March DisneyBound Challenge 2019 outfit summary

It's THAT time of the year again! March flew by so fast that the only thing I actually remember doing is bounding through the whole month. I must confess this year's DisneyBound challenge caught me off guard (just like last year), except that this time I had the experience of the past DBC and the Fall Into Disney Style challenge from October. Phew! Here's a good summary of what went down last month.

Definitely, participating in your first DisneyBound Challenge is both exhilarating and scary, especially if you've rarely (or never) done it before because you just don't know where to begin, how to organize yourself and how to align your expectations. All you want to do is start channeling your favorite characters and showing your best Disney side, which is exactly the point of Disneybounding. However, the more you do it and participate in these long-term events, the better you get at planning your outfits and photos ahead of time, which ultimately plays in your favor. By the way, you can read my summary about last year's DBC right here!

I've been seeing plenty of dear Disneybounders out there who are naturals at recreating characters, attractions, snacks and even obscure items from Disney films. The dedication that goes into every post is incredible! That's why one of the best parts of DisneyBounding is discovering amazing fellows who share your passion, and interacting with them thanks to our strong feelings for Disney. I feel overjoyed and inspired by everyone sharing their best outfits prepared with all their love, creativity and Disney flare. It's 31 days of friendship, fashion, magic... and a little madness.

This year I felt quite proud of my Disneybounds, especially since eight of them were featured on the official Disneybound's Instagram stories. (Yay me!) The DBC included some new themes like DuckTales, Mary Poppins Returns, 80s styles, Kim Possible and Meet the Robinsons, as well as other recurring topics from last year such as sidekicks, Marvel and characters who are/wear green.  People usually find at least a couple of prompts to be particularly challenging, but the good news is that there's always a way around them: all it takes is thinking outside the box (or closet), or skipping/swapping it for another. Either way, it's all about the fun, just as each year more and more people jump in the DisneyBound fun-wagon.

As a fun fact, the Instagram hashtags #DisneyBoundChallenge and #MarchDisneyboundChallenge escalated to over 46,000 and 21,000 posts respectively this March. I strongly encourage you to follow these hashtags to check out all the amazing Disney-inspired attire put together by everyone who partook in this event. Plus, if you haven't already, you must take a good look at the holy grail and sparkler of this trend: @TheDisneybound

I also want to dedicate this tiny space to make a shout out to some of my favorite March outfits by fabulous DisneyBounders, several of which I also have the privilege of calling my friends. Make sure to check them out!

1. @allthingsbritneylee 's Giselle 2. @dislifeofaya 's Morph 3. @dapperonthedaily 's Mama Odie 4. @sarawtsumtsum 's Judy Hopps 5. @ashleyromantic 's Bo Peep and Woody 

6. @daily.disney.dreaming 's Rapunzel 7. @ambiguousleahcosplay 's Ariel 8. @disroebounder 's Kida 9. @krazykellpics 's Haunted Mansion 10. @didney_magic 's Purple wall 

11. @yay.ima.llama.again 's Tamatoa 12. @quirkychrissy 's Flounder 13. @bryanagriffith 's Dot 14. @kati.nanna.bonana 's Huey, Dewey and Louie 15. @the_littlest_pan 's Hit Cat 

16. @whimsical_lindsical 's Georgette 17. @pixiedustedprincess 's Dr. Delbert Doppler 18. @chim_chim_caity 's Ray 19. @camillakari 's Elastigirl and Jack Jack 20. @shellygram87 's Jane

It was an absolute honor flooding the Instagram feed with Disney fashion all through March alongside these and so many other fantastic DisneyBounders! We'll just have to wait and see what next year's challenge holds for us, while we DisneyBound our way through life. By the way, don't forget to see my wacky #DisneyboundBloopers right there on Instagram. We like to show our fails in the process of taking great pictures! If you liked what you saw, please follow my Instagram account @edu_and_joy to check out all my DisneyBounds and other shenanigans.

Keep an eye out for upcoming posts! 

March DisneyBound Challenge 2018 outfit summary

It's obvious that this year has been slow for me in terms of blog writing. Only one post in three whole months! However, I must highlight that I've been a little busy planning a new project that you'll likely discover soon enough. But, I really didn't want March to go by unnoticed because of the wonderful experience in which I took part during the last 31 days.

