Bold colors and polka dots (or how Minnie Mouse would thrive with Ixia dresses)

Polka dots seem to be a timeless pattern for different kinds of garments; from casual frocks to formal attire. When paired with dark colors, polka dots look quite elegant and refined, especially when the dots are smaller in size and cover the piece like freckles. Just imagine a lady in a long navy wrap-up dress with white polka dots, wearing dark sunglasses and a straw sun hat with a matching navy scarf tied around it, sporting a big white handbag and peep toe heels of the same color... You just got yourself a true chic ensemble!

But today I want to focus on the other side of polka dots. The "fun side" of polka dots. Like when you see any kind of red clothing bathed in white polka dots and you immediately think about Minnie Mouse. In fact, Minnie's signature red polka dot dress could, in fact, be one of the most iconic polka dot gowns in history. We've seen her wear the same dress in pink less often, and more recently in blue during this year's "Minnie Rocks the Dots" event. Just in case you missed the cue, Uniqlo and Minnie have teamed up to launch a new clothing collection this year named "Minnie Mouse Loves Dots"; and guess which pattern will become the new trend? You got it!

Definitely Minnie's signature red polka dot dress cannot be overrun by any other gown, but one of my personal favorite brands might just be the thing you're looking for if you want to look as chic as Minnie Mouse. These yellow and pink polka dot dresses that I'm wearing in the pictures above and below are manufactured by the incredible clothing brand Ixia. They are comfortable, well made, light but sturdy, and they fit like a glove. Both models are swing dresses, with very nice movement in the skirt when you, well, swing and dance. Each one features a different bodice: the pink one has a simple fold over top, with straight shoulder straps and a built-in belt attached at the waistband for you to tie it back in a pretty bow. The yellow one came with an adjustable and removable halter strap and a pleated top. Nevertheless, both follow the same sizing chart.

The dresses are somewhat stretchy, since they are made with 97% cotton and 5% spandex, and they also have an elastic backing to help accommodate a perfect fit. You can wear them with or without a bra since the bodice is padded. Both the pink and the yellow models feature a zipper on the back and a circle skirt, though the description might deceive you because they usually tag them as A-line dresses. Dare to wear the dress with a petticoat and you'll get yourself a very nice volume in the skirt. Don't worry, if you don't exactly dream about full dresses, you can simply sport them as they are. But coming back to the main idea behind them, these bold colors turn polka dots into a really fun and fresh way to wear them. The combination is perfect for young and young-at-heart ladies who are into the 50s era fashion with a modern twist. You can find these dresses and other models in a wide array of colors, including jade, black, lavender, white, coral, fuchsia, navy... and red too! I'm sure Minnie Mouse would approve these dress collections, and perhaps even get a few for herself.

It's not very common to know Ixia unless you've casually stumbled upon it. The reason behind it is that Ixia has neither a physical store nor an online shop, webpage, or social media channels. However, you can find Ixia dresses at Amazon or Ebay, or even through retailers like Modcloth, LA Showroom, RetroGlam and others. I was lucky enough to come across this exquisite clothing brand while rummaging through a random clothing store in my neighborhood, which sells garments from random wholesalers. The first dress I spotted was the pink one, and I just had to have it. It was like love at first sight. The store only had medium and large, but I couldn't care less and decided to purchase it anyway. The next time I went by the store the yellow one caught my attention through the window.

I love these Ixia dresses and am proud to have them as part of my wardrobe. Every time I wear them I feel like channeling Minnie Mouse and I pair them with classic heels, just like Minnie! So if you feel like these are the right choice for you, go ahead and get a couple of them. I currently own four Ixias and I'm planning to get my hand on a few more. *evil laughter*

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PS: Please note that both garments are "dry clean only", but soon I'll be uploading a tutorial on how I take good care of them at home. 

New YouTube series: Party decorations (DIY)

It's taken me almost two weeks to get back posting here, since I've been super busy organizing and classifying stuff stashed in different rooms in our apartment. But here I am! So, the good news is that I recently made a new video (available here on YouTube), which is the first of many from my new series: "Party decorations (DIY)". This series is intended for people who love to throw parties or meetings and enjoy setting the scene with cool and creative DIY decorations, literally taking matters into their own hands.

