MASQUERADE PARTY 13 - wired and underwired

This is part 13 of the series I'm writing in the lead up to our daughter's sweet 16 Venetian Masquerade baroque ball next month. Please read the other 12 parts. 

Beautiful instrumental musical piece, with lovely images of the city, Ed Shearmur’s Venice:

We have been slowly working away on the decorations for the party. Spray painting the four rescued bike wheel rims, (from a council “hard” garbage streetside collection ), gold, for the flower chandeliers. I threw in some artificial flower /berry picks I took out of bouquets , and the leaves from the bouquets , as I don’t want green. You may remember the colour scheme for the party is hot pink, black, cream, silver and gold. (I’m including pewter in the silver.) Five colours is more than enough!

First coat:

I should have masked off the beach umbrella, chuckle. My excuse is I wanted to get out of the sun. It was 39 deg celcius that day! It doesn’t matter much about painting the outside edge of the wheels, as they will be covered by flowers.

 

Wiring up faux pink apples I bought for 75 cents au , each, the other day, at Reject Shop . To be used in the large flower arrangements, so will be provided to the florist. Those will be decorating the perimeter of the room. I don’t want to use faux fruit on the dinner tables, there will be real eating fruit there. 

First I removed the top stalk, in order to get out the hanging cord. Then put the stalk back in. I’m working on my lap on the couch under a throw rug as it’s chilly this morning and the heater is put away in the garden shed. I like working on my lap sometimes anyway, listening to the radio or watching tv.

Poking florist wire that I folded in half, in the bottom of the Apple, in two places , then twisting. I poked it as far in as I could, for stability. These “apples” have a foam construction. On a few, to make them longer for further up the arrangements, I used two strands of wire, and twisted them together. 

 This shop no longer just sells slightly flawed items, but lots of perfect things too, at discounted prices. I always check it out, when I’m in that town, as stocks change without warning. I was happy to also get a quantity of pillar (church) candles on sale there too, cheaply. For safety reasons at the party, they will be hollowed out partially to insert tealight battery candles .

Ideally I would have liked all ivory, but bought out their stock of white and ivory candles to get the cheap price, $2 au each. I am slowly checking off the long item list that I published in an early post in this series. 

Candles are crucial for the olde worlde look we are going for. I was a bit worried I didn’t have enough table covers to go under the tablecloths, then remembered bolts of lovely textured damask cream curtain fabric I have had stored under my bed for years. (I hope the insects have not been at it! ) The rectangular tables will have to be double length, so I can still use it for curtains later!

I also bought secondhand items, a white lace off the shoulder blouse and long multicoloured tiered ruffle skirt, plus assorted leather belts and a white mens shirt, for the girls and boys costumes, from a thrift (op) shop in that town. Hubby also bought her a book there about Venice, I read it, it’s good. There were a lot of parties described in Palazzos, and some of the food served at the buffets was what we are having, so we are on the right track!

While her Dad went to give blood at the Red Cross Blood Bank, (will be covered in another post) , Acerules and I went bra shopping at the sales at Best and Less . We got her a pretty strapless one to go under her ballgown. Her hair appointment on that day has been made. Slowly I am checking off that list!

I know by now most of the male readers have taken off ;) so here is a detail from the bra. Sorry, still can’t show you the ballgown! Have to wait for the party for that!!

Here is her handbag, made by Katya, the lacing up the back of the dress was replaced with ribbon she made from that fabric. There are bows for the shoes from it too.

Below, I’m wiring up “jewels” for the flower arrangements, hot pink, (camera makes it look purple but is not), gold, and  pearl. Jewels purchased from my Ebay friend in Queensland, lots of different buttons and beads, for the costumes, masks, flowers, hair ornaments, whatever takes our fancy. In an earlier post I showed you the napkin rings made with her fancy buttons. 

Cutting wire into shorter pieces for the big job of wiring up the artificial flowers to the flower chandeliers. 

Artificial flowers were chosen for the flower chandeliers over real, because they are very light, which was important at the original venue we booked. With the replacement venue, that is less important as we can hang those, and the crystal chandeliers from beams, which sold me on that venue in the end, (plus the good kitchen .)