Attack of the Garden Gnomes

This project is not at all how I thought it was going to be.

I'm only 11 days in, so who knows how it will evolve over the next 355 days.   Holidays will certainly influence some of my creations; in a few months, there will be outdoor projects for my garden; costume and theater work will be taking more of my time, starting right about....NOW.   And my kids will always influence my time, and my ideas. 

It's the spontaneity of the last few designs that's surprised me the most.  I really thought I would be planning out my daily creations, plotting out several days' worth of sewing and craftwork (and maybe cleaning and organizing my workroom and costume storage as I went; hasn't happened yet!), not waiting until 8 or 9 p.m. to come up with something.

And yet, by waiting, by searching across the interwebs for inspiration, by letting the "aha" moments happen, I've produced some pieces that I never would have planned to make.  I haven't had to buy anything, I'm using supplies I have on hand - which was part of the inspiration for this year-long goal anyway.   I'd like that aspect of this project to continue, at least until spring; I'll have to buy supplies for some of my garden and outdoor creations that I am planning out now.  (Dreaming about garden and outdoor projects is very common during Minnesota winters; though I haven't heard as much of this from friends this winter, we're not suffering through snow and cold as we normally do.)  And there will be garden gnomes. 

Which brings me to Tuesday's creation.  It came from, and was for, my youngest.  She had her first band concert last night, and wanted a new hairstyle.   Luckily, what she wanted was a fancy variation on a french braid, which was easy to accomplish after dinner and before we had to leave.

   

She called it a "crown french braid", in which the braid wrapped around the front of her head to give a tiara or crown effect.   The braid was finished in a pony tail holder below her left ear, and the rest of her hair hung down in a side pony tail.   Creating hairstyles is part of my work as a costume designer; I've had to help a lot of actors, especially with period hairstyles.  But I've never done a french braid this way before, so I wasn't sure how it would turn out.  I'm happy to say, she looked lovely.

In J.'s words - "It's exactly what I wanted."  Music to my ears.  And the band concert was a big success as well.  (One of the songs they played was "Attack of the Garden Gnomes" by Timothy Loest).