The Mad Hatter's Sweater Dress: Or, What Rosie Misses On Facebook

For those people who have facebooks (which would be, pretty much, everyone but Rosie), you have a very good summary of what happened to me today. You don't need me to blog it all, because you already saw the awesome sweater, heard me rave over it, and agreed that it is the PERFECT mad hatter sweater. Not that the mad hatter wears sweaters, but hey. Somebody does. And its nearly winter.

Please, then, bear with us as Rosie gets a little taste of my day:

Status Update #1: Somehow, my breakfast disappeared from my bag so I am starved. Now I have visions of stuffed butter croissants dancing in my head.
Status Update #2: I'm in love. Anyone up for giving me donations???? That's what I should add to my blog...a donations box......
Status Update #3: I have just decided I am going to quit school and run away to join the circus. Or something.

 The third status got eaten up by Doctor Who, inevitably ending with the stroppy homicidal mermaid. The second, though, had a link. To the sweater. This sweater is one that would be right up my alley. In fact, it is, except for the price. If it didn't cost quite as much ($155!) I would have ordered this in a heartbeat. The sweater is called Paris, but it really fits with Underworld much better. The uneven hem style, the varying colors, the crazy swirls all scream perfection at me. Their description runs as follows:

Long below knee length knit retro jacket with fur collar, embellished floral designs and unique swirls on side hem. It is definately a jacket that your friends will not have.

How right! I could see myself wearing this one foggy morning while I force myself to leave the warm comforts of my car to find my room in the gulag for the morning. It would be cheery, a nice statement against all the gloom! It would make me smile, and it would keep me warm. It is stylish and unique and fuzzy and all sorts of other very, very good things. Also, a huge plus is that it is long. The only long things that look good are usually full coats, and it doesn't get cold enough to really merit those around here.

* sigh * I'm in LOVE.

Japanese Peasant vs. Mad Hatter

That pretty much sums up the long description of this beautiful and versatile blouse from GoGothic. The rose is adjustable and can be placed about anywhere. The looseness of this blouse is very cool and collected, making for a flowing design. I like the contrast of the colors and design here. There is a pattern, but it isn't a loud pattern. It is sedate, peaceful and calm.

There is a less sophisticated version of the rose design that I quite like, and actually may settle on for my Mad Hatter costume. I like how the strips of fabric are used to sort of hold everything together, and may end up adding my own raggedy strips to it, replacing the taupe strips with more colorful pieces. I think this would also complement a colorful corset, giving the slight one-off feel that I'm looking for.

Style Rant: Layering

Poor unfortunate souls that read this. I hope I do not scar you for life by telling you about one of my pet peeves. As you may be aware, I love layering things--to a certain extent. I also strongly despise when someone layers clothing incorrectly. Layering has a purpose. That purpose is not to look like you're so dead broke that you had to steal your little sisters' undergarments and put five or six on so you can appear somewhat clothed in public.

How to avoid bad layering:
-do not layer the exact same shirt/tank in different colors.
-only one layer should have lace or beading
-only one layer should have embroidery
-only layer complimentary colors
-only one layer should be a bold color.

So what IS good layering? Well, I found a great example in Coldwater Creek the other day. It was well though out, and was put together by a professional for display. If you ever feel the need to improve your style sense, the best thing you could do (after reading this blog, of course), is to wander around stores like Coldwater and study the displays. What do you like about them? What would you change? Try to figure out the display patterns that work the best.

Take a look at this sample. The blue outfit is a classic: patterned skirt, white blouse, blue vest, belt. A quick style note on this: the shirt and the vest are actually the exact same cut, just in different colors. It has taken advantage of layers, and is incredibly versatile. A white longsleeve shirt could go under this vest and would look perfectly fine. It can be dressed up, it can be dressed down, but it stays beautiful. And there is the added bonus that these shirts are wrinkle free. I love these wrinkle free shirts; they ard great for traveling. Unless you, like, crumple them up and stick them under your matress for a week, they remain smooth as anything. Even if you do manage to wrinkle them, just stick them I the bathroom after you shower. The wrinkles will disappear in the warmth and humidity.

But I digress. THIS is an example of good layering. Wear clothing layered like this and I shall be a happy woman. Ignore me and I shall hate your lacy-clashing- shirts forever.

