What's in a name?

Sometimes it seems like the hardest part of setting up an account, online shop, real-life business, getting a pet, writing a book/blog post/essay, or basically doing anything in life that requires a name or title is coming up with a name or title. There's a worry that people won't get it, or that you won't like it in a few years, or that it won't always be a proper fit.

My blog(s) and overall online presence have gone through a number of different names in my attempt to find something that worked, but I've never really been completely happy with any of them. Recently, I've been feeling increasingly disconnected from Idlewild Illustre. It didn't really say anything about who I was or what I was about, and was even less connected to the things I hope to accomplish and talk about in the future.

So, dear readers, I axed it.

I've often thought that if I was to ever legally change my surname for some reason, it would be to Grey. In fond imaginings of winning the lottery, there are visions of a fashion house and swanky stores with doormen and 'Gwendolyn Grey' on the front of the buildings. My alter-ego who I embrace when I need to Get Things Done is called Gwendolyn Grey. She's the person I try to be and who I'm constantly working towards becoming.

There's no point in tying yourself to an identity, whether online or not, that no longer represents you. So much about my life is in a massive state of flux right now, and it seems like a very fitting time to make my blog and online identity a better fit. It's a new dawn and a new day and all that!

• My url is the same for now, so hopefully bookmarks and blog feeds won't be effected. Just look out for Gwendolyn Grey on your lists instead of Idlewild Illustre! 

 (aaand with that done and me feeling far more comfortable with my teeny tiny corner of the internet, I can get back to actually posting about costume stuff and sharing the things I've made and learned during the last year or so)

Changing Tides and Going Places

The first thing I did after finishing my masters degree this spring was to drink nearly an entire bottle of prosecco, sleep for about twenty hours, and then dye my hair pastel pink.

Immediately after my final hand-in my mother came to visit for a couple weeks, and I got to show her everything I'd done/made over the past year and a half, plus take her all around Edinburgh indulging in touristy things. We were going to go to the Isle of Skye for a bit, but took an impromptu trip to Madrid (Spain!!! Ahhh!) instead after finding super cheap flights.

If you imagined the majority of our holiday pictures were posed or serene, like this one, you'd be wrong.

We mostly took a lot of terrible selfies, and it was glorious.

Nothing has slowed down at any point though, as I went back to Outlander in June... starting a couple days before my mother left. I've been working there since then as a junior costume maker, working on some really lovely things that I so wish I could show you! I can't wait for you guys to see Season 2!!

So what comes next?

Now that's the tricky question... one which I don't yet have an answer to. I have lots of ideas. Lots of goals, lots of wishes; and very little strength to tackle them. My lease ends soonish at the end of August, and I don't yet know where I'll go or what exactly I'll be doing. Whatever it may become, my life needs to involve a good wifi connection, since I have SO MUCH lined up to blog about! So. Much.

Thank goodness I can blog from my bed, too, as I think I need a bit of a breather before throwing myself into the rest of my life.