W is for Wednesday, wonderful words and writing!

A few wonderful words for your Wednesday!
1.It's National Novel Writing Month! Expect me to be a little errant this month (as opposed to how prolific I am normally, right? ha.) as I hack out my amazing great American novel. Actually, it has nothing to do with America. It's a fantasy setting... If you'd like more details (not about my novel, but about the event in general) or want to participate in novel writing month, go to Nanowrimo.com! Anyone else out there doing this with me? Any of you even heard of it? It's great fun, and wonderful motivation if you're interested in writing!

2. I meant to post this on October 31st but my kid* brother-in-law (who is living with us for the time being) contracted a virus to my computer and I was unable to do much until my sweet genius husband had time to fix it for me. But seriously, I know you all want to know about my costume!

Well here I am. A purple sorceress. Or if you will, Purple Personified. Because we all know purple is a sorceress in her own right. My hair didn't get quite as purple as I was hoping it would because I ran out of hair spray-paint about half way through. It was what I had leftover from my Night Elf costume, so oh well.

My facepaint looks really cool, though, eh? And I think my hair style was pretty popular too. If you look close you can see the toilet-paper rolls I used to achieve the sticking out look. Ah, I loved this costume! I felt so cool!

 And check out those purple and black striped socks, yes indeed! For more details about how I made the skirt out of shirt sleeves see my post at Refashion co-op!

3 Well, this is back to NaNoWriMo because it's all that plagues my thoughts since October 31st. But while looking at the New Hampshire forums I noticed a name that was familiar, and then saw a FACE that was familiar. I'm pleased to announce that an amazing lady from my very own church is ALSO participating in NaNoWriMo! I'm so excited to talk to her about it this Sunday. She is, in fact, one of our Municipal Liaisons!

4 We had a great snow storm last Saturday night. Power went out and everything. Snowy Octobers** are awesome. I didn't get to take photos, though, because instead of walking to church on Sunday morning we found ourselves driving to John's parents house down in Newbury Port, because our church got cancelled due to no electricity. Unfortunately, theirs was too. Oops.

5 I thought I had something else but now I can't think of it. And it turns out that now I'm going to be late to my herbalist friends house, so I better go. See ya!

*Kevin is not actually a kid, he's 21. lol
** It occurs to me now that Snowy October would be a really cool name for a band, no?

A little snow for your October?

Thursday was a cold rainy day. Our coldest day of the season with no doubt. I felt sad for my husband who had to be out in it working. (He has a driving around and being outside sort of job) When he got home I made him some spicy hot cocoa to warm him up. Our fall has been on the milder side of weather so far. There have been very few days where I actually felt a need to wear a scarf. It made me happy to feel it cooling off. But  as the sun set and it started getting even more cold, something weird happened.

The rain started getting slushy. And then it started getting floaty and on the drier side...

Wait a second! This is SNOW. It's only October! What about autumn! The leaves haven't fallen yet! Some of our leaves are still green!   We want brisk days not frozen days. Heh.
It was magical, though. The first snow always is....

 Actually every time it snows it's magical. Do you ever just stand in it and listen to it hit the ground? And watch it turn the world white and clean?
You should.

The next morning we had a thin layer. Not a lot. I hear some areas got a few inches. We had enough to make scraping the windshield necessary and to turn the grass white. Bits of icy snow clumps clung to leaves causing them to sparkle in the morning sunshine. And then they started melting and falling and caused a bit of ruckus. You didn't want to be standing underneath a tree! And when the sun really got high it sounded like the first thaw, that musical drip-drip-dripping of snow really melting. Lovely.

I hear we're supposed to get a few more inches tonight.

Anyone dreaming of a white Halloween?

I've figured it out.

We're having a Halloween party this Friday. And up until about 4 seconds ago I didn't know what I would be. I was getting a little concerned. I'm a little famous for my awesome halloween costumes. (Okay, maybe only my head, but still.) One year I was a jungle girl, and once a Night Elf. My cleverest  yet was The Fruit of the Spirit for a Christian themed costume party (which was nowhere near October 31st, I need to say.)* I have a (self-imposed) reputation to live up to! And now I can rest easy and simply put together the awesomeness because I just figured it out. Ready?

I'm going to be Purple.

Yes.

Purple. The colour.

Well. It IS my favourite.

I'll personify it it. Facepaint, purple hair, purple dress. Sorceress style clothes. Yes in-deed. This is going to be good.

Thanks for listening guys

*unfortunately, no photos were taken at these events. And I didn't have a camera of my own, then. I'll definitely have photos this time 'round.
p.s I just deleted my facebook a couple days ago and the need to share short-ish thoughts-of-the-moment hasn't left me yet. Maybe this blog will actually be updated here and again though with it being my main outlet for sharing awesome stuff.
p.p.s Sorry if this is all a bit disheveledly written. It occurred to me mid-sorting laundry and I need to get back to that. So um, no editing. Bear with me. this costume idea might be my best to date.

Beautiful Autumn

The other day, I heard some women chatting about how they hadn't yet seen "gasp in wonder and awe" colour in the foliage. They spoke of years with trees and landscapes so vivid and fiery that they stopped their cars just to gaze. I was boggled. And a little indignant.

I had seen such things. Have they not been looking? The trees have been positively GLOWING. I've been seeing colours that set my heart bursting with song! Then it occurred to me: Of course they've seen more impressive years than this. They've lived here and seen leaves change for dozens of years, maybe their whole lives. Heck, even I'll admit that last year was better than this year has been so far. But this year has been absolutely gorgeous too!

