Borden House? It's now a bed and breakfast! Not like you'd catch me wanting to stay there...
On a somewhat lighter, prize related note, this is my favorite Lady Gaga song: Paparazzi! I feel the need to issue some sort of warning before you watch this. Not that you haven't watched more explicit things in horror movies, and not that you don't already know what you're getting with Lady Gaga. Still, some people in this video look dead in a glittery sort of way. That and there's some sauciness between her and what appears to be an 80's hair band. I always wonder why Lady Gaga chooses the images she does for her videos. Probably these images are the type that the paparazzi would try to capture of her.
Oh whatever. It's fun to sing along to. "We're plastic but we still have fun!" Thanks again Holly!
Congrats on winning all that cool stuff. I love the earrings and the picture of them moving.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the rave review! :D
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you enjoyed everything.
And not only are you a marvelous model, you're also a fabulous photographer!
Love that swinging ax shot!
I've always been fascinated with Lizzie Borden too.
That's one of my favorite Hitchcock episodes!
I've never seen Ghost Adventures. I'll check out that episode now!
Congratulations on winning the Lizzie Borden prizes. They all look very nice on you, except the book of course. Staying at the Lizzie Borden house is definately on my bucket list.
ReplyDeleteLots of things:
ReplyDelete1. I'm the first one to post a comment! Sweet! :)
2. I've always been fascinated by the Lizzie Borden story, especially since living in the Boston area. They had a Lizzie Borden museum in Salem (at first I really wanted to go, but all the locals assured me it was a cheesy tourist trap).
3. I absolutely love Lady Gaga, and the Paparazzi video is one of my favorites!
4. I miss you like crazy and can't wait to see you again. I will be home for 3 weeks in July....sushi date???!!!
Great prize package, especially the earrings! I just love the way they swing side to side.. I hope they aren't leaving any punctures in your neck :p
ReplyDeleteI've wanted an evil eye ring for so long but I've not come across one that I REALLY like yet, your one is really cute with the little black bow - it's small and delicate!
The Lizzie Borden story is kinda creepy, probably because it involved a female and an axe but I always find these types of murders from around the Victorian time far more interesting and the creepiness factor is slightly higher.. especially when they have a children's rhyme attached to them! *shivers* The sound of innocent little children's voices singing about such things is just spooky.. but awesome!
I love that you always leave us something interesting to watch - I'll definitely be watching that Ghost Adventures episode tonight! It sounds really good! xxx
What an awesome swag from that giveaway! Congratulations on winning! You know, when I first saw the second picture of the axe earrings, I thought they were another pair made of clear Perspex. Cool effect. The axe looks ghostly! So appropriate for Lizzie!
ReplyDeleteI would definitely love to check out some haunted locations like Lizzie's house, but, I would never sleep there!!! You're way too vulnerable when you're asleep... not that I think I could get a wink sleep in a place like that! ;)
When I've got some more time later, I'll watch those
Hitchcock and Ghost Adventures videos. Looking forward to them. :)
Adsila ~ Thank you! :) This package was an awesome surprise. I was pretty happy with the moving earring shot too! Sometimes the accidental photos are the best. I know you're a fan of Ghost Adventures. Have you seen this episode?
ReplyDeleteHolly ~ Thank you so much for all these goodies! Thanks also for the nice comments. :) I do have a little experience with photographing jewelry. If you want any of these pics for your Etsy listings or whatever else, let me know! I'll be happy to send them your way.
I love the way those little axes swing around! They aren't too heavy, so the movement is fun instead of painful. :) Yes, that Hitchcock episode is a classic. Disturbing as usual! I definitely recommend the Ghost Adventures episode when you have some time. I made the mistake of watching it alone, late at night. It was surprisingly eerie!
Jessica ~ Thank you! Yeah, it might be a little difficult to wear the book. ;) It is a mini book so I guess I could make it into a really heavy necklace. Haha
A visit to The Borden House is on your bucket list? All I could think while watching that Ghost Adventures video was "I'm not going in there!" I never want to go where something violent has happened. That and if you believe what's happening in this episode, the ghosts appear to still be angry!
