Antique Lilac

with Christine

9/27/2023

As an artist, I am inspired by whatever designs I personally prefer, and will mix and match my favourite costumes that were designed by Maria Björnson for the Broadway production with my favourites that were designed by Alexandra Byrne for the movie. So even though I preferred the Red Death from the stage production, I preferred Christine's masquerade gown from the movie. In the film version she wears a simple pink Victorian gown, which I elaborated upon. After all, I can't do 'simple'.

In the story, Christine and Raoul have just become engaged, but she is trying to keep it a secret. However, the Phantom, who is in love with her, knows, and feels betrayed, so confronts her in front of everyone at the New Year's Masquerade Ball.

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the Phantom as the Red Death

9/26/2023

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Some photos of Rex wearing the completed costume, including the mask, and holding his staff. In the story, the Phantom appears on a giant staircase in the middle of the New Year's Eve masquerade party, but that set was beyond my abilities, so I created a 'theatre' set with lots of draped curtains and candelabras.

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Naomi's Costume Shop

9/25/2023

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Two years ago at this time I was in the middle of Somewhere in Time, the story of Baron and Naomi's meeting and falling in love. One of my favourite sets of photos of all time was Naomi's costume shop. I loved that set and the entire series of photos. Here's just a few of them...

*To see all the photos taken in Naomi's shop - Costume Shop

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Memories

9/23/2023

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On Facebook I get daily reminders of the things I posted on that same date in previous years, and yesterday it was a series of photos from Naomi's back story in Somewhere in Time from two years ago. I always loved those photos and thought I should post them here again as well...

As a child, Naomi loved to read, and her favourite stories were Fairy Tales and tales of adventure..

She would imagine herself the heroine in the stories.
She would be Alice going through the looking glass...

....or Cinderella....

...and every fairytale Princess...

But one of her favourite books was the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and she would imagine that she was Lucy going out on adventures with Aslan, the lion.

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Chainmail and Ice Cream Cones

9/22/2023

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Today, September 22nd, is both Chainmail Day and National Ice Cream Cone Day, and we find Jamie and his little sister Bonnie, checking out a new shipment of chainmail that just arrived from the blacksmith....

"Wow! That's a lot of chainmail!"

"But, what's up with the empty ice cream cones?"

"Where's your ice cream?"

"It's Ice Cream CONE Day, not ice cream day."

"Oh...."

"And these waffle cones are great."

Bonnie let out a big sigh, wondering why guys were always so literal. "Well, your loss."

"Why? These are just like eating a big, delicious, rolled cookie."

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Rabbits

9/21/2023

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Today, September 21st, is National Rabbit Day, and I caught Avery and Emily playing with some rabbits in the garden....

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Fun in the Flowers

9/20/2023

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It was late spring and the locust trees were dropping their spent flowers everywhere. The fallen flowers covered everything. Avery and Emily were sent out to rake them up. But then the baby dragons arrived....

"What are you guys doing?"

"Mom wants us to rake up all the flowers..."

"...and there's an awful lot of them!"

"Well, I can think of something much more fun to do with them.."

...and she jumped right in...

...and her siblings followed suit...

Emily tried to keep on sweeping...

..but then Avery decided to join the dragons...

There was no point in continuing to sweep.

So she just gave up.

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Picking up the Trash

9/18/2023

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Today, September 18th, is International Coastal Clean Up Day, and several of my kids went down to the beach to help pick up the trash....

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Life with Babies

9/17/2023

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A few days had gone by and Baron and Naomi were settling into their new role as parents...

The cradle was moved down to the main hall every day so they wouldn't feel quite so isolated in their apartment.

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Costume Fitting

9/16/2023

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With the Phantom's costume finished, it was time for one last fitting before the performance.

The jacket had turned out a bit short, so I had to add an insert between the top and the bottom tabs, making it look like a belt. I also wanted the cords of his cloak to hang nicely in front instead of choking him, so the cloak corners have hooks which hook onto loops on his shoulders.