Today is the Day: Feathers

Today I will be getting my hair feathered. Both my parents are very interested in what, exactly, this entails, so when I asked if my mom wanted to come my dad said he wanted to come to. So the three of us are trooping down to watch someone do my hair. Since they're both coming, I'm hoping that I can put a camera in the hands of one and a video camera in the hands of another, and they can be useful that way. Such are the dangers of being the parent of a blogger.

I promise not to get any that are too wild. I'm intending to use a basic color, so I won't have to worry about my clothes and hair not matching (plus, I hate hot pink). Check back tomorrow to see what it turns out like.

Complete Outfit: Blacks and Whites

Just in case you didn't know, as a rule, I personally hate plaid. There are few exceptions to this rule, but there are exceptions. A FEW exceptions. Today, I've found some perfect ensembles from Shabby Apple and ModCloth. There are actually two dresses very close to each other, one at each store. The Shabby Apple dress is a little bit more modest (surprise surprise), but both are very close in concept. Both feature off-centered buttons and are made from a similar fabric. Both have high necks and fall to around the knee. The pattern isn't quite plaid, but it isn't quite checkered, either. To take a closer look at both dresses, you can see the Shabby Apple dress here and the ModCloth dress here.


The shoe that fits the best, of course, is one I've mentioned before: A black and white heel from Shabby Apple. And, of course, what to do when your feet get tired, or you're ready for something a little less formal? Perhaps these nautical flats would be a nice touch, complete with little red bows. The last one is all in theory, of course. The shoe is sold out. Sigh.....

The final finishing touch would be a black and white pearl bracelet. I particularly like this bracelet from SabtisDesigns. Any jewelry beyond something simple like this would be overkill. Because of the high neck, I would advice steering clear of any necklaces, and maybe even earrings. Anything more complex than this pair from SilverSmack would be too much.

Mmm....now I'm in a shopping mood......

J'aime le blog de la parisienne/I love the blogs of Parisians

Salut, ma chérie! Aujourd'hui, un nouveau challenge: je serai blog dans francais et anglais a le meme temps. Je ne sais pas si ma instructor francais approuverait, mais, je vais tenter de toute façon. J'espère qu'elle vous plaira.

Hello, my friends! Today I have a new challenge for myself: I will be blogging in both English and French. I am not sure if my french teacher would approve, but, I am going to do it anyway! I hope you enjoy it.

Je trouvé deux blogs d'anglophones dans Paris il y a quelque temps. J'aime lire ces blogs. Le deux femme ecrit dans deux tres différent styles. Le premier blogs dans anglais, et elle chroniques de sa vie à Paris ... et non pas le Paris dans Texas! elle dit avec véhémence. Elle est Jordan, une planificateur d'événements. Elle ecrit au sujet de tout. Les enfants, les partis, maillots de bain, tout cela et plus à trouver leur chemin dans ses articles. Mes messages favoris est le post vers le market francais et le parti au revoir du des nouveau amis du Jordan.

A while ago, I found two blogs by English speakers living in Paris. I love to read these blogs. These two women write very differently, but I still love them. The first one is written in English, and the lady chronicles her life in Paris...the Paris that is NOT in Texas! as she vehemently insists. This is Jordan, an event planner from San Francisco. She writes about pretty much every subject possible. Parties, kids, bathing suits, you name it. They all find a place in her blog posts. My favorite posts are about shopping in the local market and a going-away party for some of Jordan's friends.

Le deuxieme blog est le blog du une femme anglais. Il ne dit elle nom, mais, il ecrit dans angalis et francais--principalement francais. Elle ecrit petit poèmes, généralement accompagnées de photos. Un grand, grand nombre des photos. Elle est tres artistique, et elle photos saisir la vie quotidienne d'une belle manière. Il est tres, tres belle. Il est bien évident elle adore ses enfants. Vous vu le blog ici.

The second blog is by an English lady. She does not say what her name is. She writes in both English and French, but mainly in French. She posts little poems, and a lot of pictures. A TON of pictures. They are very artistic, and truly capture the beauty of everyday life. It is very very pretty. It is obvious that she loves her children very much. You can read her blog here.

Je ne sais pas si le deux femme ont rencontré. Mais, je l'ai trouvé intéressante que tout les deux utiliser «day» dans le nom de les blog. Elles savent que nous devons vivre au jour le jour. Il est vrai, non?

I do not know if these women know each other. I do find it interesting, however, that they both use the word "day" in the names of their blogs. They both know that we must take everything on a day by day basis. And that is true, no matter where you live.

Moses Supposes His Toeses Are Roses

Roses are probably the prettiest flower that comes with thorns. I've always found it funny that these thorny plants are the symbol of love. I'm sure there is a story there, but I haven't researched it. Instead, I fell into rose-dom on etsy the other day, the same day that I came up with all the watches. So here's a rosy rundown of my favorite accessories. I was a bit eccentric in my choices, ranging from complete goth to normal stuff. So, here's a quick look at the awesomeness.

Goth

This Ikebana Cuff by ghost love jewelry caught my eye. I would love to use this as a costume piece someday. The ornate layering and long ribbons give it a feel that could be sinister or fun, depending on how it was used. A great partner to this (it also comes in a bronze) is the Rose Heart Necklace from robinhoodcouture. We talked about this vendor in my most recent Hatta post,so this should be slightly familiar.

If big jewelry isn't your thing, there is also the more sedate ScarletRose Locket. This actually comes in several color designs, including a girlie light pink and white, so don't write it off as total goth. The Victorian Cuff is a nice complement, and, like the Ikebana, does not fully encircle the wrist, and is thus a safe optioned for the big boned among us.

The final piece is a cage headpiece, and is made from duct tape. The rose looks awesome, and is accented with feathers and, of course, the net.

Girlie-Girl

Pink is the girl's color, and pink roses are always good, right? Pink is close to red, but isn't the same, and one shade is goth and the other shade is what you dress up your most feminine girls in. Tomboys don't get pink. But, here's some of the finds that made me *almost* wish I was the girlie-girlie-girl sort of person. LizHutnik starts it off with a very detailed peppermint rose ring (pictured). I usually don't like rose rings, as they make me feel like the rose just got plopped down for lack of a better idea, but this one looks like it is one well thought out, cohesive piece. Take a look through Liz's store. She has a lot of other great flower pieces. A nice hair accent to this is the Misty Dawn Bobby Pin Set. Please, don't make me embarrassed by using decorative bobby pins incorrectly. Put some hair over the normal bobby pin part of the pin. Don't cover the decoration, but please hid the fact that it is a bobby pin. The hair geeks will thank you.

Gypsy/Vintage

I like the gypsy look. Its quite fun. Pictured is the Sia Hair Flower. The flowers are set to look vintage-y, but still have that slightly wild feel to them. I think this is actually supposed to be a wedding piece, but I love it anyway.

Not to be worn with the Sia Hairpiece is the Bianca Sunshine Rosebud Belt. This belt is made of little fabric flowers, and is a great vintage add. Rosebudlips makes a lot of accessories like this. If you like this look, I recommend getting a good variety of these flowers in a pin/hairpiece combo. One of my friends works wonders with these flowers, using them as pick-me-up accents to an otherwise drab and boring dress. I've also seen her artfully disguise the fact that she's wearing the same thing two days in a row by rearranging where the flowers are located. Its her own little "stop and smell the roses" moment.

Watch out for the thorns.

Summer Wear, Easy: T-Shirts

I used to hate t-shirts. Probably thanks to being forced into suits and polos or button-downs every day, I'm now reveling in the time now that I can spend freely in a T-shirt. So, I've become a bit of a shirt connoisseur this summer. I've only picked up two or three, but I have a long drool list. I'll share a few of my favorites with you.

My number 1 most wanted right now is a great Alice shirt from ArtFire member Tartx. This shirt has some awesome artwork on it (a portion of it  from the books I first read as a child), and is just plain old fun. I don't usually get shirts that are based off of films or books, but this is an exception. I especially love the slightly frustrated Alice, and the equally annoyed flamingo. I suppose my fascination with Alice in Wonderland comes from having first read both books while I was running an incredibly high fever, thus, it is exempt from all my normal media judgements.

There are a few ties for second, mainly because I meandered through Coldwater Creek the other day and fell in love with several shirts. There is, of course, the silver beaded shirt (left), which reminds me of an icy, slow moving river that is just waking up. The coolness of the beading counterbalances the casualness of the fact that it is a t-shirt. Awesome shirt. The sunflower tee is nice, and is somewhat like my black rose tee, just the flowers are upside down from each other.