The idea came from the moment when I started planning our civil wedding reception; a small BBQ celebration inside a brick gazebo. We had to diagram and design several decorations to embellish the scene, so we chose different models to create and use for our ornamentation project. This first video shows how to make lovely strings of hanging hearts and confetti.

More DIY decoration videos are on the way for my YouTube channel, as well as other tentative video series. Stick around for cool updates! 

15 years in my closet: Agatha Ruiz de la Prada

When it comes to choosing at-home clothing, I always go for a t-shirt and a pair of leggings or lycra pants. These provide me with maximum comfort, freshness and freedom of movement to go around completing chores. However, as a lady who cannot skip any occasion to wear a dress, I've found that there are certain type of dresses that suit this need, such as beach dresses and t-shirt-like dresses. These garments keep you freshly covered up while allowing you to move around without feeling too overdressed.

Being able to go up and downstairs, kneel down, bend forward, reach out and perform any other task at home is priceless, especially when you can do so as comfortably and fashionably wearing a dress like this one. Believe it or not, my parents got it for me at El Corte Inglés in Spain... fifteen years ago. In that time, designer Agatha Ruiz de la Prada was a full hit in Europe, even having her own spotlight with custom products at shops like El Corte Inglés. You could pretty much find anything designed by her: clothing, stationery, stickers, books, dolls, bedsheets; you name it. I adore her style, and that's exactly where I got my dress from.

This is a lightweight dress made of soft cotton jersey, printed with a grasslike pattern and featuring a sewn-on pink flower, one of the main icons repeatedly used by the fashion designer. The dress also has four functional yellow buttons on the back. One of the things I like the most about it is its composition, which makes you feel like you're wearing a long t-shirt. This comfort is achievable thanks to its loose high waist, its short sleeves and the t-shirt like fabric it's made of. Though the piece is a kids' size, I normally tend to buy clothing from the children's section at different stores because they fit me well enough. This explains that I can still get away with wearing this dress after fifteen years of closet existence. 

By the way, since the dress follows a clear inspiration from nature, I paired it with a green headband and a "Best friends" frog necklace from Claire's. The fact that I've been able to wear this piece for such a long time and keep it in an excellent shape makes it a big treasure in my closet. That is why one of my most recent goals is to switch more of my old t-shirts for dresses like this one, so I might be tracing some new patterns to get me going in this new project. I've also decided that when I have a daughter I'll follow Agatha's inspiration and design a whole rack of similar dresses just for her, hoping that she'll also love them as much as I do.

Thanks for reading! Follow me at @edu_and_joy on Instagram and Joy Casas on YouTube for more updates and posts about fashion. 

Hogwarts houses twin skirts

The first time my mom took me in a serious visit to our go-to fabric store, my target was finding one or two fabrics to rehearse my sewing skills. Back then I had started sewing using old pieces of fabric stashed in my mother's trunk, essentially making gathered skirts with a simple elastic waistband... probably one of the easiest clothing pieces to create. However, I was feeling like it was time to try out something more challenging.

Once in the store, we walked through every isle on each floor: on one hand she told me about different fabric names and uses, and on the other I inspected their colors, patterns and overall feel. Deep inside the third floor I spotted three colorful striped fabrics; a green/white, a burgundy/gold and a teal/gold. If you've been reading this blog lately, you probably already know that I am crazy about stripes. Many things went through my head in that moment. My first reaction was feeling the urge to purchase some of these fabrics and use them in my next project. Being a Potterhead, I also thought about the great resemblance between the first two with the house colors of Slytherin and Griffindor. Lastly, I imagined gathered skirts confectioned with these fabrics. 

Of course, I bought a meter and a half of the burgundy/gold and green/white and proudly took them home as my first two self-chosen and self-bought project fabrics. I opted out of getting some of the teal/gold because the color combination wasn't too convincing. In fact, on my next visit to the store the first two fabrics were completely gone, but there was plenty left of the teal/gold... even for the next two or three visits. I guess it wasn't so popular.

