It is not often that I am rendered Speechless. Ask anyone that knows me, I always have a lot to say! *LOL* So it takes an unexpected OMG Moment to render me Speechless... and that's exactly what my Super Generous and Uber Talented Artist Friend Angela did when I came into SIRENS & SAINTS this Saturday Afternoon with Princess T!!! Angela has the most Generous Spirit and the Joy of Giving of Herself and her Talents to others and she had a Special Surprise in store for me that caught me totally off guard.
You see, Angela hadn't been Working on the Day of my Birthday... but she had a HUGE OMG Surprise Birthday Announcement to make to me when she and I finally Connected. It's no well kept Secret that I absolutely ADORE everything Angela Creates and I Gleefully Own many of her Creations. She's one of my Fav Artist's and Designers... and she's extremely Humble about her Artistic Genius and Legendary Generosity... but I'll shout about it from the rooftops, this Gal Creates the most AMAZING Accessories, Fashions and Furnishings you might ever behold and want to Own and she has a Heart as big as the Grand Canyon!
And her new Line of Over-The-Top Fabulous Mad Hatter Style Antique Beaver & Silk Top Hat Creations blew me away from the Moment I laid Eyes on them... I had Heart Palpitations in fact... one of those Love & Lust at 1st Sight Moments! And you all know how THAT Feels!!! *Winks*
It was definitely very high on my "Ultimate Wish List" to eventually own one... or more... because being well, Me, I had one of those 'Win The Lottery Imaginings and Fantasies' of Hoarding them ALL in a Private Collection! *LOL* I'm Excessive like that when I REALLY Love something... and these Hats Display as Wearable Art... whether on your Head or in a Vignette... and a Gallery of them literally takes your Breath away!!! So who wouldn't want a Gallery of them to be Breathless about every day!?! *Smiles*
And many other Art, Hat & Fashion Lovers were obviously Feeling the same way because these OOAK Collectible Hats created quite a Stir in the Shops... and Ladies were eager to add at least one to their Hat Collections. I KNEW I had to have one some kinda way in due time! Only I never expected in my Wildest Dreams the kinda way one would be added to mine!!! I had only Hoped there might be some left by the time I Saved up for mine you see...
So it was a TOTALLY unexpected OMG Surprise Birthday Gift when Dear Angela says to me that as my Belated Birthday Gift she wants me to pick out ANY Hat from her Collection in the Hat Gallery as her Special Gift to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG... OMG... OMG... feeling my Heart Race and Leap!!!
I couldn't Believe my Ears... this was like one of those Dreams you have where the Sun, Moon and Stars Line Up and someone is saying something Incredible that is a Dream Come True and you're afraid you'll wake up and realize you were just Daydreaming... I was completely Overwhelmed with Emotion... it was all I could do not to Cry... a Good Cry of coarse... of Heartfelt Gratitude that my Dear Friend is always just too Generous and Good to me, she Truly is!!!
I couldn't... are you sure??? She Insisted and I could see the Joy on her Face in allowing me to Receive such a Special Gift from her Heart. It really Moved me and Touched me Profoundly... this was a REALLY Special and most Generous Gift... the PERFECT GIFT in fact, of something I had REALLY, REALLY, REALLY wanted and Jones'ed for... and never expected to actually Receive as a Surprise Gift from a Friend... especially the one who had Created them all!!! I have the Best Friends and I am Abundantly Blessed... I really do & am... and Good Friends are a Priceless Gift that I really Cherish more than any Thing, even the most Beautiful Things. When you have Good Friends it is a Heaven Sent Gift that money cannot buy! And when a Friend Surprises you with a Secret OMG Gift you weren't expecting... Bohemian Valhalla!!!
And I fairly bolted to the Showroom to Choose... it was like Sprinting on Air & Clouds... like a Kid turned loose in a Candy Store and ready for an Awesome Sugar Blaze! My Adrenalin was coarsing through my veins...
And since it would have been quite the Dilemma to Choose a Favorite... since each Creation stands Alone in being completely AMAZING and FABULOUS so I could have been indecisive for Hours I was wondering... how on Earth could I Choose in a time frame that wouldn't make the Princess begin a whinefest of epic proportions!? *Winks* See... Princess T was already petulant that Gramma's Birthday was being extended into a whole other Month... TOTALLY NOT FAIR!!! Yeah, it's Great to be ME Kid... Deal with it!!! *Winks* You know how Kids can switch on you and turn on a dime when the Day suddenly isn't all about them and you're basking in YOUR Special Moments for a change!???!?? *LOL* Hey, don't spoil the Moment Kid... I Love you and all that... but... I'm having a Dream Hatfest Splurge here and you're just gonna hafta Roll with it some kinda way as I Play Cindarella!!! *Smiles*
Dear Angela made the perfect Suggestion as well... to Choose one that FIT me the best!
