My St. Crispian's Soirée

If you have not previously met, may I have the honor of introducing you to my current literary obsession-- The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion.

I love them so much.  Set in the Victorian London 's fictional, St. Crispian's in the 1880s, it is told through Emma's journal entries.  These books are so charming and I am in love with all the characters-- even the antagonists!  I have read through them once and listened to the audio books twice through.  I have never been one to reread books, but I can't seem to get enough of our witty, heroine and her predilection for trouble.  There are currently 8 volumes, but 9 has been promised before the end of the year.  I cannot wait.

I mean, I'll have to wait, but it is a struggle to do so gracefully.

By May, my fangirling had reached a fevered pitch.  I saw an advertisement for an event put on by The St. Crispian's Tea Society. The tickets for the 1-day event cost $175 dollars.  A pretty penny, indeed.  I thought I might be able to convince one or two friends to accompany me, but I wouldn't be celebrating Emma with "my people".   I did not doubt that the event would be fabulous,  but I figured I could put on my own St. Crispian's Soirée for about that cost (or less) and do it with lots of "my people".  

But first I had to FIND my people.  That is to say, my people who also loved our dear Emma.  Here is what I sent out on Instagram and Facebook.

Calling all ardent fans of The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion!!! I know you are out there and I must know who you are! Come now, and declare yourselves!

On the evening of June 30th at 6:00 I will be celebrating my birthday with a St. Crispian’s Tea Party in my backyard.

There are FIVE requirements that MUST be met in order for you to attend this glorious gathering.

1. You must know me— or know someone I know. I don’t want a bunch of weirdos off the street at my party!

2. You must have read/ listened to all 8 of the currently released volumes, and join with me in prayer that 9 come out soon.

3. You must love the World of St. Crispian’s. If your love borders on obsessive, so much the better.

4. You must be willing to come dressed as a character from Emma’s journals, or at least dressed with a nod to 1880’s London.

5. You must comment below or text me and tell me you are coming. I must prepare good things for you!

You might think, “Well, I know Betsy, but I don’t know her THAT well. I would feel silly going to her birthday party.”

STUFF AND NONSENSE!!

If you love Emma, then you are my people and I want you there. Seriously, there is much to discuss.

You might think, “Well, I know Betsy really well, and we are great friends. I haven’t read these journals she speaks of, but I’m sure she’d want me at her party.”

Sadly, you would be mistaken. I’m sure I do love you, and what fun we will have celebrating my birthday at another time. But if you have not experienced these literary gems, you are not welcome at this gathering. I know, it’s harsh.

You might be feeling sad and lamenting this lost opportunity. GOOD NEWS! You have time! You will need to be diligent in your efforts, and make a plan of reading, much as our beloved Emma would do. I BELIEVE IN YOU. And when you’ve finished reading them, feel free to shoot me a text, thanking me.

Maybe you are thinking, “Oh, I have a friend and this is totally their cup of tea (pun absolutely intended). I wonder if Betsy would be okay if they came as well? The answer is YES! But they too must meet the above five requirements. See you soon!!!!

Greta saw my message and was horrified. She thought it was so rude to tell people they couldn't come to my birthday party.

Faith said to me, "So are you telling me that if I do not read these books, I cannot come to my own mother's birthday party?"

Uh, yeah. That is exactly what I'm saying.

It was the start of summer and school was over. For the first time in three years, I did not have a Girls' Camp to plan. Faith and Landen's wedding was done-- and there was no wedding on the horizon (PRAISE!). I had lots of creative energy, and a trailer full of wedding/party supplies. So I spent the next month obsessively planning my party. The planning alone was SO MUCH FUN!

The actual party was even better!

After this very lengthy introduction, may I present these joyous pictures.

May I just say--- My people understood the assignment! I was beyond delighted.

I made use of my grandmother's inherited tea cup collection, but I also added several new pieces on multiple visits to local thrift stores. I prepared the personalized journals and made the white feather quill pens. I've never been terribly gifted with handicrafts-- but the older I get, the more I find myself enjoying creating these little niceties.

We acquired the big white tent for Faith and Landen's wedding earlier this spring. It has proven most useful for a good party!

