I’ve been curious about those curly rhinestone appliques used to decorate belly dance costumes, often by Russian designers. And lots of dancers have been asking how to make these on Facebook. They are so cute and help you create beautiful, romantic designs. It took me a while, but I finally figured out how to make them, and in this video, you’ll… Read more →
Last week I shared with you this book called The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, which helped me clean up my place including my sewing station. It was great to hear many of you are also starting spring cleaning and have seen the awesome effect of the Konmari Method explained in the book 
If you haven’t tried, I highly… Read more →
Spring is here! And it’s time for spring cleaning. 
If you are like me and enjoy costume making, it’s super easy to accumulate fabric, scrap fabric, trims, beads, old jewelries that can be recycled, old dresses that can be recycled, old bras that can be used as bases for next costume bras, old or inexpensive costumes that can be… Read more →
Disclosure: I have links to Bluehost, a hosting company in this post. These are affiliate links, which means if you sign up for Bluehost using these links, I receive a commission. I have these links here because I’ve been happy using Bluehost for a number of years, and the commission helps keep Sparkly Belly content free. Thanks! In Part 1… Read more →
Last week, we started the Business of Belly Dance series. In the first post, you saw lots of great articles that get you started with your belly dance career. This week, I have Part 2 of the Business of Belly Dance series, and we’ll talk about websites. To appear as a professional dancer, you have to have a professional-looking website.… Read more →
Last week I did a review on a whole bunch of beads sent to me by PandaHall. I’m receiving positive feedback on the review, so I’ll think about recommending more products and sharing more coupons I find in the future 
This week I’ll show you how to make a beaded lace applique and DIY barefoot sandals using some of… Read more →
Last 2 weeks, we made this simple and pretty baladi dress with a keyhole neckline. But what makes your baladi dress look complete? A sparkly hip scarf, of course! In this post, which is the last of this baladi dress series, you are going to see how to make this hip scarf that goes with the baladi dress. You… Read more →
Last week I showed you how you can make a custom pattern for a baladi dress using your own shirt. So glad to receive emails and comments from dancers telling me that they are excited about this pattern! This week, we’ll sew all the pieces together. So let’s get started! Get your FREE keyhole neckline pattern here! Check out… Read more →
Happy New Year! I wanted to start the new year with a DIY project that has been requested by many dancers, and it’s baladi dress. Baladi dresses are used when belly dancers dance more folk pieces, like ones with canes, and fun shaabi pieces. They can be made fitted or loose and can be simple or heavily decorated. So… Read more →
Merry Christmas! I hope you are having a wonderful day with your loved ones. I’m just finishing up the last bit of work here then heading off to my fiance’s parents’ place for dinner. It’ll be a good time Before I go, I want to quickly share with you some photos. I often receive photos of beautiful creations by dancers, and… Read more →