Marisa ~ Hey there! Well, I'm moderating my blog comments now, so I have a feeling everyone thought they were the first to comment! I just clicked "publish" on all of the comments that were left, and I guess they popped up in whatever order they were written. Who knows?
I just looked up The Lizzie Borden Museum in Salem. "The Forty Whacks Museum". Well, that cuts right to the point. Ba-Ding! ;)
Yeah, Lady Gaga is so talented and appears to be a genuinely nice person! That and she's pretty much the most entertaining person to watch now. In my opinion anyway...
Cool! Three weeks is a great amount of time! I can't wait to get together with you and have that sushi. :) As you know, that's pretty much a once a year thing for me. Are Will and Tony going to join you?
VainGlorySinner ~ Yeah! I feel pretty lucky. Getting a package in the mail is so exciting. That's part of why I like ebay so much...
Ha! Good one. ;) No, I don't have any mini slices left by mini axes on my neck.
Yeah, I hadn't seen an evil eye on a bow before. I like that whole girly-creepy combo.
Haha! "probably because it involved a female and an axe." I think it would be plenty creepy with a man and an axe! Although, I can see what you're getting at with this being an unusual story. There are plenty of women who commit murder, but statistically it's going to be more along the lines of poisonings than violent axe rampages.
I don't expect you to be familiar with this, since you don't live in Wisconsin, but there's a book out there titled "Wisconsin Death Trip". The book shows a lot of old violent images and stories from the Victorian time in this state. Not that this was fancy-Victorian. These stories are more along the lines of "John ate the family horse and burnt down the barn." Just people going crazy with long Wisconsin winters before TV was invented. :) It's morbid but you might be interested.
Yes, there is something eerie about the sound of children chanting. Spooky, ethereal, innocent.
Thanks! I'm glad you appreciate the videos. :) Let me know what you think of that episode of Ghost Adventures. I need someone to discuss that with!
Little Gothic Horrors ~
ReplyDeleteWe must have been typing at the same time, because I didn't realize you'd commented!
Thanks for the congratulations. :) Ooh - ghost axe earrings! I like the way you think... I just looked up perspex, because I wasn't familiar with it. I can see why you said that. What neat looking stuff! I like the neon colored pieces.
No, I won't be stepping foot in that house. Let alone spending the night there! I have some friends who do those overnight ghost investigations. A bigger problem than the ghosts are the sleeping conditions! These investigations usually involve sleeping on a floor in a jail cell or some old basement. No thanks!
Let me know what you think of both these episodes! The second one will leave you with plenty of food for thought.
Ooo I have heard of the term 'Wisconsin Death Trip' before from a Static-X album but I didn't know it related to a book! I am very interested in seeing this book.. and maybe owning it! I just did a little google and it appears there is a film based on it too which looks quite interesting! I do love anything about disturbing American history!
ReplyDeleteI used to have a really disturbing book called Death Scenes: A Homicide Detective's Scrapbook: A Scrapbook of Noir Los Angeles, which was full of old photos of death.. some rather gory! I left it behind at an ex's house many years ago so I don't have it any more :( I should buy it again because it was a good creepy thing to own!
I'm about to have my lunch right now and watch that Ghost Adventures episode - hopefully there wont be anything that will put me off my food! I'm also gunna go look for this Death Trip book right now! xxx
Ok... that just made the Lizzie Borden story even more creepy! From what I can tell about this 'secret' that Lizzie the medium told during the seance was that Lizzie Borden's father sexually abused her.. if that is true then that is a very good motive as to why she did it, if she did in fact commit the murders.
ReplyDeleteThe story about the previous Borden murders decades before the Lizzie Borden murders is quite bizarre! Zak was assuming it must have been some demonic force using the Borden's to commit these murders but I think maybe there could have been a history of mental disorders and depression in the Borden women?! Either way it is very strange that there were in fact two sets of murders within that house and both connected to the Borden family!
In February 1923 there was a murder in the house next door to me - a woman called Mrs. Mitchell cut her 3 year old daughters throat and then her own.. I haven't been able to find anything else out about it but I'd love to know more! Sometimes I wonder if there is any spirits in there and if so could they travel through the walls into our house?! I hope not!! HAHA!
