After the Fetes Galantes ball at Versailles was cancelled two years in a row due to the pandemic, I wanted to put my red robe à la française to good use for DragonCon in Atlanta. And my friends Jessi and Paige from Cosplay and Cocktails inspired me to make my own Rococo costume(s) with a geeky […]
Houston
18th Century Inspired Makeup Tutorial
After the Fetes Galantes ball at Versailles was cancelled two years in a row due to the pandemic, I wanted to put my red robe à la française to good use for DragonCon in Atlanta. And my friends Jessi and Paige from Cosplay and Cocktails inspired me to make my own Rococo costume(s) with a geeky […]
Costuming at Comicpalooza 2021
After a year and a half of this pandmic, we were finally able to attend a convention, and we were so. ready! Comicpalooza, Texas’ largest comic book, pop culture, and entertainment convention, happened last month in Downtown Houston. We attended both days, enjoyed local geekery during the weekend, and I proudly welcomes several friends for […]
Comicpalooza 2021: The Countdown Is On!
The end of the pandmic is finally in sight, and Comicpalooza, Texas’ largest comic book, pop culture, and entertainment convention, is happening in 10 days in Downtown Houston. And after such a long hiatus we. are. ready! Well, almost ready, as I’m still working on a new cosplay to wear to the convention. Here’s what […]
Magnolia Painting Restoration
Among the items salvaged from my grandmother’s home post-hurricane was an oil & acrylic painting of magnolias. And I only had a small hand in its restoration. Here’s a recap of its history, condition, and restoration. [Read the origin story of these heirloom restorations here: Heirloom Restoration] When I brought the painting home, I didn’t love […]
The Pandemic: A Year in Review
A year ago today was the first day of lockdown (and working from home) caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. And what a year it’s been! Stress shopping led to me buying a couple of those awesomely horrible (or horribly awesome) Target dresses that spawned the #targetdresschallenge, and I decided to wear it to highlight all […]
Little Coven on the Prairie
As trends go, I don’t tend to follow them. But the Target dress challenege had me cackling and I managed to snag the red one and blue one in my size. My idea would be to show pandemic life from my perspective, and I enlisted two of my favorite witches to join me in one […]
Wines of Alentejo Sustainability Program Virtual Wine Seminar
Last year I attended Appellation Alentejo masterclass led by Master Sommelier Evan Goldstein and tasted Portuguese wine (for the first time, if you don’t include port) from the Alentejo region. Since the seminar, I’ve tried quite a few Portuguese wine samples and have loved all of them, from white to red. So this summer during […]
For the Love of Linen: Luciana Dress Pattern Review
I usually sew costumes, not clothing intended for long wear. But the one time Facebook direct marketed an ad in my feed that was spot on was an ad for Fabrics-Store. I love working with linen, and it’s stupid hot here in Houston so linen is an ideal fabric for this climate. So I created […]
Oktoberfest Dirndl, but Make It Witchy
How many dirndls are too many? What started with one dirndl to wear to a wedding reception in Germany became several to wear to Texas Renaissance Festival and Oktoberfest events here in Texas…so why not make one a little more witchy for a dirndl group at Costume College? Following yesterday’s post on my 1950’s McGonagall […]