Venice Carnival

 Going to Venice carnival has been a bucket list item for many years.  My first intention was to go and photograph all the masked people... then I decided it would be much more fun to go as one of the masks...

I was so right!

I put together 4 different outfits.

The first one was easy as I already had the skirt, corset and so It just needed a few finishing touches, which included a wig, mask (x2) and something to hold in my hands.

I made the flower rings to go round the candelabra and painted the mask to match the maroon in the skirt and stamped the feathers on it too.

 This photo is from the test run I did in the snow...

This was taken by Optical Emotions Photograhy in Venice.

Next I worked on the Dragon outfit, I purchased a jacket and stencilled the dragon onto it and sewed a chinese clasp over the button.  I also purchased a 3D printed dragon to which I added very strong magnets so he could hang off my shoulder.  I spray painted the hair sticks gold and made holes in my wig so they could stay put.

I also made this dragon egg to hold

This is the table cloth stencil I used to add the dragon to both sides of the jacket.

Then I glued the embroidery I had purchased onto the sleeves.  

They also needed some stitching to hold them in place better.

This was the second hand mask I purchased and removed the hat from.

My living room had a permament set up so I could assess the outfit.

Photo by Craig 

Photo by Patrick Groot

Photo by Stephan Nielsen

Of course I had to have a Steampunk outfit.

I bought a brown cotton skirt and ironed on the gears that I cut on my Brother Scan n Cut from iron on vinyl. amd added some to my hat.

I bought a jacket and added iron on embroidery to it and did the same to the hat so it would all visually link up.

Used the same gears in normal vinyl to add to a christmas ornament that I turned into a septor.

Another second hand mask that I chopped the top off so I could wear the hat... and completely repainted it and added the glitter lips, lace mask and gears.

This was a Christmas candle that got a steampunk makeover.

Photo by Natasha Hoshen

Photo by Gavin Taylor

Photo by Svetlana Kirzh

Last is the Pink Peackock outfit

I started with the black jacket bought at the goth shop.  Then found the pink head dress with the peackock feathers on it at a party shop in Dunkirk, France while on holiday... that set the theme.  So I hunted for anything pink peackock and found the embroidery, the flat beads online and pink peackock feathers at a local florest.

I sewed the embroidery onto the jacket by hand!

Then I found the peackock fabric online and hand stitched it to a cotton skirt I already had.

The original mask that I purchased second hand

This fabric was a nightmare to work with.

This was made from a christmas ornament, handle from a walking stick, crown and beads.

Photo by Peter Simpson

Photo by Natasha

Photo by Patrick Groot

Last few photos were by 2 random photographers who I gave my phone to and asked to take some shots of me.

This was an experience of a lifetime and I loved every minute.