Style Parade: Black Swan edition

And now...the big reveal!

For the bodice I considered using a corset but I'm on a budget (plus I like things like breathing and eating). Instead I opted for a stretchy black strapless tube variety and stitched a gather at the top to create a sweetheart neckline. I deconstructed a feather boa, then layered the feathers using hot glue and felt. Next, I applied jewels and more sparsely layered feathers.

I started with a standard costume tutu. I sewed extra wide grid tulle in gathers to the elastic waistline, then added even more feathers.

The Natalie Portman costume from the film shows her wearing the classic pale pink tights but I thought black would look better. When I spotted these ones from Urban Outfitters I knew they were perfect! I love how they reassemble ballet shoe wraps.

So there you have it.

Have a safe and fun Halloween everyone!

Costume:
Stretch strapless top: Charlotte Russe; $9
Plain black tutu: Leg Avenue; $20
Tights: Urban Outfitters; $15
Ballet flats: Target
Costume crown, modified. See process here.
Feather boa, deconstructed: Party City; $20
Embellishment jewels: Michael's; $4
Extra tulle: JoAnn's fabrics; $2

Make-up:
-elf liquid eyeliner in black & silver, available at Target; $3
-L'oreal lipstick in Plush Velvet, black liner
-Porcelain foundation & translucent face power

Demo time!

So...the other day these 3 guys came into the backyard yesterday and did this:

One of those guys is my brother in law. We're finally getting started on the backyard beautification project. yay! I was hoping to have things wrapped up by our Halloween party this weekend but it's a no go. When my husband asked about how long, his brother replied "Two weeks" which instantly reminded me of The Money Pit. haha. Let's hope that's not the case here.

So far they've removed the retaining wall, spa equipment, jack-hammered the top layer of the spa and capped off the electrical. I'll be posting the progress so stay tuned (or whatever the blog equivalent to that is).

Reasons why I heart Halloween

Like many kids over the years Disney has definitely played a part in my love for Halloween! Here's a classic scene from Ichabod / The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Enjoy!

P.S. Jumping on the viral video bandwagon. If you haven't seen this one, you should definitely watch it. Warning: this one is loud for all those reading this at work.



Thanks Laura, for posting about this.

Becoming the Black Swan: Make-up

Hey all! You might have noticed that posting has been a bit light lately. I've been very busy working with clients & social events this month and it's getting down to crunch time. All this action hasn't left me much time for blogging, but I wanted to pop in and say hello and show you all a sneak peak of my Halloween costume make-up. This look took about 50 minutes to complete, 45 if you subtract the 5 minutes it took to clean up the oil make-up remover I accidentally sprayed over the bathroom wall...ugh.

I can't wait to show you all the rest of my costume. It's killer. 

Barbie girl

Say what you want about Barbie, but I still think she's fabulous.

My inner 6 year old was jumping with joy.

photos from a Sunday visit to the California Design Exhibit at LACMA.

Equestrian inspiration

I have a lovely equestrian inspired Etsy round-up for you all today.

Imagining a rather regal pair-

of vintage flair,

his & hers alike.

Enjoy!

Click here for shop links

Two.

I love this old photo of us. My friend Lisa mailed it to me just after we announced our engagement. It's one of those true candid moments, caught by another. It was the night of my senior prom (1999) and my parents had just finished converting our attic into a rec room. After the dance a group of us had a little after party up there.

------

So it's been two years of marriage and 13 years together for us. We be celebratin' tonight with a couple of our friends at Pirate Dinner Adventure. Yes, we really are that cheesy and awesome at the same time. 

Then yesterday, before I threw out a stale fortune cookie I cracked it open (because it might be bad luck or something) and I had a huge smile after reading this...

Thanks for the timely forecast fortune cookie!

So what did I do? Tape it to a card and give it to my sweetheart of course!

If you're an old school fan of The Simpsons, you probably remember The Last Temptation of Homer episode in which Homer considers cheating on Marge, especially after his fortune cookie dooms his fate "You will find happiness with a new love." Really, they just ran out of the "Stay with your wife" cookies. haha.

