A Retraction and a Prom Dress (JoAnn Prom Dress Contest 2011)

So, I freaked you all out with my last post. =( Sorry. After about a week of experimenting with Wordpress, and then doing a new website for my Dad’s new book, I’ve decided NOT to go with Wordpress. *Cue cheers*
Frankly, I’ve just decided that knowing Blogger templates like I do, it would be pretty silly to try and learn all about Wordpress, pay a host, and spend ten times more time on one website. I just don’t have the resources for that right now. (And of course, I’m much more comfortable with Blogger. ;)  ) So that’s my retraction. Hannahrosephotography.com is now waiting to be designed, and this blog is back to normal with its usual url.
Now, on to more interesting subjects. =D I just finished the prom dress I’m entering in JoAnn’s 2011 prom dress contest this week, and I got photos last night! =D Here they are…my sister Maria is modeling the dress.
First off, here’s my inspiration for the dress – (that’s Carrie Underwood, by the way.) Unfortuantely, JoAnn had a very limited supply of purple, fancy materials. (In order to enter the contest, you have to buy your supplies from JoAnn) So I had to go with a darker dress and lighter skirt – the opposite of Carrie’s. I do think it works, though…at least I hope so! =D
There’s obviously not a pattern you can buy to duplicate the dress, so I took a whole day to study that picture, come up with my own pattern, and cut the dress and skirt out. It was very hard and intense (especially when I thought about the fact that I spent over fifty dollars on the materials!) but I was so relieved with how things turned out.
The beading took forever. I spent three whole days on it, and used almost two large bags of glass beads and quite a few sequins. But, as Maria and I have been collecting Little House seasons, I had plenty of episodes to watch while working on it. ;) So here are photos of the finished product…

Two Quick Updates

I've been telling myself over and over that I need to do a real post soon - something more than necessary updates. Hopefully that post will be coming soon, with photos. ;) For now, just know that the url of this blog is now hannahrosephotography.blogspot.com instead of www.blog.hannahrosephotography.com.

Why? Well, (and don't tell anyone. ;)  ) I have just switched over to Wordpress *cue shrieks of horror and pain* and am in the long, fun process of switching everything over. I know, I know, it's terrible news. I've always, ALWAYS, been a Blogger person only, and have always disliked Wordpress.I've loved how simple Blogger is, how easy it is to change the html of any design. I've loved how open and available it is, and especially how custom domains can be used for free.

But.

The disadvantage of Blogger is that it has less functions than Wordpress, making it more difficult to turn a Blogger blog into a website. As I have searched the internet high and low for a cheap, professional, customizable website creator, I've finally decided that Wordpress is the best option. More and more people are using it for their own websites, and customizing the code and layout of everything makes it much more flexible than Blogger.

Now. I will only be moving this blog to Wordpress. Every other blog (at least at this point) will be staying the same. I'll still be doing Blogger designs. But this blog will move, and I am considering offering my designing services to Wordpress users, too.

So, just a heads-up there - and forgive any confusion or mess when you try to get to the former url. =P Hopefully the new site and blog will be up in a few months, and everything will be completely settled! =D

In the meantime, want to enter a giveaway? Lucia from "From Under My Little Umbrella," is hosting this giveaway - and the prize is the Photographer's Special package from Beauty {free blog designs}! The package includes a blog, website, logo, and watermark. So head on over and enter!

(And I want to know - am I in big trouble since I've said that I prefer Wordpress to Blogger? Hehe don't be afraid if you chop my head off. ;)  )