Fancy Dress - Disney or Panto

For the last couple of weeks we have been trying to create costumes for a fancy dress Birthday party including an Engagement thrown in too.

Theme: Disney or Panto


So what characters did we pick ~~


Billie ~~ Merida from Brave
Me  ~~  Elizabeth Swann from Pirates of the Caribbean (as a pirate)

Mum has been sewing like mad (I really do have a fabulous Mum) creating the green dress that Merida wears when she goes out into the forest with her bow and arrows. 

For my costume I needed a pirate shirt and Elizabeth wears a waistcoat over the top so Mum has made both of those as well.

Three garments on the go at once, she is a miracle worker!! She's 77 years old and I can't believe what she does at her age.

xxxxx Love her to bits xxxxx


She completed them all just in time!!  Phew!!

 

Billie as Merida

 

Me

Billie wanted her outfit to be able to wear it for Comicon this May.  So she will need a complete outfit for that which includes the bow and quiver for the arrows.


So the bow went into production in the 'garage' workshop and with her Dad helping her they completed it with a couple of hours to spare.  The quiver, however, did not get made but will be ready for Comicon I am sure!!  As this was all happening she was also sitting her Mock A-level exams during last week, so life was a little 'frought' to say the least!!

I wasn't actually making anything for the costumes but I do have major input as I do have sewing abilities so purchasing fabrics etc. is left to me and of course coffing up the money to pay for it all, including getting my pirate hat too.  I already had the boots and I just added some leggings to complete my costume.

Oh there was the matter of a present which I did throw together a wire ring for 'Cinderella' aka Zoe the Birthday Girl, who was actually 50 on Tuesday,  (she did go to the ball with her handsome Prince/Robin Hood!!)

 

Zoe and Pete

So after all the rush, rush, rush all last week the party was on Saturday and fun was had by all!!!  80))

 

Billie, Me, Katie (as Alice), Eve (as Cruella DeVil) and Josie (as the Queen of Hearts)

Zoe put her present on straight away and she loved it.  ( Silly me forgot to photograph it before I wrapped it up) hopefully next time I see her I might be able to prise it off her to get a snap or two.


Great fun  80))


See you again soon.

E x

 

Out with the OLD! Goodbye 2013!

I can't believe where this year has gone, I have to admit I can't wait to see the back of it to be honest!

Why? Because its has been one hell of a year for me and my family.
There have been highs and lows but mainly stressful lows I am sorry to say!

So seeing in the New Year 2014 will be very well received with great expectation!
I made many plans at the beginning of this year and I achieved very few of them, I will not be putting myself under anymore pressure that way, 2014 will just happen how it happens!!! I have stepped back and taken a look at my life throughout my 50th year and thought I just want to do what's right for my family and me!

So my daughter achieved great results in her GCSE exams back in the summer but it was a hard slog for her and it felt like I was doing them with her!  Her A-levels have also been hardwork too so far, as it has been a big jump from the GCSE's but she has now started to get to grips with them and slowly she is finding her feet and beginning to plan her time better and with a little help from a Maths tutor she is finding its getting better ~~ little steps!
 
Hubbie has serious back problems which is general wear and tear of his job but he struggles on, often has physio on it but there isn't much they can do really!  I think it will deteriorate more and more so its time for me to get out there and find a proper job, well more hours anyway.

So for me the new year will find me job hunting, what sort of job will be the main problem!!! This will mean less jewellery making for me, I do still intend to be beadmaking which can be fitted around a job but I just can't cope with both.

Jewellery making I will still do things just nowhere near what I used to do, saying that I hardly did any this year but that was due to other circumstances! I will make for myself and friends but I probably won't sell as much as I have in the past. I have been adding tutorials to my blog and I still intend to carry on with that.....  even though I haven't been very good over the last month or so... eek! 

I started it in the Blogtoberfest during October and I will try my best to post on Tuesday's my Top Tips day! I feel my blog is important to me and I would really like to build a following to help other jewellery makers out there. I have been starting with the basics and will build up to the more detailed things as I go along.

I have taken a little break from my magazine work but I do hope to get back to it next year as I have a couple of items I've promised to do, they are still in the planning stages but I must finish those as soon as I can get going again. 80))


I think that's about it  ~ Oh Ummmm....



I would just like to say I hope everyone out there in blogland had a great Christmas ~~

I enjoyed it ~~

I got some new tools which I can't wait to have a little go with ASAP


and some new books with some new techniques I want to try out

 

both from Amazon

The Torched Fired Enamel book I can have a go right away ~ so I will let you see what I do when I have had a play, very eager to get going on that one! I am also awaiting one that's only just been released and I am hoping that it will arrive on my Birthday which will be really cool!



so all there is left to say is ~~~~ here's to a

VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR

2014

 

to

Everyone

 

CHEERS!! <3

E x

Sweet 16

I can't believe that my baby turned sweet 16 on 24th June!

Then the following week she went off on her Art Trip to Paris with school and she was most excited about visiting Chateau Pierrefonds which is the place that they filmed Merlin (TV series) as the castle  ~~Camelot.  She also went to Monet's garden at Giverny along with other galleries and Notre Dame.  This trip will be the intro to her A level Art in the sixth form in September, the theme is Architecture.

 

Monet's Garden

 

Notre Dame

 

She did enjoy it and I so want to go to Paris myself to check out all the Art galleries and the main art visits that just have to be done!!  One Day!!


So all thats left now to do is Billie's Birthday Trip with her friends to Brighton!  We love Brighton again its such an art inspiring place to be with the added bonus of being by the sea as well!!  We will be going on the 25th July which is the day after school finishes for the summer holidays!  A whole 6 weeks off,  Yay!!

So looking forward to that, lets hope this fabulous weather will hold out till then! 
Its countdown as school too, only 2 weeks to go!!!!!



Its been one mad, busy, hectic and exhausting year to date and finally we are coming to the end of all this mad, busy, hectic time.  Massive deep sigggggghhhh!!!!

                           ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^******************^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^



I have the Beadathon coming up soon too. 
I will be joining fellow lampworkers to raise funds for the

Beads Of Courage charity   'Be Child Cancer Aware' campaign.  

I will give a bit shout out in my next post, so please check it out for details of how you can help us with the fund raising via the Just Giving page and what we will be doing!



See you very soon with all the details.

Toodleoo

E x