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!

Not honestly sure how this happened...

Though I usually so carefully stock up, I've managed to run out of glue!!!

My coupons and I are off to Michael's to rectify this situation...

Big News and Cake Shoe Teaser Pics

BIG NEWS!! I put the check in the mail yesterday, so I think it's "official." I'M RIDING IN MUSES 2016!!! My sister and I are both subbing it to ride together, so I've got 60 shoes to do in a little under 300 days...and yes, I'm very very VERY excited!

There are some shoes that a lot of Muses shoe enthusiasts (and even shoe designers and shoe artists in general) like to take a crack at. I've previously compared it to a Jedi building his or her first light saber, but if you're not a huge geek like me, what I'm getting at is there are some themes that are just "rite of passage" shoes. For example, I feel like everyone has to do their take on the Ruby Slipper (my first is here, though I will certainly do more in the future) - it's just so iconic, you kind of have to. A Cinderella Shoe is also popular with a lot of Muses/shoe enthusiasts, for similar reasons. My first is here.. The last one I'd put in this category is the Tiffany box shoe, based on the iconic blue-with-white-ribbon box. I've seen quite a few of these from Muses and non-Muses alike (seems like a popular bridal shoe), and I shamelessly stole the idea for this 2014 shoe.

The most recent shoe I've added to the list is the Birthday Cake Shoe. I've probably only seen a handful of these so far, but I expect they'll get more popular because it's such a very cute idea. Here are some of the awesome 2015 Birthday Cake Muses shoes I've seen:

• This amazing tiered Barbie cake shoe (not sure if it's a riff on a stripper coming out of a cake, those Barbie cakes where you stick a doll in, or both - but I love it to bits), 
• This wearable pair of birthday cake shoes from the brunch competition
• I found a shoe where flip flops were used to make layers (y'all know I love a good riff on a flip flop), but now I can't seem to find it...maybe I saw it on Instagram? If/when I find it again, I'll add it here.  EDIT - I found the shoe I was thinking of! Here it is. Four flip flops make up the cake layers, with chocolate frosting and some dollops of green and blue decorative icing and candles for the 15th Birthday. Love it!

In terms of non-Muses/wearable shoes, check out Shoe Bakery. Very cute stuff, very fun to surf through, and I drew a ton of inspiration from there.

Two of my favorites, ready to go!

For 2016, I obviously need to step it way up (IT'S JUST MY FIRST RIDE EVER, NO BIG DEAL), so I picked Birthday Cake shoes as the "signature" shoe for our ride for my sister and I (still doing other types of shoes too of course, but I think we'll each have between 5 -10 cake shoes in our 30).

I got a little obsessed, because if it's worth doing it's worth overdoing, am I right? Basically I wanted to really master Birthday Cake Shoes. I'm not really inventing anything new here, pretty much just combining wearable cake shoes I've seen (mostly Shoe Bakery) with the DIY cake postcard tutorial, so you're probably good to go on making your own just armed with those links. Shoes + sponge for cake + silicone caulk frosting +  glitter = Birthday Cake Muses Shoes. However, I really hate riding the learning curve, and there was definitely a bit of one at the beginning on these (I just finished my sixth), so I'm putting together everything into an exhaustively detailed tutorial.  It's all pretty straightforward (mostly it just takes some practice and patience), but I will share every single tip or trick I've found the hard way because I'm hoping it spares anyone who wants to do their own cake shoes (for Muses purposes or if you just want to wear a pair) some heartache.

While I'm working on the full post for these, I wanted to put up some pictures as a bit of a teaser trailer. Also, I'm pleased to announce the tutorial will be available in both written AND video form! Yes - my very first vlog! So check back, that'll be here soon. In the mean time, hoard wedges (seriously, they are the best - the higher the better) and check out these PICTURES!

One of the first cake shoes I did, a pastel pink and yellow birthday cake with "frosting" roses (super cute and super easy - I will reveal all my secrets soon, I promise)

Close up of "frosting" details

Side view (before lettering was added)

Back view showing some more frosting details and the frosting between layers on the heel

Another pink and yellow cake shoe, with some rainbow chunky glitter mixed in with yellow fine glitter to give a confetti cake effect:

Side view of the thick funfetti cake layers with pink frosting in between

Frosting roses and "16" candles on the toe that aren't actually candles (they're translucent polymer clay and dental floss for the wicks - it'll be in the tutorial)

Top view so you can see the pretty frosting "Muses" and roses

Here's a super, super girly birthday cake with pink and blue frosting and RAINBOW CAKE LAYERS, like one of those fancy Pinterest cakes I imagine moms with way more free time than me making:

The birthday cake your inner child always dreamed of, assuming you have a rainbow-lovin', unicorn -obsessed, sparkle-coveting, super-girlie inner child

Top view showing "Muses" and "2016" written in frosting plus fancy edging and pink candles (that are actually paper straws) 

Side view showing the "cake" - I just love how the rainbow cake layers turned out!

Because we're all New Orleans food lovers here, I had to do a half and half lemon-chocolate doberge cake shoe too:

Lemon on one side, chocolate on the other with white and yellow frosting. Also - golden candles, white icing lettering and some big white frosting roses

Chocolate side of the cake/shoe - many, many cake layers

Back of the cake showing where the chocolate filling and lemon filling meet. I did them a little uneven, like a real doberge.

And finally, this Oreo chocolate shoe I just finished (obviously heavily influenced/shameless stolen from here):

A chocoholic's dream: dark chocolate interior, layers of chocolate cake and lots of chocolate frosting and a realistic looking Oreo cookie on the front that isn't actually a real Oreo (that'll be in the tutorial too)

2016 in white "frosting," chocolate frosted accents 

Layers of chocolate cake with chocolate icing and Oreo bits crumbled into the frosting along the egde

Close-up of the fudgey goodness...can't you just taste it?

