Cinderella Tutu

Cinderella Tutu
www.etsy.com/shop/glittertulle

Saturday, January 12, 2013

You're Never Too Old for a Tutu!

It's Saturday!  Thousands of teens and tweens are sleeping in right now, getting some rest for the big plans they have later this evening. Parties? Concerts?  Sleep-overs? Gigglying? Dancing? Listening to music? Talking about boys! Flirting with boys? And what apparel could possibly be more fun to wear for all of the above than a tutu? NOTHING!
I am in the process of designing an entirely new line of tutus for kids age 9-18+.  These tutus will be full of vibrant colors, bouncy, soft, and frilly.  Each of them has a unique theme that captures the interests of girls this age.  For example, today I plan on finishing my Zombie Tutu.  This weekend I also plan to finish the Rock'n'Roll Tutu, the Fabulous Fairy Tutu, and the Diva Princess Tutu. Next weekend, my beautiful little sister is going to be in town visiting and she has agreed to be my newest model!  I'm very excited about this because she's 17 and very cool. It doesn't hurt that she actually looks like she could be a model, too.  I should be posting photos of this new line next Sunday, assuming everything goes as planned.  Please come back and check it out!
In the meantime, I'll be posting pics of some bling I've been working on and a new infinity scarf that's so soft and sweet, it'll have you ready for Valentine's Day in an instant.
Don't forget that you can get 25% off any tutu from my ArtFire shop through tomorrow, Sunday, January 13 by entering coupon code FACEBOOK2013 at check out.
Happy Saturday, everyone!
Lucy is ready to rock this Saturday!

Thursday, January 10, 2013

To Swag or Not to Swag??

So, I've got a decision to make and I'd like some advice--particularly if you have any experience with this--but even if you're just good at making decisions, I want to hear from you!
I got an invitation to participate in one of the Swag Suites for the Oscar's.  It's not THE gift bag that the nominees get but it is a gift bag that celebrities get.  I have the opportunity to go to Hollywood, meet some celebs, and introduce them to my products.  Of course, it costs money. It's through an advertising company and they want--and deserve--compensation for such an opportunity.  I think this could be a really great opportunity, but I also think it would be a lot of fun! I've never been to California, I love the Oscar's, and it is possible that it could get my business some exposure.  But it's also a hefty investment.
So, what do y'all think? To swag or not to swag, that is the question!

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

New Boa Design

I've been working on a new tulle boa the last few days. Instead of using 6 inch tulle, I'm using 3 inch tulle.  I was thinking it might work well for a scarf for a tween, teen, or adult, but I'm not sure if it's going to work as scarf or not because it still looks very "boa-y."  I think a tween or a teen could probably wear a boa with no problems but I'm not sure if most women would want to wear one, not to work anyway.  What do y'all think?  Could it be worn as a scarf? Would your tween or teen wear a boa? I'd love to hear your opinions!
The new three inch tulle boa

This one is made from light pink and pink tulle

The original boa uses tulle that is 6 inches wide

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Valentine's Day Candy Cane? Why not?

Quick:  What are the colors of a standard candy cane?  If you said "red and white" you are correct and you are the winner of . . . . absolutely nothing!
Here's another easy one!  Name two of the three colors that we associate with Valentine's Day!  If you said "red and white" you are correct again!  But you still didn't win anything.  (We would have also accepted "pink and white" or "red and pink" but that's not important.)
So. . . if you are one of the many people that absolutely love the Red and White Candy Cane tutu, why not make it a Valentine's Day tutu instead? 
Imma is saying, "Come on friends!  It's Valentine's Day!  Check-out my gorgeous tutu!"
The tutu in the picture has 8 layers of high quality tulle in red and white.  It has an elastic waist that fits both my five year old and my 17 year old sister, not kidding.  It's over 2 feet long, flowing and gorgeous.  This one does have candy cane embellishments but I designed the skirt so that the candy cane decorations come off so that you can wash the skirt without having to worry about the plastic, round candy cane's getting damaged.  
Her shirt says "Joy."  Why is she so happy?  Because it's Valentine's Day, of course!
Add a rhinestone t-shirt with a heart or "Love" (Or even, "My mommy loves me!" Remember, I can put anything on a t-shirt in bling now!) and you've got yourself a gorgeous little girl all ready to party!  
In fact any of my red and white Christmas tutus can easily be converted to Valentine's Day fashion.
It looks like Christmas but it's really Valentine's Day!
Ehhh?
And--I am actually running a special through Sunday January 13th.  25% off all tutus if you order through ArtFire! That's quite a deal! It's even applicable on custom orders.  Just enter coupon code FACEBOOK2013 at check-out.  Please like us on Facebook and then head on over to ArtFire and check out what 25% off looks like.  My least expensive tutu is $6 before the discount.  That means they are $4.50 after the discount!
Thanks for visiting and have a lovely evening!

Monday, January 7, 2013

Giveaway Winner

So sorry!  I announced it on Facebook and not here!  The winner was a Facebook follower, Donna Espie! Congrats Donna!
I love to give things away so check back often for more contests! (And I promise to announce here as well!!)