Then, of course, there are more abstract flowers, which I also love. This one is particularly colorful and versatile, and I like that. Easy to throw this on over a basic black or brown or blue or whatever skirt or pair of pants. The abstract leaves shirt has the same feel, but is only in black and white, which is fine by me. Both shirts are great for those early mornings where you can be casual but don't want to exert brain power on matching things. Of course, the same thing applies to this glow in the dark shirt, which is weirdly fun. I don't see myself really wearing this one, though, although it does remind me of a certain outfit of Liv Tyler's that we discussed perviously.

Finally, my inner makeup artist (hey, its my job) comes out. I don't know how many of you remember the disassembled gun shirts that were popular a few years ago (this is the closest I could find), but there's an airbrush version too. Booyah. Unfortunately, I doubt that many people would "get it," so no purchase here. I'm still thinking about the Alice and Ice ones, though.....

Scavenging for Beauty

Bee is one of those people who has talent. I've lately been pursuing a lot of blogs of people who "vintage loot" or any of the other various terms used to describe those who take something old and make it into something new. Bee does a bit of that and a bit of everything else. Usually she starts with a mess and ends with something beautiful (you can see a start to a mess to the right--peruse her blog and you can see the beautiful she ended up with).

Now, let's face it. I love the something-old approach (you know how I awww'd over one couple's using old pages from their favorite love stories to make all the flowers for their wedding.), and I love seeing inventive done in new ways. I don't have the patience to figure out what to do with them, though. I'm not quite that imaginative. Bee is, and she's pretty inventive with her projects, too. I don't want to tell you too much about her work, as she writes in a very witty way, but I will say that I admire how she made a business for herself out of revamping rooms and furniture. Take a gander over to Windgate Lane and wander around a bit. Even if you don't like DIYing it, her writing style is sure to capture you.

Red White and Blue Hues

If you haven't noticed, today is Independence Day in the U.S., more commonly referred to as "The Fourth of July." For me, Memorial Day and the 4th seem a bit like repeat celebrations, because celebrating our declared independence from Great Britain makes me think of all the people who have sacrificed to defend our nation, and celebrating all the people who have sacrificed to defend our nation reminds me of Independence Day. Either way, I end up thinking red, white, and blue, and this morning, I realized something. 

I can't see anything patriotic in my closet.

That was an awful realization. Perhaps it is because I am normally required to wear a navy blue skirt and white button down on July 4th. I have two patriotic scarves, but that is it. No flashy bejeweled flags on my shirts. No Nothing. In this absence of red white and blue, I've been reduced to wearing black with a rose screen printed on my shirt. In sharp contrast, my first 4th was so thoroughly patriotic you couldn't even see baby. There is a better picture from when I'm about six, but I gave up on finding it. It was much cuter, and less drool-ridden. I apparently drooled a lot as a baby.

Bereft of patrioticness, at least in dress, I drifted over to etsy to see what patriotism was on display there. There was a variety of great artistry, including the canvas pictured above (by KLynnae), as well as a variety of dog tags. I've always admired people who have a way to make dog tags into a tasteful accessory. They're cool, and I think its a nice way to announce your support for the troops. My discoveries ranged from tags with different military seals (the Marine tag is pictured to the right) to USA earrings made from charms and dog tags. Quite cute.

My personal favorite, though, was a necklace that is done to help the Pinup Patriettes raise funds for various military/verteran support groups. I've had a little trouble determining who exactly the Pinup Patriettes are, since their site is down, but it appears to be founded by some pinup girls and their friends who travel around to different events selling flags and pins and other patriotic mementos. The proceeds go to various military and veteran support groups, such as the Wounded Warrior Project. My main focus, however, was on the necklace. It has patriotism spattered all over it. It is made up of two dog tags and some beading, the bottom tag having the flag on it, the upper tag having the PP's logo on it. Pretty, not too complex, and patriotic. 

And, as a plus, I can wear it with a blue skirt and a white button down shirt. Happy Independence Day. Remember those who make our Independence possible. 

