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Friday, November 27, 2015

Catching Up: A Late Costume Post

Now, nearly a month after Halloween, I will finally share my Halloween costume.  Just because I can, plus it came out well.

It started out with two different ideas.  First I had some pretty fabrics I got for Christmas last year that I wanted to use for something.  Second, the fabrics screamed fairy to me so that would be the way to go, except I didn’t want wings.  I was a fairy last year with some gorgeous wings that sadly got stuck in every doorway the entire evening.

So what are you if you’re a fairy without wings?

Green Sprite Costume

A sprite!

It came out well, just a little different from my original design in a few ways.

Skirt for Green Sprite Costume

The skirt is made in two layers.  The first is s satin-y solid color green trimmed with lace, and the second is a floral print sheer tulle with lace and a narrow ruffle on the edges. 

I originally planned on ruffles for both layers, but decided to go with just lace for the bottom layer to save time.  I also wanted to but a large bow in back, but opted not to in order to save time.  Also I thought is might make my rear look enormous.

Flower Wrist Bands for Green Sprite Costume

The wristbands came out just as I intended.  They are decorated with flowers I got at SAS awhile back (see The Biggest Craft Haul Ever).  I added long ribbons attached just under the flowers.  I thought it would look pretty hanging down from my wrists. 

The downside to these wristbands is that I didn’t wear them with the costume the first time.  I went to a party before Halloween.  I used the restroom before leaving for this party and of course took them off first to avoid getting them wet.  I realized on the way to the party that I forgot to put them back on.  At least I remembered them for Halloween night.

Flower Hair Clips for Green Sprite Costume

I made a pair of hair clips with the same flowers at the wristbands and with the same long ribbons too.  They add just the right touch to my hair and are pretty enough that I wish I had more clothing in this color.  Maybe that could be a future sewing project?

Matching Purse for Green Sprite Costume

When I dress up in costume, I have this strange need to make sure my purse matches the rest of the outfit.  To ensure this, I ended up making a simple little bag with some leftover fabric.  I originally planned to make a drawstring bag because I thought it was more fitting to a sprite, but that idea went out the window.

Top for Green Sprite Costume

Here’s one of the more interesting parts of my costume, the top.  It came out considerably shorter than planned.  I am normally not in the habit of wearing midriff baring tops, far from it.  But because of the way the fabrics I used behave along with the style of this top, it just looks more flattering when cut shorter.  It looked really frumpy before I cut off the bottom part.  The downside is that while last year was a particularly warm October here in Arizona, this year was quite noticeably colder.  Maybe next time I’ll make a matching cape for warmth.

Fairy Door Locket Necklace

This necklace added just the perfect touch.  The pendant is a little fairy door locket I got on sale at Joann.  The funny thing is that I got the chain on sale at Michael’s.  Anyway, it goes great with this costume and with just about everything else.  I’ve been wearing it almost constantly since Halloween.

I had a lot of fun wearing this costume, and I got plenty of compliments too which is always nice.  Makes me wonder what to do next year.  Is it too early to plan for that? 

Of course there are still other stuff to make this year.  Christmas is a month away, so I will be posting my list soon and working on checking it off.  Look forward to it.

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Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Wordless Wednesday: All Aboard!

Taken at the Sycamore Light Rail Station in Mesa, Arizona.

Departing Light Rail Train

Departing Light Rail Train

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Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Catching Up: Celebrate with Cuteness

My birthday was last month, and just like last year, we celebrated with a trip to the cutest place ever.  The Sanrio Store.

Warning: The word “cute” will be used quite a bit in this post for obvious reasons.  Some people may be annoyed by this and therefore should click away right now.

Cute cute, cute cute cute cute cute and cute.  Typing it just because I can.

Super Cute Sanrio Store Haul

Anyway, it was a visit to the cutest store around, so naturally I came back with tons of super cute stuff.

Cute Sanrio Folders

I got a set of really cute folders with some characters I’m not familiar with, but since they are fluffy adorable bunnies, why not?  Funny is that when I got them I wasn’t sure if they were folders or some other stationary item.  Either way they would still be handy.

Cute Hello Kitty Circus Tote Bag

I got this cute Hello Kitty tote bag mostly because it was on clearance and tote bags are super handy to have around.  I prefer my cute items to be both cute and useful.  More practical that way, not to mention more economical.

My Melody Bento Box and Hello Kitty Utensil Set

More useful cute items, a My Melody bento box and a set of Hello Kitty utensils.  Make food cuter and more enjoyable.

