DESERT PATH

Getting (slightly) off the beaten path for the last sweltering hot days of Summer!
Also, I promise I'm wearing shorts.

[ :: Umgee tunic c/o :: DIY dip dye cutoff shorts (similar) :: Duro Olowu x JCP bag (similar) :: ]
[ :: Franco Sarto boots (similar) :: necklaces from Taiwan and various street vendors :: ]
It's been a pretty steady 85 or 90 degrees here every day, so cool, breezy clothes are weekend essentials! My DIY bleached/dipdye cutoffs have been a wardrobe staple all summer, and this top from Umgee was just the thing I needed to transition them towards fall. (Umgee doesn't have an e-commerce site but you can check out their FB page here to keep up to date!) I'm all heart-eyed-emoji over the crocheted detailing at the hem and sleeves. So dreamy and boho-chic!

These boots are a recent budget-friendly find from Marshalls. They're so comfy and I love the wide shape and stacked heel. I'm so tempted to find it in other colors! Total hoarder tendencies.







[ :: Umgee tunic c/o :: DIY dip dye cutoff shorts (similar) :: Duro Olowu x JCP bag (similar) :: ]
[ :: Franco Sarto boots (similar) :: necklaces from Taiwan and various street vendors :: ]

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!! :) I'll be rushing around getting ready for my trip to NYC. So excited to be back!

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[[summer classics]] wet seal event and $100 giveaway!

Happy Monday! I'm super excited to share that Wet Seal is now carrying their plus size selection in certain stores (check out the store list here!). I love trying clothes on before I buy, so this is great news!

In celebration of their in-store launch, Wet Seal is hosting an event in Brea, CA this Friday afternoon. I'll be there, so come hang out, get pampered, and shop with me! :) All the event details are at the bottom of this post. Hope to see you there! :D

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Wet Seal was also awesome enough to hook one reader up with a $100 giftcard to shop Wet Seal online or in-store!
There are a couple ways to enter:

• Comment on this post with your name and a way to contact you (can be email or twitter!) Easy, right? :)
• Follow @CurvyGirlChic and @WetSeal on Twitter and comment below with your twitter handle! (One Entry)
• Follow @CurvyGirlChic and @WetSealFashion on Instagram and comment again with your instagram name! (One Entry)

*Giveaway ends 8/30/13. Sponsored by Wet Seal!

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Outfit details:
[ :: polka dot dress and denim jacket c/o Wet Seal :: topshop necklace :: ]
[ :: Michael Kors heels :: Target sunglasses :: Evans ring :: H&M clutch :: ]



Hope to see you guys at Brea on Friday! Let me know if you'll be able to make it. Would love to meet you all! :D
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LEATHER AND LACE AND ANOTHER GIVEAWAY!

Wearing one of my favorite combinations--leather and lace! :)
[ :: Kiyonna dress c/o Kate & Cecilia (get 50% off with code CURVYGIRL50) :: Gap moto jacket (similar) :: ]
[ :: INC pumps (on sale here) :: H&M clutch (here) :: ]

As cool weather approaches, I'm happily working my leather jacket back into heavy rotation. Paired with a saturated lace dress, this look worked perfectly for date night! It's hard to go wrong with leather and lace; the combination strikes the perfect balance between feminine and edgy.

I love lace in rich colors, so this dress was a no-brainer for me. As an added bonus, the lace panel at the upper chest is actually lined in nude fabric so it's super bra-friendly! Right now, you can score this dress (and any other full price item) from Kate & Cecilia for 50% off with code CURVYGIRL50.

Kate & Cecilia was also sweet enough to offer THREE $30 gift cards for you guys!
There are a couple ways to score one of these sweet prizes:

• Like Kate & Cecilia on Facebook and leave a comment with your Facebook name below! (One entry)
• Sign up to Kate & Cecilia emails by commenting again with your email addy and first name below. (One entry)

Giveaway ends 8/25! :) Prize provided by Kate & Cecilia.

[ :: Kiyonna dress c/o Kate & Cecilia (get 50% off with code CURVYGIRL50) :: Gap moto jacket (similar) :: ]
[ :: INC pumps (on sale here) :: H&M clutch (here) :: ]

August is really turning out to be a month of giveaways, huh?? There's still one more, so stay tuned next week for that and details on an event that'll be going down in the OC! I hope you'll have a chance to come hang out and shop with me! ;)
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Book about doll shoe making techniques

I have been planning on collecting together and organizing information on tools, materials and techniques for making doll shoes. Much of the information is already in this blog, but it is here and there and may not be easy to find. That is why I'm planning on writing a book about the subject.

To keep the costs down, I am planning on making it an ebook, specifically a Kindle book available through Amazon. This way, I do not need to limit the number of pages and can be as elaborate as I think is necessary.

