Friday, August 31, 2007

One likes to believe in the freedom of music

If you live in the Phoenix metro area, you might have noticed an unusual building being constructed on the south side of Tempe Town Lake just west of the Mill Avenue bridge. That would be the new Tempe Center for the Arts and it is opening this year. Why am I blogging about this? Well, for one, I think the arts are incredibly important in our communities. Also, this evening I auditioned for the Tempe Symphony Orchestra and was accepted! I'll be sitting in the back like any rookie, but I'm looking forward to the challenge and excitement of performing in such a beautiful facility. Find out more about the TSO's upcoming concert season here.

The TCA is having a grand opening celebration on Sunday, September 9th. Come on down and take in free performances by Childsplay, Tempe Little Theater, Arizona Academy of the Performing Arts, Desert Dance Theatre, and others! Also, there will be an open rehearsal of the TSO Lakeside at 3PM. Look for me in the back row!

(By the way, this is not the surprise I was talking about in my previous post!)

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Hello to my faithful readers! (All three of you...) You have surely noticed that I have been remiss in my blogging of late. There is a valid explanation, I promise! Check back here in the next week and you'll see what I mean. I can't talk about it just yet because I don't want to jinx it, but it's very exciting!

Mysteriously Yours,
Rebecca

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

With a love like that you know you should be glad

You may not know it, but there is a whole industry out there that helps men (and women!) plan the perfect proposal. Although it's outside my area of expertise, I think that unique proposals can be really amazing and fun. I stumbled across this one today; I just love it!



You can read more about George and Sara's engagement at his blog here. Take note, guys! (And girls...)

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Joining the world of missing persons

Quick update for those of you following the adventures of Miss W!

No, I have not forgotten about her. I've had to switch gears and work on a large bridesmaid dress project for a November wedding. Coincidentally, Miss W is one of said bridesmaids! So she and I will be getting to know each other very well over the next couple months.

But fear not, the next installment of Miss W's dress diary is not far off!

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Hey little sister what have you done

There's a reason that Vh1 has about twenty different '80s nostalgia shows. We really do love the decade of big hair, bright makeup, and bad clothes. (God knows why!)

This weekend, I was lucky to be involved in an '80s wedding themed murder mystery dinner, courtesy of Two Be Wed and FireSky Resort. These are just a couple shots of me and Rhonda.


See more at The Invitation Lady's blog! We had a lot of fun and the resort was beautiful, as always. Thanks KT!

Thursday, August 9, 2007

When you wish upon a star

Once upon a time, a young-ish girl heard that Disney teamed up with a wedding gown designer to create a line of wedding gowns inspired by the Disney princesses. She searched online, far and wide, but to no avail. Finally, one day, she traveled to the land of Google and found that the day had arrived. And many brides would live happily ever after.

Okay, so I have been looking forward to seeing the collection for a long time, and it's finally available. (Actually it has been for a little while now, but I've been busy blogging about Miss W!)

From designer Kirstie Kelly, the Disney Bridal collection includes gowns inspired by Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine, Ariel, and Belle. I think it's a fun way to have that fairytale element while still having an elegant look.


I also like this idea because, as a designer, I am constantly drawing inspiration from many different sources- fashion icons, cultural ideas, fantastic textures and patterns, etc. This collection is interesting because I can see from where the inspiration came.

Anything you love can inspire a great design- even something beloved from childhood. Your only limit is your imagination!

Sunday, August 5, 2007

Boy, you gotta carry that weight

I just bought a great book by the costume curator at the Kyoto Costume Institute. Check it out here- it's pretty amazing. I love fashion history; the more you study it, the more you realize that the history of clothing is really the history of the human race and all its different and diverse cultures.

What is my point? Well, this book is filled with fantastic photography and details, including this photo of a late 16th century French corset. It's made out of iron. Can you believe women used to wear stuff like this every day?

Fortunately, we have come a long way since those days. Miss W's wedding gown has a built-in support foundation but it is lightweight and flexible- much more comfortable than an iron cage! I use several pieces of plastic boning to give the bodice its structure and shape, then finish the back closure with hooks and eyes.

What this does is take a lot of stress off the dress itself. If you've ever worn a wedding gown, or certain kinds of formal gowns, you know how heavy they are. You have several yards of dress fabric, several yards of lining, several yards of underlining. You may have beads or trim. You may have a long train. All of these materials add up; some wedding dresses could weigh more than twenty pounds! The foundation is tight and secure around the torso, and supports the weight of the dress. Additionally, there will be minimal slipping, so Miss W won't have to be hitching it up all night (you girls all know how irritating that is!)

Anyway, going back to the start of this post, the next time you have to wear pasties or Spanx, think about how much worse it could be, and be thankful. I know I am!

Thursday, August 2, 2007

You're so vain

Tag, I'm it! Evidently there's a viral chain letter of sorts circling the blogosphere. Cicely tagged me, so I'm supposed to post eight interesting things about myself and then tag eight more people to do the same. Sadly, I'm so new to blogging that everyone I know has already gotten this! If you read this and want to get in on the Eight Levels of Narcissism, let me know and I'll update this post with a link to your blog.

Eight interesting (sort of) things about me:

1. I am an Arizona native
2. I play the viola (that's the one that's bigger than a violin, smaller than a cello)
3. My first job was working in the pro shop at a small golf course in Mesa when I was fifteen
4. I'm currently growing a second head. (Seriously- this pimple is unbelievable!)
5. I lived in New York City during 9/11
6. The weirdest thing in my house is a pinata shaped like a pirate wearing a tiara.
7. I'm half Chinese
8. The first thing I ever sewed was a nightgown when I was eight years old

Okay, so this is the part that I list the eight people I'm passing this along to. Which right now, is no one. Help!

Oh, and by the way, no one else send this to me, please! It took me forever to come up with just these eight things!

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Pretty woman give your smile to me

Success! The first fitting with Miss W has come and gone without a hitch. Only a minor adjustment in the bodice needed. The next step is to take apart and recut so the pieces can be used to mark and cut the dress fabric. I'll also be adding boning to the foundation to make it nice and stiff and secure.


The next fitting should be a lot more fun; the dress will actually look like a dress! I know Miss W is looking forward to it, and so am I!