Mina skirt base is cut and looks brilliant now I just need to sew the pleated panels to it and to pleat the last section.

I have been working on my 1906 dress too but I think I will set it aside for a while and make a new outfit for my birthday instead. I just am not sure if I really want to make what I had a quick bee in my bonnet about ;)

Right it might be time to get some photos and to go back and set up the overlocker to red thread.

http://georgianaduchessofdevonshire.blogspot.com/2009/12/hunk-alert-omai.html

SWM, Prince (of sorts), "noble savage", traveler and all-around exotic male looking for a lady who has a taste for the spicier things in life.
Likes: Attention, society, discoveries, and peaceful living

I have come to love the many people of Europe who have been introduced to me since I was brought here by Captain Tobias Furneaux, but I would like to be more intimately acquainted with a special woman. Although I have a reputation for being a prince of Tahiti, that country was merely a stop on my way to England. In actuality I am from Raiatea, a Polynesian island, and have come to England in hope that the English may aid in bringing peace to my beloved country. Do you think you can handle this dangerous and public lifestyle with me?

I need an open-minded woman, who is more accepting and not stuffy. I have plans to return to Raiatea one day; so and openness to relocation and and exotic islands. So if you don't mind trading in those stays for some more comfortable layered clothing we should meet up for coffee!

I was going to work on the sleeve tonight, but I'm feeling lazy so I think I'm going to work on the corset instead. Much easier. And since it's close to being done, maybe I'll get that sense of accomplishment in finishing something that will make it seem possible to have everything done by the 23rd! We'll see :)

And worst case, it's not like I don't have backup dresses :)

Colorado was awesome, and freaking freezing. I made it home alive, despite my own premonitions to the contrary. (Though there is nothing like being utterly convinced you are going to die to make you really appreciate the marvels of modern technology.)

Off to Sonora for extended-hours family christmas tomorrow. Then a day of rest and probably gardening, then NYE, and then a few days to recuperate before heading back to work on the 4th. Zomg.

So Christmas pretty much derailed all my other projects, and all I really wanted to do tonight was pick back up my quilted petticoat and get started on that again...of course as soon as I start thinking how nice and relaxing that would be while at work my tendonitis decides my right thumb should be useless and cause excrutiatinig pain. I've kinda beaten it into submission now with stretches, and pain killers. but I know the smart thing would be to not push my luck. *sigh* Maybe tomorrow after work.

Speaking of work. while unpacking the new 2 for 5 things I discovered the cutest pair of sugar tongs. So I think I might need to have a Victorian Valentine's tea. We can make valentines and dress up! Only thing that would get in the way is my seriously not victorian apt...I dunno it's an idea I shall kick around for a while.

http://artdecoblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/almanaque-bertrand-1938-evolution-of.html

Click image for 846 x 1014 size.

From the Punch: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow.

mods - I apologise for posting about this twice in the same day, but I seem to be the unofficial posterer of the Misha for #1 campaign.

Tonight, Bill Zucker, in all his glorious narcissism attempted to get all of his followers to vote for him at the one time. He obviously did not foresee the four major holes in this plan;

• While he has 50'000 followers, a fairly large number of those are bots and so won't vote for him.
• 50'000 people voting at the one time would sure crash the server, leaving him with no votes.
• He arranged for the vote to happen at 8pm EST - when half the world is sleeping *doh*
• He has been spamming his followers with this voting crap for so long, they're probably all bored of him and have decided to ignore it just to spite him.
  
  
  
  And so, in their masses, they voted. And did it work?
  
  Did it hell!!!
  
  He got a total of 36 votes! 36 out of 50'000 voted for him. I laughed, I laughed my little Scottish arse off! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
  
  So here is the plan.
  
  Tomorrow, we all vote at 8pm EST (1am GMT) - however, I suggest we actually vote between 8pm and 8:20pm as we don't want the servers to crash now do we? So set your alarms, get those mouse fingers ready, cause we've got some serious voting to do!!!
  
  Misha for Best Of Twitter 2009
  
  (also a big thank you to curlytoot for the gif - tis awesome!!!)

My brother is now a married man! Brett looked wonderful, Faye was radiant, and everyone enjoyed themselves.

I am exhausted from trying to make sure my Mom, Dad, and stepmom Bitz all got equal amounts of time with us. Lemme tell ya, LJ, divorce is brutal when it comes to trying to make sure no parent is slighted or gets pissed off. I think my sister and I succeeded in ensuring parental happiness. Poor Melanie, my sister, is recovering from strep throat, but she hung in there like a champ. My SuperAwesomeAdorable Niece, Elena, was a delightful flower girl and did exactly what she was supposed to do -- scattered flower petals, sat down and didn't fidget during the ceremony, and danced the recption away. Oh, and caught the bouquet. :-)

Mel enjoyed herself too -- after a couple glasses of wine, she danced with Boe, my Dad, several of my uncles, my Mom, my Grandma, and Elena. She also very graciously allowed us to take her photo without sighing or trying to hide her face.

Boe looked yummy and very handsome in his suit. We had a lot of fun dancing, but I made sure he danced with Mom whenever Brett or Dad was dancing with Bitz. Mom's relatives were quite impressed with Boe for that. Hey, the woman buys us a new washer and dryer, I think we're gonna make sure that she isn't miserable, you know what I mean?

Most of all, Brett and Faye are so much in love...you could tell any time they looked at each other that they were the happiest couple on earth.

I am tipsy and looking forward to a shower. Mel has her own hotel room and so it's just Boe and I tonight, which is awfully nice.

