Cinderella Tutu

Cinderella Tutu
www.etsy.com/shop/glittertulle

Monday, December 31, 2012

5 Celebs I'd Like to See in a Tutu in 2013

Okay, when I say "celeb," I use that term loosely.  By "celeb" I mean people who are currently more famous than I am, people who the general population will recognize by picture if not by name, people who may or may not be 14 1/2 minutes into their 15 minutes of fame. Nevertheless, I would be more than happy to make a tutu for any of these people if they would be willing to wear it.  Why?  Why would I want to put these people in a tutu?  I'm glad you asked. . . .
1) Desmond Tutu--This one is pretty obvious.  First of all, what better spokesperson could a tutu boutique possibly have than a very famous person named Tutu?  Every time I "search engine" the word "tutu" I end up with at least a few articles about him, not about the beautiful skirts I was really looking for.  So, let's put him in a tutu, take his picture, and proclaim "Glitter and Tulle Boutique the official tutu shop of the Anglican Church of South Africa." P.S. I am not at all saying I think of Mr. Tutu as a "celebrity" in the same way I do most of the other people on this list and I have the utmost respect for Mr. Tutu.  I also happen to think he has the most awesome name ever and if I wasn't already married, I would probably accept a proposal from him just so I could be Amy Tutu.
Photo by Martin Meissner/AP

2) Harry Styles--Only a real man would wear a tutu on stage in their boy band.  I mean, come on, did Donny Wahlberg ever do it?  Justin Timberlake?  Some other guy from one of the other boy bands that we don't remember and can't name?  No.  So, if Harry--who also has a pretty cool last name--is willing to strut his stuff on stage in one of my tutus, I'd be willing to admit, "that's what makes you beautiful," Mr. Styles.
Photo courtesy of elmundoenrosa.com

3) Abby Lee Miller--Come on, she's a dancer, isn't she? Or she used to be? I think, if she were wearing one of my tutus, she would be so happy that her disposition would completely change and then she could bring the love and joy back into dance.  Just think, no more yelling and screaming, just happy dancing little girls in their gorgeous flowing tutus.
Photo courtesy of Lifetime Television

4) Honey Boo Boo--My slogan is, "Making every little girl feel like a Princess, one tutu at a time."  Honey Boo Boo is a little girl, ergo, she should have one of my tutus!  I know that Honey Boo Boo has thousands of adorable gowns and princess dresses but I'd love to see her on stage in one of mine.  How could she possibly lose a pageant in one of my tutus? I do make a camo tutu.  She could go straight from the pageant to the back woods in that!
Photo by Getty Images

5) Psy--Nothing screams, "Hey, sexy  Korean man," like one of my tutus.  Move over Gangnam Style and make room for Glitter Style.  Need I say more?  And while we are on the topic of Psy, why not put Uncle Si in a tutu, too?
Photo by Jordan Strauss, AP/Invasion

Photo courtesy of Duck Dynasty





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Sunday, December 30, 2012

Valentine's Dresses--Sneak Peek!

As promised, here is a sneak peek at two of the Valentine's dresses I'll be listing on January 3.  It's never too early to start planning ahead!
Queen of Hearts Valentine's Gown, by Glitter and Tulle Boutique
This black and red dress I'm calling, "Queen of Hearts."  I love the black and red together.  It's such an eloquent look, whether your little girl is going to a Valentine's party in the evening, or a Daddy Daughter Dance.  It has a "feathered-tulle" top, like the "boa-bodice" gown, the black and blue one you may have seen in some of my pictures, but it has it's own unique ribbon design. The entire crotchet-elastic top is laced with ribbon, which are the length of the gown! This gives it an extra quality of glamour and ensures your daughter won't have to worry about her modesty.
Ribbon and feathered-tulle bodice, design unique to Glitter and Tulle Boutique
Our little model wasn't feeling too well today, so she had to be bribed with a "wowwy-pop."

This next tutu can be worn as a dress on the littler girls or a skirt on the taller ones.  It features a crotchet-elastic bodice woven with red tulle, which falls below the bodice and becomes part of the skirt.
Red Valentine's Gown by Glitter and Tulle Boutique
It can be worn with a belt, as shown here, or without, which makes it even puffier!  (If you haven't watched my tutorial about how to tame your tutu, you might want to for this one!  It has so many layers of tulle it tends to be very flowy!)

