I watched her saunter through the door. She appeared confident and dignified.
She wore a corseted bodice with a sweetheart neckline. Her skirt was full and red with a horsehair crinoline holding it into shape. Draped between her arms she carried the hearts of the many she loved. I could see her tiara slightly hidden by her hairdo. She said she was a princess.....................
It's one thing to create a beautiful gown with today's fabrics but to make a gown from paper and embellish it with such detail that the viewer has to look twice is amazing. This beautiful dress is by Isabelle de Borchgrave.
paper dress by Isabelle de Borchgrave
This gown sadly has no designer name...........I found it on Flickr . It seems to be made out of pleated sheet music. I love the subtlety of color.
And this, oh my gosh, from the window at Tiffany's in New York. The bustle cascading to the ground looks like it was done by a cake decorator gone mad.
There is something incredibly beautiful about the full hourglass silhouettes, although I am grateful I do not have to wear them today. Layers upon layers of richly colored silk taffeta festooned with ribbons and lace. Just looking at these gowns you can hear the swishing sound, 'although a lady never draws attention to herself by manner of swishing her skirt'.
The hoop skirt has had so many cute names throughout the centuries. Farthingales, panniers, crinolines...............they sound like names of exotic birds. Pannier strikes me the funniest of them all because the word comes from a french term for the wicker baskets that were slung over on the sides of pack animals. For some reason this just does not hold the feminine connotation that you would expect!
It's so interesting to me how one idea can lead to another. For an artist to take the dress design into an event instillation and then transform it into an interior decor is wonderful to see.
Don't these look like colorful, exotic, flying farthingales?
Whoo hoo! My first swap and I can't wait! I keep reading about all these swaps and seeing all the cute goodies that come in the mail. When I came upon this one by Melissa at the Garden of Pink Shadows and it was still open...........off went my e-mail! I have now come up with about 352 ideas and yet I only signed up to send "1". Next time I'll be more ambitious at the start.
Well this is it. This tiny little bug less than a half-inch-long is a serious threat to California's vineyards. It's the "Glassy-winged sharpshooter"! This bug found in Southern California in the 90"s has been making it's way up north. The problem is not the bug but the bacteria it carries to the plants, "pierce disease". To date there is no known cure and it's causing millions of dollars in damage each year. Needless to say, the Napa Valley is doing everything it can to keep this bug "OUT OF TOWN".
My friend Marie who helped with this costume is the model. Shhh... don't tell her I told you!
Our county's agriculture commissioner wears this around the county to teach and inform county residents about what to look for. He was very concerned about the proportions, color, and the glassy wings. I have to tell you though, if someone has a 6 foot bug in their backyard they have more problems than a vineyard disease! 
tickle your senses the rest of the room is layered with color. Rows and rows of hydrangeas, rhododendrons, and azaleas bloom amongst greenery. The floor explodes with mosaic tiled floors in a 60's retro design. It is eye candy for an artist's soul.
The beautiful Napa Valley, California. I actually live here! This month has been so wet and cold. In January, the mustard plant sprouts up between the dormant grapevines. Its flower blooms bright yellow blanketing the valley and glowing against the dark cloudy skies. It actually looks just like this painting by my hubbie.
The history behind this flower that carpets the valley is said to have been the scattered seeds of the Spanish Mustard. Father Junipero Serra had come from Spain to Mexico in the 1800"s. He was told of the beautiful land to the north full of wild flowers, grand trees and verdant valleys. Serra set out to explore this country to the north and brought with him the Spanish mustard seeds. He scattered them along the paths he traveled along with his faith. The following year when he returned, a ribbon of yellow flowers had sprouted. This path of "gold" is where Father Serra established his "Rosary of Missions" that extend from San Diego to Sonoma. (history taken from http://www.goldenhaven.com/. Tourism begins now for the "Mustard Festival" which runs until the end of March.
All three of these paintings by Dave are mini murals on the walls of a beautiful bed and breakfast here in Napa called Churchill Manor. These paintings and others depicting the different appellations of the valley are in the "breakfast room". The one above is of Stag's Leap.
