2013/03/31

Pearls & Scissors is looking for Friends and Sponsors


Hi, friends! I can't believe how fast time flies! This little blog is already 8 months old and growing so fast. We're reaching over 15 000 readers monthly (wow!) and I can't even tell you how happy I am to be sharing my inspiration and creativity with all of you. Elle joined my team of one at the beginning of the year, and I feel that this is going to be a very exciting year for Pearls & Scissors.

We love inspiring you to be more creative, and we'd love to help promote other blogs and small creative businesses. Join the Pearls & Scissors bandwagon and become a sponsor! All of the sponsorship info is right here.

We are also looking for blog friends! Lets share the love with our readerships - you promote us, we promote you! If you have an inspiring blog with a similar audience, contact us at hanna@pearlsandscissors.com


2013/03/30

DIY: Making an old bra suitable for backless dress/shirt



I love backless dresses, but I always get really annoyed when my bra is showing and on the other hand I don't feel good without it either. So today I decided to make one of my bras suitable for backless dresses/shirts.
It is my first time to make something like that, so I'll probably be wiser next time and do some things differently..

Things you'll need:
  • An old bra
  • a needle and some thread
  • Scissors and a seam ripper
  • Colourful ribbon, chain, lace, pearls or whatever you like! Or what goes well with your dress.




At first I'm cutting off the ends of the bra, where the attachments are. Doing this way, I am making space for the new back part, which will be showing. You don't have to cut off as much as I did, some of the following  steps are necessary only for dresses or shirts that have very wide backless parts, so with normal bra, straps are seen. I just wanted to try out if it looks better. It is a bit more uncomfortable, so consider well how much you want to cut, I recommend to cut it right behind the straps, so you don't have to sew them back later. (I made the cut way before the straps).



Here you can see, that I cut the bra so far that I had to sew straps back on. And as I already mentioned, it is not that necessary, you can leave the straps where they are and cut off only the very ends.


The new back piece is made out of chain and ribbon. Here are also some pliers for cutting the chain.


 I cut the chain into two equal parts that are the width of my back. Then I sewed them on the bra.


Finally I took the ribbons and sewed them on the chains.



Yay! It is ready!
This was just one idea I had, I'll definitely try this out with some lace or elastic band and pearls.
Have fun trying out your own ideas!




2013/03/29

Hanna's Concert Gown: Part 2



My concert gown has been the biggest sewing project I've tackled in my seamstress career. Not only did I have to draft the pattern for the underdress from 3 different patterns, I had no instructions how to work with the upper layer or how to put all the elements together. I'm so proud of the end result! This project really showed me how much I've developed as a seamstress over the years.


I showed you little glimpses of the neckline and the dress in progress in part 1. Now you can see the beaded neckline in full glory. I was a little bit afraid that the neckline would have too much bling, but seeing it on the finished dress, I think it's just bright enough.


As you can see, I've swapped the wider ribbon for a narrower one. I didn't feel comfortable with the way the wide ribbon kept rushing together, plus the narrower ribbon makes my legs look super long. And that's a big plus when you have legs as short as mine.


I'm  in love with the whole ensamble! I think the earrings (tutorial here) complete the dress. I thought they might be too much given the sparkling neckline, but when you're on stage, everything has to be larger than life, so that it would have an effect from the 20th row as well.


I couldn't be more pleased with the way my gown turned out. I'm especially happy that I was able to create my design exactly the way I imagined it from the beginning. Finishing this dress has given me so much encouragement to get going with sewing projects I thought I didn't have the skills to tackle. It just proves that I can make anything if I want it badly enough.


2013/03/28

Daily Style: The sun & an outfit





The real star of this post is the sun shining in the pictures. Can you believe that after months of darkness and grey, we are finally seeing some sun? It's been sunny all week, and I'm loving every minute of it. The snow is slowly starting to melt, and finally there's hope that spring will come after all. Suddenly I feel like wearing skirts and dresses, sunglasses and colorful scarfs. I can't wait for the days when all you need is just a light jacket!

