Sometimes I get an idea, but can't figure out how to execute it. In the past, I've always ended up shrugging and going on, forgetting all about it since I couldn't make it work. But this challenge stirs me on to come up with the way to do things I would have shrugged off before. It took me several months to come up with a way to photograph this idea, but I stayed with it until I eventually found a way. That makes me feel very accomplished!
I have long wanted to do a lipstick dress on my mirror, but couldn't figure out the logistics of it. Today I did! I hung a few yards of muslin on my bathroom door so that I'd have a clean background (no bathroom clutter to crowd the shot!), then angled the door to sit behind the reflection. Finally, I had to take the shot at a slight angle so that I could crop myself out of the shot later. It worked! This gown is meant to be a ballgown or a wedding dress. Most other occasions wouldn't make the most of that deep V back. A simple design, but definitely makes its own statement. I'd want to use a luxury fabric like silk or stretch velvet (depending on the season) to make this up. Any color would do, but jewel tones look awesome on me, so that's what I would choose!
Sometimes I get an idea, but can't figure out how to execute it. In the past, I've always ended up shrugging and going on, forgetting all about it since I couldn't make it work. But this challenge stirs me on to come up with the way to do things I would have shrugged off before. It took me several months to come up with a way to photograph this idea, but I stayed with it until I eventually found a way. That makes me feel very accomplished!
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This lovely ensemble was made for my granddaughter from a tiered skirt that was several sizes too large for her. I fell in love with the fabric which had lots of my favorite blues in it along with some gold metallic dots to add bling. So I adapted the skirt to fit her smaller body, then used the extra to trim the aqua blue knit top I made to match. My granddaughter loved it and the great color really brought out the blue of her eyes. We spent the afternoon today in a photo shoot of several outfits I've made for the girls. Tonight I played in Picasa and Picnik to touch up this shot. I boosted the color, then added a vignette in aqua to frame it. She looks so pretty!
This cool pattern was made for one of my assignments this week in my design class. It's an example of crystallographic symmetry. When I looked at the finished design, it seemed to me like a factory sewing room with all the dresses lined up on dress forms ready to be inspected and shipped out. Is it a statement on the sad state of fashion that we're all reduced to wearing the same styles? Not really. Instead, it's a tribute to the work that goes on behind the scenes so that we can have pretty dresses to wear. If this pattern were made into a fabric, I would certainly use it to make an outfit.
The girls and I were playing with beads today, and here is my idea of a fun dress! It looks like a bright floral print with these tri-beads, so I thought of tropical islands and flowers in my hair. This dress has a slender feel without sleeves and perhaps made in a knit so it hugs the body. I love the slit up the front! It not only looks dramatic, but it makes dancing easy. Can you tell I've been dreaming of summer and vacations to exotic places?
Guess what we had for lunch today? You're right! It was fresh green beans! If I lived on an island and every day was balmy and warm, I would wear this kind of dress all the time. Figure-flattering yet still loose and flowing, this style is perfect for walks on the beach or lounging on the veranda sipping exotic juices. The green of this dress is close to my favorite olive green and a cheerful color for spring. I especially like the way the bodice wraps the top of the shoulder to make a small cap sleeve. So chic!
Colored stones are so much fun to play with! These ruby colored stones were packed away in my garage and were found when I was cleaning. They made a glamorous ruby gown for evening wear. Off the shoulder and sleek, this dress also has a slight train at the hem. I didn't realize it until this moment, but this dress is reminiscent of the gown Julia Roberts wore in "Pretty Woman." Of course, my gown has more of a Morticia Addams feel, which is my own twist on the style. Would I wear this gown? In a heartbeat! Just give me an event to attend! *grin*
Sorry today's dress is so late getting online! Occasionally life gets very busy and things have to be put on hold until I'm somewhere where there's an internet connection. Hope you weren't holding your breath! *grin* Remember these? I found a bunch of the small floppy disks today while straightening up in the garage, so you know I had to make a dress from them! It's a fun and flirty spring dress with a full skirt and floaty short sleeves. Done all in black, it could be somber, but the silver metallic geometric shapes give it the necessary sparkle to keep it happy. This dress turned out so cute and slimming that I think I need one for my wardrobe this spring!
Technically speaking, these aren't pop beads, but they're close enough that I didn't know what else to call them. They once formed a really fun bracelet, but have long since been in a baggie awaiting restringing. They make a really fun party dress, in spite of the fact that they were very hard to keep in one spot while playing with them. I ended up laying them on batting to keep the rolling off to a minimum. My daughter calls this type of off-shoulder draped sleeve a "goddess" sleeve. It certainly looks impressive on the gowns she's made using it. This dress begs for a night out on the town. Anyone for a dance club?
I love leaves! Actually these leaves came from a truly extravagant pair of earrings that you'd have to be stoned to wear, but I loved the gold filigree leaves, so I bought them. Eventually I'd like to make a Barbie dress out of them for this challenge, but I haven't worked out all the logistics of the dress yet. Until then here are some of the leaves (yes, there are more!) made into a gorgeous strapless cocktail dress. Whether you wear it with or without an underslip depends perhaps on how bold you feel, but either way it's sure to make a statement. And that statement is: Wow!
I wanted to work with nature for today's dress because the weather was so beautiful all day and spring is blooming all around. But I didn't want to take any of the blossoms off the trees to use for the dress, so I think I'll wait until the wind blows a bit more then take them from the ground when they fall. In the meantime I have some nature-looking jewelry pieces I can make into dresses. A few years ago I made matching prairie dresses for my granddaughters, then bought matching bonnets from a friend who made them locally. The dresses were made from pink eyelet with a white eyelet underskirt and trimmed with a white grosgrain ribbon sash. Naturally we had to do a photo shoot in the historical area where we lived and catch our prairie beauties out in the open air. This shot was one of my favorites from the day, so today I played with it in my editing program. First I added a vignette frame like the old daguerreotypes used, then turned the color to sepia. But not all the way. The Picnik program allowed me to choose how much of the original color turned brown, which I thought made a really neat effect. As a result, this photo has a slight green tint to the grass still, as well as a soft pink tint to the dress and bonnet. I love how it looks! Of course the expression on my granddaughter's face was perfect to begin with and didn't require any editing from me! *grin*
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Denise FeltI took this challenge in the hopes of expanding my creativity as an artist. Already I'm seeing art in a new light -- as something to do for fun and not just practicality! Archives
December 2015
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