Pictures and video were not allowed at the workshops or show, but I have some fun pictures from around the town that I thought I would share.
Thoughtful Thursday- Ooky Spooky
Tag: Ooky Spooky
Bellydance Beginnings
My weekend was full of creativity, dancing, and friends new and old. My heart and head are now full of ideas and new things to try. I thought now would be the time to share some of them, so I can track my progress on them.
I was at Ooky Spooky, which is a Halloween themed bellydance event put on by Boheme Tribal. https://www.bohemetribal.com/
I love this group of dancers, especially Sarah, the owner. She’s so warm and supportive to everyone and introduced me to my favorite dancer, Mardi Love. I promptly gushed and was too embarrassed to say anything else the whole weekend. I was starstruck. They almost had to stick me in a corner with boozy tea so I could calm down.
Normally, I’m too shy to even talk to the headliners, but I was trying to be brave. I kept trying to think of a way to play it off, but there’s not really a way to say “hey, I swear I’m not a creepy stalker fan” without sounding like one. She was very nice about it though and didn’t run away screaming. I may need to work on that…The not gushing part, not the causing people to run away screaming part.
The workshops were fantastic. I was dancing, so I have no pictures and there were no pictures allowed during the show. You’ll have to imagine a room full of sweaty, energized, slightly dizzy from turning, dancers. 🙂
I ended up actually doing the two technique workshops and just watching the choreography ones. My back was not happy with me. I didn’t do enough dance to prep it ahead of time. It felt good to be dancing again. With switching jobs and financial stress, I haven’t been able to go to an actual class for a while. This weekend made me realize that it needs to be a priority again. Dancing at home by myself isn’t as much fun.
So you may be asking “But how did you even start bellydancing?” It’s a valid question. I’m a tiny blonde lady who still gets carded for R rated movies. It’s not exactly something you would think I might like to do.
It started when I was in grad school and noticed that I was gaining a lot of stress weight. I saw a flyer in the Rec Center while walking the track one day and since the classes were free, I decided to try it. Oh my goodness! It was the most fun I had ever had. For once, my belly was supposed to jiggle and it was high energy and graceful at the same time. It also didn’t affect my asthma at all, which most strenuous exercise does. I went home feeling great! Reality kicked in the next day when I could move without at least 3 different painful spots. 🙂 I loved it though and kept going back.
I am lucky enough to live in an area where there are lots of different styles to choose from. There’s tribal fusion, classic Egyptian, and ATS teachers in my area. I tend to stick to tribal fusion, but really like the classical class that’s close too. Explaining all of them is about three more posts though…
Bellydancing also helped me find an outlet for sewing, as I’ve made a few costumes, and of course, all the hip wraps for Etsy.
Here’s a picture of my fanciest costume and what it started out as.
The shirt was a $6 Salvation Army purchase. It is a vintage Neiman Marcus piece, which my Mom attempted to buy to save from being cut up. The top and the skirt appliqués are all hand sewn. I still have a bag full of the beaded parts, which I will use to add some fabric to the sides at some point. It has two slits in the skirt. I performed in it at another Boheme event last spring. 🙂
I’ve also made some other individual costume pieces for dances at Ren Fest.
These were from the same year. I wore black 25 yard pants (hem measures 25 yards if spread out) and a lace sleeved pirate top under the corset vest.
My very first hip scarf! It is red and white stripes on the front. I had different tassels on it, so was showing the reversible side for this picture. I wear it to any vending show where I am not dancing and all the time to class. It’s my favorite!
Dancing has always been a stress relief for me. I danced pretty much from middle school on, even through college. Bellydancing in particular makes me feel like I can take on the world and I don’t have to care what anyone else says. It’s a very embracing and supportive community.
Well, after writing out all that, I think I should go dance! Hope you enjoyed seeing the pictures and learning about my journey.
Sewing Frenzy
I should sew with friends more! I get energized when I do and it motivates me to finish things and try new projects. I had a sewing date with Kayla, who is working on a quilt and some other super secret sewing projects.
Fancy enjoyed her own deconstruction project while we were sewing. Every couple of months we let her rip up the Chewy box. She loves it and doesn’t eat any of the pieces.
I got to teach Kayla how to make log cabin quilt blocks by chain piecing and it was so difficult not to start a new scrap quilt myself. I desperately want to make a white and rainbow scrap log cabin in a different setting to play off of the black rainbow quilts I have made.
The stack of quilt tops I have sitting in a box waiting for me, is quite terrible though. I’m not allowed to start a new quilt until I finish one. I took them out to show to Kayla. I can’t show some of them, as they are wedding quilts, but this one is one just for the Husband and me.
