style, the fab 40s
Published on 28 May, 2018
Comments 21

The Fab 40s & Their Fairy Tale Inspirations

written by

Wonder. Awe. Magic.

Stories of enchantment and spells.

 

As you all know, I love to write.  What you may not know is where that love stems from.  And that is the literary diet upon which I was raised.  It fed feeds my soul.  My mother introduced me to wordsmith Enid Blyton from the moment we could read.  And then further augmented the nourishment of my creative side with C S Lewis, Tolkien, Bronte, Eyre, Agatha Christie, you get the general idea.  Over the years, my library has expanded to include murder, crime and fantasy novels but I’ve never once deviated from my original love obsession with the beguiling and captivating world of fairy tales and wonderment and magic.

O N C E    U P O N    A    T I M E

Those four words.

Whenever I see them, read them, my heart does a little flutter.

I slip away into my secret place, where castles go high into the sky.

Where woods are dark and mysterious, and where the air is rife with enchantment so palpable that if you reached out a finger, you’d touch it.  A place where from the corner of the eye, you swear the sound of that rustle was a fairy quickly ducking surreptitiously behind the shrub.  Or that, when pressed, toadstools would spring forth stairways ingeniously hidden within the trunks of trees, stairways leading to magical lands residing atop said trees.

I’m certain it’s quite evident that my fondness for fairy tales and fairy tale lands has not dissipated in the least.  I can’t quite put it into words but I’ve always felt that there’s something so infinitely charming about believing (and steadfastly so) in faeries and talking woodland creatures and pixies and stairways that lead to the most fascinating of worlds.

Beyond that, it gives me, dare I say it, hope?

Faith?

In the power of good trumping evil.

I know it does appear to be quite the stretch but that’s how it’s always been for me.

Accordingly, you can also imagine how much I’ve adored the fact that several Fab 40s themes of late have revolved around princesses and villains and the such.  And this month is even more heavenly.  Tales of the unexpected, a fairy tale inspiration.  True to Sheela form, I only picked up on the final four words (I mean, can you really blame me?).

A fairy tale inspiration.

And if it wasn’t obvious by now (which means I didn’t do my job and I will be sad, teardrop), I’m the Evil Queen from Snow White.  In my photos, I am the version from Once Upon A Time, i.e., Regina, Mayor of Storybrooke aka Evil Queen Regina.  I’m conniving, manipulative, with a fabulous boss lady wardrobe, and I’m sleeping with the Sheriff/Huntsman (cough, Christian Grey).

Oh, and I kick ass AHEM

E V I L    D O E S N ' T    A L W A Y S    L O O K    E V I L

Let’s take a look at what everyone did this month.  It’s nothing short of spectacular.  And unique.  And completely true to their individual personalities.

Suzy, Suzy Turner

Suzy | Suzy Turner

The lovely Suzy enthralls once again this month with her interpretation of, I quote, “I’m channeling all the dark villainesses from fairy tales … bwahaaahaa”.  She looks all manner of regal and splendifirous and dangerous and lethal.  I love.

Jennie, A Pocketful Of Polka Dots

Jennie | A Pocketful of Polka Dots

That flirty, pretty, girly vibe of Jennie’s outfit is so absolutely at odds with her muse story, The Red Shoes that it’s perfect.  Once you set aside the sense of macabre, however, everything makes sense.  The sassy dress.  Those divine red high heels.

Ann, Kremb de la Kremb

Ann | Kremb de la Kremb

Annie takes the prize, in my books (see what I did there?), for staying super true to (every single word of) this month’s theme.  There she sits, looking appropriately playful, in a pile of Tales Of The Unexpected books, with her signature sneakers and evil eye accessories.

Mary, Curly Byrdie Chirps

Mary | Curly Byrdie Chirps

How adorable does Mary look as Belle from Beauty and The Beast?  I love the yellow.  And the gingham print.  And the straw basket bag.  Did I mention how adorable she looks?  Those sunshiny yellow heels with the white mesh socks are just beyond words.

