Adieu

Although I have only just returned to blogging etc. and have been trying to rejoin some of the "normal" things like sewing challenges, makeovers etc etc etc., this is probably going to be my last blog post for quite some time and definitely the last as Paperdoll Cabaret. It has been fun, but as I hinted in my last post, shit is getting REAL.
The truth is my Mum is dying, and it is going to happen soon. As I sit here writing this I can't help but think how our roles have changed. When I tucked her into bed tonight I said "Goodnight my little girl. I used to be your little girl and now you are mine."
No photos for this post.
I wish you all the very best.
Love and Light to you all.
Robyn x

Little Escapes

Hi!
When there is a bit too much "real" in real life, what's a girl to do? Why something frivolous and superficial of course! Time for a new look... I'm thinking sophisticated, classy and a little sexy with a slightly dark aesthetic. A tall order as I'm sure you'll agree when you see below :/
The current challenging issues in my life, particularly my Mum's rapidly declining health and the knowledge that there's nothing that can be done but to make her as comfortable as possible and be there for her, have taken their toll on the way I look and feel. I'm not really taking very good care of myself and although I'm showering and brushing my teeth and all those "necessary" things, that's about as far as it goes. I'm feeling blah and looking blah. Here are a couple of recent snaps to illustrate:

With my nephew Matt a few weeks back.

Last Saturday, yuck!

If I can turn it into a kind of project I can maybe stay on track. I'll journal the process. This is just something I need to do for myself, no other reason.

Another "just for me" thing is the Alternative Universe HSF Challenge. I'm pretty behind with this although I have drawn and cut out the pattern pieces. Hopefully I can meet the deadline.

I said I would give you a bit of background into the books that have inspired my piece for this challenge. To keep things really accurate I'm going to quote directly from www.crydee.com, the Raymond E Feist website. This is just a bit of an overview:

"The Empire Trilogy is a collaborative trilogy of political fantasy novels written by Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts. It traces the story of Mara of the Acoma's rise to power from a convent novitiate to the most powerful woman in the fictional world of Kelewan. These three books are contemporary to Feist's original Riftwar Saga  and features some crossover characters, mainly from 1982's Magician (Pug, the protagonist of Magician, appears twice in 1990's Servant of the Empire and once in 1992's Mistress of the Empire). Mara struggles to rule her family after her father and brother are killed in a trap by the Minwanabi, one of the most powerful families in the Empire and longtime enemies of the Acoma. Mara quickly learns how to play the Game of the Council with skill and challenges the binding traditions of her world."

Anyway, just a final note on my "Massive Makeover/New Look Challenge" I have made just a few (tentative) relevant purchases:

I know it will take a lot more than a bit of skin care and a lippie, but it's a start. 

and:

Wish me luck!

Till next time,

Robyn x

Me Again!

Hi!
It's been awhile huh? A lot has happened both good and bad since I last wrote. Best intentions and all... I have moved - not far away but living a very different lifestyle now. Pretty much EVERYTHING in my life has changed. I'll talk about some of those things bit by bit over the next posts.
This week I decided to bring back into my life a few of the things that I enjoyed doing "before" that I haven't kept up. Blogging is one of those things, hence the reanimation of this little blog. Another is sewing.
I started the year so full of ideas of what I was going to make, what challenges I was going to join. It all started well... Anyway, I will be taking part in the last few challenges of the HSF 2014 challenge.

I am (re)starting with Challenge #20 - Alternative Universe. I have chosen to make something that relates to a character Mara from a trilogy known as The Empire Series by Raymond Feist and Janny Wurts. I read the series some years back. It is a kind of spinoff from the Magician series by Raymond Feist and is set in Kelewan, a place with a green sky. Weapons are made from hardened leather as metal is very scarce. Although we are definitely talking alternative universe, the authors drew on both Japanese and Hawaiian culture when shaping Kelewan. Loose, short, flimsy robes are worn, so I am choosing to make a kimono jacket. It will be based on a tutorial I found on www.elleapparelblog.com. Rather than hemming around the edges I am planning on making a bias binding from my fabric and using that. The fabric is not really "Kelewan-ese", but it does give a kitschy nod to Hawaii and will be useful and fun to wear in the summer. Here is the fabric:

It is rayon and I believe I may have shown this fabric before.

At this point I am planning on handsewing as much as possible, just because I love handsewing, but we'll see how that pans out in reality.

I'll do a few posts during construction I would like to give you some background on the books I am using as inspiration.

On a different note I went for a rehearsal this afternoon at a place I will be singing at on Saturday evening. I missed the turn and found myself heading up to North Brother Mountain. Because the road was narrow, windy and very steep, with a precarious drop on one side I wasn't able to turn back till I got to the top! The view however was worth the inconvenience:

It looks like a painting doesn't it? But it's real. When I left my rehearsal I had to wait for these guys to cross the road before I could drive off:

You can't quite see here, but one was a little bigger than the other and had a little mohawk. Very cute.

Till next time,

Robyn x

Getting Back On The Horse

Well I completely missed the deadline for the Sew For Victory 2014 challenge, and I have missed several Historical Sew Fortnightly 2014 challenges. I am a little annoyed with myself about this but to be fair I was unwell. Now I am well and truly on the mend it is time to get back into it.

