Category: Princess Costumes

DIY Ariel Seashells Tutorial

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Learn how to make this beautiful mermaid top for less than $15!image

What you’ll need:

  • Bra or bathing suit top (preferably in nude or purple)
  • One 11×17″ piece of craft foam
  • Scissors
  • Hot Glue Gun
  • E6000 Glue
  • Rhinestones
  • Pearls
  • Purple Paint in varying shades
  • Silver Glitter paint (optional)

First trace the shape of your bra or bathing suit top on the craft foam to ensure the foam will cover the top. I added a scalloped edge to the larger side as shown below. I drew two smaller shapes as well, all with the scalloped edge. When we’re done, all three pieces will be stacked together to create the final piece. Also note the lines I drew. These were cut and layered on top of each other to create the curved structure.

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See the fully cut out and scalloped pieces below.

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Next, hot glue the slits, placing one layer over another. It should make a nice curved shape. Once all three have been glued, stack them on top of each other and glue them together. It’s important that each shell faces a different way (as shown below). Otherwise they won’t fit well on your top!

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Now it is time to paint! This is where your creativity will really come in. I painted each shell (front and back) in one shade of purple to give it a great base. I then went in with a darker purple to define the edges and the shell lines to connect the dip in the scallops. I painted a brighter, more vibrant purple on the inner part of each circular piece. Lastly, I painted silver glitter paint on the edges of each shell, the very center corner and the lines. See below.

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Home stretch! Now you want to add TONS of sparkle! I love these AB rhinestones from Walmart because they’re cheap and they have so much sparkle. I also purchased some flat backed pearls from Hobby Lobby. I tried to concentrate the embellishment toward the middle. I prefer using E6000 for rhinestone work, HOWEVER, I will caution you to only use in a well ventilated area! This stuff is STRONG and is known to cause cancer when inhaled…

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Finally, it’s time to attach the shells to the bra/bathing suit top. E6000 doesn’t dry instantly but has a strong hold. Hot glue dries quickly but can sometimes peel off. I used a mixture of the two to fix the shells to the bra top. I used E6000 toward the center of the shells and then hot glue around the outside to quickly secure the edges. I also went through with hot glue and added more pearls and rhinestones to the center of the bra top to give it a seamless look.

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And tada! You now have your very own, thrifty and beautiful Ariel inspired mermaid top. I’d love to see pictures if you made one yourself! Tag #PartyByAPrincess with your projects, email me at kayla@partybyaprincess.com or share in the comments below.

 

 

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DIY Aurora Crown & Necklace

Kayla1 Comment

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All materials can be purchased at hobby lobby, michaela, joanns, any kind of craft store really!

I use individual foam craft sheets. The thinnest ones, I believe there are two thicknesses, I always pick the thinner one. I use two sheets for the crown and one for the necklace.

I made a master crown and tiara shape by sketching it out on paper first, that way I didn’t waste foam. I always fold the paper in half so that I ensure it is symmetrical. I would play with it until you think it looks good, holding the paper up to your neckline and head.

Once you have the shape you like, trace it onto the foam. For the tiara, as I said I use two pieces, I cut one slightly smaller and glue it to the back to give it more stability. You’ll want to crease the crown down the front center. You can do this by simply folding it in half and applying pressure. That way it gets the right shape 😉

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Once you have the foam cut out and the shape you want it. Draw using a pencil the swirly designs. If you Google “aurora Disney parks crown” there’s some good reference images. Or you can use mine if you want 😉 I try to make the tiara symmetrical in design but the necklace pattern is more asymmetrical.

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Using puff paint, fabric paint, or even elmers glue, carefully trace the pattern you’ve drawn. As well as all along the edges to give it that raised look. If you mess up you can wipe it off with a wet rag before it dries.

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Let it dry for 24 hrs. Spray paint the front and back using metallic gold spray paint. At this point both pieces should be relatively flat, with the exception of the slight crease in the crown.

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Once the paint is dry, add rhinestones. I use e6000 glue for this. I prefer the ab crystals but you can use whatever you want!

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I usually let that dry for another 12 hrs or so. Finally, using hot glue I bend the crown around a headband just like a plain tiara. I also hot glue a 12″ gold colored chain to the necklace. The more glue, the more secure.

Sleeping Beauty Redesign

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Although Sleeping Beauty is one of the rarely booked princesses, she still merits a beautiful gown! When a good opportunity presented itself, I just couldn’t resist.

The dress is from Angel Secret, purchased NEW from a separate seller on eBay for nearly half of the cost new. The tiara and necklace were made using foam sheets, gold paint and crystal rhinestones. You can purchase a set of your own from our Etsy store. The wig is actually a restyled Barbie wig I had in the costume closet. A few curls, some bobby pins in the bangs and ta-da! I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Princesses on Vacation

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It has become a tradition to do “princess on vacation” pictures for the Fourth of July weekend. We try not to book any parties/visits that weekend so that everyone can enjoy some time off and spend it with their families. Each girl chose a character and designed her own bathing suit themed to suit the wig/accessories. This was the end result. Such a fun project! Photos by the talented Madi Mack Photography.

Wishing you and your family a Happy and Safe Fourth of July!

Jake the Pirate

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11351290_10153409932424756_1571180302864279683_nWe had a client request Jake the Pirate. After googling to see what the character looked like, it seemed easy enough to accomplish. Here is a basic tutorial on how I put the costume together.

The vest was made from some stiff blue, linen-like fabric. I made the basic shape by using one of my husbands tank tops as a guideline. The vest was edged using yellow cotton edging purchasing from Walmart’s sewing section. The vest was completed with yellow buttons, two sewn to each side.

