Princess Dress, Part Deux

After sewing for three days and three nights...

Okay, maybe not quite that hard-core. But I did put a lot of work into the princess dress! Mostly because I used a Vogue pattern, and Vogue patterns do not cut corners. So you end up doing all the lining, hand-stitching, petticoat, multiple hems, and detail that a difficult pattern requires.

But I have come to value difficult things. Because I find that when I buy a pattern that cuts corners, trys to make things easy for me, I end up with a crappy project. And that is the most unsatisfying thing- to invest in something, even if it is easy, and end up with a dress that doesn't really satisfy me. I would much, much, much rather have something difficult, challenging, and end up with a finished creation that makes me sigh with pleasure.

I love that the bow creates little fairy wings in the back for Maya. I did not anticipate this, but it is so appropriate! Every little girl is a fairy.

Faeries, come take me out of this dull world,

For I would ride with you upon the wind,
Run on the top of the dishevelled tide,
And dance upon the mountains like a flame.


~William Butler Yeats, "The Land of Heart's Desire," 1894

Prince Arthur and the Fairy Queen" byJohann Heinrich Füssli; scene from The Faerie Queene

Princess Fever

Princess dress, in the making, inside-out

Just finished the zipper on Maya's princess dress. I can't tell you how tricky those zippers can be. But- we must never be intimidated by a challenge. 

Last time I was with my niece Maya, she was in her Rapunzel dress 24/7. (Do people still say that?) But it was falling apart. Last I heard, the Rapunzel dress got tossed. 

I get a super big rush out of making things from scratch. In fact I get a little unbalanced about it. It has been a while since I sewed- really sewed something. But Maya, with her delicacy and her love of pink and purple and all things princess- when she is not wearing her grungy Jack Sparrow wig- presented the perfect opportunity to create. And with her 3rd birthday coming up, I decided that yes, it was time for something poofy. And sparkly. And purple. And pink. 

I wish I could capture the sweetness of a dress in the process of creation. I can't really, on camera. There is something about it that is all softness and femininity and just plain old magic. Accuse me of being materialistic if you like- but Cinderella just could not go to the ball in anything less than the perfect dress. Yes? 

Now that the zipper is complete, I do believe it's all downhill from here. But dresses are full of surprises- and they test you, too. It's not finished until the last stitch is sewn. 

Tiffany

How Much is that Kitty in the Window?

Kitty not for sale. 

Happy New Year + Puppy + Birthday = Whoa!

Meet Zoe! The newest pet in our family.

We were just playing around with her in Puppy Love, and all the sudden my mom goes, "I'll take 'er!" Me and my niece Justine were like, "Whaaaaaa?"

I don't know how Pan can be so hard-hearted, but she haaaaates Zoe.

New Year's Day flapjacks! Making flapjacks always reminds me of my brother, Wes. I love him soooo much. It is also his birthday today. Happy Birthday Wes! 

Me & my friend Trisha met up for a really huge breakfast at the Egg & I. It was like a trucker's breakfast. Which is totally appropriate, since we went on a road trip together to Wyoming once. We got lost in Colorado, ended up in some obscure town, and had to ask a lady walking her dog where the heck we were. 

My family still likes to tease me about this. 

Me & sis-in-law Lyn, being veeery silly. You should see the other photos. 

(Actually... you shouldn't.)

Too early for flapjacks? 

~Groundhog's Day

Little Things + Hero / Heroine

This is a post about a combination of things, both spiritual and materialistic in nature, that to me evokes the feeling of Christmas. Oh, with some heroes and heroines thrown in. 

 Christmas booties! 

 My crafty sister who made me a plate. Because of the tape measurer, little bird, and sewing model, 

it reminds me of one of my most beloved heroines, Cinderella. She is my heroine, because even when everything around her is bad, it is like she has this inner light, and she always makes the best of very little. 

Hello Kitty duct tape! Hello Kitty is a great heroine for all girls. She is trusting, innocent, and fun. 

 New pink jacket! So reminiscent of Barbie, another heroine of mine. Barbie is a leader, and when things go wrong in her world, she loses herself in a good cause. 

 New French whisk (the bomb) and hand-embroidered pillowcase from Grandma Winklemann (priceless). 

My Grandma is another heroine of mine, because she is a Domestic Goddess. 

 I do believe in fairies! 

(Just close your eyes and say it. Its all you need to know.)

 Sweettart Candy Canes! 

Something Halloweeny at Christmas... 

Earrings! 

Perfume! 

Stingray teeth! 

I went to the zoo with my nephew Finn, and we petted the sting rays. The zoo guy gave me a tooth. 

My library membership. 

When you think about it, the generosity of libraries, of artists, of the universe in general, doesn't make any sense. Maybe that is why it works so well. 

And now, I am going to write a short meditation on the song "Lucky Now"by Ryan Adams. 

"And the lights will draw you in

but the dark will break you down

and the night will break your heart

But only if you're lucky now"

For me, one of the trickiest things in life is knowing what you really want. But if you are one of those lucky people who know- genuinely know- what it is you want, then you should just go for it. It is worth getting your heart broken- and you will. It is worth going broke. It is worth everything, if you really know what you want. It is worth going on the longest journey ever. Whether you get what you want or not, is not the point. The point is,  you will live. And at the end of this road that is endless, full of heartbreak and sorrow, and lower that low, you'll look back, and you'll realize something- that you were one of the lucky ones. 

True ecstasy hails neither from spirit nor from nature, but from the union of these two.

~Martin Buber

An Affinity for Heels

I'm so blessed to be loved like I am by little people- namely, my nieces and nephews. I mean, I haven't seen Maya in months, and it is like we never parted. On the drive to Queen Creek, she grabs my arms, and proceeds to kiss my fingers and arm for most of the journey. There is nothing like a little person to make you feel good.

Later, when playing upstairs, I took off my shoes, so as not to injure anyone. I see Maya- tearing off her pink cowboy boots in favor of my heels. Then, even though this is probably her first time in such high heels, she proceeds to go down the stairs! The child is a prodigy! I mean, I didn't have that kind of balance until I was like... twenty-five. She went up the stairs, too, and when she hit level ground, she started running in my heels. 

Then, she substituted my name into a song she learned on TV. "Tiffy... she's a little girl in a great big world..." and sang it on the way home. I have the cleverest, most brilliant little people in my life. 

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." 

~William Arthur Ward 
 

Sneak Preview

Hihi!

At the risk of having competitors visit my blog and copy my pumpkin, I am going to reveal my creation one day early. Here is the pumpkin I painted for this year's contest where I work.

A few little notes: Martha Stewart came out with a new line of paint @ Michaels! It is $2.00 a bottle, comes in a multiplicity of beautiful shades, and dried with a lovely satin finish. So partial credit for my pretty pumpkin must go to Martha. Also, I avoided spending lots-o-money on colored glitter (soooo tempting) by painting underneath the glitter and using a clear glitter on top, basically achieving the same effect. Also, I watched "Waking Life" while painting my pumpkin, a philosophical film that will leave you feeling very confused. But in a good way.

Everyone hail to the pumpkin song. 
~Danny Elfman (I believe)