Welcome to my website and my first blog post! Let’s get this party started…

Launching my website has me nervous and excited. I’ve done it all myself. In part because I can’t afford a top-notch web designer. And, in part, because I’ve always been that type of person: a DIY-er.

DIY (“Do it Yourself”) brings to mind images of Pinterest fails and shoddy graphic design. I hope that won’t be the case here — as I do have some experience and am constantly improving my skills. That said, if you find any glitches, problems, bugs or errors on this site, please let me know! Comment on this post or email me at info@silverhillcreative.com.

If you find any errors on this site, please let me know!

I talk about my experience and training as a milliner on the About Page. But here’s the more silly background of my life creating the work for myself.

Circa age 6 — I want a cape like princesses wear. I cut a little hole on one edge of my blankie and sewed a button onto the other edge. It worked great!

The episode is one of those things I can look back on and say, “Oh, that is so me!”

Years later, I tried to teach myself how to make fondant icing so that I could make my own gorgeous wedding cake. That one did not go so well!

In 2011, I was cast in the lead role of Betty Haynes in the stage musical version of White Christmas. In the movie, there’s a scene where Rosemary Clooney wears a lovely 1950s-style hat to the train station. I wanted a hat like the for the show! I decided to try to make my own. It didn’t come together. My attempt was unfinished and flawed … but with a glint of potential.

More significantly, I got bitten by the millinery bug! My skills and interests seemed to go “click!” when I discovered hat-making.

In 2013, I was able to make good when I played Kate in The Pirates of Penzance. The director’s mother was the costumer, making bustle dresses in a pastel color palette. I volunteered to make hats to go along with them. Seeing the final effect filled me with joy! The hats were the icing on the cake and completed the looks so perfectly.

My skills as a milliner have grown so much since then, but I’m still proud of this early work.

It seems weird to think of millinery as a DIY thing, which sounds rather disparaging. And yet, my art, my calling, my work grew out of that first desire to try my hand at making a hat.

No hats involved, but I had to share the above image because it shows just how deep I go when it comes to DIY! In a 2016 community theatre production of Seussical, I played the “Sour Kangaroo,” who has a puppet baby kangaroo. I taught myself how to make a fancy puppet (with Muppet-esque mouth). And I made my jumpsuit costume.

No, I’m not going to become a puppet maker. And I find sewing clothes to be more frustrating than it’s often worth for me. (I hate hemming!)

The website details

This isn’t my first website. I even coded a small site from scratch with HTML and CSS in 2005.

I designed a website for my husband’s photography: www.adamsilvermanphoto.com. A web shop will be coming for his work at www.vermontscenery.com. (As of 4/13/20 that URL redirects to the Adam Silverman Photography Facebook page. But I look forward to making that site for him.)

I’ve launched this site before I’ve set it up with WooCommerce to be its own standalone ecommerce site. The shop is coming to this site soon! Until then, you can buy Silverhill Creative Millinery hats at my Etsy shop!