Making Up Is Hard To Do....

When I was training as a wardrobe supervisor we only looked at costume. As my career has progressed I have noticed that I needed a little hair and makeup knowledge as well. I was able to pick up wigs on the go but not as yet makeup.... Until now!

 

I took two makeup master classes at The Backstage Center in Essex this week. One was an Introduction to Stage Makeup and the other was Intermediate Theatrical Makeup.

 

I learned so much over these two days! I added to my own personal makeup skills and now have experience with design, ageing makeup, historial makeup and bruise and wounds.

I don`t think I will ever be just a makeup artist but I ave added to my skill set and I think I have added a fun new hobby! What do you think of my results?

 

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

Stitch or Die

The Phat Quarter embroidery swap from Mr X Stitch moved for its latest instalment to the new stitching community Weave.

 

This time the theme was Beastiary - a book or tome that details mythical creatures. I instantly thought of a unicorn but I didn't want to do a pansy girly one - I wanted a shire horse inspired one!

 

I did this sketch on my iPad and really like the airbrushed quality so thought I'd have a go at that as well.

I played with airbrushing and couching on a tea stained background then outlined the image with a shield shape as unicorns are used in heraldry. I also added a Latin phrase to finish it off that translates to stitch or die!

My swap partner like it a lot and I like the new techniques I played with - maybe some more airbrushing in the future!

 

Posted with Blogsy

100 Years of Brownies

 

I think a while back I mentioned that I am part of Girlguiding UK and am a qualified Brownie Leader.

 

This year Brownies is 100 years old and to celebrate there are lots of events planned. This weekend I took part in East Kent Guiding's big Brownie Birthday Star Quest - it was super fun! The girls (aged 7-11) got to go into the past, present and future at the Winter Gardens, Margate and do lots of fun activities.

This is me helping out with a science activity where the girls had to work out what the mystery white powder was from doing some tests - we think it was baking soda! That was in the future.

This us me with my original Brownie uniform - well the same as I wore anyway! In the past the girls could try on old uniforms. This, being a costume person, was my favourite part!

 

 

 

I made my mum hold up the best ones :-)

 

In the present the girls got to have a go at temporary tattoos, hair chalks and see some reptiles, including holding a snake. I think everyone had a good time and I was really glad I got to be a part of the Big a Brownie Birthday in 2014!

 

Posted with Blogsy

Let's Get Back To Business!

Hello my dears!  Yes, yes, I know it has been a long time.

2013 into the beginning of 2014 was a super busy time for me with my work which put a bit of a dampener on my crafting time.  I had some great experiences but some great challenges as well.....

.... As you might notice above the blog has had a name change.... I can no longer call myself a crafter at sea because I am no longer at sea!  That's right, my land legs have called me home and I am now a land-locked sailor.  I am currently looking to get into the theatre scene here in England.  It's all a bit scary but what I needed to do in life.  It has given me time to craft and catch up the blog though!

I have a few projects on the go right now and I have a few things to catch you guys up on that I worked on but didn't get chance to blog about.  Keep your eyes open in the next few weeks for posts on the following projects:

I finished adding the second layer to my beer cap belt.

My friend had a baby and I made her an embroidered gift.

My friends got married and I made them an embroidered wedding album.

I played around with eco-dying some fabric from natural elements I found on a walk.

I made a necklace organiser for my travels.  It is now going to be very useful at home as well!

I have an embroidery based on a song by The Band Perry... this is still a work in progress....

And finally, I worked on Legally Blonde: The Musical.  It was a very interesting challenge but I made it work!

I am also working on some online courses which I would love to share with you so there is a lot to come!!

Personal Costume Designer

I work a lot with dance wear in my job and have also worked on a few "Cirque Du Soilel" style shows over the years that I have worked in theatre. This has put me in a unique position for my niece... She took up gymnastics last year and loves it. However, like me she has her own ideas about things and knows what she wants in a gymnastics leotard. My sister couldn't find what my niece wanted....

So, guess who got roped in as Ezri-May's personal costume designer?! Me, of course. Now , as it turns out I quite like the job and my client is always happy with whatever designs I come up with! This one below is my latest creation and I am sure it will be the first of many... Just wait until she gets into aerial work!!!

 
 

 

Art: Fallen Princesses

A while ago I wrote about Thomas Czarnekis's collection From Enchantment Down. Today I found another photo collection on similar lines.

Dina Goldstein has created the photo series Fallen Princesses that looks at what happens after Happily Ever After. What did happen to our heroines after we closed the book?

Goldstein used real life situations that were afflicting the people around her - health issues, family issues, people struggling at life - and applied them to the endings of well known fairy tales.

Here Snow White copes with family life. Belle struggles to keep her beauty. Jasmine fights for her country and Rapunsel suffers from illness. These are just a few of her images - the ones I found most poinient personally. If our princesses were real people how would they cope in the real world? It makes me think about reality, mortality and longevity. Stunning! Check out the rest of Dina's work at www.fallenprincesses.com

 
 
 

 

On With The New!

Hello!

I know it's been pretty quiet around here and that's because it's been a very busy year here at Salvaged Muntiny Towers! Work stuff has kept me away from the fun crafting but that doesn't mean creativity hasn't happened. So I was having a little think... Maybe I need to start posting about more than my craft stuff.

Most notably this year I was the wardrobe supervisor for Norwegian Cruise Line's production of Rock Of Ages (yeah, the Broadway show!). I was also Wig Supervisor which was a new role for me - fun, exciting but stressful!

 The next leg of my adventure this year is to become the Wardrobe Supervisor on Legally Blonde. More busy times ahead but I plan to give you a little insight into it so stay tuned!!