It Goes "Ding" When There's Stuff!

 MAN I have been busy the last few weeks.  I haven't been blogging much, because I've been too caught up in my work.  I went to two SCA events in a row, and then threw a big Halloween/birthday party at my house.  So the past three weeks or so have been spent spiffing up garb and costumes, cleaning the house and getting ready for the party like a crazy person, and decorating for our local Baronial event, which was last weekend.  Our decorator got sick, so I took over for her, and made fences and flags and tablecloths and all sorts of neat stuff.  

Now that it's all overwith (all three events were awesome and made my heart full!), it's time to turn to the next set of Things: 

1. BAM (Bordermarch Autumn Melees, now called War of the Rams, in Gleann Abhan on the 17th) 
2. More Regency stuff
3. Prepping for next Halloween - yes, already

For BAM (War of the Rams, whatever, we all still call it BAM), I need to delve into my Viking wardrobe and see what fits and what doesn't.  During the pandemic, I made like five new apron dress outfits, but then quickly grew out of them and had to replace them with two more in a hurry before this fall.  But in the past two months, I've lost some weight, and I think my "old" new dresses might fit me again.  So I've got a lot of trying on and possibly altering to do, in order to have enough to wear for a five-day event.  I also need to repair my camp chair, as the seat blew out at baronial two weeks ago.  Whoopsie! 

For Halloween, I wore my white Regency round gown and the teal cap I made a couple of months ago.  Unfortunately, I didn't manage to get any decent pics of me in the dress for you.  A few friends have recently expressed a desire to get dressed up in Regency finery and go to tea somewhere.  The local English-style tea house is very expensive, and booked up months in advance; so I decided that next Spring I'll just host my own tea party and invite all my Regency-costume-minded friends.  I just happen to have a heap of teal cotton, so I'm planning on making this dress to wear: 

Elizabeth Lisee Vigeé Le Brun, by Tatiana Potemkina, Met Museum

And for next Halloween, I want to change up my decorating scheme, so I'm starting with my collection of (8?) brass candlesticks.  I got them at a thrift store for a couple of bucks each many years ago, and smeared them with black paint to make them look gross and tarnished.  I decided for next year (and for the tea party) I want them gold again, so I tried to take the paint off, but it's been stuck on there for so long that it wouldn't come off no matter what I tried.  Rub N Buff to the rescue!  

So far, so good.  I'm still not finished with them.  

So there's a very random, stuff-filled post for you.  I'll show you my progress as I work towards getting my wardrobe ready for BAM; and I'll certainly be back with more Regency stuff soon.  Ta!