Becoming the Black Swan: Tiara

There are times in crafting when the smallest details are the trickiest. I must say that was the case with the tiara for my black swan costume. Honestly I could have just painted a plastic crown and called it a day but I really wanted it to look as authentic as possible.

I'm not good at starting from scratch on things, I'm much more skilled at modifying. Against my better judgement I channeled my inner 10 year old boy and decided to set a plastic crown on fire. I know, totally dangerous and hazardous. I wore a mask & rubber gloves and headed outside. I set up near the spa just in case things got out of hand and needed to chuck the tiara inferno into the water. It actually wasn't that bad - I handled with metal tongs over foil and melted sections with a tealight.

BEFORE

I was moderately happy with the melted results, but it needed a more deformed look. I came across a post somewhere in the blogosphere (sorry don't remember) about making a cheap tiara using tin foil.

A-ha moment.

As you can see I wrapped rolled tin foil around the melted tiara then affixed with hot glue.

Next I took it back outside and spray painted the whole thing matte black. I used spray paint formulated for plastic. After letting it dry for about an hour I used a combination of silver metallic craft paint and silver & black glitter glue to highlight sections of the tiara. I finished it off with some plastic jewels and here's the end result:

I'm pretty thrilled with the outcome. Not exactly like Natalie Portman's but close enough.

Becoming the Black Swan

Source: elle.com

After watching Black Swan I instantly started scheming on how to recreate this look for Halloween. And of course I'll be sharing my progress along the way.

I found this amazing make-up tutorial on how to recreate the look. Side note: her voice is strangely soothing...I might be in a trance after watching it.

The costume would be pretty simple to recreate. It's all about starting with a basic corset & ballet skirt, then embellishing from there. Although I'm taking a more authentic approach to the costume, I was very tempted to stray after finding these...

Source: carol-hannah.com

 Can you imagine a Black Swan masquerade costume?

I can and it's gorgeous!

source

Are you dressing up for Halloween?

What are your costume ideas? Share in the comments below!

Lovely autumn hats

What better way to welcome autumn than to adorn your crown with one of these festive vintage hats! These be stunning in a wedding surrounded by a red and orange leaf forest. Sigh..

Hats from Poppycock! Vintage
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Ouija Inspired Halloween Invitation

I had so much fun designing this year's invitation to our annual Halloween bash - everything from the wording to last minute sparks of creativity. I wanted it to look like an authentic spirit board. Luckily I was able to track down a high resolution scan of the Parker Brothers Ouija board game that I modified with custom text. I downloaded the Captain Howdy font here. 

Here's a closer look of the inside wording. I blurred out our address for privacy purposes :)

You got a little sneak peak of the outside of the invite from my latest 365 post. Disney Haunted Mansion fans will surely recognize this little rhyme from the Madame Leota seance scene. Adding the kraft paper band was a total afterthought but I love how the quote works with the spirit theme. 

Even Mr. Poli was impressed.

Interesting fact about me: I've never actually used a Ouija board! The closest I've gotten to communing with 'the other side' was playing 'Light as a feather, stiff as a board' at a friend's sleepover when I was 11.

365 project: 9/13-10/1

How do you make an easy job difficult?

Put it off. Finally caught up with my 365 project. Whew!

Left Target empty-handed after the rush for Missoni.

Made new pillow covers for Halloween.

Burger craving.

Sushi date with Mr. Poli.

Dramatic chandelier spotted at the mall.

 Watched The Red Shoes. Loved it.

 Current read & my favorite fall scent.

 If I were a hipster, I would look like this.

 First day of Fall, my most favorite season of all.

 Post office guy: "Regular or pretty?"

Me: "Pretty!"

 Watched Rebecca. Loved this one too.

 Creepy shadows around the house.

 Feeling girly today.

 The first signs of Fall.

Season appropriate live wallpaper for my smart phone.

 Sending out invites for this year's bash.

Kicking off October with seasonal brew tasting & the fabulous Mr. & Mrs. Lusk.