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Homemade traditional Bulgarian costume/dress for a girl

Annie — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 19:34:00 +0000

I am so proud of myself today, so I had to share.

My son's class is doing presentations on European countries and he chose to do Bulgaria ( well, kind of obvious, but still I am very happy he is interested). So, while we were discussing the presentation that he is preparing with his classmates, I suggested we bring some visual aid, like traditional pots, tablecloths, souvenirs, rose oil etc. We were talking about traditional Bulgarian clothes and it occurred to me that we can bring my daughter to the presentation, dressed with a traditional Bulgarian costume.

Now, don't think for a moment that I had the costume for her already made. No, no, no! As you can imagine I have absolutely no time for sowing, and there is no way I could buy a traditional dress from anywhere here, so I had to figure something out with what I had on hand.

During the summer I got from Target a thin strap white dress, a white tunic with embroidery and a white skirt with matching embroidery, with the simple idea in mind to combine them to look like a real Bulgarian dress.

Of course, this was only a part of what I needed. I had only 2 hours to finish it ( including going to the store to pick up some things).

So, Super Mom walks in, step aside, please! :-)

I had a piece of traditional Bulgarian tablecloth, which in design resembles a traditional Bulgarian apron. So, with a little double glue tape, glue gun and some Velcro tape, this is what happened.

My next very big challenge was the belt, which I had absolutely no idea how to make. These traditional belts are made of engraved iron and are called Пафти ( Pafti) .A trip to Michaels later, I had some wire, couple of extremely large heavy iron pendants, a glue gun, some twine and a lot of courage, I attempted to make something I never would have thought possible- making pafti out of common objects.

And that is how the belt looked like when I was finished with. For the sleeve cuffs I used two handmade collars with ribbon.

Then I started to tackle the head decorations. That proved more challenging because my daughter was very tired at that point and I had to bribe her with some candy.

My poor sick baby was so tired of me at the end of the day that she didn't even want me to take pictures of her. Her nose was so red, like a little Rudolph, but I love her for putting up with all that today and helping her brother out.

For the head decorations I used ribbon, some feathers, coin ribbon, pom poms and a lot of glue for the hot glue gun. :-)

So, for not having an actual traditional Bulgarian dress handy, I believe I did pretty awesome. :-)

What do you think?

Urban Chic

Annie — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 12:59:00 +0000

I couldn't resist to share that a cake that Tosha and I made had a photo shoot! Everything looks stunning- from the venue, to the color scheme, to the arrangement, great job guys!

http://www.vendors.bestweddingsites.com/magazine/2012/1/19/a-shimmery-nighttime-photo-shoot-w-the-city-skyline-an-ombre.html

The idea for the design of the cake is Tosha's, I covered the whole thing in the sequins ( don't ask how long it took me!) and Tosha added the flowers.

We are a great team, aren't we? :-)

Here are some pics of the cake before it went for the photo shoot:

Photo courtesy to Ian Leavitt, Coccadots cake shop.

Wear it or eat it?

Annie — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 13:45:00 +0000

Just some cute pictures of some sugar fashion. I hope you like them! :-)

Something for our favorite men as well. The drawing is done free hand with buttercream.

I really like how the brass detail came out.

Fancy belts are also very popular.

Some lace for cute girls!

Ruffles are my favorite!

Believe it or not, these were life size.

This was the a cute miniature purse for a little girl's 7th b-day.

Miniature "girl jacket"

Which one is your favorite?
Annie

Goodbye and thank you, 2011!

Annie — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 09:16:00 +0000

It might sound strange but when I woke up today the first thing I wanted to do was check my social media accounts. No, I'm not that kind of person, who sleeps with her cell in hand, looking for updates on her FB throughout the night, but today is different. So, why the sudden curiosity, you'll ask. Well, it is quite obvious I think- today is the last day of 2011 and people like to share with their friends what kind of year they had. I wanted to see how everyone felt about 2011 and what a better way to do that than to sneak a peek of their statuses and blog posts, tweets etc.

Usually, that's a very depressing thing to do, because people mostly complain what a horrible year they had, all the losses it brought them ( from love, to money, to keys and change), and overall it's a New year's cocktail as I call it. What's a New year's cocktail? Well, it's a large glass of misery, with a dash of hope, some dreams sprinkled on top and then mixed with enthusiasm for the upcoming year.

Today I saw quite a different picture and I must say this caught me by surprise.

If you look at the world news, 2011 was a difficult year so I absolutely didn't expect the first thing that I read about sending this year off to be " I love you 2011" . And this was just the beginning! Everyone I know felt kind of the same way- grateful for what they got, with high expectations for 2012 and kind of sad 2011 is going.

I am happy that even though I know everyone had less than a perfect year, these people found it in their hearts to be thankful for everything they got or didn't get. I have to admit, this is the first year in a long time I didn't hear anyone complaining and it is more than refreshing.

What kind of year I had?

I honestly feel that was the best year I had in a long, long time. It was a difficult and stressful one, yes, but it was full....of LIFE.

I finally felt like I was living to the fullest potential of "living" I can imagine. Maybe there is more, maybe I didn't get all I could get or didn't give all I could give, but that's not how I feel. I definitely got more than I expected and I gave away more than I ever imagined I could. I met so many new friends, I can hardly count them, I got so much love and appreciation
that I feel blessed! Therefore for me 2011 was (finally) a year of balance and inner peace. I don't feel as restless as I did and as corny as it might sound...I am happy, today, and yesterday, and the day before.

I don't wish for a perfect 2012, nor I wish for the same year as 2011, not at all. I don't wish YOU that too. I wish for a year of BALANCE, I want a year I will regret to see going, just like 2011.

Farewell, my friend , 2011! Although I don't wish we meet again, I know you won't be soon forgotten!

To all of you - I thank you for the support and love you've given me! My family and I are wishing you a Happy New Year and may the next one be a year you will miss when it's gone!

Present from a far away friend

Annie — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 17:16:00 +0000

Svetla and I have never met in person, yet from the moment we got acquainted through our blogs I felt a strong connection with her. She has a very unique style that represents traditional Bulgarian design mixed with modern creations and miniatures. I also love her special projects that you can take a look at here, the clock that is on page one reminds me so much of Hugo Cabret!

Svetla creates her own designs with such care, you can never mistake her work with the work of another. Especially because I admire her so much, I am very happy and proud to own some of her creations. Svetla was so incredibly nice to send me and my kids gifts, which I just have to share with you. I don't think my pictures do justice to her work, so if you would like to see more of what she has created, please check her blog out.

This is what she sent me:

Just look at these beautiful notebooks and the frock shaped card

A Bulgarian martenici card

A paper purse with a small handmade notebook and a card

Svetla was also so kind to send me extra materials to make my own crafts

Thank you, Svetla, for the wonderful gifts and I hope soon to return the favor!

Annie