Late notice

I haven't been updating here lately, school got super busy, and life happened. It is 4:15am, and I am being a merry little elf, because, I am making christmas hippos for kids stuck in the hospital. I have an indiegogo campaign set up, and I'm posting a link to it on here, because why the heck not. It's also got 70 hours left, and so any help would be much appreciated, so that I can cover the cost of materials to build these little creations.

The Christmas Hippo Overseer. :D

Anyhow, Here's my campaign link.

http://igg.me/p/1038228/x/9318504


Thank you!! :D

My own Wonderland... Part 2

(This was intended to be longer, but I'm out of steam right now... I'll most likely update it at some point when I have the energy/time but for now here is my post.)

This is part 2 of my love affair with Alice in Wonderland. To read Part 1, go here: CLICK ME!!!
In the following years I visited Disneyworld very frequently still. And I always rode the teacups. Even though my favorite ride ever since I've been big enough to get on it (which I was by the time I was 2 and a half) is Big Thunder Mountain, the teacups are very special to me.

When I was 14 I got to go to Tokyo Disneyland. And guess what they have there too?!?!

If you guessed Spinning Teacups, You are Correct!!!
If you guessed something else... well it depends on what you guessed, but you're probably not wrong...
they had a lot of stuff.

They were fun, but unlike Paris Disney they didn't have anything Alice themed, really. They did however have an Ariel themed area which was neat. Alice was featured in their 20 years o Dreams parade though.

We were there for the 20th anniversary, which I had forgotten til I saw this picture.

Between Tokyo and now I have been to Disney World several more times, and it has been super fun. However, last summer we went to Disneyland again, and it was AWESOME!
And I rode the teacups again!

Yes, I am 21... On a small children's ride.
Deal with it.

And at California Adventure they have the MAD T PARTY!!! Which is basically a Disney version of a nightclub/rave type deal-io .

 It was pretty awesome. I went to it every night we were there.

 Alice's Outfit is the inspiration for the Halloween costume I'm making for this year...And I'm making Bruce a Mad Hatter costume very very loosely based on the show costume.... However there have been some hiccups in the process, so I'm not sure if they'll be completed this year or not... If not then I'll definitely have them done by next year. :P If you wanna check out the costumes CLICK HERE!

I have completed the corset for the most part at this point, I just don't have a photo of it right now. Maybe I'll take some and make an updated post. Who knows... Life has gotten crazier, there will be a post as to why after it's all over, but the happy news is Bruce and I are happy together and we're taking steps to secure our future.  Hope you're doing well.

Brooke

Something I'm working on in the (little) spare time I have.

I realize this may not be the most interesting thing to a lot of you, but it's what I'm doing right now, and since I haven't posted in a while, I feel like I should, and this is as good as anything else I could do right now. I'm making a photobook on Shutterfly for Bruce, to give to him on sweetest day. (Which is a holiday I vehemently oppose... It's a freaking manufactured holiday because there was a downward trend in sales one year... It's a Hallmark holiday... But, Bruce likes the idea, so, I'll participate.)

Anyhow, It's a book of the time we've been dating, and how we came to be dating. And this is a couple pages worth of writing I've done in it... Feel free to tell me if it sucks.

"So, how did we start dating?

   There was the possibility that I was going to move away I told you about it, and the next day,  we were hanging out, just doing what we usually did. We got food, we saw a movie, and then on the way back, you told me you wanted to date me. I was shocked. You were my best friend. You knew how weird I was, and why in the world would you want to date me? However I did like you, and we got along very well.

   Unfortunately I was in another relationship, and even though it wasn't going well, I couldn't just jump ship. So, we agreed that if in the future, if we were both single, and interested in each other still, we'd give it a shot.

   One week later, we went to the Maker's Faire at the Henry Ford Museum. Emily came with us, just to keep things from being awkward. Not that they weren't. I tried to set you up with jailbait, you flirted with a robotics team.

   For the rest of the summer I tried to set you up with various friends of mine, and it didn't work out... But as it turns out, that was for the best.

Our first date was Thursday, December 27th 2012. I remember being ridiculously nervous beforehand. The night before Amanda came over and helped me pick out an outfit. I actually spent about an hour getting ready beforehand... I even did my hair. (Which is a rarity as you well know.) I must have texted Amanda thirty times in the 2 hours before our date... She kept reassuring me everything would be fine, and that it would all work out.

I remember being so ridiculously nervous when you finally picked me up, I felt so awkward. I remember giving you a super quick hug hello, and then thinking 'Was that ok? Should I have hugged him longer? Should I have not hugged him? What the hell am I doing????' 

