Are you going to Scarborough Faire?

Click to visit SRFestival.com

Next month begins one of my favorite times of year – the time we get to go to Scarborough Renaissance Festival in Waxahachie, TX!

This year, the hubs and I are dressing up. (In past years, we’ve dressed in costume, but not every year.) My guy’s going with a green man/wild man vibe, and I’m finishing up the dragon fairy costume I started making a couple of years ago.

Here’s the hub’s inspiration:

Luckily, between my mom and I, we happen to have a plethora of furry and leather trims and fabrics to use. I’ve made a couple of “found object” necklaces with things I had lying around. Now, I’m working on creating a headdress.

I didn’t want to pay for a bird skull, so I created one from some black Sculpey and whitewashed it.

Wire wrapped beads and arrowheads on leather cord make manly, rustic jewelry.

Here’s my costume so far:

My version of a rag skirt, with silk, taffeta, tulle, lace, and other fabrics. It has a bit of a bustle in the back to allude to a “tail.”

I’m also finishing a little choli vest to wear (and secure the wings,) and a matching utility belt for the essentials. I can’t wait to test the makeup! I’m going to try to create “scales” using fishnets as a stencil.

Reversible cropped vest with lace up front and sides.

Follow our Costume List Pinterest board for more inspiration on these and other costumes we plan on creating! 

Click this makeup inspiration image to go to our Pinterest board.

Are you dressing up for a fair or festival this year? Share in the comments!

Gentle hugs,

Chels

“Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.”

Ah, finally, the claws (and horns) come out:

 

It’s taken me a while to update, since we’ve had lots of new projects here at the mission, and my poor mom had oral surgery that resulted in what we’re confident is a fractured jaw. (She’s had her jaw broken before – I trust her judgement.) We’re also in the process of looking for a new place to live, and I’ve been organizing my craft room in hopes that it will make the moving process easier when the time comes. (I’ll post pictures once I’ve finished!)

So, I’ve been slowly but surely working on my dragon fairy costume for the upcoming Renaissance Festival, and I finally got around to making these guys a few weeks ago. I bought black Fimo clay and went to town, rolling and shaping. I used aluminum foil to create a light base for the horns, so that they would weigh less and take less time in the oven. I poked holes with toothpicks so that I can attach them to clips to place in my hair, and gave them a couple of good coats of black glitter paint. (You could mix white glue with glitter to achieve the same effect.) The talons took much less time and effort to make, and I wrapped them with wire to coordinate with the jewelry I made for the costume:

 

Next up, I get to try my hand at making my first corset! Believe it or not, you don’t see many dragons at the ren fair. It’s probably because most dragon costumes are either large, plushy theme park suits, or the super skimpy versions made for women that you can buy from the party store. I think my version is coming along pretty nicely. Fortunately, I don’t have to worry about historical accuracy; the patrons of the fair are forgiving when it comes to costumes, especially of the fantasy variety.

Gentle hugs,

Chels

A magical, happy new year!

Happy new year, everyone!

I know that for most of you with chronic pain, this is a hard time of year. Whether you live in a place where it’s very cold, or in a place like Texas, where it can’t decide if it’s warm or freezing, the weather is probably wreaking havoc on your body, and I’m sorry. It’s tough. I have very little energy right now, accompanied by lots of aches and pains, as well as some digestive issues, but I’m keeping my eyes on spring. (Granted, the rain won’t be much better, but the warmth – oh, the warmth!) So, as usual, I’m trying to stay occupied.

I decided a long time ago that if I was going to make resolutions, I had to be serious about them. You know how it goes – good intentions, road to hell … Anyway, this year, I decided to make some goals for myself along with those general resolutions, because sometimes calling something by another name gives it new life. Also, goals have a deadline, and resolutions tend to have a general “I have a whole year to get this done, so why start right this second” kind of attitude.

My goals for 2013:

*Being active regularly instead of sporadically: find a fitness class by the end of January. (I’ve already accomplished this one! Starting Hula Hooping classes Jan. 19.)

*Better mental health through those things and COUNSELING. Find a counselor before the end of March.

*Intellectual and creative growth – taking classes, watching more documentaries, reading more, and branching out musically. We’ve already kicked off the new year with quite a few documentaries. One of my best friends even asked me to make her a list, which I think I’ll blog at a later date. The goal here is really to not be hyper-concerned about cost. I’ve passed up so many great learning opportunities because I felt guilty about the money.

*Downsizing our “stuff” and selling, donating, or freecycling. Be done with this before the end of April. This is something I do multiple times a year, but since we’ll be moving in May, I have to give myself a deadline for this one.

*Save each month for our new “holiday” account, so that money isn’t as tight at the end of this year/beginning of next year. Also, I’d really like to make gifts throughout the year to cut down on costs.

So, that’s it, along with the general continue to live cleaner resolution I made a couple of years ago, and have continued to take baby steps with since. Let me tell you, I am a sweet-a-holic, and it’s not easy to make it through the holidays without overindulging in desserts. Our blender broke last week, so I took it as a sign to get a better blender, which will hopefully encourage me to make healthy smoothies more often.

Along with my goals, I’ve been brainstorming and creating costumes for this year. If you’re totally confused – “Halloween is so far away!” – my hubby and I like to dress up for the events we enjoy attending. Scarborough Faire, our local Renaissance festival, is in the spring, so I’ve already started making my costume – a dragon fairy. Honestly, I thought my google search for “dragon costume” would gain more results, but apparently there aren’t that many DIY dragon costumes out there. So, I’m using my imagination to come up with my character. Here’s what I have so far:

You know the creepy dinosaur from “Jurassic Park” that spits black goo? Ok, forget the black goo. Remember the frills on the side of his neck? Ok, these fit over my ears, and give the illusion of frills.

My version of a rag skirt, with silk, taffeta, tulle, lace, and other fabrics. It has a bit of a bustle in the back to allude to a “tail.”

The frame for my dragon-like wings. I’ll use the same fabrics I used on the “frills.”

I can’t wait to work on my horns, ears, and talons! I’ll also be making my first attempt at a corset … stay tuned. There’s something so gratifying about making costumes from scratch. It’s also nice to know that I have plenty of time to finish, and don’t have to rush around at the last minute like a crazy person.

What are your resolutions, goals, and projects for the new year? Whatever they are, I wish you success!

Gentle hugs,
Chels

Too tired to write. Here are some pictures for you.

We had a good (exhausting) time at Scarborough Faire yesterday:

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Gentle hugs,

Chels