A Pop of Pink

A friend of mine was looking for a bit of millinery to accessorize a wedding outfit. She is wearing a black and white dress with fuchsia shoes and clutch.

I came up with this whimsy. 

Did you know that (in historic costume) the term fascinator traditionally meant a head shawl or scarf? That type of fascinator dates to the Victorian era.  What we know today to be a "fascinator" has a fascinating history (to a historic costume nerd such as myself.)  

A fascinator designed for a black and site striped dress

What I love about fascinators is that most women will try one, whereas many people think they cannot 'pull off' hats.  Plus they are great conversation pieces!  If you are attending a wedding without knowing many other guests, I highly suggest wearing a fascinator.  You will have no problem striking up conversation.

The pop of pink feathers will pull together the pink accessories she is pairing with a black and white dress. 

I think the sharp lines of these black and white feathers will play off the stripes in her dress. 

Here are pictures of Lisa dolled up at the wedding!  We ended up trimming the white netting when Lisa tried on this piece.  I think it looks even better.  Now I am designing a headpiece for another friend.  She gave me creative free reign, and I am thrilled!

Fear

Yesterday my sweet baby girl boldly climbed up two steps.

She is fearless.

I am filled with fear.

One of my bigger struggles is the fear of failure.   

As I watch my daughter learn and grow, I realize if I want her to be bold, strong, and determined, I must model my own behavior.  I certainly do not want to (knowingly) project my own issues onto my children.

So, I am letting go of this fear of failure.  I recognize in the past what I have most feared turned out to be the best parts of my life.  

I have been afraid to start this blog, and live life as an artist for far too long.  Instead of regret, I decided to jump into the fear. Failing is not starting.  Even if only one person reads this, and if my art is only enjoyed by me, at least I will have no regret.

So thank you, dear reader, for helping me overcome my fear.

Tutus and girl power

I made a tutu for the first time.

We are going to a birthday party for a sweet one year old girl.  I think she needs a tutu.

I struggle with the concept of princesses.  While I am all about frilly, girly things, many of the values associated with princesses are hard for me to support.

So I paired this tutu with my favorite 1980s girl power book, The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munch.  I was thrilled to find this book in board book form at our new local, independent children's bookstore.

In this story, the princess outwits a dragon in order to save the prince. He is less than appreciative (telling her she looks like a mess) and the princess tells him he is a bum.  

Peas

With my thoughts on peas this week, I realized the baby had not eaten peas (in their whole form) yet. She loved puréed peas. But now that she has developed her grasping ability, she really prefers to feed herself solids.

Picking up peas helps develop fine motor skills.

She was fascinated by this food! I talked a lot about them, and the letters I had spelled, but she just wanted to gobble them up.

I have a friend whose toddler eats frozen peas right out of the freezer.  It sounded odd at first, but I understand now.

Also, peas really aren't as messy as other vegetables.

I'm crossing my fingers we have fresh peas from the garden soon!