Finally at the Beach

We finally made it to the beach to take some more pictures of Kirsten's new hand crocheted swimsuit; but after getting all set up, I realized that I had left my camera card in my laptop.  My husband was sweet enough to take me to the store to buy one, and after eating some lunch we came back to the beach to take some pictures--right before a storm came through.  I did not take the time I should have to get my focus and other camera settings right, so hence the not too good pictures.  But it was fun to get some shots using real life props.  I only wish I had not forgotten Kirsten's beach chair that I worked so hard making.

Ice Queen Elsa Dress On the Table

Today I officially started on my rendition of the dress worn my Elsa, the Ice Queen, in the movie, Frozen.  Many seamstresses have made their version of this little dress for their dolls, their daughters' dolls, or to sell in their online stores or at craft shows.  This dress is very popular with doll owners because the movie itself is so extremely popular.  Of course, what Disney princess movie has not been a huge hit immediately after its release and for decades after.  Just think about Cinderella, Snow White, etc.; thousands and thousands of costumes for dolls, little girls, and also big girls have been purchased or custom-made over the years.  So here we have another one.

The dress that I am making will be for sale in my online Etsy store at Etsy.com/shop/missycrissy2.  I will also offer it for sale locally at craft shows around Christmas time.  I am using a pattern designed by Renee Adams of Dollhouse Designs.  The dress is so magical and gorgeous; and Renee did an awesome job with her pattern, designing it to so closely to resemble the dress worn by Elsa in the movie.

It has taken me many trips to the fabric stores to find the perfect fabrics to use in this creation.  It had to have a nearly invisible long sleeve, close-fitting under blouse that would show the doll's arms and lower neck.  The neckline of the dress and the very long detachable train would have an illusion of sprinkles of sparkly ice crystals.  Probably the most difficult search was for the right color of icey blue fabric.  For the train the fabric had to be sheer, flowing, and wispy blue-white to resemble a light snow trail, and the fabric perfect for the skirt of the dress needed to be satin-smooth, and have enough weight to hang correctly.  Lastly, the corset-type bodice would need to be adorned with sequins, crystals, and beads to give it a dimension of richness.

Planning this dress has been a lot of fun, but I have to confess that the expense of the pattern, specialty fabric, embellishments, and notions have caused me a little angst; for I know to recapture my expense and to make a buck, I will have to charge more than most people want to give for a doll dress.  So the dress that I am making will most probably be purchased by a doll collector or by an older girl who is appreciative of the value and delicate nature of the dress's construction and fabric.

Tomorrow's post will update you on my

progress with the blouse of this dress.  Please visit again.

On a Different Subject

Today as I was reading my Bible, I had just finished watching the news and specifically the hearing on the IRS conservative targeting scandal. Just listening to that man who is the new head of the IRS made my sweet potato pancakes flip over in my stomach. It is so amazing how our country is becoming more and more corrupt with this and other horrible things that are going on in our country. But, apparently, from my reading in Habakkuh the problem with corruption is certainly not new.

Habakkuh was so frustrated with the Lord about why he was allowing all of the similar corruption in Judah to continue unabated. He said in Hab. 1:4 "The law is not enforced and there is no justice given in the courts, for the wicked far outnumber the righteous, and bribes and trickery prevail." (NLB)

But the Lord in all of his wisdom, righteousness, and perfect timeliness responded in Verses 5-11 (NLB): "Look, and be amazed! You will be astounded at what I am about to do! For I am going to do something in your own lifetime that you will have to see to believe. I am raising a new force on the world scene, the Chaldeans, a cruel and violent nation who will march across the world and conquer it. They are notorious for their cruelty...for they clain their power is from their gods."
When I look at the Middle East and what is happening in Iraq (Babylon), Iran (Chaldea), etc. it seems as though history is repeating itself. I sure hope they are not coming for us--as a rod of God's punishment. Something to think about.

Elsa Dress--Day 4--Fitting the Corset

Finishing the task of hot fixing the crystals on the corset of the Elsa dress was accomplished today with only a small blunder.  One crystal landed in the wrong place leaving a little glue trail which I had to clean up. Thankfully, it is almost undetectable.  I was glad, also, that the fitting of the corset was successful.  I was a little afraid it might be too small, since that tends to be the trend of today's AG clothes patterns.  Most of the patterns are designed to fit the newer, smaller framed dolls rather than the older, original American Girl dolls. Below is a picture of the corset fitting and the finished crystal and rhinestone application.

