HALLOWEEN

HALLOWEEN!!!

Trick-or-Treating

Parties

Shopping

Ear-Piercing...

We really lived it up this Halloween!

I think this is the first time since I began offering custom costumes that I actually had MY OWN kids costumes put together the day before Halloween...usually I'm trying to throw something together the morning of....poor neglected children, lol!  We had a big party the night before though...so I was FORCED to be more organized!  Carter was easy...he wanted to be "Bob the Builder"...Taylor and her friend wanted to be 50's Car-Hop waitresses (and I actually made them for them, so I did feel somewhat less neglectful) and Reagi (as usual) had a definite vision of what she wanted to be..."sort of a vampire/spider/witchy person...but still pretty" is how she described it...

We went shopping and trick-or-treating in the morning at the local mall...and Reagi (who has been begging to get her ears pierced since she turned six a couple of weeks ago) decided she was READY to do it!  She was amazing...didn't cry at all...just said "ow...I think this actually hurts more than you said it would"...

Howard was working that evening at the Hospital ....darn...so it was just us trick-or-treating.  It's much more fun with Daddy...but we tried our best.  Reagi loved it...Carter complained the whole way and kept throwing his hat in the road...Taylor stayed home and gave out Candy...

Yay for Halloween!!!

GLAM GLAM Geisha...

I've wanted to try a different TAKE on a traditional Kimono for quite some time...this was the result

There.  I quite like how it turned out actually...

And Reagi had a fabulous time pretending she was a japanese princess slash NINJA...(not sure why she felt like it was appropriate attire for karate moves...but there you go)

I always feel like I should offer a little space with all the "blooper" pictures from the photo shoot--they can actually make me laugh out loud on occasion.  hmm...I think I'll have to start doing that:)

Cree, my sweet friend over on THIS IS BOUTIQUE even awarded me the listing of the day...thank you my dear!  If you haven't visited her site you should head on over...quite fabulous!

CLOWN Cutie...new costume listing

Hurray! Fall equals Halloween...equals costume season! I'm not sure why I love making costumes so much, must have something to do with having a REASON to make something totally different and just plain fun....

I had FUN with this little baby....I felt like I had OVERLOADED it with "stuff" but then I stood back to get the full effect when taking pictures and I decided ..."no...you can never have too much stuff on a costume"...lol!


Yes...costumes are fun...I shall never tire of them

You can visit the auction for CLOWN CUTIE here if you would like...lots more pics over there!

yeah....it's only been SEVEN months...what are you complaining about?

That title is for you Kass:)

Yes...I realize it's been awhile---I have been BUSY. I know the rest of you think you are busy and still manage to post to your fabulous blogs/maintain you fabulous lives/raise your fabulous children....but alas, I am NOT super-woman and I never claimed to be.

We moved. We practically killed ourselves getting our house ready to sell (since in this market a home has to be ABOVE and BEYOND perfect to even have a chance) painting/installing floors/tiling/yardwork-----yeah....we were BUSY. Then we MOVED--which in and of itself is awful--I know what I'm talking about, we've moved 14 times in our 15 years of marriage, and I pretty much NEVER want to see a moving box again...

I've been trying to unpack...get kids in school...start piano/violin/dance lessons....help husband adjust to new job/schedule/life...set up my sewing room...keep up with custom orders....LOTS of family has visited (and don't take that the wrong way my dear family--we have LOVED being close enough to have you all come) then EVERYONE got the flu---sigh----yeah...BUSY fall...BUSY YEAR for that matter.

But...HERE we are in Idaho...and it's fabulous! I love being back here--I really do. It feels like home. I love that it is so close to Yellowstone Park--you can literally just run over there for the day...

and it's FALL...my favorite time of year

It's good to be back.

Where are my sheep?

I thought it might be fun to visit some of the costumes I do on the side...that never get posted on ebay or anywhere else...
This little number was for a Mardi Gras parade float...did you know that even elementary schools in Louisiana get a holiday from school and get to do their own parade? Who knew?

Anyway...I'm still waiting on photos of the whole FLOAT...I can't wait to see what this creative mother put together for the whole scene...and I can't quite remember if we were doing Little Bo-Peep or Mary had a Little Lamb (not much difference actually...as it was a "Mother Goose" theme for the parade...so those both work, lol!)

