Motivation for fighting Mundane Mondays

Week of June 16, 2014

Mondays can often be downers. It’s the beginning of yet another work week. That’s 5 whole days before you’re free, be it to craft and create or to attend the next event. But instead of letting the weight of a new week stifle my creativity or energy I've collected some links to use as inspiration. I’m sharing them here to give you a little Motivation for fighting Mundane Mondays.

1. The Dreamstress has a reoccurring feature on her blog that I look forward to. Rate the dress is where she shares a different dress/outfit that she tells a little about and asks her readers to vote on. I enjoy seeing various different and often times new to me, dresses.

2. Do you want unique one of a kind shoes? Or at least not ones that look exactly like everyone else's who bought from the same source you did? American Duchess shoes how you can customize a pair of her Pompadours.

3. Katherine from the Fashionable Past shared another 1920s undies tutorial. This time a silk and lace Envelope Chemise. A girl can never have to many pretty undergarments.

4. Loren over at The Costumer's closet has been sharing her beading progress on her GoT dress. She finished one motif and posted a picture of it pinned on her dress. I LOVE the gold embroidery contrasted against the dark gown.

5. I had seen Morgan Donner's Ascension Day project pinned on Pinterest before but I just found her blog. Oh My Gosh!!!! Soooooo many pictures, so much research. Forgive me while I get lost in her blog for awhile.

6. Tyranny of Style shares an article about Disney World's Festival of Fantasy Parade's costumes. I found the use of a 3-d printer interesting and of course loved all making of and final product pictures.

Picture of my kitty helper because I lack any sewing update pictures for this week. Sorry I'm slacking this week I caught a nasty bug over the weekend.

Motivation for fighting a Mundane Monday

Week of June 9, 2014

Mondays can often be downers. It’s the beginning of yet another work week. That’s 5 whole days before you’re free, be it to craft and create or to attend the next event. But instead of letting the weight of a new week stifle my creativity or energy I've collected some links to use as inspiration. I’m sharing them here to give you a little Motivation for fighting Mundane Mondays.

1. Working on various projects over the weekend I kept going back to my Pinterest boards for inspiration. The boards I kept referencing were the Cosplay, 20s, and 18th century boards.

I was happy to find more than one extant example of a hat with bows like this. I have seen it on re-enactors and thought it was super cute.

2. American Duchess has a new Edwardian style up for pre-order. The Savorys are a multi-strapped beaded beauty.

3. Demode's 18th century hair and wig styling book has hit the publishers. You can still pre-order it, and its due to ship out mid-July. She even has a preview of a few pages.

4.  Loren has been sharing her progress with her GoT Cersei's gown. I like watching as it comes together and am grateful she is sharing her critics and tweaks to the Simplicity and McCall patterns.

5. After seeing this tutorial on smooth beading I was reminded of a similar tutorial made a few years by Jenny Rose. I decided to refresh myself with it and then got lost on her other beading pages.

6. Katherine released a tutorial reproducing a 1920s combination based off an antique she has in her collection.

7. Another tutorial I bookmarked to use later was A Damsel in this Dress'es tutorial on How to make a Kirtle and Burgundian Gown.

8. There was a tutorial for Elsa's shoes I also found interesting. In the comments she does say she needs to find a way to keep them on better and that they are a bit uncomfortable, (but her friend didn't find them to be,) but its a wonderful starting point. And if I can't fix those problems they would still be super cute to wear for photo shoots, just maybe not to cons.

9. One of my GoT groups shared this site that has close ups of the costume's embroidery. I had seen some of the pictures before but this page is more extensive then most and there were quite a few I hadn't seen before.

10. When a fellow costumer shared a progress pic of embroidery she was doing with beetle wings, I was reminded of plans I had of doing some also. This also prompted some Google searches. My favorite inspiration was this tumblr page. 

Mundane Monday's Costumer Spotlight - Jen Thompson

Our next Costumer Spotlight is Jen Thompson.

What started you in costuming? What was your first costume? 

I have been obsessed with costumes since I was a little girl so it’s hard to pinpoint a true “first” costume, but the first costume that I actually sewed myself was made to wear to the Texas Renaissance faire while I was in college. My first few costumes were just wench bodices with hitched up skirts and flower wreaths, but they were the gateway costumes that inspired me to start researching historical styles and drafting my own patterns.

Many of us are not fond of our first few costumes when we look back on them, but can you tell me a couple things that you did like about yours? What about them inspired you to continue and make more?