Down with the Bloody Big Head: Watches that Don't Work and Shoes that Don't Fit

I was exploring one of my favorite sites today, and I found new accessories for my Hatta costume, purely by accident (I was planning on showing you some of my favorites on Shabby Apple, but that will have to wait for another day). Two little necklace watches and a glass ball that serves a double purpose as both a locket AND a magnifying glass were among the finds. It wasn't until after I had oogled over all the items and thought about how great they would be for my costume that I realized they all had Alice in Wonderland names. There's the Looking Glass Necklace and the White Rabbit's Timekeeper, as well as the Mad Hatter's Timekeeper. They're all incredibly cute and costume worthy, buuuut....like all good jewelry, they have their price. I do think having multiple clock necklaces would be a fun touch, so I might pursue that one a bit more, and see what happens to turn up. You never know what I might find hiding in some second hand store, or something else. Lodi is full of all sorts of little corners that have odd jewelry bits in them.

The other item I found is the exact opposite of the hat: the shoes! And boy are they cute. Black and white with a bow, these remind me somewhat of the saddle shoes from when I was little. Too bad they are almost sold out, the only remaining ones being in size 7. Ah well. I'm sure something else will come along at some point. If you happen to be a lucky 7, then you can take a look at the shoes here. Of course, if I was sticking with the true Hatta design (which I'm not, as I'm doing a more daughter-of-the-Hatta thing), I would be embracing the menswear-for-women fashion in the shoe department, going after the Eager Beaver design. Its actually simply "Eager," but I can vary rarely say the first word without the second following, so I've taken this chance to re-christen the shoes. If you paid attention in the movie, these are actually really really close in design to the ones Johnny Depp wore--just a bit fancier.

I think I'll stick to hunting watches for now.

That's Not The Creative I Was Thinking Of....

My brain, Polyvore, and myself have been having a fight the last few days. Polyvore is still an exploratory thing for me, so I keep finding great new bits and pieces to use. So Polyvore really isn't the problem. What IS the problem, however, is that I want to do sets for competitions, and my brain wants to do slightly morbid, somewhat weird, and altogether pure artistic sets. Somewhere between those points, we clash, and there is a big fuss I simply don't have time for. The first clash of plans was for a Penelope Cruz set that I was under a bit of time pressure to finish. I don't think I need to say that I didn't place in that particular competition.

ANYWAY, I've been experimenting with some new techniques, and am enjoying the more artistic-less-dressy style, but at the same time, I'm turning into a jack-of-all-trades-mistress-of-none. Right now, I was planning on working on sets for two competitions: a Summer Trends themed competition, as well as a Fierce Color with Sebastian Professional one. Its the Summer Trends one that is causing the trouble. I thought a nice beach and board game theme would be a good idea. You can take a look at its most recent permutation (which is always changing, because I'm still editing it), but it is most obviously creepy, not summery.

I'm just wondering why my creative juices have a mind of their own. I've never experienced this for artwork on a computer. I have experienced it freehanding things, but that is when I'm drawing without a purpose. Right now, my purpose is apparently to be violent, or at least slightly morbid (which should be nothing new). Corralling my thoughts into productivity is hard right now. I think the summer heat is getting to me.

The Village Lanterne: Blackmore's Night

Let me introduce you to one of my favorite music groups: Blackmore's Night. The legend goes that Richie Blackmore (one of the founders of Deep Purple) and Candice Night chose to start a Renaissance-styled music group in 1997, and chose the name based on a play of their own names--thus creating Blackmore's Night. The couple married in 2008 (awwww....), and their musical reputation has continued to grow.

What saddens me is, not that many people know of Blackmore's Night. They know of Deep Purple, but they haven't experienced the awesomeness of the modern-day renaissance. I was recently talking to the best DJ I know, who always teases me about my music selections, always ending his worry with "I don't know WHAT I'm going to play at your wedding!!" (He's one of the few people who is positive that I'm getting married next year and just don't know it yet. I've given up reminding them that I'm not even in a relationship). Greg (the DJ) was recently introduced to Blackmore's Night (by yours truly, of course), and asked about who the founders were. The lightbulb connecting Blackmore's Night, Richie Blackmore, and Deep Purple went off a few moments later. SCORE!!

While I could go on and on about the wonder of their music, I shall simply advise you take a listen and Search Amazon.com for Blackmore's Night. Oh yeah, and to get a taste of their style, take a quick look at this video.

Candice Night certainly has style. I chose The Way to Mandaly over my person favorite piece of theirs (Village Lanterne), because Mandaly has more outfits, and, since I'm about to start talking about medieval styled clothing, is somewhat important. I personally like Candice's style, and Blackmore's Night as a whole is just the cherry on top of a huge sub-cultures of medieval- and renaissance-ness. Providers such as ArmStreet are completely devoted to providing fuel for this trend, creating everything from full suits of armor to Lord of the Rings knock-offs (Eowyn, anyone? or are you more Galadriel minded?). ArmStreet is definitely a nice place to wander around and spend a lot of money at. I've never heard any bad feedback about them.