Outfit details: 
Cardigan: refashioned
Dress: H&M
Belt: thrifted
Boots: Rieker
Earrings: gift from Tamar


2013/03/27

Long Statement Earrings DIY



My concert outfit was entirely self-made. I made my dress, I did my own hair, and I also made my own jewelry. These are the earrings I made for this special occasion. Since the dress has a lot of sparkling around the neckline, the only other piece of jewelry I added was a pair of earrings. And I wanted the earrings to compliment the dress.

I'm very happy with the result, so I thought I'd share the process with you in case you'd like to make yourself a pair of fabulous earrings.

Here's what you need:


1. 2 big rhinestones that have sewing holes.
2. Beads -  I used 2 different kind, smaller transparent ones, and bigger metallic grey ones
3. Fishing cord - mine was a size 30, what ever that means :)
4. 2 earring studs
5. Bead stoppers - again, I used bigger ones for securing the cords, and smaller ones for the beads
6. Flat-nosed pliers
7. Super glue


The process is rather simple:
1. Cut 3 strands (you could use more or less, 3 will give you 6 bead strands in the end) of fishing cord about 20cm each. Put them together and pull them half way through one of the sewing holes on the rhinestones.
2. Fold the cords in half so that you'll get 6 strands in your hand.
3. Pull the 6 strands through one bead stopper and secure it as close to the rhinestone as possible.
4. Start beading the strands. Add a bead and then secure a bead stopper after it.
5. I differentiated between the order of the beads and their distance, and also their number, so that some of the strands ended up shorter than the others. Just cut the cord ends about 1 cm from the last bead stopper.
6. Lastly glue a stud onto the back of the rhinestone, let dry, and you're done.



Enjoy making yourself a pair of statement earrings!


2013/03/26

Daily Style: Colourful thrifting





Today was a really beautiful and sunny day, the sun is so warm that even the snow is starting to melt! I decided to put on my favourite tunic that would make my day. I also didn't wear any make up thanks to discovering that drinking fresh juice from fruit and veggies twice a day has made my skin really smooth and clear!

Outfit details:
Tunic - thrifted from Finland with only 2 euros!
Handbag - thrifted, was about 3 euros
Jeggins - thrifted, 5 euros


2013/03/25

Refashioning tips for shoes

Today I found several good tips how to make old shoes a bit more exiting. I wanted to share them with you, because I feel like trying them out someday!

cuteeee! "Springtime Lovers" Schuhclips // shoe clips by 7th-Heaven via dawanda.com

I love these shoe clips! They are very easy to make, you'll probably need just couple of small clips, two colours of satin ribbon and some thread and glue. Clips are great, because you can put them on or take them off your shoes whenever you want.

Mini Bow Shoe Clips

anchors.
Same thing here, only the ribbon is different.

Bling-bling
Or you can just make yourself your own pair of cinderella shoes by gluing a lot of sparkly pearls, crystals or glitter on your shoes.
Gorgeous re-painted shoes featuring foxes :D Also lots of other ideas on this website.
Pinterest, but here is the tutorial

You can also just repaint your shoes and make some fun pictures on them! 


2013/03/24

Sunday Snippets: A first


I had my first ever performance with a symphonic orchestra yesterday at the beautiful Alatskivi castle. It was simply magical! I can't even begin to describe the incredible feeling of performing with a live orchestra. I knew from the first rehearsal that this was what I was built for. I can't believe it took me so long to figure out what I was meant to be in life, but I'm so glad I had the courage to follow my dream once I did.


I really need to work on my facial expressions on stage. Yikes!



It was also the big debut of my concert dress. I hope I can make a proper introduction on the blog during next week.


Tomorrow's my second concert with the same orchestra, so wish me good luck, and I'll see you on the blog real soon!

2013/03/23

Inspiration: Extravagant and romantic tulle skirt

D&G skirt April 2010 Teen Vogue

tulle skirt and an olive military style jacket
How can I possibly work a poofy tulle skirt into my everyday wardrobe? Galaxie Andrews photography

Tulle skirt love x

I have been a great fan of tulle skirts since I was a little girl. It was probably because my mom was a ballerina and I spent most of my early childhood in theatre. Two years ago I saw one episode from Sex and the City, where Carrie wears a gorgeus light mint coloured tulle skirt. I fell in love with it, so I started to make mine, but I still haven't finished it..Now I decided to take it up again, so I'll keep you tuned with my progress!


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