These two fit perfectly with my idea of trying out a different sewing method for gathered skirts, so I made a pattern to make two identical skirts with a wide waistband and a side opening. Both were made cutting the fabric length-wise, not from selvage to selvage. This guaranteed that the stripes were positioned vertically. I had zero experience sewing zippers into garments, so my method of choice to open and close the the skirt was a combination of three pairs of velcro pieces sewn along the left side and two pairs of hooks and eyes on the waistband to secure the fit. The waistband has a wide elastic underneath used as a base.

These twin skirts are super comfortable and have a lot of movement, and they're also wide enough to accommodate a petticoat underneath. The fabrics are glossy, a little stretchy and have quite a silky feel. Being shiny and smooth transforms them into garments that can be used formally combined with a nice top, or more casually with a fitted tee. In these pictures I paired them up with a black bowtie blouse (by Xiomi), a black cardigan (by Doll Me Up) and black lace wedges (by American Eagle) and a pair of small golden earrings. You might also notice my nails are painted to match the Slytherin skirt.

I originally named them "Slytherin Sweetheart Skirt" and "Griffindor Girly Skirt" respectively, but as a proud Slytherin myself, I have a slight weakness for the green/white. So all that is left is to wish one day I find similar fabric in blue/silver and yellow/black to complete my Hogwarts houses skirt collection.

 Keep coming back for more posts about fashion, tutorials and more! 

My lovely seamstress-inspired dress

Calling myself a professional seamstress is too much for me, but I do consider the experience I've harvested through these last years has developed my sewing skills, being able to handle more defying projects every day as a self-taught seamstress. I really can't put into words the way I feel when I walk into a fabric store and face shelf upon shelf stacked up with endless fabrics. The colors, the textures, the smells, the prints... everything revolves around me awaking my senses. Every visit to a fabric store is a unique experience for me.

There was one particular visit that made me thrive in enthusiasm. It happened about a year or so ago. I was rummaging through the cotton fabrics (as usual) and came across a new row of printed textiles. While idly choosing a couple of potential candidates, my jaw dropped as soon as I spotted it: a black fabric printed with colorful sewing-related items and words. It was inevitable, and I immediately fell in love with it. Naturally, I had to have it, especially because as soon as I saw it I visualized the garment that would come out of it.

The dress you see in these pictures was the fabulous outcome of that meant-to-be encounter. It has simple construction, featuring a bodice with a semi-gathered skirt attached just below the waist. The top is criss-crossed by four thin straps that form a double "X" on the back, adding in a nice detail. The black background of the cotton fabric makes a great contrast with each of the items presented: colorful thread spools and buttons, seam rippers, needles, pin holders, thimbles, scissors, measuring tapes, and four basic words for a seamstress: Sew, Baste, Stitch and Hem. You can also spot a pink stitched heart that conveniently reads "Love to sew".

The dress is very light, unrestrained and extremely comfortable, perfectly made to walk around in it. In fact, I took it for a stroll at Islands of Adventure and even got nice compliments from a super sweet clerk in one of Toon Lagoon's shops, who told me she came from a family of seamstresses and hat makers. By the way, did you know that the art of making hats is called "millinery"? In the photos I paired up the dress with my beloved black cardigan by Doll Me Up, and my new pair of uber comfortable gray and aqua slip-ons by Champion (from Payless Shoes Source). I also combined it with a pair of neon yellow D Heart heels.

It seems that every time I confect a new garment it becomes one of my favorites... But this dress really is one of my favorites, especially because it is directly related to my love for sewing.

 If you liked my story, stick around for more! 

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

"We always need an excuse to celebrate" was the motto of an old video series that I began producing some years ago. Though I eventually dropped the episodes because of time issues, I still believe this phrase is valid... And today is Cinco de Mayo! This holiday commemorates the Battle of Puebla, where the Mexican army achieved an important victory over the French forces, who attempted to colonize Mexico through an invasion in the name of Napoleon III.