Woven tulle crotchet-elastic bodice
Again, my Valentine's gowns will not be officially listed on etsy, ArtFire, and Bonanza until 1/3, but you can order ahead of time by emailing me at glitterandtulleboutique@gmail.com.  I can ship within 1-2 business days, even on custom orders.  Price for Queen of Hearts is $50 plus $7 shipping.  Price for Red Valentine's Gown is $40 plus $7 shipping. Other boutiques will list similar (though differently designed!) gowns starting at $80 but I only charge what I need to in order to be able to continue my passion of making tutus for little princesses.  I ship quickly, I have excellent customer service, and I will do what it takes to ensure you are completely satisfied!
Please contact me if you have any questions and check back on 1/3 for the rest of my gorgeous Valentine's designs!

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Second Christmas!

My husband asked me what I wanted for Christmas about three weeks ago. My answer? Tulle, of course!
What kind of tulle?  All kinds of tulle!  Regular tulle, glitter tulle, sparkly tulle. All kinds!
What color of tulle?  All colors of tulle!  Red and pink and green and blue and purple--all of them.  All of the colors!Well, it was a little late, but this arrived today.  Hard to complain about it being late when I opened it up and saw what was inside!
The box!!

Yards and yards of tulle in every color imaginable!

Close up of the yards and yards of tulle!
Even shimmer and glitter tulle!

Even more tulle!
It just keeps going!

Another layer of tulle!
It filled up an entire plastic bin!



And was practically over-flowing! (Tulle circles on top, neat!)
Well, at this point, there's only one thing for me to do.  Make tutus--lots and lots of tutus!  Any requests?  I've got every color you could possibly imagine and probably every shade, too!
Thanks, honey!!!  I'll see you in four months, when I am finally done making tutus.
Remember, sneak peek
of Valentine's tutus coming today!

Tutu Tamer Tutorial!

Nothing is more annoying than a staticy, frizzy tutu!  Fixing this problem is very simple, as you will see if you watch the short video below!  This is my first attempt at a video tutorial  Enjoy!




Here are the directions again:
You'll need a spray bottle
Fabric softener
A measuring spoon is helpful but not completely necessary if you are good at "eye-balling" it
A tutu! (www.etsy.com/shop/glittertulle)
Water

The ratio is about 2 tablespoons of water per quart, or 32 oz.  It does not have to be exact.  Mix the fabric softener with the water, shake it up, and lightly mist the tutu.  Pull down on the tulle and straighten as needed.  That's it!  Repeat as needed, usually around every two hours on a day where there is a lot of static in the air!

Thank you for watching and please pass this along to all of your tutu-wearing friends!

Friday, December 28, 2012

Featured in Another Art Fire Collection!

My work has been featured in another collection on Art Fire.  Yay!
Here's the link to the collection:

http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=collections&op=details&cid=40001

And here's the length to my product, which is my beautiful rhinestone bling t-shirt, "Ballet."  I only have one available right now, which is girls size 5/6, long-sleeved, in Navy Blue, but I can take custom orders. It's on sale for $10 and I'm offering free shipping right now at Art Fire and Etsy!
http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/product_view/5635894


