Ahhh, 2010. I honestly didn't think the world would last this long! But it has. This New Year has also brought some really great changes for me.
For one, I changed my major. Originally I was in the Piano Pedagogy program at OU. I started fine, but after a while I realized that there had to be another path for me because I was simply MISERABLE. I love piano, but not enough to make it my profession. I turned to the "Bachelors in Specialized Studies" Program at OU. This is a great way to tailor a degree to your needs/wants. In short, I chose to make my own major :) The major I created is Historical Costume Construction and American History with a Minor in Piano.
So far I AM LOVING this quarter/major. All of my classes are great. I'm taking Patterning Techniques, Theatre Props and Accessories (in this class I'm learning to make leather masks and millinery!), Costume History A (ancient times to 1900), American History 1600-1865 (my favorite times!), and Piano Lessons. I enjoy the classes and the homework. Which is a good thing, because I have a lot of homework this quarter.
I feel more grown up all the sudden. It's weird. I will be turning 20 in February. 20!?!?!?? I don't know if I can handle that....
My next post will most likely be Leather Mask-related. STAY TUNED! WOO
Bonnet Trouble
I have decided, on a whim, to make a bonnet. Crazy? yes. I have no pattern whatsoever.
To start with, I've had this a straw bonnet for some time, bought from a sutler. It originally had a ribbon and flower on it, but both were not very good quality so I took them off. So Yesterday, I decided to tear my bonnet apart, because it is NOT the right shape. I need one with some sort of spoon shape.
I managed to get the brim and crown apart. I also cut a section of the crown off to enable my hair to get through.
I managed to get the brim and crown apart. I also cut a section of the crown off to enable my hair to get through.
Now I don't know where to go. :{
So, I don't have any appropriate fabric. haha. That's what I get for tearing something up on a whim. I think I'm going to buy some crushed taffeta (there's some on sale at Joanns). I believe I want some in Ivory or Bone, as it would go with more outfits. I'm not sure if I want to go with blue, black, or another color?
I have no clue what I'll do next, but we'll see where I get. :) If you have any suggestions or fabric you want to get rid of, let me know!!!!!!!
Christmas 2009
I just HAVE to blog about my Christmas presents. I've not been able to stop looking at them since I opened the packages.
1) Corsets: Historical Patterns and Techniques by Jill Salen
This has some really wonderful pictures and patterns. I can't wait to use them. I'm really eyeing the late 19th century patterns. It's completely worth the full price if you're any kind of costumer.
2) 60 Civil War-Era Fashion Patterns by Kristina Seleshanko
This book covers all of the 1860's, not just the American Civil War years. It has a nice collection of women's and children's patterns throughout the era. It's around $12 on Amazon.com, another good buy.
3) Civil War Ladies: Fashion and Needle-Arts of the Early 1860's
It's REALLY HEAVY. A collection of patterns and pictures from Peterson's Magazine 1861-1864. There are many, many great pictures but not a whole lot of instructions/patterns for clothing. It also has piano music from the era and other accessories that would be nice to have with the wardrobe. :)
4) The Art of Manipulating Fabric by Collette Wolff
This one's a wonderful buy. I've not been sewing for a long time, so there are lots of techniques I would never have figured out without this book. Ideas out the wazzoo and lots of pictures make it easy to understand. It's going to pair really well with the next book.....
5) Reconstruction Era Fashions by Francis Grimble
BUY THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There are so many good things about the book, I can't begin to name them all. This is one of my favorite time periods for clothing and it is a nice reference for all sorts of things. It has LOTS AND LOTS of ideas for the surrounding periods. I CAN"T WAIT TO START SEWING!!!!
Other than the books, I got socks and dishes for my hopechest. It was a really nice Christmas overall. I hope you all did too :)
1) Corsets: Historical Patterns and Techniques by Jill Salen
This has some really wonderful pictures and patterns. I can't wait to use them. I'm really eyeing the late 19th century patterns. It's completely worth the full price if you're any kind of costumer.
