Status Update: I am still alive. No, seriously, guys. I'm so sorry! (Am I the worst blogger in the history of bloggers? Probably. -_-) I've cast a heal spell, and am back at 100% HP, for the foreseeable future of, well, until I catch the next bubonic flu plague. (I'm honestly surprised I lasted as long as I did given the amount of sickness going around, and the fact that every single co-worker I have either has flu or strep at the moment.)
I knowwww what you're thinking. "Look, Annika, seriously. You cannot have been sick for this entire month, and you haven't made a single blog update aside from the illustrator call. Where are the new dresses? Where is the new merch?! Are you just fooling us into thinking you're ill when you are really just napping with your cat and playing video games?!"
[To subdue your anger, I will surreptitiously insert photos of Cookie Cat.....]
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| Look at that disapproving glare! Oh Cook. |
Hahahaha. :sweat drop: I really was sick with a terrible flu for a whole week! And then to make matters worse, we had a staff meeting that ran till midnight, I had to get up in three hours, and go back to work, and therefore I relapsed for a bit with the same flu this week. (You try working an entire shift on three hours of sleep, after you've been up the whole rest of the day previous too. ; o ;)
I'm not going to lie, and tell you that I've been super productive and have a bunch of new designs just waiting to be photographed for sale..... Because I definitely haven't been. Honestly, I think I have been going through a bit of depression the last couple months which has caused me to be super critical about my work, and when I don't feel like I'm meeting my standards, doing enough, being 110% at my best, then I get frustrated and mad at myself. And not just my work, or lack there of, is depressing me. It's just been a rough year, and I guess I feel discouraged for a variety of reasons. And I suppose I am having difficulty adjusting and transitioning with it all. So I know I'm not feeling inspired, or doing as much as I know I'm capable of.
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| See, even Cookie looks a little sad! |
With that said, I really
am actively trying to snap myself out of this rainy dark cloud that has been following me around lately. Some days are better than others. Even if I haven't been producing garments, at least I have been sketching some out for the fashion show in the summer, while finishing up the Dexter series and getting in to Doctor Who.
Also, I have been working a couple paid commissions which is a nice change of pace. I have been trying (feebly? haha) to teach myself how to use my new Canon Rebel T3 DSLR camera, which was kindly given to me as Christmas present as a way for me to improve the image quality of my designs to show to you, dear readers. And I'm ever so grateful to have a new toy to play with! So I've been giving it a go! (And you thought these photos of Cookie were just random! ; ) )
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| Still need to work on that focus! >.< |
I've been trying to do things for just me, to cheer me and sort of jump start my creative muses again with a good amount of knitting, reading, and playing video games! Plus, with the Illustrator Call for Pop Princess coming to its close, I have been getting pretty excited about that! (The entries I have been getting are amazing! So many talented ladies and gents!)
So enough of me yammering on then, you want to see the new dress! (I heard that sigh of relief, readers!) It took me a long time to make since I've been going through a blue period, but here it is at last!
Black Velvet Alice in Wonderland OP:
I went with a similar silhouette and style as Red Bunny Tea Party, featuring the cropped waist and the tempered princess seams running down the front, this time without the lace detailing. The rich, lush black velvet gives ample ruching around the 3/4 leg o' mutton style sleeve which features a key hole design, a sturdy cuff, and antique gold rose buttons.
Even with the large velvet waist bow pinned at center front, I still didn't feel like the dress was quite complete but I had a hard time figuring out why, particularly since the skirt fabric is incredibly detailed. A few of my darling friends suggested that a detachable peter pan collar would be a cute addition, so after a few variations of style, size, and details I decided on this one. I brought the pattern from the skirt back into the collar, and accented the edge with gold top stitching, and finished it off by neatly and carefully hand stitching on a gold diamond rhinestone trim for a hint of glitter. I like the idea that the collar can be taken off for a more elegant, sophisticated style!
The print, once again, features a black silhouette from Alice in Wonderland. Each featured character, be it Alice or the White Rabbit, is edged in a glittering gold accent. The etchings of gold accenting the dark silhouettes give it a hint of shimmer in the sunlight, which just adds to the elegance in my opinion.
It's not a lot, I know but I promise, I'm going to get back to work!! <3
Buy Black Alice OP Here!
What do you think about the new dress and quality of the images from the new camera? : )
Again, sorry about the long absence, lovelies!
xo
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