Soothing Crafts

After just handling housework for a few weeks, I came to the conclusion that I absolutely need to do other things to stay sane. I'm a creative person and I simply feel bad if I can't exercise that creativity. So after weeks of just laundry, cooking and caring for cats, I took to sewing. In December, I got loads of fabric from a close-out sale, so I was well prepared. I've been dreaming of a rococo style gown and for those, undergarments are the key. The natural first step was to get 25 meters of plastic boning and patterns for pocket hoops and a 18th century corset.

Because I'm not good at waiting or doing just one project at a time, I also cut the pieces for a 1830's inspired gown and a black version of the Victorian top I have previously sewn from copper orange taffeta.

Pistachio green 1830's inspired dress on the dress form.

I used to sew a lot when I was a teen, but during my studies I rarely had extra money for fabrics. I still feel lucky that I've got quite good basic sewing skills and am not afraid to try out new things. I recently got a serger, so it should speed up the phase I hate the most: finishing raw edges! My second most hated thing in sewing is sewing by hand. Unfortunately the corset requires it (or I'm too dumb to understand how the bias tape could be attached with a machine on top of boning channels) but I'm a fighter and one day it will be finished!

Butterick's Rococo corset. I still have to sew the bias tape on the backside of the corset and install eyelets, but most of the work is done. Go me!

Those frickin' bone channels. A true pain in the behind to sew. This one is probably not the prettiest rococo corset there is, but it's my first one and it will do. Also if I ever make another one of these, I will absolutely not use anything resembling satin.

This is the pattern I used. My corset is the top left design. For anyone using this pattern, make sure to go for a couple of sizes smaller corset if you want it to do any cinching! The patterns are drawn quite large. And when adding the bias tape, I don't know how you are supposed to sew it on top of the boning channels with bones in them. My corset is still not finished, so I can't say much more about it yet.

 The cats are naturally been excited about sewing too! Lots of little things to push off tables and plenty of comfy fabrics to lay on. We got a new table some time ago and it's just perfect, I can fit both the serger and my regular sewing machine on it at the same time and still have room for a pile of sewing supplies and/or cats.

Mör enjoying sewing paraphernalia. 

 I already finished the pocket hoops (sans pockets, because I'm lazy like that), the green gown only needs finishing the neckline and the hem, and the black taffeta top is missing hooks and eyes at the front because the local sewing supply had ran out. I was thinking of trying buttons for the closure, but I'm not sure if it's a bit too bold for my skills and the amount of interest I have in sewing button holes. Which is close to zero. But it, too, will some day be finished! I find it quite relaxing to just sew away, fiddle with beautiful fabrics and see what comes out in the end. The perfect thing to get my mid off work and housework.

My Favourite Eye Looks of 2015

I collected some of my favourites from last year's looks! Glitter, pastels, bold shades, I tried a lot of looks and liked many of them. Do you have a favourite?

Spectrum Look, Once Again

I'm alive and he's alive! I've been surprisingly busy taking care of one man with a broken ankle, six cats, including one who just had five teeth removed (the seventh kitty is at a friends' place, she was too active to be kept in the same space as a recently operated person), and handling work and the apartment. I lived by myself for a few years but didn't remember that doing all the housework alone was this much work! Then again there were less cats, the place was a lot smaller, and I didn't need to feed anyone but me and the kitties.

I'm hoping I'll get everything under control soon, so I'll be able to take on some sewing projects. I was supposed to be working on my Demon Hunter cosplay costume so my other half and I could have participated in a cosplay contest as a pair, but that will have to wait. So far I'm just happy when the cats are fed, get their medication, and there's clean plates and clothes available ;D My other half has taken care of almost all the cooking for years, so I don't even know where things are in the kitchen, but so far no one has died of hunger!

In the mean time, here's yet another look done with the Spectrum palette I so love :)

Shades used are Flashback for the lower lid and inner part of the upper lid, Sugarpill Tako for the tear duct area, Deep End on the outer part of the lid and Madness in the crease. I just love how the purples and teals work together!

