Easy DIY Chain Armour

As you maybe able to tell, i have a love for fantasy looks and I love if i can incorporate that element in my everyday style.

I am a warrior at heart as I am always pushing myself and keeping strong through the tough times I encounter.

I love adding accessories to a basic outfits too,  just to add some detail or point of difference and personality.

This is a easy DIY to add to any outfit.

All you need is an old necklace, jewellery pilers and some extra chain.

I found a couple of necklaces in the sale section of my favourite costume jewellery store.

I cut some extra chain and attach it to the top middle of the necklace and that it was a good size to thread through the tab on my jacket so it would hold up on the shoulder. 

I then took off the excess chain that would go around your neck to fit around my arm.

And this is how it turned out, super easy!

I was lucky that my jacket had a shoulder tab that i could attach some chain around to hold it up.  if you don't have a tab like this on your jacket you could make the chain longer and attach at the neckline under the collar. You can add some extra beading to it also and extra chains too and attach to any jacket you have or top.  You can get quite creative with this look.

I tried this with another necklace too but didn't quite sit how I would have liked so I'm still working on that but this is how it is at the moment.

 Hope you enjoyed this and thanks for reading :)

x the girl backstage

Evil Queen

 

Evil Queen Coat

Due to my obsession with Once Upon A Time, I decided to make something inspired by one of my favourite characters on the show; The Evil Queen.

This was another project of trial and error so a couple of things didn't work out as I imagined but overall i'm happy with the outcome.  I did realised what I did wrong and how I should have done certain things but it was too late and I didn't have the extra money to start over but was able to make do and you can't notice so nobody would know haha.

And just for fun...

Thanks for reading :)

x The Girl Backstage

Leibster Award - For a Newbie

Leibster Awards

How it works...

  1) Make sure you mention the lovely person that nominated you 

2) List 10 facts about yourself if you so wish 

3) Answer the questions that you were bestowed by that lovely person who nominated you

4) Nominate some lovely bloggers for the award

5) Create 10 questions for those love bloggers mentioned above

6) Make sure that you let those lovely nominees know about it so that they can tag along if they want to! No pressure at all to get involved, but you are definitely worth a mention for one reason or another.  :)

I was nominated by my best friend of 13 years at Button Up Cakes who is totally into her cake decorating and she is so amazing at it.

10 Facts about ME!

1) Im an artist

2) When I finally settle down in my own home I will own a pig

3) I have never broken a bone

4) I have lived in 3 time zones 

5) I love being creative, it what keeps me happy

6) I love going on road trips either with my besties or on my own and sing really loud along to the music

7) My favourite actress is Rachel Bilson and favourite actor is Jared Padalecki

8) I collect sunglasses 

9) I maybe tiny but I'm really strong

10) Because very few can pronounce my name (even my middle name people get wrong) so when my name is asked for a food order etc I use the name Jay.

Amy's Questions

1.Sunshine or Rain? Why?

Sunshine as I love how the warmth feels on my skin

2.Who is your favourite Disney "Prince" Why?

Flynn Ryder from Tangled coz he is totally funny, down to earth and bit of a bad ass

3.PC or Mac

Mac

4. Favourite cake flavour?

Mud with raspberries

5. Do you really like Vegetable? I mean really? Come on?

oh yea I do, I even crave them sometimes

6. If you could meet anyone who would you meet and why? (Living or gone)

My Pop (my mum's dad).  He died before I was born and I always hear great stories of him

7.If your life was a TV show which would it be?

Project Runway; coz I'm always making something

8.Whats brings you peace? Chills you out?

Listening to music or watching my favourite tv show

9.Which Spice girl were you? You know you were one.

I was always Sporty Spice

10. Favourite 90s Song?

I don't know why but the Barbie song from Aqua come to my mind first haha, but Learn to Fly buy the Foo Fighters and Time of Your Life by Green Day

My Questions 

1) What are you wearing right now?

2) What is your luxury item?

3) Most expensive thing you have brought?

4) What is something that your parents taught you that you will carry on with your children?

5) First pet?

6) What is your next travel destination?

7) Favourite story/movie character ever and why?

8) While in primary school/elementary school, what did you want to be?

9) What is your most wanted item?

10) What is the last book you read?

Nominees

@costume carousel

Linear Dance Video

Heres another dance I worked on...

This one was based around order, staying in line, appliance to rules.