Cinco de Mayo should not be mistaken for the Independence of Mexico. The latter is celebrated every 16th of September in commemoration of the "Cry of Dolores", the first military movement that would gave way to the independence of Mexico. Some people also confuse Cinco de Mayo with the Day of the Dead, which takes place on November 2 as a religious festivity to remember and pray for those who have departed.

Every year, Cinco de Mayo is celebrated in Puebla with military parades. In fact, it is a federal holiday and it's not commemorated in every part of Mexico. People around the world have popularized the festivity because it is seen as a celebration of Mexican cultural heritage and traditions. That is why some people choose to drink beer or tequila, eat Mexican food, listen to rancheras and corridos, and decorate with Mexican ornaments during this holiday.

Did you know tacos aren't exactly traditional Mexican food? Well, at least not the kind of tacos you can find at fast food restaurants like Taco Bell. The real Mexican taco is made with a soft corn tortilla, and it doesn't have cheese (it sounds like a blasphemy, doesn't it?). The main ingredient in a taco is meat, usually mixed with ingredients like onions and cilantro. Below you can appreciate a small gallery of one of my favorite dishes ever (tostadas!), which happens to be a typical Mexican platter. By the way, I recently had a discussion about this being fast food or not. What do you guys think?

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How to resize a shirt [Tutorial]

It's pretty common to have some ill-fitting shirts in our wardrobes, which usually consist of garments bought without trying them on, or a gift from someone who clearly wasn't familiar with your size. Instead of stuffing these in the abysmal depths of your closet wondering if we'll ever get to wear them, there is a more appealing solution to this problem: resizing your shirt with this easy and quick method.

Below you will find a simple tutorial on how to resize a shirt. Hopefully it will help you recover some clothes that you thought you'd never use again. Please note that this tutorial focuses on reducing the size of a shirt, not increasing it.

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Easter is the season of pastels

Every time that Easter comes near, it seems as every store fills its shelves and shopfront with colorful pastel tones. Chocolates and candies, balloons, flowers, Easter egg baskets and candles are only some of the products offered in these hues. However, we can also easily find season-appropriate kinds of clothes, shoes and accessories tinted in powder blue, baby pink, light yellow, aqua, lavender, lilac, pale orange, mint, or other pastel colors.

For example, I recently came across these beautiful wedges at Payless Shoe Source, especially designed for this brand by Christian Siriano. They are everything you could wish for when searching for an ideal Easter outfit: the braided wicker platforms that remind you of woven baskets, the exquisite floral pattern reminiscent of Spring, the use of pastel tones like cream, lavender, light blue and lilac, and lastly the evidently fresh and delicate strap design, again resembling a slight weave.

I chose these shoes as the base for my Easter ensemble. The next item I selected was my "A hint of Spring" skirt, which I confectioned out of an old fabric rectangle that my aunt gave to me. Naturally I chose the skirt because of its nice volume, colors and flower pattern. The difference between this skirt and the other gathered skirts I've sewn is that this one has no zipper. Instead, it has a completely elastic waistband which provides it with a better fit and comfort (plus, it can size up or down on its own).

To complete the look I went with a 3/4 length sleeve unicolor shirt made of lavender tinted cotton. The piece has a small pocket on the left, and decorative button straps on the edge of each sleeve. This shirt is perfect to balance out the floral patterns and match one of the most prominent colors of the wedges.

I also accessorized the outfit with a heart-and-pompom pendant hanging from a golden chain, a floral-printed ball bracelet in pastel hues, and a second bracelet with real tiny flowers covered in resin (a perfect finishing touch for Spring!). Finally, I used some cool pastel-colored hair twists (by Avon) to weave my wavy hair into a fun and easy hairdo.

Spring has always been one of my favorite seasons because it's the time when flowers bloom with beautiful colors and textures. For some reason I feel a deep admiration for flowers and can't hold myself from contemplating these beautiful beings. So, seeing as it's a perfect occasion, I want to wish you all a happy Earth Day!

