Part 1

There are times...special occasions rather...where I often want to make myself something to wear but then I don't.  Or, I start to make myself something and I just never finish it.  The latter is what normally happens.  

My friends from college are throwing me a baby shower (the first of the three to four because I'm blessed) and I think I want to get a little fancy with it.

I was kind of told at the beginning of planning it that the color scheme was black and white, which I love.  It was semi confirmed because I saw one if my friends posting black and white party pictures on good ol' Pinterest.  This could still be a strong assumption but I'm running with it.

So outfit wise, I'd like to match the picture that I'm seeing in my head of my shower.  I want to keep it comfy casual because of pregnancy but, again I want to be a little fancy.  I'm stepping out the box with this one.

I want a white tee with the word "Queen" across the chest in black rhinestones because why not.  I'm on my secret black woman empowerment tip, which is starts with me empowering myself.  I think it's a good fit and I love black rhinestones.

To go with it, I surprisingly want a black tutu.  For those who know me, that's way out of my comfort zone.  I'm not the girly girly fry-fru type and "tutu" barely stands in my vocabulary.  Despite this, I think keeping the tutu black will tone down play its "princess-ness" into more of a classic vibe.  Plus, I've seen pictures from blogger __________, who wore tutu's with her baby bump and she looked really cute.

Project Breakdown: 

Finish Date: May 13th, 2016

Material Needs: 

1. White tee
2. Black rhinestones
3. "Queen" template
4. Black tulle
5. Black elastic

Forseen Problems: 

1. My focus
2. Time constraint
3. Monetary Funds

To Do List:

Black rhinestone "Queen" tee

1. Make "Queen" template
2. Print "Queen" template
3. Cut out "Queen" template with x-acto knife
4. Purchase tee
5. Purchase black rhinestones
6. Glue rhinestones to tee

Black Tutu

1. Buy tulle
2. Buy elastic
3. Measure for tulle length
4. Sew tutu

It's time to get started.  I'll let you know how it goes!

Part 2

So if you didn't know, I'm currently working on an outfit for my first baby shower with my friends this upcoming Saturday (5.14.16), and I wrote about it in last weeks post Black Rhinestone Tee and Black Tutu Skirt.  This post is the update after going public with this project.

I will say that I'm a bit proud of myself for not giving up on this black rhinestone tee and black tutu.  I know I made it very easy for myself to complete but there are times where I have just stopped caring and didn't want to finish a project.  It's probably because I posted this idea publicly that has made me want to complete it.  Not to toot any horn or anything but the instagram pictures I posted last week of my sketches for the outfit got more likes than I normally would on any other type of post.  Technically, it doesn't mean anything and those that liked the pics probably won't ever come back to my profile, but I feel like I can't let those likers down.  I don't want to be a failure or look like I'm just blowing smoke on things that I "plan" on doing.  Having an outside source of accountability is a great motivator for me thus far.

This weekend, because of the tight time frame, I knew that I had to get all of my supplies or this project just wouldn't happen.  During the week, I don't really have the time or the energy to add extra trips and such to my daily routine.  Yay pregnancy!  

What I needed to buy was a blank white crew neck tee that would fit my belly, the black rhinestones and tulle.  I already have the glue and elastic for the tutu's waistband in my design arsenal.

Black Rhinestones

The first thing I wanted to focus on was getting the rhinestones.  On a normal day, I would just go downtown to the LA fashion district and buy some black rhinestones (along with the tulle) and call it a day, but I couldn't because, again, pregnancy!  I knew my mom and my man would have an issue with me going downtown by myself to get some rhinestones so this became my last resort option where I would have to find an escort to accompany me.  My next idea was Joann craft store even though I knew rhinestones would cost a pretty penny from there.  Surprisingly the price wasn't the issue...well the entire issue.  In store, I could get a pack of 30 stones for about $3, which is pricey; online, I could purchase 200 stones for about $5 but I would have to pay for shipping, potentially expedited shipping.  Because I'm backwards, I didn't calculate how many stones I would need for this project, but I'm pretty sure that I need more than 200 and Joann's only allows one coupon per online check out so this was adding up quickly for just a shirt.  It looked like I was on my way downtown.

Saturday morning, I actually woke up with a brilliant idea.  What about Ebay?  I knew Ebay had options of suppliers but my concern was the timing of shipping.  The last time I considered purchasing rhinestones from Ebay, the time quote for delivery was about a month because they were coming from China.  I checked the site anyway, while being very hopeful.  After manipulating the filters a bit, I had them!  I put in the order right away and the latest I should get them is Friday.  It may end up being a late night rhinestone-gluing session but that's okay.

