Well…the time is drawing ever closer to my Vaudeville debut! Tonight is the final dress rehearsal before the show on friday. My nerves are strung up about as tight as my fiddle strings!

Here’s my fancy violin that i will be totally “rocking out” with in the Cirque show. My mister made her and i painted her and tarted her up with some ribbons and lace….and i named her “Fiddle DeeDee”. She’s a hefty wooden wonder and love her.

I’ve also finished up the last embellished slip for the dancers. “La perle du Cirque”…..

The dancer that this one is for is playing a character that is a bit of a “Diva” so i kind of ran with that idea….”The Pearl of the Circus”.

Lots of lace “roses” and pearls handsewn on. Layers of lace trims at the hem.

i removed the original straps and made new ones from strips of layers lace, and trimmed out the bodice with more lace and pretty trims as well as a “rose corsage”made of, you guessed it, LACE!

Now i am putting the finishing touches on my own costume….I don’t a photo of the whole enchilada yet, but as soon as i do, i’ll share. i CAN tell you it involves this:

It’s a skirt made of a vintage sheer curtain panel that i tea dyed, various layers of lace and teadyed eyelet from a thrifted pillow sham. This will be gathered up into a bustle and worn over a black vintage slip and some fantastic “jailhouse striped” stockings and vintage tap pants. Corset and tea-dyed lace camisole on the top. And best of all, the crowing glory…..

My utterly amazing mini topper that Christa over at Gypsy Junk Knits made for me! I am THRILLED to have such a grand reason to pop open the magic hatbox and unveil this little lovely again .

Well….i suppose i should get busy……hoping i can pop in just one more time before the big night. Until then, i hope you are all well and wonderful!!!

xoxoxox

Oh my, how time has sped by! I hadn’t intended to do yet another disappearing act, but i have fallen down the rabbit hole and found myself pursuing a new adventure that i never dreamed i’d try…. I’ve slipped back in time and ended up doing Vaudeville! I have become a violin playin’ band girl! I never knew i could “play” the violin (teehee!!!!)…and i never knew i’d run away and join the Cirque!

I’ve been insanely busy with rehearsals, and i am lucky enough to be doing the costuming for the Delirium Tribal dancers in part of the performance. I’ve been sewing up embellished slips for them to wear during a “backstage” scene in the show! Lots of tea-dying, reconstructing and flying lace around the Buttonbox as the deadline looms ever nearer…

So that’s where i’ve been and what i’ve been up to! I have been so busy that my head is spinning, but i have not forgotten that i have three CDs to send out…pretty please bear with me til i get through my mad Cirque adventure and then i’ll get it done I PROMISE!

I’ll be sharing more pics and tales as this wild endeavor unfolds…. Drunken accordion players! Fire eating! Diva dancers with bad attitudes! Angry orchestra shenanigans! It’s VAUDEVILLE, darlings!

hoping that you are all well and wonderful!!

xoxo

After peeking thru the magic keyhole, the fae folk at the Buttonbox could not resist joining in the fun of a mad tea party! It’s been an all-day event!

We awoke to discover a outdoor Faerie Cafe at breakfast time! So the beastie and i went out to enjoy some blueberry pancakes and tea, and soak up the magical suroundings….

Bunting and paper lanters and a few faeries hanging around enjoying some lovely tea! Enchanting!

Lovely Jasmine Blossom tea….so good! But the weather was not looking so great…Miss Lizzie insisted that she wanted to join the tea party anyway…and heaven knows i am just a wee bit afraind to annoy her, so….

“I prefer dark skies to bright sunlight,” said Miss Lizzie, as she sipped her tea.

Alas, clouds started rolling in and we just had no choice but to retreat, so we took down the pretties and hid indoors while the rain fell. I took time to whip up a few party favors and a desert to enjoy when evening came.

I have three copies of this to give away at random to whoever may be interested after the party…i’ll throw names in a pot tomorrow for a drawing.

After awhile the rain stopped and the sun returned, and the party was underway again! Time for desert and cocktails!

Made from scratch Strawberry Shortcake, made from berries the beastie and i had picked on an adventure back in the spring…i am so glad i froze some before we ate them all up! Along with the shortcake, we have “Pink Elephants” to sip…..a bottle of wonderful pomegranate Italian soda paired with a VERY Cheap bottle of “Champagne”….it’s amazing how you can transform the vilest hooch into something really tasty if you just use some imagination and creativity!