A Different Start for the Year

My other half and I had big things planned for the beginning of the year. In December, we decided we would get married at the registry office during the Christmas vacation and have the wedding party later in 2016. Well, except that was not what happened.

We had the appointment at the office on Monday at three o'clock, but on Sunday my other half went to play airsoft, tripped and broke his leg. It's nothing too serious, but of course a bit of a disappointment when things don't go as planned. The leg was operated yesterday and it's much better today.

I've been to the hospital to keep him company and make sure he has something nicer to eat than the hospital food. He should be home tomorrow and free of the cast in six weeks. I absolutely hate hospitals so I'll be glad when I can take care of him at home!

Look how good of an almost-wife I'm, bringing him food and a book!

I'd Love to be Model of the Year, Please!

As I won the model of the month contest on Finnish Alternative Models last May, I'm now in the contest for model of the year! Please consider voting for me :) I feel a bit like an ugly duckling when the other contestants have such nicely finished pictures, and mine is from a photoshoot done for Rogue. We took photos that were later edited to become flyers, so the raw pictures are not super fabulous. But the flyers did turn out great!

If you would like to vote, click this link to the Finnish Alternative Models Facebook page to open my pic and just like the picture. The group is really nice, so if you would like to see work by Finnish models on your feed, like the page too :) Thanks in advance!

Photo by Arttu R.

2015 Review Part 1

I started going through my blog entries from 2015 and was amazed how much energy I had in the beginning of the year. So many projects and so many lovely pictures! So much has happened that I decided to divide the year review into pieces to avoid posting a million pictures at once.

2015 was plain awesome. The game I had been working on for the last two years was published and became a hit. I finished my Master's studies at the university. I had a huge b-day when I turned thirty. My other half proposed. I participated in my first cosplay contest ever and won it. Got to visit New York. I'm pretty sure I'm forgetting something from this list, but oh well ;D

One of the finished pictures from a photo workshop held in Dec 2014. Getting this
picture took lots of coaching and many tries, but I love how different it is!

I honed my smoky eye skills in January.

Took pictures with my Queen of Darkness lace top and a second hand corset.

Worked on a Snow Queen outfit and a trial make-up for the shoot.

Bought a cheap Chinese eBay gown for taking pictures with.

Got my striped Artifice Clothing jacket.

Tried on white contacts and found out that black wigs suit me surprisingly well.

In February I finished my scale mail corset project. I used a second hand black
velvet corset as a base and made a 800+ scale piece to cover the front.

This was my cool Valentine's look done for the Queen of Darkness blog. I still like the design!

Tried an all white look inspired by Leena of Luurankoja Kaapissa.

Dressed up as a Victorian version of Death of the Endless for a friend's
comic themed b-day party.

For club Schatten I got to wear the scale mail corset!

Did a little photoshoot with my brother.

Got a lovely corset made by Tiahaar.

The moth jewellery I designed for Rogue was finished.

I had apparently forgotten how horrible making scale mail was and made a necklace
to match the corset.

Did a photoshoot with Sanni Saarenmaa, wearing both the corset and the necklace.

In March I participated in Tampere Kuplii cosplay contest with a Demon Hunter costume
I had whipped up in a few months. Won first place with 60% of all votes!

A behind-the-scenes shot of the Snow Queen photoshoot with Helena Pahaoja. I'm planning to take some more pics with the outfit soon, it hasn't seen much use.

Here I'm enjoying a pink drink at the Finnish Game Awards Gala in April.

I participated in a photoshoot that was published in Twisted Magazine in May. Here's Team Tampere! Bella von Wolfkill, me, Didi Ou and Rogue.

For a graduation present my parents took me to New York in May. Thanks mom and dad, it was awesome!

The photo is a bit older (by Kario Vuorio), but I won the Model of the Month contest on the
Finnish Alternative Models community for May with it.

Just wait until I get to the other half of the year and to my favourite make-up looks ;D But this is a good start!