Once again the dancers where the directors of how they wanted to have this portrayed and we all worked together on making their vision/idea come across to the audience.

The photo stills I had taken throughout filming didn't come out very well (the camera i had at the time  didn't work well in darkness and the images came out blurry).

Thanks for watching.

x The Girl Backstage :)

NowHere/NoWhere Dance Video

I was lucky enough to be chosen to work as the costume designer for a couple of dance videos at uni. This wasn't part of my course requirements where I would be assessed so it was something I did outside of uni hours.  I was so happy to have the chance to work on a project which would offer me new challenges.  The principal of the work is the same with any project with from designing to production meetings etc but this was a new format (i know there is a word for this but my mind has gone blank on this).

I collaborated with the dances (this was their project that they were being assessed on) with the look and feel of the costumes that they wanted to portray with there dance piece.  We then had production meetings with other HOD's and discussed how each of our departments can come together to make the dancers vision of the project come to life.  

Here is how the video came out...

Here are some stills...

Thanks for reading and watching.

x The Girl Backstage :)

Amour Costume

I found a few photos on Pinterest a while back and I thought I would give this a try as I had never done something like this before (and I love giving myself a challenge on working out how to create something).  I did however want to make this out of like a cotton fabric mainly coz I couldn't get my hands on any metals and I was on a small budget so this was the way I went.

It was harder than I first thought to get started making this but once I got going, it seemed to come together and I am happy with it.  Once again like I always find when trying out new projects, there are things I would do different next time in the way of the pattern and some sewing techniques.

(I created this in May 2014)

Thanks for reading :)

x The Girl Backstage

Music Video 'Popular' Inspired Costume

So I came across the music video 'Popular' by Mika ft Ariana Grande and just felt inspired to make a costume from this. It had been a while since I had made something for my portfolio, this being due to that I didn't have a sewing machine with me since moving to Adelaide until I couldn't take it any longer and brought one.  (I now own 3 sewing machines and 2 overlockers all that are in working order).

I had never made a tutu (I know, shock horror) so thought this was a good excuse to incorporate one into this costume.  I kinda went for a strong, dark, futuristic high school uniform look.

Tutu 

High school bitch face on haha

Skirt, Top and Collar made by me

Stockings from Glassons

Shoes from Rubi shoes

Makeup 

Eyes: Sketch and Star Violet from MAC

Lippy: Dark Side from MAC 

Created in April 2014

Thanks for reading :)

x The Girl Backstage

1630's Mens Doublet and Breeches

For my graduation piece I decided to make a mens 1630s costume.

I found a traditional pattern in an old costume history book in the uni library and I was fortunate enough to be allowed to use the production of CAD at my tutor's home studio to create it to the size I wanted.

This is one of my pieces I am most proud of.

Back view

Side view

Thanks for reading :)

x The Girl Backstage

Minnie Mouse

I am known as 'Mouse' in one of best friends family so I thought it was time I should make a Minnie Mouse Costume and hey you can't be a costumer if you haven't made one of these before haha.

Circle skirt and bow tie I made 

Gloves sourced from my mum's wardrobe

Mouse ears from $2 shop

Stockings and heels from Glassons

Created in February 2012

Wish now I had put on some red lippy.

Thanks for reading

x The Girl Backstage

1870s Woman's Day Dress

I was in between contract jobs so to keep myself busy and so I wasn't wasting time, I decided to give myself a challenge and make a full on 1870s costume from under garments to outer garments.

All I had was my skills I had gained at uni and my imagination to create this.  I research many images and from that I worked out how to make the pattern and then to sew it all together.

I am very proud of myself I what I achieved.  From drawing up the pattern to completing the details it took me 11 days.  (I have no idea if thats good timing or not but my family and friends seem to think it was :/ ).

Corset and chemise

Close up of corset and chemise

Bustle added

Petticoat added

Skirt and coat 

There are a few things I would do differently next time I make one of these and a few mistakes I have made but it was all trial and error.  Over all I am happy with the outcome.

Made in 2011.

Thanks for reading

x The Girl Backstage 

Travel Diary - South America

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to travel to San Juan to support my dad at the World POPS Championships.  This is a world skydiving competition (POPS standing for People over Phorty).  These are held every 2 years all over the world.  My family has done a lot of jumping but my dad is the one who does all the comps and my mum, sister and I do it just for fun.  The sky diving community my parents belong to back home are such a great bunch of people, they are like another family.