Faeries can’t resist booze here in the Buttonbox, lo and behold, a Blue Calamity Faerie appeared and demanded a drink and some sweets!

She looks like she may have already had a few, doesn’t she? And so we nibbled out shortcake and sipped our drinks as evening approaches, and the goblins begin to stir…they’d heard that there was a Masquerade party tonight, and perhaps some dancing?

I think the Goblins are definitely starting to take over the party and i hear thunder rolling in again, and this Goblin Queen here looks rather feisty and ready to dance in the storm, so it’s time for me to head inside and marvel over the lovely events of the day….. Thank you so much, Vanessa, for inviting me to your soirée and inspiring me to get out and PLAY, something i have not done in entirely too long. I’ll be along to visit all the other lovely parties across Bloglandia here very soon. Thank you for stopping by!!!! Hoping you are all having a magical day!!!

xoxoxo

I am sure all you winged lovelies have already heard about the Party at Miss Vanessa’s tomorrow! I have finally decided on a treat to make, have my “pink Elephant” cocktails and blooming tea at the ready, have a marvelous playlist of lovely old French Chanson tunes and gypsy jazz for my listening pleasure, and i have put together some outlandish costumery to sashay around in, i just have to get my mister to take some photos of silly me playing dress-up, without deciding that it’s finally time to lock the crazy wife in the attic for good! Oh how i wish my Darlings were here to help me with this project….alas, they are unavailable since out last tea party event….giggle! Really…i swear will NOT poison the goodies this time! teehee!

Really, i do promise! Don’t be afraid…Hey, come back…it’s just an innocent cup of tea!

I am alittle worried about the weather ruining all my plans, but here’s hoping it will be bright and dry enough for my goofy outdoor antics to roll out as planned…..Tho’ i feel guilty for wishing that….it’s been so dry that my yard looks very desolate and brown, and not the lush green faerieland i’d love to have as a backdrop…ahhh well…c’est la vie! That is what comes of living in the dirty old South….the heat can wilt even the most steadfast magnolia sometimes….

See you tomorrow !!!

xoxoxo

Something i have not written about very much on this blog is my dancing. But, i’d read a post over on My Little Orange Kitchen that inspired me to write alittle about my experiences. Last June, i started taking American Cabaret style bellydancing lessons at our local community center. It was something i’d wanted to try for years, but never really had the nerve. Then, i became friends with Cindy from Band-Aids Required, who blogged about dancing and really inspired me to finally give it a whirl.

My first class, i felt like i was made of wood…i was nervous and self conscious and felt totally out of my element. But, watching my instructor shimmy around so effortlessly really inspired me, *I* wanted move like that so i stuck with it. Almost instantly, i was hooked.

It wasn’t long before it became a full-on obsession…i learned that there were all kinds of style of dance and so much history involved. I discovered “Tribal Fusion” style and that was it…i knew where i fit and what i wanted to learn. I started taking a second class, taught by the amazing director of the local Tribal troupe, Delirium Tribal.

Dancing has done more for me than i can express…it’s been wonderful for me, both physically and mentally. I feel stronger, more self-confident, more graceful than i ever thought possible. It’s helped me deal with my anxiety issues by giving me a reason to leave my little safe comfort zone and interact with other wonderful women. I’ve made new friends and had my life enriched so much more than i dreamed simply DANCING could do. It’s a beautiful art….the movements, the costuming….it speaks to my soul and draws the hidden “Goddess” in me out into the open. I am so glad i put my self out there and bravely set out to do something i’d always wanted to do but never was brave enough to try. I am not a great dancer, and i have so much to learn it’s overwhelming sometimes….but it’s worth it forthe incredible rush of joy i get when i allow myself to let go of my ego and just shimmy and slink!

Will you won’t you will you won’t you join the dance?

took an axe…..

gave her father forty whacks

And when she saw what she had done,

She gave her mother forty one !

Lizzie Bourdain was of course, inspired by the infamous “unsolved” hatchet murders of Andrew and Abby Borden

Blood stain evidence? No one will ever know…..