Guests were asked to come dressed as a character from the world of St. Crispian's or with a nod to the 1880's. You can see Saffronia March in the teal dress on the front left. I appreciated her paint palette set on the table. In her other life, she is my dance carpooling friend. Her daughter (in yellow) has danced with the boys for many years.

I was so glad some friends took some lovely pictures.

What makes me happiest when I look at these pictures, is how much I like each one of these ladies! Good friends make life so much more enjoyable. And to think that they love Emma M. Lion too!

This table wins for most creative costumes-- or should I say "historical clothing".  The lady in red is the "Roman"-- ha ha ha!  And the woman in white is a white feather!  How clever is that?  I suppose many things in this post won't make much sense if you aren't familiar with the books.  

Well... let that inspire you to go read or listen to the books.

Confession:  We put some Diet Coke in our teacups.  

Bethany was Agnes-- Emma's maid

I don't know for certain, but I think Lauryn is giving Arabella vibes.

Andrea-- back left-- taught me the joy of throwing oneself a birthday party of one's choosing!  She is a master event planner.

Of course my long-time book club friends were among my people.

I, myself, came dressed as Emma at the Drunken Duck-- a local dance hall.  Don't judge.

 I do, in fact, have a bird's nest in my hair and my maid is helping secure it.

"The Help"-- Look!  I have two Agneses!  

Camille took her character one brilliant step further-- she created her own handbook for the SCSSS

There was a display where we could pay our respects to "Elizabeth" the Sweet Pea, and to Maxwell Stewart.

Of all the party guests, I've known Mindy the longest.  We've been friends since we were about 15 years old (that's 34 years and counting).  She has just gotten lovelier with age.  

My homeschooling mama's and daughters

What a gorgeous sight!  This was in the Emma M. Lion trivia portion of the evening.  In case you're interested, the winner of "most times read through" was at 5X.  This might seem extreme, but I see it as a worthy goal.

I love that family members get excited with me and are all in with me.

Cannon performed a Marc Antony soliloquy-- "Friends, Romans, Countrymen... Lend me your ear".  Once again-- Julius Caesar is an important part of  Volume 3.

The demur, fancy white blouse and colored skirt was all the rage in 1883.  In comparison, I positively look like a fallen woman!

The evening was really one, big, glorified book club.  My heart thrilled when we just discussed the characters and possible directions Beth Brower might take our heroine.  

I really could not pull off an event of this magnitude without Abe's unwavering support.  Not only did he listen to all 8 volumes, he came dressed as the Mighty Nigel Hawkes-- the brilliant, poetry reciting, all-knowing Vicar in St. Crispians.

This display was for voting for who we want (or think) Emma will end up with.  Would you like to know the order of the voting?  Okay, twist my arm-- I'll tell.

                                                                                    1.

  

2. Hawkes  

3. Pierce

4. Roland 

5.

6.

7. (tied with 8)

8. (tied with 7)

The composite scene of the Lapis Lazuli Minor's Salon and Lapis Lazuli's sitting room. Please take note of Fritz-- Parian's fern, Pierce's camera and dart board, and Mrs. Whitakers hideous, but high quality.  rug. Please note that the SCSSS has already successfully removed the red paint stain.

Someone used AI to create photos of characters and scenes form the journals.  

Apparently, this is extremely offensive to some people.  

It is not offensive to me, however.  So I printed them up and made paper frames for them.  Looking at and displaying them brought me a great deal of pleasure. And that's all I have to say about that.

Yummy.  It is best that I don't have tea and scones every day.  

I got such a kick out of Faith's character-- Ben Chamberlain-- AKA "The Pirate"

Hawkes-- known for his way with words-- took Shakespeare's St. Crispins Day Speech from Henry V and rewrote it to apply to the women of the St. Crispian's Soirée.  Perfection!

If Emma isn't too good to dance at the Drunken Duck, then neither am I!

On the far left is a table with a little sign asking the guests to "Become a Jane" and sign the book.  This was one of my favorite things-- a beautiful copy of Jane Eyre for everyone to sign.  Once again-- read the book and find out why.

I do find Hawkes very attractive.

Me and the White Feather

The Voting Table

Next year I will turn 50, but let's be honest, what ever I do to celebrate, it will not top my St. Crispian's Soirée.  So many thanks to everyone who came and celebrated these delightful books with me.

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