I took some quick shots of Reagi in it before I shipped it...

it turned out quite pink and frothy...which was JUST the effect we were going for...;)

I love making Jane Austen hats...which was a perfect style for this costume...I shall have to post a tutorial on here sometime about how to do it...it's surprisingly easy and then you could have your own Regency bonnet to wear out and about!

Happy YEAR of the Ox!!!!

January 26th, 2009 starts the New Year for China...it's already January 26th over there, so I figure we can start celebrating here too...especially because it is now the YEAR of the OX....and that is MY year! It's also my daughter's year...in fact, (this is such a strange coincidence) Taylor and I were both born in the year of the Ox and we were both born at 2:53 am...which is the HOUR of the Ox....that is almost too strange isn't it?

Here is a little bit about OXEN-folk...try to ignore all the completely untrue gibberish about us being stolid and dull...and stubborn and all that...just look at the parts where we are hard-working and loyal and dependable...all SO true...lol! Actually the part about being very intolerant of those that are lazy...oh my goodness, that could NOT be MORE true--it is my one true PET peeve, I cannot stand laziness!

Famous people born in the Year Of The Ox? They include President Barack Obama, actor George Clooney, boxer Oscar De La Hoya, Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai, and soccer star Wayne Rooney.

Go and check here and see what your Chinese animal sign is...and then who you should marry (or who you should have married, lol!) according to the Chinese Zodiac they can predict who you will be most compatible with...and that may be quite true, as Oxen are supposed to be very compatible with Roosters...and my husband is a Rooster and we have a fabulous marriage--thank heavens I didn't marry a Tiger or a Horse...I could possibly be miserable and divorced right now;)

Further complicating matters is the fact that you have further "elements" that affect your sign; water, fire, earth and metal...depending on the year you were born. I'm a "water ox" (not a very attractive sounding term...but whatever;)) so that means I'm much more likely to see another persons point of view than most stubborn little oxen--HERE is a good place to check for that too.

Whether or not you believe in it...it IS fascinating to see what your sign is and what it says about you. And if nothing else...the Chinese New Year is a fun excuse to have a little chinese food and throw a party:) My cute mother, fabulous schoolteacher that she is, always celebrates the Chinese New Year with her class...they have a parade, complete with the big paper Chinese dragon...yummy food...I think it's wonderful they get to experience a little bit about another culture.

So, go and make some homemade fortune cookies...write some fun fortunes for your family for the year to come and CELEBRATE !

ANDALUCIA!!!!

All right...I know its been MONTHS and MONTHS since I posted...I cannot even begin to come up with the energy to explain myself...just chalk it up to busy-ness...and the holidays...and sheer "computer burn-out"... I really tried to just focus on real life things for the past few weeks (okay months) and NOT worry about online (which can almost seem real;))things for awhile--a fact which my family appreciated (well my IMMEDIATE family...all those family members that check in here for updates...sorry about that...)

We DID take a Christmas card photo...which...ahem...I have yet to mail ALL of them yet (so if you usually get one from me and haven't this year--don't give up hope!)

This was the front:

and this was on the inside:

We did have a lovely Holiday season...it was very low-key and just us, and it was a great opportunity to start some of our own Holiday traditions and really spend time together. The kids had a fabulous Christmas...they ALL agreed it was the BEST one ever (Carter didn't have that many Christmas's to choose from, but he fully agreed with his sisters that this one was quite nice...)

soooo....OH yes, the reason for the title of this post??? Patty Young's fabric, ANDALUCIA...is finally available--and lots of ladies over on ebay put together a launch of just Andalucia goodies...you should go check them out...

I LOVE these fabrics, they are so bright and fun...and perfect for outfits that defy the cold dreary weather outside right now (if we can't have sun, let's have some sunny bright clothes right?)

Here are my listings so far...I think I still want to make more! And some pics for fun...

We are actually planning a trip....just Howard and I...(gasp) without CHILDREN...to New Orleans and Las Vegas in two weeks--I still cannot quite believe we are going, but we already paid for the hotel and airfare, so maybe we are;) I shall blog more about THAT momentous occasion later...but for now I feel quite pleased with myself that I've managed to finally post...he he...and at least gave those of you who patiently still check in here SOMETHING new to look at!

Stay warm...

Wow...it was definitely Monday...

You know...it takes a serious amount of effort to pull myself together in the morning--especially on a Monday morning. THIS morning started off great however...Howard closing at the hospital, so home to get up with Carter...kids home from school so I could sleep in a little and not have to run everybody around everywhere (which directly translates to TIME to take a shower, put on a somewhat matching outfit, and put a little more effort into my hair and makeup than normal)

So.

