Ruqun in Black with Fire Colored Sash

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Diane won my last contest, for guessing that I had 1,040 visitors on September 12th, and she wrote:
I’d like both the skirt and jacket in a shimmery black, and the trimming and belt on the jacket in a kind of “fire-colored” orange and red iridenscent type fabric. The jacket could also have some simple red-gold embroidery on it (nothing big). And the little dangly charm (I’m not sure what it’s called) could be of a gold thread/cord, with the circle ornament of green jade.

I hope you like it! I always like doing fire-colored things…

No one has won the next contest yet, so it’s still on!
What’s my favorite book?
Rules as always:
1) If you’ve already won this year, please don’t enter. (Music contest winners are OK to enter a black-and-white coloring contest though.)
2) One guess per person per day.
3) If no one gets the exact book by noon PST, September 17th, I’ll pick the closest guess.

Here’s your hint for the day: it was both written and set in the 1800s.


Blue Sequined Mermaid Gown Inspired by the Supremes

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In my recent music contest, Bella’s entry of Diana Ross and the Supremes was the first one picked by the random number generator, so we are starting off the week with an outfit that I like to think they would have looked good performing in. (As this replaces Mermaid Monday, that did inform my color and dress shape choice…)

I didn’t really get into the Supremes until I started using last.fm; vague memories of singing Chapel of Love in middle school choir led to the Dixie Cups, then on to other girl groups until I reached the Supremes. Now I listen to the last.fm The Supremes-tagged radio all the time. I’d say my favorite song by them is I’m Gonna Make You Love Me. If I’m gloomy, singing that with as much power as I can always cheers me up. (There’s something even my husband doesn’t know about me! I don’t think he’s ever heard me really belt that one out. I tend to do it in the car.)

You may find your thumb going numb in solidarity when you look carefully at this dress. I don’t think I’m going to make a habit of sequins. Still, now I’m done, I’m happy with it, and I hope you like it too, Bella (and also Monica, I guess, since she also voted for the Supremes).

Prismacolors used: Black, Aquamarine, Denim Blue, True Blue, Light Cerulean Blue, Peacock Blue, Light Aqua, Peacock Green, Parrot Green, Sky Blue Light, Non-Photo Blue, Light Green, Black (verithin), Indigo Blue (verithin), Souffle white gel pen


Black And White 1930s Evening Gown with Peplum

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For today’s black and white gown, I decided on a 1930s evening gown. For one thing, a simple dress sounded appealing at 9 PM when I started; for another thing, we love our 1930s fashion around these parts, if the response to the white and pink gown is any indication.

Next week, I am going to tackle drawing the winners of my music contest; hopefully I can finish them off in one week. I’ll be skipping Mermaid Monday, but it’ll be back the week after that. (Maybe the Supremes will get a mermaid dress? We’ll see.)


Colored 1700s Gown in Gold, White and Pink

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Trazy won the contest before last, for being the closest to guess our wedding anniversary (August 9th). She wrote: “i think i would like the newest balck and white dress to be colored in the gold colors, and have some kind of royal feel to it. I want the bows/decorations/trimmings to be pink, and the rest either white, gold, tan, or something similar. the skirt should have some kind of lighter golden swirly royal pattern, a lighter gold than the background…”

I would write more about this dress, but this one took me four hours to color, and there is a sort of tingling feeling in the tip of my left thumb, plus I’m having trouble feeling the pad of my left index finger now as I type. I might have overdone it… but it was worth it!