Cute Hello Kitty Mechanical Pencil

And of course this Hello Kitty pencil with a cute little charm on it.  It’s a really nice pencil too with a comfortable grip.  The only problem is that it looks so much like a pen and doesn’t have an eraser too.  Also it didn’t occur to me until after we left that I probably should have gotten a cute eraser to match.

Sanrio Grab Bag

And now the grab bag, my friends got it for me just like last year.  I love grab bags in general, but the ones from Sanrio are fantastic.  Filled with adorably cute items and they are even wrapped in super cute bags.  So what’s inside?

Cute Contents of Sanrio Grab Bag

In this one was a Hello Kitty folder, a coil bracelet with a cute Hello Kitty charm, a Hello Kitty finger tip ring, and a set of Jewel Pets “pencil caps”.  At least that’s what I think they are, since I saw similar things in the store that were labeled as that.

I almost bought a pack of them, but I don’t have to now since they came in my grab bag anyway.  I thought they would be handy.  They are an easy and reusable way of making plain pencils cuter.  The finger tip ring is a bit odd though, it would make a great doll-sized bracelet though.

Over all, tons of cute items to enjoy, that is until my next birthday.

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Monday, November 23, 2015

And We’re Back…With Some Fun Stuff

The blogging hiatus (with some exceptions) has officially ended.  I have returned and brought a few gifts with me.

First up, I mentioned before that I wanted to take time to work on a few personal projects among other things (see Special Announcement or What to Expect).  One of those projects was these…

Free Printable Paper Dolls

…Paper Dolls!

I got the idea while looking through some of my old dress designs.  Two things I noticed.  First is that I actually enjoy drawing clothes just as much as making them.  Second is that over time I’ve slowly improved at drawing clothing.  I’d show examples of that except my earlier designs are just too embarrassing to be seen.

Anyway, I got the idea to try drawing dolls since then I could draw clothes for them to wear.  I made three sets to start.  Feel free to print them out and enjoy.  I opted not to color them or finish their faces, I figured it would make them more fun to play with that way.

Baby Girl Paper Doll (1280x836)

The first set is baby girl, I guess she’s more of a toddler though.  For clothes she has a sundress with hat and sandals, a nicer dress with shoes and hair bow, and a play outfit with hat and shoes.  The play outfit is inspired by the anime Cardcaptor Sakura.  One of Sakura’s more casual/normal outfits to be exact. 

Cat Paper Doll (1280x770)

The second is a cat just for the heck of it.  For clothes she has a sweet dress with a flower hair corsage, an unusual set with puffy shorts and a hat, and a knit sweater with matching hat and skirt.  For some reason I felt the need to make at least one sweater-y looking outfit for each doll, even the one with fur.

Short Haired Girl Paper Doll (1280x889)

And then there’s this short haired girl.  For clothes she has a pleated skirt and turtle neck outfit, a sort of wrap dress, and a v-neck top with jeans and sandals.  The turtle neck outfit was actually inspired by Thelma from Scooby Doo

If you would like larger images of these dolls, you can download them here.

Now for something else fun.  If you follow my maze blog, you would know that it has been a looooong time since I posted a new maze (like a year).  This is mainly due to the lack of a working scanner.  Well seeing as I was able to upload these hand drawn paper dolls it comes as no surprise that I now have a fully operational scanner at my disposal.  

So when you finish having your fun with these dolls, you can hop on over to my maze blog and a enjoy solving some fresh mazes.

There’s still more fun to come.  There are so many things that happened while I was gone that I want to share so the next few posts will catching up posts.  Look forward to them.

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Sunday, November 22, 2015

Thanksgiving On Pinterest 2015

This is probably a little last minute, but that’s why I’m posting this now.  It’s my Thanksgiving pinterest board for this year.  Because sometimes you need a few last minute ideas for holidays, especially for Thanksgiving.

So just in case you can’t find your pecan pie recipe, need to spice up your mash potatoes, or need something quick to whip up for the vegetarian in your life.  I present:

My Thanksgiving 2015 Pinterest Board

Thanksgiving on Pinterest 2015

A few highlights:

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Saturday, November 7, 2015

Saturday Shuffle: Sorry!

Sadly, this week’s blog hop has been canceled.  But don’t worry your pretty little head, it will be back next week. 

In the meantime, please check out some of the other fine blog hops I have listed on the side of my blog.  They would love a few new faces. 

Enjoy your weekend, and look forward to the next week.

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