For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you've probably already noticed that every single day of March I have posted a Disney-inspired outfit portraying a Disney character, item or park. What you may not know is that every year the fabulous Leslie Kay promotes the March DisneyBound Challenge from her well-known @TheDisneybound Instagram account and her DisneyBound Tumblr. Following the hashtag #DisneyBoundChallenge you will find quite a fashionable flood of Disney-inspired ensembles from hundreds of Disney fans from all around the world.

The trick about the DisneyBound Challenge -it is a challenge, after all- is that you must follow a pre-determined theme for each day of the month. This year some of the topics included movies like The Little Mermaid, A Wrinkle in Time, and Cinderella; characters like princes, sidekicks and villains; and even some other themes like rule breakers, 90s styles and park attractions.

According to @TheDisneybound, this year's challenge doubled the amount of Instagram posts using #DisneyboundChallenge, going from less than 14,000 images before the challenge started to an overwhelming post count of almost 29,000. This implies there's a flowing river of Disney-inspired outfits to admire and take inspiration from. What I liked the most about this challenge was seeing all the different styles, combinations and creative views within the Disney community. Everyone comes together, free to use their imagination and express their personality, thanks to a conjoined love and admiration for the happiest place on Earth and everything around it.

In the photos above you can see my 31 bounds for the month. It was so fun to participate in this year's #DisneyboundChallenge, but it was also a daring task to keep up with the challenge every day. I'm also really glad about taking the decision of changing my backdrops after the first four DisneyBounds that I posted. The extra effort of finding locations was really worth it! Feel free to visit my Instagram account @edu_and_joy to check out all my March bounds and some older Disney outfits from past months.

Remember to follow me on social media to get all my new posts! 

Mermaid Monday: Ariel visits the aquarium

Welcome, March! And welcome to my first post of the year! I seriously can't believe how fast time flies. It feels like it was yesterday that I made my last blog post, when in reality it's been three months. Ooops! Lots of things have been going on these months, but today I wanted to share our experience at the Barcelona Aquarium, a place I'd been wanting to visit since we arrived to the city, for a really cool Mermaid Monday (though I know it's actually Thursday).

First of all, no good visit to any aquarium could be complete without a proper Disneybound of an ocean-related character. Honestly, I feel it's very hard to find a comfortable and beautiful outfit with these cold temperatures. I wish I could Disneybound every day of my life, which is already quite a daunting task, but it's even more difficult when you have to wear three or four layers of clothes to protect yourself from the cold. I'm so not feeling like Elsa in winter! But with a bit of planning I was able to choose a nice ensemble to portray Ariel during my trip to the aquarium honoring a lovely Mermaid Monday.

My outfit was simple, but highly recognizable. The beautiful green mermaid dress by Retrolicious, which I got from The Oblong Box Shop, served as a wonderful base to channel Ariel. You can read a detailed review of this dress if you go back a few posts in the blog, or simply click here. Its green scaley pattern perfectly resembles the little mermaid's tail, while the dark purple cardigan tied over it evokes her sea shell top. Everything came together nicely with a pair of tropical-themed flats in a similar color scheme. Those weren't my first shoe option, but given that we had a long walk ahead of us, they started to seem like a pretty good choice. We left our coats and scarves inside a locker at the aquarium's entrance, since the building is completely enclosed and has no outdoor tanks or shows. Here's a little side-by-side:

We had a *splash* at the aquarium, where we got to see dozens of large fish tanks with around 450 different species of marine animals. Fish, eels, sharks, starfish, mantas, jellyfish, and even penguins made their appearances throughout the place. There are special daily "feeding show" schedules, where you can see crew members feeding some of the animals. My absolute favorite part was a long underwater tunnel filled with fish and sharks, which reminded me of the similar tunnels at the Boston Aquarium and Sea World Orlando. However, I must say that larger animals like orcas, walruses, dolphins and others were nowhere to be found. We really expected to see some big mammals, but the only sizable beast we saw was a really hunchbacked bull shark. He is the pride of the Barcelona Aquarium, and you can actually opt to swim with the sharks in that tank... for quite a high price!

Tickets are also a bit overpriced in relation to what you get to see, at least according to us, so it's nice to wait for discounts and offers. We actually got a great coupon with 4€ off each ticket. Savings, savings, come to me! Although it was a fun adventure, I think the Barcelona Aquarium definitely doesn't rank in my top three favorite aquariums. Regardless, it was a wonderful experience and this little Ariel is always glad to visit fishy friends. I truly felt like a mermaid in the ocean for a whole day. Aquariums are one of my go-to places all around the world... I think I'll be going back soon to get a new shark plushie from the aquarium store to add to my collection.

