A very good place to start...

Welcome, one and all, to the first post for my self-inflicted week-long February blog posting challenge.  To begin it all, I'm going to recap and explain a bit...

In this post I requested that anybody inclined to do so give me up to two topics they'd like to see me post about, and seven would be randomly chosen--one for each day of the week.
Now, some people ended up suggesting more than two things--in those cases, I chose the two I'd rather talk about (haha) and put them on the list for the Random Selection.  There were also a few that I thought could be condensed into one post--a little like Q&A things--so on the list for the Random Selection, I added a space for a post to answer those questions.  And, as it happens, that ended up getting the first spot for the week, which I considered quite appropriate.

So, I'll answer those now, after thanking everyone who suggested topics for their contribution. :)  I hope you'll enjoy the posts this week!

And here are the questions/topics for this post...

Joan asks what I would do if someone gave me a million dollars.

How to Fold a Regency Letter

I recently got a request from somebody for instructions on how to fold a letter, Regency style.  Many parts of the 19th century would be the same, actually.

So without further ado, we shall begin.

I'm going to start with the most basic way.

Step One

Write whatever you choose on one side of a blank piece of the paper of your choice. I recommend using the inkiest (preferably black) pen you have to get the closest to a dipping-ink effect.

Step Two

Turn the paper sideways, and fold down one side, as shown below.

A delightful little bit of Regency news

Did any of you like American Girl stuff when you were younger? Well, I did. Still am attached to them, actually, in my way. ;-) Well, I found out a most exciting thing yesterday. I heard from one of my sisters that there was going to be a new Historical A.G. doll. My first reaction wasn't too favorable; that company has done some things in the last several years that I didn't care for at all. They kept changing things, and I like keeping things traditional. And then making a doll from the 1970s and calling it historical? Come on. Girls will have moms and aunts and young-ish grandmas who were growing up then. I really doubt they would like to be thought of as historical, haha. And taking away Felicity, Samantha, and Kirsten?? Of all the nerve! Those were some of my favorites.

But then I found out the year the new character was from: 1812.

1812? WHY, THAT'S JANE AUSTEN'S ERA!!!!!!

Suddenly I was MUCH more enthusiastic. 1812. The year in-between S&S and P&P. Exactly 200 years ago. How FUN. Ever since learning so much about Regency England, I've wanted to know more about that time period in America. The stories are set in the War of 1812 (surprise, surprise) which I've always been shockingly under-educated about even though I took a year of American History and even tried to study the war a little on my own. If I learned a lot of historical facts from reading American Girl books in the past... hey, what's to say I can't now, too? I must admit I'm looking forward to reading the books. Silly and childish (and nostalgic and sentimental) person that I am. Besides, then I can gaze at the pictures. WITH THE REGENCY STYLES.

Yay!!!

Here she is, Caroline Abbott--isn't she pretty? :)

I believe I remember thinking in the past that they should have a doll/character from the 1810s. I am quite pleased.

And here are the books:

This dress almost looks Colonial, but with a higher waistline. It's very pretty, though.

The hat is so delightfully Regency!

Yay, Christmas!!

This dress reminds me a bit of Margaret Dashwood or something, heehee.

The coat thing! Is that called a pelisse, or something else?

Ah, lovely Regency styles...

What about you? Any American Girl fans (or previous ones) out there? Am I the only silly one who's excited about this new Jane Austen War of 1812 doll?