Create 365 - Design for the Felt Snow White Flapper Brooch

This was yesterday's create 365 project.  I was going to post it last night, but ninja rabbits attacked my home..and my hair caught on fire...and my computer was stolen by rogue monks..

Ok.  I fell asleep.

Anywho, here it is.  It's a design for a line of felt cameo brooches I plan on creating with a hybrid of past decades and fairytale characters.  This one is Snow White as a Flapper, I'm also working on a Gibson Girl style Rapunzel, Alice in Wonderland with 1940's style hair and clothing, Cinderella in mod 60s style and Victorian Red Riding Hood.  I may also use the designs on bags and t-shirts, but one step at a time ;)

Hugs and Smooches,
D

Style It - ConstantlyAlice Originals Jewelry

Today, instead of doing an outfit post in the 98 degree (GAH!) heat, I am re-visiting the "Style It" posts and doing a few outfit suggestions inspired by three of the new pieces of jewelry listed in the ConstantlyAlice Shop. Necklaces can be purchased here.

Red Riding Hood by constantlyalice 

Snow White by constantlyalice 

Mermaid by constantlyalice 

Hugs and Smooches,
D

Outfit Post - Snow White and Rose Red

The necklace featured in this post is one that I created for the "Once Upon a Time" series.  I fell so much in love with it, that I decided I couldn't possibly part with it ;)

Hugs and Smooches,
D

Eyes bigger than my stomach..or something like that.

I'm back from my week long vacation!  The last blog post I left you with detailed the zillion things I planned to accomplish.  Hmmm..Riiigght.  Might have bitten off a bit more than I could chew ;)

For as long as I can remember, I've suffered from "eyes bigger than my stomach" type behavior.  In my mind, I always seem to be able to accomplish an infinite number of things in a finite period of time.  Sadly, in practice, things move a little slower.

However, I did get an excellent jump start on things and, more importantly, got a plan in place to work from.

Here are a few highlights from my week:

I FINALLY got my tattoo :)  I've agonized over this for years (I tend to be mercurial about certain things, and I was terrified that I would make the wrong choice, or choose something I wouldn't love forever.  The permanence scared me.)  However, I sketched this design, which was vastly improved upon by my friend Bill who did the beautiful work you see below.  It's about 4.5" tall on my left shoulder.  Beyond the obvious "Snow White" reference, it means several other things to me as well.  The bird represents a free spirit and happiness, the apple is symbolic of wisdom and Aphrodite (Goddess of Love), and the "Once Upon a Time" ribbon is a nod to my love of literature.  All in all, it's pretty perfect.

This was taken just after it was done, so still a bit red and swollen ;)

I also started work on a number of projects.  I found a giant bag of dominoes at a yard sale and am using them to create a new line of jewelry for the shop.  Here are a few pendants and brooches in progress.

I did a lot of "studying" this week as well.  In addition to researching few things I plan to bring to the blog, I did a lot of research on figure drawing, hoping to design some jewelry/accessories and maybe even fabric inspired by the Pin up Plan.  Take a look at the wonderful books I purchased below.  They are real treasures!

The illustrations in this are amazing.  All from the 1940's.  Amazon

Barnes and Noble

I also had my scanner repaired, so keep an eye out here on the blog for some vintage magazine and pattern scans!

Hugs and Smooches,
D

Happy Halloween!

Me as Snow White

My family's holiday season kicks off every year with our Halloween tradition.  My folks have a gorgeous old farm house with a great big barn and my Mom hosts our annual Halloween bash each October.  She does an absolutely amazing job of transforming the barn into a wonderland of ghosts, spiders, pumpkins and bats.

A "Mumkin"

My daughters and their friends all gather to play pumpkin toss, mummy wrap, and Halloween charades.  There are three legged races and pin the eye on the monster and then they stuff themselves with pizza, cupcakes, cookies and hot cider. 

Spooooky!

When the evening winds down and the little ones have gone home, my oldest daughter and her girlfriends head up to the third floor of my parent's house which is rumored to be haunted by Ada, the widow of Ben Downing.  Ben was a good friend of the author, Jack London, who stayed in the home with them for a while and would go on to write "Call of the Wild" and base the main character on Ben.  The story goes she died in the house waiting for Ben to return from the Yukon and has haunted the third floor ever since.  She's pretty mild and generally just tosses guests out of their beds and knocks photos off the walls ;)  The girls watch scary movies, tell ghost stories, and really don't get much "slumbering" in at all.

It's a wonderful tradition and one we look forward to every year!

Me and my Girls

Cute little pumkins..Watch out, they bite!

The Pumpkin Toss

The prize table

I leave you with what is, quite possibly, my favorite video ever.  My youngest daughter, Riley, decided she wanted to be an owl last year..80 hand sewn felt feathers later, she bore a remarkable resemblance to one.  This is her...shaking her tail feathers ;)



Hugs and Smooches,
D