Design by Night

So for the few people out there who actually read my blog postings on DesignbyNight.blogspot.com you will know that one of my first blogs was about bags of Barbies and how I would love to use them to craft. Well thanks to a little James Bond inspiration and a dressy affair at the Creative Alliance in Baltimore my wish came true. Since the fundraiser was themed after the movie Goldfinger, a friend and I came up with our own little homage to Jill Masterson, the unforgettable Bond girl who was covered in gold. Call me sick, but it was fun to watch Jill chop saw the legs and we giggled a great deal during the entire creative process. Slightly perverted and way over the top crafts can be a blast to make. So I thought I would share some of this cheeky sophistication with you. Me and Jill Popowich at the Creative Alliances Marquee Ball

Recently real-life pirates have been extremely nasty and causing a lot of bad PR, much to my chagrin. I generally love the swash buckling, rum swilling, wenching fictional buccaneers that come to mind when someone mentions the word “pirate.” So to help re-warp my mind into thinking that pirates are a fun group of guys to hang around, I decided to craft my own tricorne pirate hat. Of course mine will have a little flair—well okay, a lot of flair—with large lace, flashy trim and lots of feathers (I’m part raccoon and love glitzy, feathery and fury). If you wonder why the rum is gone and think a pirate’s life is for you feel free to follow these steps to turn a round, black felt hat in to a swashbuckling fashion accessory. What you will need: Black round rim hat, rim should be at least 4” wide or a Felt hat blank Metal straight pins Black embroidery thread and needle Embellishments to taste, I used venice lace and ribbon (you will have to measure the brim edge or other areas of your hat...