   On the way to dinner I think we talked a bit, but I don't really remember... I do remember thinking about how we were best friends and now we were on a date and if things didn't work, could we still be friends, and so on and so forth. When we got to the restaurant we started talking more, and then things got awkward again, because we already knew all of the things about each other that you would normally find out on a first date. Then we talked about how we didn't really have anything to talk about, because we knew everything about each other, and bitching about our significant others was off the table, because we didn't have any...

   After dinner when we were walking back to your car, I remember you looking at me and saying something along the lines of "One of us has to do something or this is going nowhere" and sticking out your hand for me to hold. I recall feeling anxious about it, and then somewhat giddy once our hands actually connected. It wasn't as though we had never touched each other before, but this time was different. I won't lie and say I felt some magical spark, but what I will say is that I felt happy for the first time in a long time. While we were walking I remember you enthusing about your new underwear, and how comfortable it was, which made me laugh, and I recall thinking that maybe things wouldn't be so awkward all the time. You opened the car door for me before walking around to the other side and opening your own door. I remember being surprised because nobody had done that for me before.

   We headed to the bowling alley, on the way I made fun of your projectile sports skills. You however won, seeing as I hadn't played in 2 years... Which was the same amount of time it had been since we had last gone bowling. (I will kick your ass if you want to go again... I'm less rusty now.) "

That's all I have so far... It's about 2 solid pages of writing in the book. I'm planning to finish it this week... actually I have to... School's starting again... Urgh... 

Dear God I'm Busy...

So, I haven't had much down time, I've been working like crazy. However, I apparently have had enough time for Arts and Crafts... So here's my latest bunch of things I've done...

For Bruce, Just because.

For my Grandma, for her birthday.

For Bruce's Brother and Sister-in-law,
to commemorate the christening of their children.

For my family.

For Bruce's mother, as decor for her bedroom...
I did two of this one, identical mirror images.

 So, apparently I enjoy melting Crayons... A bunch. Because this is how I de-stress... I do arts and crafts... Plus, right now at Meijer you can get 24 packs of crayons for 50 cents. And you can buy packs of canvases in bulk at Michaels for 20 bucks... Which is awesome. And will be a major reason I'm out of money. Because, Impulse Control, I Do Not Has It.

I Am Back!

I'm back from my hiatus in the woods. And I have a spiffy new piece of artwork to show for it!

Mary Poppins in the most colorful London rain you have ever seen. Now I'm humming Chim-chim-Cher-ee to myself...

Anyhow, I should be back to more regular post intervals. Thanks for tolerating me. :)

Brooke

Costume Pieces- Halloween is a bit early this year...

Last post I mentioned that I was making my Halloween costume, and as it would happen, Bruce decided that we should do a couples costume. And since I'm already making mine he suggested he be the Mad Hatter. So, I'm making a costume for him too. I've already gotten a few pieces of his costume done.

Hat!!!

I made buttons for his cuffs.

Hat Pins!

  And a few of mine as well.

Bracelet. I started with the chain link one,
but then I found the bangle on clearance at Jo-Ann Fabrics
(Another wallet killer for me)
So now I'm transferring all the charms to the bangle.

Pendant for my necklace, which i still have to paint, and add a handle to.

However none of the super important stuff... Like the actual outfits... urgh... Oh, well I kinda have the corset for my costume... Still in the works though.

Looks a bit crap right now, but I'm working on it!!

 However I do have colorings of Bruce's costume. :P

Vest

Jacket... I'm worried about the color scheme...
Does it look too Mardi Gras?
Should I go for a more Avocado Green?

Did I mention that Bruce wants his costume without sleeves? But he does want cuffs... So he's going to be the Mad Hatter were the Mad Hatter a male stripper. *facepalm* Oh well... I guess if I'm going to go for a kind of Pin-up look he can look like a stripper. Lol.


 So, this is where I am at. What'cha think?

My Own Wonderland... This post has a lot of pictures.... And has been divided into multiple posts.

 I'm making an Alice costume for Halloween. I'm basing it on the Alice costume in the Mad T Party stage show at Disneyland. I know it's only June, but when you're making a costume it's best to get a head start.  Here's a picture of the costume I'm basing my own off of:

I'm going to try to emulate the one on the right...
In case you weren't sure.

Anyhow, my love of Alice is nothing new, and it actually started a long time ago. Ever since I was little I've LOVED Alice In Wonderland. I was actually Alice for Halloween one year. There should be pictures around here somewhere... AHA!!! Here we go.

Day of Halloween when I was about 3... 
Obviously not time for Trick or Treats yet.

My mom and I ... Almost time for Trick or Treats.

