Paper Couture Hiatus

We are coming to the end of the paper corset project and this is about the time I would announce the new project for the year. In order to free up more time to spend on my metaphysical and aromatherapy studies, I won't be diving in to any new projects for at least the next six months.

via i swim for oceans

It might be nice to focus on creating displays for all of the many paper dresses and corsets I have collected over the past 2 years that are now doomed to spend eternity in a drawer, never to see the light of day. I think they need rescuing.

regency style armoire via Artfully Musing
(PDF tutorial included)

Haha! Maybe I can call this the paper couture rescue project. At any rate, even though you won't see a regularly posted project every month you can still count on seeing fabulous paper crafting ideas and templates as well as more posts on the tarot and magical arts. :)

Emery Board Envelope

Here's a crafty idea for carting around your emery boards in a way that expresses your unique style. I found this emery board envelope on Sherry's Simple Blog where you can also find a tutorial for putting this together.

emery board holder and tutorial

I really love the distressed effect used on the embossed pattern. Also the buttons make a fantastic alternative to the craft envelope disc. This doesn't have to be an emery board holder exclusively. It could hold a book mark or be used to hold bits of ephemera.

emery board envelope
best if printed on legal sized paper
template height is 10 3/4"

This fits nicely in a scrapbook and could also be used to hold secret notes or small photographs. At any rate, I have recreated the template digitally so there's no need for you to measure anything. Click the image to enlarge, download and print. Enjoy!

Botanical Dahlia Illustration

While we're on the subject of pink and magenta, I thought you might like this botanical illustration of a dahlia taken from my Botanical Ephemera and Prints board on Pinterest.

dahlia botanical print

This makes a nice instant art print or use it in your digital designs. As far as I know, this image is in the public domain so it is free for your use. Please enjoy!

Marie Antoinette Meets Steampunk

I was thinking about a steampunk theme for the July corset but then here we go again with the brown. Don't get me wrong, I love the color brown, I just seem to be having difficulty creating my corsets in that color. It's either that or I just haven't found the right paper yet which is probably the most likely.

via MeschantesCorsetry on Etsy

What I like about this steampunk corset is that skirt. It's sort of plain at the top and then has little pleats around the bottom which is pretty cute. The other thing I like about this style is that it would be kind of a relief to do something that isn't so flowery and frilly.

Marie Antoinette movie - pink-yellow dress

Then there's Marie Antoinette. I really want to do something in this yummy magenta and yellow. It's doable. I can see the corset in that pale, creamy yellow with a little pleated skirt in pink or should it be turquoise for summer? Hmmm . . .  There's a thought. Should be an interesting combination at any rate.

Living the Magical Life: Shifting Perspective

Starting from where I am today I am gently reminded just how little it takes to make the decision to uplift, spread peace and otherwise dispel negative energy. I stumbled upon this free, printable poster offered by Kind Over Matter. I hope you will like as much as I do.

Kind Over Matter - Free Compliments PDF

As many of you know I've been actively engaged in a job search for nearly 3 months now. Sadly, I received my latest rejection letter yesterday so I'm feeling a bit discouraged. I also drew the Devil card to the question, "What am I passionate about; what lights me on fire?" To my deep dismay, the tarot throws into sharp relief the fact that I am being burned alive by my job discontent, so much so that it overshadows the positive. There is definitely something significant that I need to pay attention to here.

via The Nicest Pictures 
I can't get this quote out of my head

I'm having to ask myself some tough questions to try to shift my perspective. There is a life lesson in where I am. I can choose to face it or I can run away and face the same problem again later. The cows aren't necessarily nicer on the other side of the fence. It only seems that way because I haven't gotten to know them well enough yet. It's the same pasture, same grass just a different barn with a net effective change of zero. UGH!

Complain less, breathe more

Maybe the fact that I haven't found a new job yet is the universe's way of telling me to stay where I am and learn the lesson. It just feels so damned uncomfortable though, not to mention painful which only means it will take more focus to overcome it but it can be done. How do I respond to a festering jerk with respect and kindness and resist the urge to crawl over a desk to throttle them around the neck? I think what awaits me on the other side is that my efforts have the power to potentially and forever free me of drawing this type of situation into my experience. That alone sounds like a pretty nice payoff.

Corset Diaries XI: Boho Basil

Unlike the pronunciation of the herb, Basil is pronounced with a short "a" here instead of the long "a." Boho Basil sounded more worldly and gypsy-like than Boho Betty which definitely sounds worldly but in a more call girl kinda way. *snicker*

corset diary page for June - click to download

I haven't given you a template in awhile so here's a new one. This is a chemise which is the French word for shirt. Those French sure do have a way of making the ordinary sound pretty. The video will go over how to assemble the chemise but I leave the finishing touches to your own fertile imaginations.

In addition to chamise assembly the video will give you some inspiration for embellishing this month's boho corset. This was about as close to brown as I could bring myself to get without this looking like a cowgirl corset. Maybe next time. Enjoy!

Boho Basil Paper Corset

In her gypsy caravan she traveled around the old country giving intuitive readings to those who would request it. A bit of a loner but never lonely she enjoyed her nomadic, creatively fulfilling life of freedom. I can still hear her wisdom whispered in dreams and omens as she speaks to me from that other worldly place.

"Boho Basil" paper corset

Boho Basil started out brown with flecks of white because the paper I used was brown on one side and white on the other so the white came through on the torn edges. The poor thing just screamed "cow hide" and Basil wouldn't have it.  I had to agree so I started over.

cowgirl corset

Wielding a rather heavy hand with the distress ink, this girl definitely looks well aged. Actually I couldn't make up my mind about whether I wanted to use distress ink to color the whole thing brown or not but I think this works.

paper corset front view

Without giving much thought to color, I used bits of white scrap paper left over from the last project to embellish the skirt. I rather like the look of the creams and whites together. There's something just yummy about it.  Look for your diary page and inspirational video to post tomorrow.

Summer Solstice 2013

The summer solstice marks the longest day and the shortest night of the year for those of us in the northern hemisphere.

Happy Litha, solstice and first day of summer! May your 2013 season be full of fun.

June Corset Inspiration

Since nothing is really blowing my dress up with regard to corset inspiration for June, it may be time for another month of simple. Why not. I like simple because it's quick and actually produces some of the cleanest looks. Could I push myself to actually make a brown corset that laces up the front?

Someone decided to use the word corset to describe this tunic type top but I think it's a bit of a reach since it does not appear to be tightly fitting or figure shaping by any stretch of the imagination. Still, I love the aged look of this so maybe we'll go for a boho style corset this time. I like it!

Artist Spotlight: Jeannine Boyce

Back at the beginning of May I posted a clip art image of a layered dress. A short time later I received a photograph from Ms. Jeannine Boyce, one of my readers who had gone to town recreating the piece as dimensional paper art.

left - paper dress created by Jeannine Boyce

The two pieces are shown side by side above to give you an idea of the accuracy and attention to detail that surely went into this design. Jeannine, this is a magnificent display. Thank you so much for sharing your work.

Corset Diaries X: May Corset Inspiration

Adding a paper pannier to the May corset challenged me to find a way to add a pretty skirt to this corset while leaving parts of the pannier still showing. I think the effect is nothing short of beautiful. Your corset diary page appears below and was created around the pannier theme.

click image to enlarge and download

The diary page is 7 1/2 inches wide by 7 inches high. The left side of the page is only supposed to be 2 1/2 inches so don't fold this exactly in half or it won't match your other pages. Measure 2 1/2 inches from the left, score then fold. The bottom of the right page is left open for you to write notes or add your own bits of ephemera.

To my horror, shortly after photographing the corset, my cat got hold of it.  Seriously? Did I not believe that hanging strings and curly paper left to dangle from a rod were anything but a cat magnet? Pfft! Fortunately the damage was minimal and easily repairable. Your inspirational video appears above. Please enjoy. :)

Yesterday's Courtier

She lived in the time of kings and queens and associated herself with society's elite. Mostly she led an inspired life filled with joy and optimism yet she often wondered if there would come a time when ladies would be allowed more freedom in their dress.

In the spirit of 18th century vintage, Miss May is aptly called Yesterday's Courtier. Sit for a moment and take yourself back to that time. Can you remember your life? Did you follow the rules or were you a rebel?

I like to imagine myself a courtier. Outwardly I followed the rules but I smiled a smirky smile as my calling card to the world that I kept many secrets. I inspired curiosity about the mystery and intrigue held within. Decadent pleasures await those who dare to reinvent themselves.

Curious Clip Art

I'm always on the lookout for unique and interesting images to use in my digital collages. This antique wheelchair comes complete with umbrella and writing desk and is such a curious thing that I can't stop examining it.

antique wheelchair etching

Anyway, this image is in the public domain so feel free to grab yourself a copy and use it however you like. Simply click the image to enlarge and save to your desktop. Enjoy!

The Hierophant Speaks

For my tarot class I've been working with my ages old Cosmic tarot deck. I swear I was twenty something when I bought this deck so it's the oldest one I have which gives it a more mystical feel for me. For tarot homework this month we have 5 questions to answer with a singe card draw. The second question happened to be: How can I creatively express myself and my ideas?

cosmic tarot - Hierophant

I drew the Hierophant card and although there was resistance to this card at first, it has not stopped speaking to me. It's surprising how much information I have been able to get from him. I've been told that those who really speak to you on an emotional level, be it positive or negative, have the most to teach you about who you are. I think that's true.

Tarot Survey Results

I posted a survey a couple of weeks ago to find out if any of my readers would be interested in a free tarot reading if I were to offer them. While the survey was a complete disaster because it didn't keep accurate results, I got the distinct impression that the response was favorable with no negative votes at all.

joie de vivre tarot - Paulina Cassidy

I would like to offer my thanks to all who participated. It was very encouraging to see so many of you willing to receive a reading. This will help me gain confidence in my reading ability and assist with my transition to professional reader by year end.

gilded tarot - The Moon

I was pointed in the direction of a site called the Free Tarot Network where I can have a mentor assigned to me and give free, one card readings.  I provide my reading to the mentor before sending it to the client to ensure a quality reading. Once I get myself set up, I'll provide a link and possibly some kind of a code so that I know you are a blog reader. I'll keep you updated.

Nobody Here but us Crickets

Haha, the only sound in this place the last week has been the sound of my resident cricket. He does make beautiful music though. Then again, I've heard that the loudest sound of all is that of silence.

violin cricket via Bright Celia

Blame it on the contemplation of life in general, job searches, monumental amounts of reading for my metaphysical studies and generally trying to keep my head above water. Enjoy the music for he plays divinely to those who willingly listen. :)