The Try-Out

At 7:00 am this morning I reported to a baseball field underneath the

Manhattan Bridge. I have to say it was a pretty nifty sight, the only problem was the weather.

Today, it hit 96 and factoring the humidity the heat index was up around 101.

Boy, did I feel sorry for all the guys in their wool baseball uniforms.

This was my second time working on a film crew for costume/wardrobe.

The Try-Out is a short film made by the talented (and adorable)

Gibson Frazier.

This time I was more of a seamstress, refashioning baseball uniforms and caps and altering a pair of pants worn by Gibson's character, Felix.

The dugout scene was filmed under the bleachers...a relief from the sun.

Almost looks like a real team, huh?

What a blessing to experience the process of filmmaking from the inside with

such a talented and professional group of people.

Eternally Grateful

This is a cropped version of a recent photo I took of my girl at a birthday party for a friend.

There have been so many things I want to document here in this space, but my camera appears to have finally kicked the bucket and I haven't had time to shop for a new one.

I miss writing and sharing here.

This is our little space...our cyber dreamcatcher--a place to capture memory bits.

Highlights-

-Hiking through tall trees & around waterfalls with my girl and friends

-Relay For Life: One of the most special nights we have ever had...

-Popcorn & "movie theater nights" at our place

-The last June days of school...A summer stretched out before us...

-Cabins reserved, vacations to come...Excitement, anticipation!

-Costume design jobs for theater and film! (Still speechless)

-The short-stories my girl continues to write & illustrate: Tonight's title:

"Toot, Toot, Boom, Boom!" (A Fishing Tale...)

-The constant buzz of creativity always present in our home

-Tinkering with new projects: crochet jewelry, hardware lockets, paint & collage

-The blessings of our family & friends and all the love surrounding us...

-My daughter, my first and strongest prayer partner...How I cherish our prayer time together.

Heavenly Father,

We are so grateful for the beautiful life you have blessed us with.

You have been so good to me & my girl.

Thank you!

Summer Project: Room for My Big Girl

Turns out SIX is a bit of a milestone-I've noticed my girl is growing taller, has a loose tooth, and is already reading on her own. She has definitely left the baby stage...which was also noticeable when we began to go through her toys this past weekend. There was so much she was actually willing to put into the donation bag this time. I've noticed her play is changing, too...Less dramatic play and A LOT more art & writing. Of course, it is a little bittersweet for this Mama.

But I am welcoming each stage of her precious life with open arms and heart!

So, in honor of her upcoming Kindergarten graduation (June) and sixth birthday (August), we are redecorating her room this summer. Time for some upgrades...and we are having a blast picking it out together. Well, it is mostly me. I'm lucky she loves my taste!

Here is her big-girl bed. I am going to place the order in the next week or two.

I love antique iron bed frames.

Here is a new rug for her room. I have ordered this already. We both sorta fell in love with it at first sight. I guess we are going for the Shabby Chic look,

which I think suits my girl so well!

Next, we are going to comb the thrift stores out East and upstate while we are on vacation this summer...in search of the perfect book case and vintage dresser. The book case is a must because the one she has now no longer contains all the books we've acquired.

There will be few shelves added to the wall so that she may display her favorite things...and some new wall art. She is getting this vintage Barbie portrait for her graduation.
I can't wait to surprise her with it because she went wild for it a while ago.
And let me not forget the Japanese Fighting fish she will be getting for graduation as well.

Mommie's little girl is growing up so beautifully...

Peek-A-Boo

So proud of my girl & I...we almost went an entire year without getting sick.

But it definitely hit us hard this past week. I blame all of the road-tripping, visiting, and late-night creating sessions...but they were so worth it!

Our strep throat & fevers have forced us into some much needed downtime at home. Unfortunately, we are not with the rest of our gang out east in Long Island for this three day weekend! Late this afternoon, we finally began to bounce back a little. I finished-up some easy projects I had laying around-

This simple skirt with a draw-string made from a thrifted DKNY t-shirt:

...And a wide crocheted belt with satin ribbon closure. Totally does not go with the day's attire, but hey- I wanted to share!
I actually made this to belt a white t-shirt tunic dress and another olive
green peasant dress.



Other than that-we've been making lots of movies with my new Flip video cam. I highly recommend them...so light and portable. We love it! My girl has been busy writing lots of short stories and even a play that was supposed to be performed by my family this weekend.
Tomorrow we are off to the beach to rest-up at one of my girl's favorite places.

A blessed & safe Memorial Day to all.

A special thank-you to my Grandpa's youngest brother, my Uncle Richard-whom I never had the chance to meet...He ran away at 15 and signed himself into the service. He died during World War II, when his ship went down. I have a picture of him on my altar. I don't know much about him...I do know he was very patriotic and died for the love of this country.
God bless him...and all who have died in service for something they believed in.

The Otherworld

This was a tremendous weekend that began at 6am friday morning when we loaded-up the car with the costumes I made and set out for Millbrook, New York - one of several locations for

The Otherworld Film. I proudly completed all of the tunic, tunic dresses, and fairy wings I was hired to make...and then I was honored when Gisela, the director/filmmaker asked if my daughter and I would appear in a couple of scenes. Wow.

Not to sound too cliche, but this entire experience has been quite magical.

Working on these costumes has already opened some doors for me. I will be working on costuming/wardrobe at the Rhinebeck Center for the Performing Arts this summer and this morning I was offered a one-week position as Costume Assistant on a soap opera being filmed not too far from NYC! More to come...Now back to The Otherworld:

Several scenes of the film were shot at Wing's Castle, an incredible place built by owner Peter Wing and his wife. You really have to see it to believe it. The inside is just as beautiful as the outside, too. My daughter and I spent our first hour there just running around inside the castle with wide-eyes, mouths open, taking photos and squeeling with delight!

Here is the view from the side yard...

Oh, I've missed the mountains, even the little ones.

I took lots of photos, I thought I'd just share a few here.
Actors on set!

Me and my girl hanging waiting for our scene in the woods.
It was such a glorious feeling making this tunic dress for my daughter.
This was an experience of a lifetime and I have been so very blessed to be able to share it all
side-by-side with my darling child.


Like her Mama, she enjoyed every second of it all.



"I wanna thank you Heavenly Father for shining your light on me." - Alicia Meyers

Otherworld Costumes

I have been keeping a little bit of a secret here in bloggy-land.

About a month ago, I signed on to be a costume designer/seamstress for

an independent feature called

The Otherworld Film.

This actually rocked my world for so many reasons!

I have flirted with the stage/film industry throughout my life...Primarily acting in my late teens and throughout my twenties. The dream sort of morphed in my thirties and I became more interested in the actual writing and "craft" of the theater.

In more recent years, I have been dreaming about costumes...Something I have always been interested in. I almost applied to FIT at 27 to study Costume Design.

Funny, how things come around again...Or never really leave you, that is!

I have been so abundantly blessed with this opportunity.

It leaves me speechless.

Here is one of several women's tunic dresses I've been working on.

And here is the dress alongside a couple of men's tunics.

I have a few more of those to make.

The filmmaker is still deciding on whether or not she wants trim on the men's tunics.

I personally think we should go for it.

I like ornate costumes!

The next phase of costumes will involve more tunics and more
elaborate dresses. Also, long, flowy, fairy-wings will be made.
The film will begin shooting again on Monday, so this is going to be a very busy week for me.
However, I don't mind at all. I love it.
I was made to do this.

Dresses...by Us!

Mama's: Using this nifty tutorial I whipped-up a batch of funky nighties

after scoring a pile of old-time concert tees from back in MY day!

(Pink Floyd's The Wall included!)

This was especially useful since my girl is growing like a dandelion and was in

need of some bed clothes. She loves to throw them on as soon as she gets home

from school. They make us both happy and just suit her so well!

And LIVE & IN COLOR...

CUB'S CREATION: (So proud of her!)

Just check-out Barbie's dress. It is completely made of paper!

Too bad my girl wouldn't boost Barb from the car so I could give you a full view of the dress.

She even cut the bottom into a fishtail shape!

Is there a fashion career in her future or what?

Happy Monday, Everyone!