It's PINK!

I recently completed two black and pink parasols. I had someone contact me about a piece I'd sold some time ago, and I've been meaning to do another one in this color scheme, and just one wasn't enough. Plus, now I've got two chances to tempt the headmistress of the Gothic Charm School!



A first for me - I added a black lace overlay to the panels before trimming the ribs. I like the look, and am itching now to do another one, but with ivory lace and trim. It came out fabulously!



The second one is a lot closer to the first of these I did, although the trim is different. I alternated with three different types on the ribs, and also added a black beaded fringe around the edges.



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Part one of my Saturday suit is finished!

Bloomers, full circle knee-length skirt (that I drafted myself!), and jacket complete. Ruffles everywhere! I'd originally planned on wearing this with an ivory blouse, but then I fell in love with this vintage crinoline:



So now I've switched from ivory to black accents, but I can live with that.

I also finished up another new parasol to be premiered at Steamcon:

Costuming progress report

I got in some good sewing hours today, working on my current project.



The bloomers still need a waistband, but I had to put down the thread and step away from the sewing machine after I realized I'd rolled one leg's hem outwards instead of inwards and sewed the ruffled trim to the outside of the let. Will do the seam ripping tomorrow and get them finished.

There will also be two skirts to go with this outfit, a full-circle knee-length, lolita-esque one and an a-line floor-length piece, so I can go Steampunk flirty or traditional Victorian.

Costuming update

I've been bad! Almost two weeks and no posting. I've been busy, getting ready for Halloween and Steamcon, though.

Here's three new parasols I've finished in the last week:





And I have turned my daughter into a pirate:



I've also started a new outfit for myself, began the cutting tonight. Sneak preview of the fabrics:

Colors of Fall

New season, new beading challenge from ArtBeads! ****

This time, we were told to make a piece in a color or colors from Pantone's Fall Fashion Color Report. I perused through their gemstones section, and picked out some rhodonite chips, pretty close to the "rose dust" color, and lepidolite cylinders, for "purple orchid." For finishing, I chose some copper bead caps and an antiqued copper filigree clasp from the findings page.

This turned into another strung piece, alternating the chips and the cylinders. I found the chips to be rather fragile, and I had a hard time getting them off the cord, losing a few in the process, but I got the hang of pretty quickly it and didn't break too many of them. The lepidolite cylinders were very uniform in color, and evenly drilled, very easy to work with! I have a stash of larger lepidolite beads, and used one of them as a pendant on the finished piece, a piece that had some hints of pink in it and added just the right touch.











****This post is a part of the ArtBeads Beaders who Blog program. They provide the beads to us free of charge, and we provide an honest review of their products. We are not paid to review or endorse them.

Sneak peak

Here's the fabric I'm using for my dress in progress:



I've got the pieces out and should be able to get the sewing done tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Mine!

Also vending at last weekend's festival was the talented and gracious Javagoth, who makes beautiful beaded jewelry. I purchased a steampunk pin of hers at this year's Norwescon from the artshow, similar to this piece:

Bright Steel & Black Watchface Pin



We conferred on a custom piece for me, which she just completed. Isn't it marvelous?



I'm jokingly calling this part of our jewelry exchange program, as she's bought jewelry from me previously. It's wonderful to return the favor!

A Year in the Making, day 290

Technically day 289, since I finished this last night, but don't want to mess up my numbering system. I'd previously taken a pink parasol and embellished it with black trim and lace. That one sold last month, and I miss it. But instead of doing another pink and black one, I decided I'd try my hand at doing a black one with pink embellishments!

Black and Pink Gothic EGL Lolita Parasol



This is the first parasol I've made that I could actually reproduce, as the materials are all very straightforward.

Also last night, I prepped today's dinner, a savory bread pudding, the husband's request for father's day dinner. He'd bought a loaf of good french bread for sandwiches last week, but my food poisoning completely threw meal planning out the window, so the loaf had gotten rather crunchy. No problem, though, that made it just perfect for baking.

Savory bread pudding:

1 loaf french bread, cut into ~1" medallions
8 eggs
3 cups milk (or 1 cup cream or half and half plus 2 cups milk)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup chopped ham (optional)

Beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper together. Pour over bread in mixing bowl, cover, and refrigerate overnight, turning at least once.

In the morning, mix in cheese and ham, reserving about 1/8 cup cheese. Preheat oven to 400.

Butter an 8x8 casserole dish. Press bread mixture into dish and cover with foil.

