First Post Since We Entered a Global Pandemic... Looking forward and back

    It's been since 2019 that I've posted on this blog. What can I say... a lot happened since then. We are now reaching the two year mark of a global pandemic. Can you image telling 2019 me what 2021 me would feel about the world she is now living in now? Early 2020 I basically stopped posting on my YouTube Channel. It's was struggling as it was with the new rule YouTube had slammed on us. Adult Disney fans just didn't make since to YT. I did had my GlitterGlamMandy Vids but I never even posted the last one I filmed. When a Pandemic struck maybe there is something wrong with me but I had a hard time adjusting to the "New Norm". Really only now am I really getting my mind into some sort of order. These are things I loved doing before and I find myself wanting to going back to. 

   One thing I didn't drop despite of a global Pandemic was dressing up for Halloween even though I went NOWHERE for the 2nd year in a row... but I've worn a costume EVER YEAR since I was around 3 or 4 years old. After a track record that long I didn't want to break the streak.

  Last year I had an idea what I wanted to do with a costume but didn't have the time or quite figure out how to make it (have to cover that in another post *spoiler: Mockingjay) So I grabbed a black dress and a costume piece I made back when I first started theater. A French hood based on the one worn by the mother of Queen Elizabeth the 1st, Anne Boyleyn. I was preforming with an acting troupe and they were doing The Prince and the Pauper.

Originally I was cast as Lady Elizabeth but we had some casting changes and I was moved to Lady Jane Grey... In these pictures you will see Lady Elizabeth wearing this hood. I am also the maker of the hood I'm wearing. I love these outfits! I do still have them! But no, not dragging them out (aka: not knowing where they are stashed around here... :-)

 I did a TikTok on different costumes I've worn during the years but didn't get to that one... so I'll throw a shot on here of it. And I did make a Tiktok of me in the dress so I'll try and link it here... 

@amandakayhowell

Anne Boleyn actually be like... NO! Halloween 2020 #halloween #six #musicaltheatre #anneboleyn #theaterkid #tudors #wivesofhenryviii #girlssupportgirls

♬ NO - Meghan Trainor

(In case you are wondering the B necklace was bought on Wish.com a few years back, not sure they still carry them but I didn't pay much over $4 including shipping... I should do a seperate blog post on this!)

  This year I did almost completed the Mockingjay costume... but I hit a creative block and since nobody would see it in person anyway I felt more like going simple and leaving the Mockingjay for another time. BTW: Also in my crochet adventures this year I recreated Katniss' cowl neck from the movie... but again, just didn't feel to drive to wear it. But then browsing through YouTube I came across a pattern for a really cool Halloween crop top! This was only a few days before Halloween so it was like, I won't get that finished in time... but I had everything I needed to make it and decided to attempt it. If I didn't finish it... well, there will be more Halloweens ahead (where people will actually get to see it!) And I had a back up plan if needed...

But it was not! I completed the top in about 3 days! I didn't want it to be as skimpy as the original was so I added a few more rows to make it larger. I also wanted it to tie farther in the back then the original and it did. It was cold outside so I just ended up wearing a black T-shirt under it. Not too bad but I think I need to give a little more attention to the fit, the neck does not want to lay right and the bottom is rolling a little (might be my fault for making it too big but it's not bad and being a little more covered is important to me)

I used the color scheme (black and White) she did mostly because it reminded me of the memorable black and white dress from the movie Sleepy Hollow (honestly I have never even watched it even though I worked in the real Sleepy Hollow for years at an Halloween event based on the The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 

Oddly, I discovered I'm am a descendant of the Crane family... yes it was a real family that lived in the area. In honor of this I named my Tux kitten "Ichabod" who would have been my cousin.

  I found the Spider Crop Top pattern on YouTube made by PassioKnit Kelsie If your into crochet tops you might like her stuff!

  As for the rest of my costume I'm wearing a dark stone tiara I got from Wish.com  The Spider web earrings were from clearance from Walmart a number of years ago as well as the spider cape.

   As for Ichabod, (my kitty) he also got costumed as well. I found a YouTuber that has a lot of crochet cat and dog collars and such... you can find her here.... Lingzhi Handmade

Spider Queen & her Pumpkin

 This one didn't take long at all to make. Going for a pumpkin vibe. He took to it well. I learned quickly to put the tie at the top because otherwise he thought he was wearing a toy! (4 months old, so still just a kitten wanting to play) He eventually took it off himself and left it in the middle of the yard which is fine, LOL. He allowed a number of pictures to be taken in it. That's what he gets for picking me as his person...