there must be more than this provincial life....

well.
there is this quite lovely blog holding an even lovelier event.
it is my humble opinion that you should go check it out.
and even join.

beauty and the beast is one of my fave disney movies.
truly.
except for the ugly prince.
he looks better as a beast.

anyways.
beauty and the beast is the subject of the event.
it shall be a "belle fashion event."

there will be giveaways.
prizes, etc.
fashion posts.
and many more fun things.

so write on your calendar.
september 1-15.
beauty and the beast event.
and go pop in the movie.
or watch a spoof of the song "Belle" I made a while back.

fabric of our lives.

cotton - fabric of our lives

zooey deschanel

I saw a commercial for cotton.

it had a catchy song.

and adorable clothes.

just watching a commercial about cotton inspires me.

I have about 10 outfit ideas swirling around in my head right now.

there are so many different ways to make articles of clothing look different.

instead of buying new things....

it saves money.

and gets your creative juices thinking.

what...finished already?

it's only taken me a year to get these done. sigh.

but now I'm on to bigger and better things!
like...more curtains for the costume shop.
joy.

curtains are my lot in life.

one of those nights.

dad is hanging my curtains. 

mom is at a retreat.
michelle is playing on the wii.
the cat has hoped into my lap.
and there's lightening and thunder.

I think tonight's one of those nights to read a good book.
after folding the laundry, of course.

(photo from a few days ago. of me. by me.)

simple joys of maidenhood.

my latest etsy shop item:

made with polished cotton. 

rolled hems. 

hand stitched pleating. 

hook and eye closure.

summer. it's almost over.

school starts August 23rd for me.
that's only a few weeks away.

the summer has literally flown by.
leaving me wondering what really got accomplished.

I had a list of goals.
none of them completely finished yet.

here's the update:

1. Finish curtains - ahem. cough, cough. well...all of the panels have been lined and all that is lacking is the hemming and rod pocket. surely after making 15 curtains for somebody else I'd have the enthusiasm to finish mine (which have been in the works for over a year now).

2. get my license by the end of June - ha. haha. obviously not. I'm now shooting for the end of August, by the time school starts, etc. hey! it's possible! 

3. study for the PSAT - I'm taking a practice test once a week, and during the week studying...so I'm not completely a failure at EVERYTHING.

4. work on my Drama jr. class - I've written out a class syllabus for the year, and the parent teacher meeting is next week. this one is nearly accomplished, actually!

5. etsy shop - well. I have a skirt to add to my shop only I haven't taken any pictures yet. so that's one item. ahem. 

added goals:

6. actually read some pleasure books - OKAY this is one I have done! I've read: Cranford, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Phantom of the Opera, and I'm nearly done with The Pickwick Papers. Since these are all pretty hefty books...I'd say this is quite an accomplishment, thank you.

7. upstairs sewing room - well. I've done everything on my side. what lacks is: electricity and the patching of some gaping holes. after which I can begin the fun task of painting and organizing!

8. organize the "Costume Closet" - I have been planning on cataloguing all of the costumes we have for drama. taking pictures, making descriptions, and listing them by numbers (which are sewn in to the garment). I've done a bit of work on it. and made descriptions of all the ladies costumes.

9. organize my closet and room - DONE AND DONE! :)

anyways. most of this is for me to see how much is lacking and how hard I need to work in the next 20 days to get all of this accomplished. 

apparently I have quite a bit of work.

has summer flown by for you?

the operatic phantom.

better known as the Phantom of the Opera.
who's name is apparently...Erik.
an epic name, really.

after seeing the movie (about a thousand times).

listening to the c.d. (even more).

going to see it on stage (is there any experience more thrilling?!).

and even watching the silent movie version (quite frightening, really).

I found now would be as good a time as any to read the novel.

hmm.

are there words to describe the intensity? 

the passion.

the story.

I do believe POTO is a classic.

some upsetting facts however:

• erik is a violent, creepy, stalkerish, murdering, insane fellow. 
• rauol is a pitiful creature.
• christine is so easily swayed.
• and the BEST character from the book (who ends up saving both Christine & Raoul's life) isn't even in the movie, musical, etc. sigh.

I do believe, however, that to be a true Phantom fan...you must read the book.

you gain such depth and understanding regarding situations and characters.

and you develop an even deeper (if that's possible) respect for the story.

so put it on your summer reading list. 

and read it.

because it's a good 'un.