Tag Archives: 18th century

This helps with the heartbreak.

If you’ve been following this blog at all, you already know I’m addicted to Dr Who, and absolutely adore David Tennant in the role.  With only two more episodes (3 more in America) with my beloved Ten as the Doctor, I’m feeling the heartbreak.

However, I came across something that gives me a reason to look forward to Eleven: 18th century Venice!  This article is google-translated to English, so it’s kind of…interesting to read, but oh, the PICTURES!  Besides it being my favorite place in the world, this is (possibly) my favorite time period for costuming.  If I like Eleven anywhere near as well as I do Ten, this episode will be a heavenly hour.

Literary Lady

Introducing my newest “Literary Lady”. She’s an original ooak doll, with a dress made out of actual book pages! Not only is she the heroine of her story, but you can read her story on her skirt!

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She’s the Marquis de Merteuil, from “Dangerous Liaisons”.   For more pictures and information (including one other Literary Lady) you can check out my doll website, or go here, if you’re interested in possibly adding her to your collection!  (She would make some book person a terrific gift!) 🙂

Fingerless Mitts and Etsy’s Alchemy

I’m dying for a pair of these:

Fingerless grey gloves, with a thumb gusset!

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And better still, since I don’t knit, I found someone to make them for me. On Etsy.com, they have a thing they call “Alchemy”. Anyone who wants a particular thing, or even an unparticular thing, can describe what they want, and how much they want to pay for it, and handcrafters all over the world will bid for the chance to make it for you.

So I posted an add on Alchemy for these mitts, and got perhaps 10 responses, but one reponse stood out. Way out. This lady actually scoured the net looking for wool yarn of just the right color and weight, and when she was unable to find it, she offered to spin me matching wool with her own hands. How incredibly awesome is that? Of course it would have cost more for her additional time, and I decided not to take her up on that offer, but I did commission her to knit my gloves from the best match she could locate. If you ever want a knitted object, here’s the lady you want to go to:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5394850

A Little Writing, a Little Costuming

It’s a funny thing, sometimes, when you meet a character for the first time in a story you’re writing.

I just finished posting a new chapter of my book-in-progress on Goodreads, and it was a fun chapter to write.  Not only did Pullo and Arassa get to fight (I know, I know, everyone’s waiting for that first kiss – it’s coming!), but I also got to meet my Chracian Queen.  She’s been briefly mentioned a few times, in other chapters, but this is the first time she appeared in the ink.

And she’s so completely different than who I thought she was.  I wasn’t even sure, the first few times I mentioned her in the story, that she was even going to be more than simply a character for other characters to talk about, and I envisioned her as this quiet little woman, one who doesn’t care if other people speak her story for her.  I even gave her (as a first-draft name) the name of a different woman, in a different book of mine – the name of someone who actually is a quiet little woman.

So imagine my delight in being surprised.  My main character, Arassa, might not be pleased to meet Cele, but I am.

And because that wasn’t much of post (I have Christmas gifts to wrap), I’m including these pictures.  They have zero to do with Arassa, but they’re so exceedingly cool.

For anyone who likes 18th century costuming, that is.

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Look at the embroidery on that.  So gorgeous!

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A close-up of the embroidery:

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For even more pics, see the “Inspiration!” page on my costuming website:

http://www.freewebs.com/dragonflydesignsbyalisa/