I proceed to the kitchen, where I whip up hot cereal, cocoa from scratch, cinammon toast---feeling pleasantly domestic and motherly...not to mention DRESSED and PULLED-together (obviously these things don't always happen at the same time)

Taylor ate....Carter ate...Reagan is always a reluctant eater, so finally comes over to eat and her cocoa is cold. I pour it in a sippy cup and put it in the microwave for a few seconds, then start to screw the TOP on...and cocoa EXPLODES out of the sippy cup lid like OLD Faithful--it went up like a geyser and FELL back down on my freshly washed hair...my makeup...streamed down my glasses...all over my favorite hoody....

Reagan starts laughing so hard she starts to choke on her Honey Nut Cheerios (she refused to eat the lovingly prepared Cream of Wheat) then proceeds to fall off the stool (still laughing--she wasn't hurt) Carter comes running in and runs right through all the cocoa all over the floor and then back out--getting cocoa on his socks and THEN the (just shampooed) living room carpet...

Okay.

I had to laugh too....but only after I changed, cleaned off my glasses, cleaned up the floor/counter/Carter... (maybe there is something to that whole "don't heat beverages in microwave" thing--or maybe you just can't heat stuff in a sippy cup)

And by the way--I think the RAINY SEASON is upon us....some of us are morose about this...some of us love it

A Dark Fairy...A Cinderella Fairy...and a Dumbo (er...Eeyore)...

The wee kidlets went trick-or-treating tonight...I think its a little funny we have kids at two ends of the spectrum--we have Taylor who at age 10(almost 11) is thinking this might be her last year for trick-or-treating and that it is "just not as fun as it used to be, and candy just really isn't that important you know?"...

and then we have Carter-boy who finally could walk and do his own trick-or-treating for the first time...and he was hilarious! He'd walk up to the door slowly, as Reagan usually had already ran up there and pressed the bell and said "Trick-or-Treat"...so he'd finally make it up to the door, and say his usual social "Hi!" and then keep going right into the house...

One of us would run up and turn him around and he'd slowly walk DOWN the sidewalk, turning around to say "Bye!" before ponderously moving on...he definitely had the whole elephant walk thing downpat. We started out the night calling him a cute elephant like Dumbo or Horton...but by the end of the night he mostly resembled Eeyore and was droopily clomping around staring blankly at people and moaning...(I think it was past his bedtime--or maybe he'd just had enough of those ears...)

Reagi put her own costume together at the last minute...she was torn between wearing her pink princess costume...cinderella costume...wings...petticoats...OH the choices!!! I had told her I'd make her anything she wanted for Halloween, but as usual she wanted some store-bought princessy thing...which is TOTALLY fine by me--whatever makes her happy! What is that saying?..."the shoemakers children go barefoot...the bakers children go hungry..."...well, the poor costumers children go naked at Halloween;)

No...they weren't exactly naked, but it is definitely the truth that I am SO busy during the month of October that my own kids costumes get put on the back burner...good thing they are easily pleased! Before I started my little business, I did make Taylor elaborate Halloween costumes...whatever she wanted--and she was such a unique little girl, she always wanted to be something scary...like a dinosaur or dragon, CERTAINLY nothing pink or princessy or GIRLY...ughhhh!!!;) Here she is in a Dinosaur costume I made for her when she was 4..she had the whole thing planned out, from the foam spikes on the tail--down to the rainbow "scales" on the belly...who can argue with such VISION?

Then the next year she was on a huge "Sleeping Beauty" kick...we must have watched that movie every day for six months! So she wanted to be something from the movie...but DEFINITELY NOT Aurora...or a Fairy...nooooo....she wanted to be a scary Malificent kind of dragon...thing....

That was the year Reagan was born...I suppose I should just be proud Taylor had a handmade costume at all that year, since I had a newborn who was two weeks old on Halloween...

I sewed Bunny ears to Reagi's baby cap and put her pink bunting on her and called it good...

Another Halloween over...pizza and a movie and lots of trick-or-treaters (I think Reagi enjoyed handing out the candy MORE than getting candy!!)

A last little pic of the wee elephant...he was a hit wherever we went...even if he had no idea what we were doing...

