Masquerade Gown with Rainbow Ruffles and Black Rainbow Sequins

A masquerade gown with a black bodice, covered with sparkling sequins which subtly shine in blue, red, green, purple and yellow. The neckline is off the shoulders and slightly V-shaped, and is trimmed with a line of white ribbon. The sleeves are three-quarter, and their edges are trimmed with more white ribbon. There are long ruffles attached to the edges of the sleeves, and they are a gradient of green to blue, decorated with a pattern of mist and stars. The bodice extends over the top of the skirt and is gathered at one hip, decorated with a white bow. From the bow, four rows of ruffles fall towards the base of the skirt like a waterfall. The ruffles form a rainbow gradient, and are decorated with a pattern of mist and stars. The skirt is black, and falls to the floor. It is patterned with abstract swirls of glowing dots, some of which subtly sparkle with rainbow colors.Click for larger version (PNG); click for PDF version. Click here for the list of dolls.

There we have it: ten days of digital coloring! I’ve learned a great deal, and I’m ready to start doing some different things next week. I’m going to shoot for Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Luckily, my husband, parents and even my baby are all quite cooperative. Milo recently started letting me put him down for naps in his crib, instead of requiring hours of rocking while he snoozed. So if you’re happy to see me back, thank that little baby!

After ten days of digital coloring, I have basically nothing to say, except for that I’m enjoying myself very much. I have a lot of plans for cool things I want to try, such as making my own patterns (thanks to Julie’s repeating pattern tutorial).

Anyways, I have a site redesign in the works so I’ll have a better link to this at some point, but in the meantime please consider liking my page on Facebook or following me on Twitter. I haven’t quite gotten in the habit of using these things effectively, but I have plans for them. Oh yes. Plans…

For now, which masquerade gown was your favorite?


Red and Black Devil Costume (based on a costume from Liana’s Paperdoll Boutique)

Click for larger version; click for the list of dolls.

Still feeling uncreative, and anyways I have a weak spot for my old Boutique costumes. This is an update of this devil costume, even if it is months until Halloween. The tail is designed more to be cute than to be easy to cut out; my apologies.


White and Blue Angel Costume (based on a costume from Liana’s Paperdoll Boutique)

Click for larger version; click for the list of dolls.

It’s a half hour before midnight and I’ve managed not to break my streak of two days in a row, although not for lack of trying. I started out so nicely this morning with an attempt to recreate my favorite dress from the Oscars, Penélope Cruz’s amazing pink concoction, which will be up here, eventually. But not today; my attempt at the bodice wasn’t quite the right color. Less of a sophisticated pale peachy-pink — more Totally Actress Barbie! pink. Brian said the pattern looked like muscles, or mummy wrappings, and I’ve known him long enough to take it as a compliment… So then I tried Reese Witherspoon’s dress. Twice.

Night came around, and I thought I’d give up and go with what I knew. So here’s a reproduction of one of my old Boutique outfits: a white angel costume with blue edges and absurdly annoying wings. Don’t ask how one is supposed to keep the halo anywhere near Sylvia’s head; the old one didn’t even have a halo, which makes this, at least in theory, an improvement.

I’ve spent a lot of time with my old Boutique outfits lately: a lot of them make me cringe, all these years later, but some of them weren’t half bad. I never did put them back up after I lost my University space, something my mom has often reminded me of, but if I’m feeling particularly uncreative I may redo some of the ones I like. If I’m feeling really uncreative, I may just put up a small set of Boutique outfits and call it a post of historical interest!