“Chiromancie” is palmistry in French….why does EVERYTHING sound so much prettier in French?

This vintage slip needed some repair, so i fixed all it’s little time-worn wounds. i dyed it twice with tea, once with Chai, once with Earl Grey, to give it a really mottled and antique coloring.

I stitched on many many layers of various lace trims at the hem. The embellishments are a hand-embroidered palmistry chart worked onto 1940’s era doily, rosettes of gathered lace, vintage rhinestone buttons, and a satin rose and vine applique to which i added a few tiny rhinestones recycled from a vintage dress.

At the hip, i stitched on another very old doily and some lace with little pearls, also recovered from a vintage dress. Pretty lace trim under the bust and YET ANOTHER old doily and lace rosette at the bodice.

I do so  love a doily……

More fun with re-purposing and reconstructing! Once upon a time, this was a girls velvet party dress….i cut the top off, let all the gathers out, and sewed in a channel to run many lengths of tea-dyed lace ribbons through, draw-string style so that it can fit many waist sizes.  When they are are tied in a big bow, they form a “bustle-ish” effect. To the ends of some of the ribbons, i sewed on random skeleton keys.

I embellished the front of the skirt with tea-dyed  vintage doilies, a cameo applique,  an old wind-up key,  vintage mother of pearl buttons and other trinkets. Sewed on a whole bunch pearls.

It’s another of those projects that took forever to complete, with soooooo much hand stitching of embellishments….but i think it was worth it! I imagine some mad ghostly housekeeper wandering around a dim old mansion with her jingling keys, unable to remember which key opens what lock…..lost in the corridors forever.

Hoping you are having a spooktacular day!

xoxoxo

This was one of my BIG projects for the Halloween season….a re-purposed coat that i went completely insane on! I embroidered six large, happy skeletons all the way  around the bottom and gave them vintage mother-of-pearl eyes I stitched on lots of lace that i tea dyed with Earl Grey for accents at the waist and cuffs. Finally, i sewed on a cute little vintage heart shaped doilie on the breast pocket, and  a tea-dyed lace rosette with a vintage button in the center on the collar. Really happy with the end result….really sad that it’s too small for me and needs to find a home with a smaller skeleton than mine!

Hoping everyone is well and wonderful today!

xoxox

It’s a bit past the “official two year anniversary” point of my dance journey. It’s become so intense and amazing that i find it hard to articulate my feelings. I’ve gone to TribalCon (Oh my GOD, Donna Majia…life changing) and also had a Zoe Jakes, a Tempest and an Asharah workshop. I had my brain scrambled by beginning some Suhaila format drilling on top of my ongoing struggle to gain proficiency in ATS working with Natalie Brown, all the while still trying to take some time to have a few glasses of wine to cut loose and dance just for the joy of it.  Technique? All bets are off! Hahaha! All the while getting closer to my classmates, my instructor, the fantastic ladies of Delirium Tribal. Becoming part of a community of women that i respect, admire, and just plain enjoy spending time with. Becoming part of a TRIBE. I’ve played with fire and had my imagination captured by the beautiful possibilities of adding flame to my dance.

I’ve worked with Columbia Alternacirque for four incredible shows….i’ve come to love my fellow performers so much, I’ve rocked out on an imaginary violin, i’ve worn dazzling mirror-bird masks, helped a mad scientist bring creepy dollies to life, i have cursed, sweated and laughed uncontrollably and felt like part of something truly magical. And now, i’ve even gotten to be part of an epic Bollywood inspired piece of madness…as an apprentice Delirium Dancer. I’ve come INCREDIBLY far….so much farther than i have ever dreamed possible for myself. I have a LONG LONG way to go…but the journey is so fun that i can’t even imagine what the destination must be like.
I am so VERY grateful for every moment of it……

They say you never forget how to ride a bike once you learn…maybe that is true. The same CANNOT be said of blogging, however! I was reading back over past post and marveling at how once upon a time i had so much to write about each and every day!  After my blog-break, i just never could get back into the swing of it…and that makes me sad! I know i always say i will do better this time, but THIS time, i really mean it!

It’s not as tho’ i don’t have plenty of things going on…i am still making stuff and having a fantastic time working with the Columbia Alternacirque…still bellydancing and  having wonderful little adventures like attending TribalCon and taking a fabulous workshop with Zoe Jakes, still having the occasional catastrophe (Buying our house! Termites! Shingles! Life-Changes Galore! Wheeee!) I guess i just closed myself up in my little bubble and stopped communicating. Will try harder.  I swear! So here we go…today is the first post of the rest of my life. Har.