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Star Wars 40th anniversary inspiration

The Star Wars Celebration wrapped up this weekend after four glorious days of commemorating 40 years of this amazing saga. The event took place at Orlando, Florida, and featured fantastic panels of guests, live interviews, behind the scenes and screenings, autograph signings, and a touching storytelling tribute to Carrie Fisher. Visitors could also tour around the Star Wars art show, explore movie props, costumes, life-size replicas and scenery, and shop for Star Wars merchandise in over 200 stands at the exhibit hall. 

My take for this 40th anniversary Star Wars celebration came in the shape of two heart-warming dresses that I was able to purchase in my last visit to Walt Disney World. Featuring two of the most beloved droids in the galaxy, BB-8 and R2-D2 respectively, the outfits fit perfect for the occasion. These belong to a collection of four Star Wars dresses sold by the DisneyStore, which also include a C-3PO model and a galactic Star Wars logo version.

DisneyStore®

All four dresses have a cotton t-shirt-like top printed with the droids' icons in color and glitter detailing, with a gathered detail on the sleeves. My two dresses come with a white top attached to a soft two-layer tulle skirt with polyester taffeta lining. Both are presented with a silver stretch band placed just over the waist, where the top meets the skirt. While R2-D2's model has matching dark blue tulle and lining, BB-8's version has a droid icon printed over white lining, which peeks out through the tulle's orange mesh.

The other two dresses are made with yellow and black tops with color-matching skirts. The BB-8 and C-3PO models are out of stock already, and apparently won't be restocked again. I had seen these dresses on the DisneyStore webpage, but got to try on the R2-D2 one at the Legends of Hollywood shop in Disney's Hollywood Studios. I bought the artoo dress straight away, but was able to snag the BB-8 one exactly my size after the clerk told me it had been sold out everywhere, and suggested to give it a shot online.

The bright colors, the fresh fabric, the full tulle skirts, the comfortable fit, and of course the timeless and memorable characters pictured in each dress make these outfits my top picks for this week and pretty much any other moment in life.

Although I was sadly unable to attend the event, I watched most of it through live stream. Gladly, I was able to watch several surprises being unveiled, such as a new poster and a movie trailer for The Last Jedi, a sneak peek of Star Wars Rebels season four, hints about new characters and storylines, and a debut appearance at Star Wars Celebration by Harrison Ford. Guest speakers included directors George Lucas and Rian Johnson, LucasFilm president Kathleen Kennedy, executive producer Dave Filoni, music composer John Williams, actors Warwick Davis, Mark Hamill, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Kelly Marie Tran, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, Ian McDiarmid, Billie Lourd, Billy Dee Williams, and other incredible panelists.

LucasFilm / Disney

So after this thrilling experience, don't forget to set your countdown clocks for eight months from now, as we brace ourselves for the premiere of Star Wars: The Last Jedi on December 15, 2017. I will definitely start preparing a special outfit for such an important day, and of course, I will be sharing it with you in due time.

Come back for more cool posts about fashion, crafts and other findings! 

A late Valentine's date

Two months have gone by after Valentine's Day festivities, but I'm still celebrating because love is everywhere! To commemorate this lovely day, I'm sharing the pics of my chosen ensemble for the day.

Naturally, just like Aerosmith's song says "Pink is the color of passion, 'cause today it just goes with the fashion", I chose a bright pink princess dress that I confectioned a couple of years ago, but I never had a good opportunity to wear it.

 

The dress is made of a slightly heavy and somewhat shiny synthetic fabric in an almost neon pink hue. It features a bodice with puffy sleeves and a square neckline, complete with a gathered skirt. To add a finishing touch, I added a light pink ribbon to the waist. I also wore light pink heels (by Zabumba), a small red heart-shaped hair clip, a tiny silver heart-shaped pendant necklace, and a combination of different white and pink bracelets in different tones and shapes.

What I love the most about endowing my dresses with full skirts is the flare and movement they provide to them, allowing the skirts to swing freely when you dance, move or walk. Adding a petticoat underneath makes them even puffier, and the dress feels like a small version of a princess gown.

Keep celebrating love with tiny details every day. Hooray for pink!

Stay tuned for more fashion and crafts posts.