Covered in Glitter and Screaming

This year's costumes were the Egyptian gods Bast and Anubis . Anubis I had a more clear vision of what I wanted for Anubis, so I started there. I opted to build it on a baseball cap instead of as a mask to give the appearance of a longer neck, and that was definitely the way to go. Clumsy paper template, edges removed from the hat bill, then a less clumsy paper template to get the basic shapes right. Translation of paper shapes into craft foam shapes Articulation of the cheekbones and brow ridges (so it wouldn't look so much like a duck). Lights in the eyes: a strip of red LEDs wrapped around the baseball cap under the foam face. The foam cheekbones aren't glued down to allow access to the lights just in case it was needed. The LEDs are diffused by a few layers of packing foam. In real life you can see the points of the lights, but it photographs well. Ears added, some black paper clay added to smooth out the shapes, then layers and layers

Last summer I designed and produced the invitation suite for my cousin's peacock-themed wedding. We started with the invitation. Below are possible concepts, the one on the far left was chosen. Border photo by Rose Mendoza , licensed under Creative Commons 2.0  From there, I visited local art supply stores and found some paper that complemented the color scheme and used that to make custom petal fold envelopes. Ribbons in teal/blue/purple/green were chosen to add accent colors, along with gold string and iridescent beads. Peacock feathers were ordered in bulk. Many, many hours were spent tying beads on gold string in just the right places so all eight would be visible on either side of the bow on the front of the envelopes and tying multiple lengths of satin ribbon in careful bows. RSVP cards with a different peacock photo, but keeping with the photo block motif. Possible program cover designs (center was chosen): Printed, cr

For our mom's 70th birthday, she had a modest request: she wanted to visit her sister in Maine and eat lobster. Wish granted! For a gift, my sister and I made her a photo album of childhood photos we recreated as adults. My sister wrote a very thoughtful poem for the card: One has their father's eyes, the other their mother's grin. Two little girls, hand in hand, laughter in the wind. You fostered independence, and taught us to be brave. You let us run, you let us fly. You held us when we fell and cried. Our roads diverged, some years ago. You loved us deeply, and let us know. Around the world and back again, we've come here, where it all began. Recreated memories have become something new. We’ve touched again our roots in a salute to you. What's old is new, what's new is old And oh what fun this story holds. We hope you laugh, and hug us tight. We love you Mom, with all our might! So enjoy your lobster, your family, and some fun