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. 

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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 

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! 

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. 

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.

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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! 

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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