By the way, I was able to identify all the fish species from Finding Nemo swimming in different tanks. I'm guessing that after the movie became so popular, hundreds of aquariums around the world began to place these fish together for Disney fans to discover. You can use my guide "A study on Finding Nemo's aquarium fish" to look for them next time you go to any aquarium! Just follow this link. And speaking of Nemo, have you checked out @TheDisneybound 's new March Disneybound challenge? I will be partaking in this, so stick around my Instagram account to check all the Disney-inspired outfits I post this month. Let's get our Disney on!

Come back later for new posts and cool findings! 

Casablanca: 75th anniversary and timeless fashion inspiration

Today, the three-quarter century anniversary of the film Casablanca is a cinematic celebration around the world, commemorating its world premiere that took place back in November 26, 1942. Becoming one of the most beloved Hollywood classics, this romantic melodrama has transcended generations with its incredible settings, complex characters and fascinating storyline. Personally, this film ranks in my all-time top 5 favorites in no other than place number one.

Casablanca wasn't actually released until January 23rd of the following year. The film was nominated for eight awards at the 1943 Academy Awards, out of which it won three: "Best picture", "Best director" (Michael Curtiz), and "Best adapted screenplay" (Howard Koch & the Epstein brothers). Moreover, in 1998 the American Film Institute selected Casablanca as one of the movies in their "100 years, 100 films" list, featuring 100 of the greatest films of all time, and setting Casablanca in the second spot.

This film's plot perfectly combines action, drama, history and romance, taking us on an exotic voyage to the bewildering city of Casablanca. The characters have amazing personalities that entwine throughout the story, and you have pretty much everything you could expect from a movie: Beautiful scenery and costume design, good guys and bad guys, thrills and excitement, love scenes, scapegoats, a great soundtrack... You name it! The melody of "As time goes by" has been playing in my head all month long just thinking about those 75 years of the world being blessed with this movie.

While Rick Blaine is mysterious and captivating, it's easy to develop a love-hate relationship with his counterpart Ilsa Lund, essentially because of a frustrating feeling for what she did to Rick, and for how she approaches him throughout the film. However, she's still quite a charming woman, with an impeccable taste for fashion. Ingrid Bergman, the Swedish actress who portrays this character, did a wonderful job bringing Ilsa to life, but she was also able to deliver her a sense of elegance and poise. Not only are her outfits delicately chosen; (I'm surprised the film wasn't nominated for "Best costume design"); they are exquisitely flaunted by Bergman's enchanting figure. Below you can find a selection of Ilsa's beautiful wardrobe from several scenes pictured in Casablanca.

Taking her outfits as inspiration, and honoring one of my all-time favorite films, I put together a couple of ensembles to recreate Ilsa's divine and adorable looks. I am wearing a vintage white button-up blouse paired with a dark gray skirt and a black belt. I also added a head scarf, a gray-ish hat and a black trench coat (by Exotik) to complete the look and encompass a broader glance at her style. Also, following the black and white pure aesthetic of Casablanca, the photos were taken with B&W selective color. I've wanted to do a Casablanca homage since a long time ago, so what better moment to do it than today?

If you want to join the celebration of Casablanca's 75th anniversary, remember to tune TCM during November for TV screenings of this timeless film. If you haven't watched Casablanca yet, today's the day! I promise you won't regret it.

Come back later for more posts about fashion, crafts, and other curiosities! 

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice costume

This Halloween was not my typical Halloween. I couldn't decorate my house from top to bottom. I didn't throw or attend a party with my friends. I didn't even really prepare anything special for the occasion. It was quite depressing and discouraging not being able to celebrate my favorite season in a grand fashion, so I decided to at least dress up as a character I'd always wanted to portray: Beetlejuice!

I'm not gonna lie. I'd already started to put together the outfit since August, knowing that most of my clothes and stuff would be out of reach due to us moving away. I'd packed a black and white striped dress for the costume, but when I took it out and put it on last Tuesday (October 31st), I realized it didn't look quite right. The stripes were horizontal which, despite having that B&W striped look, didn't feel so Beetlejuice-y. I remembered packing my self-made B&W striped strapless dress (with vertical stripes), so I quickly searched for it on the package list and took it out of the correct box.

Doing my makeup was so much fun! This was the first time I ever did a full-face makeup, cheers on me! I used white base makeup paint to look paler, different tones of green and brown eyeshadows to depict Beetlejuice's decaying appearance, purple eyeshadows for his notable eye bags, and dark shadows every here and there. Recreating Beetlejuice's looks in a glam style turned out to be a killer idea, paired with a girly dress, a black leather jacket (from Stradivarius) and knee-high boots (from Splash Shoes). Of course, I couldn't leave out wearing a cool green wig to complement the look. I believe this costume was the best idea for a Halloween-saver. What do you guys think?

As a side note, I went for a walk on Halloween evening sporting my eccentric outfit. I think Beetlejuice is a very identifiable character because of his distinctive color scheme and rotting appearance. After all, didn't we all point at Robin Thicke in the VMA's for his "Beetlejuice suit"? But I don't think anyone recognized the character I was channeling! We need to turn on the juice and see what shakes loose and give Beetlejuice some more love!

Rumors have been going on since last year about an upcoming sequel for Beetlejuice, though nothing has been confirmed. Apparently, this past October Mike Vukadinovich was hired to rewrite the script for the film. Both Michael Keaton and Tim Burton have stated a couple of times that they would love to take part on a new Beetlejuice movie. Apart from the animated Beetlejuice series and the now defunct Beetlejuice's Graveyard Revue at Universal Studios Orlando, both of which I love, this cult character has remained untouched. I would personally love to see this happen, especially if that means living new adventures with the old, endearing characters. 

Keep yourself updated by following me on social media! 

Disneybound summary: August & September

New month, new Disneybound summary! I've combined August & September's Disney-inspired outfits into one cool post, showcasing bounds from four different animated films plus one iconic treat. Every single bound has been a new and exciting challenge, where I dare myself to put together the most fashionable and creative combinations. Now, let's talk about each ensemble.

Wendy

Have you noticed how most Disney princesses and some other characters tend to wear pastel colors? I'm completely in love with these color hues, but I scarcely have any pastel garments in my closet. Wendy is a great example of an iconic baby blue base, and I was lucky enough to have this old Zara dress in my closet. To make it a little bit more romantic I added my favorite cream cardigan from Doll Me Up. Finally, I accessorized the outfit with blue ribbons for the waistband and hair, silver star earrings and a thimble necklace... all winks to icons present in the film.

Note to self: sew more clothes in pastel fabrics.

Pongo & Perdita

Seeing as this doggy couple has a similar look between Pongo & Perdita, I decided to create the same aesthetic for both and switch the secondary color from red (Pongo) to blue (Perdita). It was a total win because I had the skirts, ribbons and headbands in both colors, so it felt like the outfits were meant to be. The base is a black & white spotted button-up by Jonathan Z, paired with inherited tennis skirts from Ellesse. I also styled my hair in two high ponytails to simulate dog ears.

Gaston

My, what a guy, that Gaston! This bound came to my mind as soon as I was given the scarlet polo shirt. I've never liked polo shirts, but I knew this one would serve a beautiful purpose for the outfit. Paired with a cropped mustard cardigan tied around the shoulders, and a vintage black skirt with a big silver belt buckle, the appearance it casts is phenomenal. To complete the look, I styled my hair in a high ponytail and a pompadour.

Joy

Joy as Joy. Nothing more to say. Since many years ago I've been dreaming about dying my hair, but I've never decided on finally doing it. That's why I recently purchased some bright-colored wigs to satisfy my whim of having colored locks. Portraying Joy through Disneybound was a perfect opportunity to wear this royal blue wig for the first time. I paired it with a yellow speckled cocktail dress (digitally altered to make it look slightly greener), royal blue eyeshadow and a ball pool ball I just randomly happened to have around my house. Doesn't the glow make the outfit pop?

Strawberry Minnie lollipop

Who says Disneybounding is only about characters? Trying out a new kind of bound was both challenging and thrilling. Truth be told, I'd had that lollipop inside my freezer for about three years, so I decided it was the right moment to experiment with it. This time I wore an old pink striped Zara shirt to recreate the lollipop's swirls, and a pink pencil skirt from French Connection. To top off the ensemble, of course I had to hold the strawberry lollipop itself!

Check out my Instagram account for more Disneybounds and other outfits! 

Twin floral sun dresses

Some women usually change their wardrobes following fashion seasons and trends, disposing or donating what they don't see fit to use anymore and rotating their clothes completely by the end of the year, or at least every once in a while. On the other hand, some other women tend to simply keep all their clothes even when they don't use them, because you never know when they might come in handy and, after all, trends tend to come back. The latter is the case of my mother's closet.

Throughout the years I've received a few vintage clothing inheritances from my mom, some of which have become quite useful and precious to me. One of my favorite pieces is a rayon sun dress printed with a tropical pattern of flowers and leaves in blue, green, purple and black. The garment is made by Kosi Bali, an old clothing brand which specialized in rayon clothing. The sole fact that it's made of rayon makes me love it immensely, since it is one of my all-time favorite fabrics to wear and work with.

I had to make a couple of alterations to the dress in order to fit me properly. One of the spaghetti straps was loose and had been shortened, so I let go the other strap and used them tied up halter-style. I also added two side pleats to the midriff area to make it tighter-fitting, since it was a size L. Other than that, the dress was (and still is) in incredible shape. Thank God for rayon being quite a durable fabric! I'd dare say this dress is among the ones I use the most, since I find it very versatile. It works well-paired with a fancy jacket, a button-up shirt or a basic cardigan. Throw in a pair of heels, sandals or flats and they'll look amazing together. Wear them with leggings or pantyhose and it's a hit. Accessorize and comb your hair accordingly... anyway it fits!

For these particular reasons, and because I found a beautiful and similar rayon fabric stuffed in our old fabric stash, I decided to clone the dress and give it a twin brother. Perhaps the cloning technique that I used was a bit crazy, but then again I hadn't sewn too many things yet. Thankfully, everything turned out OK. I cut out two pieces: one for the front and one for the back. I split the back piece in two in order to insert the zipper. Also, it seemed like the fabric wouldn't be big enough, but I managed to work well with it and make the dress fit within its limits. This twin dress also features side pleats and halter-tied spaghetti straps.

When you look at both dresses side-by-side, they truly look like they come from the same fashion brand, but little do people know that one of them is a clone. Not only are these dresses versatile, they're also really girly, comfortable and flowy. Rayon is quite a soft fabric, not too sheer, but not too heavy. It's also both warm and fresh. That's why I love rayon fabric so much! In addition to these features, rayon usually comes in beautiful prints, like the ones seen in these dresses. I really think this fabric was meant to turn into a twin dress to the first one, because they're so, so similar. For a relaxed beach style, I paired both of them with black flats, a stingray barb necklace, dry petal earrings and a high side hair braid.

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Strolling through Sea World in my colorful squares skirt

Whoever knows me very well can tell you how enormously fond of theme parks I am. It might seem shallow to some, but I think there's no greater feeling than walking into a magical land filled with excitement, thrilling rides, beautiful settings, scrumptious food and an overall mood of joy. It might be one of my favorite feelings in the world. Sometimes I feel sad and nostalgic when it's been a long time without me going to a top-notch amusement park, especially because such a wonderful place makes me feel at home.

The last time I visited Sea World was during our honeymoon, last March. I'd never really taken much care for what I wore to the parks, but with it being a special occasion and given that I'm really into sewing and fashion, I decided to pack better outfits for our adventures. In this case, I chose to wear a gorgeous black tee with a blue macaw (a gift from my husband) with my colorful squares skirt. You might find this skirt familiar because it is precisely the gathered skirt that I show how to make in my YouTube tutorial. Since the weather was quite cold, I paired the outfit with my favorite sweater: a cozy Jack & Sally reversible hoodie from Hot Topic. I also threw in a very loyal and comfortable pair of sneakers from the ever-fabulous Payless Shoe Source store.

First of all, I want to say that I didn't really plan the outfit. I just knew our honeymoon would be the perfect moment to debut this gathered skirt. While I was choosing what to wear to Sea World, I rummaged through the pile of black and white tees that I'd packed, until inspiration hit me as soon as I saw this macaw one. What I loved the most was that the colors of both garments were practically meant to be together. Actually, that's also my favorite thing about the skirt: the color palette. Greens, yellows, blues and black are all combined into a very well-thought squared pattern decorated with animal icons and names. The cotton fabric literally looks like kids' blocks tiled far and wide across a solid light blue background. This adds an element of fun to the skirt, and it sure looks curious!

This was certainly not the first gathered skirt I made. By the time I confected it I already felt confident enough to make it out of thin air, and that's why I used it to film the tutorial. I've received lots of positive feedback for it, encouraging me to make more sewing tutorials... Which I will make in due time (or when I actually HAVE time). For now, I just love to wear this colorful skirt knowing that maybe, just maybe, one day someone will recognize it.

Making a gathered skirt is not a very complicated project. I can tell you it's much easier than creating a dress or a jacket. However, when you're new at sewing you might find it to be a daring task, especially with the gathering process and inserting the zipper. Fortunately, this wasn't the case with my skirt, albeit the Slytherin and Gryffindor inspired skirts that I posted previously in the blog were totally the case. Featuring three meters of hand-gathered fabric, a medium waistband and a back zipper and hook-and-eye closure, this beautiful skirt falls into a girly-comfortable clothing category. It was delightful to wear it on a promenade through Sea World, hauling no complaints from yours truly. And, oh surprise, my outfit also matched the park's colors!

Naturally, I came to the conclusion that my colorful squares skirt deserved a spotlight with a review in my blog after being the protagonist of what has been my most popular YouTube tutorial so far. So here it is. We walked around the whole Sea World park. We rode Manta, Kraken and the newest Mako roller coaster. We were stranded for ten minutes in front of the penguin window inside Empire of the Penguin. We had to run and seek shelter from the rain. To my worst regrets, we did not get a chance to ride Journey to Atlantis because they decided to do maintenance that same day. We watched dolphins, turtles, sharks, rays, belugas, walruses and sea lions swim. I enjoyed the whole park in my incredible skirt and felt fabulous all day. I think I've found my staple clothing item for amusement parks!

I must say I already miss the enthusiasm and the adrenaline rush from being at the parks. Hopefully we'll get to visit one soon, and I'll have some more gathered skirts awaiting their debut at a theme park too.

Thank you for reading! Remember to follow our adventures on Instagram @edu_and_joy 

Disneybound summary: July

We're back with a new late edition of monthly Disneybounds! It seems like I've kept a somewhat steady pace posting at least four Disney-inspired outfits per month (one for each week of the month), though my goal is to increase this kind of post and, at least, double it. Let's see how I do in August!

In the past few weeks I incarnated four different Disney characters through fashion, portraying their personalities with cool and beautiful ensembles put together by yours truly. Belle, Duchess, Jasmine and Minnie Mouse (girl power!) were my characters of choice this time. My favorite one was definitely Belle, whose outfit I tried to match with the live-action movie ensemble. And in case you were wondering: the floral underskirt is actually a tactically-positioned scarf! You can also see me holding a vintage Chip cup from the 90's. The blue ruffled dress I wore is one of my favorite clothes ever (made by Super Dry). I'll make sure to review it later in another blog post.

There's a short story behind the Minnie-inspired skirt that I'm wearing in one of these pictures. During a Disney trip I made with my family years ago, I saw a little girl walking through the park sporting a skirt just like this one. I immediately fell in love with it and proceeded to look for that same skirt in every single park shop and Disney store, but it was nowhere to be found. I can only assume that her mother made it for her, so I decided to make one for myself. I believe it was the first skirt I ever made from scratch, since I was only beginning to get serious with sewing. Since then I've had lots of people complimenting me for it and even asking me to lend it to them.

Duchess was the easiest one to put together, keeping it classy and simple with a white dress, golden accents, and an elegant hair up-do. Contrasting with my previous "The Aristocats" Marie Disneybound, this white dress is more formal and graceful, while Maries's is playful and juvenile. Fun fact: I wore this white dress to my civil wedding! Finally, Jasmine was quite a challenge since apparently, I only own a couple of clothes in teal/turquoise shades. However, they matched perfectly and fit wonderfully with the vintage golden accessories that I was able to borrow from my mother, gather and combine with the outfit. I was especially impressed with how the shirt looked with the belt. It has been my most popular Disneybound so far, and I'd even add that it's one of the best-looking of all!

If you haven't already, follow me on Instagram @edu_and_joy to keep track of my Disneybounds, sewing projects and other adventures. See you later! 

Mer-made with love

There's something bedazzling about magical creatures that makes them the objects of our desire. Perhaps it's precisely due to the mystery behind their stories and whereabouts, or because of the legendary background and symbolisms that they carry, that dragons, unicorns, mermaids, monsters and other mythical beings are able to captivate us in such a romantic way. I think the fact that we're not able to see or interact with them is why we try to recreate these enchanted beasts through art, literature, music and even fashion.

In my case, I've always felt specially attracted to dragons and mermaids. Their mystique, beauty and delicacy blend almost perfectly with a strong presence, spirit of adventure and daring attitude. Particularly during these past years the "mermaid trend" has become evident in fashion through several different elements: pastel color combinations, the inclusion of seashells, corals and pearls in accessories and clothing, colorfully dyed hair, mixing and layering different shades of green and blue,  and the so-called mermaid-inspired makeup. We can also experience the love for mermaid styles of thousands of Instagram users through the popular hashtag #MermaidMonday.

And what better way to incarnate a walking-on-land-mermaid than wearing a mermaid-inspired dress? In these pictures I'm wearing a "Molly Mermaid Swing Dress" purchased from the fabulous online novelty clothing store The Oblong Box Shop. I was lucky enough to score this beauty before it vanished from their stock, even though I had to settle for a size M because they had run out of S. It was a tricky fix, so I ended up sharply taking it in on the sides. Still, just like a singing mermaid, the dress captivated my attention entirely and set me in a trance, magically ending up pressing the "buy" button.

This dress is made by Retrolicious, featuring a pleated halter top and a long circle skirt. The hem of the skirt hits quite modestly under the knees (frankly a little longer than I had expected), and the best part is that it has side pockets! The bodice is lined and has a circular neckline that holds it upright both in the back and front, without showing cleavage on the back despite the halter look. It has a long back zipper closure, allowing an easier fit. The garment doesn't have much stretch since it's made of 100% lightweight cotton, printed with the most fabulous mermaid-inspired pattern. This beautiful fabric is the main course of the dress itself. Designed to look like hundreds of small fish scales in about 10 different shades of blue and green, it becomes a perfect sea-worthy statement piece. Also, the alignment and combination of these scales create the effect of movement (especially on the skirt), resembling the waves of the ocean rippling above a playful mermaid's tail.

Needless to say, the dress fits nicely and gives you a pretty silhouette, while staying comfortable and fresh. It's also a perfect match for you if you love to go dancing, after all, it is a swing dress and it comes out magnificently as such. It would only be fair to show the dress' splendor by wearing it without accessorizing too much. That is why I only paired it with simple white peep-toe heels (by Qupid), six color-matching Chinese bead bracelets (which I was super joyful to find out that matched the shades perfectly), and small starfish-like silver earrings. I don't think a necklace is in order because of the delicate pleating on the top. It seems unnecessary to interrupt such a fine and symmetrical design just for the sake of including jewelry on the outfit.

I can't imagine not having this dress in my closet after wearing it and falling in love with it, in addition to getting lots of amazing compliments on it. I confess I'm completely entranced by the fabric, and feel very fortunate to have purchased this garment before it was discontinued by Retrolicious. If you like it, you might be able to find it at Amazon and Ebay from resellers.

It would be fairly interesting to see a similar dress with a dragon scales pattern, printed in a blend of fiery red, orange, yellow and gold shades.

Thank you for reading and stay tuned for more posts! 

Tropical Hawai'ian sarong dress: A sewing challenge made from scratch

It's been several years since I've become a super Hawai'ian addict. I'm not certain about where my deep love for Hawai'i and everything related to it comes from, but it has shaped my taste and driven an important part of my style toward tropical themes. I even decorated my room, celebrated my last birthday, themed our wedding and planned on setting part of our new home with a Hawai'ian design.

Following this trend, it's natural that I feel quite attracted to tropical patterns (especially on fabrics because of my seamstress instincts). That is why as soon as I spotted this light blue and pink hibiscus fabric, I knew it would be perfect for a new sewing project. It wasn't that hard to imagine what kind of garment could work nicely with it: I pictured a classical sarong dress almost immediately.

Since I didn't own a sarong dress it would be a great addition to my closet. The problem was that I couldn't find any sarongs or similar dresses among my pattern stash. After taking an online tour through some of my favorite but few shops that sell sarong dresses, I realized that most frocks featured faux wrap-around skirts. I really wanted a real wrap-around model, so I finally decided to take a leap of faith and create my very own pattern from scratch.