Elsa Dress - Day Three

Today, I did not get to work for long on the Elsa dress, because of some remodeling that I had to monitor in "our old house."  I did, however, take time to hotfix the rhinestones and crystals on the dress train, and to plan where I wanted to place them on the corset part of the dress.

Hot fixing crystals can be a challenging endeavor because once they have been put in place, they are permanent.  Fortunately, there were no great mistakes on the train.  The bodice may present more of a problem, since there are so many to fix.  Here are some pictures of the progress I made today.

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Elsa Dress - Day Two

Today I have been checking the fit of the Elsa dress bodice and skirt to the train, and also getting a visual of the color matches of the dress to the train.  The fabric that I chose for the train is a beautiful chiffon-type fabric embellished with scrolly sparkles, but unfortunately the color of the fabric was too intense for the soft "snowy" look that the train is supposed to have.  So what did I do?  I used the beautiful ornate fabric as the lining of the train, and turned the side with the sparkles to the top so that the sparkles would shine through the white chiffon.  My intention was for the intense color and sparkles underneath the white sheer chiffon to show through just enough to create a "snowy" illusion.  I am adding Swarovski crystals and rhinestones on top of the chiffon to mimic snowflakes.  Here are pictures of my sewing progress, and I am adding a picture of the beautiful train fabric that will not be seen in all its "glory."  The second and third pieces of fabric are some that I purchased but decided did not work with this dress.

People May Think I'm Crazy

I am on the Mississippi Gulf Coast getting ready to journey down to the beach to have a photo shoot of my American Girl doll, Kirsten. You see; I sell American Girl doll clothes, and I find it much more fun and realistic to take pictures of their new outfits in appropriate settings. I forgot Kirsten's new beach chair that I made out of screen moulding and wooden dowels; so I guess we will have to rig up a way for her to sun. I am going to use my new Canon Rebel T3i that my husband bought me for Mother's Day, and hopefully I will be able to figure out how to take pictures in the bright sunlight. Stay tuned for the results.

New Missy Crissy Doll Clothes

Love As Defined by God: Love Beareth All Things; It Endureth All Things--Lesson 9

Lesson 9:  Love beareth all things; it endureth all things.  I Corinthians 13: 7 --Some read the first, covers all things. So the original also signifies. Charity will cover a multitude of sins, 1Pe_4:8. It will draw a veil over them, as far as it can consistently with duty. It is not for blazing nor publishing the faults of a brother, till duty manifestly demands it. Necessity only can extort this from the charitable mind. Though such a man be free to tell his brother his faults in private, he is very unwilling to expose him by making them public.

Thus we do by our own faults, and thus love would teach us to do by the faults of others; not publish them to their shame and reproach, but cover them from public notice as long as we can, and be faithful to God and to others. Or, it beareth all things, - will pass by and put up with injuries, without indulging anger or cherishing revenge, will be patient upon provocation, and long patient - holds firm, though it be much shocked, and borne hard upon; sustains all manner of injury and ill usage, and bears up under it, such as curses, contumacies, slanders, prison, exile, bonds, torments, and death itself, for the sake of the injurious, and of others; and perseveres in this firmness.

By:  Matthew Henry

Love Thinks No Evil -- Love Defined by God--Lesson 8

Lesson 8:  1 Corinthians 13:6 -- Love thinks no evil. It cherishes no malice, nor gives way to revenge: so some understand it. It is not soon, nor long, angry; it is never mischievous, nor inclined to revenge; it does not suspect evil of others, ou logizetai to kakon - it does not reason out evil, charge guilt upon them by inference and innuendo, when nothing of this sort appears open. 

True love is not apt to be jealous and suspicious; it will hide faults that appear, and draw a veil over them, instead of hunting and raking out those that lie covered and concealed: it will never indulge suspicion without proofs, but will rather incline to darken and disbelieve evidence against the person it affects. It will hardly give into an ill opinion of another, and it will do it with regret and reluctance when the evidence cannot be resisted; hence it will never be forward to suspect ill, and reason itself into a bad opinion upon mere appearances, nor give way to suspicion without any. It will not make the worst construction of things, but put the best face that it can on circumstances that have no good appearance.

By: Matthew Henry

A New Missy Crissy Product

I'm off to trying something new!  I'm making polymer clay barrettes.  After I grew my hair out, I am always in need of some kind of hair ornament; so I thought that I would try my hand at making barrettes.

