My First Flamenco Performance

I started taking Flamenco again in January. I first took classes with Conte de Loyo when I lived in the Dallas area. Today was my very first ever public performance at a local retirement community with my teacher Bea Jay and another student.

New work space

I moved into my new work space in the new garage over the past weekend. There is still more to do in there for storage but it is such a nice place to work. Now I have everything in one place so I don't have to run from room to room like I did in the house. It is also nice to get my house back although I still have a lot of fabric to move out there as soon as I finish the storage area.

Winter has finally arrived

October and November were unseasonably warm. Today looks more like winter. Picture of my dwarf blue spruce in the front yard. The only tree on our 2 acre lot.

What's been going on.

Since my last entry I purchased Desert Dancer Imports from Donna Thompson at the end of March. Since then my house has been taken over by rolls of fabric, boxes of thread and sewing notions, sewing machines, sergers, patterns, a cutting table and mailing paraphenalia. This summer when my husband said he wanted to build a new detached garage (the one attached to the house is for two cars and we have 4 plus a travel trailer) I agreed on the condition that it include a sewing space for me. The garage is now finished, and I have been busy the past month or so painting the walls of my room, staining the woodwork and laying a floor, twice. I put down peel and stick tile but did not like the way it turned out. The edges of several tiles just wouldn't stay down. I had planned to put in laminate flooring in a year or two so I decided to do it now. I finished installing the laminate last night and it looks gorgeous! I still have to put in quarter round and thresholds but the room is essentially finished, woohoo! The room is 13.5 x 21 feet and I will be posting pictures when I get everything moved in and set up.

My newest creation

I just made the cutest overskirt. I'm going to wear it tonight when I teach class. I have one posted on etsy, zanubiadesigns.etsy.com. I have got to make more to put on my website. I have several pieces of print stretch mesh that should make up really nice.

I am Such a Geek

I have been wanting a button maker for ages. Well, I finally got one to make one inch buttons. Then I got Photoshop Elements to design my buttons. I downloaded a button template from the internet and then figured out how to use layers to design a button. Then I had to figure out how to get the print layout I needed. More help from the internet (I just love Goggle) and I created my new layout. Pictured are my first three attempts. Two for local dance troupes and one for my company Zanubia Designs.

Fun with Roxio Media Creator and YouTube

I finally got some software to allow me to load video on my computer, edit and send it to YouTube. I put up the two choreographies I did for Tribal Crones a few days ago. I really, really miss Meleea and Ja'Nena and our weekly practice/gab sessions on Sunday afternoons. Today I uploaded a video of myself doing a Cane Dance choreographed by Aida Nour.

My sewing room

I spent all day yesterday, 11/18/07, cleaning and re-arranging my sewing/computer room. I needed to move in the bookcase so I could store all the fabric that has been sitting around in boxes on the floor under my cutting table in the den. It's all so organized now. I hope I can keep it that way.

Pink and Green

Ok, I love pink and green together, maybe because it's close to red and green one of my all time favorite color combinations. Maybe because it makes you think of Xmas or because I love complimentary color combinations. Anyhoo, I have posted a few new belts on my brand new web store www.zanubiadesigns.com My favorite is the pink and green. I have had that one yard of hot pink ribbon for several years and just never knew what to do with it. I love the belt I made with it and I am very tempted to keep it for myself.

Cleaning out my costume closet

I have posted on the Montana Bellydance tribe that I am cleaning out my costume closet and selling off some of my old cabaret costumes. So I am posting pictures of what I have here before I post any of it on eBay. I hope that someone in the Montana dance community can use them.