Outfit of the Day

 I've never been one to take photos of what I wear, costume notwithstanding, but I love it when others do.

So when I realised that the wharepaku block on my office floor had a big full length mirror, it seemed a waste not to enjoy it.

Wharepaku is Maori for loo. It's a sort of crescent corridor lined with fully kitted stalls. Very new and very nice. But not relevant - only the mirror is relevant!

Viscose chiffon dress featuring parrots and foliage from Zebrano, with Snags tights.

Silk and viscose velvet tunic, memade, with leggings and a cotton spandex long sleeved t-shirt.

Zip front hoodie tunic hybrid memade and probably viscose, with green jeans.

Embroidered maxi dress in viscose

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WELL!! Guess who likes viscose!!! AKA rayon, it breathes like cotton, I choose fabrics by their breathability, texture and hand, as well as print, hence I have a lot in my stash and in my ready to wear wardrobe.

Feeling much better now, although my tinnitus seems worse and I'm still a bit other worldly. Well, more than usual ;-)

Tales from CovidLand

 I am late to a party nobody wants to attend - my husband D and I both have Covid. I feel it is basically inevitable at this stage, given the winter onset spike. We've both been pretty sick but it has eased off fairly quickly. Still sick five days in, but feeling human again. So, skipping over the obvious things, here's what I have found.

In New Zealand, the sick person and their whole household must isolate for either 7 days from the onset of symptoms. SEVEN DAYS without going out, legally mandated. It is heaven. I was a little shocked by this realisation but i don't recall a time when I was sick when I didn't feel guilty for not working! Being guilt free feels a lot healthier. This revelation has given me pause for thought all right.

It is complicated. With D not being able to be at our shop, that leaves us short-handed. Then we have people on holiday and otherwise unwell. We are so incredibly lucky that our shop manager is a superstar and found a ringin, rostered anyone who had any time at all, and has worked 8 days in a row. He is a STAR.

Miss.Mx Burlesque Aotearoa is tonight (Saturday 23 July) and I was meant to host. It's my favourite gig and only happens in even years, and I have made a FABULOUS new costume. I was putting up two out of town friends who have had to relocate.

In both of the scenarios above, the appalling weather that closed Wellington Airport on Thursday has caused further stress and uncertainty. However thanks to some generous plane seat trading, all of the staff, AND all of the contestants, made it home on time. Phew. 

But hey, it could be so much worse. I am really not complaining, just noting how something like this can disrupt life more than a typical does of flu.  

Today after days of rain, wind and freezing temperatures, we awoke to still, sunny bliss.

I'm not in this picture and I don't like it!

Domesticity rocks

 Oh what a lovely Sunday I am having! Absolutely no plans except getting my house in order, quite literally.

After a sleep in, I;

• gathered all the costumes discarded from three shows in a week, 
• put all the makeup away,
• washed my makeup brushes,
• read a delicious lamb shank recipe and it is now simmering away,
• completed laundry, 

all while Mrs Bradley Mysteries plays on the DVD. 

We've had a hail storm of deafening proportions today, while my beloved was out buying strip lighting for my makeup mirror.

 This is why. I look like I stuck my face in a bowl of cornflour! The light is so bad at my table, I find it hard to get my skin tone right. Clever MrC!

On Friday night I did a show requiring no clothing at all. Avoiding using certain words here. I sang two songs and did a second set of comedy. It was one of those bucket list things I wanted to get ticked off.

People have asked me how it was and my response is, like any other show only, breezier!

 

 

Covid and Snags

 No I don't have it. Not yet. Yet friends going to extreme lengths to not catch it, are catching it. I keep getting respiratory symptoms (my respiratory system was ordered from Wish) and RAT testing, but still nothing. Am I the only one partly wishing it would just arrive and be done with it? And if it did, I'd be thinking, be careful what you wish for...

This week it would suck hugely, and next week. My dear friend and wifey4lifey is coming to stay, I have gigs Friday AND Saturday nights. Friday has already lost a performer to covid, Saturday's gig I am a ring in because of it. Satuday 17th June I have Like a Fine Wine in Hamilton. The fourth time this show has been scheduled, due to Covid. 

Honestly, playing musical chairs with stage time is a tiny impact compared to the impact on our health systems, and I am not complaining so much as showing how these huge things have large and small impact chains. 

Anyway here's a teeny video of me showing off my costume backstage last night, and showing how inept I am with technology! But it's also kind of fun and dark. Anyway my red and black Snag tights were very cool.

Stoning is my life now

So, my life is no longer my own. I am merely a facilitator for bits of cut glass. I covet them, must have them, must stick them onto costumes, must contain them in gorgeous containers.

 

The Vista containers are a two-day-ago innovation, the perfect size for the 1440 count of most rhinestone orders. SO many colours, SO SPARKLY!!! Also, I might add, SO much less likely to bust open than bags...

Rhinestones give me wings!!!! These grey wings needed golding big time. The reason is further on. So, four of them are now covered in gold and Light of Heaven rhinestones. LoH btw is a gold coloured stone with a flash of mauve in it. SO GORGEOUS. It is currently my favourite and will be stuck onto everything.

  

Look, this is a sunshine shot and it looks metallic but it isn't. But OMG!!!! This bolero goes with a dress in the same sequin fabric. No spoilers but it is NEXT LEVEL gorgeous.

It's really exciting to be making a whole new costume -not just pimping a RTW garment. I have a photoshoot for a new product that is being named after me, WAAAH!!! It was my idea but the genius that made it happen from my shitty sketches is going to launch it and I am SO EXCITED.

So, new costume for product photoshoot!

Fixing and making

 It's been a time of repair and sorting. My fabric cupboards had bowed out a little, very likely from being overstuffed. David screwed brackets into the central shelf of each to hold them in and now all is well. 

As a result, I've carded the rest of the pieces I had loose, stacked them into containers and my studio is much tidier and my stash easier to read. Also introducing another clothing rack for the piles of denim jackets yet to be decorated for sale. They are in the way and every time I go sew a batch I have to size and sort. My intention now is to hang them in size order. David has assembled the rack, we just need to rearrange some stuff to tuck it into a spot.

 

I have next week off work, then working part time for two more weeks to support "my" users for go-live before hopefully moving onto a new project elsewhere. So, it's SEWING week!

The fabric above is by Tula Pink's Curiouser and Curiouser collection. I am intrigued by this QoH and I also have 10m of black and white stripe, so I'm thinking of recreating the bodice she is showing here, with a skirt made from this fabric. Should be interesting!

My original idea was to sew for me, but in reality I have far more clothes than I need and costumes are way more fun! I have a whiteboard of projects for the year, getting ready for the big shows coming up.

All of this organising and planning happened because Ian came to stay last week, and he is such a good person to talk through plans with. It is very ME to think better with someone else!

Trouble in the far corner

 There's been a falling out in the laundry cupboard. Dryer is sulking from a distance, while Washer crouches alone and exposed. This all because our downstairs neighbour, after an absence of several months, came home to a washing machine (top loader) full of water, and a knackered ceiling.

Investigations ensued only to find that our washing machine tap pipe wasn't quite screwed in properly, causing a slight leak. But after several months those drips added up! 

We had no idea as there's all of 3cm ease down each side of the appliances, being chonky European boiz, and to get this far, MrC had to take the doors off the cupboard to get the dryer out, to be able to see the tap. Plumber has been and sorted it.

Thank goodness all that is under our laundry cupboard is another laundry cupboard...

Sadly we can't quite face putting it all back together again so the place is a mess. Hey ho...