Bake for 30 minutes, uncover and sprinkle with reserved cheese. Cook an additional ~10 minutes, till cheese bubbles and starts to brown. Let cool for 10 minutes. Slice into 2" squares and serve.

A teaser

Can't be counted towards my year in the making yet, because I won't be finished with it until I can get some pink lace, but here's a couple of shots of the parasol I'm currently working on:

A Year in the Making, day 267

I got all caught up in my project yesterday and forgot to post here! Of course, I do have a bit of an excuse. I went for a lovely lunch at the Crepe Cafe, but afterwards the stomach wasn't happy. Spent the rest of the day as a pathetic lump on the sofa. It worked out, though, because I finished a new parasol! This is a custom order for a friend. I'm calling it the "Cotton Candy" Parasol, for obvious reasons:


Cotton Candy Parasol by *dbvictoria on deviantART



I also got a new necklace completed before I went off to brunch yesterday:

Amethyst Necklace Hand Wrapped in Sterling Silver Wire



Be heading off to the farmers' market this afternoon for work, but hoping to get out and about and maybe take a few pictures beforehand. Mother Nature looks to be drooling today. We'll see.

A Year in the Making, day 187

I have a mystery today. I have these stone beads. I know they are dyed, a brilliant shade of purple. I do not know what the stone is under the dye! One of those strands I bought ages ago, that was sure I'd remember so I didn't write the name down on the little plastic bag. You know how that goes, yes?



Any clues?

A Year in the Making, day 164

I got caught up editing images in Photoshop last night, and then fell asleep. Finally got the images of the earrings that went *poof* retaken, and will be listing them later tonight.

I also made a couple of new pieces today. I'm dipping into the odd bin with these. This is the box where I put all the one and two odd pieces I acquire incidentally when I'm buying bulk lots of vintage bits and broken jewelry pieces. One pendant, two charms, and a single earring later, here's what I came up with:

Diamond Cut Silver Flower Necklace with Pink and Clear Glass



Pink Skull and Crossbones Earrings with Rhinestones and Hot Pink Glass



And yesterday's post reminded me I'd never listed this set, so it's up as well. I need to stop doing that!

Romantic Pale Pink and White Pearl Set with Sterling Heart Pendant



We'll be off shortly to have an early dinner at our favorite local seafood place, with a lovely view over the sound, and I've got a bottle of very nice champagne chilling. Happy Valentine's Day to you all, and remember, each one of you, that there is always someone that loves you!

A Year in the Making, day 160

Today, I sorted through and found some components I'd salvaged from a broken bracelet that I acquired in a mixed lot of jewelry some time back. There were four pink Swarovski bicones, and four matching rhinestones in settings, plus half of a toggle clasp set with smaller rhinestones. I paired them with some contrasting pearls, and used the clasp half as the pendant:

Pink pearl and Swarovski Y Necklace



Tonight, I make roasted garlic puree for a potluck tomorrow night. Easy peasey and so tasty.

Take about 8-10 garlic bulbs, chop off the tops, put them in a piece of aluminum foil, drizzle liberally with olive oil, and bake at 400F for ~1 hour. Peel and puree with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with slices of artisan bread. Be prepared for people to give you lots of room in the elevator at work the next day. Make sure your spouse eats some too.

A Year in the Making, day 158

Still digging into the pearl box. I had a few of this, a few of that left over, and wonders! they were complimentary in shade. There were some peach pearls left over from my first attempt at a knotted necklace, and a few hot pink pearls, but not enough to do a y-necklace, and a few almost pure white pearls too. So here they all are in a cluster:

Pink and Peach Pearl Cluster Necklace



And it looks like I'll still be in a pearl groove for a few more days, as there's a couple more colors that are demanding I play with them NOW!

A year in the making, day 149

Off shortly to enjoy high tea with a birthday girl, so I wanted to make sure I got this done before I lapsed into a finger sandwich coma. I'm pretty sure she's going to squeal when she sees what I found for her on Etsy - I'll post a picture later.

Two new necklaces already today, because I woke up at "Oh my goodness it's what time?!?" today. It's truly frightening, all the little odd bits I've got stashed away in my bead kit that I've completely forgotten about and been discovering in the course of this project.

First is this carved agate pendant that I finally strung:

Carved Red Agate and Matte Black Onyx Necklace



And here's one made with another of those metal loops I re-discovered when I made the stitch markers I mentioned a few posts back:





And I've listed the black and pink set today too:

Black Glass and Pink Crystal in Sterling Necklace Bracelet Earring Set

Pink!

Product shot that turned out absolutely fabulously:


Vintage Pink Rhinestones by *dbvictoria on deviantART