Valentine's Day Look

Valentine's Day Look by bowenmariah featuring lace up boots

Reflections on a Show

First, some business. I really have no excuse for why I haven't posted for a couple weeks. The only reason I didn't this past week is the spring semester started.
Second, the tutorial I promised last time I posted about depotting was my first video. Well I have managed to lose the video. I uploaded it to my computer, and I don't know where it saved and it was automatically deleted from my camera. Should I find it, it will be uploaded ASAP. I can throw together a picture tutorial if you would like.
Lastly, A Midsummer Night's Dream opens in a couple weeks and I'm really excited. I've been able to have fun with this show since I haven't had but a few lines to memorize. I'm also making my own costume! I can't wait to show you guys pictures. Below is a picture of the poster. If you're nearby, it'd be great if you could come. I'm the one on the bottom with no lips.

I have to say though, I love being a character like this. All the fairies are whimsical, beautiful, and sexy in their own way. Several of us are making our own costumes, and we get to connect with our characters in a deeper way. We had a rehearsal last week where we came in and just were our fairie. We just played with each other and in the set for an hour. Watching everyone else and finding my character in that rehearsal was really freeing and beautiful. It's hard to explain why unless you've experienced something like that. It's just a moment of freedom, letting go, and becoming something else. Embodying something else.
All of the fairies are based on a plant or animal of some kind. My fairie is based on a mote, a dust particle in the air. How do you embody a dust mote? Well, think about every situation a mote could be in. When it catches the light in the sunset and it's just gracefully floating in the air until someone walks through that space. When it's a particularly windy day. When it's rainy, or snowing. When it's hot and humid out. Thinking of every possible circumstance and moving in a way that a mote would. I also get these interesting fabric wings that I keep in mind when moving.
This has been one of the most chill shows I've been in for a while. Since when I'm called at rehearsal isn't for very long, I don't have a lot of late nights before tech week. It's given me freedom to explore this character in a different way. It's allowed me to connect through movement and unspoken interaction with other fairies. All the fairies are paired, and my pair is Cobweb, the one in black. We both have wings and explore our forest on top of set pieces. I'm also paired with Mustardseed (not pictured) since we both play instruments in the show.
All in all, I think this show is going to be fantastic. I'm really looking forward to tech week and everything that's going into this show. The set is one of the design students senior thesis, and it's AMAZING! He building this giant tree for the fairies and designed a covert for the floor to work as the forest and Athens (where the humans in the show are from). The lights are being designed by one of the juniors, but I've yet to see those.
If you have any questions about the show, ask below! I will definitely answer any of them. If you're interested in seeing the show and live in Georgia or Alabama (maybe north Florida could make the drive), then email me at stuckinsevencontact@gmail.com for more info.


Let me know if you like hearing reflections on shows and I will do them in the future! Coming up this semester is The Misanthrope (which I'm probably not going to be cast in since I haven't had the Period Styles class) and the directing class one act shows. I will certainly have a lot to talk about with those.

Quickie but a Goodie

Ever have those mornings where you're in a rush to get out the door? You too? All the time? Outfit formulas make getting ready super easy. Mine tends to be a t-shirt, skirt, and jacket. Casual yet polished. A little red lipstick and mascara makes you look awake and ready to go!

 Doctor Who shirt is amazing because Doctor Who is amazing.

 Silly moments. The wind was messing with my hair so I just embraced it :)

 You can really see my red hair in this light!

My photographer thinks she's amusing. But she's pretty awesome. Considering we shot these photos in about 15 minutes with my camera at 2% battery, I think it turned out pretty good!

Things I've Been Loving

Hey guys! I've been a little caught up in work this week, so I don't have anything super insightful to bring to you. I thought I would share my favorite things lately. If I get enough response, I'll make this into a series :)

1. Korrasami!!!
If you didn't know already, I am a huge nerd and fan girl. I've been following the Avatar: The Last Airbender series since about the 3rd or 4th episode when I was 11. In the past few years, the creators have made a spin off called The Legend of Korra. There was one ship no one thought would be canon until the last season: Korrasami. This pairs the two friends, Korra and Asami, in a lesbian ship. The creators have confirmed that it is canon! They remind me so much of me and my girlfriend and we're gonna cosplay as them sometime! (Sorry if my fan girl just spewed everywhere. Also, if you're a Makorra shipper, I'm sorry for the more obnoxious Korrasami fans.)

