Creativity: Wig Box

When I first bought my wig two years back, I, like all other wig purchaser, found myself in need of something to store it in. After looking around at all the options of wig boxes (I've seen people store them in fancy specialty boxes all the way to large tupperware containers) I, being me, decided to do things the hard way.

I used to a be a crafty type person on a regular basis and I felt the crafting itch, so I decided to "make my own" wig box.

I started the idea with the blank, round, paper mache hat style boxes you can get at any old craft store. The idea was to buy one of those and decoupage all sorts of awesome Irish Dance pictures and inspirational quotes onto it. But when I got to the store I was waylaid by this beauty:

It being square wasn't the beauty of it - it having a tray WAS! Unlike the round versions, this one screamed "I'll hold your wig AAAND keep you bobby pins, hair bands, etc, organized"

It was bought, it was filled and it when two years just being the plain paper box, held closed by an over sized rubber band.

Finally, a few weeks ago, the crafty itch got to be too much, and I finally figured out that I wanted to ditch the decoupage  idea (just this time around, I want to go back to that for the next box) and go for a hand painted look.

Another trip to the craft store, and paints were purchased. I won't bore you with how long I agonized over colours but I settled on 2 of my favourites, blue and silver.

So without further ado, the finished project:

This version only has a ribbon that ties around the box to keep it shut/make it easier to carry. Mach 2 is going to have actually attached handles and maybe a latch.

One side

and the other side and a glance of the top

The tray holds bobby pins, hair bands, safety pins and the minimal amount of make up that I use. That's really my favorite part, makes packing so much more compact

 

Under the tray fits my wig, neatly bundled in it's hair net (think Mach 2 will be cloth lined as well), and I can usually fit my headband and a small hand mirror in with the wig as well

So, there is is. I can't wait to experement with making different sizes, give it different styles, ect. Maybe I'll even do custom orders/sell them at some point. Maybe they aren't for everyone. Some people will always like the snazzy, zippered, not awesomely handmade wig boxes, and that's cool. But I love it. So, there you go. Adventures in craftyness!!

Fit for dance

I am sure that it won't be surprising to hear that I have been trying to lose some weight. I mean, first of all I am woman, over the age of 12 in the USA - aren't we ALL trying to lose some weight.

Unlike most of my countrywomen however, I don't want to loose scads so I can look good in all the trendiest clothes and make a pastime out of counting my ribs, or flexing my muscles. Unlike most, my target goal is the *highest* weight in my "healthy" range, according to the whole BMI thing, not the lowest. And it's only about 20 pounds away. I've lived my life within 10 pounds of it, most of my adult life, with a couple years in what is now my ideal weight,  and I don't think I would be comfortable in my own body if I was any smaller then that.

Anyway,  I've been trying to use dance as, if not so much a REASON to lose weight, certainly an inducement. Luckily, Irish is nothing like ballet, you don't have to meet certain body type requirements to ever be considered "good" at it. And there are no leotards in Irish dance (at least not required).

But I have been well aware that if I want my stamina to improve, if I want my leaps to be higher, and if I want to actually someday be able to fit into a solo dress, losing that 20ilbs could be of extreme benefit.

The problem I am running into is - it's *ONLY* 20 pounds. I don't mean to lessen the work that people who lose lots of weight do, but I am starting to get the opinion, it's much harder to lose the smaller amounts. Usually, when you have 100 pounds to lose, just starting by cutting back on your diet and some basic exercise will start showing some impressive results. But I already don't drink soda (except for an occasional treat, and it's usually diet when I do), I eat reasonable amounts of vegetables, and usually manage to keep my intake to under 2000 calories a day. Admittedly, cookies and ice cream are a weak spot, but I don't keep them in the house so they aren't a temptation, and when I do splurge a little, i keep it in reasonable proportions. I exercise, admittedly, only once a week at dance class usually, but I don't have a completely sedentary life style so I keep pretty active.

And despite all this - which seems like some hard work to me - I am lucky if I budge a pound off of me. So anger making!

I know what I could do to make it happen more - cut out all the tasty foods and subside on celery and prune juice for a month, practically live at the gym, etc. But I am not a gym rat, and I like food and going out with friends to eat, and drinking beer and eating ice cream. I hate exercising just to exercise. I'd rather swear off food then commit to spending 7 hours a week on a treadmill. So, what can I do.



I have a work out game on my xbox - that helps. While it's really just regular fitness exercises, I am enough of an Xbox junkie that I have to get good scores and achievements, so that makes a game out of it. But even that gets boring, and I will go one week, using it everyday, then 3 weeks not even looking at it. I've been trying to drill my dance moves at home more, but my concrete sub floors hurt me.

I guess this is just another metaphorical brick wall I am hitting. If anyone has any brilliant ideas, short of liposuction, let me know.

Dress Sizes: A Quandry . . .

Why do dresses in the Irish Dance world all get sized by age? I realize, that we dance divided by age, but not all ages, nor even age ranges wear the same size. Is it because kid's clothes tend to be sized by age and most dancers are kids? But then what about adults? "Dress suitable for senior lady" . . . that could mean anything, ANYTHING! And even on the kids sizes. "Will fit 13-15?" Not only was my shape COMPLETELY different from everyone else my age whilst in that pre-teen bracket, it shifted DRASTICALLY between those ages? People also post measurements usually - pretty detailed measurements too, and that is significantly more helpful, but an at a glance perusal of the title/heading of a for sale post, it doesn't much help does it. I mean, even with my current, much beloved, second places, I am about a million miles to go til I get a solo dress, but I like cruising the ads on Dance Again, just like everyone else. And I don't even know where to start looking!!  16 and Over? Well, I am much the same size as I was when I was 16, but my 16 year old self had the figure of a 30-something mother of 4 so I don't really know if that catagory works. And then to look at the pictures, you have no real idea of size until you open it up, when they tell you the dress was work by a petite 16 year old with the measurements of  22,16,23 and you feel like you either wire your jaw shut and just stop eating anything solid or just go all Shylock and remove a pound (or 2) of flesh in an ill-advised home lypo-suction job.

Why can't normal dress sizes be used? Like really! "Stunning Size 00 dress"? Know it's not the one for me "Elegant dress of an appropriate size for a dancing hippo?" Might be a bit loose in the hips, but I know I can tailor it down and might be worth a look.

Oh well, add to the list of other things that make NO SENSE and just get out my measuring tape if I want to know what size dress to shop for.

That's it . . . sorry, this was kind of a pointless post, but it just crossed my mind.