· Literary Ball 2016! ·

After having such a smashing success at our Literary Ball last year, we thought it merited repitition!  We were able to use the same building as last year and while we had a smaller crowd, we had a wonderful amount of dancers for the space and we even had visitors from 4 different states! :-)

Kathryn, Tara, and I all came as characters from Cranford.  Well, technically we came as the younger versions of our characters so we could all re-wear our regency attire!  We took our inspiration from the movie adaptation, so there are a few technicalities that are inaccurate to the book.  I'll leave it to the book aficionados to identify them. ;-)

Kathryn was Mrs. Jamieson- complete with the earliest predecessor of Carlo the dog

I was Mrs Forrester- one little known fact about her is that her unfortunate history with lime pits was a life-long problem... needless to say, she became quite adept at fashioning pyjamas for cows! ;-)

I jumped on the chance to hand-sew miniature pyjamas for our stuffed animal- they're even made from period-appropriate wool flannel.  Because, you know... I could. ;-)

Tara was Miss Pole- naturally a perky feather adds just the right touch!

My parents came as Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox.  I guess dressing as bovines runs in the family! ;-)

Something that's changed since last year is that I've now started calling dances!  There is a dedicated group at our church that have been ready and willing learners and it's been great fun spreading the love for English and Scottish Country dancing! :-)

I made my dress several years ago, and posted about it here (still one of my favorite photo shoots! :-)).  The apron was from my 18th c. wardrobe (because Mrs. Forrester always needs more fluffliness!) and the chemisette and cap were newly made for the event.

Everyone was requested to bring a copy of their character's book and as always, it's so fun to see the variety represented!  This time we had everything from historical fiction to children's books to manga to fantasy!

Dickens characters like Mr. Micawber are always great choices! :-)

Les Miserables characters!

This 100 year old building has some fun details!

Even the little boys had a great time and did a great job dancing! :-)  When the costumes were complete at the beginning of the evening, 3 of these boys were Cowardly Lion, Scarecrow, and Tin Man and their sister was Dorothy!

· Photos by Kathryn! ·

· A Gold Dot Party! ·

Kathryn and I have had this thing for gold dots lately.  You know, the kind that show up all over Pinterest and on everything from sheets to sheet cakes nowadays.

It had been going on for a little while when I came across my gold dotty fabric.  I needed a few excuses before I'd be ready to splurge on the fabric, so one of my "reasons" was that K and I would host a Gold Dot Party.  Well, the time and place was now!  My dress was long-since done, Kathryn's outfit was complete (did you notice how we had entirely circular reasoning going on here?  Yeah, we don't care), Christmas decor was drastically clearanced, and the social wasteland of the early portion of the year was upon us!

Gold Dot Party indeed.  We did our best to live up to the theme, albeit there were some aspects where we had to cut corners.  Oh well, nothing too glaring. ;-)

So here you go- a party all about gold and all about polka dots!  Enjoy!

I made over 180 feet of garland for the party out of 1,250 gold discs (go big or go home is my motto when it comes to these things!)- it was a fun project and I adore the way it turned out!  Now I'm just looking for ways to incorporate it into every party we have...

We compiled a Pinterest board of our favorite gold dot ideas, and dotted champagne flutes were on the "must do" list. ;-)  Due to my job, I wasn't able to help out with the majority of prep but Kathryn did a wonderful job on them!

The backdrop for the food table is entirely the handiwork of Tara, Kathryn, and Kristen- didn't it turn out smashingly??  Clearanced Christmas ornaments for the win!

And I have to mention here- major props to Tara for her help in all the prep for this party!  Without her diligent work taking care of details, our party would not have been nearly as successful!!  Thanks again, dear!

Kathryn's amazing calligraphy is always welcome. :-)  You should have seen her handiwork on the invitation envelopes!  Stunning!

Kathryn has this cute antique end table (that I always want to steal from her), but the top is rather beat up.  We covered it with gold dot wrapping paper (another Christmas clearance score!) and voila!  A properly theme-fitting area for decorating nails. ;-)

Artisan Bread - from this book (*highly recommended!*)

Pear, Goat Cheese, Candied Walnut, and Craisin Salad · Authentic Tuscan Risotto

Here's a little preview for you of Kathryn's gold dotty outfit.... now we just need to find a great photoshoot location for a full-fledged post!

My dear friend Marie Michelle was able to make it for the occasion, too! :-)

All in all, it was a great excuse for a delightful day spent with a delightful group of ladies!! :-)

(and it was also a great excuse for that fabric!)

· Photos by Kathryn ·