DIY Friday: Petroleum Jelly Wonders

Most of you probably know that petroleum jelly (commonly known as Vaseline, but that's a brand) can be used to make lip gloss if you mix in broken eye shadow or Kool-Aid. But what else can it be used for? I've compiled a list for you guys to check out over the weekend!

1. Highlighter. Lightly apply on your cheek bones and anywhere else you would normally highlight for a natural glow!

2. Removing makeup and restoring lashes. Did you know that applying mascara can actually cause your eyelashes to be more brittle and more likely to break or fall out? If nothing else motivates you to go makeup free for a day and take off your makeup at night, I don't know what will! Applying petroleum jelly to your eyelashes at night can help remove makeup and make them grow.

3. Moisturizer. You may know this one, but it's a great moisturizer. Just glide it over your lips, hands, or feet and you're good to go!

Special Feature: Purple

Hey guys! So I didn't do a post Friday because I was working on this! I want some feedback because I want to do something like this once a month. If you guys like it, I might try to do it more often. If you have ideas for in the future, comment below!

Room Tour! (Picture heavy)

This is beyond overdue. I said I was gonna do it at the beginning of the year. Then I got sick and never finished unpacking. Everything was always a mess. I always had an excuse not to do it. Well in the few days after I moved back in before class started, I finally finished unpacking and put everything away and decorated and all that. Finally I can give you a room tour!

What you see when you walk in. Yes, that is a hanging monkey. His name is Sassafrass and his battery died so he shall forever hang from the fan. Excuse me and my roommates dark sense of humor.

I'm a Tulle

I will tell you right now, as much as I love the aesthetic aspect of this tulle skirt, it's A LOT of fabric. I am always having to straighten it out so the layers don't get bunched together as the tulle likes to do that. But it looks fantastic! Haha! I hope you guys are getting back in the swing of things with work and school.

These rocks at my school are painted at least once every year by freshmen if not 4 or 5 times by other groups! It's a neat little tradition we have. I meant to get a picture of a chip of the paint with all the layers but it was so cold I ran inside ASAP! 

2015 Resolutions

Reflecting on the past year, I've had some realizations about myself that I certainly need to improve in 2015, and I thought I'd share them with you guys.

1. Blog three times a week. When I started this blog, I was blogging three times a week. Now I'm lucky if I get out a post every few. I know I have the time in my day, I just have been letting myself slip because I argue to myself that "other things are more important. I resolve to make time for blogging. And on that note...

DIY Friday: Tulle Skirt

After all the holidays, I was wanting a little wardrobe update. I've seen all these bloggers with tulle skirts and it's left me lusting for one. I found this tutorial for making one, and it's not that difficult. It takes a few hours of cutting out fabric and some minimal sewing skills but it makes for a fun Saturday afternoon project!

Image courtesy of www.cottonandcurls.com 

Christmas in my House

I haven't really felt the need for a Christmas update because Christmas isn't over in my house yet. I will be back at school before it's officially over, but all the same I wanted to write about it.

My parents decided that they wanted to celebrate all 12 days of Christmas with myself and my sister. Yes, there are really 12 days of Christmas, just like the Christmas carol says. My family celebrates from Christmas day until Epiphany. (Epiphany is the 12th day of Christmas, representing when the Wise Men visited Jesus.)  We do this by opening gifts from Santa, stockings and big gifts, on Christmas day and getting one or more a day until we run out or get to Epiphany. I can't remember the last time my family made it all the way to Epiphany with gifts left to open though. Haha!

DIY Friday: Circle Scarf

Hey guys! With it getting a little cooler here and Georgia, I figured it was time to break out the scarves. This particular scarf I made as a gift for my cousin who lives in Chicago right now. It's pretty simple, even if you don't have a machine! You could hand sew this, but it would take much longer. With a machine, it will only take you about an hour!

 First, start with 5/8 of a yard of any fabric. For this scarf, I used 60" long fabric. I also made one with 45" fabric and I couldn't warp it around my neck twice. I suggest warm fabric like this heavy knit or fleece or the winter. Fold in half long ways (hotdog style) and pin. Make sure the wrong side (the side you don't want to show) is on the outside right now.