For this month, we have the lovely Andrea as our guest.

Andrea | Living On Cloud Nine

If there was a visual representation of the words, “enchanted forest“, this would be it, my friends.  I mean, how beautiful is this photo, with the dreamy backdrop??  Yes, mine’s also set in the woods but, you know, Sheela’s all about dark and mysterious and somewhat foreboding LOL anyway, I could tell Andrea was Cinderella the moment I laid eyes upon her, and I think that means she’s done a brilliant job.  Thank you so much for being a part of The Fab 40s this month, lady!!!

And here’s me.

Plaid Taffeta Bustier (thrifted) | Velvet Shorts (H&M) | Goth Bangle & Raven Skull Ring (Alchemy of England) | Suede Heels (Cicihot) | Red Cuff (c/o Unearthed) | Leather Bondage Choker (c/o ManicPanic NYC) | Moonstone Ring (c/o Moonmagic.com) | Ombre Sunnies (Poshmark) | Lipstick – #2 MeloMELI (c/o Beautytap.com) | Red Apple (c/o husband)

I honestly feel there is a lot of Regina in me.  That, given the right situation, the right circumstance, I could very well be an evil queen.  That we could all very well turn that corner and be that person with a dark side.  It’s the side we choose to dominate that dictates how we live our lives, be it in the light or the shadows.  After all, evil isn’t born.  Evil is made.

On that somewhat sombre note, I leave you to ponder on GRIN

 

Love, Sheela

I link up here.

21 Comments

  3. Andrea Nine says

    I see nothing but pure beauty and genius!!! You did so good and nailed Regina! Modern Day Snow White Vixen, who should most definitely be on a magazine cover. Gorgeous photos, stunning model, LOVE this!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  6. stinedurfdl says

    YASSSSS Queen!!!🖤 Yes to every single bit of this. I knew from the very first photo that you were the beautiful yet terrifying evil queen. And yes to magical fairytale places with fairies & nymphs & elves & mystical homes all cozy in the trees. Weird how you & I are often in the same headspace…I posted a pic today on the blog & Insta that I took in a place that I’m certain fairies live…
    Debbie
    http://www.fashionfairydust.com

    Liked by 1 person

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  7. Suzy Turner says

    Sheila, this could so easily have been written by me! We are one and the same lol! I feel exactly the same about faeries and magic and often ‘see’ things in the garden that could be supernatural creatures! I had such fun with this theme and to be honest, I’d forgotten I’d said Tales of the Unexpected. I too focussed entirely on the last four words too!!!
    You really do look stunning, Sheela. And I LOVE Regina (I have friends who think I look like her lol!!)
    Huge hugs,
    Suzy xx
    http://www.suzyturner.com

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  8. Suzy Turner says

    Sheela….. just wanted to apologise. Bloody spell checker changed your name to Sheila!!!! Sorry about that!!!
    HUGS
    Suzy xx

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  11. Kremb de la Kremb says

    I have so many books to recommend to you! Do you read new fantasy books or just the classics? If so, you must read Graceling, Thorn of Glass, Winner’s Curse, and The Discovery of Witches. Those are my recommendations–just for now.

    Love, Annie from Kremb de la Kremb

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  14. Carrie at Curly Crafty Mom says

    I am just amazed at what y’all came up with. Just unbelievable! I would have been stumped! ha! I love these photos of you and the apple as a photo prop! Just perfect. Your legs look GREAT, BTW! Love those red heels! You def. have a knack for writing!

    Carrie
    curlycraftymom.com

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  20. awayfromtheblue says

    What a fun theme! I loved everyone’s take on it but it’s your amazing red heels I’m loving the most. So fun you went to the woods to take photos too! 🙂

    Hope that you are having a great week so far 🙂 I’ve managed to catch my first winter bug (only 2 weeks into winter, ha!) So it’s a low key one here!

    Away From The Blue Blog

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