8 Reasons Why I am Terrified of My New Sewing Machine

1. I'm terrified I will break it.  Right now, it is sitting on the kitchen table.  I have walked by it about 150 times and every time I look at it, I think it starts to ratchet itself apart somewhere on the inside. It's not making any noise, per se, but I swear it's squealing, kind of like a dog whistle that human ears can't hear or like a rabbit in panic mode, warning me not to take another step closer or else it will implode.
2. I'm afraid I'll hurt myself.  I don't know if anyone has ever actually sewn her own fingers together on a sewing machine but I'm pretty sure, if it can be done, I will figure out a way to do it.  I can't imagine that it feels too good and if I have to go back to Care Now and explain one more crafting related accident, well, let's just say the words Insurance Fraud may show up on some paperwork addressed to me in the near future.
3. I'm afraid of the words my children may learn. When I was in seventh grade, my wonderful language arts teacher proclaimed that cursing was for people who could not think of anything more interesting to say.  While I whole-heartedly agree with her, in times of duress, I've been known to spew an obscenity or two.  I believe that it is a distinct possibility that I will even invent some new swears while working on my sewing machine and while I'm pretty sure no one can understand anything my two year old says, if my five year old walks into kindergarten next semester and repeats any of those gems, well, we may need a teacher-parent conference.
4. I'm afraid I'll have to attach another limb to my child so she can wear whatever I make her.  Okay--that was a little wordy, what I mean to say is, if I actually attempt to make Lu a dress, it will most likely end up with three sleeves, in which case, being the perfectionist that I am, and having a little bit of a problem admitting that I have made a mistake, my only resolve will be to attach a false arm. This beats the alternative, of course, of what would happen if there's only one arm whole . . . . (Don't worry, I'd never really harm my baby!)
5. I'm scared I'll lose my dog.  I have a very small seven pound dog.  He often ends up in strange places and I have no idea how he got there.  Boxes, drawers, the cupboard (okay, Imma may have had something to do with that.)  What if he accidentally gets sewn in to one of my projects?  I know PETA is against wearing fur, I assume that means dogs, too?  Is Lhasa Apso in right now?  Luckily, he is hypoallergenic and non-shedding!
6. I'm terrified to fail! I hate failing!  And there's already a craft-fail blog! If I can't sew, I'll probably be the first person in the history of human-kind who couldn't figure out what is, essentially a baby-sewing machine meant to be operated by eight year olds, and I'll be the laughing stock of all the neighborhood moms. (If you are a close friend and you know that there are not actually any other moms that live in my neighborhood, please keep this information to yourself.) With my luck, my husband will be using it instead of me and he'll be making all kinds of fancy pinafores for the girls to wear to nursery school!
7. I'm petrified of succeeding.  Do you have any idea how much fabric costs?  It's really expensive!  And I'm already spending my entire paycheck on tulle.  Do banks give loans for fabric?  Do fabric stores accept chocolate, blood or first-born children as payment?  Does anyone personally know Jo-
Ann? Something tells me that, if I am actually good at this, we will need to build on so that I have a place to store all of my lovely items and all of the fabric I'm going to use someday. (And I am going to use it someday! Just like that stock-pile of acrylic paint that went bad four years ago and that nice peach yarn I bought on clearance when K-Mart closed it's Houston locations in 2001.  You'll see, you'll all see!)
8. I'm afraid of creating something so heinous I actually cause the Zombie Apocalypse.  Okay, this one is a bit of a stretch but with the inevitable Fiscal Cliff, the Mayan's being off (but how far off?) and the Dawning of the Age of Aquarius (I may have the date wrong on that one) who knows?  I am not above imagining that I could accidentally cause the end of the world as we know it through something I accidentally do--and I wouldn't feel fine about that!
You were with me until that last one weren't you?
When I finally use it, I'll let you know.  Until then, it will be sitting on my table, looking spiffy, and daring my children to touch it.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Organization--the Key to Sanity!

Now that Christmas is over, I have a little bit of free time on my hands.  I say a little bit because, as many of you know, having two little girls is very demanding!  With time off from work, lots of new supplies, and a disastrously unorganized house, I found there was only one thing to do--reorganize! Here are some things I do to keep myself organized.  I hope they help you to stay organized, too.  If you have a great organizational idea, please post it in the comments.  You can leave an anonymous comment on this blog if you don't want to bother to sign in.

My sweet husband got me a ribbon organizer for Christmas.  It isn't big enough to fit my thicker rolls of satin but it did fit some of the ribbon I use for hair accessories.  I was able to stack the satin ribbon on the shelf and on top without it being too cluttery.  He also got me another ribbon spool holder but it was missing some pieces so I am hoping to move some of these bigger rolls onto that once he can exchange it.



It also has drawers so I put some more ribbon in there.


When that wasn't quite enough room (I have a lot of ribbon!) I utilized the drawer in our faux fireplace.  I prefer plastic shoe boxes but I also don't like to waist perfectly good objects so my ribbon will stay in this cardboard shoe box for now. My little sister got me this cute pink sewing box for Christmas.  I love it!  It has plenty of room for everything I need without being too bulky or heavy.


I have a ton of tulle and my husband ordered me some more for Christmas, but it hasn't arrived yet.  Still, knowing it was coming motivated me to re-organize my spools of tulle.  I find there's plenty of room under the shelves in my towel closet so that's where I keep my tulle.  Plastic bins are awesome for this. I would love to organize it by color but I've not quite gotten around to that yet.