That really is Key because though I Love to Display my Hat Collections all over the House and Studio... I also like to WEAR them.
And I have a Big Ole' Head... yes, I do... and when on my Birthday we were having our Hatfest and Trying on all the Hats for Blog Fodder Photo Ops I realized that many Antique Hats are quite diminutive... perhaps people had smaller Heads back then? *Smiles*
Perhaps before all the many advancements in more Modern Medicine the Women couldn't Birth Big Headed Babies like Me so successfully, so there were less of us during those Eras? *LOL*
Or maybe my Mom was just such an Exceptional Woman in every way that absolutely Nothing Extraordinary was Impossible for her... even giving Birth to a Big Head Baby? *LOL*
And so began the Trying On Of Hatfest... kinda like Cindarella and the Glass Slippers... to see which One was Destined to be Mine due to a Perfect Fit?!? Truly I felt like Cindarella getting ready for the Ball... and Princess T was being one of the Mean Stepsisters being all Jealous, Hating and that! *LOL ~ Insert Princess T pouting and sighing heavily... 'til I told her to go pick out a Lil Somethin-Somethin too* Okay, so I Bribed the Kid to buy me some Peace during my Moment, what ya gonna do, it was a small Price to pay to shut her up for a while & Savor my Moment properly!!! Winks... This is precisely why Women my Age shouldn't be still raising Kids, NO PATIENCE for the Drama & Tears... Mine or theirs... and a Gal's gotta preserve her Sanity, right! *LOL* This was beyond Awesome & NOTHING was gonna Spoil it for me, no devil in Hell! *Winks* And I started with this Hat because I had been drawn to the Millinery Florals so much that I had previously used the Image of it for my Facebook Cover Photo... since it was so very Me. Alas, this one didn't fit & was not meant to be The One, too Small for my Big Ole' head, so I couldn't match my Facebook Page. *Le Sigh*
In fact, I was Feeling very Goldilocks-Like {Too Big... Too Small... seeking Just Right...} as I tried on Hat after Hat and realized that my Head Indeed was quite Large... and most of these Hats were more Normal or Small Head Sized!!! I was definitely having that Alice In Wonderland Dilemma of being too Big... and no Magic Potions or Cookies to rectify it! I was Hoping there would be The One that would Fit Perfectly and Stand Alone from the rest as being the Destined One I was meant to have... but I had firmly decided even if none fit, I was coming Home with one... but I Hoped I wouldn't have to make that Agonizing Choice of a Favorite among all of these Lucious Creations!?!?? *Smiles* Because there was Something Special about Each of them that made them the Absolutely PERFECT HAT!
And then... when I tried on THIS ONE it fit like a Glove... PERFECTLY for my Big Ole' Head! *Yea!!!!!* Forgive the Top Image where the Hatpin was knocked askew... this one has all the Bells and Buzzers actually... Peacock & Ostrich Feathers, Vintage Hatpin from 1950's Mummus Parade, Bohemian Bling Brooch, Vintage Millinery Florals, Vintage Lace Hatband... and the most Gorgeous Beaver & Silk Top Hat made in Alexandria, Egypt and from a Famous London Milliner that is in Pristine Condition!
And since I had "Caved" to shut her up during Hatfest... Princess T wanted one of Miss Angela's Wonderful Creations too so she Agonized over which Gramma should Buy for her... {Notice hair sticking to face & neck due to initial Cryfest making her a big sweaty Hot Mess... which can make ME a big sweaty Hot Mess in a heartbeat... that Kid can Cry a bucket-full of Tears when it's not all about Her... what a Drama Queen!!! Yep, she can turn from Sweet Princess T into the Beast Princess on a dime!} Thankfully Choosing is pretty Intense Stuff and that kept her preoccupied as she was having her Moment too...
Among a Host of Dancing Glittery Cupcake Ballerinas of various Hues...
Or a Pink Cupcake Elephant??!! Decisions... Decisions... Decisions... she was having as much trouble Choosing as Gramma was with the Birthday Top Hat! *Winks*
But Finally she Spied it... way in the Back...
The Lone Turquoise Hued Ballerina among the Blue & Pink ones...
YES... that would be THE ONE!!! And so the Princess and I both came away with our Fabulous Creations by our Friend Angela. Both now Content and Floating on Cloud 9 together as we drove Home from our Girl's Day Out...
Thank You my Dear Friend, Words cannot express my Sentiments... I'm so Happy you Loved The Bag as much as I have Loved ALL of your Amazing Creations... you ROCK Girl!!!
Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian