Sunday, September 30, 2012
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
The Journey of Creating My First Halloween Costume
Chapter 2: Conjuring Up a Design
So I know that I want to be The Steampunk Queen of Hearts. I just have to decide if I want to piece it together (from sites like etsy, ebay, and thrift stores) or make it myself. While trying to decide how I am going to do this, I came across a very inspiring website: http://steampunk.cnbeyer.com/overskirt.shtml that got me fired up to do a little bit of both. I decided to take already made pieces and transform them into what I needed for my costume! I was fired up and excited that I might be able to pull this off. Now that I had my character down and a gameplan, it was time to go thrifting!
I had decided on the rough vision: a skirt, an overskirt that was bustled up in some way, a corset, a shrug, and a hat (all of which to be decorated of course). Now I know that you shouldn't set your heart on a certain style or fabric choice when you go thrifting, but I couldn't help myself. I had visioned my costume being regal, velvet, black, gold, and red. Way to keep an open mind right? I did happen to get very lucky in my findings. I found a long black velvet skirt, a button down black velvet shirt to be transformed into a shrug (even the cashier thought they were a set at first), and a long gold velvet skirt with red hues in it and a very regal feel to it. That is luck. As far as the hat goes, I purchased a plain red hat/headband online....I am a beginner and can't make everything. However, I can decorate it!
I then conjured up the design in my head based on the Disney queen, the Tim Burton queen, and some re-vamping of my own. I am, for the most part, a visual person. I wanted to know if what I came up with in my head I was actually going to like. So I put it together on the computer (using similar pieces found online) and was pleased. Now all I have to do is start sewing.......
P.S.-I did buy a practice skirt (velvet so I am used to the material that will be my final result). Since I haven't sewn before and am not sure exactly what I'm doing, I bought a skirt to practice on for my overskirt/bustle piece.
So I know that I want to be The Steampunk Queen of Hearts. I just have to decide if I want to piece it together (from sites like etsy, ebay, and thrift stores) or make it myself. While trying to decide how I am going to do this, I came across a very inspiring website: http://steampunk.cnbeyer.com/overskirt.shtml that got me fired up to do a little bit of both. I decided to take already made pieces and transform them into what I needed for my costume! I was fired up and excited that I might be able to pull this off. Now that I had my character down and a gameplan, it was time to go thrifting!
I had decided on the rough vision: a skirt, an overskirt that was bustled up in some way, a corset, a shrug, and a hat (all of which to be decorated of course). Now I know that you shouldn't set your heart on a certain style or fabric choice when you go thrifting, but I couldn't help myself. I had visioned my costume being regal, velvet, black, gold, and red. Way to keep an open mind right? I did happen to get very lucky in my findings. I found a long black velvet skirt, a button down black velvet shirt to be transformed into a shrug (even the cashier thought they were a set at first), and a long gold velvet skirt with red hues in it and a very regal feel to it. That is luck. As far as the hat goes, I purchased a plain red hat/headband online....I am a beginner and can't make everything. However, I can decorate it!
I then conjured up the design in my head based on the Disney queen, the Tim Burton queen, and some re-vamping of my own. I am, for the most part, a visual person. I wanted to know if what I came up with in my head I was actually going to like. So I put it together on the computer (using similar pieces found online) and was pleased. Now all I have to do is start sewing.......
P.S.-I did buy a practice skirt (velvet so I am used to the material that will be my final result). Since I haven't sewn before and am not sure exactly what I'm doing, I bought a skirt to practice on for my overskirt/bustle piece.
Bullying in the Workplace
It is very apparent that bullying is increasing in our society. When I think of bullying I don't think of it occuring to people my age (25) or older. That changed when I saw that infamous youtube video of that lady on a school bus. I always thought of bullying as kids picking on other kids. Little did I know that I would soon experience bullying first hand.
I was one of those few (and lucky) people who enjoyed their job. It may not have been the best out there, but it was one I enjoyed. I had been there a few months and got promoted and moved to another department. That's when things started to change. Some of my fellow employees had a malicious demeanor to them. For some of them it wasn't always obvious; you could tell there was something there: something unpleasant waiting to strike at any given moment. So I kept to my work trying my best to do my own thing.
One Wednesday afternoon was when it all changed. It had seemed as though one of my fellow employees had been leary of me the whole day giving off an unpleasant vibe. I was very confused but kept going about my day. A little later we found ourselves crossing paths in the back (of course where there wasn't anyone around) and this employee decided to confront me. Well startle me was more like it. This person's approach was to make an a-line right towards me, start yelling at me, push me, step on me, grab something from my hands, and stare me down. I, shaken up, didn't know what to do so I just left the area.
