Vamp Your Senses - Sense Muses for Vampire Line

Vampires are very passionate and sensual creatures, with hightened senses of taste, touch, smell, hearing, and sight. They also have a love for certain colors - blood red of course, night black, silver/ mirror since they are very beautiful and vain, virginal white. Blue is the wild card, but seems to fit, perhaps with military jackets - and looks fantastic with silver or black.

I wanted to experiment with a music video format that would tell the Vampire Muse story, mainly from a home decor perspective. I hope you enjoy this summary of things that might appeal to Vampire senses and tastes to the music of U2 - Magnificent!

Shine On! Braxton

VAMPIRE CLOTHES/THE MOVIE

WHAT WOULD A MALE VAMPIRE WEAR?

Remember earlier in the week when we were introduced to max and sophia?  If you recall we spent a lovely few minutes playing in sophia's closet, trying on her shoes and what not.  Well, it's max's turn, and while not unusual for a married couple, max doesn't have quite the number of clothes as his wife.  Still......... 

This stern looking young man is wearing a smoking jacket, something which should be in every vampires wardrobe.

Again with the red and black.

Remember, vamps love military inspiration.

Check out the dramatic red slash and the military inspired braiding on the jacket.

Vamps (and the wives who love them) get weak at the knees over a black knee length over coat.  Swoon.

No man, vampire or not, can go wrong dressing like Mr. Tom Ford.

Am I right?

An unusual addition of blue in Max's wardrobe, but then he does love to keep us guessing.

You can probably tell that Braxton and I have had a blast this week.  It's been good sexy fun to immerse ourselves in the (under)world of Vampires.  What have we learned?

• Braxton has shown us three distinctly different decorating styles....Modern, eclectic and opulent....and how the vampire muse can be incorporated effectively in each.
• The vamps favorite colors are; black, blood red, grey, white, gemstone, silver and gold.
• They love velvet, marble, stone, silk, fur, leather, satin and crystal
• They decorate with mirrors, sensuous fabrics, horns, candles, lace, monograms and deep cushions and pillows
• How to tell a sexy vampire from a bitey vampire.

Most importantly, I hope we've shown you that it's possible to take a muse, any muse (elephants, polka dots, your duckie and bunny collection...) and allow it to influence your decor and sartorial choices in ways that are not costumy or overtly theatrical.  If you need ideas on how to imcorporate your own muse into your home or closet please drop us a line.

We've had fun, but its time to move on.  Join us next week when we spin ourselves in a completely new direction, not a fang or bloody neck in sight.

Have a beautiful weekend, everyone.

YANCEY

Vampires - Bitey vs. Sexy

Dilbert

Bitey vs. Sexy Game

Below are pictures of suspected vampires. Rate each as Bitey or Sexy. Some are obvious, some less so, depending on your sex and polticial persuasion :). What suspected vampire should we add to the pics below? Brax




Left Click to ZOOM



THE VAMPIRE(S) BALL(S)

Remember our friends max and sophia from Monday's post?  Like any good (or bad) vampire, or lover of vampires, they love nothing more than a masked ball.  Vampires tend to dress up, and as you know max and sophia are naturally dramatic, beautiful, and fond of the grand gesture, so..........it's off to the VENICE CARNIVAL.

Vamps tend to have very clear coloring.  They either have black, platinum or bright red hair, no mousy brown/blond, and they have bright clear eyes, often blue.

The Venice carnival is the perfect place for a vampire to blend in with the crowd.

Classic vampire colors, shades of red and gold.

I wonder how heavy these headresses are.

 And now because we can't leave a vampire with just one ball.......I give you.....
       BLEEDING TRUFFLES (ALSO KNOWN AS VAMPIRE'S BALLS).*

Our assembled ingredients.

Chopping the chocolate.

Stirring in the heated cream.

This is exactly what I thought a Vampire's ball would look like.

Two Vampires balls.

Ingredients:

• 9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 2/3 cup cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup red jam
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Instructions:

• Place the chopped chocolate in a large bowl.
• Place the cream in a small saucepan and scald it until bubbles begin to appear, but do not allow it to boil.  Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and allow it to soften and melt the chocolate while you gently stir.
• Add the vanilla and stir until well combined, but do not stir too vigorously or you will incorporate air bubbles.
• Cover the truffle mixture with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm enough to mold, about 2/3 hours.
• This part is messy!  Coat your hands with cocoa powder.  Using a spoon or scoop, scoop out a small ball of chocolate.  Flatten between your palms until it is a thin round.  If chocolate is too soft chill further until it is easier to work with.
• Place a tiny spoonful of jam in the center, and fold the truffle over the jam to cover it completely, shaping into a ball.  Roll in the cocoa powder.

Once all balls are formed, refrigerate for about 1 hour before serving.

* This recipe is courtesy of About.com.

Have a beautiful day.
YANCEY

Black Vampirey Apartment Rocks the Night

A Sensual Ravishment - Converted YMCA Locker Room

OK, so this apartment has been widely posted, but I can’t think of a better way to start an interior design story about vampires than to share this décor. I’ve had pictures on this in my design archives for years, but unearthed them recently for our Vampire Week Muse.

What makes this apartment a great muse for Vampires?

What I am loving here is a conspicuous absence of windows, the shiny, shiny black walls and ceilings, the dramatic way light plays off this shine, like lamplight on a rainy Parisian street. I love the bold red as accent color, the animal prints, the luxury and comfort of chases, and the dramatic way art leaps off the wall.

Does this say modern Vampiress or what?!

If you want to see some videos on this apartment, here’s the link: http://www.behance.net/gallery/the-black-apartment/123184

Bloody Awesome! Hope you enjoy.

Shine On! Braxton

Page Down for a Slideshow of Drac's Castle and a Game of Vampire Bingo

Bran Castle - Home Decor by Vlad III

Step into Dracula’s Lair - Original Muse for a Modern Vamp Line of Fashion and Decor

Bran Castle is one of several castles associated with “Dracula”. Built in 1377 on a trade route on the border of Transylvania, the castle was stormed and occupied by Vlad III (the source of the Dracula legend) in 1459. WARNING – I know our generation is generally, unfortunately fairly desensitized to violence, but if you research Vlad III, beware, as he appears to have been a very nasty piece of work, aka “Vlad the Impaler” (not in a good way) : ) - among other things.

The castle is a now a museum and tourist destination in Romania, with an open air peasant village at its base.

I thought it would be interesting to share pictures of this castle so you could see the actual domicile and interior décor and grounds that Dracula might have occupied, as a jumping off point for a more modern interpretation of vampire décor and fashion in our posts this week.

A beautiful castle. There are apparently 2 others associated with Vlad III, but this is perhaps the most picturesque.

Hope you enjoy!

Shine On! Braxton

Wow! Looks like a movie set!

Awesome!



A secret passage!



The Grounds...



Bad, Bad Vlad III