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Remembering loved ones nowadays means sharing photos online, but for folks in Regency-Era England, keepsake images were a little harder to come by. One of the many skills that could establish a young lady as thoroughly “accomplished” – aside from weapons use and hand-to-hand combat with the undead – was drawing. Drawing a silhouette was an affordable way for even young ladies without family, connections or fortune to keep a likeness of a friend or family member.

In Jane Austen’s time, silhouettes were made by shining light on a person in profile against paper, tracing the lines, and using that outline for cutting paper. In this modern version we simplify the process so anyone can immortalize a loved one as they are… or as a zombie!

Let’s keep National Crafts Month going strong by making something pretty to combat this wretched winter weather. So obviously, I’m going to give you all something from Pom-Poms, because it contains ALL THE PRETTY THINGS.

The hardest part about being a girl in the depths of winter is you can’t wear any cute outfits because LAYERS. But even when you’re swathed in three sweaters, you can dress it up with a cute pair of pommy earrings. Enter Sara Goldschadt and the cute projects from Pom-Poms: 25 Awesomely Fluffy Projects. Get crafting!

Hey, his character is the author of a book… so that counts, right?

Once when I was a kid, my school hosted a magician. I remember very little about the magic show, except that I was seated pretty far away from the stage. During the intermission, my dad went to get some snacks and came back giggling that he was going to be part of the act. Apparently, the magician approached him while he was waiting on line and asked him if he would be willing to come up on stage and act as his assistant. My dad handed over the snacks and then headed back up to the stage and disappeared behind the curtain. He thrust our clunky yellow camera at me and told me that I must capture his stage debut.

I sat anxiously throughout the second part of the show and was terrified when a guillotine was wheeled out on stage. My dad entered behind it. Though I was fairly certain that my dad would not be murdered in the middle of a crowded auditorium, when it came time for him to stick his head in the hole, I held the camera above my head and snapped without looking. The photos were blurry, but at least my father wasn’t decapitated in front of the entire school! He even got to keep a silk scarf that he had helped to retrieve from a hat.

In honor of Smoke and Mirrors Day (March 29th), we’d like to highlight some of our favorite magicians, especially the one who didn’t chop my dad’s head off in front of my entire elementary school. Add your favorite magicians — real or fictional — to the comments!

There’s one thing everyone needs when they fall in love AND during the zombie apocalypse: safe, secure communication. Whether your undead-filled love story is set in modern times or Jane Austen’s England, a hand written letter is only as secure as the wax it’s sealed with. But who has time to run to the stationery store when there’s an undead horde outside? Make your own sealing wax with these instructions and crayons in all your favorite colors.

It is the first thing many of us imagine when thinking about bungee jumping. What if the cord breaks?! This is much more concerning if you are planning to bungee jump where there will be no water below you, but if you will be plummeting into water, Worst Case Sceneario: Extreme Edition will advise you on your best chance of survival. If you have jumped and the rope snaps at the point where it is under the most pressure, you will have to act quick as you will only have roughly two seconds to prepare yourself for impact with the water.

When William Shakespeare's Star Wars came out last year, we had a great time teaming up with The 501st Legion. We ran some fun giveaways with them, and they even made Ian Doescher an honorary member of the legion. They're a great group of passionate fans, and we're really excited to be working with them again with this fun contest. 

Quirk and the 501st would like to challenge you to take the best Star-Wars-themed "Poor Yorick" photo you can. Or as we're calling it… Yoricking. 

See, there's a scene in William Shakespeare's Star Wars that involved Luke holding up a stormtrooper helmet. He says: