Ankulen Tag!

What can I say? Y’all know my weakness for tags, so of course I had to do Kendra’s!

1. Did you have any imaginary friends as a child? If so, tell me about them! The one I remember most is Dorothy. And yes, she looked just like Judy Garland, blue gingham dress, ruby slippers and all. I first made her up after a camping trip with my grandparents when I was six or seven. The day after I got home, I suddenly had an imaginary “big sister,” and she was “in twelfth grade.” Funny thing is, she lived in a house across a field back of our house, or she was off to college, or something, most of the time. 

2. An Ankulen is a piece of jewelry that brings imagination to life. If they actually existed, what would yours look like?

Something like this:

This was my original “interchangeable stones” pendant idea (prior to “Wild Irish Rose”)…which I’d still like to make someday. It was born of trying to figure out a way to wear crystal points differently than your typical New Age hippie…with a dash of LOTR/Art Nouveau inspiration. The backstory I thought up for it is that my alter ego performs a service for the Elven-king, and in gratitude, he presents her with an enchanted pendant, the stone of which changes color to match whatever outfit she wears with it (now that “Keeper of the Enchanted Crystal Pendant” bit in my header makes more sense, aye?). Perhaps someday (Lord willing) it’ll be a reality….

3. Based on what you've heard about the Ankulen, what part of it are you most looking forward to? Jen’s Imagination! The concept of actually being able to visit one’s own imaginary world like one would visit Grandma’s house—it’s right up my alley.

4. What was your favorite book as a child? Oh my, that’s a hard one. I think our Tall Book of Fairy Tales and the beautifully illustrated Hansel and Gretel were near the top of the list.

 
5. How do you think this book will compare to my previous three books? Not having read any of Kendra’s other books (apart from an Amazon preview of the first few pages of Sew, it’s a Quest), I honestly can’t say. But from little hints she’s let drop on her blog, it sounds intriguing.

Until next time, Gentle Readers,

God bless,

~“Tom”~

The Wearin’ o’ the Green

Erin go braugh and a Happy Saint Patrick’s Day, Gentle Readers!

While I mayn’t have much Irish blood in me, I do like to honor my heritage by the wearin’ o’ the green every Saint Pat’s…and to avoid getting pinched by unscrupulous persons (what genius started that tradition, anyway?!). :-P This year I went all-out and wore all the colors of the Irish flag—green, white and orange:

Photo by Peter

~What I’m Wearing~

Shoes: Black 3-strap Heels—thrifted

Stockings: White Sweater-tights—JC Penney (I think)

Skirt: “Emerald Spruce” Tartan Kilt—thrifted

Shirt: Dark-green Turtleneck—thrifted

Sweater: Cream Cabled Pullover—Wal*Mart

Necklace: “Wild Irish Rose” w/Rainbow Moonstone—Wild Rise Designs & Laurie Sarah Designs

Hairstyle: “Halo Braid”

(I also wore some green-glass drop earrings, but I didn’t like the way they looked on me, so I took them off as soon as we got home.)

I thought the white-tights-black-shoes look would seem “Irish” (especially since my shoes are *faintly* reminiscent of ghillies), but I wouldn’t recommend it with regular strap-shoes. That tends to look little-girlish. :-P

The sweater is the one I mentioned recently, purchased on clearance at Wal*Mart for $7.00. I hardly ever buy new clothes anymore because even Wal*Mart is too steep for my Scottish blood ($17 for one pair of jeans? Seriously?!), but when prices are this low, and it’s something I like, how can I resist? My only beef with it is that it’s 100% cotton (which tends to stretch out of shape quickly, and gets that stiff, “old-dishtowel” feeling after several washes), but its many perks outweigh that one fault. The classic style, great fit and deep V-neck that shows lots of color near my face—plus the fact that it will go with EVERYTHING—love!

(Somewhat washed-out) CU of tartan pattern

Back view

This gorgeous wool wrap-skirt is one I picked up at my old workplace— Post Falls Hospice Thrift—half-off, too! At first I wasn’t sure I could live with that persimmon-orange, but the green is so beautiful—and consequently blends beautifully with my turtleneck—that I decided to give it a go. Actually, I left it at the store when I first saw it, but the next week it was still there, so obviously God wanted me to have it, wot?

Originally I was going to pleat the front flaps to match the back of the skirt, since I wasn’t sure the flat-fronted look was that flattering on me. But the previous owner put a honking-great huge patch under a weakened area of the skirt, and it was so stiff that it wouldn’t pleat properly. So I had to content myself with moving the buttons over for more ease around the ol’ hips. :-P It’s really comfortable—warm, too, being wool. The quality is very nice; it’d probably sell for upwards of $20 on Etsy or eBay, easily (especially since it may be vintage). I need to get meself a kilt-pin, though (or throw down some Velcro), to keep the front overlap closed…especially on windy days.

I apologize for the lack of pix. Speaking of wind, we had quite a bit of it today, and it was still stinkin’ cold out, so we didn’t linger. But it was also gloriously sunny when we got home from church, so it seemed logical to do a photo-shoot outdoors, aye?

PETER: "You're squinting quite a bit."
ME: "That's 'cos it's bright out here." :-P

And now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go make some pizza crust for dinner tonight. We’re not Irish enough round hereabouts to like corned beef and cabbage! :-P

Until next time, Gentle Readers,

God bless,

~“Tom”~

Progress and an Award

MissTasha has graciously awarded me with the....

Versatile Blogger Award! Thanks, Tasha! I'll answer the Random Things and all in later post....

As of Wednesday, April 11th, 2012, at 10:30 (ish) a.m., “Wild Irish Rose” arrived safe and sound! God be praised! 

This picture shows just how well they packed it:

Why does a Martyouschka come to mind?

Quoth Peter: “Every package should be able to survive a drop-kick....I am not kidding.”

LOL!

I just want to say a huge THANK YOU (again) to Laurie and Avo for all their hard work on this project. While the process of realizing this pendant has had its bumps in the road, I have been so blessed—not only by Laurie and Avo's patience with my moments of indecision and occasional hysterics, and their willingness to work with me to get my design as close to what I wanted as possible—but just by God's arranging it so that I'd have a cousin who designed jewelry, who married a professional jeweler, so that when He put this design into my mind, I'd have someone I know working on it. Awesome!!!

And here it is:

WIR with Amethyst

WIR with Rose Quartz

WIR with London Blue Topaz

WIR with Rainbow Moonstone

(The bluish coloring on the pendant is from the blouse I was wearing the day I took these pix. The metal is very shiny and reflective!)

The pendant is made (to my knowledge) entirely of Sterling silver, with the central flower being fine silver. The Celtic knots are charms I bought from Fire Mountain, and the “web” and “star” are Sterling silver wire and sheet, respectively. Originally, I had sent a “Turkish silver” (pewter) flower charm with the other materials, but when Avo tried to solder it to the sheet-silver, it ended up looking like this:

Icky...but still usable!

Apparently pewter melts when you try to solder it to Sterling silver. *Eek*

So he very kindly cast another one in fine silver. :-D

While there are some noticeable differences between the design and the real thing, it's still a beautiful pendant, and I'm thrilled that my dream has finally become a reality.

Four of the five stones I sent Laurie and Avo have been set in custom-made bezels and, as you can see in the photos, are interchangeable with one another. Avo put a brooch-pin in the back of the pendant, which slides through the holes in the bottom of each bezel and holds it in place.

Back view

The fifth stone—a genuine Ruby cabochon scored off eBay for only 11 bucks!—was too big to fit in the bezels, so now I get to find another project to work it into. Mwahaha.

And if it seems a little boring to have only four stones to choose from, Laurie sent me some extra bezels and said that if I got any more stones, to send them with the bezels, and Avo would set them for me. PTL!

But of course a pendant isn't much without a chain to hang it on, now is it?

Originally I was going to use the Figaro chain on the right, but the beaded chain looked way better, so I'll be going with that. The tiny crystal point is just for demonstration. I'm actually still debating whether to use this one (leaving its mate orphaned and me with no pretty quartz-point earrings), or see if I can find another crystal this size.

Bodiced Petticoat, minus zipper

On the sewing front, I installed the zipper in my Bodiced Petticoat, so now I'll need to take 2" off the whole neckline in order to keep it from peeking out above my dresses. It'll mean I won't be able to re-use the trim, but there are other projects in my sewing boxes....

Once all that's done, it's on to the easier stuff—hemming and lace!

The picture on the left is actually from last week, before I put in the zipper, but since the thing looks pretty much the same with the zipper, I didn't bother to take another pic.

The *creative* darts in back

I also finished altering my blue-grey capris. Yay!

These have a rather interesting story behind them, actually....

In June of 2008, Mom and I visited one of the local thrift stores back in Grass Valley—the Humane Society, or something like it—and picked up a pair of black twill, side-opening capris; a rare find in this world of fly-fronts (which is another rant entirely). After purchasing them, it crossed my mind that perhaps our next stop—Salvation Army Thrift—might have a pair in grey...and then put the thought out of my mind. After all, it was miraculous enough to find one pair of side-opening britches—two pairs would be just too much to hope for, doncha know.

Then I saw them!

They were just the right grey—medium-light, with a hint of blue, and they had a side zipper! “Don’t tell me lightning doesn’t strike twice!” I said.

Oh, you of little faith. :-P

Because I'm rather—shall we say—“tall in the saddle,” the capris rode a bit low for comfort. So, over the course of four years I unfolded the waist, removed the elastic (to reduce bulk) and added a facing in a thinner fabric, topstitching it all down to keep it in place...and to disguise the faded line and slight ridge left by the original fold. I also shortened them, as they were almost ankle-length before.

So PTL! I now have some grey trousers to wear with my lighter-colored blouses...as soon as I get them finished. *Halo*

Until next time, Gentle Readers,

Good night, and God bless,

~“Tom”~

AWOL, but Not Entirely Idle

The reason I neglected to post last week (on the off chance any of my Gentle Readers wondered) was that I took a little trip down Memory Lane to reconnect with an old friend.

Tintin and Snowy on yet another exciting adventure!

I am speaking, of course, of the animated TV series (circa 1991-3) based on Hergé's graphic novels, The Adventures of Tintin, which Peter and I used to watch when Nickelodeon ran the show.

While the animation was jerkier, and Snowy's barking/growling less convincing, than I remembered (the picture was blurry, too, but that's probably because Mister Laptop isn't meant to play movies like the Roku-box)...I say, despite those slight flaws, on the whole it was fun to watch an old favorite again, and I was surprised how interesting and entertaining a less-than-half-hour flick could be. Also , it was so refreshing to see something where the worst thing out of anyone's mouth was, “you fool!” (although of course that still isn't very nice). OK, so there are some shots fired, punches thrown, people knocked out and an explosion or two. But being in cartoon format, it's not frightening at all, and no one is seriously hurt (no blood, nor even a bruise to be seen). This is a kids' show, after all, and made back when people still understood how to make good kids' shows, on the whole.

But lest you think I've done nothing but watch old cartoons, let me show you some pictures of what else I've been doing....

Black Mary-Janes: Thrifted; Black Sweater-tights: Hand-me-down from Mom; Red Coral Choker : Wild Rose Designs

At long last, I was able to wear “Jubilee” and have my long-suffering brother do a photo shoot. It happened to be Resurrection Sunday, actually, when this dress made its debut—and a loverly, sunny(ish) Resurrection Sunday, at that! Please excuse the uncomfortable expression on my face; it was chilly out, and the wind was drying out my eyes! Not fun. But at least y'all can see what this dress looks like on me.

I was going to make the sleeves puffed, but when I gathered them, they were so restrictive I could hardly lift my arms above my head! My theory is that it's because the armholes ended up a wee bit low from adding to the shoulders. For this year, though, I'll just live with it...but I intend to tweak it some more next year, after (Lord willing) I've gotten caught up with my other sewing. I've decided I want to get a lot of things to the Wearable stage, rather than spending the whole year tweaking a few things to death. :-P

On the up-side, though, it's one of the more comfortable dresses I've made myself (despite the armhole-thing); in fact, I wore it pretty much all day on Sunday, and I usually don't do that. I have a feeling this will be one of my favorite dresses once I can get it to my satisfaction. :-)

CU of embroidery and holes

So now that “Jubilee” is finished, I'm on to the next project: A Bodiced Petticoat! I got the idea from the ones worn back in Regency days—basically like a modern slip, only made in cotton or linen rather than (yech!) nylon. Regency petticoats were of course high-waisted, and I was going to make mine that way, too, until the Lord gave me this pretty sleeveless blouse. Because of a couple small holes in the front (see close-up) and stains here and there (eeeew), it ended up in the Green Cross barrel at work. But of course I couldn't let such a pretty thing be made into rag rugs or whatever it is they do with our “rejects,” now could I? ;-) So I decided to make this the bodice of my petticoat, adding a slightly Victorian/Edwardian feel to it. The stains didn't come out, and the bodice is definitely less white than the skirt, but I plan to throw the whole thing in a pot of Color Remover when it's finished and see what happens.

The first pictures show what the blouse looked like last week. This one shows the changes Mom and I made to it. Since the blouse was a bit too big for me, and I wanted it fairly snug (not skin-tight, but enough not to be bulky under a dress, especially in Summer), I planned to put a couple Darts of Doom* in front and possibly the back if needed, with maybe French darts in the sides. But when Mom fitted it on me, we found a false princess-seam worked better. In order to get the back to fit smoothly, we had to take “some...uh...*creative* darts” (quoth Mom), which I daresay aren't like any darts you ever saw. Whatever works, wot?

* Darts of Doom = Usually refers to tightly-fitted, boat-shaped vertical darts (also called “banana-darts”) taken in the front of a bodice.

~Tom's Dictionary of Whacked-out Terms and Old Family Sayings

I also removed the front button-overlap, as I plan to put a side-zipper in it (that way there won't be button-impressions in the fronts of my dresses, nor two back-zippers on top of each other). To pretty it up, I sewed a bit of vintage entredeaux (no, I don't know how to pronounce it, either), which belonged to either my grandmother or great-grandmother, in the center-front seam. I had to take out a bit of the trim and binding in the neck to open up the overlaps, and I may end up removing the trim altogether, as I need to lower the back neckline so it doesn't show above those of my dresses.

For the skirt, I cut up a cotton twill curtain panel purchased at Value Village...um...last year. :-P I used McCall's 8796, View B, making it long enough to be about mid-calf-length when finished (including the lace to be added), then cutting off about 10” from the bottom. The reason is that I have a couple dresses that are just-below-knee-length, so I need my petticoat to be above the knee so it won't show below the hems of these dresses. The 10” portion will later be made into a detachable extension for longer dresses.

Today, but God's aid, I was able to meet my goal of getting the bodice and skirt sewn together. Yay! I tried to take a picture of it in its current state, but Bro had to play with the adjustments on my camera for the photo shoot, and I don't know how to change them back! So y'all'll just have to wait until next week. Perhaps by then it'll be finished. :-)

D'y'all remember “Wild Irish Rose”? Well, Cousin Laurie informed me yesterday that it's finished. Interchangeable stones and all. And it's due to arrive tomorrow morning, according to the message from FedEx. PTL!

Copyright © 2011 Wild Rose Designs

Because of the complexity of the design, it didn't turn out exactly like my “sketch,” but I kind of expected that. Instead, it ended up looking like my original concept, shown at left. I'll be sure to get a photo of it when it arrives.

In other news—

Aw, you sound like an anchorman. :-P

Ahem. In other news....

KELLIE WILL BE HOME SOON!!! :-D

Until next time, Gentle Readers,

God bless,

~“Tom”~

Happy Things #1

I'm borrowing a page from Jenny LaFleur's book and posting about things that made me happy, in order to combat the madness that is December. Being an incurable tweaker, though, I've made some changes. Instead of listing what made me happy the previous day, I'll be posting about what made me happy today (although since I didn't get to it yesterday, I'll include Happy Things from then as well). I probably won't get to it every day this month, but my goal (Lord willing) is to post as many days as I can. Focus on the positive and all that. ;-) Also, I'm not going to limit myself to three things. 'Cos God doesn't limit Himself to bestowing only three blessings a day, if you look carefully.

So here goes:

~Ye List of Things that made Tom Happy~

December 1st, 2011:

• Singing Happy Birthday to my dear Aunt B! (Actually, we sang to her answering machine, but whatever. ;-))
  
• Finding a GENUINE ruby cabochon on eBay the right size for a pendant in the works...for only $11.20!!! (When I could find a cabochon anywhere near 6mm, they were either lab-grown, completely fake, or priced at three arms and two legs. Now you understand my excitement!)
  
• Going to order a rose quartz cabochon on Etsy for the same pendant (I'll explain later), discovering that the seller would only offer them two at a time (I only need one), then finding another seller--from whom I was gong to order a couple other cabochons anyway...and consequently offers free shipping with multiple orders--had *just* put up a listing for ONE rose quartz cabochon. At half the price of the other listing. *BigGrin*
  
• Watching Scrooge (the musical--LOL!) and eating sugar-free chocolates in celebration of Mom's finishing her part of the Sunday School Christmas program at church

December 2nd, 2011:

• Actually getting up early enough to make my own lunch AND get ready for work, with time to spare.
  
• Trying a new kind of cookie--spice cookies with chocolate chips and toasted nuts--made by my boss' husband...and getting ideas for how to make them myself.
  
• Finding a knee-pillow for Mom among the incoming donations.

Copyright 2011 Wild Rose Designs. Thou Shalt Not Steal! Thank you.

So now you're wondering about this mysterious pendant I mentioned. Well, it's a pet project of mine that's been changing and developing over several years, and now, thanks to Laurie and Avo K. of Laurie Sarah Designs, it's in the process of becoming a reality! It's basically a flower (a wild rose blossom, actually :-)) surrounded by gracefully curving lines and Celtic knotwork, with a quartz crystal point hanging from it, and a 6mm cabochon in the center. And the cabochon is removable, held in its own separate setting that is secured in back of the pendant. That makes the stones interchangeable with one another, so's I can wear the pendant (christened "Wild Irish Rose") with pretty much anything! At right is my PaintShopped "sketch" of the pendant design. It will probably look different in real life, as it's often harder to create things *exactly* how you want them in the physical world, than it is on the computer. :-P Even for professional jewelers like Laurie and Avo. But they do custom work all the time, and they've been so very patient with me when I changed the design a couple of times, and so willing to work with me to get it the way I want it. I'm certain it will be beautiful when it's finished.

And if you're wondering how a country-lass jewelry-maker, who alludes to her "poor starving bank account" now and then, can afford to have such a complicated bauble custom-made by professional jewelers...it's because Laurie happens to be my first-cousin-on-my-mother's-side, and they want to do this for me. I am truly blessed in my relatives, wot? ;-)

Now hopefully nothing will go haywire with the thing, now that I've blabbed about it on my blog. Seems to happen a lot with things like this..../FRETTING

So anyway, have a Blessed Christmas season, Gentle Readers, and until next time,

I remain

Sincerely yours,

~“Tom”~

Prayers

I have a few prayer requests to any who care to think of us.

My grandma called this morning to tell us that my Aunt Donna died of a heart-attack. She was in her early to mid-fifties, and no, she didn't know the Lord. She'd been dealing with some major health issues, and this wasn't her first heart-attack...but all that's nothing compared to what she's suffering now. Please pray for my Uncle David, Donna's son Joe and his family, that God would comfort them during this loss, and that through this He would bring them to a saving knowledge of Him.

Shortly after that bomb dropped, another one exploded. Mom got a call from the assistant headmaster at the school she teaches music at, and long-story-short, he'd made some changes to the upcoming concert (this Thursday) that pretty much smashed all Mom's hard work to smithereens. Thankfully that situation has been resolved—the guy made some more changes that make a lot more sense, so that fire's put out. But Mom could really use some clear guidance from the Lord as to whether she's supposed to go back next year. It's been more headache than ministry, from what I've heard (and observed).

Your prayers are appreciated.

However, we did receive some good news from Aunt B (Mom's sister) this afternoon. She's been trying to sell her house and has been running into some rather head-banging problems, but today she was all excited because the house is now in escrow! *Confetti* So that was one bright spot in this rather lousy day in the life of Tom Wild Rose. :-P

Natasha of Day by Day tagged any of her readers who wished to answer these questions. And since I can never resist one of these....

1. Have you ever consumed an ant? Yes, actually, as a kid. Not on purpose, mind you; it just got in my mouth somehow. Ugh!
   
2. Do you (or did you) bite your fingernails? Again, as a kid. Even when I bit too far and got down to the cuticles. Ouch! Finally grew out of that, thank God, somewhere in my teens and forced myself to use the nail-clippers. And never looked back.
   
3. Pens or pencils? Pencils, because if I screw up I can erase it!
   
4. Least favorite color? This One! And This...And this....
   
5. Ever had a near-death experience? Not that I recall. Had some nasty food poisoning last year that left me unable to keep anything down but mint tea for two days straight (not the ideal way to lose eight pounds!)...but it wasn't *actually* life-threatening.
   
6. Name three blogs/websites that you've discovered recently (and provide links): Vixen Vintage—this girl wears vintage clothes every day and looks smashing! Hee.
   

Joopy and Smith Gems—the Etsy store of a lady in Hong Kong who carries lots of gemstone cabochons...some of which—Lord willing—I hope to get for the interchangeable pendant I've designed....
Rapunzel's Resource—a blog mainly of hairstyle tutorials. She has some loverly ones on her site!

7. What's your middle name? Ruth.
   
8. Favorite movie line? I have three, actually, that come to mind:

ARAGORN: What do you fear, my lady?

ÉOWYN: A cage. To be kept behind bars until use and old age accept them, and all chance for valor has gone beyond recall or desire.

~The Two Towers

CLIFF SECORD: Well, you can stick that blowtorch in my ear, and we'll call it the end of a perfect day.

~The Rocketeer

BETH MARCH: Why does everyone want to go away? I love being home—but I don't like being left behind.

~Little Women

Fun, fun. :-) Now to answer my own questions:

1. Ice Cream or Frozen Yogurt? Frozen Yogurt! :-D It's softer, and therefore easier to eat (for me, anyway). Plus it's so smooth and creamy...>drool<
2. How many siblings do you have? My brother, Peter—otherwise known as Will Scarlet...and not just because he likes red. ;-)
3. What is your favorite hobby? Besides daydreaming? :-P I think embroidery and modeling things out of clay are pretty high on the list (need to do more of those...). Next would be crochet and beadwork.
4. Did you have a different hair color/texture as a kid, or has it always been the same? My hair was tow-white as a kid, gradually turning golden ash-blonde as I got older. It's always been really fine, but THANK GOD it doesn't tangle nearly so badly as it did when I was little! OY!
5. Do you like to go places, or are you more of a homebody? Like Natasha said, I'm kind of both. I like to get out and go places and see new things (or even revisit old favorite spots), but I don't have any great all-fired ambition to get out of the house and go be on my own...alone...without my family....
6. What is your favorite main dish? Either manicotti, fettuccine Alfredo, meat lover's pizza (with olives!), or my Famous Minestrone. I declare, I should have been born Italian. :-D
7. Do you wear jewelry? If so, describe your favorite piece(s): Usually just to town or church, or for special occasions—any time I want to be a bit more “dressed up.” Right now my favorite items are:
   ~ A pair of silver-toned ball-post earstuds. They're like the classic pearl studs you see in old movies and such, only more durable! And they'll go everywhere from grocery shopping to a wedding party, depending on what they're worn with.
   ~ My hinged bail. Not a piece of jewelry per se, but it allows me to switch out one pendant for another, thus eliminating the need for multiple chains. 'Course, I have a pendant in the works (assembled by Laurie and Avo C. of Laurie Sarah Designs) that will have interchangeable stones (Lord willing everything works out all right). I like versatility in my jewelry, can you tell? ;-)
8. When was the last time you went to the movies, and what did you see? Last year, just before Father's Day. We saw Toy Story 3. Not as good as 2, definitely scarier in parts than 1 (still recovering from the Dump/Incinerator scene—eek), and the humor was a little more crude in parts than either (that crack about the “Lincoln-logs” in the sandbox was totally unnecessary), but pretty good, all told. I loved how they resolved/ended the whole thing, even though it was a bit sad.

Until next time, Gentle Readers,

God bless,

~“Tom”~