It’s called Magic Lanterns. It’s from Scrap Quilts To Use It Up. It was one of the first major quilts I made and I’m pretty sure it helped my mother-in-law like me. She saw the pieces when they all came to visit me early in our relationship. 🙂
It looks really complicated, but it’s actually a trick block. You start with a large triangle with sides that turn it into a rectangle and then you cut it up and flip it and sew it backwards.
Here is what the border will look like when it’s done.
I have probably had the top completed for 8 years. Yikes! It will have a black back with strips of the leftover batik triangles interspersed for contrast. It should be beautiful and big enough to cover our bed. It already covers the top and hangs off the edge. With a 6 inch border, it will be perfect.
I also made more hip wraps for Ooky Spooky. I have been having fun using bolder fabrics and really playing with trims.
Here are some pictures!
Sugar skulls and silver chevrons.
Spiderwebs and black diamond check. It’s got a black sequin elastic trim.
The red is not quite as bright. These were basement pictures and I edited the brightness. It still needs to be top stitched.
Oh this belt.. It had better sell, otherwise I’m going to have to keep it. It has a really interesting shape, which  I will have to take another picture of later. It closes with part of a faux leather belt and two circle rings. It has black lace and red satin ribbons strung through two of the holes which can be adjusted as needed. It is impossible to get a good picture of this closure, but it looks so pretty and kind of tough.
The rest of the week will be spent photographing everything and getting it on my Square ready for vending. I have a lot to take pictures of, so there probably won’t be much sewing getting done.
Fancy is currently trying to motivate me to pet her by attempting to climb over my IPad… With a face like this though, how can I resist? (This is an old picture, but is one of my favorites.)
Have a great week!
Monthly Review
Sometimes we need a little reminder of the beauty in life, while tragedy surrounds us. I took the featured picture while stopped (yes, Mom, completely stopped) in traffic one day after work. It certainly made my commute a little better.
I briefly lost my notebook with all of my recipes, notes, and craft lists in it, but it was in my work bag. Â I’m going to need a new one soon, this one only has a few pages left. Should I make the next one all fancy, with different kind of paper, like graph paper and ruled paper? I should probably just use one of the many half filled ones I have lying around here.
So I have the backing for the Rainbow Snowball Quilt! It’s brown dog themed fleece, since it is going to a home with dogs. I will finally get it finished in the next few weeks.
I completed a quilt for my OT friend and have one more quilt top that is destined for her too. I’m going to send them together.
I made a dress! I took a chance and added lace and it turned out really cute.
Four more hip wraps are done and waiting for Ooky Spooky vending.
I tried some new color pairings with the hip wraps and I love them. Hopefully other people will love them too!
The lyrics are on my second office picture and they are hanging on my wall. A third one is simmering in my head too.
The words say “I’m holding on. Why is everything so heavy? Holding on. To so much more than I can carry. I’ve been dragging around what’s keeping me down. If I just let go, I would be free. Why is everything so heavy?”
I did clean a little nd then got side tracked by fabric and now need to clean again. I have problems cleaning while I’m sewing. Fabric gets put in a pile and it’s much more fun to keep sewing rather than put things away. I was able to sneak some fabric into the laundry though, so now I can get to the projects.
The top two will be dresses or skirts, the Minions are supposed to be matching pj pants or shorts for the Husband and I. Yes, we’re dorks. 🙂
For food goals this month, I didn’t use any new ingredients, I don’t think. I did make spaetzle for my new technique. It was a lot of work. My arms got steamed and tired. It tasted good though.
I also made a new muffin recipe for breakfast and made chili specifically for lunches. I did pretty well meal planning.
I used 7 new cookbooks, five family or my recipes, and made 20 new recipes overall.
Hits were the roast chicken, Fancy’s treats, and the tortellini Stroganoff.
Misses were the stuffing. It was too dry for the Husband.
We had so much chicken this month that the Husband got sick of chicken. He’s typically fine eating the same thing for a while, but this was too much. We’ll try some different proteins this month for sure. We might even try some meatless dishes!
Fancy had a big month and met lots of dogs and people. She had lots of playtime and got a few new toys to chew on.
She also cuddled a lot. She’s definitely a people dog. 
Sewing Goals for next month are to make at least one clothing item, one item from the UFO bins, and finish a wedding quilt. I also want to work on some more bags for Etsy and vending.
Food goals are to try more meatless dishes and get creative with breakfasts. Also, to continue to make the freezer meals for long days.
The Husband has his play pretty much all month, so our dinner schedule might be weird. We’ll both still need lunches though.
My garden is on the verge of dying. I had a hard time keeping up with the watering when it was so hot. I also didn’t realize I should have been plucking blossoms that wouldn’t have a chance to mature first. Next year I will know. My herbs are still growing though, so that’s good.
