Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Wacky Wednesday #75—Christmas Tree Hat

Surprise! I’m back with another blog post, even though last week I threatened to take a two week break from blogging. But you see, I came across some battery-operated lights at home, and they demanded to be worn and before I knew it, I was repurposing a Wacky Wednesday hat from a few months back…into a Christmas tree!


Last week I felt ready to take a break from costumes for a couple of weeks. I had zero intention of making something to wear today. But yesterday I had an unsettling realization. I noticed that I’d posted blogs 49 times in 2016, and somehow this did not sit well with me. That number felt anticlimactic. Unfinished. 50 sounded like a complete set, so I decided I could squeeze out one more post this calendar year. Yep, I know that’s a strange reason for posting, but hey, I’m being honest, and my strangeness is just one of the reasons you love me!

It took only fifteen minutes to turn this hat into its current incarnation. Usually I glue my costumes and hats but this one is intended to be temporary and under those circumstances, duct tape is an excellent solution: fast and strong, but temporary. I felt victorious. With only fifteen minutes I’d created a tall, festive hat, and since all supplies used were already on hand, this cost $0 to create. I did a Christmas happy dance.

And then the photo session began. That’s when the trouble started. Apparently it’s an airtight law of the universe that when your costume only takes 15 minutes to make, capturing it in a photo takes a zillion hours. Sigh. The first photos weren’t bad, but I felt like they didn’t capture how bright the lights were. So I took some photos in a darkened room. All were annoyingly blurry. I attempted to persuade one of my kids to take my photo. Major resistance. Then I decided that I didn’t like the way the lights were spaced on the tree so I took it apart and started again. I made the room darker to showcase the lights. More blurry photos. I set up the camera in a new spot and promptly tripped over a big crate I’d forgotten I’d left on the floor. “SON OF A REINDEER!” I shrieked with frustration. Next came photos with the tip of the tree cut off. Photos with the right side of the tree missing. I glared at my camera and through clenched teeth growled, “You piece of candy cane!” Finally I had a few photos I could use, but at what cost? I was exhausted, as though I’d given birth to a six-foot tall Santa, complete with beard and hat.

Yet the show must go on. And now that I’m sitting down again, downloading photos, I feel fine. Here are a few photos that (kind of) capture the magic of my Christmas Tree Hat. 

 
Hey—anybody have a sleigh and reindeer I can borrow?

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Wacky Wednesday #74—Twelve Days of Christmas

I love a good story. Writing one. Reading one. Or wearing one.

Today’s dress is a story—a song you can wear.




Many people are familiar with the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” but in case you are not, here is a brief description. The song tells about different presents given each day for twelve days. The tune repeats and it is simultaneously sweet and funny (especially if you forget which line comes next, as I often do). Months ago I decided that in December I would create a dress illustrating all the gifts given for twelve days.


I drew and/or painted all the images for this dress, but I have to admit I took a shortcut. I Googled “pipers piping” and some images showed bagpipers and others showed musicians with horns. By that time I just didn’t have it in me to create eleven sets of bagpipes! So I have elevens “pipers” with instruments. And don’t get me started on twelve drummers drumming.

Below are photos of everything on my dress.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…

…twelve drummers drumming…




…eleven pipers piping…

 

…ten lords a-leaping…
 



 ...nine ladies dancing…
 

 
 
 

…eight maids a-milking…
 
 
…seven swans a-swimming…
 
 
 
…six geese a-laying…
 

 
...five gold rings!






…four calling birds…

 
 

 
 …three French hens…



  

…two turtle doves…



…and a partridge in a pear tree…




While doing research for this blog post, I found a charming version of the song done by the late John Denver and the Muppets, in 1979. This playful crew of animals makes everything better.

(Spoiler alert: at some point I will devote an entire blog post to the fabulous and fierce, the bold and sassy, the one and only Miss Piggy.)

Here is the Muppets’ rendition of this song.

It is likely that I will take off the next two Wednesdays from costumes and/or blogging, but I’ll be back the first Wednesday of January.

Until then, Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you from this wacky-dressing, Muppet-loving gal.

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Wacky Wednesday #73—Paint Deck



You are what you wear, as the famous saying goes.

What’s that? This isn’t how the famous saying goes?
Oh.

In any case, I am a painter and I am wearing paint swatches today.
 
This idea came to me months ago when my artist friends Jeanne and John gave me some art supplies they no longer needed, including two paint decks. (Thanks, J + J!) I immediately saw the potential to turn a deck into a dress. I’m using my favorite colors from the deck, which are the brightest, most colorful ones, rather than all the serious greys and beiges. Bright colors make me happy. If you feel happy in your clothes, your day is more likely to go well. (Wearing paper is not the most comfortable thing ever, but color wins this week!)
 




By the way, does this outfit make you want to race to your nearest paint store and buy quart after quart of happy colors and paint accent walls different colors all over your house, until it looks as colorful as a candy store? ME TOO!
Happy painting…