Irish Dance How-to: Recycled magazine clutch

Perfect for carrying around at summer feiseanna, this clutch can be made using old Irish dance magazines!




Tips:

• Find the most colorful pages in your magazines.  This may mean that you only get a couple pages from each magazine.  Ideally, there should be no white space and little printed text.
• Take your time with the weaving to really make your clutch look neat.  The closer the better!
• If you don't want a clutch bag, feel free to attach straps to the inside of the bag using tape and more folded paper strips (four or so taped together)
• Remember: this is a bag made out of paper and tape.  Be kind.

Goals: Stamina workouts
Days till Os: 143

Mini update

• Since I have officially returned to the Irish dance scene right in time to miss nationals, I have registered to dance at the Nation's Capital feis on July 22nd.  This will be my first feis back since my injury, as well as my first feis of the year!  If you're planning on going, and you see me there, don't be afraid to say hi!  I'll have the Traveling Feis Monkey with me as well.

• Do you know about the Traveling Feis Monkey?  Interested in being a host dancer for a week?  Make sure to send your emails in by midnight on July 13th, which is less than a week from now!  I have her for now, and she's been enjoying my various dance-related activities, all of which you can see on Facebook!

• July's Irish dance How-To will go live on Wednesday.  Come back then to see the new crafting tutorial I have for you!

• I entered Irish Dance Magazine's worlds 2013 logo contest, and though my logo (see below) was not chosen as a finalist, I think you should vote for the other awesome logos!

• National Dance Day is coming up on Saturday, July 28th!  So You Think You Can Dance and the Dizzy Feet Foundation are hosting a huge dance party on the west coast, but for those of us who live too far away to attend, there are two different combinations to learn then upload a video of yourself performing!  Check this website for all the information you need to participate.  In the meantime, I'm planning something else a with a little more Irish dance style...

Goals: Build up stamina
Days till Os: 146

Mini Update

Things I was doing before I was injured:

• The week after the Oireachtas I learned all my new steps for the year.  Senior ladies are dancing slip jig and treble jig, so I have both those dances, as well as my new set for the year, Kilkenny Races.
• As I was learning my new set, I thought it would be completely impossible because there are a lot of new rhythmic things I either had not done till that point, or needed some work.  After about a month, I had the whole thing finally learned and could perform without stopping to think.  There were still parts that needed lots of work (like the left foot of the step), but I could get all the way through!
• I was in generally getting geared up for nationals in continuing to work on turn out and my overall dancing.

I went to the doctor this past Tuesday.  My ankle is beginning to heal up, and I can begin to walk with crutches and test out walking with only my boot.  I go in again this Tuesday coming up hopefully to get rid of the crutches and to get my orders to start physical therapy

St. Patrick's month is upon us already.  Although I won't be dancing, I do plan on attending what I can to support my fellow dancers and dance school.  I will post my full schedule at a later date, but look for me in the D.C. St. Pat's parade!

Since I can't dance quite yet, I'm taking the Mad Abs March challenge!  This is mostly a personal thing, since the February one failed around the time I hurt myself and couldn't catch up with what I missed.  Feel free to print it out and complete it yourself!

I attended my first pub session this past Monday night at Ireland's Four Provinces in Falls Church, VA.  While I did not dance, I did sing one song (I only really know one Irish sing well enough to perform).  I will learn more so I can contribute more!  I mostly enjoyed listening to what the others were doing.

I have started an Irish dance tumblr.  Mostly because there are so many fantastic Irish dance photos out there to share, and I want something more photo-friendly than this wordy blog!

Check out this article by Christy Dorrity for Feis America's online site at Irish Central.

Also, you may see a familiar face in an upcoming issue of IDM!

Goals: keep healing!

Votes needed...

I'm attempting to win an Elevation Design dance dress. Currently, I'm in 9th place. Out of 10. That being said, I need your votes! You can only vote once from a single computer, so if you have multiple in your house, or are near a library/college campus/place with lots of computers, please vote on all of them. I'll greatly appriciate it!
http://www.irishdancing.com/?q=idmtv

Goals: Make some videos of my current dances, get mirrors
Days till Os: 180