Fancy is demanding walks by jumping off and on the couch, so I have to go get her out before she takes out the furniture. Have a good week!
Monthly Review
Since I am having tea with some friends on Sunday, I thought I would go over my monthly review a few days earlier. I had a bit of a hiccup in my crafting and baking time, due to the paperwork problem, but did pretty well at getting things done.
According to the Husband, I just need a few more cooking techniques under my belt to be ready for Masterchef. He thinks I can get them done in a month or so. (I’m hoping his play will start needing him soon and he’ll be distracted.)
Fancy is hoping I stop messing about on the computer and make her some biscuits and give her more snuggles. We’ve all got dreams…
Meanwhile, my dream is to find my serger pedal so I can start learning how to sew knits and can make myself all the tunics I need. This means cleaning the basement completely. Maybe this weekend I can unpack and reorganize a few more boxes.
So in terms of craft goals, I had set some category goals last month, with only two firm projects. My office art is mostly completed. I need to add words to my “Heavy” picture, but the first one is done and at my office.
I washed the backing fabric for the Rainbow Snowball Quilt and plan to tie it on Monday, when my whole day is free. I also plan to work on my Ren Fest costume on Monday, but we’ll see how much I get done.
I made a pretty dress with pockets! I have gotten several compliments on it whenever I wear it. It needs a neckline fix, but is still wearable.
I made many tea wallets for Etsy, just have to take pictures of all of them and get them posted. You are probably all sick of seeing pictures of tea wallets, so I’ll spare you this time. 🙂
I am slowly working on the basement. We are planning on getting new shelves to give the Husband a way to get his Lego boxes off the floor. Fancy likes to lay under his table and gets a little snappy when we try to get her off the boxes. No new updates since the last big organization effort.
I still haven’t figured out how I want to store the fat quarters, so for now they are still in shoeboxes in the trunk. It works, it’s just not the nicest looking way to do things and I think standard sized boxes would be better.
I didn’t finish anything from the UFO pile, but have hip wraps earmarked for Ooky Spooky, so can maybe catch up then. My teen group requested a pj party for our last session, so I am going to try to get my flannel flamingo pants done by end of September.
I did make two new hip wraps! They are pretty awesome, if I do say so myself. It’s an edgier color scheme than I normally use, so I am excited to see how they sell. I really want to keep both of them, but will have to just make myself one to wear there. Perhaps I can even use it for my costume piece for my own dance.
Here’s the first one:
It has a repurposed belt as an accent and has black and white skulls on the other side with 4 tassels. 
The second one has more embellishments and no tassels. It has black fringe along the bottom and a chain piece along the top.
I almost broke my needle while sewing the chain piece on. There’s only about an 1/8 of an inch for the needle to go and one of the links was just a bit too far over. Both machine and needle are okay, but I definitely need to change my needle.
Food wise, I did not do so well. I don’t know what it was this month, but food did not sound interesting at all.
I used 9 new recipes. 3 of them were also new cookbooks, Cooking from the Gourmet’s Garden, Retro Pies, and The Vintage Tea Party Year. I made 9 recipes by my methods and used 4 recipes from Pinterest or elsewhere online.
Hits were Rack of Lamb with Potato Puree (My Italian Kitchen, Luca Manfe), the Rosemary Bundt cake, and the   sweet cream ice cream from Cooking Classy.
I also made a really good apple pie following a recipe from Retro Pies, by Linda Everret. It has sugar and cream brushed on the crust, which the Husband enjoyed a lot.
Misses were my homemade chicken soup. It came out a little weird and watery. The chocolate cake was not moist enough for me either.
Food hasn’t been a priority lately. I haven’t really wanted to eat, which makes it hard to cook. We’ve been eating the freezer meals that I put together a few weeks ago and that has helped. I’m not sure how to motivate myself at the moment beyond the bare minimum. Any ideas for getting out of a food rut?
The Husband did get me a beautiful Boos cutting board for our anniversary, which makes me want to have cheese plates and other things we can display on it. It’s so pretty!
Maybe exploring some options like that might help. Sometimes the thought of doing all the work to cook is what stops me.
Here are my goals for the month, before I get too philosophical on the subject of food.
Craft Goals:
*Finish at least one UFO project
*Rainbow Snowball Quilt
*Finish Ren Fest costume
*Clean/organize basement
*One item of clothing
Food Goals:
*Try one new technique
*Try a new ingredient
*Meal plan
*New breakfast or lunch recipe
Speaking of food, I should probably go eat lunch and get the dog out for a walk. She whined until I got up this morning, ran around like a crazy dog, and then went right back to sleep. Silly dog..
Have a great holiday weekend! Hopefully it’s relaxing and fun!