I stumbled upon a great shop in Jackson Square that sold all manner of lace tidbits (and smelled wonderfully of roses, by the way….when I opened my package, they were still scented!) – I ended up buying 11 yards of antique hand made cream (Battenberg??) lace – total cost…….drumroll please……..$9.87 (on clearance)
I also purchased 5 yards of white antique handmade (Flanders??) lace, at $3.67 a yard. Quite a steal, I say!
U Jelly?
I particularly love the homely lady in pink and white – what a contrast of countenance and clothing!
The mother in blue holding the baby is an adorable duo….I adore the way the baby clothes mimic its mothers’ in trim detail. Too adorable!
Also of specific note is the woman in silver satin….the detail on her bodice is pretty amazing!
There were tons of masks to choose from in all the various touristy gift shops, but I found three fabulous masks to choose from, and lacy, crackly cream mask, a black sparkly mask, and an orange one.
I was torn between the three, but finally decided on the orange one, since I have some fabulous orange taffeta in my stash that has been begging to be turned into something, and now I have an accessory to force myself to make something from it! Something involving a mask…….
UPDATE: The lovely Praksedys has suggested this gown……I completely and utterly agree! The slashing! The crazy hat! The embroidered bands!
…..now to find a masked ball…………..
I admit, I have a big thing for dolls! I’ve been subverting my doll collecting tendencies because boy howdy….that hobby can get expensive, right quick!
Most of these dolls were not identified with placards, though a few were. The “Queen Mary” doll apparently was commissioned in commemoration of Elizabeth II’s coronation, as were a doll of Mary, Queen of Scots and Queen Victoria. (I couldn’t get post-able pictures of Mary, she was in a dark corner behind glass – alas, as were many of the objects I wanted to photographs of throughout the week!)
I, however, could not hold out any longer, and I just had to get myself a doll. (Especially after going to so many homes with doll collections…..and the doll house – oh my the doll house! I really wish I had been able to get better pictures, it’s supposed to be fully furnished and wall papered!)
Without further ado, may I present to you, Violet. (Which I sorely overpaid for, by the way. So much so that I’m thinking of writing to the shop; but that’s a different matter. I still love her to bits!)
As of my original posting about the NOLA trip, there was still a slight chance that I wasn’t going to be able to go (what with taxes and whatnot still not settled.) But the word as of 30 minutes ago is “It’s a go!”
What this is all bringing me to is the fact that I’ve been anxiously awaiting the return of my beloved, deliciously campy, silly and over-the-top “True Blood”. (For those who don’t know, it’s a show set in Louisiana, in an alternate reality where people know about vampires, and where werewolves, witches, shape-shifters etc. are real – real & really dangerous!)
At the end of last season, Sophie-Anne, the Vampire Queen of Louisiana, wears the most incredible black satin gown. (Sophie-Anne and Pam tie for the most drool-worthy wardrobes. Sookie is just too sweet with what she wears; I just can’t bring myself to drool over her clothes!)
I still want to see if I can make one of my very own for CoCo – I’m dying (haha) to make this dress! My good friend (and fellow True Blood devotee) has been scouring the internet for appropriate vintage patterns, and (I believe) has purchased a pattern. I need to step it up and find one too!
Right now, there are three patterns in the running:
I’ve not found any pattern that will be perfect as-is, but are all great starting places.
The original dress is quite obviously satin, but I’m going to try to make it completely from my stash and use up some of my silk taffeta. There aren’t any pictures online that I can find, but the dress is lined in a blood-red satin, as shown in the video below.
p.s. Isn’t her hat just adorable? I seriously love it!
Excuse the following….I am super excited and I’m blabbing. A lot……
One of my very good friends (Reecey-Pants) is going to New Orleans for a week for work, and invited me along. OMG, YES!!!!!!! I love, love LOVE New Orleans! We won’t have a car so we won’t be able to get out to Baton Rouge & Plaquemine, but then again, one whole week in the French Quarter hardly seems like enough.
I solemnly swear I’m going to Café du Monde Every. Single. Day. (NOM!)
I’m bringing my camera, my sketchbook, and I’m going to have a fabulous time. Too bad the friend I’m going with doesn’t like sea food. (WTF, how can you go to New Orleans and NOT LIKE SEAFOOD?!)
Anyway, the following is a list of things I’d like to do, any other suggestions?? I have all day during the day to fill up my time, and then after my friend gets off work, we can go do whatever she wants to do.
Café Du Monde (Completely and utterly a must. It’s not so much ‘something I want to do’, but a place I’m going to be if nothing else is going on at the moment.)
New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum
Musée Conti (OMG a wax museum. YES!!!)
LSM Madame John’s Legacy (if it’s open – was closed last time I was there, and as far as I know, may be closed to the public forever.)
Haunted History Tours (There are a bunch of them, and I’ve taken a couple already….I’m seriously thinking about the two Garden District tours…..a regular one and a spoooooooky one. Heh. Maybe, just maybe I’ll be totally nerded out and take the vampire one too. HAHAHA)
Suggested Places:
Green Goddess (Suggested by Other Noelle – This place opened after I was there last, so a new place for me to explore! She says “The "Mezze of Destruction" secret message should still give you a secret foodie easter egg of some kind, if you eat there and say it to your server. It's the secret "Neil sent me" code.” )
Delachaise Restaurant (Suggested by Neil Gaiman via Other Noelle. If Neil says it’s good, I believe it!)
The Café Adelaide (Again, suggested by Neil via Other Noelle.)
Fleur de Paris, Custom Millinery & Couture Boutique (Suggested by Other Noelle. Looking at the website just makes me DROOL. And wish I were a size 2……..)
......I won't talk about how my morning was conspiring against me. (Seems to happen that way......one forces oneself to be in a good mood, and the Universe makes sure that every negative eventuality rears its ugly little head.)
BUT. I will talk about some awesomesauce stuff for a while. :D (Whoa, I started the list, and didn't realize how much awesome there is....I'm in a better mood already!)
1. I got to see a ton of people I haven't seen in a Very Long Time. This was awesome, and I wish I didn't have so much going on so I could spend more quality time. (I did feel like I was ignoring some of my favorite peeps.....so if you felt that way, I do apologize, I love and miss you!)
2. BABIES! All the babies that have been welcomed to the world in the last few weeks/months showed up to the event. I cannot BELIEVE how cute they all were! There is going to be a serious bumper crop of children ....... Arrow's Flight, watch out! :D
3. Maple Leaf! Astrid! HOORAY!!!! I am so happy that one of my (many) favorite people got an awesome award. I am very grateful that I was able to assist in the creation of the scroll. I did the calligraphy, while my wonderful, talented (so talented it makes you sick!) Mistress did the illuminations. I'll have to track down a better picture of the finished scroll, because this blurry pic doesn't anywhere near do it justice, but I'm so excited about it, I just can't keep it in! :D
(Inspiration illumination, and our finished piece.)
4. I was feeling nostalgic, and I decided that instead of searching for a new inspiration for the scroll blank, I'd go back and re-use some art I had used for some of the very first scrolls I did, evah. Once again, a terrible pic, but you get the idea, right? :) It ended up that I was doing all the whitework and lining late, late at night, so my hand was shaky and not very reliable, but hey, it got done.
5. On Sunday, I worked on the PPOD. (Seriously, I did!!) I finished off the snail at the top, and have nearly finished the stem and leaves for the second-to-last slip. I am so hardcore excited. It WILL be done, and fairly soon, to boot! :D (I was planning to, but didn't have time to pop by Needlepoint Joint, as it is mere yards away from the 12th Night site to pick up some more silk so I can finish the background. Yeah, didn't get around to that. Boo.) Hopefully I'll have the presence of mind to snap a pic or two so I can share the progress.
6a. Holly brought down the jewelry I commissioned for the green dress that is yet-to-be. I can't tell you how excited I am, especially about the necklace, and the bob at the end of the belt. Holy cow, it's so beautiful! Once again, no pics.
6b. Holly made me the most wonderful zib in the WORLD for happy ChrisMaBirthday. He is the cutest thing, EVAH. I love him so much! Again, no pics, but will do so soon. I need to figure out a suitably Italian name for him. He is a very cheeky zib. ;)
7. I get to visit my sis in CA on the 21st. HOORAY!!!!!!! I cannot wait, this will be epic and all things awesome and wonderful. We'll be going to see the "Fashioning Fashion" exhibit at the LACMA. I am so giddy!
