I've been so busy this year, it's hard to believe...  I had RavenCon, then RenFaire, (by the by, I picked up that commission for the wedding - I am doing the ENTIRE wedding party!!) and now I am a Seminary student!  Sometimes it seems like there just aren't enough hours in the day. 

I have been an Ordained Minister for 8 years (online ordination - where were the Seminaries for the "non-mainstream" religions back then?), but Virginia doesn't recognise ordination UNLESS you have been through seminary!!  Makes it kind of difficult to practise your religion if you aren't Judeo-Christian, but you can't convince them that it is rank discrimination!  The number of recognised Ministers (legal term) in this state (OK, OK - Commonwealth) that are not the "Recognised" 6 or so religions are probably under 20.  No, I'm not kidding.  That is statewide.  I'm not talking about recent graduates from the "new" seminaries out west and the one I'm attending.  Those ministers would have been graduated and recognised within the past 2 years.  And at that, there are still probably less than 25!  Let me put it this way - the world famous Rutherford Institute found 1 (ONE) Wiccan in the entire state that was ordained and recognised to 'practise her calling' under the law.  She has since 'ordained' several others of her flock, and the state has to recognise them, since they recognise the church she set up.   But they (the state) aren't happy about the situation, because none of her 'ministers' "ever went through seminary"!!  All of the emphasis is the state's, by the way.

So, I've had to bite the bullet and enter seminary.  The only complaint I really have is that it will take me that much longer to serve my small but growing group of Wiccans in my area.  I can't set up a "church" under the law unless I am a recognised "minister", and they don't recognise that I am one.  But I do realize that I have a LOT to learn.  Thus far, 95% of my knowledge has been from books, so it will be wonderful to interact with others of my chosen faith.  I may not agree with them 1000%, but then, when do we EVER have that?  Faith is always subject to interpretation.  That is why there are so many 'flavors' of it, right?  At least, no-one ever has to worry about me setting out on Ji-Had (did I spell that correctly?  My dictionary doesn't carry Arabic terms...).

Perhaps I should start my own 'group' here on EF, just for the Traditionalist Wiccans?  If anyone is interested, drop me a line, and perhaps we can do that.  I can keep you updated on some of the items I pick up in Seminary that I haven't run across in all of the books (most of which are plain CRAP), and maybe clear up some mis-comprehensions, as well.  Let me know if anyone wants a group formed.

Well, I'm home from 'Faire, and I'm exhausted.  I don't even have the energy to unload, and I have to work in the morning...  Well, my first 'Faire was both exciting, and a major disappointment!  It was loads of fun - I really enjoyed the experience!!  And I didn't sell enough to make it worth the trouble [groan].  The first day I only had 2 sales, the second day I tanked out completely, and the last day (today), I had 2 sales - a very tiny one, and the other was a fairly large one, with a commission attached...  A lady bought my blue gown (see my avatar) to wear for her wedding!!!   And wants me to make a matching doublet for her groom, AND all of her attendants ensembles - both male and female!!  For a ceremony in August...  If that goes through, it would be a BIG deal for me!  But I don't count chickens/eggs [grin].

Thank you to all for the wonderful wishes and messages!  I really DID enjoy myself, and met some fabulous people.  As the corporate world says - I managed some terrific networking!

Well, bath and bed for me!  My feet and ankles are swollen so badly, you'd swear I got bit by something...  Nite all!

Here I am at Faire - Day 3.  Just a quick note, and thanks for all of the notes of confidence and offers of help!  Thank you all!!  I also have a picture of my booth.  The first day's sales weren't too bad (thankfully!), the second day I tanked completely!!  I'm hoping that today I will sell SOMETHING!!!  Anyway, if any of you are in the Lake Anna area of Virginia, stop in and visit - we actually have a very nice little 'Faire, here!  And besides, I would get to meet you!!!