So I'm a flaky blogger....

darn...sorry I'm such a flaky chick when it comes to the blogging...I guess I'm too busy LIVING the moment to write about it! (that is my excuse anyway...) I do have lots of stuff to blog about...two different family visits....a wedding anniversary(can I really have been married 14 years already???where did THAT time go?) Two birthdays...(one of us turned 5 and one of us turned 35...I'll let you guess WHO) and several projects, both sewing and decorating...
SEE??? Busy busy...that is my problem!
I HAVE been hanging out with a fabulous group of ladies on my small amount of computer time...the wonderful ladies who run the Boutique Buyers Blog asked me to do a guest-writer post for the month of October...you can check out my attempt to be funny HERE...please feel free to leave NICE comments, (go easy on me folks) and remember...I never claimed to be a good writer...
And costume season is over....darn....
I do have a few more pics of costumes to post, I feel sad to be done already--but quite happy to be moving on to Holiday-wear! Since I have PILES of corduroys and silks...and taffetas....and knits all staring at me waiting for me to make them into SOMETHING for colder weather, I'd better stop typing and get sewing.
Here is my latest listing...I had the opportunity to guest with the LimeVine girls (a fabulous design group on ebay) and they had the fabulous theme of "LUSTRE"...

You can visit the auction for this little number HERE...

Costumes....Costumes....

OY.....I'm falling behind on updates here!
Here is some more fun costume pictures you might like to see...these auctions
have all ended...but they are always fun to look at! Maybe I'll have to add
a link at the side just for a costume slideshow...I get so many requests for pics of
all my costumes, that might be the way to go!

soo....here is the "Bubble Dress" based on Galinda's (Glinda's) dress from the Broadway musical "Wicked"

Except of course...I added a bustle and a train--since EVERYTHING is improved with a bustle and train isn't it? (In my world, it IS...just agree with me...;))

Then let's see, here is a Carter-boy dressed as the Tin-Man...he was HILARIOUS walking around in this costume, most of my pictures were of him ripping the hat/hood off his head and throwing it down then running away laughing....he is SUCH a mischievious little scamp!

MOST Of the pictures looked like this:

then, finally...here is the WICKEDLY more evil character of the bunch...a version of Elphaba's dress from "Wicked"

You can check out the auction HERE...

I'm a bit sleep-deprived...so much sewing and creating...SO little time....and little people around here keep making messes and demanding food and playtime;) Guess that is why most of my sewing gets done from 10 pm to 2 am...anyone else up at that time?

Give me a call...I'll be here...

The opening of Costume Season...

I would like to officially declare Costume Season "OPEN"!!! Did anyone else grow up in a hunting family? My father and brothers (and husband) are quite the hunting fanatics...most of our fall and winter activities were planned around WHEN the archery hunt started...when the rifle hunt started....when they ended...muzzle-loader hunts, special moose-hunt...special "north side of the Uintah Mountains" hunt...get the picture?;) I spent quite a few birthdays (my birthday is in October) in a camp-trailer, IN the "Book-Cliff" wilderness area, because opening weekend of the deer-hunt happened to fall on my birthday. You can actually make quite a good cake in a little propane stove...and I give full marks to my mother for making those birthdays quite as wonderful and memorable as any I've had.

But....I digress....

I've listed a fun new little costume on ebay...well, TWO costumes actually, but one is from last year.

THE QUEEN of HEARTS ....I'm quite taken with the whole black/white/red thing going on...not to mention I love small crowns...he he....AND I cannot think about the "queen of hearts" without thinking about the Disney cartoon and the cheshire cat parting is hair in the middle, grabbing both sides of it and pulling them straight down and sternly declaring all ways here are "THE QUEENS WAY"...a line that should be used more often in life I think...depending on who thinks they are THE QUEEN...

I also listed the Mad-Hatter...one of my most popular costumes ever, and one I receive quite a few requests for. The problem is...I really have a hard time repeating myself! I LOVE the creating of the first one, and then I'm okay with having to make another one...but after that, I am done with the whole thing and want to move on to another design....maybe I'm slightly attention deficit prone or something, lol! But it has been a year...so I figure I can make another one...actually looking forward to it!

sigh....in case you are wondering WHY in the world I haven't posted for so long...well, its a ghastly story involving a computer crash (a computer, I might add...that has 16,000 priceless pictures on it, ALL my business information, logos...shipping...etc, basically my whole life) AND the start of school for two girls...AND illness....I dunno, but I shall post about all of that now that life seems to be somewhat returning to normal...