Candice Night's style can be a little more modern than ArmStreet, though. I would suggest looking for individual pieces (much like I'm doing with my Mad Hatter costume), and then combining it into something beautiful. I've noticed that Candice tends to mix-and-match items, and that's fun to do anyway. I would recommend searching through sites like Etsy and ArtFire. Etsy's search engine is much, much more cooperative than ArtFire's. As with all things, remember, though, that the more detail and quality you want, the higher the price is going to be. Damsel in this Dress has nice corsets and bodices, of course (I've linked to them before, I believe), and My Elegant Muse has full costumes, as well as selling all the parts separately. Seasons of the Earth is the same (to note, this seller has about three different names that the do buisness under). Zachulas Crypt mainly does costuming for pirate and vampire reasons (yeah, yeah yeah.) but still carries on the theme. The Elven Seamstress sells most of the above, but also strikes out in a new area: men's clothing! If you can get your man to dress up like Richie Blackmore, kudos for you. Anyway, take a gander through Etsy and Artfire's search engines, and be inventive with your search terms. Searching "gypsy" can come up with a whole new world of this exact same stuff.

Oh, yeah, and if you want to do it the cheater way, check out Chovihani. She makes shrugs with the huge sleeves so you don't have to actually wear the entire chemise. Also, if you happen to know what instrument Richie Blackmore is playing in that picture way up there, please let me know. I want one.

If you waded your way all the way through those links, you deserve a cookie. Keep looking. One might show up soon. 

Down with The Bloody Big Head: The Hat Is Here

I got my hat today!!! And it is quite cute. It is a little (well, quite a bit) smaller than I expected, but that's okay, I think it will still look cute once I'm finished with it. It is a little smaller than this one, and, of course, is white, with no bow/flower. I chose to make my own bow, so I can make it the correct color and proportions. For some reason, the design of the hat is very, very important to me.

In other news, I think I shall be relying somewhat upon steampunk accessories to finish this project. I tend to despise plaid, and the Hatter's gloves happen to be a plaid. Will wandering around Halloween Mart and looking at various hats, I, on a lark, wandered over into the steampunk section, since that has a variety of oddities that just might provide one with some hat ideas. Instead, I found a possible variation on the plaid gloves. These. I do have some black fingerless gloves, and may end up going with those or something else out of my scrapbag, but it certainly was another lightbulb idea find, since I've been on the look out for anti-plaid gloves. We shall see what my next mad find will be. In the mean time, I'm having quite a lot of fun over here, so ye be warned. ;)

Down With The Bloody Big Head: Starting from the Top

Since I wrote of the beginning of my Mad Hatter adventure, several things have happened. First, the party got moved, and no one told me, so its over. Oh well. Secondly, I ordered the hat. I decided to go with a white mini top hat, for a few reasons. First off, I always think that minis look better on females than standard top hats, and I happen to be a said female. Secondly, with the various ways I've experimented with my hair, a small hat that can perch precariously in the midst of a LOT of hair would be a good idea, since I do happen to have three or four feet of hair. Finally, I chose white because I can then decorate it however I choose, and while I may want to use paint or dyes at some point, I would prefer to work on a white surface rather than a black one.

This hat has also gotten kudos from me for having the right shape. Most of the hats that were under $25 (search engines won't usually let me select a price range lower than that) also happened to have a straight up-and-down edge to it, which is quite different than the sloping out edges of the Mad Hatter's hat.

I should be able to do most of the work on the hat from scraps that I've saved from other projects. I'm anticipating only having to buy the hatpins and the peacock feather for this part of the project. Huzzah.

Down With The Bloody Big Head: Planning to be the Hatta

I stopped going to dress-up birthday parties when I was about eight. Since then, I have not dressed up for one party, and princess themed items have been waaaaay out of the question. Until you hit college. Then, all of a sudden, its like your six again. Dress up?? I'd love to! Wear a tiara?? EVEN BETTER! The only problem is, when I was six, my parents bought my costume for me, or my mom made it. Now, I'm on my own. However, either way, I am planning on attending an Alice in Wonderland themed birthday party.