Sunday, January 6, 2013

It Isn't too Late!

If you haven't entered to win a free tutu, all you have to do to enter is click the "Like me on Facebook" button on my blog and you will automatically be entered!  You can also sign up to follow my blog, which is fairly simple, but liking me on FB is super easy!  And you can win a tutu just for clicking a button!  AWESOME!!
Lucy is Merida. . . .Coming to a backyard near you, January 2013

7 Tips for Applying Rhinestones

Yesterday I posted about how I figured out how to make my own template and lay down Rhinestones to make my own pattern.  Today, I'm going to share some tips for doing this, should you decide to try it on your own.

I should also tell you, not only is it much easier to order pre-set rhinestones on-line but you can do this relatively inexpensively. There are sites that sell really great rhinestone transfers for less than $3.00 a piece. I really like Dakota Collectibles. There are several options for companies that make high-quality transfers so if you don't want to make your own, this is a great option. You can even special order rhinestone transfers so you can put your logo or company name on your t-shirt without all of the work that went into my company shirt!
You can also buy templates that are already made. These are re-usable and often much quicker than what I was showing you yesterday. Many companies offer templates where you simply spread the rhinestones over the template and the rhinestones collect in pre-cut divots and all you have to do is make sure they are facing the right way.  Again, much simpler than how I did it.  You can check out templates on sites such as Dazzling Designs and Apparel.  I've never used their templates but they look interesting. Just make sure you know what you are getting when you order.  Some templates are just a paper drawing and you will still have to hand place all of the rhinestones with tweezers the way that I did.
There are also a lot of places where you can order loose rhinestones. You can get them at specialty craft and hobby stores, like Michael's but they are probably going to be more expensive if you get them at a store instead of ordering on-line.  I order 10 gross of loose rhinestones from Blingin' It Wholesale for about $11.00, plus shipping.
Okay, so this is what I learned from my first attempt at applying bling to a template!
1. The bigger the better! It's much easier to manipulate the rhinestones and use the tweezers if you have a pattern where the rhinestones are spread apart.  When you get into designs where they are touching, it's harder.  If you think it looks better for them to be closer together then by all means, take the time to do it, but if you can spread them out and your design still looks great, then go for it!
2. Start off simple.  I started off with some pretty intricate letter stencils.  It made it a lot harder than if I would have just chosen some straight lettering or a simple picture.  It turned out just as awesome as I had envisioned it would but, like many things in life, starting out simple and building to the more complicated is probably a better idea.
3. You will get better with the tweezers the more you use them. At first, I felt like I was trying to use chopsticks for the first time.  After about an hour, I noticed I was really getting the hang of it and could move pretty quickly.  (It took about an hour and a half to do the shirt I showed you yesterday.  I also did a few other small projects after that.) So, don't give up.  Keep working at it and eventually you will find your rhythm.
4. Dumping the rhinestones out helps.  So does shaking the plate.  I never tried to turn a rhinestone over with the tweezers.  I just shook the plate until they were facing the right direction.  The rhinestones are weighted so they naturally tip over.  If they are face up then it's pretty simple to get them to flip and it's much easier to do it by shaking the plate or pouring out more rhinestones than it is to try to turn them with the tweezers.
5. Tape is sticky!  I taped the template to the table and then taped the tape (the transfer tape I was placing the rhinestones on) sticky side up so that I could put the stones directly onto the transfer tape. Be careful when you are doing this not to touch the tape because it's hard to get un-stuck from the tape.  A couple of times I flipped the whole design when I was trying to move one rhinestone.
6. Watch the edges!  You want to cut the tape so that you leave plenty of clearance around the outside edges of the design. One of my templates was very close to the edge and not only did it make it difficult to manipulate the rhinestones and the template that way, it made it more difficult to apply the transfer to the t-shirt.
7.Be proud of yourself! I know I was a lot prouder of myself than anyone else was when I finished my "Glitter and Tulle Boutique" shirt.  But that's okay!  Only you know how difficult the task was to finish.  And it's not simple, it's tedious work!  So, if you show someone the finished project and they say, "Oh, that's nice," continue to be proud of yourself and try not to throw anything at that person. (This is difficult! You will want to throw something at him or her!)
*Bonus* Though this post is not about applying rhinestone transfers,  (there's a lot of info on the web about that, especially on YouTube) I do want to tell you something I have learned while I'm applying the rhinestones that I haven't seen on any tutorial.  If the shirt happens to stick together (back and front stuck, stuck, stuck!) you can easily pull it back apart as long as the glue is still hot.  So, if you don't put something non-sticky between the front and back of the shirt (or whatever you are applying the transfer to) like a sheet of Teflon, just pull it back apart as soon as you pick the shirt up.  It'll be fine! If you wait until it cools, that makes it a little harder but I've never messed a transfer up by pulling the shirt apart.
What questions do you have?  Let me know!  You can always email me here: Glitter and Tulle Boutique