the REAL costume

As usual, the final choice of costume was random - and perfect . An experimental pot of turmeric dye (I can't even remember why I felt I needed to try that right now) turned a white scarf with silver threads a blinding canary yellow. Ideal fluttery wings for a bird, and that little bird has barely settled down since.

first adventures in photoshop... :)

selkie costume

yesterday's costume idea...

I'm a big fan of Selkie's, much more interesting than mermaids, I think.

But don't worry, we've already moved on...

Maybe I should dress as a Selkie, now that I think of it, I'm not sure i have the time for that intricate a costume though. Maybe next year.

costume 2

An update on the costume question : the next plan was to be an elf  (touched off by a cool pair of thrifted felted slippers). I'm actually scrambling to keep up though, because the tide has already shifted to new costume plans. I can't give it away until I sketch it though, so check back in later :)

elf costume with acorn cap

halloween plans

What are you going to dress up as for Halloween? At our house we don't usually prepare costumes in advance. In part that is because we don't have a lot of free time, but mainly it's because my kids change their mind multiple times a day. "Witch, cat, cupcake, cat, cupcake fairy, cupcake cat" - who can keep up?

cupcake cat

IF: mustache

My Dad has had a mustache as long as I have known him.  My husband will sometimes jokingly leave a little mustache when he shaves - and it is funny ...

Otherwise this current, and probably finally waning, mustache trend is inexplicable to me, but even my 11 year old daughter had "mustache day" at school this year, and they had a lot of fun with it.

Go Figure :)

oh, all right...

I just couldn't resist...

IF: Underwater

Let's jump right in:

October here in the south is actually just a more pleasant summer experience. When you go apple picking, don't expect a brisk breeze and hot cider. In reality it's usually rather hot and sweaty and you feel like taking a swim. So this weekend when our apple picking plans fell through, we did the logical thing and headed straight for the lake.

lakeside sketch

With the "Underwater" theme, I was tempted to add some mermaids and monsters, but I didn't want to spoil anyone's future swimming experience. 

I was reminded that this is a man made lake, and like many lakes in Switzerland, it covers a valley that used to be farmed. Swiss legends are full of submerged villages and water nixies, so that could be a fun future series of drawings...