I will be joining the HSF 2014 challenges #11 - The Politics of Fashion (due 15th June) and #13- Under $10 (due 14th July). I have both challenges planned and have already started to write a blog post on The Politics of Fashion.

I also think this will be fun:

It's a 1920s sewalong, which will start on 3rd June (the day I get back from my next Sydney trip) and will include underwear, dresses, wraps, hats and belts. I can't wait!

Till next time,

Robyn x

My Current DVD/TV Crushes

My three great DVD/TV crushes at the moment are Tony Hill, Sherlock Holmes and Phryne Fisher.

My Phryne Fisher crush is easy to explain - I want to BE her:

Found on Google Images. Isn't she lovely?! Phryne Fisher (played by Essie Davis)

She's intelligent, thinks on her feet, is a little eccentric, has the BEST wardrobe and a knack for getting involved in dangerous situations which she relishes. She is street savvy and can definitely look after herself. She is a true lady who counts among her good friends a couple of wharvies turned cabbies. For Phryne there are no class or cultural distinctions, Oh, and did I mention her wardrobe? ;) And to cap it all off she is also a bit naughty. Who wouldn't fall head over heels in love with Phryne?!

Regarding the two gents though, (Tony and Sherlock) I'm not quite sure what my crushes say about me psychologially :/ They are both heroes/antiheroes, and they are both highly intelligent, very eccentric, rather dysfunctional and socially inept, and I find them both utterly adorable and completely irresistable!!!

Tony Hill (played by Robson Green) - from Google Images

Sherlock Holmes (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) - found on Google Images)

See? And even these actors' real names are awesome.

If you haven't yet seen the series' that these characters inhabit , they are all available on DVD:

• Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries - (Phryne Fisher - 2 series so far)
• Wire In The Blood - (Tony Hill - 6 series - I haven't seen the 6th one yet)
• Sherlock - (Sherlock Holmes - 3 series so far) 

If you watch them I'll bet you'll fall in love with these characters too!

Robyn x

Hello!

Hi!
Just thought I'd say hello...nothing really exciting to post. Well I did have an MUA Haul to post about but I'm afraid I'm not feeling particularly creative or energetic right now.
It's getting colder here. I really shouldn't complain, Australia doesn't really get that cold, but I love being warm and tend to get very lazy and slug-like the cooler it gets here.
I may've posted about this but when it's cold, comfort and warmth are really my only two considerations when it comes to clothing so most Winters I blob around in whatever I lay my hands on that is warm and  comfy. This year I'm making sure I get my Winter clothes organised before it gets too cold for me to care. I'm aiming for comfort, warmth AND a decent aesthetic.
I've been reading Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen. It's a great story, set in the US during the Great Depression and Prohibition at a time when Circuses travelled by rail. It is fictional, but some inspiration has been taken from actual events and characters in circus history and there is an archival photograph at the beginning of each chapter. "Running away to join the circus" sounds very romantic and exciting, and in some ways it really is, but overriding this is the fact that circus life was harsh and very brutal then. I wonder how that compares with modern circuses like Cirque du Soleil? I'd love to know. I think some research is in order.
Well, that's it from me for now. Here is a cheery photo for you. It's the photo of the day from Wikimedia Commons:

Till next time,
Robyn x

Weighed, Measured...You Know The Rest

Yes, it's get out the violins time... Well really it's total makeover time. When I say total makeover I mean ALL of me, not just the physical - although that's as good a place as any to start. I have officially hit "the BIG time" weight wise. I weighed in this morning at 80.2 kgs. I'm not even going to tell you what I discovered when I checked my measurements (blush with shame). Considering my cholesterol is crazy high and I'm still having testing to see why I keep getting chest pains, my weight needs to come down. Not to mention the fact that if I expand much more I will once again have to fork out for new clothes.
Here is a selfie I took this morning to remind myself of my starting point, not weight-wise, just physically in general:

Looking a bit ragged wouldn't you say?

As a way to track my progress (or lack of), I'm going to take a Saturday Selfie for the next little while.

I've also been having a bit of trouble creatively. I'm just not feeling it regarding singing and haven't really been practicing which is very unusual for me. I usually spend a few hours a day on practice. From tomorrow I'm going to set a timeframe and just practice for that time, even if it's only half an hour, and even if I'm "not feeling it".

Making things has become a problem too. Nothing is working out. I've been starting things, then having to unpick and unpull because I'm making the most ridiculous mistakes. So, to make sure I keep creating without too much stress on whether things will turn out, I'm starting a really basic crochet blanket. I'm just going to do squares in double crochet, and the end result will be something useful. Surely I can't go too wrong there?

Another thing is reading. I always have some book or another on the go, but right now I can't settle. I keep starting and stopping, try another, same thing again. Well today I have chosen a book "Water For Elephants". I'm going to read at least 1 Chapter per day and finish it.

I'm a little behind on my makeup course assignments. This week I'm going to submit the "Night Glamour" Q&A and practical. And get a start on the next module. AND I'm going to get my notes organised. This morning I ordered a "practice head" for makeup. It will be great for when I don't have any real, live models around and also when developing new products for Sukielektro.

Well, I guess that's it for now. 

Take care.

Till next time,

Robyn x