Most Importantly...

Have fun with your hair! Add accesories, add accent braids, combine styles, but HAVE FUN. Here are some more ideas.

Modified Gibson with Marian Braid.

Marian Braid with Circlet.

And again...

Movies and TV shows are also great places to find inspiration--you'll often find that the styles are simpler to do yourself than you'd think. Some of my favorite shows to steal from (at least for this era) are Lord of the Rings, Robin Hood (the BBC show and everything else), Merlin (again BBC), Chronicles of Narnia, and Ever After. Here are still more pictures to get your thinkers going. And if you find something you'd like to do but can't figure out, bring a picture to rehearsal and we'll see what we can do!

Just plain historical is also good, surprisingly enough. One really fun one (instructions here) is Elizabethan Hair-Taping. Completely accurate, fun, functional, and pretty.

Remember, the most important thing is to have fun--and if you don't feel like a star, you're doing something wrong.

~Carrots

Not Just For Guys

I tell my friends that Legolas and Elrond have the best hair in the movies--and I'm about to prove I'm right. This is the hairstyle Elrond has in the opening-sequence battle of the Extended Editions.

The model is my gorgeous friend Jackie. All this style takes is some time and patience and the knowledge of how to do itty-bitty fishtail braids. (I made the criss-cross braids smaller to make it more feminine.) You can find detailed instructions for recreating this hairstyle here.

Elf hairstyles are certainly easier to do on someone else, but you've got to admit they look amazing.
~Carrots

Modified Gibson Tuck

I almost didn't include this hairstyle, because I was stuck thinking of it as "Gibson Girl," which is, you know, entirely the wrong era. But then I wore it for one very long rehearsal, by the end it was mostly fallen out, and I realized that if you do it loosely it really fits the Elizabethan shape! It almost looks like you're wearing a snood. Plus, it's incredibly, deceivingly easy while looking fantastic.

Here's the lowdown: you need a circlet, but after that you're set. (This is my go-to hairstyle lately.) Leave all your hair down. Place your circlet on top of your head and twist the front sections under as in my Twisted Circlet hairstyle. Then you just tuck all your hair into the headband, use some bobby pins as necessary to tuck up strays, and voila! The trick to getting this more Medieval look rather than something more modern is to tuck the hair all the way around, rather than just in the back.

~Carrots

Simple Half-Up Hairstyles

So, as promised (although a little later than expected) here are the first how-to's for some easy Medieval (yes, medieval, but still Shakespearean enough) hairstyles. The styles featured below, due to their simplicity and versatility, are perfect for almost everyone: ladies, attendants, shepherdesses... the list goes on. For the play, I think for most of you girls it would be good to start with your hair mostly down, like this, and then put it up for the end where everyone is sixteen years older. These half-up hairstyles are also great for helping to hold caps in place!
A few general tips:
1. Use a middle part.
2. Go for your natural hair. Rather than curling or straightening it with an iron, just let it do its thing--this will look best with the hairstyles, and hey, it's easier, right? You could also do sock bun curls, because it's basically rag curling, and that's been around since Medieval times at least.

That's not my hair, by the way. I've never gotten a picture of mine with sock bun curls, but I know it works.
Now I promise, these are easy easy easy: if you can braid and use a bobby pin, you're good. Let's get to it!

Here (second style in the video) are full instructions if you can't figure it out from the picture--I did do it tighter so you could see the construction, though. If you poof it up a bit more in front instead of having it so tight it looks better.

On to hairstyle number two!

You know that scene in the Glittering Caves when Eowyn ties the front of her hair into a knot? Yeah. That's all there is to it. I do find that to keep my bangs in nicely some twisting is in order, and you might want to use a bobby pin or two if your hair won't stay on its own. Again the link is here (third style in video) if you want more detail.

You want another? Your wish is my command.

Girls, it does not get easier than this. Obviously, you do need a circlet, but once you've got that you just set it on top of your head, pull the front bit of your hair up, over, and beneath the front of the ring, and there you go. This is also the first step of my Modified Gibson Tuck.

But wait, there's more!

Also known as a "milkmaid braid," this style is, again, very simple as long as you can braid (which I'm assuming most of you can.) Full, detailed, and helpful instructions can be found here.

