Good Karma and My Favorite Holiday

Last night, I got proof that good things come back to you in the end. This is what happened. While we were unpacking and organizing craft supplies among other things, we donated a lot of things to Goodwill. See, I'm not a hoarder, I can part with things. Many things that we donated were old inventory from the last time I was doing craft fairs several years ago. Rather than have to deal with taking new pictures and listing them in my shop, only to have them not sell because they were based on styles from several years ago, I donated them. I left the tags on because they had care instructions. I didn't even think about the fact that my old website address was on the tags. Last night I got a convo on etsy from a woman who bought two hats and, not finding my old defunct website, looked me up through google and found my etsy shop. She wanted to know if I would be interested in making something else for her. So, in giving away a lot of inventory, I got new business!

I feel I may be a little late to the game getting my Halloween stuff up on etsy, but yesterday, I made a dozen Halloween cards because I felt inspired. I wish I had more Halloween stamps, but the spiderweb edging punches I bought on clearance were definitely a good investment. In fact, I didn't even use the one Halloween stamp I had because I was having so much fun with the punches. I've now added a Holiday Kards section to the shop. It's all Halloween cards right now, but as soon as I get some made, Christmas cards will be keeping them company.

Oooooo, I Love Red Tag Fabric!

Found the most beautiful brocade back in the red tag discount section of the fabric store. I'm going to make it part of the bustle of my Halloween dress. I'm not even thinking about historical acuracy, not enough time or money. I think I've almost figured out how to make this work. I'm going to take a basic pattern I already had (top C and skirt F) out of the light blue and then use the gold and the brocade to fashion the bustle as a separate piece so I can wear the dress again. Life would be so much easier if I had a dressmaker's dummy, but I should be able to make it work. It looks great in my head, at least.

The pattern for the dress I liked wasn't available in my size to begin with and then the store only had the smaller size. I bought the smaller size to give me some ideas of how to make this work, if nothing else. If anyone has suggestions to make this project easier, let me know. Hopefully there will be work in project pictures coming.

So Glad I Wasn't Alive in the 1880's

I finally got Chris interested in an idea for Halloween costumes. If I'm going to make something decent, I have to start about a month ago. Unfortunately, the pattern he decided he likes is this. Not bad until you consider that puts me in the position of having to make myself something witha bustle. I've already got enough of a natural bustle, I shudder to think what I'm going to have to do now. I'm looking at this (the full length dress, not the saloon girl versions). It's the only thing I've seen that I think I can handle both in terms of construction and self confidence. Of course, the don't make that pattern big enough to fit me, so it will probably end up being a combination of that pattern and a couple plus size formal patterns I already have.

The good point is that I get to add some tatting into whatever I do! Period appropriate and all that good stuff :) I'll have to make myself a choker with some of the velvet ribbon. Sigh, as if I need one more project on my growing to-do list. The madness never ends.

Happy Halloween!

Sooo . . . . Not dressing up today. Nowhere to go to get dressed up for. :( But, went to a party last Saturday. We weren't sure if we were going at first, so the costume was kind of last minute. I'll improve on it before next year when we'll get to have a zombie movie marathon again! (Prom themed zombie party, it'll be great! 1st annual Prombie next year guys, be ready ;) Anyway, here I am as a zombie prom queen:

I didn't get a chance to destroy the dress and sash as much as I wanted to. I was too busy trying to make the sash in the first place and alter the dress to fit me. The make-up was also supposed to be a lot better, but I didn't have the best things to work with.

As I did my make-up, I had a real "You know you're a theatre geek when . . . " kind of moment.

You know you're a theatre geek when being forced by the state of the economy to go from Estee Lauder to Cover Girl in your every day make-up isn't as traumatizing as having to go from Ben Nye to Wal-Mart make-up for Halloween!

It was very sad. I wanted to have great big hole in my cheek made up to look like it went all the way to the bone, but cheap scar wax is terrible. It was so soft I couldn't get it to cooperate at all. I was very disappointed.

I still looked pretty good though. If I do say so myself. Not bad for a $15 dress that was three sizes too small ;)

Happy Halloween, everyone!

I think I missed the memo

When did Halloween become Whore-oween?! Why are there no good costumes or even ideas for women that don't involved being the butt of the joke or looking like a harlot?

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. For me it's always been about being creative and intelligent and funny. Now it just seems to be about dressing like a tart. I just don't know if I have the time or the energy to make costumes for us this year, but we are probably going somewhere and need them. I decided to look around online just to get ideas if nothing else. Have you seen the couples costume sets lately? Convict and whore cop, pirate and whore pirate, etc, etc, etc! Honestly, everything is made with about two yards of fabric tops even the plus size costumes. I'm just so frustrated right now. I feel like I've been kicked out of the fun because I'm not willing to dress like I have no worth above my cleavage!

Maybe I'll come up with something over the next couple days, but if I'm going to be making stuff, I know I should start now. I just don't know what to do.

Gifts, Ghouls, and Giveaways!

Did a bunch of listing the other day! I finally found where I had hidden my blue and purple threads from myself. Now I just have to figure out where the pinks and yellow are hiding.

Purple being my favorite color, once I found the threads, I just had to set to work on some purple pieces! I particularly love the way this one turned out:

I've had a bunch of those dragonfly charms hanging out with my beads for a while. I made stitch markers out of them a year or so ago and didn't know what to do with the rest. I got this pattern to work around a bead and thought it was worth a try with the charm. I think it turned out well. I'm hoping someone will want some pendants for stocking stuffers this year. I've been putting them up in all the promotions forums I can on etsy trying to get a little attention. I have to make some for myself, too.

As Halloween is quick approaching, I figured it was time I gave a nod to my favorite holiday. So, I dug out the Halloween socks I bought at the thrift store a few months ago. They had never even been worn! I was really tempted to wear them this year, but they just had to be turned into creatures:

Their names are Boo (the big one) and Eek (the smaller one). The socks had little spots that had flashing lights in them and I transfered those so that each has an arm that lights up! They're so cute. Oh, and they've got some of my hand tatted spiders sewn to each of them!

I've teamed up with another etsian to do a giveaway on her blog! Actually, it's a team, but I've just been talking with one of the two through emails/convos. Anyway, here's a link to the giveaway of a batch of my hand tatted flowers:

http://raechele.blogspot.com/2008/09/keenaskreations-giveaway.html

Okay, off to put some more tatting blisters on my fingers. Working on a choker that should be gorgeous when it's finished. Assuming all goes well. . . .

The only spiders I'll ever like . . .

Other than Charlotte, of course. I made a couple Halloween cards last year with some little tatted spiders on them. I decided to make some more and try to market them this year. What do you think?