Christmas in July

I apologize for the long hiatus - I've been deep in work for the Krewe of Proteus, and, unfortunately, I can't post any of it until after Mardi Gras. I am excited to announce that I will be illustrating the invitation for their ball this year, which, for those not familiar with the opulent works of art that Mardi Gras ball invitations can be, is a huge honor. Here is an old scrapbook that I found over at LSU's digital Mardi Gras collection that gives some mighty fine examples of the type of shoes I'm trying to fill.

Anyway, my birthday was the other day, and because I live in a house with a bunch of avid costumers, we decided to have a bike parade. The theme was "Christmas in July", and I spent the last couple weeks making headpieces and collecting old Christmas decorations for everyone. I made a big pot of red beans and rice and had people over in the late afternoon to decorate their bikes, play dress up, and generally pregame for the big ride. My friend Robin dressed as Santa (in a red and white bikini of course) and handed out presents to strangers. The wonderfully talented Kentucky Sisters brought along their ukuleles, and sang Christmas carols and various stops along the way. My friend Richard brought his portable speaker box, so when they were taking a rest from performing, we blasted the cheesiest of Christmas songs for all the French Quarter to hear. A good time was had by all, and judging by the reactions, we brought a lot of cheer to the strangers we encountered along the way.

I photographed some of my headdresses the day before the ride:

And here's some pics from the parade itself: