About Amy

liberty belle

i am so excited! i finally jumped in there and secured a space at an amazing vintage coop.  liberty belle is in kc's west bottoms and is open only every first weekend.

this is my little space though not my stuff...

it is in a gorgeous old building...

i've started hauling my goods and pulling from my own personal collection. yesterday i worked on tags (out of cheapness and laziness, i made my own) and jewelry. i can't wait!  if you're in kc next weekend you should drop in and shop. i'll be there to say hello.

so pretty, huh?  amy

more carroll than hef

as promised, i'm sharing my extremely simple bunny ears how-to. after seeing this image, i got a bee in my bonnet and wanted to recreate the mask but without spending any money.

i started in sophia's room, grabbing the shabbiest headband i could find. then i headed down to keith's workshop to search for wire (any kind of wire) and some clips.

i went with a shortish and very pliable length of copper cable.  because sophia's headband was white, i wrapped it in black grosgrain ribbon.  i then shaped the wire into two imperfect ears and wrapped them in seam binding tape i had laying around.  

i had a wealth of black lace from an 80's prom dress that once belonged to my cousin.

it would have been perfect to wear to the ball but it's too small. i snipped a small and discreet amount of lace from one of the tiers and got to stitching.  

i doubled the lace and stitched around the wire forms. i used embroidery floss as the thread.

i trimmed the excess and then bent the ears around the headband, securing it with more thread.

 

i just need to clean it up a bit and add a lace "mask" though i'm not entirely sure how i will attach it. for visibility i am just going to use some tulle that was part of the petticoat in the prom dress.

and the best part was the price!  nothing beats free!

amy

oh my twitching whiskers

so i received my lovely modcloth dress the other day, and it didn't look quite as lovely on me as it did in the pictures. bummer. luckily i had ordered another dress (just in case).

the color is perfect and it fits!  i decided to change up my whole plan and completely restyle my mask and topper.

this amazing mask is by maison michel and was found on style redux. once i saw it i knew it was the one. check in tomorrow for my very simple how-to.    

and i love the hair in this image.  i am still going to go with the wild curls but may add some "ears". i found it on weheartit.

see you tomorrow,

amy

 

commitment

i finally committed to a dress for the masquerade ball.  it is not much like the dresses i originally gravitated to but the moment i saw it i was hooked.

it is quite abbreviated and quite sheer and will require bloomers at the very least.  but i love the color and the sleeves.  i am picturing it with highly patterned black tights and some rounded toe t-straps.  i also have some really cool netted gloves from my grandma that will suit the tea party look.  

i so wanted to try the finger waves but think that a wild head of curls would be fun. 

this dress and hair deserve serious makeup and i think helena's doll look would be perfect (with a few amendments of course).

and as for the proper topper?  hmmm...that's still up in the air.  i found this fantastic fascinator on design sponge.  i could use this as a jumping off point.  just think of the possibilities!

hoping my dress arrives sooner than later.

amy

incognito

thinking more about the masquerade ball...wouldn't these be fabulous?

tomorrow sophia and i are hosting a little spa party for three of her girlfriends.  we are mixing up some clay masques and foot soaks and getting ready for girly fun.  i'm off to buy some cucumbers and fizzy water!

amy

for fun

i don't do a lot of youtube-ing but something came over me the other evening.  maybe it's my recent 20's obsession or my continuous struggle with this new shorter head of hair i'm sporting.  but anyway, it led me to two perfectly wonderful how-to's.  

the first was a very "simple" tutorial on how to make fabulous finger waves. who wouldn't love to sport a jaunty look like this?

 

and to complete the look, this makeup tutorial is amazing...

   

i don't know what occasion would call for such a glamorous and over-the-rainbow look, but i'll find one.  you can bet on it.

amy

helena yeah

how can you not love, adore helena bonham carter?  she's brilliant and quirky and makes the most fabulous films.

now that's what i call a woman with presence!  i am going to use the frothy number she's wearing in this last image as the inspiration for my masquerade ensemble.  the chapeau in image one isn't so bad either.

amy

tea or coffee?

i am so excited about a party that is coming up in just a few short weeks. i am joining a group of ladies for a masquerade ball.  the theme is "a midwinter's evening tea party".  i love a good reason to get all gussied up and this one sounds like far too much fun.  

initially i was thinking of this look.  a lovely, prim lady with a wasp waist and little gloves. this pretty, from glamour france, was found on caroline in the city.

but after seeing what other dames are wearing and thinking about the theme, i am leaning in a different direction.  maybe something a bit darker or victorian or tea and nicotine stained. or maybe wildly layered and adorned- helena bonham carter style.

(i found the above images on weheartit and tried my hardest to track down the sources.  if you know where they're from, please let me know.)

i know that we are going for a painted mask...kind of black swan-esque but without the creepy red eyes. i love this idea.

now i always say it, but i need clothes (and specifically, dresses) like a hole in the head. but i can't help but look for that special something. these are all from modcloth.

i am actually leaning towards this top. the only problem is that i do not have the perfect bottoms to go with it. i would love a ratty-tat tulle skirt to wear with it.  maybe i could whip something together but i'll keep searching.  keeping my fingers crossed that i run into something while thrifting.

amy

snow days

the "blizzard of 2011" hit.  although i wouldn't consider it a blizzard, it did leave quite a bit of snow behind and two days off for my children (maybe more...we'll see).  

the clouds have cleared leaving it beautifully sunny and sparkly but the frigid temperatures make it unsafe for snow play.  we are getting restless! our plan is to dig out and carefully make our way to the movies.  maybe some warm, buttery popcorn and some silly make believe will help.

our front windows have frosted over.  the kids enjoy scraping pictures into the ice.

stay warm,

amy