I immediately called my manager and explained the situation. No action was taken. I was beyond shocked. We weren't called to discuss and resolve what had obviously been some bullying not to mention assault. In my opinion by not doing anything you are empowering this person to do it again (which I have no doubt said person will).
I decided to go to lunch 30min early because I was mad and still shaken up. It was then that I decided I was just going to leave early for the day. I wasn't in any state to return back to work after what had happend. I was honest in telling my manager my reason for leaving early. I wasn't expecting what was about to happen. Instead of getting the "ok but it will count as an absence or tardy" that I thought I was going to hear, my manager's response was no. I was told I was not allowed to leave. Seriously? Now I'm more upset than before. Let's review: bullied and assulted, nothing gets done, and I'm told that because of that that's no excuse to want to leave work early. Then my manager becomes condescending. I can't take it anymore (this kind of stuff had been going on for sometime now by the way: the employees going at each other and the managers doing nothing). I know what I have to do. I am shaking and without hesitation, I quit. This is something that I have never in my 9 years of working have done. I don't know how this works. So many thoughts are racing through my already fast paced mind. It wasn't until I got home home had it really sunk in. I didn't work there anymore due to many things but it mainly boiled down to I was bullied in the workplace and wasn't going to accept it.
A good article to read about bullying in the workplace:http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-3114-Workplace-Issues-Workplace-bullying-on-the-rise-according-to-new-study/?SiteId=cbmsnhp43114&sc_extcmp=JS_3114_home1
I was one of those few (and lucky) people who enjoyed their job. It may not have been the best out there, but it was one I enjoyed. I had been there a few months and got promoted and moved to another department. That's when things started to change. Some of my fellow employees had a malicious demeanor to them. For some of them it wasn't always obvious; you could tell there was something there: something unpleasant waiting to strike at any given moment. So I kept to my work trying my best to do my own thing.
One Wednesday afternoon was when it all changed. It had seemed as though one of my fellow employees had been leary of me the whole day giving off an unpleasant vibe. I was very confused but kept going about my day. A little later we found ourselves crossing paths in the back (of course where there wasn't anyone around) and this employee decided to confront me. Well startle me was more like it. This person's approach was to make an a-line right towards me, start yelling at me, push me, step on me, grab something from my hands, and stare me down. I, shaken up, didn't know what to do so I just left the area.
I immediately called my manager and explained the situation. No action was taken. I was beyond shocked. We weren't called to discuss and resolve what had obviously been some bullying not to mention assault. In my opinion by not doing anything you are empowering this person to do it again (which I have no doubt said person will).
I decided to go to lunch 30min early because I was mad and still shaken up. It was then that I decided I was just going to leave early for the day. I wasn't in any state to return back to work after what had happend. I was honest in telling my manager my reason for leaving early. I wasn't expecting what was about to happen. Instead of getting the "ok but it will count as an absence or tardy" that I thought I was going to hear, my manager's response was no. I was told I was not allowed to leave. Seriously? Now I'm more upset than before. Let's review: bullied and assulted, nothing gets done, and I'm told that because of that that's no excuse to want to leave work early. Then my manager becomes condescending. I can't take it anymore (this kind of stuff had been going on for sometime now by the way: the employees going at each other and the managers doing nothing). I know what I have to do. I am shaking and without hesitation, I quit. This is something that I have never in my 9 years of working have done. I don't know how this works. So many thoughts are racing through my already fast paced mind. It wasn't until I got home home had it really sunk in. I didn't work there anymore due to many things but it mainly boiled down to I was bullied in the workplace and wasn't going to accept it.
A good article to read about bullying in the workplace:http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-3114-Workplace-Issues-Workplace-bullying-on-the-rise-according-to-new-study/?SiteId=cbmsnhp43114&sc_extcmp=JS_3114_home1
Monday, September 24, 2012
The Journey of Creating My First Halloween Costume
Chapter One: Deciding What To Be
Since last halloween I knew that I wanted to try and create my own halloween costume. The difference between last year and this year, is that last year I was intimidated. The thought of my lack of craft and sewing skills combined with constructing something I actually had to wear in public didn't seem like the best idea I had come up with. Needless to say I didn't make anything....Instead, I bought a Merlotte's t-shirt and apron and a blonde wig and I was Sookie from HBO's True Blood....Wasn't as cool as my Red Son Wonder Woman I had hoped to be. After last years last-minute not so elaborate costume, I decided to create my own this year. All I had to do was decide what to be. The possibilities are endless when you are creating your own costume.