And here are some group shots of the first five I finished:

OK, so this teaser trailer wound up being as long as the whole movie. Sorry - I just love these cake shoes! More surprises coming in the full tutorial...

Six done so far (or close to done)! Next I'm planning to do a nice Southern red velvet cake (maybe with armadillo-gray icing as this year's Steel Magnolia's tribute), a Portal-style Black Forest cake, a mint-chocolate cake, a birthday cake with sprinkles and "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" candles...what else? Any ideas?

Quick updates

This time of year (i.e. any time of year that isn't a few months before Carnival), it can be tough to get into the mood for shoe glittering. But I find glittering year round is worth the effort: you feel like an extra fabulous little ant storing up for the winter, or maybe something out of a Laura Ingle Wilder novel, putting up jars of preserves and glittered shoes...

To help you get in the mood, maybe check out some of these tutorials, read through some of the Muses articles from this somewhat out of date list I compiled a few years ago, and put on your shoe glittering soundtrack (this is my playlist). Some more updates in the glitter blogosphere:

1) HOORAY! Another Muses shoe blogger!! Glitter Buzz NOLA

2) I finally uploaded most of pictures of the dRK Koplitz Collection 2015 shoes I wanted to share to their designated board, so go forth and oogle them

3) A lovely blog entry on Muses shoes, with some great pictures of the process

If you're a year-round glitterer, hope this helps you create some inspiring atmosphere. Of course, I realize in NOLA it's festival season right now, so y'all may not be inclined to stay home and glitter on the weekends. It's ok, I understand (and I'm jealous).

Monday Handmade Hall of Fame - Skinz and Bonez Dolls

Historically, Skull & Bone Gangs serve two primary functions: waking people up on Mardi Gras day, and warning people, particularly children, to behave themselves, because death can come at any moment. With the skeleton attire, they are walking, chanting memento mori. But...in a fun way. Like so many aspects of Carnival, it sounds a little out there, but also totally makes sense.

To read more about Skull & Bone Gangs, check out these links:

http://nolaskullandbones.blogspot.com/

http://houseofdanceandfeathers.org/marchingcultureneworleans/skullandbonegangs/

http://www.nola.com/nolavie/index.ssf/2012/02/skull_and_bones_gang_channels.html

This week's edition of the Handmade Hall of Fame comes from New Orleans' only female Bone Gang: the Skinz N Bonez (also, check out their Facebook Page). As if being the only female gang wasn't enough, their handmade throw is one I covet so much, I dressed up my baby in a skeleton onesie* for Femme Fatale this year to try and score one: Skeleton Dolls

They're gorgeous, intricately detailed skeleton-ized Barbies. I love them. Here are two pictures from the Skinz and Bonez Facebook Page...

...but what I really recommend you do is head over to the Skinz N bonez dolls Facebook page (you know they're serious throws when they have their own Facebook page!) and check out all the gorgeous pictures there!

Hope you all had a happy Monday!

*PS - Here he is, sleeping off a big, long day of parades and clutching beads:

Whales of New Orleans Pt. 1 - Storyland Pinocchio's Whale Shoe

Drawing inspiration from some fish shoes I bookmarked on Pinterest (mostly Robert Tabor/Sole Sensations for the head and Charlotte Olympia for the tail - see here, here, here and here), I'm doing a little trio of New Orleans whale themed shoes for 2016 - Pinocchio's Whale from Storyland, Baccha-Whoppa, and Gillium.

Here's the first in the series, Pinocchio's Whale!

I have very fond memories of a childhood spent at Storyland and the whale was always on my agenda when we visited. When I was really little, making it across the stepping stones and into the belly of the whale made me feel very brave and adventurous.

Comparison of the finished shoe with the inspiration.

2016 on the tail

Close up of the eye with lashes and eyebrow

View from the front (mouth still needs teeth and a tongue)

Side view "Muses"

I shaped the head and tail out of felt, which I then stiffened with glue. The lips are tubey loops and the eyes are a foam sphere cut in half. Obviously, some proportions got a little altered as the whale was being reinterpreted as a shoe: I didn't want it to just be a glittered mini-replica of the whale, I thought it should look like something you could still get your foot into. I also wanted to make it a little more whale-like, while still preserving the sort of Old World whale aesthetic of the original, where it kind of looks like a big fishy sea monster (like so). I made the tail a little more accurate in it's shaping, but kept the fish-like orientation (it should be perpendicular to the whales body rather than in line with it). I also kept the big fish lips and the bulging eyes. I may cut the tail down a little, I'm still thinking about it.

All the glitter on this one is Martha Stewart. The main body of the whale is Martha Stewart "lapis lazuli." The lips and lettering ("Muses" on one side, "2016" on the tail) are Martha Stewart "blue topaz" and the black is, I'm pretty sure, MS "onyx." The base and heel are Martha Stewart "aquamarine" (I was going for grass) and the interior is Martha Stewart "kunzite." There are red tubey loop ridges on the inside of the mouth, but the mouth still needs teeth and a red tongue.

Finally, I finished with a bunch of blue rhinestones of all different sizes to look like barnacles (inspired by Baccha-Whoppa)- it gave it some texture and a little more pizzazz.

Baccha-Whoppa is currently being glittered, and Gillium is shaped but painting and sparkling hasn't started yet. So the other two will be along shortly, and then I'll have quite the little pod ready to throw in 2016! I'm also doing some other City Park/Storyland Shoes, but they're still in the design phase so I'll keep them secret for now.

PS- This shoe went on Instagram before it went up here, so if you have a burning desire to see my shoes at the absolute earliest possible moment, but can't come visit me in Memphis, may I suggest you follow me there?