Had my glittering workshop today.

Well.....That. Was. Amazing.

For once I'm at a loss for words for how much fun I had glittering shoes.

Jazz Fest Skywriting Shoe - 2016 Muses Shoe

During the second week of Jazz Fest (I went the first week and missed shoe glittering - cue sad face), my Facebook and Instagram feed were full of pictures of the lovely blue sky and the various inspirational words that were mysteriously appearing for the fest-goers' viewing pleasure.

Here are some links for more reading on the subject:

• http://www.wwltv.com/story/news/local/orleans/2015/05/01/mysterious-nola-skywriter-revealed/26678041/
• http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2015/04/who_new_orleans_skywriting.html
• http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20150506/NEWS/150509832

This inspired me to do a skywriting shoe for 2016. For the sky blue, I used Martha Stewart "crystal mint" (which is, I think, a fairly new shade and would be superb for a Tiffany shoe). I don't usually use this much Martha Stewart iridescent glitter on a shoe since it's so pricey, but it was such a pretty sky blue, it was too perfect not to use.

To carry on the cloud theme, the heel and sole are silver (as in every cloud has a silver lining). The shoe is trimmed with silver sequin trim around the bottom and fluffy white marabou with silver tinsel that was in my stash. The cloud writing is iridescent white Scribbles 3D paint ("white mist," which is always out of stock in Memphis, but I scored at Joann's in NOLA at their Memorial Day sale) with white glitter over it.

If I had it to do over (and I may do more because I think it's a cute theme), I would use the sky blue glitter I bought at Gary's instead ($8.50/lb pretty much kicks the Martha Stewart glitter's butt all the way around the block) and I wouldn't put white glitter over the iridescent paint of the writing (it didn't add much sparkle to the shoe overall, and I think the plain paint looked more cloud-like).

Another one down, with 240 days to go!

Tally so far:
- Cake Shoes (six total)
- Storyville Whale Shoe
- I SPY Boot
- Skywriting Shoe
= 9 done, plus some secret ones I can't share yet

Edited to add (06/19/2015): Before I chuck it, here's my "master list" if anyone wants it:

Happy June!

http://www.theonion.com/article/cases-of-glitter-lung-on-the-rise-among-elementary-1843
The struggle is real!

Also, I know I just raised the "glitter sale" alarm, but the Halloween 4-pack is 30% off (if you're on the mailing list, you can get a code for free shopping on orders $50 or more)

http://m.orientaltrading.com/halloween-glitter-assortment-a2-48_9071.fltr?Ntt=glitter

Gary's is probably still the better deal, but I love OT green and purple, so wanted to share that info.

In other news...

I haven't had new shoes to post (and have fallen way behind on Handmade Hall of Fame Mondays), because I've been getting ready for the workshop June 13 and getting so very very excited!!!

Shoes in various stages of completion

Getting everything organized! The pink folders are going to hold a bunch of write ups: step by step instructions with photos, tips & tricks, resources

Boxing up glitter

Oyster shells and pretty king cake babies all in a row...that's how my garden grows.

We are going to have so much sparkly fun!

Opinions wanted!

I'm trying to pick a submission for the contest to pick shoes that will appear on the 2016 shoe photo beads. If you don't know the beads I'm talking about, here they are in a screencap from the Muses Facebook page:

I have to pick just one shoe to submit, so I have to make my selection count! The pictures on the beads aren't huge, so I tried to narrow it down to shoes that don't have a lot of tiny detail. After posting some candidates on IG and getting opinions from immediate family, I've pretty much got it narrowed down to these two: The Artichoke Shoe and The Vintage Mardi Gras Queen Shoe.

If you have an opinion between these two (or a third option - write in votes are totally allowed!) I'd be very grateful to hear it in the comments. Thanks in advance!!

Glitter at Gary's!

I'm in NOLA for a wedding, and today went to use the 20% off coupon I had at Gary's (if you don't already you should follow them on Facebook to get those coupons). I was looking forward to perusing their awesome selection of craft supplies and buying some of their super cheap $17/lb glitter (yeah, I buy glitter by the pound, what of it?) when I saw a sign that made my heart stop - GLITTER REG $16.99 NOW $8.50

After my head stopped swimming, I bought pretty much every color they had.

Regular followers of my blog know my cut off for glitter is $2/oz, and that I consider $1-$1.25/oz to be a "good price." Right now you can get glitter at Gary's for just north of $0.50/ounce (!) The selection of colors and quality/fineness are great, so the only issue is whether or not you can use a whole pound of glitter (if that's the hold up, maybe team up with some crafty friends and divy it up?)

I asked how long the sale would be on, but the cashier wasn't sure, so get it while the gettin's good! It's an awesome store, I've been shopping there since I was in high school. I never mentioned it here because I didn't know how big their glitter stock had grown (I bet at least partially in response to Muses, Nyx, etc.).

As I mentioned, there's a Facebook coupon that expires tomorrow for 20% off non-sale items, so take advantage of that if you can.

Where to go:
http://garyscrafts.com

Update: I've started using the glitter and while the fineness is great, I find some colors have a slightly plasticy chemical smell, so I'd recommend opening and using them in a well ventilated space. Of course, my husband says he doesn't smell anything, so it probably depends on how strong your sniffer is!

Workshop Saturday June 13th

Haven't posted in while. Been traveling (first to NOLA for Jazz Fest, then for work) and working on the cake shoe tutorials which are coming along nicely. I'm also now preparing to do a Glittering Shoes Workshop in NOLA on Saturday June 13th. If you're interested, drop me an email at drnoripants at gmail dot com and I can fill you in on details including cost. This one will be covering the basics, but if there's interest I may do more "advanced" ones down the line. This first "beta test" will be very small, so if you or someone you know wants to learn shoe glittering 101, email me sooner rather than later.

Happy Mother's Day! I'm sure hoping my day includes some glitter time and if you're a crafty mama, I'll have my fingers crossed you get some craft time as well!