Halloween Re-Cap: Felicity Fox

" We're all different...but there's something fantastic about that, isn't there?"

For Halloween this year I decided to go as the ever lovable and sassy Felicity Fox, from the Wes Anderson film, "Fantastic Mr. Fox" (based on the book by Roald Dahl). I did end up going to a few parties, so I'm glad I took the time to dress up this year. 

Everything except for the shirt was handmade by me (the shirt was thrifted). It was a bit of extra work, but I really like how it turned out, and now I'll have a last minute costume on hand. 

The ears are made from felt, paint, and faux fur sewed to a headband. My favorite part was doing my makeup though. You don't get to put orange eyeshadow all over your face everyday! 

The skirt was some mustard/gold jersey hand stamped with apples, and then sewn up into a basic elastic skirt. I also wore my tan wedge booties and copper colored tights.

For some added detail, I made her fox brooch out of fimo clay and paint. I like to think that the fox is her mother or grandmother. 

"If what I think is happening, is happening- it better not be."

Floral Painted Skull

This project is coming to you a bit late, but nonetheless here it is. For this project you will need a plastic skull in almost any size. Mine is actually pretty tiny; it fits in the palm of my hand. However, you could use a very large skull, for a more dramatic look.

Supplies:

Plastic Skull

Acrylic Paint (cheap craft paint works just fine)

Brushes

Spray Fixative (optional)

This is a great opportunity to pick up the skull in the clearance section post-Halloween, or maybe you have a few in your pre-existing decorations that you want to use year-round. 

Take a damp cloth over your skull to remove any leftover dirt from the store, and give it a solid coat of black paint. You may need to do more than one, depending on how well it covers the first time.

For reference, I grabbed one of my floral skirts hanging in my closet and snapped a quick picture. Any florals you have in your home, closet, or even the internet will do. I provided my image, in case you wanted yours to look identical to mine. 

When painting the flowers, try to look for the basic underlying shapes. Take these colors straight out of the bottle, and mix them with some white paint. I did 2 coats for this underlying layer. Then, using the color straight out of the tube with no white, and a tiny brush, paint the details on top. (For some of the yellow flowers, I did mix some red with the yellow to give a more orangish hue.)

After you are finished you can use an acrylic gloss spray fixative on top, to give it a nice glossy and protective coating. Just set a piece of paper under it, and give it 1-2 coats of the spray. I recommend doing this outside or in a well ventilated area to avoid the fumes. 

Hope everyone is staying warm in this chilly weather ahead! 

Autumn Inspired Outfit

I live for those perfect autumn days. Today was one of those days, 65 degrees, falling leaves, and just the right amount of sunshine. Despite having some classes I don't enjoy and a test, it was still a pretty good day.

Today's outfit is inspired by foxes. Autumn always makes me think of woodland animals, and I have foxes on the brain because of my Halloween costume (I bet you might be able to guess what it is!). This outfit also gave me an excuse to wear the chunky heel booties my friend gave me over the summer. 

Shirt: Old Navy

Skirt: Thrifted and altered

Tights: Target

Shoes: Maurices, similar from Debs

Necklace: Handmade by me

Carrot Apple Autumn Soup

As the weather starts to get colder, I find myself wanting to make warm soups and comfort food. I hadn't had much in the way of carrot soups until now, nor soup with apple, so here we have a soup with both (and my good friend chickpea!). This recipe is also vegetarian, and I believe could also be vegan if you left out the dairy, or substituted it with something. I'm not sure how many "normal" portions it makes, but in my measurement system, this recipe yields one bowl, and 2 mason jars worth.

Ingredients

1 small white onion, chopped

5-6 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 small apples, chopped (with skin)

16oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 cups vegetable broth

1/2 to 1tsp smoked (or regular) paprika 

1/2 cup half & half

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

olive oil

blender or food processor

1. Heat some olive oil in a medium-large pot on medium heat, adding the chopped onion and paprika. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, or until the onion is somewhat translucent.

2. Add chopped carrots, apples, and chickpeas to the pot. Pour the vegetable broth in as well.

3. Cover and turn the heat up to medium-high heat. Cook for 15-20 minutes (or until carrots are cooked throughly), stirring occasionally. 

4. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a minute. Pour contents of pot into your blender or food processor. Blend until there are no visible whole pieces.