First of all, the Alternacirque opening performance was awesome and we persevered in spite of bad weather, a nasty case of Shingles and Scarlet Fever. I so wish i had photos to share, but i went alone,  so i did not have anyone to be my photography bitch for the evening. Next show i promise to have photos, because the costumes are amazing and it’s SUCH a cool act. We went with a steampunk theme, very creepy and amazing. I play a dollmaker that teams up with a mad scientist to create life-sized living, dancing dolls. So fun! My character has to carry around a basket of dollies that i am trying, constantly and with NO success, to sell to my castmates. So, i had to make some little dead girls for the show, of course!

This is Miss Scarlette Fever….so named when we discovered that our director did indeed have a case of scarlet fever, and i just had to do it.  My sick sense of humor remains intact. Everyone keeps asking me if i’ll make one to commemorate my super-awesome bout with shingles, but frankly i’d like to forget all about that unpleasant experience, thankyouverymuch!

And here is little Molly Malaria…so many mosquitoes  tend to bite a girl when one hangs around in the swamp too long, and you certainly can be sucked nearly completely dry……  and eventually Molly succumbed to the terrible fever and massive bloodloss. RIP, Molly!

There are a few others, but i am saving them another post

I am also still in love with slips….

Fun with freezer paper stencils again, using that wonderful bird woman image! It is killing me that i am not sure who the original artist of the papercut is…i thought it came from Ulla, but it turns out that it’s not…. I want to credit the proper person but my attempts to find out who it is have been unsuccessful. I do so love it, tho’!

I sewed on tons of extra lace trims and embellished it with an antique skeleton key and a  faux pearl from a vintage necklace…fancy!

Of course, i am still crankin’ out the old standards, too….soaps and candles make me happy!

So there you have it…..my first wobbling attempt to get back on the old bike, ummm, i mean BLOG.  I did miss it, and i hope everyone in blog-land is well and wonderful, as always!

xoxoxo

No doubt it comes as no surprise as i have not posted in aeons, but i am going to go ahead and call an official blog break for myself  until the new year. Life is topsy turvy and busybusy and i have 10000 unfinished projects that  are driving me crazy yet i can’t muster up enough muse-power to get them done. I am also doing a bit of work outside the home, so i’m working on re-focusing, organizing and submitting gracefully as i can to change. I look forward to a fresh start and a clean plate in January! I hope eveyone has a fantastic and joyful holiday season. See ya next year!

xoxoxo

 It is my dearest hope that you will all be so wound up that you will be willing to keep the celebration gong for a day or two…..i was called away unexpectedly on a wonderful journey to the past (Ok, it was the Renaissance Faire, i can’t lie teehee!) and i am just so very exhausted that i can’t party any harder this day. I need more hours in ever day to do all the things i want to do, or at least more stamina.

So, if the party is still rockin’ by then, i will jump into the monster mash on the morrow….

for now, i must collapse for a while….. meanwhile, my little dead girls are still holding a seance

All the little dollies had a seance… what did they divine?

That the best layed plans sometimes go awry, and the buttonbox partypost might be just a teeny bit late! Hope to see you back here tonight!

xoxox

More days fly by and i find myself in the thick of October already! It seems like there is always something going on that distracts me from bloglandia. Since my last visit, we have continued to rehearse with the Columbia Alternacirque. Alas, we got rained out for the September show, but we look forward to the October 24th performance with much excitement. My mister has been a really quick study, learning fire tricks…it’s been nonstop entertainment! i am still working hard with bellydance. I just took and amazing two-day ” tribal bootcamp” workshop with with the beautiful Moria Chappell.
I have never worked so hard at dance and it was fantasitc, even tho’ it nearly killed me

Meanwhile, i have been REALLY busy, stitching and making and working working working away at various projects. I’m vending at the Belladonna’s Halloween Festival in a few weeks and so i have been trying to make up a few simple things for that…..here are a few….

As well as a few not-so-simple…

I double-dyed a vintage half-slip with chai tea, and it  is very mottled and “Ancient” looking.  I added some black lace to the hem…

Then i embroidered on a couple of simple “juggling” skeletons….this took ages of course, and kept me entertained in the car while traveling to “boot camp”, and while sitting around waiting for the wee beastie to get out of school every afternoon.

I gave them button eyes, and  stitched on some lace roses and pearls for the skellies to “juggle” with. It’s silly, creepy and fun. I am extremely pleased with it.

Unbelievably, i have not gotten my Halloween decorations up!!!!  I might have to turn in my Ghoulie card! Planning to work on that over the weekend, as well as heaps more sewing that i’ve got going on! Head spinning…..not enough hours in the day to do everything i want to do! Eeeek!

