Sep 28, 2025
Sparky carried my wizard umbrella out into the sunlight at Western Mass Pagan Pride so that you can see the rhinestones sparkle as I had hoped. It is very hard to catch sparkle on film, since the camera does not 'see' as your eyes see.
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Sparky carried my wizard umbrella out into the sunlight at Western Mass Pagan Pride so that you can see the rhinestones sparkle as I had hoped. It is very hard to catch sparkle on film, since the camera does not 'see' as your eyes see.
My beading samples.
HOW Many Rhinestones, John ???
Figuring what I already had and used so far, with my latest delivery I have bought approximately 9,700 rhinestones - I will have rhinestones for years when this project is finished!
Blinging - the ‘Maharajah Effect’.
Today I started Phase 2 of the blinging - adding heat-set jewels that I bought last week with a $15 off coupon at JoAnn’s. I had to wait until this week to buy the heat-set tool off sale when I could use a 60% off coupon and get it for $17 off! I had looked at a cordless one - but didn’t see how 3 AAA batteries would have any kind of life to heat the tool, so opted for the twice-as-costly one at 60% off. Only buy the best - ON SALE! LOL!
Next, I will outline the row of jewels with more gimp roping. If I run out of gold, I have to wait until at least 3/25 for the gimp I ordered from India (free shipping) on eBay to arrive ... so there could be a delay in seeing the finished results, folks! I only have about 4 feet of gold gimp left to play with.
Bling-a-ding-ding!
Just starting to play with some Zardozi stitching to embellish the cuffs of my wizard costume. Not exactly according to pattern (I only have a YouTube video to watch), and maybe not my best stitching so far - but it’s only my first afternoon working embellishment like this! Remember - these are cut snippets of coiled metal wire (French Wire, or Gimp), not bugle beads! What you are looking at is upside-down, because the cuffs turn up! More to come as this adventure rolls along ....
NOT TEMARI! Found on Pinterest. An embellisher’s wet dream.
Wizard Costume Sleeve Bling
Top: un-blinged - Left; start of bling - Right
Bottom: Closer-up’
No - these are not bugle beads, they are ‘Gimp” - otherwise known as ‘French Wire”. It comes in long tube as a tightly-coiled spring, and you cut it to length, Some crafters use a super-fine tool that looks like an embroidery hook, but I am sewing it down with beading needles and beading thread. Search ‘Zardozi’ on YouTube and find videos of it being used: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYhp6HkgKMM
Oh - this is just the base - it will be enlarged from here with heat-fix jewels and more gimp!
We daily come across various surface orientations designed by Fashion Designers. First, what is Surface Orientation in Fashion Design and ty