Belly Belts Are Expensive To Buy & Easy To Make!
Gone are the days I could buy without consequences. But what’s a glamorous dancing diva without her steady supply of shiny new bling?
Don’t panic – we can all get through this economic downturn looking fabulous. Here’s my 7 essentials:
1) A Really Good Thrift Store
Not all thrifts are created equal. Time is the investment; find your best places and get your routine down of a regular visit with a fast and systematic go-through.
Be open to anything good, you have no control over what you find. But be brutal in your decision. If I don’t absolutely love it, I don’t buy it – period.
Even better than thrift stores are the “Barns” or warehouses; places where stuff is sold by the pound. Crazy cheap and hands down the best source for clothing, clothing-as-bulk-fabric, and other stuff.
Beware – the first couple of times you go to a “barn”, you’ll be overwhelmed and giddy. Remember to be brutal. Trust me, more stuff arrives every single day and you don’t have enough room to store all that crap!
2) A Really Good Craft Store
Nice for inspiration and a source for 4 of our essentials:
3) Bits & Bobs. Something from the sale rack is ok. A bag of marked down feathers or fake flowers could be stashed away for a rainy day of making burlesque hair thingies. But I mostly find my bits and bobs recycled; from my jewelry box, my neighbor’s yard sale, etc.
On a budget does not mean $75 of stuff charged on the credit card!
4) Rit Dye. These days the occasional dip in the goodness-that-is-black-Rit-dye hopefully keeps my old rags looking sort of cool ‘Shabby-Chic Goth’ and not ‘Sad scruffy Goth’.
5) Glitter. Glitter = glamour. ‘Nuff said. I have used loose glitter, fine ground and spray glitter- it’s all great stuff. Currently I’m looking for a very fine spray glitter in black. Halloween is just around the corner, hopefully I’ll find some.
6) Glue. Embellishment glue helps attach rhinestones, sequins and other assorted heavier bits to clothing, hats, and hairpieces. Currently I’m looking to get some more flexible spray fixative to use over that black glitter spray, over my black clothing, after that Rit dye treatment!
7) A Really Good Work Space
This can be just the basics in a corner where you keep your stuff organized or a whole room for the ultimate in luxury. I’ve got all my sewing and crafting supplies organized and labeled on shelves over a big desk.
Recycled glass and plastic food containers are awesome for storing needles, thread, scissors, broken jewelery, beads etc. I’m also blessed to have a very basic sewing machine that rounds out my workspace.
Now I’m totally inspired to go make something… what are you currently working on?