…..And watching way too many episodes of “Anthony Bourdain’s No Reseverations” played a bit of a part in the doll-naming process, i can’t deny it. Totally crushing on ol’ nastybits Tony! Such an interesting guy with the coolest job in the universe.

Anyway! Enough about my latest crush!

Lizzie is a big girl…about 21 inches tall and as always, made mostly of recycled fabrics…i really like the intriguingly brownish “stains” on the lace and thought it added to the creepy mystery. Brocade fabric yoyos and buttons for eyes and lots of embroidery make up her loony-looking mug. She’ll be up for adoption soon!

Hoping everyone is having a grand Friday!

xoxoxo

“For a gallon of elderberry wine, I take one teaspoon full of arsenic, then add half a teaspoon full of strychnine, and then just a pinch of cyanide.”

“Hmm. Should have quite a kick.”

More inspiration from one of my very favorite films, “Arsenic and Old Lace.” Completely handsewn, I embroidered “Arsenic” onto a little piece of black cotton, stitched it down onto a scrap of vintage drapery fabric, sewed on a fancy button and some pieces of lace and ribbon that i dyed in Earl Grey and rose tea. Sweet, but with pinch of morbidity mixed in….now that’s good poison!

Happy Wednesday, lovies! Would you like a glass of wine before you go?

Muahahahahaha!

xoxoxoxo

Hooray! I am ready to break out the cheap champagne with pomegranate Italian soda cocktails and do some celebrating!  Why the joy? Why, it’s because i finally finished one of those huge 100 year long embroidery projects that i so love to torture myself with…ahhh, it hurts so good!

Another giant sugar skull, worked up on the back of one of my wee beastie’s outgrown denim jackets. (It’s SO TINY! He seems enormous compared to this lil’ old jacket!)  I think that i might have gone alittle over the top with the magawatts-bright juicy tropical colors because my camera can’t seem to handle the brightness of it all. But i really love how it “pops” and i am overjoyed to be DONE with it!

Pomegranate champagne, anyone? Cheers!

Hoping you are all having a lovely lovely monday!

xoxoxo

Mint Juleps are refreshing and lovely to sip on a hot summer day…..but too many can be very very dehydrating, as poor Jenny discovered…..

Even stripping down to to her unmentionables was not enough to cool the poor dear down…

Miss Jenny Julep is getting packed and ready to venture off on a long journey to meet a lovely Mad Gypsy Hattress who lives on an Enchanted Isle where the air smells of chocolate and all things magical…Bon Voyage, Miss Jenny Julep!

xoxox

Finally a crafty post to share! I have been working on all kinds of stuff, just not doing any posting about it. It’s really hard to “get back on the horse” once you fall off, but i am finally ready to get back to it. No more putting it off! So, here we go!

This season, i was blessed with an HUGE abundance of roses on all my bushes. I usually use the petals in the soaps and bath salts, but in got it in my head that i wanted to try my hand at an experiment.

I collected a bunch of petals from my Don Juan, and a small handful of blossoms from the jasmine, just for fun…i tossed ‘em into a big pot of boiling water and added some salt. Once the water started taking on some color from the petals, i put in an assortment of textile goodies….a vintage slip, some doilies, bits of ribbon and lace, you name it, in it went! The scent of the “dye” was so lovely!!! I simmered the whole mess for hours, then turned off the heat and let it marinate overnight. The results were so pleasing and wonderful, and the process was great fun!

The slip….

And the other bits and bobs:

I love all the varied mauve and purplish shades it produced! Dyeing is such a fun process, and i am glad i went beyond my usual tea dying! Not that tea dyeing has not given me wonderful results as well….i made a little series of tea dyed things, “Arsenic and Iced Tea”.

A cuff constructed from lace recycled from a vintage dress, teadyed ruffles and a crazy-huge funky pearly button and satin ribbons…

A “Neck Lace” that i teadyed ribbons and ruffles and lace embellished with glass pearls, a funky button and a yo-yo made from tea dyed organza…

And another vintage slip that i embellished with a collage of lace and doilies and such….

So there you have it! It’s little scary, but still, it feels good to be getting back in the blog-saddle to share some of the creative stuff i’ve got going on. Ihave really missed this and i promise to try to keep up with it alittle better now. Tomorrow, i will be back to talk about my latest little dead dollies Hope to see ya’ll then! Meanwhile, big bright blessings to all!

xoxoxo