Debra

Oh my WORD!  I am going crazy!!  I finally got through RavenCon, and that was a terrific experience, although it was hectic.  Now I am coming down to the wire with my first vending experience at RenFaire.  HELP!!  Someone jump in here anytime with a sewing machine and start on any of my projects...  I have done all of my business over the 'net or in person through word of mouth referrals.  I have no idea as to how much stock I need to take with me!  So I have been sewing like crazy!  If anyone wants to volunteer to come help me...............

Well Come all to my new home!  I feel quite at home here, amongst such fey and fine fairy folk.  I was directed here by a new friend from Etsy, and I am so happy she did!!  I did not know such a place existed, but I know that I shall surely be able to find many who share similar viewpoints and interesting conversations are bound to happen!

Such a warm welcome I have received!  I am quite overwhelmed!  Thank you, all!!

I have had a lot of comments on my photos, and wanted to let you know that I have an Etsy shop where you can check out what I currently have available for sale.  The url is http://LadyFaire.etsy.com  I also have a web site where you can see the other kinds of things I make, and have made in the past if you are interested in looking.  That url is http://www.lady-faire.com   I hope it is OK to post web addresses here, as I haven't seen any prohibitions against it - if it isn't, someone let me know, and I will remove them immediately!!

But I DO so love to brag about my 'stuff'!!  That is one area my 'self esteem' doesn't suffer - my sewing ability.  I LOVE to sew and create "pretties".

3.26.08 

I recently had a commission to make an Elven Wedding gown just like the one I have up for sale on Etsy, out of the same fabric and all - (it didn't come out EXACTLY the same, I think I am incapable of that!) for a young woman who told me it was to renew her vows when her husband returned from Iraq.  Uh-oh, look out.  I am a sucker for a sob-story, and my hubby is a military vet, I am prior military - to make a very long story short, I cut her an outrageous bargain.  Mistake #1.  Then she asked me how quickly I could have it done, as they might do the renewal BEFORE he left.  I told her that if I dropped everything else I was working on and truly rushed, I could have it in 2 weeks.  Mistake #2.  She fiddle-farted around and couldn't make up her mind and commit for 2-3 weeks.  I figured she had changed her mind, and sent her an email stating that I was going to continue with other projects.  All of a sudden, she was ON!  She sent measurements, etc.  But no money.  She said she PayPal'd it, but PayPal had never heard of her.  Back and forth this went on, for another 2 weeks.  Finally, I got fed up and told her when she got her ducks in a row, to let me know.  Bingo, the money was there the following morning.  When I asked when her hubby was deploying, she said he had left the previous week.  Good, no major rush, then.  WRONGO.  The following week, she starts emailing me wanting to know, "is it done yet? He's coming home on leave in a week."  Whoops!  Something is definitely NOT right here.  I told her no, it wasn't ready yet, and to back off please, he wasn't coming home that soon.  I finished up the dress and sent it to her.  I got an email back saying it was too small, and she couldn't "hardly get it zipped up, and the sleeves are too tight!"  Huh? I don't know how!  I set my form for a couple of inches LARGER, so there would be wiggle room...

The measurements she had sent me were:  Bust 35, no waist sent, hips 38, etc.  When I asked her to remeasure, the measurements she sent were, are you ready???  Bust 58, no waist  sent, hips 44!!  Duh, small wonder it is too small!  My husband 'bout busted a gut laughing at me!  To think she had said my size 14 that was already made would have been too big!  So now I have 2 elven wedding dresses for sale!  One small, one larger!  Yes, she sent it back...  Wonder of wonders, she didn't shred it trying to zip it up, since the brocade is somewhat delicate.

It's funny now, but I wasn't laughing at the time, I can assure you!  I've decided to enter the dress in the costume contest at RavenCon next month in Richmond VA.  I've never entered one of my outfits in a contest before, so everyone keep their fingers crossed for me!   I added another band of the gold ribbon around the bottom, since the original gown was somewhat petite, and lengthened the dress by about 7-8 inches.  here is what it looks like now: 

I have had quite a few really different customers over time.  I had a dark wizard in Arizona that LOVED my robes, and ordered about 6 or 7 of them!  Then there was the gentleman that, he and his friends were doing the Wizard of Oz for Halloween one year, and he was the "Wicked Witch of the West".  He turned out quite well, actually!  I'll have to post some of his photos in the "Party" photos gallery!  What a scream!!  I have one of him as the Witch, and his friend the Scarecrow...  And I have a gentleman that swears by my capes with the 'hurricane proof' seams.  He LOVES red - the redder, the better [grin].  He's ordered 2 from me now, in different weights - but both are BRIGHT red, thank you!!

4.7.08

I was recently invited to give a presentation to the Kiwanis Club on "Renaissance Faires: Living History".  It was last night (April 10th).  I was asked by the gentleman who invited me, NOT to wear one of my outfits that would be too revealing.  Whoops - that means all of them, considering the time period...  So I made a new one.  Here is what it looked like:

 and with the sleeves:

I also took a period correct corset I made just for the presentation - talk about a mediaevil torture device!!  No WAY you would ever get ME in one of those, thank you!!  I'll stick with my Victorian corset.  It is comfortable...  Here is the period correct corset I spent 4 long, hard days making!  

The corset I was wearing under the outfit was my favorite Victorian corset, and hubby was pleased that he didn't have to strain to lace me in (I've been losing weight), and I told him that if I lose another 20 pounds, he'll have to get me a new corset, that this one won't fit anymore - he grinned and said "OK!!"  He also grabbed the camera and took a picture of me in my corset.  If you want to see what an old grandma looks like in her corset, you can check it out here: http://www.lady-faire.com/images/grannie&corset-sm.jpg    I didn't think it would be appropiate to post the photo here. Even though nothing is shown, but a lot is hinted!!  Not bad for an old granny!!  At least hubby doesn't thinks so [grin].

4.9.08

CRUSADE!!

I am on a crusade and want to enlist your help!  I received a catalog in the mail yesterday.  It was from Chadwicks, and it had some lovely things in it, I particularly liked a couple of pairs of shoes.  But, you know something?  I noticed that everything in the entire catalog had "imported" as the origin for the item.  EVERYTHING in the entire catalog!  I didn't see a single item that came from domestic suppliers.  So I went and grabbed another mail order catalog - same thing!!  I ran to my computer and pulled up their web-site(s), clicked on "contact us" and dropped them an e-mail.  First of all, I told them that "imported", to me, screams "CHINA", and since the pet food problem, and the lead in the toys, that our family and friends are boycotting Chinese goods.  I then pointed out the VAST trade imbalance with China, and asked if they even cared about that.  Then I asked if they sold ANYTHING that wasn't imported, and if so, I hadn't been able to find it.  And last, I told them that they would not be receiving my business until they started selling merchandise from domestic businesses.  I am only one voice.  I can't possibly hurt the businesses that are giving away our lifeblood to people who have little regard for life.  But if some of you will do the same...  Maybe we can pressure these companies into selling domestic products, and not sending our money to those people who really do not care if they poison our pets and children.

I lost one of my 4 footed children to the pet food disaster!  And I was using Iams!!  That's a Premium pet food - or so I thought.  I have 2 grandchildren that I bought toys for that had lead in them.  What is next?  Radioactive waste?  Boycott the Chinese businesses that poison our children (both 2 and 4 footed) - and tell the businesses that sell Chinese products that you won't buy them!!

4.11.08

For those Wiccans among us wanting instruction, I have recently found something FINE!!  Guess what?!  There is a Wiccan Seminary!  Woolston-Steen Theological Seminary   You do not necessarily have to be wanting to wind up in the clergy, in fact, most aren't.  Most of the student body is enrolled to LEARN!  You can also earn your degree - all the way up to doctorate in theology, if that is where you want to go.  The url is:  http://www.wiccanseminary.us/  Since I have felt the call from the Mother for quite some time, I have enrolled with the aim of ordination at the end, but that is down the road.  I am really looking forward to how much I will be able to learn!  And they are such nice people, too.  They have seminars, if you don't want to enroll as a full time student, or you can audit courses, too.  Check them out, OK??

4.22.08

I made a slideshow of some of the pictures of the outfits I've made in the past.  Here goes nothing!