I’ve never been overly judgmental about my first few costumes. Actually, I’m always a bit amazed by how fearless I was and how I jumped right into sewing some pretty complicated outfits right from the start. For example, my wedding dress was only the 3rd or 4th historical outfit that I had ever made, and attempting something that big and important with so little experience seems a bit insane to me now, but I somehow managed to pull it off. I’m a big believer in the whole “fake it until you make it” mentality, and even though my first costumes were held together with lots of hot glue and safety pins and they were FAR from historically correct, they made me feel beautiful, were tons of fun to wear, and my sewing skills and historical knowledge improved by leaps and bounds with every dress that I made, so that’s all that really matters.

When I started doing research into historical fashions your 1560 Venetian gown with the cutout sleeves was one of the first costumes I discovered. Will you share with us, why you choose to undertake that dress. Are there any interesting things you learned while making that dress?
I’ve always been a bit of a cheapskate when it comes to costuming, so I love figuring out ways to manipulate fabric and embellish it so that you end up with something really eye-catching without having to spend extra money on it. Cutwork in particular has always interested me because is very inexpensive and low tech to make, but it has a great wow-factor thanks to the high contrast and intricate patterns. All it takes is patience and time, and I discovered that working on repetitive patterns like this is actually very meditative and soothing. 

Renaissance faires are how I started costuming.  This was one of the first gowns that I came across when I started researching historically accurate costumes. It still wows me to this day.

What is your favorite costume of all that you’ve made and why?
Such a hard question! My answer would probably change depending on my mood, but right now, I think my favorite costume is my 1790s ikat open robe. It is a relatively simple dress, but it is so fun to wear. I adore fashions from the 1790’s, and the combination of the cotton print with the train and turban makes it feel somehow casual and glamorous at the same time. I’m pretty laid back with fashion in real life, so this dress feel more like “me” than some of my other more fancy outfits. 

 
Which  of your costume did you learn the most as a costumer and what did you learn?

I think I learned the most on my 16th c. Moroni outfit because it was such an ambitious project for me at the time in regards to research and techniques. I’ve always admired the historical concept of a “masterpiece” where you create a challenging and somewhat showy work of art to graduate from the journeyman stage and show the world that you have mastered your craft. I always looked at that dress as my own personal “masterpiece”, using the traditional meaning of the word. It’s one of the few dresses that I’ve ever made that I was completely happy with and wouldn’t change a thing about it. 

 
What inspires you most when choosing what costumes you want to make?

I seem to fall into two categories when it comes to inspiration. About half of the time, I fall in love with a particular fashion plate, painting, or surviving dress, and I am either trying to recreate that one dress, or maybe I’m working to create a very specific type of dress from a particular time and place. But I am also equally inspired by mental puzzles and difficult challenges, like the Historical Sew Fortnightly. I think my desire to recreate specific dresses shows my love of history and research, and my desire to work on challenges allows me to express my creativity and love of problem solving.

Are there any fields in costuming that you think are interesting or intimidating that you still want to learn? What about that specific part of costuming makes you want to try it?

I am totally blown away by people who make their own shoes, but I’m not sure if this is something that I will ever try myself. It seems so technically difficult that I can barely wrap my brain around the process. But I’m fascinated by the idea of making shoes, and I have AMAZING respect for the few costumers who can successfully create their own footwear. They are my idols!

Any big projects planned for the future that we can look forward to following and /or its big reveal?
I am hoping to make a 1900’s mourning outfit for the DFWCG’s Mourning Tea Party in October, which will require a whole new set of underwear and some fun experiments with new patterns and a giant Merry Widow hat of DOOM! ;) I love exploring eras from history that I haven’t worked with before, and I’ve never made a true Edwardian costume, so I’m really looking forward to learning some new things with that project.

And in true Mundane Monday fashion please share a couple links that you found interesting or inspiring this week. 

- All the Pretty Dresses – I think this is such a cool resource to supplement what you can find in museum databases. Best of all, a lot of these entries include photos of the insides of dresses, which helps you learn so much about construction techniques. I think Isabella is doing such a wonderful thing by collecting all of this information in one place.

- Kleidung um 1800 - Sabine is my research idol, and I love the way she blurs the line between hobbyist costumers and academics. Her articles on regency short stays are truly groundbreaking, and her Regency clothing always make me feel like I’m peeping through a window in time. She is amazing!

- Bunka Gakuen digital archive - this is my very favorite place for historical costume research and inspiration. I love this site like crazy and have spent hundreds of hours obsessing over the fabulous eye candy here.