And I mean LOVE... I made my family watch the Disney cartoon at least 3-4 times per week. And I would act out parts of it, while the movie was playing.

"Don't... Step... On... The... Momeraths...
The Momeraths?!?"

This phrase would become the hallmark of my growing up years.
If only I had realized it sooner. :P

Anyhow, my love affair with Alice in Wonderland wasn't limited to the movie.


I've always loved the Mad Hatter's Teacups at Walt Disney World. (My mom used to work for Disney, and absolutely adores everything about Disney, and as such, I've been indoctrinated in Disney culture, and have been to all the Disney parks... Except for the one in China... But that'll get checked off some day.)

Disneyworld Teacup Ride.

When I was almost 5 I got to go to Disneyland for the first time.I had only ever been to Disneyworld before, so it was a new experience, and clearly I was determined to have fun.

My Daddy and I in Minnie's house in Toontown.
Just look at that face.
This is actually probably my favorite picture of me as a kid.

They have Spinning Teacups there too!

Disneyland's Teacups.

They also have a ride!!! :D

Alice In Wonderland: Ride Edition!

This pic is from 1958. The Alice in Wonderland ride
is at the bottom of the picture, you can see part of the track.

 And then when I was 6, we went to Paris Disneyland. They were celebrating their 5th anniversary. The castle was made up like a giant court jester. I loved it.

Well, many jesters really...

 And they had a Teacups ride there too!!!!

Paris Disneyland's Teacups

 However the coolest thing about Paris Disneyland for 6 year old me was the fact that there was an entire area in Fantasyland dedicated to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

A model of the Alice section of Paris Disneyland.

The Castle of the Queen of Hearts

It's like you're in the Wonderland Forest!!!

And there's a Hedge Maze!!!!

 The hedge maze was really cool, and seemed absolutely gigantic. But I was like 4 feet tall, so, everything was huge. But it was still probably one of the coolest experiences of my life. There were characters hidden in the maze, so it was like a giant look and find. I don't remember much of the rest of the park. But I definitely have memories of the hedge maze. 

Some years went by and I visited Walt Disney World many more times.

Back when regular people were allowed to ride in the front of the monorails.

Miss Piggy and Moi!

My mom and I with Phil.

I'm a Cheetah! Rawr!
I think this was from our trip to Disneyworld
shortly after Animal Kingdom opened.

 And every time I rode the teacups. Sometimes by myself, because the spinning made my parents sick, and I refuse to go on unless I can spin. The teacups are by no means my favorite ride, but they are special to me because they are from the Alice in Wonderland story. That and I like to spin until I can't walk a straight line to save my life. (Not that I can walk a straight line when I'm not dizzy as hell, it's just funnier when I am.)


 Coming up: Part Two of My Own Wonderland

In which I explore the years 11-20. (Spoiler Alert: I go to Tokyo Disney.)

I'm Working On Something Special...

I'm working on a super spiffy blog post, However it is taking longer than anticipated, so I bring you my summer project...

I'm planning to create a Little Free Library!  However I'm not sure how I want to design it...  Anyhow, this isn't really a post, more of a "Hey, I'm not dead", type thing. :P

Also, Happy Father's day!!!

I Love You Daddy!

Anyway... Hi!  Hopefully I can finish the post in this coming week. If not I will for sure have some project photos for you.
All Little Free Library pictures were taken from the LFL facebook page.

It Has Been A Busy Busy Week...

A Busy Busy Busy Week. Between working (AM care for a quadriplegic on the weekend,babysitting for 6-8 hours at a time, and then tutoring) , and tearing apart my closet, putting in shelving, and then putting it back together, I have had very little time to do much of anything. I've managed to spend a bit of time with Bruce, and I took Emmy to breakfast on her birthday.  Other than that I have been searching for various other jobs to fulfill the 40 hours/week requirement my parents have set for me, in order for me not to have a ridiculous curfew. And honestly the closet has taken a majority of my time.

Here are some photos of my closet after the renovation.... Trust me, you DO NOT want to see before pictures. (There are none, because honestly, I didn't want to see them either.)

Oooooh!!! Empty Shelves!!!
Empty Racks.... Pretty much just empty.

Clothes!  A cutting mat, and a box of polyfil...
I'm 22 going on 93...
(And yes, that is a Build-A-Bear box on my shelf.) 

More clothes!!! Would you believe I got rid of 1/6th
of my clothes and this is what I have left?
I clearly have too many clothes.

The colorful bins are from Five Below.
The ones that look like wicker are from Jo-Ann Fabrics.

Tah-Dah!!! Organized. Now if only I can keep it that way!