Maddie Mondays
A few weeks ago, my mom gave me this beautiful old mirror. The only problem (and the reason my mom wasn’t going to keep it) was it was hot pink. She didn’t have the time she thought she would to sand it down and restore it, so she gave it to me in hopes that someone could de-Barbie-ify it.
So, I’ve spent the last few weeks stripping off layers of old, grungy paint. I was hoping I was going to be able to sand it down to the raw wood and stain it, but there were too many spots that needed to be patched and filled. So in the end, I decided to paint it a pretty cream, and then I aged it with some dark wax.
I currently have it in the dining room, but this MAY be a “if you give a mouse a cookie” project, because now I feel like the cream mirror blends in too much with the walls. Naturally, that means I need to paint the wall behind it now… Right?
Who doesn’t need a good accent wall for their mirror to really shine against?
My mom must have been in a giving mood this month, because she also gave me two little wreaths for my door. They both needed a little work, so I picked one apart to fix up the other! The hydrangeas from the first wreath really helped to fill in and increase the size of the other and now it looks perfect on my front door!
Green Rider: First Rider’s Call
With the fundraiser officially wrapped, it’s time to start on things in earnest! My focus these last few weeks has been finalizing the costume and prop needs, scouting locations for the outdoor shoots, and choosing models.
I’ll be honest – part of me is worried about juggling all these moving parts and getting everything done in time. But! I did it last time around, and I know I can do it again!
I do already have a couple of beautiful spots in mind for some of the locations, and that alone has made me very excited to start shooting!
I’ve also started working on some of the costumes. First up are the ball gowns for the Sacoridian Waltz photo. I knew making as many gowns as I need for this shoot would be…challenging…in the time I have before we need to start shooting, so I decided to thrift some old wedding gowns and prom dresses to reinvent into ballgowns. I found two already, and I started working on it on stream. It’s been one of the most fun costumes I’ve ever worked on (and the fastest!).
Patreon
Patron streams are officially back! We’ve spent the last several brainstorming the costumes for the Differences series, and I’m so excited to see them come to life. I’ll be doing more patron-only Differences streams, and so if you want to follow along, come join!
Earlier this week, I shared a peek at the gift I’ll ben sending my “Sunroom” patrons this month (the Sunroom tier and above get a small gift in the mail each year!).
I’ll also be sharing the full set of Thistle images on Patreon soon, so if you want to see them, make sure you sign up!
I have tiers as low as $1/month that will get you access to 90% of my Behind the Scenes content and the patron-only streams. But! If you want some fun perks, like helping me title the images and getting gifts in the mail, you can check out my other tiers.
Passages
Differences is officially underway (I have been absolutely DYING to be able to say that)! I sketched out the costume ideas on a couple of Patreon and started constructing the costume on Twitch last week and it’s a little surreal. This is one of those images that I’ve been tooling around with for years, so it really feels so good to finally be bringing this scene to life!
I think I may have given a little background about this scene in the last newsletter, but in case I didn’t (or you’re new), the story I wanted to tell with Differences is that in life I really believe that most disagreements (whether it’s religious, political, or something else) are just two perspectives that maybe haven’t realized they’re looking at the same thing through different lenses.
So, all of that to say: this scene is going to require TWO costumes!
Since the perspectives need to be different, I’m making two types of costumes. One will be a gown, with a bubble hem and a very fitted bodice. The hem will be filled with flowers, and the bodice will be covered in appliques.
The other costume? It’s going to be – wait for it – PANTS! Yes, you heard that right. I am making a costume with pants. There’s going to be a Passages photo that includes something other than a gown. The top will have an elaborate, high collar; long, fitted sleeves with full cuffs; and a fitted bodice with a decorative hem. The pants will be fitted as well, ending in a couple of small bubble hem-like cuffs to echo the skirt. It’s going to be so fun (and probably very frustrating at times, haha) to figure out how to make my vision come to life!
Twitch
I just wanted to take this final moment to thank every one of you who comes to join me during my Twitch streams each week. Pursuing anything creative can be very lonely sometimes, and, when left alone with my thoughts, I can get frustrated with the process. Having you all hang out with me while I work on each phase of bringing my pieces to life has truly been a game changer.
It has also helped me stay motivated and accomplish things so much faster than I otherwise would because I have a dedicated time set aside to catch up with all of you and work on my stuff.
If you want to join us, I stream every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Follow me on Twitch or join my Discord to be notified when I go live!
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