To make my barrettes I use polymer clay to make the ornament body, and then attach it to a "made in France" french hair clasp. These clasps are the only ones to use in my opinion if you want a barrette that is strong and one that will hold your hair securely.  French clasps that are made in China, etc. do not seem to be made to the high quality specs as the ones "made in France."   Those made in France are made of a single piece of heavy gauge steel with no center bar that can fall out like those included in low quality brands.  This one feature is well worth the extra cost of the barrette.

When I make the ornament body of the barrette, I design it, form it, bake it for one hour to cure it, and then sand it through ten grits of sanding pads. It is then preserved with Renaissance Wax Rolish, a micro-crystalline wax polish used in the finest museums to protect metals and most other sufraces. It has, also, been used with great sucess to protect the surface of baked polymer clay. The surface is sealed and protected beneath a hard coat of wax. It is a great way to finish off jewelry and hair peices, expecially if they are handled often. Finally, the ornament body is attached to the metal barrette blank using two rivets made of copper, aluminum, or brass.  A riveting system is used to give a professional riveted attachment.

So far, I have designed and made eight barrettes, but only three have been accepted into my line of products for sale.  Each barrette has to meet my high quality standards before I sell them to customers.

Here is a look at the three that I will be selling in my Etsy and Art Fire stores.  

Etsy.com/shop/missycrissy2 

missycrissy2@artfire.com

Love as Defined by God -- Lesson 7--Love is not easily angered.

Lesson 7:  I Corinthians 13:5 -- Love is not easily angered.   It tempers and restrains the passions. Ou paroxunetai - is not exasperated. It corrects a sharpness of temper, sweetens and softens the mind, so that it does not suddenly conceive, nor long continue, a vehement passion. Where the fire of love is kept in, the flames of wrath will not easily kindle, nor long keep burning. 

Love will never be angry without a cause, and will endeavor to confine the passions within proper limits, that they may not exceed the measure that is just, either in degree or duration. Anger cannot rest in the bosom where love reigns. It is hard to be angry with those we love, but very easy to drop our resentments and be reconciled.

By Matthew Henry

Love as Defined by God - Lesson 6

Lesson 6:  1 Corinthians 13:5  Love (Charity) is not Selfish.  It is an utter enemy to selfishness: Seeketh not its own, does not inordinately desire nor seek its own praise, or honour, or profit, or pleasure. Indeed self-love, in some degree, is natural to all men, enters into their very constitution. And a reasonable love of self is by our Saviour made the measure of our love to others, that charity which is here described, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 

The apostle does not mean that charity destroys all regard to self; he does not mean that the charitable man should never challenge what is his own, but utterly neglect himself and all his interests. Charity must then root up that principle which is wrought into our nature. But charity never seeks its own to the hurt of others, or with the neglect of others. It often neglects its own for the sake of others; prefers their welfare, and satisfaction, and advantage, to its own; and it ever prefers the weal of the public, of the community, whether civil or ecclesiastical, to its private advantage. It would not advance, nor aggrandize, nor enrich, nor gratify itself, at the cost and damage of the public.

By: Matthew Henry

Love as Defined by God - Lesson 5

Lesson 5:  I Corinthians 13:5 - Love is not rude.   Love (charity) is careful not to pass the bounds of decency; ouk aschēmonei - it behaveth not unseemly; it does nothing indecorous, nothing that in the common account of men is base or vile.

It does nothing out of place or time; but behaves towards all men as becomes their rank and ours, with reverence and respect to superiors, with kindness and condescension to inferiors, with courtesy and good-will towards all men.

It is not for breaking order, confounding ranks bringing all men on a level; but for keeping up the distinction God has made between men, and acting decently in its own station, and minding its own business, without taking upon it to mend, or censure, or despise, the conduct of others. 

Charity will do nothing that misbecomes it.

Written by Matthew Henry

Love Defined by God - Lesson 4

Lesson 4:  I Corinthians 13:4 - Love does not boast (brag).  Love subdues pride and vain-glory; It vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, is not bloated with self-conceit, does not swell upon its acquisitions, nor arrogate to itself that honor  or power, or respect, which does not belong to it. It is not insolent, apt to despise others, or trample on them, or treat them with contempt and scorn. Those who are animated with a principle of true brotherly love will in honor prefer one another, Romans 12:10. They will do nothing out of a spirit of contention or vain-glory, but in lowliness of mind will esteem others better than themselves, Philippians 2:3.

True love will give us an esteem of our brethren, and raise our value for them; and this will limit our esteem of ourselves, and prevent the tumors of self-conceit and arrogance. These ill qualities can never grow out of tender affection for the brethren, nor a diffusive benevolence. 