Kinda creeped out right now... xxx
VainGlorySinner ~ Wow, I had no idea that Wisconsin Death Trip inspired a movie. Do you know when that movie came out? I might have to check into that. Now I want to hear how those Static-X lyrics. How funny! It's a fairly disturbing book, but not in the way that will leave you traumatized. Most of the stories are told through old newspaper clippings. You'll get to learn the term "firebug" quite well! That's pretty much what we'd call a pyro today. We sure had our share of firebugs in this state!
ReplyDeleteYour Death Scenes book sounds really creepy! I guess you left your ex with something to remember you by. ;) It's funny how often people are left with one another's books.
The Lizzie video shouldn't have ruined your lunch too much. I wish they hadn't shown the crime scene photos of the parents, even though they weren't particularly gory. Come to think of it, it's strange that I don't remember seeing any blood in those photos.
Even though Lizzie was acquitted, she was pretty much guilty in popular opinion and in history. I guess she was a little like the O.J. Simpson of her time. I have to wonder if she got let off because she was a woman? The murder might have been seen as impossible for a woman to commit at that time.
In my opinion she committed the murders, but maybe that's just from years of hearing the story that way. If what that medium heard is true (and that came off as very genuine) then Lizzie would have had a real motive! Wasn't it interesting that the two paranormal investigators got sick at about the time the secret was revealed?
I'm with you on the whole demonic force theory. I thought, as you did, that mental illness probably ran through this family. Some forms of mental illness can be passed down. Also, bizarre behavior or abuse can effect a family for generations. If what that medium said is true, I'd say that it's not just the women in the family who were disturbed.
Oh dear! How close is your house to your neighbor's? Have you talked to the owners of that house about this? I wonder if they've had any experiences. Ghosts or no ghosts, I'd feel icky living in your neighbor's house. I'm glad you didn't choose that one! So, you didn't find any old news clippings or info about the murder at your local library? That sounds pretty sensational, so I'm sure there's some record of it out there. Assuming you really want to know!
I have probably seen all the episodes of Ghost Adventures. I can still see Zak carrying around that ax. They are goofy but fun to watch.
ReplyDeleteYou really racked up the goodies!! I love the earrings and the ring!
ReplyDeleteOff to read more to see what I have missed since I have been gone!
LuLu~*xoxo
Yeah, the Lizzie Borden case if quite interesting. Always had a place in my head for it. :)
ReplyDeleteDid you know that Elizabeth Montgomery (Bewitched) not only played Lizzie in a TV movie... but was also her 6th cousin once removed?
Adsila ~ Yeah, that little axe was quite the touch! I wouldn't even want to play around with a prop like that in The Borden House. You've watched every episode of Ghost Adventures! How long has that show been on?
ReplyDeleteLuLu ~ I sure did! I felt so lucky as I pulled everything out of the little bag. This really was a thoughtful prize package. I look forward to reading your thoughts on my other posts! :)
Michael ~ Hey there! Thanks for following my blog. :) The Lizzie Borden case is interesting, if for no other reason than its uniqueness! "Always had a place in my head for it." Oh great!
I've never heard any of this Elizabeth Montgomery information before! I'll have to do a little googling and learn more about that. I can't imagine her playing Lizzie in a movie! She'd have to be given a real make-under for that role...
WOw, those are great prize package you received, especially the eyeball bow ring! How cuuuuute! ^_^
ReplyDeleteThe Lizzie Borden story is very creepy but I love it!
You take great photos by the way!
Real Queen of Horror ~ Yeah! I was really excited and surprised to receive this package of goodies. That ring is adorable. I'm really fond of that cute/creepy combination.
ReplyDeleteI learned so much about Lizzie Borden while putting this post together. The things I learned just made her story even creepier. I'd been reading more about her family a few days ago, and it sounds like her father was a real jerk. It seemed he had a bad reputation around town, so maybe people didn't mind so much that he died. I think that may be part of why Lizzie was acquitted.
Thank you! I love taking photos to share with all of you. :)