2) 60 Civil War-Era Fashion Patterns by Kristina Seleshanko
This book covers all of the 1860's, not just the American Civil War years. It has a nice collection of women's and children's patterns throughout the era. It's around $12 on Amazon.com, another good buy.
3) Civil War Ladies: Fashion and Needle-Arts of the Early 1860's
It's REALLY HEAVY. A collection of patterns and pictures from Peterson's Magazine 1861-1864. There are many, many great pictures but not a whole lot of instructions/patterns for clothing. It also has piano music from the era and other accessories that would be nice to have with the wardrobe. :)
4) The Art of Manipulating Fabric by Collette Wolff
This one's a wonderful buy. I've not been sewing for a long time, so there are lots of techniques I would never have figured out without this book. Ideas out the wazzoo and lots of pictures make it easy to understand. It's going to pair really well with the next book.....
5) Reconstruction Era Fashions by Francis Grimble
BUY THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There are so many good things about the book, I can't begin to name them all. This is one of my favorite time periods for clothing and it is a nice reference for all sorts of things. It has LOTS AND LOTS of ideas for the surrounding periods. I CAN"T WAIT TO START SEWING!!!!
Other than the books, I got socks and dishes for my hopechest. It was a really nice Christmas overall. I hope you all did too :)
Yoda
I haven't posted in a long time because I've been working diligently on Yoda and Grievous. Yoda was finished this morning, and good thing too! Because, he was being given as a present to my cousin today!
While I was working on the Storm Trooper earlier in the summer, He started getting all excited over the prospect of having his very own Yoda, who is his favorite character. He went into such detail and got so excited just talking about it, I simply had to make it for him. Well, HERE HE IS FOLKS!
*he has magnets in his hands so that the "Force is with Him, Always"*
All in all, it took no less than 72 hours of work... most likely more. But it was all worth it to see how happy my cousin was to have his own Yoda. Definitely worth all the effort! :)
Have a Wonderful Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love ya!
(If you would like to see more photos... here's the link)
While I was working on the Storm Trooper earlier in the summer, He started getting all excited over the prospect of having his very own Yoda, who is his favorite character. He went into such detail and got so excited just talking about it, I simply had to make it for him. Well, HERE HE IS FOLKS!
*he has magnets in his hands so that the "Force is with Him, Always"*
Here's the sneak peek of what's to come!
(If you would like to see more photos... here's the link)
Star Wars in Concert
I just got back from attending one of the most AWESOME events I will probably ever attend... Star Wars in Concert. I had a really great time. Not only was the music completely enrapturing, but the lights, the accompanying video, and the fact that Anthony Daniels was actually there was great. Below are some of the pictures and a video of what it was like to be there. And HERE are the rest of them if you wish to look.
My Favoritist Character in the Whole Wide World
The Flash Happened to Censor out any unwanted materials
Me with Han... Ain't he cute?
Jeff and the Ewoks... He's just like them :D
Devin and Jeff, the Storm Troopers got'em
They have been frozen in Carbonite... Still alive... we think.
I have a video that I'll upload soon! but for now.... May the Force be with You
My Favoritist Character in the Whole Wide World
The Flash Happened to Censor out any unwanted materials
Me with Han... Ain't he cute?
Jeff and the Ewoks... He's just like them :D
Devin and Jeff, the Storm Troopers got'em
They have been frozen in Carbonite... Still alive... we think.
I have a video that I'll upload soon! but for now.... May the Force be with You
Coco Avant Chanel Movie Review
It was wonderful. Enough said. I had been wanting to watch this movie for a really long time now and I finally was able to watch it online for FREE!!! you heard it... FREE. here's the link if you want to try it yourself.
The movie's costumes were great and the story line was very entertaining. 5/5 All y'all should see it :)
Virgil
This is a post about my doggie, Virgil. He's a miniature schnauzer that we 'rescued' from Petland. He's the cutest thing! First I'll start off with a little background....
One day about 3 years ago, there was a little dog that was wandering around the road in front of our house. My brother noticed it had a collar and my mother coaxed it to the house. He was a Standard Schnauzer with the most wonderful disposition. My dad fell in love (odd to say but it's true). We eventually found the owner, who was ecstatic to find his wonderful pet. After that day, my parents started browsing a Petland near us. On a whim, my dad bought our first schnauzer.