I also picked up this cute vertical hanging sweater organizer from Target this summer.  It was $2.50.  Obviously, I am using it horizontally. It's a little wobbly on it's own so I put shoe boxes in it to stabalize it.  I use a lot of tulle and when I cut too much I don't like to throw it out so I keep it in a section of the pink organizer.  I can use it to make my boas.  I also have a section for extra ribbon. I just got a sewing machine for Christmas and some material so I started a section for items relating to sewing. I am a little nervous about that! And the final section is for hair accessories.  I use crotchet elastic headbands for the waists of many of my tutu's too so I have a lot of those.


I use this handy carrier to take with me to craft fairs and other places where I might need to work on the road.  It's very handy and holds a lot.  You can also see that I store my tulle bolts back here.  I don't get bolts often because I really don't like cutting the tulle both ways but when I do use tulle on the bolt I never unravel the whole thing because it's such a pain.  This way I can store it more easily.


You may have noticed some cardboard pieces stuck in the corner in the broader picture as well.  That isn't trash, believe it or not.  That's what I use to cut my tulle.  I keep cardboard in different lengths so that when I go to cut it I can just grab the cardboard in the correct length.

I have a lot of in-stock tutus, rhinestone t-shirts and hair accessories.  I like to make sure they are kept clean and organized so I have clear plastic tubs with lids in my closet.  When I finish an item I put it in one of these until I sell it. Hopefully it doesn't stay here too long!


I also have a closet in another section of the house where I keep all of the items that I only use occasionally  like yarn, scrapbooking paper, etc. I use plastic pull-out drawers for most of these items.  I find it makes it easier for me to get what I need without having to dig for too long.  Labels would probably be helpful as well but I like to move things around and I would constantly be re-labeling!

Again, I hope you have gotten some ideas from seeing how I store my "stuff."  I'd love to hear any of your great storage ideas!

We are also putting together our very first tutorial on how to keep your tutu from frizzing up!  Stay tuned for that--I'm a little nervous about getting in front of the camera but I think it'll be helpful!

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

SALE! SALE! SALE!

If it works for the newspaper, it oughta work for me! I've been extremely pleased with the success of my etsy shop and with my sales at craft fairs. I've even done well on Facebook! But, my bonanza booth my Art Fire studio have crickets living in them. Let's change that, shall we? Through 12/28, free shipping to the US from my Art Fire studio with the code CHRISTMAS2012 (creative, I know!) http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/glitterandtulleboutique
 Or save 10% at my bonanza booth with the same coupon code CHRISTMAS2012 http://www.bonanza.com/booths/glittertulle
 If you live outside of the US, and I know some of you do, please feel free to email me and I will set up a custom order for you to see what I can do for you on shipping. I'm always willing to work a deal with my loyal blog readers so if you want to send me a message before you place a custom order, tell me something you like about my shop and I'll make sure I give you the best price possible. Thank y'all for reading! Happy shopping--tis the season to get what you really want, lol!!


New Year's Eve Dress-It's not too late, Moms!

A fake message from my two-year-old, based on her over-dramatic facial expressions and what she might be thinking (but she's probably just thinking about watching Strawberry Shortcake because that's what she's usually thinking about!) Please enjoy my hopefully humorous attempt at a shameless-plug.
 What do you mean you didn't order your little girl a dress from Glitter and Tulle Boutique for New Year's Eve?  Look at my face--can you tell I'm in shock?!?
But if you purchased her dress from somewhere else, you probably paid too much and it might not even be hand-made!
Calm down, girl, it's gonna be alright. Y
ou know, it's not too late!  Order today and it can still get there in time. Otherwise, you'll just have to make up for it by getting her the best Valentine's dress ever from Glitter and Tulle Boutique.  Custom orders are always excepted and my mommy works super fast!
With a dress from Glitter and Tulle Boutique, your little princess will always be ready for her close-up! (Can you tell I'm fake smiling, is it obvious? It's time for a milk break!)

Monday, December 24, 2012

Featured in a Collection!!

I wanted to share this ASAP because I'm so excited about it! Oh, and since it's past midnight CST, Merry Christmas!!
One of my rhinestone bling t-shirts was just featured in a collection on Art Fire!  It is the adorable Cinderella's carriage t-shirt, light pink with long-sleeves. I only have the one, size 5/6 for little girls, like Imma's age.  I don't know how it's possible I still have it because so many people have told me how gorgeous it is, but I do, and now it's in a collection called, "Dreamy Light Pink," put together by Dressaholic. I really am honored.
I also want to say how much I appreciate how many of you are stopping by to read this.  I know I don't have a lot of official followers and I've heard that it's a pain in the booty to become a follower, but I see the stats and I am truly honored that so many of you are taking the time to drop by and see what craziness I am up to. I love, love, love making beautiful things and the fact that y'all (that's Texas for "all of you") come by and see what's going on just amazes me. So thank you so much! And it is much easier to like my facebook page, I assure you, if you want to do that, too.  But please keep reading my blog because I've got a lot of ideas floating around in my head and hopefully you will be amazed and astonished what one can do with some tulle!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=collections&op=details&cid=39944

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Infinity Scarves!

More things for grown-up girls! I'm launching a new line of infinity scarves. Simple, elegant, warm and cozy! You can choose your color of high quality yarn or choose from one I've already made. And the best part? Only $5!








Friday, December 21, 2012

Valentine's Gowns Coming Soon!

In just a few short days, Christmas will be over.  We'll be taking down the trees, packing up the dancing Santa's, picking tinsel out of the carpet (okay, that one will last a few months, weeks) and looking around wondering what we are going to do with all of this free time (ha!) and what we need to plan next.
Well, your little girl is gonna need to look amazing for Valentine's Day, whether she is old enough to go to a school dance, or a Daddy Daughter Dance, or just likes to spin around the room with her one-true-love, Mickey Mouse. Luckily, I've got you covered. I am working hard (no, not hardly working!) on my new Valentine's Day gowns and they will be revealed shortly.  I've got some new designs you are gonna love! Stay tuned because you're gonna want to see this!
Sneak peak:  New Year's Eve, December 31st
Reveal: Thursday, January 3rd (because what else do you have to do on a Thursday?)
You know,  my tutus are not like everyone else's tutus!  I have designs you cannot find anywhere else, such as this adorable woven-bodice Christmas dress, which incidentally would also work for Valentine's Day and is available for immediate ship.  Just sayin'!

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Top 10 People Who NEED You to Buy them a Tutu!

10: Your daughter. This is one of those, “Well, duh, if they’re all going to be that obvious than why bother to read the rest,” statements, but come on, your little girl really wants a tutu! She loves tutus. She loves dressing up and pretending to be a princess, or pretending to be a queen and bossing you around. Much less, she needs a tutu. If she doesn’t have a tutu, how else will she go to the ball? And if she doesn’t go to the ball, she’ll never meet Prince Charming. And if she doesn’t meet Prince Charming, SHE WILL LIVE IN YOUR HOUSE FOREVER!
9: Your granddaughter. Okay—again obvious. But let me explain why. You know how Grandma and Grandpa are the most awesome people in the universe? Or at least, they are supposed to be. But if your granddaughter does not have a tutu specifically selected for her by you, then she’s only going to think you are mostly awesome, not completely awesome, and while mostly awesome is okay, completely awesome is sooo much better. Let’s face it, she’s probably asked mom and dad for a tutu and either A)they got her one or B) they didn’t. If they did, chances are the one you get her will be so much better because it’s from you. And if they didn’t, well then, the logic is circular--she needs you to get her a tutu!!
 8: Your niece. When you pick out a tutu for your niece, I recommend the following: Pick out a Rock’n’Roll, funky tutu that necessitates making a lot of noise while wearing it. After all, whether it’s your brother or sister’s kid, chances are you need to pay them back for something. Get them a tutu that says, “It’s okay to party! Go enjoy yourself! Put on lots of make-up, jump on the furniture, throw your guitar threw the TV!” Okay, maybe not the last one, but loudness must be encouraged in the style you select for your niece’s tutu.
7: Your best friend’s daughter: Your best friend’s daughter is always telling her mom how cool you are. Her mom doesn’t dress nearly as cool as you do. Her sunglasses are not as cool. She doesn’t even chew the coolest kind of gum like you do. Your best friend needs to hear how cool the tutu you picked out is. She needs to hear it repeatedly, several times a day, for weeks, and months and years. Because best friends love to hear about how cool we are. It’s a fact. Just ask my best friend. Message me. I’ll give you her cell phone number. She’ll thank me later by telling me how cool I am.
This is one of my best friends. And she doesn't have any daughters, though her sons would look cute in tutus as well. She does however have her photo taken with me in an accessible place on my camera, and that makes her blog worthy! :)