You can follow Jen at her blog, Festive Attyre.

I am extremely grateful to each Costumer that agreed to be featured in a Spotlight. They helped the blog from falling into radio silence while I was busy with end of semester work. BUT finals are over and I can get back to using my energy towards creative things again. If you don't already, I would highly recommend following each of these ladies' blogs. They all inspire me on a regular basis with the many different, creative, and beautiful things they do.

Mundane Monday's Costumer Spotlight -Loren Dearborn

Our next costumer spotlight is Loren Dearborn

What started you in costuming and what was your first costume?

My mom's an artist and we didn't have a lot of money when I was growing up, so she often made my costumes, and she was the one who first taught me how to sew.  So that's where it started but I didn't really get into making my own costumes until around the end of college.  I lived in San Francisco then and did some events with this group called the Cacophony Society, some of which required costumes.  Through them I found out about the Greater Bay Area Costumer's Guild and eventually I started going to their events.  I think my first was this mermaid costume I made for a Halloween costume party my roommate and I were throwing in college.  I basically made a long strapless stretch dress out of a sparkly fabric then sewed panels of cellophane to make a tail that sort of draped out behind me.  This blurry old photo is the only picture I have of it.

Many of us are not fond of our first few costumes, but can you tell me a couple things that you did like about yours? What about them inspired you to continue and make more?

I think from the get go I had my own sense of style with my costumes that continues to this day, not sure I can put a finger on it but even with those very early attempts it was there - even if fit, construction and materials were not!

One of your costumes that first drew my attention to you and your costuming was your pink 18^th century pirate that you wore to Costume Con 26. I was just learning about about Historical Costuming and there you were with a very historical shape, but it had a very unique twist. Can you share with us, why you choose to undertake that dress.  Are there any interesting things you learned while making that dress? 

There was a wonderful Pirate Feast in Maryland that some friends and I'd been going to for a few years but I was tired of wearing the typically dark and ominous pirate costumes and wanted to do something totally different.  A few of us talked about making pink pirate costumes instead - and this was mine!  I'm not sure I learned much construction-wise while making that since it was a pattern I'd made a few times before, but I DID learn just how different you can make the same pattern look by using different fabrics and colors.

Which of your costumes is your favorite and why?

I think my favorite costume may be this bright floral 1780s gown I made.  I just fell in love with the fabric, so much so in fact that when I had the chance I bought some more so I could make a matching petticoat.  

What inspires you most when choosing what costumes you want to make?

That's a tough one!  I am certainly drawn towards certain styles, color and patterns, but putting my finger on exactly what it is that compels me to make a new costume is hard.  Costume events help shape that, in that I may be searching 1880s silhouettes because of an upcoming event during that era, but I guess  what really inspires me is fabric.  I see a fabric and fall in love with it and have a vision as to what I think it should be.

Which costume did you learn the most or progress the most as a costumer and why/what did you learn?

I think the Duchess Movie's Victory Gown reproduction I made was maybe one of the biggest leaps I made in costuming, in learning how to take a period body block (18th Century) and use that as the base to draft a completely new garment (the jacket) that fit well from the get-go.

Are there any fields in costuming that you think are interesting, intimidating or that you just haven’t gotten to yet, that you still want to try? What about that specific part of costuming makes you want to try it?

Tons!  Most of my experience has been in the late 1700s through 1880s, most other eras are a mystery to me and seem daunting as a result.  I'd love to learn more about time frames outside my comfort zone, but also techniques I've never tried.  I look at some of the amazing armor I've seen cosplayers make and think, I'd love to try that sometime!

Any big projects planned for the future that we can look forward to following and /or its big reveal?

I don't know that I have any big secret projects planning for the immediate future, but I'm a bit obsessed with Game of Thrones at the moment, so look for a lot of Cersei Lannister's gowns!

In true Mundane Monday fashion please share a couple links that you found interesting or inspiring this week. 

I've been fascinated with Sarah of Mode Historique's posts on the chemise gown.  She just came back from England where she was studying one of the few chemise gowns still around and has been posting interesting updates on what she's learned. 

I thought this post on Archeology and Art on reproing a Mycenaen barbecue was pretty cool.

And I also loved Katherine's of the Fashionable Past's 1920s hoops.  It's rare you see people reproing the Robe de Style look so it's very cool to get a tutorial on hoops for that style of gown.

You can follow Loren at her blog: A Costumer's Closet

Mundane Monday's Costumer Spotlight - Laura U

Our second Costumer Spotlight is Laura U.

How did you get started in costuming? What was your first costume? Do you have any pictures?

I actually started making costumes in high school. I have a lot of family members who quilt and sew and making Halloween costumes was a very big thing. (My aunt made an epic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle outfit for my sister once!) The first one I made completely by myself was a Raggedy Ann costume. Sadly there are no photos remaining, but I was very proud of myself for creating striped tights by taping off nylons and spray painting them! Then I got married at 21, had my first child at 23 and suddenly I was making their costumes too. I didn't start making any for a living or even for a hobby till 2003 or so when a friend was making a Professor McGonagal hat and asked me if I would make the cloak. After that it was all wigs and costumes and make-up, oh my!

This is the oldest photo I have of me in a costume I made. It is a nun costume that I made of bed-sheets that I wore to a costume contest in the Army. I also made the pope costume.

Laura made both of these costumes. We covered the gentleman's face for privacy reasons since we can't ask his permission first.

Many of us are not fond of our first few costumes, but can you tell me a couple things that you did like about yours? What about those few inspired you to continue and make more?

I have always liked the costumes I made, even the older ones. I've always been particular about using nice looking fabrics and trims, and I've always tried very hard to have outfits fit the shape of the person they were meant for. Poor fit and bad fabric can make an outfit look way more sloppy than it is. Because I got better with each outfit and tried more and more things each time, it gave me the encouragement to keep going. There was always something more to learn.

I first met you at Costume College 2009 when you were wearing your Camo Elizabethen. For someone who had just discovered historical costuming, you blew my mind by combining genres. Can you share with us, why you chose to undertake that dress?

I do love my Camo Elizabethan costume. I chose to make it because my costuming group at the time was going to dress in costume for the "Day of Wrong" at Bristol Renaissance Faire. We decided to do "historical silhouettes" in wrong fabric. Because I had been in the army, it seemed a no-brainer to do it in camo. I re-used some army uniform pieces that belonged to me and bought and repurposed the rest. I am particularly proud of the partlett I made of the old BDU t-shirts. I wound up wearing it at Costume College because it was literally one of the only outfits I had done (or mostly done as I sewed some of it in the hotel room) in time for CosCol! It was a great ice breaker because it was so wacky. I also discovered at that point that I really love turning genres upside-down. Straight-up historical isn't always my bag, although I have made things that I love that are very historical in structure.

Being a sailor myself, I'm not sure who I should root for.

This is my favorite photo of me in the Camo outfit. It is me (as Army) fighting the Navy guys at the MN Renaissance Festival, lol.

What inspires you most when choosing what costumes you want to make?

 Anything can inspire me. Sometimes I see two things next to each other and think, "That would be fun!" Or I see a vintage poster, or find a piece of jewelry that gives me an idea. I get a lot of ideas brainstorming with my friends. Fabric is a big motivator, though.

What is your favorite costume of all that you've made and why? 

I don't really have one favorite costume that I love. I learned a lot making the Steampunk Clown and Eleonora, but I equally love the Jedi I made for my 6 month old nephew and costumes I have made for my daughters. My favorite costume is usually the one I am currently working on!

WOW!

Cuteness overload!

What costume did you learn the most or progress the most as a costumer and why/what did you learn?

The one I learned the most on was actually a group - when I did the Six Wives of Henry VIII. I learned a lot about research and historical fit, I learned to make hats (sad hats, but still they were hats!), jewelry, corsetry, cod pieces, tights, etc. I learned how to shop for fabric and how to recreate a portrait. And how to manage a group of people in costume. It was the single greatest learning experience of my life from costuming. It has affected everything I have done since. And I hope to do a better job when I do it again next year....

Are there any fields in costuming that you think are interesting, intimidating or that you just haven’t gotten to yet, that you still want to learn? What about that specific part of costuming makes you want to learn it?

There are various genres and historical eras that I haven't gotten to. I used to say never about some things and then had to bite my tongue when I decided to create something, so I have learned to be open to everything. I am not particularly interested in recreating different sorts of corsets. I admire the work and talent that goes into making them, but I just find undergarments to be tedious to make. I want to get to the fitting and the trim! I am all about the trimmings. I would like to learn more about hat-making. I will likely never make shoes. I have such particular feet that it is better for me to buy modern shoes and modify them. I would very much like to make a Medieval costume at some point. The hats are so amazing.

Any big projects planned for the future that we can look forward to following and /or its big reveal?

 I am planning on recreating the Lady MacBeth dress as worn by Ellen Terry in the UK that was featured in the Singer Sargent portrait. There is a lot of knitting and crocheting in that gown along with metal-work that is new to me, so I figure it will take awhile. I also am working on a wearable art sort of historically inspired coat outfit for a Queen Titania costume for next year. Lots of quilting, 3-D flowers and some leatherwork. I also will be learning how to make my own wig which both excites and terrifies me. And I am creating a Game of Thrones costume, just like everyone else, lol. My daughter has a Daenerys costume, so I am making a Rhaella costume since Rhaella is her mother. I may just make a habit of making the Mom costumes to my daughter's costumes since there are a lot of fun options out there! Although I really can't imagine what Ms. Frizzle's Mother (from the Magic School Bus) would look like!

And in true Mundane Monday fashion please share a couple links to blogs, pics, tutorials, WHATEVER that you found interesting or inspiring this week. 

1.  Have to give a shout-out to Shear Madness, because I started it so that people who love all different kinds of costuming would have a space to gather. The blog and the FB group

2. Pinterest. LOVE Pinterest. I see more inspiring things and tutorials on there everyday. 

3. Game of Thrones costuming group on FB - really great folks who are supportive of each other and do amazing work!  

4. There are so many really great blogs and groups out there. Jennifer Rosburgh, Loren Dearborn, Your Wardrobe Unlock'd, LiveJournal, etc., etc. Just so much great information from bloggers out there. I could spend all day (and have!) just reading their sites.

You can follow Laura on her blog, Rocking the Frock. She is the Mistress of the Madness over at the Shear Madness group, also.

Mundane Monday's Costumer Spotlight: Katherine C-G

As I mentioned last week, the end of my school semester is upon me, but I didn't want to abandon Mundane Mondays. Thankfully a few of my favorite costumers have been happy to help fill the void while I am gone.

It was a little hard to choose who to ask because so many inspire me on a regular basis. Of course this gives a positive outlook to being at the beginning of my college years. I have many, MANY more school semesters to wrap up, and hopefully many more costumer spotlights. In deciding who to ask this time around I chose to ask costumers who inspired me when I was first starting out and who continue to inspire me today.

Mundane Monday's first costumer spotlight is Katherine C-G or, as she is more often known, Koshka-the-Cat.

What started you in costuming? What was your first costume? Are there any surviving pictures? Any that you are willing to share? 

One day I was bored and looking things up online. I don’t even remember what. I came across the Sense and Sensibility website and the instructions to make the Regency dress and thought, “I could do that!” I ordered the pattern, bought a sewing machine, and that was that. 

This was in 2001, and I really need to get that film developed! 

Many of us are not fond of our first few costumes when we look back on them. Can you tell me a couple things that you did like about yours? What about them inspired you to continue and make more?

I’m not sure how, but somehow I managed to get my first few costumes to fit pretty decently. They definitely weren't the most exciting things, but they fit. I wore my pink linen 18c dress to my first Costume College gala, and while that made me realize how plain it was, it also made me realize that fit was the most important thing about a dress. The rest is just fabric choices and decoration! Just being around so many gorgeous dresses there convinced me I had to continue. 

What inspires you most when choosing what costumes you want to make?
It’s usually pictures. I rarely have an event that requires a particular costume, so I mostly make whatever I want. I like to think of places like the Met as my own personal catalog. And Pinterest is the best thing ever. If I do have that rare I need something from a time period event, I’ll look through extant clothing and pictures or portraits of the time period. 

I have been following you for several years and am always inspired by your costumes. But your magenta silk 1869 Evening Dress, was one of the first to completely "wow" me. Can you share with us, why you choose to undertake this dress. 

  

I showed my mom Nineteenth Century Fashion in Detail. She saw the dress on the cover and said, “You couldn't make that, could you?” I told her that I could, but I’d never find the fabric. A little while later, I was looking for something else at Fashion Fabrics Club, and they had the fabric. Of course I had to get it! I made an evening dress because I wanted to wear it to the Costume College gala. I later made the day bodice that’s pictured inside the book. 

Day Bodice

Close up of the sleeve detail.

What is YOUR favorite costume of all that you've made and why?

It sometimes changes to my newest costume, but it always seems to go back to my black 1860s ball gown. 

 I’m really not sure why I like it so much. I’ve always liked black though, and it has a little bit of sparkle, and a low neckline, which I always enjoy wearing more than high necklines. 

