Mardi Gras Grardi Mas

You like my new specs? I'll be wearing them in the Mardi Gras parade this Saturday and then probably everyday for the next two weeks because they're awesome.

Me and my crew will be marching in our town's Mardi Gras parade. Decked out in our finest Renaissance duds and fun Mardi Gras accessories, we will throw beads in the parade and then later hand out flyers for the faire to all the thousands of people who will be there. It'll be a killer promo op and we're going to take advantage of it hardcore.

And there will be corn dogs and funnel cakes- and I will eat them....all.

I ordered 720 throwing beads direct from New Orleans and spent the afternoon removing them from little plastic bags and laying them out in these baskets very carefully so they won't get tangled. 

I would hate for some poor kid to get popped in the face by a wad of beads that got mangled up into a two-pound ball of plastic. I also metallic-fringed our banner and decorated the baskets and then sat around and did nothing for a few hours. 

 Because the baby bump is getting a little too bulgy, I'm going to wear my beige one-piece with some awesome add-ons. I realized today that the gown hasn't been cleaned since the last faire (I spilled coffee and soda on it and then got drenched in rain). It's filthy, the hem is tattered but it's comfy.

Here's proof of the beating this dress took at the faire last year.

If I take it to the cleaners now, there's no way I'll get it back in time for the parade. And besides, it's just going to get sweaty and more dirty at the parade anyway so there's really no point in worrying about it.

 We won this handsome 1st place trophy in the marching category of the Christmas parade, so hopefully we will add another trophy for this parade and start a nice collection of win tokens. 

This is my first time participating in any kind of Mardi Gras festivities. Mardi Gras isn't really a big deal in this area. In fact this is Texarkana's second Mardi Gras parade ever and that's as far as it goes.

What's Mardi Gras like where you live?

the legend of Massy Fassy

A few months ago I mentioned that I would like to open up a new Etsy shop to sell my weird fascinators that make. I was working on building up a nice collection and then something happened that brought production to a screeching halt:

Frustrated with the lack of organization in our office, my husband took it upon himself to do bit of cleaning. He started with MY side of the office first. Not realizing (or caring?) that I indeed had my own system for keeping my materials organized, he dumped everything into boxes and storage bins.

Headbands and hair clips where thrown in with the jewelry I have listed on Etsy. Christmas decor was tossed into boxes with unfinished fascinators. Silk flowers smashed down into bags with vintage dresses... I can go on forever.

Since we are very peaceful people, my husband and I rarely argue or raise our voices at each other....but the marathon verbal butt whoopin' I gave him after his little stunt left him too terrified to even LOOK at my craft supplies.

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Months later, I've finally settled my nerves enough to try to re-organize everything so I can start back doing what I love to do.

Here's just a little bit of what's to come.

Googly-eyed pom pom hair clips. Aren't they cute?

The kitchen table serves as my work space for right now.

You probably can't tell from the photos, but these flowers are very big and will definitely turn heads. I know that not everyone will dig these fascinators and I'm ok with that. They're not for everyone. Heck, I can't really picture myself wearing one - they're not really my "style" (whatever that is), but I really love making them!

Massy Fassy (short for Massive Fascinator) Coming soon*!

*= ok, probably not. I've still gotta build up stock, have a baby in August and then host a Renaissance Faire in October... so, coming...eventually.

ew.

I'm sick with a stomach virus for the first time in about seven years.

I have the immune system of an ox, but every few years or so the right combo of germs will come along and knock me on my butt. In  this case it was something River caught from God knows where. Well, I have caught him licking the bottom of shoes before so I bet that might have something to do with it.

i heart you too

I love Valentines Day. Even when I was single and lonely (not having my first relationship until just five years ago), Valentines Day was still one of my favorites. Why? There's  free cupcakes and chocolates everywhere!

In my single days, I learned to work the system. Be a scavenger, you know? For example if you work in an office, look for the girl holding a box of chocolates with a disgusted look on her face. The chocolates she received probably came from her creepy stalking ex-boyfriend.

That's when you say, "So um... I take it you don't want those chocolates? No? I'll take those off your hands. The roses too..."

***Valentines Outfit Under $30***

Vintage Lane Bryant dress - won on Listia, an auction website that uses points instead of money

Vest thingy - http://www.599fashion.com/

Tights - target

Oxfords - Kohl's clearance, ages ago

Necklace - yard sale

Knit tam- local beauty supply store

 Me and the husband decided to make it a family Valentines evening so River got to join in on the fun for the first time.

Our evening wasn't exactly ideal.

We went to our favorite Italian place (because Italian is as fancy as it gets around here).

A lovely Cotton Club inspired jazz duet was there and they were awesome but the restaurant was loud, super busy and packed from top to bottom AND River was antsy, shrieking, whiny and very uncooperative. To make matters worse the restaurant was horribly short staffed, having only two waitresses... but the one waitress we had was pretty darn terrible.

I was a waitress for a few years, so I know how tough a job it can be but we sat at an empty table for well over 30 minutes and watched the waitress take the orders from tables that arrived waaaaay after we did. She never stopped at our table to ask if we needed anything and at times it seemed as if she was intentionally ignoring us.