What Your Signature Piece Says About You

So I'm finally back and catching up on blogs. I'm gonna get started on on of my New Year's Resolutions early: consistently blog 3 days a week all of 2015, if not more. I've let this blog slip by the wayside again, not that I haven't had reason to, but I use that as an excuse to not get back into it. No more! No more excuses. I could do it before, and I will do it again. I just have to time manage better. It's one of my weaknesses. I have a plan though! But as the year is ending and you're thinking about what style resolutions you have, I leave you with this piece. Just by the way, digging through old pictures was fun, including the derp-y ones.

OOTD

Hey guys. I know I keep promising that I'll catch up and keep posting. It's just not gonna happen until Christmas Break. That's soon though! I finish school on the 10th of December, moving out and everything. So in a couple of weeks I'll catch up and all that jazz. I'm going to try to do some of it for the rest of this break as well as finish some papers that are due for finals. I have a couple photos for you in the meantime.

I've been going through this pants phase and kind of grungy feel lately. I have no idea what brought it on, but I kindda like it.

Those of you who follow me on Instagram already saw this, but my girlfriend and I just celebrated our first year together. She gave me this, and while a little big, I love it :)

Pamper Day!

For the first time in a long time, I finally had a day off where I wasn't worrying about A Chorus Line. It was officially over and done and I could relax. Well, for the show, I had to tease my hair a good bit and hair spray the crap out of it so it would stay while I danced. For 7 shows plus 2 dress rehearsals. My hair was done. So I knew I needed to take a day to just take care of myself.

First we have my nails. I wanted something simple after not really doing my nails since I came to school and I couldn't paint them for the show.

Dress for the Rain

So today it's raining quite a lot. To the point where our power's gone out. I hope I finish this before my laptop starts dying. Today is not a day where I want to worry about the elements because of my exhaustion, but there are a few simple ways to make it better.
1. Simple is always better on these days. A graphic sweater and colored jeans are your best friend today. Even regular jeans or leggings. No one wants to deal with a flippy skirt when it's raining. Or wet bare legs.

OOTD

A Chorus Line opens next week and it's midterms. That's kind of consuming my life. If you live in Georgia, you should go to the Lagrange College website and reserve your tickets. I'm a cut dancer, but it's an amazing show you should see anyways!

It's been a While...

I know. I know. It's been about 3 weeks since I posted. I promised myself I wouldn't do this, but I have. I assure you it's not on purpose. I have literally been so busy that my room still isn't completely unpacked and put away. I haven't done laundry in two weeks (I'm still wearing clean things. Don't worry). I'm edging into performance season and trying to cope with a full course load and rehearsals. I'm managing to stay at least a little sane, but my blog has fallen to the wayside. I had so many plans for this year, but I'm finding it hard to find time to take quality pictures that aren't on my phone. Forgive me if from now until next semester I'm doing quick phone posts unless I'm on break (which I start my first one tomorrow thank god). I'm gonna try and catch up with all of y'alls blogs over the next few weeks.
For those of you who say, "What about weekends?" I haven't had a free weekend since I started school. I've had auditions and work calls and had to go home and sew shirts. Do not get me started on the evils of stretch velvet. And Sundays I catch up on homework and have afternoon rehearsal. My first free weekend will be the weekend after NATS (a vocal competition) which is November 15th. Seriously.
I'm not saying all this to complain. I love being busy. It keeps me from getting lazy. And it makes me appreciate the time that I do have off. I'm just saying I haven't had a whole lot of time to be here and to appreciate all of your lovely blogs that I read. Or read *past tense*. Or will read. Promise to read. I promise I still have yet to have a lazy day with yoga pants and a t-shirt. And it is my goal to never have one of those.

And since I know you're dying to have an outfit, here ya go. The first of a series of crappy phone pictures. I felt like a modern Snow White since I had a red headband.

Thoughts on Gap Ads

So I know I've been absent for about a week. We had issues with the wifi in the dorms for a few days. Once that was fixed, I got sick! My sister gave me a small cold she had right before I moved in. Ugh. And once I was better, classes started. So as you can imagine, I've felt like I've been kind of stuck about what to do here. For those of you wondering, I did get cast in A Chorus Line. Unfortunately, my character is cut in the first number. Oh well. I think I'm more excited for A Midsummer Night's Dream in February. I'll let you know how that goes!

Moving in Issues

Due to WiFi issues in the dorms, I'm not able to really use my laptop. I promise next week will be full of exciting things and adventures. I have my audition tonight for A Chorus Line, so wish me luck!