A year after that, they bought another one. Many would think this to be insane, buying animals on whims, but my dad is just that way.
Last November, my family went into Petland again and saw an ADORABLE tiny salt and pepper schnauzer. He was soooo little! We played with him, and despite him being a little scrapper (biting at my shoes and such), I fell in love with him. I told dad that I was willing to take money out of savings to pay for him, but he was really expensive ($900 on sale). I became sad and thought that was the last I'd see of him. I decided that if he ever got to $500 that I would buy him. It was a long shot but I knew if it did happen, it was meant to be. Low and Behold, My dad surprised me with the puppy the Saturday before Thanksgiving. (he had talked to the manager of the store and brought him down to $500)
What a surprise it was! I woke up and dad plops this tiny ball of fur into my arms. I didn't know how to respond, except a huge smile on my face.
Now, this puppy has not been an easy task. He has been a turd from the get-go. He is over a year old now and still decides he's going to pee in the basement when he feels like it >:{ But he is quite adorable and we love him to pieces.
THE REASON BEHIND THE NAME
One of my dad's favorite movies is Tombstone. He likes all the old westerns, like John Wayne and such. However, Tombstone is especially wonderful. It has been a family favorite and we watch it all the time. When we got our first schnauzer, I thought his muzzle looked like a handlebar mustache. So I came up with, Wyatt(Earp). My dad loved it. Keeping with the theme, we named our next one Doc(Holliday). I'm a lover of themes, no matter what. So, when I got my own bundle of joy, it was a toss-up between Morgan and Virgil (Wyatt Earp's Brothers). If you've ever seen the movie, you'll know why I chose Virgil. Sam Elliott is all salt and peppery in this movie (and is Virgil Earp)... and so is my Virgil.
ABOUT VIRGIL:
Virgil is...
1) A Scrapper. He LOVES to pick a fight with Doc and Wyatt.
2) Tiny. He is a stubby, short little thing. About 10ish inches tall
3) Studmuffin. He likes to pee on things still. He has "Napoleon Syndrome" ;)
4) Adorable. We can't walk by him without gawking at him still, even tho we've had him for a year
5) Uncuddly. He likes to be pet, but will leave the moment you cease to pet.
And so, with a very long post...That's the story of how Virgil came to be my doggie.
A Pilar Cyst!??!?!?!
For 3 years I have had an odd bump on my head. It started with a large pimple that didn't heal for about 2 months. When it finally healed over there was a bump. I thought it was just swollen or something. So, around a month ago it started to get larger, harder and was now able to move around. This was terribly alarming to me. So I went to the doctor to get it checked out.
It turns out it's called a Pilar Cyst. Here's the definition from Wikipedia:
A trichilemmal cyst (also known as a "Pilar cyst" and "Isthmus-catagen cyst) is a common fluid-filled growth (cyst) that forms from a hair follicle. They are most often found on the scalp
It was on the top left side of my head. I had it removed on the 10th. Here's what they do to get them out:
Here's what mine looked like:
It felt like cartilage, and looked like a smooth brain/pearl/lentil to me. It was about the size of a large pea.
And here's my syst-less head:
My hair's really nasty because I'm supposed to put Vaseline on it all the time "To keep the stitches moist"..... ewwwwwwwwwwwww.
Anyways, I thought it would be an interesting post ;)
Halloween '09
I was going to wait until I got more pictures, but it has already been a week since BlockParty. It's Time.
I managed to only get a picture of Devin and I (with his brother). We had a great time. I can't tell you how much I smiled. I was just happy that Devin was willingly wearing the garb! We decided on "British Colonial Loyalists" as what we were.
haha, Devin has no hand :p
Other than that, Devin looked perfect! He fits that era very well. You can't see it but there's a frilly shirt under there. That's right. OW OW.
