Today’s SCORES!!!

If you’ve already read over my post from this afternoon, I had been saying I wasn’t sure if I could manage to adapt the Goblincore mentality to my decor trends. On the one hand, I often shop online, which is much more consumerist than Goblincore. But also… I was thinking the vibe of Jareth the Goblin King is almost more traditional fae than goblin… though apparently some sources think of goblin as a subset of the fae?

I do have maybe a goblin-ish thing going with some of my kitchen stuff… my recent reusable paper towels gifted from kiddo, and my inexpensive and spooky set of towels, potholders, and oven mitts, all coordinated. But the idea of French Quarter style seems to be the opposite to me, on its surface.

I was in a fierce debate with myself. I get that goblins may like sparklies and treasures as well as less-conventionally-beautiful things like moss, mushrooms, sticks, or cool rocks. But do I sparkle too much to be a goblin? FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS, I KNOW!

I dressed less casually for work than I typically do (but I do always dress up my graphic tees with over-pieces and accessories). Today, I opted for a blouse and coordinating cardigan and wide leg black pants, in a swooshy kind of fabric.

But the pants feel like pajamas on; they’re so comfortable. Which is KIND of goblin. Dressing for comfort. I love the texture. And while the REST of the outfit down to my matching earrings and necklace was rather high fashion… I rebelled just a LITTLE… since Spooky Season is coming up, and the colors of this bracelet matched the rest of my jewelry…

The maiden voyage of the very first skull jewelry that I have worn this season… Wearing skulls this far away from Halloween (yes, it’s ALMOST fall, but still), and a piece that wasn’t sold by our store but that nonetheless looked pretty fabu, seemed very goblin. Even if it was just a finishing touch to my look.

(Seen here on top of the Warrant CD my daughter bought at a record store that preceded the newer UFO/space-themed one, which we also visited together, and where I got her a t-shirt advertising their new shop).

ALSO… I had thought, ya know, what are the ODDS that I will find freebies or thrift things that fit my decor vibe, beyond the one French Quarter print I STILL have to mount on the wall (I’ve been intimidated… it’s heavy)?

WELL!!!

My boss was clearing out the back room today, and organizing, to make room for updated signage to come through and get us ready to toss all the outdated signage tomorrow after hours (some of it already went out the door this afternoon, courtesy of my coworker, who made MANY many runs to the recycling dumpster, and also emptied the garbage-garbage cart).

I happened to see THESE, on the CUSP of being THROWN AWAY!!!

Two MASSIVE Ziploc bags FULL of MARDI GRAS BEADS!!!

Given not the uber-fancy kind, like some of the ones I ordered off eBay… (I have some with beignets and cafe au laits on them, etc.)…but still.

I asked if I could have them, and she was delighted to let me pick out as many as I wanted!!!

So, I took both bags.

Like I said, they would have been tossed, otherwise.

As I was putting them in my locker, I noticed something on the bottom of one bag, which I thought was a bunch of hair ties. Didn’t even occur to me until now that my hair is probably too short for hair ties, but in the moment, I had thought, huh, cool! New hair ties. Never been used!

BUT…. When I looked again, just before we closed, as I was gathering my stuff…

I discovered they were actually…

JELLY BRACELETS!!!

OMG I remember these from growing up! AND SO MANY OF THEM!!! Enough for both arms, easily. Which reminds me now, of Hoggle from Labyrinth, saying, “Ooooh, plastic.” But one online source claims he’s a dwarf, not a goblin at all. That could be true. He doesn’t look like the goblins? Still. It feels fitting.

AND… they were FREE!!! And they really take me back. I had a zillion of these things at one point. Probably a lot in fluorescent colors too. Fluorescent everything was VERY in at the time. Down to the sticks of solid SPF sunscreen we would use and literally swipe our faces with BRIGHT fluorescent or bright white stripes. You’d do your nose and under your eyes, etc. And the point of it was to have the sunscreen marks stand out, not rub them in.

Once I got home, I had the notion to display some of the beads in jars. I have two already set up, one in the bathroom, and one in the living room, now that the French Quarter look has spilled out into the rest of the apartment, some, with my framed art prints of Creole food, and so on.

That’s the first one I made, in Mardi Gras colors.

I’ll find a use for the rest of them, too, I am sure, if only to strew them around my Bath & Body Works fragrance mists on the counter, once I have that situated, again.

I didn’t get a photo of them, but toward the end of the night, my coworker asked me, “Do you paint?” I said I did. Turns out there were also some PAINTBRUSHES due to be thrown out. They took one and gave me the other two. They’re a little on the large side for my usual canvas projects, but they might encourage me to start looking for and trying bigger canvases, for bolder statements.

I can also look to see what canvases I can find thrifting. I know when I worked for a thrift store here, we sometimes had some of our own in “new goods,” but people also sometimes donated them, as well.

And I also didn’t grab a pic of my dinner, because i was STARVING after work (even though I took time to first play with the beads and the bracelets before fixing myself up a plate), but I had the rest of the Chicken Alfredo, tonight, after work. It was very satisfying. Protein bar for dessert.

Finishing all of that with a glass of herbal sweet tea.

And I just logged into Finch. Almost forgot! New month, new theme. Good times!

Maybe I’ll paint some, tonight. I did draw a little on the back of one of the wooden Valentine’s Day hearts, last night. We’ll see. Peace!

Closing with a random something pretty, cuz thinking about Star from The Lost Boys, and Haven from my Rock is Undead series.

Stars.