Add this to the list...

I obviously have not done my research or put much thought into my wish list, because I've just found another thing I want.

I have been hoping to find this movie on DVD for years—best Treasure Island I've seen! (With Christian Bale, Charleton Heston, and Christopher Lee—to name a few.)

Available on Amazon. :-)

I will try to behave myself and stop adding to my Christmas list now.

 

Oooh! And this, too!

On DVD (also available on Amazon).

OK. I'll stop now. ;-)

Well Kim, Maybe Not So Very Good . . .

My brain has been in rather a haze the last month, what with one HUGE school project after another, planning Thanksgiving dinner at my home, trying to keep the family running, kids' school plays (and rehearsals!), and having this stupid cold that has made me feel exhausted all day long, every day, for weeks.

Or maybe it's just that the 50-day shopping tradition is jinxed by my friend insisting that Thanksgiving should come before Christmas . . .

Whatever the reason, I suppose I'm not such a very, very good girl, because I am modifying my Christmas list.
So here (in no particular order) is what I'd like:

a Tonner 16-inch fashion doll  They have several points of articulation so they can be posed like real people instead of dolls; they have removable wigs so you can change their hairstyles, and they have removable feet so they can stand flat-footed or on their toes (and they have an amazing collection of shoes!) I think it would be way fun to design, sew, and display some of my outfits on one of these pretty dolls. Much cheaper than making them for big people, and I'd have samples to show off. Sort of, I think. Anyway, they are pretty and I like dolls.

a giant set of Prismacolor pencils is still on the list, and some drawing paper to go with them.

a Bernina sewing machine

and a serger

a drill-press

a CDN DTTC-S Combo Probe Thermometer Timer & Clock This one is still on the list, too.

Brave, too.

and the Rosemary plant —dried works, but I love the smell of fresh rosemary.

Hm. It seems like I'd thought of more than that. But I suppose it's a fluid list; one day I'll think of something cool that I want and it is so pressing and important that the very next day I've almost entirely forgotten about it! ;-)

Mostly, really, I want to get some nice things for my family—or at least do some nice things for and with my family.  This school semester is finished in two weeks. If I can survive all the final projects and exams, I will be thrilled to have the longest winter break yet and just be home being a mom again. Maybe that's what I really want for Christmas after all.

My Thankful List

Everyone's doing it. You know, keeping a daily list of their "thankfuls."  I am behind; I kind of had an all-consuming project.  But right here, right now, I am starting my list and I will try to remember to add to it every day this month.

November 29:  I am very thankful for a husband to snuggle up with in the morning.
November 28:  I am thankful for good food in my house every day.
November 27:  Thankful for teachers who are as burned-out with this semester as I am, and let us go early.
November 26:  I am thankful for my family! They are awesome!!
November 25:  Thankful for another lazy day of much-needed rest. That, and chocolate-chip cookies.
November 24: Today I'm thankful that I slept so much yesterday. I slept in until 9:00 (very rare!); I slept through most of The Two Towers when my family was watching; I fell asleep early last night and slept the whole night through (also very rare). And today I woke up feeling better than I have in weeks!
November 23:  I'm grateful that we were able to get new shoes for the kids today.
November 22:  Today I am thankful for spending an hour chatting with my sister. I am thankful for friends and family all around me, plenty to eat, and good times together.

November 21:  Did good work today. Grateful to be going to bed!

November 20: Today I was very grateful for my husband who saw I was stressed and let me spend the entire evening in my room reading a book.
I love you Bruce!
November 19:  Today as I was riding to school, a girl got on the bus, looked through her wallet and found she only had a ten-dollar bill. She asked the passengers if anyone could change a ten for her. One man searched his pockets and gave her a bus token—as a gift, with a smile. I'm thankful for good people.
November 18:  I got behind again, but this weekend I am thankful that I don't have a cold (or worse) every single day of the year.

November 15: Today I got a total kick out of ...
get this...
...being home, cleaning the kitchen, baking bread, cleaning the living room, and having Bruce call me from work to see how my day was going. (And the answer is, by the way, GOOD!)
I am thankful to be home.

November 14: I'm thankful that Michael baked bread today! :)
Very nice to come home to when you're starved. Thanks, Michael! Love ya!

November 13: Today I'm thankful that I got out of school early, and made it home before my kids did! :-)
November 12: I'm thankful to have a crockpot, into which I can throw raw foods and come home six hours later to a prepared dinner. :-)

November 11:  Today I'm grateful for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

November 10: Today I am grateful for a daughter who sings all the time, and bakes chocolate-chip cookies, too!
November 9:  I am grateful for a husband who rubs the stress-knots out of my shoulders. Ahhhhh.
November 8:  (Today!) I am thankful for a husband who loves me and takes care of me even when I think I must be a huge pain. (Love you Bruce!)
November 7:  Oh, oops! This morning I decided I just had to re-draw one of my illustrations.  But I'm thankful it's done now, and the presentation is over, and it was stellar!
I am also truly grateful for friends who did not shove politics down my throat for the last three months. (Yes, I'm interested and yes, I voted, but it was getting to be a bit much for my stressometer.)
November 6: I am thankful for a decent pencil sharpener and that I got my pictures all drawn and colored before midnight.
November 5:  I am thankful for a family who does the dishes while I draw and color all night.
November 4: I am thankful for an afternoon nap, an easy dinner, and  some quiet time.
November 3:  I am thankful for sleeping in with my sweetheart.
November 2: I am thankful there was no school today. :-)
November 1:    I am thankful Halloween is over and the candy is almost gone (and I didn't eat all of it either—or even most of it!)

The Audrey Collection

Here's my line of gowns designed for Audrey Hepburn. The assignment was to illustrate three outfits for a celebrity. I don't keep up with celebrities, and who's the hottest new thing, but I did watch an Audrey Hepburn movie last week . . .

I confess, one of these gowns is a knock-off. The prettiest one, I think. :-/ 

Anyway, here they are:

Empire-waisted gold silk with a ruched bodice of black silk velvet

Peacock-blue silk jersey gown with an indigo-blue sparkle organza bustle accented with an indigo belt with a gold swirl design

Black satin sheath dress with a ruched bodice
offset with an oversized salmon-pink and cream bow



Now, on to the next project.

"You Nailed It!"

My kitchen table looked like this for most evenings
over the past three weeks.

I pondered, fretted, cried, and worked, worked, worked for a whole month! And finally, this very day, I gave my mid-term presentation for Illustration.  You may remember the big fabrication I invented to sell my dress line? I think that, at least at first, some of my fellow students thought the story was true. When I told about the fourteen-year-old granddaughter with cancer there were a few sad Awww's and Oh's in my audience.


My "inspiration board." Can you see how I used these images to create my dresses?

 My line carries the theme of Joplin's rags, gold, and, since it's been a century of music, I incorporated some popular styles/silhouettes of the 20th century as well. The presentation went very well. I only wish I'd had a recording of one of Joplin's rags to play for them.

Anyway I am happy to report that ALL comments by teacher and students were positive.  I was praised for my artwork, detail in the hairstyles and the coloring, as well as the designs themselves. I had two classmates tell me which dresses they wanted for themselves, and the teacher said that I could sell my gowns "for thousands." (Because of detail, fabrics, etc.) She told me, "You nailed it."

Yay!

So, without any further ado, I would like to present

"The Weeping Willow Rag" is a flapper-styled sheath dress made of silk, but  fitted a little closer to the body than a vintage 1920's flapper dress. The skirt is of looped ribbons, weighted down with gold teardrop beads and the bodice is embellished with gold beading.

"The Easy Winner Rag" has a 1950's "New Look" styling.  The bodice
is of gold velvet and red, gold and cream brocade; the scoop back
has a self-bow.  The skirt is of cream-clored satin covered
in layers of gold tulle.

"The Entertainer" is a wink to the 1960's with a grand piano "pop-art" look. It is made of white peau de soie and gold lame'. Three large, gold grommets make the neckline pop!

"The Entertainer's" look is completed with an asymettrical black taffeta wrap, closed with a piano keyboard belt. The broad shoulders could represent the 40's or 80's.

"The Sunflower Slow-Drag" is made of deep green peau de soie; the asymmetrical skirt is lined with gold china silk. The ribbon sunflowers boast "seeds" of black and gold sequins and beading.

"Maple Leaf Rag" is a look at the glamourous, "goddess-styling" of the 1930's. It is made of deep red-orange silk charmeuse; the bias-cut skirt contains layers of shibori-dyed silk chiffon, printed with gold maple leaves. The belt and shoulder are adorned with gold maple leaves.

So watch for my line of formal gowns at the Scott Joplin 100th Anniversary Gold-Ribbon Gala. They are worth thousands! ;-)

2012 Wish List

It's that time of year again.  The time when I drive Kim absolutely bonkers.

Yes, I am posting my Christmas list today—giving you a whole 50 days to get everything I've ever wanted and get it beautifully wrapped! ;-)

Hmm. How have I been?

Here's this year's list:

a big rosemary plant. One that's big enough for me to cut off pieces to cook with (frequently), and it will still live to see another year.

a big box of Prismacolor pencils (the more colors, the better!) I've discovered a passion for drawing and coloring my own pictures!





a CDN DTTC-S Combo Probe Thermometer Timer & Clock Yes, I manage to break a brand-new candy thermometer every year. Cooks Illustrated says this one can stand up, even to me.

Brave  (I want the movie, not to become brave. Although that would be all right, too.)

Hm. That's about it. I would like some new clothes for my kids (dresses for girls, slacks and new shirts for boys).

And I'd like to know what really cool thing to get for Bruce. Besides a new car, new Apple computer, etc. (In other words, something I can actually afford.) I'm open to suggestions.

So, fifty days.  ;-)