Saturday Sketching

Here are some sketches for a project I have coming up over the next year.  I'll keep it mum for now, but  its going to be pretty darn awesome.

Caroline in Blue

I started sketching for Caroline's prom dress a few weeks (months?) ago and we finally decided on a design:

Can't wait to get started!

*In sketching news, I've decided to try my hand at watercoloring my sketches....fun weekend project? Or disaster waiting to happen?

Bitsy's Prom: Phase 1

I can't believe my baby sister is having her senior prom.

But you better believe she's going to be the most stunning gal there!

She was pretty specific about what she wanted to wear, but it was still a collaborative process to get down to these two options.  Ultimately, she chose the strapless... and she's going to look dynamite!   I just feel bad for all those other girls....

*personal goal met: drawing back views.  I'm just as bad at drawing back views as I am at feet and hands.

Thursday DIY: Magazine Necklace

Lets take it back to 1993, when Cat was a bright young 10-yr-old, doing everything she could to not ever have to go outside and play organized sports or competitve games of any kind.   My mom, who is more crafty that I could every hope to be, recognized that her strange, pale little girl would rather be indoors, covered in hot-glue-gun-webs, making something instead.

One of those many things she taught me was how to make lovely little beads out of magazines. 

We have more magazines than we know what to do with in our house, so here is a little craft you can do to eliminate some of those pages:

 

Step 1: Gather your supplies:

 - magazines

 - glue (I used Tacky Glue because its all I had, but Elmer's will do too)

 - thin wooden dowel / BBQ skewer

 - cup of water

 - scissors

 - *not shown: clear nailpolish, yarn or string, needle

Step 2: Pull out a few pages and cut into page-long triangles as above.

 

Step 3: Roll the wide end of the triangle around the dowel once or twice.  Now, depending on your glue of choice, you can (a) dot the triangle with glue as you roll the rest of it around, or (b) mix your extremely goopy Tacky Glue with some water, and paint it on with a Q-Tip.  Either way, it gets a little messy here, so keep a little wet towel on hand.   *Remember not to do the first few rolls too tightly or you won't be able to get the bead of the dowel.  

Step 4: Once your beads are somewhat dry (I did a whole bunch so as the last ones were being rolled, the first ones were solid), throw a topcoat of clear nail polish on them for shine and to bond all the layers together.  

 

Step 5: Let your beads completely dry.

Step 6: Get your string or yarn and start creating your necklace.  I chose to do three tiers and then tied them all together at the back.  I measured so it could fit over my head so I didn't have to fuss with closures. 

 

Step 7: Stand back and say, "ta-da!". You have finished your DIY magazine bead necklace! Look at you, so talented.  Do your parents know how talented you are?  You should tell them.

 Step 8:  Look out the window and wonder why all the stray trash on the block ends up in your backyard and not your neighbors.

*I'm also wearing my new handmade Bird Shirt, which will be in the shop this week!

Flip This Dress: Golden Girls Dress Edition

Here is the final product.  I feel as though in a past life, the original design of this dress is something that Blanche Devereaux would wear on a sassy senior date.  The flipped version is something that Cat Munzing may wear to a sassy wedding on sunday.

I really am happy with how it came out.  There was a lot of beading damage, so the most time spent was hand beading the seams and other random places.  I basically chopped the dress in half and played with it on the form until it started looking like something I liked.  I added the little cap sleeve at the end because I didn't want any of the beautiful beadwork going to waste when I was finished.  And who doesn't love a cap sleeve?

Pretty gorgeous beading, right?

Happy New Year!

...so I'm a day late, but there was a lot of pajama-wearing and couch-sitting happening that got in the way of posting.

I'm working on flipping this dress that I found for $10 at L-Train Vintage in Brooklyn:

Here's the work in progress:

And you'll have to wait until tomorrow for the finished product!




Wishing you all a happy and healthy new year...

 

Giveaway: Beaded Collar!

What does every holiday season need?  More sparkle.  More sequins.  More spangles. 

  

 

Just in time for that last minute gift or holiday party accessory, I'm giving away this 

handmade collar necklace!

This hand-beaded necklace has a dark yellow-gold silk base, white & gold sequins, and deep bronze, turquoise and gold beads.   

And it is beautiful.  And on-trend. And I don't want to give it away.  But I will! Because it's the holiday season and its about giving.  And looking fabulous.

So, the rules:

1. To enter, leave a comment below telling me how you'd style this awesome necklace! Please make sure to leave me your email address too.

2. For another entry, become a member of Cat Got Dressed, and then leave a comment below telling me you've done so, email included.

3. For another entry, like Cat Got Dressed on Facebook, and then leave a comment below telling me you've done so, email included. 

4. For yet another entry, follow Cat Got Dressed on Twitter,  and then leave a comment below telling me you've done so, email included.

Winner will be chosen using a random number generator.

**update** : Giveaway closes Sunday, December 23rd.

 

Best of luck ladies and gents!

After the party its the....

after-party dress!

You lovely blog-readers may remember this rock-star of an after-party wedding dress for the lovely Bridget.

Well, it looks even better on the bride:

Is she not the most outrageous bride you've ever seen?  Anyone who can dance the night away in this number really knows how to have a good time.  Thanks again to Bridget for wearing my dress and to Rob Ninja at Humbled Eyes Photography for the amazing pictures!

Drum roll please...

I've been working on this one for a while now and am finally done (and kind of relieved to be finished)!  I am not at liberty to say who its for at the moment, but rest assured I will when I can.  She's going to be fabulous - because let's be serious, it takes a pretty ambitious person to wear a blingy tu-tu to their wedding reception.  And that's just facts.

Not one, not two, but THREE layers of tulle on this guy,

Corseted back

Tulle overlay on bodice.

Hand-beaded embellishments.