6. Your daughter’s best friend: Remember how you told your daughter that if she didn’t insert threat here (make her bed, clean her room, get all A’s, get into Yale Law) you were not buying her a tutu? By the way, if you haven’t tried that one, it’s such a motivator! Well, if your daughter did not make her bed, clean her room, get all A’s or only got into Stanford, then add some emphasis to what is generally, in my experience, an empty threat. Don’t buy her a tutu. Buy her best friend a tutu! Then, you can explain, “I told you if you didn’t get a perfect score on your ACT and get accepted into that Ivy League University, there would be no tutus. I don’t want to hear it young lady! Samantha always gets into Ivy League Universities when her mother asks her to!” (I have no affiliation with any university, nor do I actually rank universities for a living. No universities were harmed in the making of this post.)
 5. Your daughter’s best frenemy: Let’s face it, we all have at least one frenemy. Someone we know socially, we work with, someone who drives us crazy but we are always nice. It’s not because we are two-faced (or that’s not completely why anyway) it’s because we are attempting to avoid conflict with someone we truly believe may in fact be Evil Incarnate in disguise. And your daughter probably has at least one frenemy, too. If you can’t tell who your daughter’s frenemy is, try this experiment. Ask her who she is texting. When your daughter stops texting , if she sighs and rolls her eyes, she’s probably communicating with a frenemy. So why would you want to get your daughter’s best frenemy a gift? Simple! Your daughter’s frenemy is constantly saying things are, “lame,” “gross,” or “disgusting.” She could not possibly think one of my tutus is lame or gross or disgusting. If you get her one of my shabby chic, bohemian tutus, she would be OMGing for all of the right reasons. Then maybe she can be just a friend to your daughter and no longer a frenemy! Unless she truly is Evil Incarnate, in which case ain’t no amount of tutus gonna fix that.
 4. The girl who has everything! You know her, she may be related to you, she might be friends with one of your kids, or the child of one of your co-workers. She’s always upset on Christmas or birthdays because the stuff she gets is never what she wants. And the reason she never gets good presents is because she already has everything! If she wants something Daddy buys it for her. Well, I guarantee she does not have a custom made tutu. You can finally be the one to get her something she doesn’t have, something she won’t return, something she won’t repurpose, something she’ll actually enjoy!


3. The girl who has nothing. All joking aside for this one. There are thousands of little girls who would absolutely love to have a tutu. I know because I watch the faces of little girls who do have other toys, other dresses, and their little faces light up when they put on one of my tutus. This is the reason I make tutus. When I give a tutu to a little girl who has nothing, I feel like Santa or an Angel. You will, too. There’s nothing, nothing like the glimmer in the eye of a little girl who feels like a princess. Making that happen is a little piece of Heaven. If you know a little girl who would love a tutu but you cannot afford to get her one, message me and we’ll make it happen.
Making one little girl feel like Cinderella, one tutu at a time!




2. (Back to the silliness) Your mother or grandmother. Okay—I know, you’re an adult. You’re what, 22? Maybe 25 (again)? So that makes your mom, roughly, I don’t know, 28? (I love how I stop aging even though my children continue to get older and more mature each day.) Grandma’s gotta at least be in her 40’s by now. They need tutus. They will love tutus. Why? Because a tutu is a symbol of magic and youth. Who wears tutus? Princesses and fairies. Magical princesses and fairies. Young princesses and fairies. Giving them custom tutus is a way of saying, “You are youthful and timeless.” Besides, when your daughter goes over to Grandma or Great-Grandma’s house to play, they’ve got to have their own custom tutus. I mean, come on, they’re not gonna fit in your daughter’s extra tutu. I mean, I can’t fit in my daughter’s tutu. (Of course, I am retaining water. And I’ve put on a few pounds during the holidays, or else I probably could squeeze my way in). But it’s not nearly as comfortable to play dress-up in someone else’s tutu. I need my own, perfect fit, just the right length. And then I am ready to be FABULOUS! Doesn’t Grandma deserve to be fabulous, too?
My Grandma would have worn a tutu!