Drafting a pattern off the top of one's head is quite a challenging task, especially if you have no guidelines to help you do it. With a little imagination, calculating, a somewhat bold combination of two different bodice patterns, and a blend of hope and luck, I traced out a complete sarong dress pattern tailored to my measurements. After analyzing it for a while checking for imperfections, I crossed myself, began cutting out the pieces from the fabric and hoped for the best. There could be no room for big mistakes, since I always tend to buy only the necessary amount of fabric in order to reduce costs.

When all the pieces were cut, I proceeded to do everything the way most of us sew our garments. First I matched the edges and pinned them down, and then I basted everything in place. This was a specially tense moment because it became the first time I tried on the dress. To my very good luck I only had to perform some alterations to size it down and make it fit more snug. Then I sewed all the way until the dress was finished.

In the pictures you can see me wearing the completed dress, paired with a pink flower hair comb,  a white puka shell necklace, a pink Chinese parasol (which I got from the China pavilion at Epcot), and black sandal wedges (I forgot to pack more theme-appropriate shoes). The dress is made from lightweight printed cotton, with a light blue background covered in pale pink hibiscus and palm leaves. As I mentioned before, the garment is fully wrap-around, featuring a small side buttonhole that allows the inner belt to tighten the fit, wrap the open dress, and come forward to make a nice frontal bow with the other end of the belt. The bodice is made with two overlapping panels connected by a halter strap, also forming a sweetheart neckline. You can appreciate some subtle pleats in top half of the skirt, neatly draped forming a curve over the other half.

I have to say that the most challenging part was creating the pleats of the skirt without making it look bulky, as well as making sure that the wrap-belt was tight and strong enough to hold the whole dress in place. It is definitely one of the most daring sewing projects I've ever pursued, but after taking the risks I was extremely happy with the final results. I think I'll be making a couple other sarong dresses when I find the right tropical fabrics, which of course I shall be sharing in a future blog post.

Thank you for reading and keep a look out for more articles in the near future! 

Disneybound summary: June & May

I'd been wanting to join the Disneybounder community of the world since some time now. So, I've recently started to prepare and post on our Instagram my very own Disneybounds with regularity, and my goal is to keep that same rhythm. For those of you that the term "Disneybound" doesn't ring any bells, it all goes back to the year 2011, when blogger Leslie Kay began posting Disney-inspired outfits in a Tumblr account. In her own words, Disneybound is "a way of showing your love and appreciation of Disney through fashion". 

This idea has since become a trend and thousands of Disney fans have joined in the fun, sporting creative outfits resembling their favorite Disney characters and harvesting a broad community of followers. Disneybounders should guide themselves by their chosen character's color palette and style, but may tweak their look following special holidays (like Halloween, Christmas, Dapper Day, etc) or add in particular themes to achieve festival looks, dapper fashions, summer styles, and others.

Disneybounding is a great idea for those who love Disney but don't feel comfortable or simply dislike wearing costumes and cosplaying characters. The good thing about Disneybounding is that you can be as subtle as you like or as obvious as you can, without hitting the road to costuming. From your shoes to your head, it's your job to choose what clothes to wear and which accessories to add that suit your Disney style. The picture below features all my Disneybounds from the past two months. Can you name them all? (The answers are hidden in the tags by the end of the post).

The most natural Disneybounds that came to me were Snow White and Esmeralda; I didn't even have to put much thought into their outfits, as I had mentally imagined them a while back. In fact, I even once dressed up unintentionally like Snow White and got quoted for it. Ariel was also easy because I'd recently purchased the green tie dye dress and thought it reminded me so much about the Little Mermaid. I struggled a little bit finding the right fit with the cardigan, but managed to make it work. Moana, Boo and Zeus were very fun to put together because I had the perfect meant-to-be accessories for each of the outfits, and it seemed like all the clothes were waiting for me to use them for Disneybounds. Finally, Pegasus and Marie followed a white hue with different contrasting colors and accents. I really love how the spunky blue wig added a bit of craze to Pegasus!

If you want to know where I get the clothes for each outfit, go ahead and skip into my Instagram account. Likes and follows are quite appreciated! I'll be posting a monthly summary of my Disneybounds by the end of each month, but you can still see them regularly through our account.

Follow our Instagram @edu_and_joy and stay tuned for more Disneybound summaries and other cool blog posts!