A Sassy Conspiracy

I mentioned previously that i had some unique pasties to share but, tragically, they’ve disappeared. This is the only existing photo of them, from their inaugural burn. Dear boy designed these after we all told him it couldn’t be done (you’d think I’d learn eventually, lol).  The pasties are sequined and lined with leather (to prevent burns) and have a length of copper tubing mounted on the front. They can be used interchangeably with kevlar wicking or, in this case, a special firework fountain produced specifically for use with cakes (therefore non-toxic and doesn’t burn as hot). He used these in the last burlesque show and lost some chest hair in the process, but they looked AMAZING! :)

I’ve gotten pretty terrible about the whole consistent posting thing. its not that I’m not doing anything (though i have been experiencing some pretty severe craft burnout), rather its usually some excuse i make to myself about getting better pictures first… and then never doing it. case in point – the Overtones show back in October. i churned out a ton of post worthy stuff in September and October and, with the exception of the facinators, didn’t really properly document it at the time and (you guessed it) have been waiting to get better pictures ever since.  in the interest of giving you something to look at and finally moving on, I’m going to post the photos i got. it’ll have to be good enough :)

First up then – costumes! these are the costumes boy and i put together for the show: The Magician, and the Circus Queen.

The Magician: the coat and cumberbun are the only new things in this getup, all other bits are from previous costumes. The coat I got off of ebay and its pretty amazing – was listed as a “steampunk goth tail coat” which was just about perfect for what we needed. For once he was the first person in the group with a finished costume! the only handcrafted item on him were his sparkle pasties, which i think deserve their own post ;)

The Circus Queen: a lot of recycled costume bits in this one too: my RHPS boots and garters, and the Amber Sweet bra. The vertically stripped tights (which i was SUPER excited for, been looking for those for ages and ages!!) and the custom corset were ordered online and were both shockingly cheap considering their awesomeness. Four of the ladies in the act ordered the same tights and corsets, each in a different colour. the end effect was pretty damn sweet. I made the bustle thingy myself for a spider costume for the last show – has lots of layers of silk, toile and long bits of lace and chiffon and ribbons and yarn and whatever else i could find around the house. I am most proud of the wig and headdress though. The wig has a whole bunch of extra weave sewn in. i’m neither a seamstress nor accustomed to working with wigs so i was pretty freaked out about the project, but i LOVE it. its so huge and poofy and awesome and out of control! i destroyed one of my poor halloween crows for the wings in the headdress, and its filled with flowers and rhinestones and antique ribbons and costume jewelry bits. The colour pictures were taken at the dress rehearsal so there were slight refinements made after, but you get the idea. i love how they turned out :)

For our birthdays, Erika and I decided to do something a little different and throw ourselves a fancy little soirée. We recreated the bubble party from Martha Stewart’s Boundless Beauty, though we did drop a few projects due to time constraints (the invitations, party favors and cupcakes).
On the menu: salmon roe and cucumber toasts with crème fraiche; blue cheese and mascarpone gougères, dipped in caramel and salted; aged chedder, port and toasted almond cheese balls; champagne gelees topped with tapioca; 3-layer chocolate mocha cake with buttercream icing and truffles (cake lovingly made by our friends M, E, and K).
To drink: champagne; rum punch with frozen mellon balls; round ice cubes – plain or flavored with either maple ice wine or triple sec
Crafts and decorations: hanging bubble centrepiece; glitter filled balloons; white helium balloons (which resulted in much hilarity later in the evening); flat marbles, glass bubbles and balls; bouquet of flowers (arranged using Martha’s scotch tape lattice technique); bubble wands
Of course everything seemed fairly reasonable when planning, but when it came to doing, it became painfully obvious that I am no Martha Stewart. However, many icebaths, piping disasters and days of cooking later, I’m proud to say that it all turned out pretty wonderful. I’m impressed as hell that the gougères especially turned out. Even our imperfectly balled melons and cucumbers looks lovely (seriously, is there a technique to using a melon baller that eludes me?). We all dressed up, indulged in decadent treats and had a pretty, bubbly evening. :)

Six of us dressed up in Día de los Muertos makeup and went out as the Carnival of the Dead! Makeup and costumes = WIN, but sadly the Halloween ball was a big letdown. That being said, we looked amazing and I had a lovely time just hanging out with everyone. =)

Put this together for our work Halloween party. The eyes really freak some people out :)

so i have a huge backlog of stuff i should be posting, and i thought i would start with these. These are some headbands and facinators I made to sell at the merch table for the Sexual Overtones Big Top[Less] Circus. A group of lovely ladies and I got together and spent a whole day working on merch stuff and these are what i came up with. I also made three headdresses for the show, but will post pictures of them separately. enjoy!

On Wednesday August 4, 2010 at 11:59pm, while down on the dock watching Perseids, dear boy gave me a ring. yes, THAT kind of ring. Blinded momentarily from the glare of the ipad screen tracking the stars overhead, i couldn’t see it and was confused about what he was asking. and then… i laughed. as he professed his love and described the incredibly romantic process of making me a ring, i continued to laugh. you know, that sort of hysterical laugh you get when you can’t seem to process what’s going on around you. good thing he loves me.

He said he wanted me to choose my own ring (apparently I’m fussy *cough*), so he made something for me to wear until then. He made the ring himself, with no help or experience, somehow without me noticing. He measured my finger in my sleep with string and worked on it for weeks in the few moments before i got home in the evenings. Not even my mysteriously depleted metal stock clued me in.

Talk about a surprise :)