I was originally considering going as The White Queen, but decided that it is

• too complicated of a costume 
• going to be a very expensive costume
• too hot to wear that sort of dress in the middle of summer.

So, that idea has been ditched. Instead, I've decided to make up my own random costume idea, which, for some reason, is much more permissible when you are taking a male character and designing a costume for a female. My choice: The Mad Hatter. I intend to base it on the Hatter Johnny Depp played, but other than that, I don't have many ideas. The basic design I've sketched out so far would have a basic corset/bodice that would be a suitable bright color (lime green [pictured], a pink/bright purple and a deep purple have all been considered), as well as a loose-sleeved shirt somewhat reminiscent of what Kiera Knightly wears in Dead Man's Chest--if I can find it, of course. A bright, perhaps clashing skirt would be necessary,  possibly in the style of a gypsy skirt.

I'm still hunting for a cute top hat and, I think I have a multi-colored scarf that could double for a bowtie.

I'm starting to think I'm crazy......

Mixing Stories: Chronicles of Narnia, the Mousehunt Way

Okay everybody!!! Its time for story time with Auntie A!!!! (:P)

The Magician's Nephew brings the reader back to the very beginning of Narnia where we learn how Aslan created the world and how evil first entered it. Digory Kirke and his friend Polly Plummer stumble into different worlds by experimenting with magic rings made by Digory's Uncle Andrew, encounter Jadis in the dying world of Charn, and witness the creation of Narnia.

Four ordinary children, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie discover a wardrobe in Professor Digory Kirke's house that leads to the magical land of Narnia, where they meet many different creatures, like Centaurs, and talking beavers and foxes..... The Pevensie children help save Narnia from the evil White Witch and her armies full of creatures like Cyclops and hags and goblins, who has reigned over the kingdom of Narnia for a century of perpetual winter. They know this winter is breaking when Father Christmas appears. The children become kings and queens of this new-found land and establish the Golden Age of Narnia. They grow up in Narnia, and soon a nearby prince, Rabadash, shows interest in Susan. She refuses to marry him, however, but during that time, Shasta and Aravis escape Calormen with the help of Aravis’ friend Larsaleen. Soon the Pevensies must return to England, where they are children once more.

Not long after, the foursome are drawn back into Narnia by the power of Susan's horn, blown by Prince Caspian to summon help in his hour of need. Narnia as they knew it is no more. Their castle is in ruins and all the Dryads have retreated so far within themselves that only Aslan's magic can wake them. Caspian has fled into the woods to escape his uncle, Miraz, who had usurped the throne. The children set out once again to save Narnia, and with the help of many Narnian creatures, including brave mice like Reepicheep, put Prince Caspian back on the throne. At first, they seem to be outnumbered, but the Dryads soon awake, and save the day. After they finish this, they are once again returned to England.

Peter and Susan are not able to come on the third trip, as they are now too old, but Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, along with their priggish cousin, Eustace Scrubb, are drawn into Narnia. Once there, they join King Caspian's voyage on the ship Dawn Treader to find the seven lords who were banished when Miraz took over the throne. This perilous journey brings them face to face with many wonders and dangers, such as water that turned one of the lords to gold, sea serpents, kidnapping pirates, and kind mermaids and Nyads. At one island, poor Eustace is turned into a Dragon!!! After they find all the lords, the cousins must return home.

Instead of calling the Pevensies back to Narnia again, Aslan calls Eustace back to Narnia together with his classmate Jill Pole. There they are given four signs to aid in the search for the enchanted Prince Rilian, Caspian's son, who disappeared after setting out ten years earlier to avenge his mother's death. Eustace and Jill, with the help of Puddleglum the Marsh-wiggle, face danger and betrayal before finding Rilian, and are forced to defeat the Lady of the Green Kirtle, who eventually reveals her true nature when she turns into a snake.

The Last Battle chronicles the end of the world of Narnia. Jill and Eustace return to save Narnia from Shift, an ape, who tricks Puzzle, a donkey, into impersonating the lion Aslan, precipitating a showdown between the Calormenes and King Tirian. Aslan arrives, and the world ends, but not before Aslan takes all the good guys to go live with him.

Come back again soon for another Storytime with Auntie A, and see what happens when you put Lord of the Rings to the tune of Mousehunt!