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Here's yet another movie I look forward to relishing.

I sincerely feel I may fall in love with The Duchess as I fell in love with Sophia Coppolla's Marie Antoinette. I'm a fool for lush, well-researched and executed historical costumes, all thanks to Theater in college and in particular, the unsinkable, unflappable and commanding influence of Professor Ogie Juliano. (I have much to thank this teacher for all the tough love and inspiration, god bless him wherever he is now. I'd love to write more about him in a future post. ) I'm not sure how he'd approve of Marie Antoinette, but you just can't say No to fabulous costumes.

With only 5 days until the Big Day, I thought it'd just be fitting to bring out The Birthday Dress and give it a nice do-over.

Back when was still in college, my mom bought this lovely teal dress for me, it was nicely shirred from bodice to waist and flowed like a dream. There were two things about it that stopped it from ever seeing the light of day. One, the dress' skirt was beyond floor-length, and two, although it had a sweetheart neckline, the straps were placed in positions that were unflattering for my shoulders and chest.

Well, then. Can't let such a pretty go to waste now, can we? ;)

Crossed pins in position. See all that blue behid the dress front? That's all coming off too.

Ripping, ripping, rippping.

I first ripped through the sewing binding the dress straps to the front, leaving the back attachments be for anchoring and a bit of reference. I wore the dress, and decided where the new front points would best be sewn. So, from the straps attached to the tops of the --ehem -- dress's heart-mounds, I chose to re-attach them to the sides of the bust, on opposite ends of the chest width. (this means nearest the armpits.) This allows better support for the breasts, combined with the binding power of the shirring, plus a much more feminine slope to the shoulders and collarbone. Collarbones are teh sexeh on ladies, so if you got it, flaunt it! ;)

Once I made absolutely sure the straps were right where I wanted them, I pinned them with giant safety pins for added security. I ten w2ore the dress again to double check how the straps and the bodice now looked on its intended fleshy three-dimensional body. And boy, do I mean fleshy.

The --ehem --pin in question.

... And here we have our final strap position. I'm really very happy with how the repositioning changed the way the bodice behaves now. It now reminds me of the upper part of a vintage bathing suit, though I can't quite place my finger on what era just yet. Ack, I'm just happy. :)

I've already sewn the straps in place doing it over thrice for strength. Next Stop: skirt length.

... of posts to come.

Hello, everyone. It's good to be back after a restful weekend, and it's just been photos, photos and more photos for the past week. The projects are begging me to finish them, but not while work is getting the better of me. Nonetheless, here's the roster of of write-ups I do intend to finish one way or another:

The Birthday Dress
Slacks-to-Pencil-Skirt: Redux
The Dressform
Clair's Scarf
An Evening at Xocolatl
Spaghetti and Oat-Meatballs

So yup, that's pretty much it, and before the Big Day (my birthday) hits as well as a slew of other events come around, I'd best get crackin'.

But first, sleep.

I may have said in a previous post that Herr Strauss keeps me afloat, but I haven't really said what rocks my socks off.

Click Play to listen to the music.

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is a super robot show unlike any robot show I've seen or enjoyed. while most other Mecha anime have a very structured, almost militaristic look and setup, Gurren Lagann charges into the opposite direction, and with very good reason. The visuals and character design have a strong rock aesthetic, in my opinion, and I'd never seen it fit a super-robot show more than this one.

The mood of Gurren Laganncan swing from bad-ass to ridiculous to touching. It's unpretentious, and it's a show I'd strongly recommend to the 10-to-12-year-old age bracket.

Here's a glimpse at the shows first opening sequence.

嬉しい (ureshii):

To be glad, happy, delighted, joyful, overjoyed, cheerful, pleased, contented, grateful, elated, jubilant, exultant, ecstatic, euphoric, enraptured thrilled (to bits), over the moon... you get the picture. ;)

1) Pretty colored ink pens, in pink and purple. The pink pen has been officially christened, and has been used to draw a pig in holy rites. It will now continue to draw and write cute things from hereon, such as flowers and eyelashed furry critters, and I am pretty and I love you. The purple pen shall be released for darker, unholier purposes, such as shading the box of your choice and writing down social security numbers.

2) My teeny hot rod of an office mouse. It's teeny alright, at two-and-a-half inches of length. It's something I got for my work station as a replacement for the the large one that broke. Some of my office-mates squee over it, and some poke at it and chuckle.

3) a pretzel cookie with almond icing. As purchased from the meals-and-sweets corner in the office pantry. It's baked by a co-teacher of mine, the lovely and bashful Ate Marga. Sweet treats soothe the soul. (that was a lot of S's, too.)

4) Terry Pratchett's Wee Free Men. I now know for myself why he comes highly recommended by my friends, and why Neil Gaiman was very happy to work with him on Good Omens. It's a riot to read, and anyone with half a sense and an open mind may benefit much from this book. Oh, and witches do not wear pointy hats. All the time, anyway.

Come to think of it, here's a list of books to enjoy, as the title suggests, To Treat Harry Potter Withdrawal.

5) Jim Henson's The Storyteller. I managed find all nine episodes, plus the four episodes of Greek Myths. Fwee! Lost childhood, here I come!

6) Shimotsuma Monogatari, or Kamikaze Girls. What happens when a Biker Girl and a Sweet Lolita share an unlikely friendship? visit the Official website here.

7) Marc Chagall's The Birthday. I love how surprising and dreamy and sweet this painting can be. View the entire piece here.

8) Historical dress-up dolls on the internet. As nipped from this charming doll base website.

9) sleep, sleep, glorious sleep.

-- For the photo-journaling enthusiasts looking for something to pursue, the 365 Challenge may be just the thing for you. Is it your birthday? a national holiday? an anniversary? Christmas? Hannukah? Talk Like a Pirate Day? Towel Day? Now's you chance.

Meanwhile, this waltz keeps me afloat today.