Which costume did you either learn or progress the most as a costumer and why/what did you learn?

It’s been a very gradual process for me. I don’t think there’s one costume that I really made that jump in. One of the more surprising moments though, was when I was making my first court dress. I was using my 1780s stays pattern as a base, and I added a trial amount to the back to make it close in back. I guessed the right amount. I thought it was a fluke, but similar things kept on happening, so I finally took it as a sign that I knew what I was doing!

The spotty dress is probably my most technically challenging dress. With three separate closures and highly decorated skirt, it was somewhat crazy to put together, especially as my friend Aubry and I were making matching dresses while 2000 miles apart. It was a great exercise in communicating techniques!

Are there any fields in costuming that you think are interesting, intimidating or that you just haven’t gotten to yet? What about that specific part of costuming makes you want to try it?

I’ve actually tried pretty much everything I’ve wanted to do. That said, there are many areas of costuming that I find impressive and intimidating! Anything not made with fabric, to be exact. Armor is just amazing. As for work with fabric, true tailoring is just beautiful and at the same time, something I’m happy doesn't really appear in women’s clothing for my usual time periods. I’m very historically based, and even the fantasy I’ve done is historically based fantasy, and I’ve approached it using mainly historical techniques.

Any big projects planned for the future that we can look forward to following?

I have an ambitious line up for Costume College this year. New dresses include a King’s Landing style Game of Thrones dress with beaded embroidery and beetle wings, a 1920s tennis dress with hand hemstitching, a silver and black robe de style with real machine hemstitching and about a million (ok, 180) thread covered beads, and a spencer covered with braid. I think I can do it all! And then, finally the 1890s bicycling sweater I've wanted for ages for next Costume College. 

You can follow Katherine at her costuming blog: The Fashionable Past, Her dress site, her Live Journal, or her Flickr account.

She also has a blog dedicated to her antiques that she takes detailed photos of and offers invaluable construction details.

Motivation for fighting a Mundane Monday

Week of May 5, 2014

Mondays can often be downers. It’s the beginning of yet another work week. That’s 5 whole days before you’re free, be it to craft and create or to attend the next event. But instead of letting the weight of a new week stifle my creativity or energy I’ve collected some links to use as inspiration. I’m sharing them here to give you a little Motivation for fighting Mundane Mondays.

1. The tyranny of style blog wrote an interesting article about a talk between costume designer Sandy Powell and Professor Deborah Nadoolman Landis about designing "The Young Victoria". The article also mentions the The Getty Center's exhibit "A Royal Passion: Queen Victoria and Photography." which I have personally gone to see. If you are able to, I would recommend it. Old photos offer so much in how the clothing was worn and how it looked on a person that fashion plates and mannequins can't. And if you like history there are lots of little tid bits throughout the exhibit about Queen Victoria, her family and how photography, an emerging technology, played into their lives.

2. Cinema Makeup School is having a "Next Level of Cosplay Scholarship Contest". Check out the entries!

3. Ever want to add lights to your costumes. This tutorial shows how to 'sew' LEDs into your costume.

4. I'm always jealous of those who have costuming buddies or a guild nearby. This week that envy was directed at the east coast because there were many who shared about their outing at the Fort Fredrick 18th century market fair. Historically Dressed, and A Dedicated Follower of Fashion, both shared LOTS of pictures of the event.

5. An interesting take on how to make armor. She is using it as a Fem Thor Armor but it could be applied to others.

6. Costume Con 32 was last weekend and pictures are starting to show up all over the web. Here is a link to a Flicker search. So many fun costumes!

7. I have followed this dress' story since close to its beginning. She had some ups and downs while trying to create it. Yet because she shared them with us along the way, it made seeing it all come together and her wearing it a great pleasure.

8. This weekend I attended the Southern California Renaissance faire. I wore a 'this 'ol thing' outfit but I did have a few new accessories.

My new Elizabethan shoes, American Duchess' Stratfords made their debate. I do have one complaint which is they run small, and I ended up with blisters. But they are stunning! I'm already plotting outfits that will coordinate and show them off better.


As I enter my last couple weeks of the spring semester I know my motivation and inspiration levels will be sapped away by term papers, projects and finals. But don't worry I have asked a couple of my favorite costumers to share with you, about their costumes and what inspires them. I am extremely excited that they have all agreed and promise you, you won't lack from inspiration to help motivate you while I am gone.