Archive for September, 2010

Her Royal Highness, the Queen of Pearson’s Renaissance Shoppe, humbly requests that her loyal subjects join her in a venture that is designed to better the kingdom.

The Queen’s advisers, scribes, and artisans have recently established an outpost where subjects may exchange messages, drawings, and updates on life’s many trials. The scribes have dubbed this outpost: Pearson’s Renaissance Shoppe’s Facebook.

The Queen wants to meet her subjects. She wants to know what type of Medieval outfits her subjects desire most. She is interested to learn what pieces of Renaissance Jewelry are the most favored. The Queen wishes to know how to further direct her seamstresses, cobblers, haberdashers, and jewelers.

Please do not ignore the Queen’s behest.

So it has been declared on this the 30^th day of the 9^th month in the year of our Lord, 2010.

God save the Queen!

If you love the Renaissance or Medieval period as much as we do, you probably want to immerse yourself in that time period as much as possible. That is why we love to wear costumes, go to Renaissance Faires or LARPs, and get a feel for what life was really like back in those times.

But there is another way to access the Renaissance era that does not require you to leave your house: Literature. We’ve recently had the royal privilege of meeting Leslie Carroll, a historical fiction author. Leslie has written a plethora of books, but the two that focus most on the Medieval Era are Royal Affairs and Notorious Royal Marriages. Both of these books are excellent reads and should certainly be on your shelf if you are a fan of history, romance, or the Renaissance Era.

Leslie Carroll also has a blog that keeps all of her readers up to date with information regarding her publications and all things Medieval: Royal Affairs Blog. In fact, right now on her blog, Leslie is hosting a competition for one of our Elven Princess Tiaras. So if you are interested in Leslie’s books, or want to see how you can win our own free Elven Princess Tiara, make sure to stop by the Royal Affairs Blog and tell Leslie we said “Hi.”

When you think of Medieval Kings, what types of images trickle into your mind? Do you think of a King leading his troops into battle? Perhaps you envision a King who is adored by his people. Maybe you even think of an evil King who tries to rule through terror. Whatever the type of King you’ve thought about, they all have one thing in common: A Crown.

All Kings from the days of yore had a Medieval Crown to let others know of their position. In some cases the same crown had been handed down over many generations. In some instances, the crown was even considered an indication that God had personally chosen a specific individual to rule over a kingdom. A lot of historical emphasis has been placed on the Medieval crown.

Therefore if you are taking on the persona of a Medieval King, you most certainly are going to need your own crown. How will the commoners know to give way and bow in your presence if they do not know you are King? Don’t forget the most important aspect of your costume! Make sure to stop by PearsonsRenaissanceShoppe.com to find a crown that meets your royal approval.

When you are preparing for a LARPing event, there is a lot to think about:  Do I have everything I need for my costume?  Did I pack my weapons and special items?  Did I remember all my real world items like medicines, toothbrush, etc.?  Did I print out directions to the camp?  These are just some of the questions. That you need to ask yourself before you leave your house. There is a lot that goes into making sure you are all packed and ready to go for a LARP weekend.

But one thing that newer LARPers forget to take into consideration is the weather forecast.  It is usually easy to gauge how warm or cold its going to be, but in this post we aren’t talking about temperature; we’re talking about precipitation.  A LARP weekend that contains a fair amount of rain or snow can really turn an amazing weekend into a miserable one.

The best tip that we can offer LARPers who may face rainfall during their time at an event is this:  Stock up on socks.  There is nothing worse than only having one pair of socks that are soaking wet for the entire weekend.  This is an easy way for your feet to become chaffed and extremely sore, which will make walking from your cabin to the tavern a painful task.

Even if your LARP boots are waterproof it is a good idea to keep extra pairs of socks on hand so that you can keep your feet dry.  Socks wet from sweat can be just as aggravating as socks wet from rain.  Plus, you never know when you may have to cross a stream or step through a puddle.

Trust us:  Stock up on socks!