5. Return pureed contents to the pan on low heat. Add the half and half.

6. Add the cinnamon and nutmeg, adjusting to your liking.

7. Serve hot with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top!

Moonrise Kingdom Digital Painting

"Why do you always use binoculars? It helps me see things closer. Even if they're not very far away. I pretend it's my magic power."

You may have noticed my absence this last week, well...this is why. For one of my illustration classes projects we illustrated a scene from a book or movie. Obviously I chose Moonrise Kingdom (although I toyed with Royal Tenenbaums) because of my love affair with Wes Anderson and those color palettes. I altered the scene from the meadow, attempting to give it an "American Gothic" vibe. 

This was my first time digital painting, but I'm pretty pleased with the result. It originally started out as a hand drawn sketch, with the digital painting done on top all in Photoshop. I also tried to incorporate a more pop surrealist style, attempting to channel come Mark Ryden in my own style. 

Pumpkin Spice Syrup

Even though it was one of the warmest days we've had in a while, I couldn't resist making some of this pumpkin spice syrup for my coffee. It was also a good excuse for using up some of the massive can of pumpkin puree making a home in my fridge.

The recipe can be found at Katrina's Kitchen

The recipe all calls for pumpkin pie spice, which like me, you might not have on hand. Good news though, you can make your own with this recipe. 

I changed the spice proportions to my liking, and because the syrup only calls for 1/2 a teaspoon.

Pumpkin Pie Spice Recipe

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon allspice

Now I won't have to buy any spices when I make a pumpkin pie (soon!).

Striped Crochet Blanket

I finally have a chance to share this handmade blanket, that I absolutely adore. It's actually quite the story of how it came to be. It started as a scarf project a few years ago, to teach myself to crochet. Just a basic straight single crochet stitch. It consisted of 3 colors just blocked next to one another. After finishing, it was HIDEOUS. The blocks of colors looked odd, it wouldn't lay right because it was too thick, and it didn't go with anything I wore. I could of just abandoned it right then and there, but instead I went insane. 

I started cutting apart this scarf so that I had 3 sections. I was going to make a blanket, even if it killed me. Soon after I went to the store and picked out the other colors. Yet, I didn't get enough, thinking I would only need 7 stripes...whoops! Getting the second skein of each color was easier said than done. My local stores didn't carry the original colors, forcing me to wait till I went to the Adirondacks (original place of purchase) to get the others. Once I had it though, it was time to tackle this monster. 

Each strip is 120 rows of single crochet, made from one skein of 100% cotton yarn. It's basically 14 individual stripes of color, with thin white individual stripes in between. To some, this might seem like an odd way to make a blanket, with so many sections. Yet, this allowed me to throw a single skein in my bag and crochet during my lecture classes at school. 

Art History = Crochet Time

The final construction included sewing each color strip by hand to a white strip. Then, I took to the outside with a double crochet to widen the sides and give it a border. 

I absolutely love it though, despite how much work it was. For me, blankets have to have substance and weight, none of that fuzzy, flimsy, crap. With this begin made of all cotton...lets just say it's pretty heavy. It's already gotten me through some late night A&P study sessions and I'm sure it'll be my best friend during the long Rochester winter. 

Its resting place is folded in half at the end of my bed. It adds just the right amount of color to my overall grey bedding. Also Geronimo the sock monkey says hello! 

Anyway, this just goes to show that sometimes great projects come out of bouts of insanity. 

Dreaming of Mustard Yellow

As the days seem to grow shorter and colder, I'm finding myself dreaming of the color mustard yellow. It's the color of dry September grass, turmeric, and the falling leaves. Sometimes I think it gets regarded as an "old lady color" but, if this beauty is mean't for old ladies, then I guess I just lost 60 years of my life. For the next few weeks I'll be channeling my inner Moonrise Kingdom and the warmth of this color on the chilly days.

Cabled Sweater from H&M

Pyrex Bowls from Ebay

Honey Yarn from KnitPicks

Flower Earrings from Etsy Seller Willow Handmade

Screenshot from Moonrise Kingdom

Mustard Tights from Modcloth

Here's to a Fresh Start

I've had this blog for quite a while starting back when I was in high school. I didn't do much with it for a period of time, and it basically got lost on the back burner. However, despite that fact, I am getting a fresh start. All of my old posts (except one) have been deleted, leaving a clean slate for my new blog. I'll be posting projects, tutorials, my personal work, and the things that inspire me. There is also a link above to my Etsy store (also Dapper Deer), which is in renovation. There should be new items for sale soon (hopefully!). Best wishes for this new experience!