Welcome to Thrifty Belly Episode 1! 😀 Thrifty Belly is a new series we’re starting today where I take old clothes or thrift store finds and transform them into dance costumes. I’ve been getting a lot of requests to do practice wear, and today we’ll take an old oversized t-shirt and transform it into this cute, off-the-shoulder peasant top, which… Read more →
Welcome back to Your Sparkly Wardrobe Project! 😀 Your Sparkly Wardrobe Project is a collaboration project I’m doing with a lovely dancer Mahin, she’s got a ton of experience and knowledge in belly dancing. And we are taking turns each week to show you how to make the most out of your belly dance costume wardrobe and give you fresh… Read more →
I love people who turn their love into their living… so I had to approach Katalin Schafer when I had the opportunity. Last March, Katalin was visiting Vancouver for workshops, and I had an opportunity to chat with her about her costume design work. You may know Katalin as a gorgeous, talented belly dancer or a costume designer…. She is… Read more →
I get costume design inspiration from all kinds of dance (and non-dance) costumes. Now just the other day I was looking at ballroom dance costumes on Pinterest, and I got inspired to create an armband with nude elastic. Nude elastic is used often in dance costumes, and I love how it gives a light feel while keeping things… Read more →
I like Princess Jasmine. Her typical look is not a floor length dress like other Disney princesses. She’s in rather simple harem pants, but she is still gorgeous and that’s what I find unique and attractive about her. And to me, the best part of her outfit is the sleeves. Her sleeves are so flowy, and simply romantic.I’ve always wanted… Read more →
I love belly dance costumes made by Russian designers. I can easily spend half an hour scrolling through Pinterest, just getting design ideas and inspiration from gorgeous creations made by them. They are so good at creating a dramatic look. 😀 I noticed they do that by using a lot of ruffles. But not the light and soft type. They… Read more →
Welcome back to the Perfectly Fitting Costume Guide! To quickly recap, here are the last 2 parts from the Guide: Part 1:Â 10 Ways to Make Your Belly Dance Bra Work Part 2:Â 3 Perfectly Fitting Belt Tips Part 3: This post! It makes me nervous when my skirt waist is a liiiittle bit too big. It appears… Read more →
Welcome back to the Perfectly Fitting Costume Guide! In the first part of this Guide, you saw Part 1: 10 ways to make your belly dance bra work. So you’ve got many ways to make sure your bra looks nice on you. Now what about your belt? To me, there’s nothing more frustrating than noticing my belt is way off centre… Read more →
What is the #1 costuming challenge I hear from Sparkly Belly readers? It’s fitting. Fitting costumes, finding the right size and right length, scaling patterns, not sure how to alter etc… But there are many tricks you can easily use to create much better fit! So over the next few posts, I’ll share with you the Perfectly… Read more →
Last week I announced that the enrolment to my online Belly Dance Costume Workshop (BDCW) is opening on May 22, 2016. I’ve been receiving messages and questions from excited dancers 🙂 If you have questions about the workshop, feel free to email me at mao@sparklybelly.com. I’m happy to answer your questions, and it’s great to know what you are wondering… Read more →