Me and my husband are extremely patient people - sometimes TOO patient. I can see any other person flying off the handle over such a bad experience but... we were too hungry to find another place.

What did you all do for Valentine's Day??

oh boy... or girl...

When a mommy and a daddy love each other very much (and miscalculate mommy's ovulation days) sometimes happy little oopsies happen... again...

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In other words... goodbye gin and tonics. Hello, Taco Bell!

but I didn't mean to steal your heart!

Woo! It's over! It's finally over! It's only February 9th and I'm already burnt out on pink and red and hearts and glitter.

Last night me and my crew hosted our 3rd annual Valentine's Day fundraiser for this year's faire coming up in October. The first year was a casual shindig with live music, a comedian and a silent auction for naughty items. The second year we did a steampunk Valentines Day Ball and this year we went for a good old fashioned masquerade ball with a formal attire or costumes only dress code.



 

I was trying to go for a gothic ringmaster look, but my red mini top hat wouldn't fit on my head with my massive fake ponytail so I wore this head piece I made last week instead. Everyone asked me if I was supposed to be the Queen of Hearts...

"Uh, well, I was supposed to be a... oh never mind... Yeah, I'm the Queen of Hearts."

Since I'm cheap and I believe in mostly DIY costuming, the only thing I bought for this outfit was the high-collar bolero from Ebay for $7 and the choker, also from Ebay for $3. Everything else came from my closet.

There were some spectacular gowns and costumes there.  I was extremely impressed with the effort everyone put into their outfits.

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The attendance was the highest we've ever had. Even the Queen and Duke from the royal court of a nearby Renaissance Faire came to visit us in full renaissance garb.

And here's my right hand man Brian and his friend, Amy. Aren't they hot?!

And making a rare appearance is my husband! He rarely gets to come to our events because he's either working or babysitting our son. And look! He's wearing the exact same tie Shybiker wore in this post!

He had door duty all night. Good ol' husband.

The lady on the left won the ladies' costume contest (for obvious reasons!) and we even had a sultry belly dancer come out.

She left this poor young guy wide eyed and speechless with her veil dance.

The silent auction went way better than expected. A few businesses donated some pretty awesome stuff for the auction including gourmet cupcakes... and I won those.

The balloons were provided by Wally's Party Factory for absolutely free! We didn't even ask for them! The manager of the store came to me and asked if she could help with the ball. Um, yeah!

The playlist I worked on for a month was perfect and the dance floor stayed packed!

This time I actually had time to dance. Well I wasn't really dancing - I was more giving comedic performances of popular dances that I hate. I had people laughing to tears.

My exaggerated interpretation of Gangnam Style was a hit.

Overall, we raised some money for the faire and put on a stellar ball that people will talk about for weeks. I'm pretty darn satisfied with how everything turned out... and that's rare!

reluctantly crouched at the starting line

 Smile and rejoice, for today I have quit my job at the bomb factory and now I have the time to author a decent blog post.
Ok, I never worked at a bomb factory but I have worked in fast food. It's kinda the same thing...

 Sunday, I got all gussied up for our church's 20th anniversary celebration. I decided to finally give my favorite vintage granny hat a shot and it worked out just fine. I've been pretty reluctant to wear it because it had a greasy old worn our elastic chin strap that didn't do much to keep the hat on. I finally just cut off the strap and slid bobby pins through the lace and into my hair. It stayed on like a champ.

 And, I actually wore heels. If you know anything about me, I avoid heels like the plague. I have very flat and wide caveman feet that seem to get fatter and more gross the older I get. But these babies are 9 WIDES so I can strut it up and down the catwalk for up to four whole hours!

 Here's a quick funny story about these shoes: My co-worker was wearing them one day and I said, "OH! I Love those shoes! Can I have them (jokingly)?" She thought a minute and said, "Ok."

It was that easy!

Now whenever I see someone wearing something I like, I ask if I can have it.

You'd be surprised at how many people will literally give you the clothes off their backs! All you have to do is ask.

I have a collection of "gimme gimme" garments!

And here's something I've been meaning to share with you all for a while. Have you seen my ears lately? No, well here they are! Crazy! I'm gonna stretch them 'till they hang down to my shoulders and flap in the wind.

Kidding... or am I?

 AND:

I got a loverly gift in the mail last week!!

Dig these handmade wrist warmers made by the uber fantastic blogging sensation Poa of Project Minima. I saw these wrist warmers in one her posts, I said I liked them and she sent them to me!!! Aren't they fun?!

 And now let's venture further down Random Road. Hm?

This Saturday (the 8th), me and my crew are hosting a Valentine's Day masquerade ball fundraiser for the faire. The dress code is semi-formal or costume. Since I'm broke (and too busty) for a formal, I went for costume.

 I whipped up this headband in a just a few minutes. I like it but I'm not sure if I'll actually wear it because it doesn't really match the gothic Victorian circus theme of my outfit. Plus the hearts are all willy-nilly because I was too impatient to wait for the hot glue to dry properly.

Alrighty, homeskillets. I'm off to go make myself sick on chocolate cake. Peace out.

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RIP

Philip Seymour Hoffman

1967-2014