*is pleased*

Lieutenant and Mrs. Kirby, I like that.

http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/2009/12/27/new-hogsmeade-sign-cautions-please-respect-the-spell-limits

A fun, new sign has been added to the Hogsmeade section of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park at Universal Orlando as construction on the park continues.  Available to view right here via OrlandoThemeParkNews, the iron sign features "Hogsmeade" above a skyline, and the words "Please Respect the Spell Limits" across the bottom.  Additional images of the theme park construction may be...

aka The Smart Bitches' Guide to Romance Novels
aka the most awesome non-fiction book I've read this year.

And it contains all you ever wanted to know (and more) about the romance novel heroin's irresistible Magic Hoo Hoo and the hero's untamable Wang of Mighty Lovin'.

( review, sort of )

It was a great book. I can't recommend it enough.

From the Isabel Toledo: Fashion from the Inside Out book

Title: Things Fall Apart [Part 1/?]
Authors: kimisgirl (wrote Cas, future!dean and Future!Cas) and doubledgedsword (wrote Dean)
Pairing: Castiel/Dean
Rating/Warnings: NC17 this part. Non.Con (not this part but this story will include rape at one point) Mental and Physical abuse hinted at.
Summary: The future Dean finds himself in thanks to Zachariah is not like the past he has just left. He and Castiel are no longer together and he is shocked to find out just how bad it's gone for them. He is horrified by his future self and how broken he has become. Can he do anything

AN: This is a continuation of the "A love story" verse. It can stand alone if you don't want to read the previous story. But parts of it will make more sense if you do read it :D. This story is completely written and parts will be put up ever second day or so! Hope you like it.

Disclaimer: None of the supernatural characters or storylines belong to us :( -sad face-

( Dreams can never compare... )

[001-018] Glee Cast
[019-029] Legend of the Seeker (most Cara)
[030-059] Ashley Greene
[060-074] Supernatural (Castiel)



credit tonicolemissing| DO NOT HOTLINK | comments are ♥ | textless icons are not bases | this post will be public just for few days, so join the community :)
HERE @ decode_icons 

http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/2009/12/27/happy-birthday-melissa-5

Shhhh! Don't tell anyone.. but it's a pretty big day today. She may not
want to make a big fuss and hope everyone's still distracted with their
relatives and after Christmas sales to notice... But today is a day
worth smiling about, as it is now only two weeks until droves of Harry
Potter migrate to New York City - and not for a premiere or a ploy to
free another house elf..



In lieu of the t...

Santa brought me a medieval pitcher and I am soooo thrilled! It's a reproduction of one found near Paris and estimated to be from 13-14th c. Bliss. :D

http://www.needlenthread.com/2009/12/crewel-weekend.html

Yesterday, I actually got to do some stitching on a wee little crewel piece (appropriate called a "small") from Tristan Brooks Designs. Ahhh - to be snowed in is not such a bad deal!

I want to show you this piece of crewel embroidery in a bit more detail later. My intention is to compare and contrast some different wool threads available on the market, but I'll await the sun before venturing into detail photos!

In the meantime, I've had a bit of fun with this piece, a tiny bit of which is shown here:



This is from one of the Charleston Smalls available in kit form on the Tristan Brooks website. I had no intention of actually buying kits when I bought these (heh heh - are you with me here? do you know where I'm coming from?!). I went to Tristan Brooks to order some Pearsall's silk floss, which I'm trying out for an upcoming ecclesiastical project. But oh - these little kits! They caught my eye. No, actually - they didn't just catch! They caught, they latched, they tugged. And golly. I gave in.

What I like about these particular kits is that I had the opportunity to use, side-by-side, two distinct threads suitable for this style of embroidery: Heathway merino crewel wool and Gumnut poppies. There are also some little spots here and there worked in Pearsall's silk, for variety - like the French knot center of the flower above.

Heathway merino crewel wool and Gumnut poppies (a silk / wool blend) are quite a contrast. Heathway offers a matte finish when stitched, while Gumnut poppies throws in a very nice sheen. In the flower above, the three similar petals are worked in Heathway; the other two are worked in Gumnut poppies.

So, coming up, I'll be showing you this little project in a bit more detail, and doing some comparisons on threads. If you have any specific questions about crewel work or similar embroidery, or if you have particular resources, threads, or supplies that you like for this type of needlework, leave a comment below and tell us!

In the meantime, being somewhat snowed in has its advantages! No, I'm not "stuck" (thanks very much for the many e-mails asking how I survived the recent storm!), but I don't mind staying inside to get some work done!



This was after the front steps had been cleared a few times. It's not "tons" of snow, but for Kansas, and for Christmas in Kansas, it was a good amount, and in the aftermath, it's very pretty! The wind swept the roof fairly clean, which is always a disappointment when it comes to picture-taking!

I hope you're enjoying your weekend, wherever you are! Hot or cold, snow or sunshine, may you find a little extra time to spend with your needle and thread!

And not just any company, but armillary, who's home in Sweden for a few days over christmas.

Attention Minions! Your Master needs you!



In the contest of Best of Twitter 2009, a new threat has emerged. Yes, we have vanquished the evil that is Jedward, and we will be rewarded in kind for our efforts. However, a Mr Zucker is slowly creeping up the ranks.

This man, is tweeting every twenty minutes to tell his followers to vote for him. Yeah that's right, he has to ask them to vote, otherwise I'm sure he'd be back on page 19. He's also been badmouthing minions and The Sex, saying that he doesn't interact his minions. This is a fallacy, and he must be stopped.

Vote for Misha here.

And while you're there, I also suggest some tactical voting and vote for Ricky Martin too.

Bill Zucker - IT IS ON!!!

One more panel of pleating down. All panels ironed and the cotton sateen backing has been started. Wow does the silk look good pleated. It is very crisp right now almost to the point it looks like flat fabric ;) Once hanging up as a skirt it will get a bit more dimension again.