White Crew Neck Tee

The next item was my shirt which was actually a bit difficult to find.  I started at this outlet that was next door to one of my 99cent stores.  They sell t's, nurse uniforms and basic items.  I went in not expecting much but knowing it would cost more than I wanted to spend because of the $10 debit card limit.  I looked for a white shirt, and they had a 3X that would fit my stomach.  There was a sale of 3x$10, which I was very okay with.  I looked through the other colors to see if there was anything I could snag but they didn't have any other colors available in a size that would fit my belly.  I walked out empty handed.

I ended up going to the mall next (stupid idea because it was the day before Mother's Day) to see if Old Navy had something with their sale.  I walked across the mall to the store and found that they only had looser fitting shirts, which I already have and didn't want for this project.  I walked out again empty handed.

On my way to a little ladies night, I stopped by what's known to us as the "T-shirt Factory" which is a store that sells basic t's, shoes, a few urban brands and the like.  I found their women's tee section and the rack that said "Crew Neck T".  I found a 2X that would fit and I snagged it.  The neck hole isn't the exact crew neck neck hole that wanted but I was out of options.  You have to learn what battles to fight.

Tulle

Right before that last t-shirt location where I purchased my tee, I did end up at Joann craft store for tulle.  Again, ideally, I would go downtown, but I didn't need that much plus I have Joann's coupons so it wouldn't be that bad.  In the tulle isle, I picked up two bulks and had to make the ultimate decision: shiny tulle or matte tulle.  Yes, this decision would change my life forever.  

Not really but every decision makes me uncomfortable.

I ended up going with the matte tulle because it cost less and I honestly may never wear this tulle tutu again after this shower.  Why spend extra in that case?  I did like the shiny one better but no one is going to be that close to me to care about the actual difference of the two.

What's Left?

So now that I've gathered everything, it's time to get this thing done!  I've started looking for the right font for my "Queen" graphic.  I'll chose the right one, print it and then cut it out to have it ready for when the rhinestones arrive.

The tulle skirt I will figure out the best way to do it and sew that up in the middle of the week.  If I stay focused, I should have this wrapped up before the weeks end.

Follow me on instagram for active updates of this project!!

Part 3

I have finished the first project associated with my blog!!

Yay!!

It’s been a long time coming.

So for the past two weeks, I’ve told you abut the black tutu and black rhinestoned tee that I wanted to make to wear to my first baby shower that a group of friends were hosting for me. [If you want to know the details of my baby sprinkle, you can click here.] 

I’m so proud to say I finished it and that I actually wore it.  There have been a few times where I’d make myself something and end up not wearing it, so this was a major step.  I worked right up until it was time for me to get dressed.

Project Overview

After I worked hard to acquire all the materials in a weekend, I didn’t start working on anything until that following Thursday.  I had responsibilities for both of my blogs and because I’m trying to maintain consistency, I prioritized those over this project.

Here’s my final thoughts on this project...

Challenges

I will say that my patience was tested with both parts of this design. 

For the tutu, I’ve never really handled layers of tulle before and didn’t realize how annoying it was to get everything to line up.  Tulle is very thin and it’s almost like you’re grabbing air.  I struggled with lining the layers up at the waist to attach the elastic waistband and I almost gave up on it.

Now the tee… I was ready to work on it Friday night but as I was prepping, I realized that I didn’t have any glue.  A while ago I had let a friend borrow it (bad idea) and I never got it back.  I forgot about it and I know she did too.  Anyways, with no glue, I couldn’t add the rhinestones to the tee so I went to bed.  I woke up early enough Saturday morning to get to Michaels Craft Store as they opened.  Walked in, grabbed the glue and walked out; no time to look around.  I came home and went to work.  I placed the graphic, drew the stencil and got to gluing…which started out feeling like I was going to be sitting there for ever.  I trouble shot the process and I ended up finishing about 20 minutes before my cut my off time.  Clutch.

Time

Black Tulle Tutu: about 4 hours

Black Rhinestone “Queen” Tee: about 2 hours

Cost

Tulle: $9.70

Elastic: owned

Satin Lining: owned

Tee: $.65 (Accident on the stores part but I'll accept it.)

Rhinestones: $9.70

Glue: $4.35

Total: $24.40

Changes

If I were ever to do this again (I doubt I will because I don’t like tulle) I would make the skirt a little fuller with added layers of tulle and volume starting at the waist.  I was a little disappointed with how flat it came out but it wasn’t that noticeable because of my belly.

I like how the rhinestone tee came out.  I blame it on the pregnant brain but there was a stint of at least 3 minutes where I feared that I had mirrored the “Queen” graphic and that it was reading backwards as I wore the shirt.

Personal Thoughts

I’m not going to lie, walking out the house and getting in and out of the car I did feel a little silly wearing the tulle skirt.  It was definitely out of my comfort zone to say the least but I enjoyed it.  The skirt is hanging in my closet now, probably never to be worn again, but I’m sure I’ll put the tee in my wardrobe rotation.