So here the trip goes from the start...
I flew from Sydney, Australia to Auckland, New Zealand where I meet up with my parents and 2 of their friends that were going, (we didn't have a big kiwi team this time due to many different reasons such as some of the jumpers weren't able to jump due to operations or other commitments and timing etc). We then flew to Santigo, Chile and arrived in mid morning there and so we had all afternoon and evening to have a wonder around the city and take in the sights and get a feel for the lifestyle here.
I liked the city itself and the parts we saw but I didn't feel too comfortable there as we found the people who lived there try to take advantage of us in ways of getting more money out of us or not very helpful when in shops or ordering food, other than the people at our hotel.  Also being a young female, I found the men to just stop and stare (I was told to expect that and also for them to shout things out but they won't act on it) so that was a bit uncomfortable.  You can really see the difference here of rich and poor too, not like back home, you could see the divide here and I also saw for the first time, slums, like i knew there would be some but I never thought I would see them and especially so close to the city so that was quite an eye opener for me. My parents had seen them before in South Africa so it was more of a shock and a sadness to see.

Sunset from leaving Auckland en route to Santiago

At the Art Museum - Santiago

Apartments above shops and resturants - Santiago

We flew out the next morning to San Juan, Argentina via Beunos Aries (never had the chance to stop there for a few nights, i booked my flights quite last minute so I didn't even think about stoping there so I must go back next time).
We had great flight over as we got to fly over the Andes and wow what a sight, so amazing, my mum and I went crazy taking photos of it.

Andes

Andes 

Landing in Beunos Aries

We finally arrived in San Juan and omg it was the smallest airport I've ever been to and I've arrived and depart parted from many airports. What a drive it was to our hotel, it was so brown and dry and the roads were quite cracked etc, but I kinda expected that. The houses were quite run down and very few had gardens, a lot of places were locked up with big gates and chains across the front.  That kinda made me scared for some reason coz it made me think that there maybe a lot of violence here and I really didn't want to get caught up with any of that especially in a foreign place where i can't speak the language.  Over the next few days I felt quite comfortable walking around as I started to understand how everyone lives here.  It just isn't what I'm use to but so cool to experience this culture.  I found the people really friendly even tho there was a language barrier.  I also wondered if that was because this is a small town/community and they don't get any tourists here seen it isn't a big city and so they found us very interesting too.



So the competition started on a Saturday that goes for 8 days.  We had a big opening ceremony on Friday night which felt like a mini olympics ceremony (totally didn't expect that).  There was the Argentina National anthem, band music and marching, speeches and skydivers landing in the stadium.  We were escorted by police everyday to and from the drop zone (what the area is called in which the skydivers land).  It was a pretty surreal experience.

The competitions went really well, only a few broken bones haha but no dramas.
These are some photos of the drop zone and jumpers below...

Dad found a green patch on the drop zone 

The ambulance on standby

Me with dad (kiwi), swiss and russia

Our camp has been taken over by the Canadians, Americans, Israel and an Argentian

Siesta

Kiwi vs Israel

After jumps beer time

Driest drop zone I've ever seen

Skydivers

Last morning at the drop zone with a great sunrise

I had one of the jumpers form the Australian team tech me how to pack parachutes so i got to do that everyday too which was so cool to learn as it is such a huge responsibility so I was nervous but so happy someone took a chance on me to teach me.  I had a few other guys make jokes about me doing it but it was all in good nature. check out the photos below of me in action haha.

Checking the breaks

Checking the lines are untangled

Closing up the bag

Dad and Gary worried about my packing abilities hehe

I also did my 3rd tandem jump, I wore my mums t-shirt, my dads socks and shoes from a local all for good luck.  check out the video of it.  I had 2 camera angles so I was able to edit them both together so I hope you like it.

My landing crew

Me and dad 

These are some photos of around the town...

 Time to be a hero and save some wine trapped in a bottle ;) 

San Juan police 

Local kids that found us

1st dinner in San juan (in a french restaurant) 

Order a coke and you get coke with a puff pastry side

Best wine i found and love the size of the glass hehe

Cute Mexican cafe we found to have lunch in

Local kids

               
We had such a great time and everyone we meet, the locals and the other competitors were so lovely.

Number 18th and 19th country Ive been too, which will be number 20? (There is one in the planning stage for April/May next year and it will be a few countries).

Thanks for reading
x The Girl Bckstage