And then I was glad that it's still new to me and that even when its a "poor" year for the foliage it's still breathtakingly beautiful to my newbie eyes.

But that makes me wonder: will I too, one day, compare "drab" falls to past "impressive" ones and be disappointed? Can't one always look at things new? Can't one appreciate the beauty you see every single day even when it's always the same? And the wonderful thing about seasons is that even the same 'ol-same 'ol scenes continue to change day in and day out. Spring flowers, summer greens, autumn fire and winter whites. They're all amazing in their own way and you know what the best part of it all is?

Even those are different every year.

The flowers don't conform to the same pattern as the previous years. Every snowfall has it's own characteristics and every summer brings a unique variety of breezes and warmth. Autumn too, bursts into it's new version of glorious colour.

  So, maybe it hasn't been our most colourful fall, nor the coolest and crispest; the air isn't quite as brisk and filled with wonderful smells as it has been in past years and it has been a little on the wet side but shouldn't we appreciate these differences just as much?

Pear Walnut Brownies

Hello, neglected blog.

Autumn is here and that means apples, pears, pumpkins and all the wonderful spices along with.
Today was a blustery, crisp sort of day and our apartment was on the cool side. I decided I ought bake in order to heat things up a bit and these wonderful brownies were the result! They're a bit of a cry from my usual brownies-on-budget self what with them using 3 eggs, but they are oh-so-delicious! I hope you enjoy.

Pear Walnut Brownies
2/3 c. flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp powdered ginger
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 dashes allspice
1/3 + 1 tbs cocoa powder
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 pear, chopped small
1/3 c. walnuts, broken into pieces

Whisk together dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Add oil, sugar and eggs and stir well. Mix in pear and walnuts. Pour into a 9x9 baking dish and place into a 350 preheated oven for 20-30 minutes or until a knife comes out clean and the top of brownies still looks slightly shiny.

I also did a post at Refashion Co-op. Go see!

Wordless Wenesday: Bottling Beer

Empty

Full

Another bustle, this time of the tie on variety, and some rambling about my steampunk successes in general

I made this a couple weeks ago and now finally have time to post about it! I was watching my niece Kayleigh again and didn't have time for much of anything while she was around. Now that she's gone I had time to play dress-up (one of my favourite pastimes) and do a bit of a photo-shoot. So without further ado....My bustle!

Right. Now that you've seen it and have had a moment to feast your eyes, I will tell you the story. It starts with a skirt. A well loved skirt that got a little...holey.

Exhibition A

Exhibition B

Please note, the holes in the rear of the skirt, and while your at it, notice the stains and the random red acrylic paint spots.

For a favourite skirt this was a sad occurrence indeed. I felt it was rather in appropriate to wear out-of-doors because of the holes, even though it had a decent lining. And so, for many months the skirt sat in the "fix-it-somehow" pile, though I had no solution for this particular problem. And then, one day, while browsing the internet and researching the style of Steampunk, it occurred to me that I would very much like to have a bustle. And while shuffling though my fix-it and other random fabric piles I saw the skirt and thought: How good a bustle would look on that! And it would solve all hole and stain problems!

Turns out, I had the perfect shade of olive green fabric already and just needed some tulle to give it some flounce and a bit of lace to trim and cover seams....All I needed was some serious motivation. Which I eventually, thankfully, found. I got ideas from all over the internet and sort of meshed them to suit my own needs.

3 layers of green cotton, lined up before tulle.

From white lace to grey lace.

                                             

I only had white lace, so I after a lot of research and brain-storming, I finally came up with idea to make a watered-down acrylic dye with black acrylic paint and some water. I smushed the lace all through it so it was evenly coated and then hung it to dry over my bathtub. You can see the before and after in that poorly lit photo there. I put a few layers of green and black tulle between each layer of the olive-green cotton fabric and carefully ruffled each layer before sewing it together.

While I was deliberating as to how I should sew it to the skirt, my genius husband suggested I simply sew ties onto it, so that I could wear it with said skirt, but then I'd also have the option of wearing it with other outfits as well. I had been talking of making a "tie-on" bustle next and really it was such a smashing idea I couldn't help but comply. I used more of the same dyed lace to complete it and act as a tie as well.

best picture I have of the tie

Looks good with the red purse I made recently

This picture doesn't show off the bustle very well, but I think it's pretty cool

And so there it is. I'm very pleased with it, and it has really motivated me to start collecting more steampunk-style things. As you can see in the last photo above, I've found some jewelry and random objects in my house that do a slick job of looking steampunk when pulled into the right outfit. The medallion/pendant thing on the necklace used to be the stand for the pen that came with our wedding guest-book. The pen had long since run out of ink and the stand had been lying around being useless until I pounced upon it and took it apart for my own conniving use! *cackle*  The "glove" is a bit of lace wrapped around my hand and secured with a safety pin and a plastic gold button that I rubbed with some black paint to make it look like a tarnished brass button..
The blouse is one that my mother made around 10 years ago for my sister who, about 4 years ago gave it to me, who put it into the "I don't know what to do with, but don't want to take apart and don't want to give away pile" and then, while searching for Victorian style blouses in all my clothes, found it again and thought "my goodness, it's perfect!"
And here is a close up of the hairclip I'm wearing:

I made it with some lacey trim (found in a free pile) I wound into a flower, a button I pulled off of an old green couch and then painted and some pheasant feathers (which I bought, *gasp*). Then I attached it to a bobby pin and now wear it on a regular basis.

Soooo....That's about it! I hope you liked it.
P.s I'll do an actual post on the purse I made out of a place mat next time!