As for me, my hair was huge. It took us (my mom and I) and hour to put it up. And about 45 minutes to take out. LOTS of teasing and pinning. I may put a tutorial up on how to achieve it :)
I managed to only get a picture of Devin and I (with his brother). We had a great time. I can't tell you how much I smiled. I was just happy that Devin was willingly wearing the garb! We decided on "British Colonial Loyalists" as what we were.
haha, Devin has no hand :p
Other than that, Devin looked perfect! He fits that era very well. You can't see it but there's a frilly shirt under there. That's right. OW OW.
As for me, my hair was huge. It took us (my mom and I) and hour to put it up. And about 45 minutes to take out. LOTS of teasing and pinning. I may put a tutorial up on how to achieve it :)
Pumpkin Post '09
Behold......... MY FIRST JACK-O-LANTERN EVER!!!!!
Ya, this past Friday was the first time I've ever carved a pumpkin. Crazy, I kno. I have wanted to carve pumpkins since I was little, but my parents just never got into it. I never voiced that I wanted to, so I'm sure they would have obliged had they known. To be honest, they didn't offer because of the stress and mess of the adventure. So how did I find my first pumpkin carving experience?
It was great. I was with two friends of mine, and we had a blast! I didn't mind scooping out the innards or anything. I thought it was all very cool. As for my theme, I didn't want to do the "normal" jack-o-lantern faces cuz quite frankly... I'm far from normal. I chose Princess Leia only because I couldn't draw a Darth Vader for the life of me. I think Leia turned out pretty alright. I had fun doing it, and look forward to pumpkin carving again next year!
Upcoming Event:
This next weekend is Halloween, as well as the Infamous Athens Block Party/Halloween 'celebration'. I have never been in my 19 years of living, and this year I'm going to change that fact.
We (My Boyfriend and I) have been commissioned, by his older brother, that we are to accompany him and his friends to Block Party. So, what are we going as?!?!?!? an 18th century couple!!!!!!! I'm very excited to see my Handsome Man in a redcoat and breeches ;) very excited indeed.
It shall be the debut of my 18th Century Outfit and his first experience to wear 18th century stuff. We know a guy who has an entire outfit for that era. So we're borrowing. (if he likes it... and even if he doesn't...I'm going to make him a gentleman's wardrobe ;)
Music Wise
I have found some very beautiful music on Youtube and I'm going to share it with you.
^^^These^^^ pieces are just wonderful! I can listen to them all day
The first piece above, I'm arranging for piano and violin so that My violinist and I can have it in our concert for the end of the year! GORGEOUS.
Ya, this past Friday was the first time I've ever carved a pumpkin. Crazy, I kno. I have wanted to carve pumpkins since I was little, but my parents just never got into it. I never voiced that I wanted to, so I'm sure they would have obliged had they known. To be honest, they didn't offer because of the stress and mess of the adventure. So how did I find my first pumpkin carving experience?
It was great. I was with two friends of mine, and we had a blast! I didn't mind scooping out the innards or anything. I thought it was all very cool. As for my theme, I didn't want to do the "normal" jack-o-lantern faces cuz quite frankly... I'm far from normal. I chose Princess Leia only because I couldn't draw a Darth Vader for the life of me. I think Leia turned out pretty alright. I had fun doing it, and look forward to pumpkin carving again next year!
Upcoming Event:
This next weekend is Halloween, as well as the Infamous Athens Block Party/Halloween 'celebration'. I have never been in my 19 years of living, and this year I'm going to change that fact.
We (My Boyfriend and I) have been commissioned, by his older brother, that we are to accompany him and his friends to Block Party. So, what are we going as?!?!?!? an 18th century couple!!!!!!! I'm very excited to see my Handsome Man in a redcoat and breeches ;) very excited indeed.
It shall be the debut of my 18th Century Outfit and his first experience to wear 18th century stuff. We know a guy who has an entire outfit for that era. So we're borrowing. (if he likes it... and even if he doesn't...I'm going to make him a gentleman's wardrobe ;)
Music Wise
I have found some very beautiful music on Youtube and I'm going to share it with you.
^^^These^^^ pieces are just wonderful! I can listen to them all day
The first piece above, I'm arranging for piano and violin so that My violinist and I can have it in our concert for the end of the year! GORGEOUS.
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