That's more a picture of Guy, isn't it? Oops.
Be back soon with more (and some up-do's...)
~Carrots

How to Make a Doric Chiton

(Otherwise known as a "Girly Toga.") For all my lovely girls in the chorus.
You will need:
1 White Sheet--you could maybe get away with a twin size if you're really, really small, but queen size would probably be better
2 Large-ish safety pins or brooches

The picture above gives you a guide for folding, but just for clarity, here are written instructions.

1. Obtain a sheet. This is a very important step.
2. Fold the sheet down hamburger style until it is as long as the length between your shoulders and ankles. Depending on your height, this may be a only a foot or you may have to fold it in half.
3. Now, keeping the top folded down, fold the sheet in half hotdog style.
4. Hold the folded sheet up in front of you. Make a pretty face. Good? Ok, find where you want the shoulder straps to be (allow for a little draping around the neckline and make sure to leave room for your arm to get through on the folded side.)
5. Overlap the top edges and pin them together for the shoulder straps.

And that's it! We'll have ribbons for you at rehearsal, but if you want to go parade for your family, just tie a belt or sash around your waist, overlapping the open side first.
For the play, here's what you should have on underneath: White tights or leggings and a white cami or shirt. I'm perfectly fine with either, so if you don't want your arms naked go ahead and wear a shirt. I'd also recommend spankies, especially for while you're doing the storm. And don't forget your ballet slippers!

Break a leg, girlies.
For copyright purposes, the image was found here. I wrote the instructions all by myself, though.

Duties

Assistant Director

Assistant Stage Manager

Costumer

Hair & Makeup Advisor

Choreographer

Consultant

Secretary
Dramaturg

Errand-girl

Props Master

Actress

Four hours in the prop/costume shop yesterday, then three hours of rehearsal. A few hours (so far) this weekend working on props.I should be getting paid for this.

And then of course there's:

Student

and, since my parents are were out of town for the week,

Mom

We spent the day cleaning the house top-to-bottom to prepare for the parents' and grandparents' homecoming. Here I am in my super-attractive "Clean ALL the things!" get-up.

 It's secretly a Rosie the Riveter costume.

Bedtime can't come too soon.

Twelfth Night

Was yesterday. But in holding with the traditional topsy-turvyness of the Twelfth Day of Christmas and because I just didn't get to this yesterday, here's another Christmas post. That's actually about Shakespeare. Go figure.
I was intending to write about my Christmas presents, but I guess that will have to come later as I was distracted by the title of the post. Twelfth Night obviously leads to thoughts of "thrice-drined Viola," Sebastian, and the rest, which in turn leads to the characters and storyline of this year's Shakespeare play!
Every year at the very beginning of February our highschool puts on a production of one of old Billy's lovely plays. This year, it's The Winter's Tale. Sadly, nobody seems to have heard of this play except me, but let me tell you, it is incredible. It's classed as a "Romance," which basically means it's a tragedy but ends happily instead of with everyone dead. There's a lost princess, a shepherd who's really a prince, exiled kings and courtiers, intrigue, misunderstanding, adultury, and all that good stuff. And a bear.
Here's the really exciting part, though: I'm in it. Not just backstage, not standing around on stage saying nothing. I'm IN THE PLAY. With LINES. And a NAME! I'm Emilia, one of the Queen's ladies-in-waiting. Also, I'm Assisstant Directing and it's pretty much the most fun I've ever had.
Because of all this, though, I'm not going to have time to do everything backstage like I usually do. (Ha.) So, since I'll be busy with other things when I'm at the school, I'm going to do a whole series of posts here on my blog (complete with instructions) to help you ladies with your hair. Currently, this involves Medieval hairstyles, but if our exhalted director changes the costuming, that'll change too. You never know.
That's all for now, folks!

Christmas Giveaways!

No, not from me. I have long wanted to do one, and someday I will. Promise. Just not now.
But! My dear friend Shaelynn is having a Twelve Days of Christmas festival over at her blog, and all of you are more than welcome to mosey on over there and partake of the joy. Among the goodies: LotR notecards, perfume, and of course beautiful jewelry. You can find all this and more here. Enjoy!