I purchased a brown scarf from Goodwill and cut the edge to give it that pirate touch. The performer simply tied it around his waist. The white undershirt was another Goodwill find. It was actually an XL underarmor shirt. I cut the edge of the sleeves in a zig zag pattern and cut out the neck line with a slit in the center of the chest. I used two black hair ties with hot glue to fix them to the top of the shirt. I cut small slits in the shirt and cut the hair ties so they would lay in one straight line. I glued on the underside of the shirt so it wouldn’t be noticeable 😉

The red headband was also purchased from a second hand store. It was a cotton scarf that I cut and frayed the edges of to look pirate worthy. Lastly, the boot covers were purchased on Amazon for $15. The performer wore his own blue jeans and brown shoes to complete the outfit.

A pirate isn’t a pirate without a sword! This sword is foam and was actually purchased from the Dollar Tree. It had a bright green handle, so I used black electrical tape (also a Dollar Tree find) to wrap the handle and give it a more neutral look.

For a last minute, low budget costume, I was quite pleased with the outcome. Have you made a ‘Jack the Pirate’ costume before? I’d love to see yours in the comments below.

Rapunzel Redesign

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Our original Rapunzel costume was in need of a redesign! She is becoming more popular, booking more visits each month. Though we weren’t ready to spend a ton on a new costume, I decided to get creative.

BEFORE
AFTER

The original dress was purchased from a Halloween store. It was very thin fabric and didn’t fit very well. I had sewn in ribbon on the back to tie and make it more form fitting.

For the new dress, I really wanted to use a lighter fabric, more true to the actual character. I also loved the idea of using a real corset to give a more authentic look and better fit for my performers.

I purchased the corset base on Amazon. Here’s what it looked like when it arrived….

I purchased purple dye from Hobby Lobby and dyed the corset (following the instructions on the packaging) in my bathtub. After one good washing, the color was the perfect light purple I was hoping for.

I bought purple satin in two shades from Joanne’s fabric. Using a basic A-line design, I sewed the skirt together with the purple panel in the middle. The top of the skirt is made with elastic so it can fit a variety of sizes, and it saved me the trouble of sewing in a zipper. The floral design is actually fabric paint. I used a stencil (from Hobby Lobby) and painted it on. Once the paint was dry, I glued some purple sequins and rhinestones on the design as well to add a bit of sparkle.

The sleeves were cut from the old costume and sewn onto the new corset. Only to save time. We had an event booked and time was ticking to get everything finished!

The final touch was to add lace trim- EVERYWHERE. The bottom of the skirt, the top of the bodice, the edge of the sleeves, everywhere!

I was very happy with how it came out! I’ll be redoing the sleeves soon. I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

 

 

Preggo Princess

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As the co-owner and ‘professional princess’ for Girly-Girl Partea’s Inc, I carefully planned the final events I would be able to do prior to having a visible baby bump. The two events below were quite fun. We had a luau themed Frozen party complete with a swimming Little Mermaid character. We even dressed our Snowman (Olaf inspired) up with a straw hat, Hawaiian shirt and lei. It was so much fun doing ‘what frozen things do in summer!’

The other event was a Daddy Daughter Date Night for a local Chick-fil-A restaurant. They have this magnificent horse drawn carriage to give the kids rides around the parking lot. Cinderella is my favorite princess, so it was quite fitting that this was my final princess event prior to going on maternity leave.

Of course, as the co-owner of the company, I continue to run the business, with other girls ‘princessing’ for me. I certainly miss bringing magic to birthday parties and community events, but it gives me a great goal for post party to get my princess body back 😉

 

 

 

Screenshot_2015-07-22-15-08-42-1This is how I announced my pregnancy via our company Facebook to all our devoted clients with a sweet message that said “I am hanging up my princess gown in preparation for my own little princess coming May of 2015”.

DIY Disneybound Anna Tank Tutorial

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For my best friends bachelorette party, we took a trip to the happiest place on Earth. First day was spent at Magic Kingdom with the second day in Epcot for the Food and Wine Festival. This was the perfect opportunity to Disneybound and I knew exactly what I wanted to make.

FB_IMG_1437590970051-1My Anna inspired tank top from Disney’s hit movie Frozen, was super easy to make. Using a $3 tank from Wal-mart, I designed the adventure wear corset pattern to print on a dark t-shirt iron on transfer. I embellished the top of the tank with gold trim from Hobby Lobby with a simple stitch on my sewing machine, though I am sure fabric glue would work well too if you prefer not to sew.

10616230_10152236763405518_3299362655513915289_nThe shorts were a thrift store find (love Plato’s Closet) and I ironed the designs on using the same dark t-shirt paper. The short designs were definitely more tedious. I cut out the designs with a razor knife and the whole process took me about an hour.

I had just found out I was pregnant the week before this trip which meant I was super paranoid about riding the bigger rides. So what better to do while my group was riding the new Seven Dwarf Minetrain, meet Anna and Elsa of course! Both of which loved my outfit by the way.

shoesTo really put my outfit over the top, I tried my hand at painting some character shoes to wear. I purchased the shoes from Hobby Lobby with a 40% off coupon, so they were only about $5.

I drew out the design in pencil first and then painted using fabric paint. After the paint dried, I coated them in modge podge and clear coated them to preserve the paint. Overall, they held up pretty well, despite the rainy weather. 

If you want to download the Anna design printable, visit my Easy store: https://www.etsy.com/listing/205265210/frozen-anna-design-diy-iron-on-printable