Hoping everyone is having a lovely Autumn so far! I’ll be back soon!

xoxoxo

Years ago, when i started my “artful journey”, i swooned over the work of Rice Freeman-Zachery. Her journal skirts, wearable art… her funky hoodoo-voodoo style….so bright and lively and inspiring. She’s amazing.

I could not be more honored and astonished to sit here, holding a piece of her beautiful work in my hands.

She dyed recycled tee-shirts, and turned them into a bag so bright and glowing that it lights u p the room. It’s all hand stitched, hand beaded, reverse-applique magic.

Thank you so much, Rice…it has brightened my day so much more than you can possibly imagine. I am so inspired by it, i want to try out that appliqué technique asap! I am retiring my poor worn out old canvas skull tote that i use to haul my bellydance stuff to classes and rehearsal, and using this fantastic bag from now on. And i’ll be carrying it with pride! Thank you thank you thank you, Rice!

Hello, long lost lovies!

I am sure by now my long stretches of silence are what you’ve come to expect. Tiresome, i know. Hopefully some of you are still out there reading this on the occasions i DO finally manage to get something new up here and forgiving me for my constant truancy!

I am finally starting to adjust to my new routine….the beastie has officially begun kindergarten. It was rough at first….we are just not used to that much structure here in the buttonbox! I am happy to say that we have started to get into the swing of it tho’, and while we are still perpetually exhausted, it’s not as harrowing as it was at first. I am still getting used to having these long days of no-kid, and missing him alot, but now that i am adjusting to waking up early, i am become more productive again and i’ve been making lots of things and doing groovy stuff like scrubbing the bathrooms and folding laundry. Wow! It’s astonishing what you can accomplish with you are not wrangling a little monster all day!

I am also still very involved with bellydancing (i have really immersed myself in American Tribal Style, as well as Fusion) as well as working with the Columbia Alternacirque. I love it so much, and the cast is a flock of the most outrageously creative and awesome people who i am really enjoying getting to know and spend time with. It’s been great, espcially since my mister has gotten so into it all too….seeing him on stilts was scary at first, but now it’s just a normal day in the buttonbox…he’s learning fire tricks now….poi and fire eating and such. Madness!!!! Our August “Dreams” set was amazing, in spite of the Very Bad Weather we had to work around. We are repeating “We’re All Mad” and “Dreams” for the rest of the season, tho’, and i expect it will evolve and get more magical as we rework and continue to rehearse and re-imagine. If you want to see a little teaser, check it out here.

The crazy costumes and stilts and fire and dancing and bubbles and glitter were incredible…if a bit uncomfortable. The “bird people” all wore huge black cloaks and insane masks that we made…we constructed big beaks and attached them to a mask-form, covered the whole thing in shards of broken mirror and grouted it. It’s heavy and hot and really challenging to wear, but the effect onstage is creepy and beautiful!

Highly dangerous should i ever decide to peck anyone tho’! teehee!!!

I’ve been working on so many things and i want to write about it all…but i thought that perhaps if i just blog about one project at a time then it will encourge me to start writing everyday again. So the project for today is the “Poisoner’s Cami”….

This is cut down from an old slip…the bottom half was not in great shape, but the top was fine, so i hacked it off and went crazy on it. Dyed with Earl Grey as usual, and completely handstitched. I trimmed all the edges with black lace….

Ahh….the ubiquitous “arsenic” embroidery! I can’t help myself. I feel Halloween reaching out to me in the distance and feel myself shifting into creepy-mode. I embroidered my poison of choice onto a piece of black cotton and ripped it so the edges would be rough and frayed, and layered it with a scrap of black lace from an old dress. Then i made up a bunch of lace “roses” and added them, as well as some pretty, ladylike pearls to distract from the danger.

Because of course, there is danger lurking…

But i suppose it’s only fair to give one a LITTLE warning, so i sewed on a skull and crossbones charm. I am nothing if not SUBTLE, yes? (giggle)

More lace and pearls for the back so that one can look just as lovely leaving as coming. And since someone complained to me about my making everything so small all the time, this cami is NOT for tiny waifs. Poisoners have CURVES, right?

I am really pleased with this piece, and really really enjoyed making it. I’ve been all about handsewing lately, and there is something that is really pleasing to me in all those imperfect little stitches. Meditative.

So there we have it. All is well here, just learning how to live with all this change and excitement….i really want to get back to regular blogging and catch up with you all. Renata…Kim…..Bethany…..Carolina……Vanessa…..Angelina…..Gypsy…and so many more of you that i have missed so much. i hope you are all well and wonderful, and that you know i think of you all so often. Let’s play catch-up!

Have a a magical day, lovies!!!!

xoxoxo