BONNY FLOWER GIRL DRESSES

My Bonny Light Horseman (Bloody Jack Adventures)

The infamous pirate, riverboat seductress, master of disguise, and street-urchin-turned-sailor Jacky Faber has been captured by the French and beheaded in full view of her friends and crew.
Inconceivable? Yes! The truth is she’s secretly forced to pose as an American dancer behind enemy lines in Paris, where she entices a French general into revealing military secrets?all to save her dear friends. Then, in intrepid Jacky Faber style, she dons male clothing and worms her way into a post as galloper with the French army, ultimately leading a team of men to fight alongside the great Napoleon.
In this sixth installment of the Bloody Jack Adventures series, love and war collide as the irrepressible Jacky Faber sets off on a daring adventure she vowed she’d never take.

NOROOZ (New Day) The Persian New Year
Norooz in Persian means "New [-year]-day". It is the beginning of the year for the peoples of Iran (Greater Iran, including: Afghanistan, Arran (Republic of Azerbaijan) and Central Asian Republics).
It begins precisely with the beginning of spring on vernal equinox, on or about March 21. Tradition takes Norooz as far back as 15,000 years--before the last ice age. King Jamshid (Yima or Yama of the Indo-Iranian lore) symbolizes the transition of the Indo-Iranians from animal hunting to animal husbandry and a more settled life in human history. Seasons played a vital part then. Everything depended on the four seasons. After a sever winter, the beginning of spring was a great occasion with mother nature rising up in a green robe of colorful flowers and the cattle delivering their young.
It was the dawn of abundance. Jamshid is said to be the person who introduced Norooz celebrations. Avestan and later scriptures show that Zarathushtra improved, as early as 1725 BCE., the old Indo-Iranian calendar. The prevailing calendar was luni-solar. The lunar year is of 354 days. An intercalation of one month after every thirty months kept the calendar almost in line with the seasons. Zarathushtra, the Founder of the Good Religion, himself an astronomer, founded an observatory and he reformed the calendar by introducing an eleven-day intercalary period to make it into a luni-solar year of 365 days, 5 hours and a fraction. Later the year was made solely a solar year with each month of thirty days. An intercalation of five days was, and a further addition of one day every four years, was introduced to make the year 365 days, 5 hours, and a fraction. Still later, the calendar was further corrected to be a purely solar year of 365 days 5 hr 48 min 45.5 sec. The year began precisely with the vernal equinox every time and therefore, there was no particular need of adding one day every four years and there was no need of a leap year.
This was [and still is] the best and most correct calendar produced that far. Some 12 centuries later, in 487 B.C.E., Darius the Great of the Achaemenian dynasty celebrated the Norooz at his newly built Persepolis in Iran. The Persepolis was the place; the Achaemenian king received, on Norooz, his peoples from all over the vast empire. The walls of the great royal palace depict the scenes of the celebrations. Since then, the peoples of the Iranian culture, whether Zartoshtis, Jews, Christians, Muslims or others, have celebrated Norooz precisely at the time of vernal equinox, the first day of the first month, on about March 21. Today, the ceremony has been simplified. Every house gets a thorough cleaning almost a month before. Wheat, barley, lentils, and other vegetables seeds are soaked to grow on china plates and round earthenware vessels some ten days in advance, so that the sprouts are three to four inches in height by Norooz. Family members, all dressed in their best, sit around the table and eagerly await the announcement of the exact time of vernal equinox over radio or television. The head of the family recites the Norooz prayers, and after the time is announced, each member kisses the other and wishes a Happy Norooz. Elders give gifts to younger members. Next the rounds of visits to neighbors, relatives, and friends begin. Each visit is reciprocated. Singing and dancing is, more or less for the first, a daily routine.
The festivity continues for 12 days, and on the 13th morning, the mass picnic to countryside begins. It is called sizdeh-be-dar, meaning "thirteen-in-the-outdoors." Cities and villages turn into ghost towns with almost all theinhabitants gone to enjoy the day in woods and mountains along stream and riversides. People sing, dance, and make merry. Girls of marriageable age tie wild grass tops into knots and make a wish that the following Norooz may find them married and carrying their bonny babies! A few days prior to the New Year, a special cover is spread on to the Persian carpet or on a table in every Persian household.
This ceremonial table is called cloth of seven dishes, (each one beginning with the Persian letter Sinn or S). The number seven has been sacred in Iran since the ancient times, and the seven dishes stand for the seven angelic heralds of life-rebirth, health, happiness, prosperity, joy, patience, and beauty. The symbolic dishes consist of: 1.Sabzeh or sprouts, usually wheat or lentil representing rebirth. 2. Samanu is a pudding in which common wheat sprouts are transformed and given new life as a sweet, creamy pudding and represents the ultimate sophistication of Persian cooking. 3. Seeb means apple and represents health and beauty. 4. Senjed the sweet, dry fruit of the Lotus tree, represents love.
It has been said that when lotus tree is in full bloom, its fragrance and its fruit make people fall in love and become oblivious to all else. 5. Seer which is garlic in Persian, represents medicine. 6. So

I love mixing felt with cute fabrics, so imagine my delight when I came across some darling vintage style paper doll quilting fabric. Do remember playing with these paper dolls as a girl? They orginally came out in the early 20th century, and then enjoyed a revival in the 70's and 80's. Now they're back with a modern twist--fabric, not paper!

The doll stands about 7" high and is backed with a stiff interfacing and fusible webbing, so not only is she sturdy, she is also fray-resistant. The clothes and accessories are backed with fusible fleece so they magically stick to the doll--no tabs needed!

This doll is from the "dolls around the world" collection. She represents Ireland and comes with three dresses (including one with a darling cape), a bouquet of flowers from the Irish countryside, and an adorable white kitten. What a bonny lass!

I made and designed the carrier myself, with a matching Irish doll applique on the front, blanket-stitched edges, and a velcro open and close disguised by a ribbon and decorative button. The pockets on the inside are made with charm squares from Moda's enchanting "Lily and Will" line.

Lumberjack Soul is the first album by alternative soul singer Miles Bonny from Kansas City. Produced by DJ Day, Suff Daddy, Hulk Hodn, Twit One, 74 Miles Away, Kova, Nicolas Kopernicus a.o. Guest apperances by AHU and Fleur Earth. Miles Bonny has been dubbed "the missing link between D'Angelo and Willie Nelson". We call him "the Voice of MPM". "Lumberjack Soul" features some of Miles biggest successes (the Raphael Saadiq tribute EP "Instant Saadiq" with DJ Day, "J.Birly" by Miles & The Ins, his kollabos with Suff Daddy and TE1 ...) plus five brand-new songs.