The word rendered in our translation vaunteth itself bears other significations; nor is the proper meaning, as I can find, settled; but in every sense and meaning true charity stands in opposition to it. The Syriac renders it, non tumultuatur - does not raise tumults and disturbances. Charity calms the angry passions, instead of raising them. Others render it, Non perper et pervers agit - It does not act insidiously with any, seek to ensnare them, nor tease them with needless importunities and addresses. It is not froward, nor stubborn and untractable, nor apt to be cross and contradictory. 

Some understand it of dissembling and flattery, when a fair face is put on, and fine words are said, without any regard to truth, or intention of good. Charity abhors such falsehood and flattery. Nothing is commonly more pernicious, nor more apt to cross the purposes of true love and good will.

Written by Matthew Henry

Love Defined by God--Lesson 3

Lesson 3:  I Corinthians 13:4 --Love suppresses envy: It envieth not; it is not grieved at the good of others; neither at their gifts nor at their good qualities, their honours nor their estates.

If we love our neighbour we shall be so far from envying his welfare, or being displeased with it, that we shall share in it and rejoice at it. His bliss and sanctification will be an addition to ours, instead of impairing or lessening it. This is the proper effect of kindness and benevolence: envy is the effect of ill-will. 

The prosperity of those to whom we wish well can never grieve us; and the mind which is bent on doing good to all can never will ill to any.

Written by Matthew Henry

Love Defined by God--Lesson 2

Lesson 2:  I Corinthians 13:4 - Love is kind - chrēsteuetai. It is benign, bountiful; it is courteous and obliging. The 
law of kindness is in her lips; her heart is large, and her hand open. She is ready to show favours and to do good. She seeks to be useful; and not only seizes on opportunities of 
doing good, but searches for them.

This is her general character. She is patient under injuries, and apt and inclined to do all the good offices in her power. And under these two generals all the particulars of the character may be reduced.

Written by Matthew Henry

Love Defined by GOD

My, my, it has been a while since I posted to my blog--over a year!  I hope to do a better job, starting today.

So what has been on my mind lately?  Well, I can always depend on God to put on my mind what HE thinks is important--  and his method is most often through my experiences.

True love has been on my mind the last couple of days, but I have come to realize that it is not always present in my heart.  I believe that God has signed me up for a new class that he is teaching and it is called, REAL LOVE 101.  My first lesson starts in I Corinthians 13:4.  I will not add any of my own thoughts because I am just the student; but instead over the next ten days or so, I will share my reading assignment from Matthew Henry's commentary.  This Scripture interpretation by him, has shown me that I truly know nothing much about what True Love from God's perspective is.  My goal is to learn and try to exhibit it more every day.  I guess if I pass the course, I will look a little more like Jesus.

Lesson 1:  1 Corinthians 13:4- Love is patient (long suffering)...

The apostle gives us in these verses some of the properties and effects of charity, both to describe and commend it, that we may know whether we have this grace and that if we have not we may fall in love with what is so exceedingly amiable, and not rest till we have obtained it. It is an excellent grace, and has a world of good properties belonging to it. As,
I. It is long suffering - makrothumei. It can endure evil, injury, and provocation, without being filled with resentment, indignation, or revenge. It makes the mind firm, gives it power over the angry passions, and furnishes it with a persevering patience, that shall rather wait and wish for the reformation of a brother than fly out in resentment of his conduct. It will put up with many slights and neglects from the person it loves, and wait long to see the kindly effects of such patience on him.

Please come back tomorrow for Lesson 2.

My Missy Crissy Business

Last year around Thanksgiving I began getting orders for custom made cheerleader and cheer competition outfits for American Girl dolls.  This is a blessing that I had been waiting for; and in God's timing it came.  Little did I imagine, though, that I would get so many orders that I had to turn some down and put a hold on taking orders until May, 2012.  Wow!  I am so excited about being able to use my talent that God blessed me with--designing, pattern-making, and sewing little American Girl doll clothes.  It is so much fun that I spend most of the day every day sewing in my Missy Crissy shop. The greatest blessing, however, is that God can use the money that I make to help two families that I sponsor in the Philippines. Just recently one family lost everything due to a typhoon; the sewing orders that I received timed perfectly with this tragic event. Here is a gallery of some of the outfits that I have made since November, 2011.

Christmas is right around the corner and I bet your little girl's American Girl doll will love one of these outfits.

Check them out in my Missy Crissy shop on Etsy.  Click on each picture to view details.