Play by Play

::120:: after the children are in bed

Doin' the single-parenty thing here for a few days while the Mr. is off winning a second national championship. Its geektastic.

::119:: play*by*play, royal wedding edition

Were you one of the crazies faithful who woke up early to watch the royal nuptials? I wasn't, but I'll admit to clicking on CNN's live coverage when I got up at my normal time, just as William and Kate, AKA the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, departed Westminster Abbey in their carriage. I'll further confess to getting a little excited about the fairytaleness of it all, something I just didn't see until *gasp* there was a real princess* with her prince and their white-horse-drawn carriage right there in front of me with church bells pealing away. Oh! 

Once the boys and I watched them wave to the crowds for a couple of minutes, I wanted to get a glimpse of what everybody else was wearing. Hats! I need to see hats! Alas, I was disappointed. There were a few beautiful examples of millinerily sophistication, to be sure, but they were few and far between. While some were outrageous (IMO), the majority of them were quite subdued, and a few were flat-out ugly (also IMhO). An elegant hat is a lovely thing inded, but where were the hats that combined elegance, high fashion, and a bit of a daring edge?

Clearly it's time for a change in the royal hatmaking circles. So with all due respect to Philip Treacy, here are some fresh, hand-picked new styles from Swiper's own line of couture millinery, Liška.

Starting with the Queen, while we applaud her choice of a radiant yet modest yellow, evoking sunlight and the newness of spring, we were disappointed by the restraint of her rather everyday chapeau. Our suggestion:

This design gives a nod to the new, modern interest brought by today's bride and groom would have been appropriate even for Her Majesty. It draws inspiration from her new granddaughter-in-law and projects a celebratory mood.

Carole Middleton was lovely in pale blue, but we would have liked to see her in something more youthful and less overpowering to her petite features, like this delicate number:

While fascinators generally seem to be reserved for the young, we think the Mother of the Bride could carry it off.  

We would have liked to see something a tad less fascinating and avante-gard from sister princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, who remind us of the "look in the mirror and take one thing off before you leave" rule of thumb. Oh, Beatrice, that hat...it may be the element that puts the whole cacophonic pair of ensembles over the top into Anastasia and Drizella territory. Oof. 

This pair of bonnets are a bit less "we're overshadowing our cousin's big day" and a little more in "never were there more adoring sisters" harmony with each other, while still maintaining a dash of individuality. After all, we agree with Ophelia that "you must wear your rue with a difference." Quite the savant, that Ophelia, and her early demise was a blow to le beau monde.

Now we turn to Victoria Beckham, who appeared in a sedate ensemble of flowing dark dress from her own line and navy topper from the aforementioned Philip Treacy. Oh, Posh. We feel so sad every time we see your somber visage. How very funereal you look. We would much rather you tap into your spicy past and go for something with a little more bite. 

Although perhaps if Posh doesn't want to wear the hat, Becks might be up to it? 

Now, we know that the Duchess of Cornwall must be accustomed to drawing attention by  now, so why is she washing herself out in all that duck-egg and the broad, pale hat? One would think there had been a royal edict against color. We think that ladies with hair in as fetching a silvery blonde as hers should aim for contrast. Camilla, my dear, we would have much rather seen you in this dramatic look:

The height! The charm! The color! And yet it still maintains an elegant, fresh quality that absolutely says I am so thrilled to be on the arm of the heir to the throne on this joyous day.

Now, there are, of course, those who do like a little more ecclectic appeal, and for those, like the electric Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, we suggest this darling yet daring cap:

Absolutely euphoric, and would have broken up all that blue. Plus, didn't her new nose deserve something nice to set it off? 

We now know that the happy couple departed their reception in a convertible Aston Martin trailing balloons and with "JUST WED" taped over the rear license plate. The new Duchess still wore her veil and borrowed tiara. What if she had chosen to ditch the tulle and wear something more modern and flamboyant instead?

Our fashion-forward fox models his most fantastic creation:

There was talk that he might wear something in dill, but rumor has it that a last-minute decision regarding swallowtail caterpillars was responsible for the change in plans. Swiper is known not only for his dedication to fashion, but also for his passion for animal rights activism. His creation is one hundred percent organic and susatainable.

Perhaps we'll see the princess don this headpiece later this year at the Royal Ascot?

 

Royal head-watchers, what were your favorite looks? Link in the comments!** 

 

*"Catherine's full style and title hence is Her Royal Highness Princess William Arthur Philip Louis, Duchess of Cambridge, Countess of Strathearn, Baroness Carrickfergus, Master of Arts. As a British princess by marriage, Catherine does not hold a surname. Catherine is not "Princess Catherine" as, with rare exceptions, only people born to the title (such as Princess Anne) may use it before their given names."(Wikipedia)

** Make sure your link addresses start with http:// and they will be turned automatically into clickable links. 

::118:: sketchy

I've been considering branching out beyond straight-out photographic images of Swiper and experimenting with other forms of representation. This afternoon while inspecting our garden and yard, I started picking up some spilled, rain-soaked chalk and was hit by the urge to doodle a swiper on our patio. This is my first attempt at drawing the foxy guy. The water droplets sprayed across the slate are the result of an unexpected blast from a kid holding a hose.

Tomorrow: a salute to the royal wedding! Hurrah!

::117:: you can't do that on 365

Bonus points to the person who can tell me what Swiper said to get covered in goo. Of course, the price for answering is that you date yourself. ;)

::116:: insane in the membrane

 

No-camera day here, which means it's time for Phun with Photoshop (and spelling puns).  I've been organizing the family calendar and to-do lists all evening, which results in feeling a wee bit loopy.

Today's post comes in two flavors: daylight dementia, or late-night-internet. Not that I have any idea what that would be like. 

 

 

Say goodnight, Gracie!

::115:: rathbone

Hitting a bit of 365 enuii again, I'm afraid. This was a quickie shoot at the end of the day that involved the lampshade in my room. I wasn't sure what I was going for, but played with his position and then hit this one, which reminded me a bit of Sherlock Holmes. I think perhaps it's the tweed, the posture that suggests cogitation, and the way the silhouette reminds me of a shadow cast against a curtain. 

(Clearly I watched a bit too much of PBS's Mystery! as a child. Ooh, perhaps we need a Gorey-themed picture?)

::114:: viper, no swiping!

Happy Easter, y'all! 

::113:: chef's surprise

::112:: shadow and light

Today's approach was inspired by Day 4 of Dominic Wilcox's "Speed Creating," a 30-day artistic project. As luck would have it, I ended up neglecting Swiper until the very end of the day, and then took a very speedy approach, knocking out the shadow sketching and photo in just a few minutes. 

 

 

The augmented shadow makes an interesting negative, too:

::111:: another walk

Today I went back to Larus Park to give myself more time with the inchworms, a decision I eventually came to regret. Swiper came along, of course.

I like how his colors make him recognizable even when very distorted/abstract.

 

Mosssssss...I have a love affair with it.

 

"Do you like my hat?"

 

This last one is an homage to both my kids' school and to Ralph the fish.

 

Information about the hat is over on Spark. It was a great day for cool discoveries, which made it worth all the poop.