 1. Yourself! (Did you see that one coming?) You, you deserve a tutu! Just like your mom and grandma you are young, and fun, and hip, and groovy, or whatever the kids are saying these days. You’re with it. You've got it going on. Show them your carefree side. Your husband will thank you for it. Don’t have a husband? No worries! My Cinderella tutu is bound to bring your man scurrying over from his castle post haste. You see, I don’t just make tutus for little girls. I don’t just make them for make-believe-dress-up time. I make tutus that are real dresses for real occasions, like parties, and weddings, and annual visits to the gynecologists. That doesn't sound like fun? Then you've never worn a tutu to see your OBGYN! Life is too short, we are all too serious, we need some magic and whimsy and pixie dust. YOU need some magic and whimsy and pixie dust! And that’s what I do. For a living. (In my spare time. When I’m not at my real job.)


I seriously hope that this made you laugh or at least crack a smile once or twice. Have any other great ideas for who needs a tutu? The bus driver? The postal carrier? The dentist—after all, the tooth fairy wears a tutu!?! I’d love to hear them! I know I have a lot of people reading who don’t follow and I’d love to hear from you, too! Please leave a nice and/or constructive

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Why I LOVE and HATE working with Glitter Tulle

Love glitter tulle because it is sparkly and shiney!
Hate glitter tulle because it makes an enormous mess! There is always glitter everywhere! And I keep finding it for weeks!
Love glitter tulle because it adds a bit of whimsy and fantasy to any tutu!
Hate glitter tulle because it's very hard to pull through the loop and often tears if you're not extremely careful.
Love glitter tulle because it makes little girls happy! They feel and look like fairies. Anything that makes this little girl happy works for me!

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

The Design: From Idea to Reality

One of the things that is most satisfying to me about crafting is seeing my ideas become a reality. By the time I actually begin working on a new design, I've been thinking about it for weeks, sometimes months. I think about all of the intricate details, the materials, how to assembly each tiny part. I think about colors, in some cases fabric though right now I am using tulle for the majority of my designs, length, layers, accents, all of those components come together to create a new, hopefully fabulous! design.
This dress is one of my favorites dresses. The inspiration is probably obvious to anyone under the age of 10 or anyone who spends much time with little girls. Of course, it is based on the dress Cinderella wore to the ball, wear she met Prince Charming, fell in love, and had all of her dreams come true! My wish is the same for the little girls who wear it.
This was one of the first dresses I made with the woven bodice. I had seen a lot of pictures posted on etsy and other sites of beautiful, full dresses, and a crotchet-elastic bodice that was practically see-through. No offense to anyone who makes or wears those kind of dresses, but I am a very modest person myself and I wouldn't want to wear that! Why would I ask my daughter to? Other designs try to cover up with fake flowers. That doesn't work for me either. I don't sew on a machine and, quite frankly, can't follow a sewing pattern very well. So I had to come up with a way to create a top without having to sew. After nights of pondering this problem, I invented the woven-bodice top. It's simple, really, though quite tedious. I simple weave the strands of tulle through the holes in the crotchet-elastic top. When finished, the top is no longer see through and we are left with a beautiful dress anyone would be proud to put on her little girl.
I wanted this dress to be very full and elegant. I used light-blue for the majority of the gown but also accented it with silver tulle. I also used light-blue and silver ribbon. There are six layers of tulle and enough ribbon that it almost creates a layer by itself. When I first put it on Lucy, it was very poofy at the top. I thought it looked cute but I also knew it would bother her so half-way through the photo shoot, I decided to tie a ribbon around the waist to keep it down. I absolutely love the way it looks with the ribbon sash.
This particular dress was sold on etsy to a wonderful family in Florida. Coincidentally, we happened to be in Florida, in Cinderella's castle, when I got the notification from etsy that someone wanted to buy it! Since that time, I have gotten to know this amazing woman and her beautiful, incredible daughter and we have become very good friends. It's funny how a dress can bring two families together! Though I don't have this exact dress anymore, I would love to make another one! If your little girl loves Cinderella as much as mine does, let's chat. We can make her the perfect gown as well. Who knows, maybe someday that little boy next door with the skinny legs will turn into her Prince Charming!