I was watching Sherlock Holmes when I thought to myself I really love the clothes Rachel McAdams gets to wear. I didn't think too much of it until I was assembling my art appreaciation project (which is my Monet Steampunk blog). The assignment was to pick an excerpt from our reading and create a visual display. I chose the Monet Picture in the bottom right corner. It reminded me of Paris and Sherlock Holmes. The further I dug into finding more pictures to create my visual display, I kept coming across "steampunk." The best description I found of what steampunk is exactly was "Steampunk is the future past that never happened." It's based on steam engines and the victorian era with a twist of sci-fi. I decided to dig a little deeper into steampunk costumes. I noticed a lot of video game characters and comic book characters. What I did not see to many of was Disney characters. I decided I wanted to be a Steampunk Disney Character. I only had one problem: which one?
I typed steampunk Disney into my google image search and the Disney princesses came up. It was fan art but I was hooked. I now had to pick which one. I had origionally decided on Ariel because I could get a cool red wig. I played around with some possible looks, but it just wasn't working for me. So I decided I was going to be someone who wears a red corset (only because I had bought a red corset for 9.99 when I had wanted to be Wonder Woman). I then came up with Cruella. I know she isn't exactly a princess but yet again I found a cool wig I could wear. I was thinking it would be simple: red corset, black pencil skirt, cool wig, and a long yellow jacket with a bustle....I really thought that would be the winner. Problem: I can't sew. That being said, how am I going to create the jacket? That was the key item to my costume. I looked online and it was running around $100-$300! So my search for a steampunk disney character continued.
Who else wears a red top? I went on etsy and came across a steampunk Queen of Hearts costume I liked. I didn't love it, but I could change that. So sometime in the wee hours of the morning (I was not going to sleep until I had at least figured out a character) I decided on being the Steampunk Queen of Hearts.
Since last halloween I knew that I wanted to try and create my own halloween costume. The difference between last year and this year, is that last year I was intimidated. The thought of my lack of craft and sewing skills combined with constructing something I actually had to wear in public didn't seem like the best idea I had come up with. Needless to say I didn't make anything....Instead, I bought a Merlotte's t-shirt and apron and a blonde wig and I was Sookie from HBO's True Blood....Wasn't as cool as my Red Son Wonder Woman I had hoped to be. After last years last-minute not so elaborate costume, I decided to create my own this year. All I had to do was decide what to be. The possibilities are endless when you are creating your own costume.
I was watching Sherlock Holmes when I thought to myself I really love the clothes Rachel McAdams gets to wear. I didn't think too much of it until I was assembling my art appreaciation project (which is my Monet Steampunk blog). The assignment was to pick an excerpt from our reading and create a visual display. I chose the Monet Picture in the bottom right corner. It reminded me of Paris and Sherlock Holmes. The further I dug into finding more pictures to create my visual display, I kept coming across "steampunk." The best description I found of what steampunk is exactly was "Steampunk is the future past that never happened." It's based on steam engines and the victorian era with a twist of sci-fi. I decided to dig a little deeper into steampunk costumes. I noticed a lot of video game characters and comic book characters. What I did not see to many of was Disney characters. I decided I wanted to be a Steampunk Disney Character. I only had one problem: which one?
I typed steampunk Disney into my google image search and the Disney princesses came up. It was fan art but I was hooked. I now had to pick which one. I had origionally decided on Ariel because I could get a cool red wig. I played around with some possible looks, but it just wasn't working for me. So I decided I was going to be someone who wears a red corset (only because I had bought a red corset for 9.99 when I had wanted to be Wonder Woman). I then came up with Cruella. I know she isn't exactly a princess but yet again I found a cool wig I could wear. I was thinking it would be simple: red corset, black pencil skirt, cool wig, and a long yellow jacket with a bustle....I really thought that would be the winner. Problem: I can't sew. That being said, how am I going to create the jacket? That was the key item to my costume. I looked online and it was running around $100-$300! So my search for a steampunk disney character continued.
Who else wears a red top? I went on etsy and came across a steampunk Queen of Hearts costume I liked. I didn't love it, but I could change that. So sometime in the wee hours of the morning (I was not going to sleep until I had at least figured out a character) I decided on being the Steampunk Queen of Hearts.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Friday, September 21, 2012
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Monday, September 17, 2012
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