Considering my track record of unfinished projects, I cannot make any promises about if and when the book will be ready, but I have started planning the structure of the book and what information to include. This is where you, the readers of my blog, enter the picture. If there is a specific subject you would like to see included or any other requests, leave a comment to this blog post or tweet it to @kenkafriikki.

The preliminary plan for the structure is to have four main parts: Tools, Materials, Techniques for different parts of shoes, and example projects showing how to make shoes from start to finish (also different scales and different skill levels from very easy to ones using advanced techniques). This may change once I start writing the book and see how the structure works.

Update: I checked the sales of my previous book and as it seems not to be selling anymore, I lowered the price. You can find it here. It is not exactly cheap even at the new price, but an even lower price would mean all profits going to Blurb. Actually, the printing cost is the main reason of choosing the ebook format for the next book.

Wedges for Sybarite

I realized I haven't used many of the cast resin soles I made for Sybarite a few years ago. I found interesting plastic material I wanted to use, so I decided to use a pair of cast resin wedge soles with that. I started by painting the soles black using enamel paint (solvent-based). The extra sole in front is there to show how the soles look straight out of the mould.

The plastic for the uppers looks like this. It was rectangular originally, but I had already cut the required pieces out at this point. These were available in various colors at 2 € per 10 x 12 cm piece. I got this and another piece in silver.

Here are the pieces for the shoes before trimming the edges.

And a closeup showing the structure of the material better.

Plus another closeup showing the back.

The insole is just one layer of card stock and a piece of leather. There was no reason to use more layers of card stock as the arch in the soles is exactly the same as in Sybarite's foot, so the foot provided the desired form during assembly. After trimming the edges of the plastic pieces, I attached them using sewing thread.

Here are the straps with sewing thread attached.

And here they are in place. As you can see, they stay straight at this stage because of the way the sewing threads are attached, but gluing the ends to the sides of the soles will correct that.

The ankle part is closed with a strap made of leather.

I attached a small piece of bent wire at the end of the strap and that goes through a hole on the opposite side as shown in the photo. It is the same method I used for Monster High shoes with cork soles and it works surprisingly well despite being so simple. You just need to apply a lot of glue on the inside of the strap where the end of the wire is to make sure the wire will stay in place and won't scratch the doll's foot.

All that is missing now are the wedge soles.

The strap looked a bit out of place as it was, so I decided to glue some leftover pieces to it.

Then it was time to glue the wedge soles in place and the ends of the toe straps to the sides of the soles, so the straps would keep their correct form.

Tiny Kitty's shoes

These shoes had been at this stage for a long time. In fact, so long that I didn't manage to find any of the earlier photos, even though I must have taken some. It doesn't really matter, because the stages up to this point are described in earlier posts about other shoes. I used a pair of wedge soles made by casting plaster in latex moulds. I glued some silver-colored fabric on the sides of the soles, glued pieces of leather as outer soles, and made the insoles using cardstock and the same fabric I used for the sides.

Next I glued the insoles in place as the straps were so thick that they had to be glued to the sides, not under the insoles (that works in bigger shoes, but not in 1/6 scale). The straps are made of card-woven bands left over from some earlier project. I glued one side first and let it dry.

Then I glued the other side and the pieces behind the heel that will hold the ankle straps.

The way of closing the ankle straps is a bit different from the ones I've tried before. I attached a small bead and button on the vertical piece and used glue to secure the ends of the thread. The bead is there to make some room between the band and the button, so closing the strap will be easier.

Then I glued the ankle straps in place. Making working buckles in this size isn't easy, so I used thin rubber bands. They will deteriorate in time, so I'm not too happy about using them, but they work very well in the short run.

Here are the finished shoes from different angles. Dark ankle straps probably would look better, but I only had rubber bands in gold, silver, bronze and multi-color, so silver will have to do for now. Also the vertical pieces look clumsy. This is really why I rarely make shoes in this scale (only slightly bigger than Barbie shoes). It is so hard to make them look right.

GILDED

Happy Friday guys! :D Embracing the remnants of long days and warm weather with bright colors and summery cuts!

[ :: LOFT dress (similar) :: ASOS belt (here) :: Michael Kors grayson bag (similar) :: ]
[ :: Luichiny heels c/o Dr Jays (here) :: Torrid and ONecklace necklaces :: Forever 21 bangles :: ]

When given the choice between gold and silver, I almost always reach for gold. There's something about the element that elevates any outfit. Whether it's the addition of a sparkly necklace, or the embellishment on a bright pair of shoes (how fun is the gold toe detail on these pumps?!), gold is always my favorite finishing touch.

I recently snagged this dress on final sale from LOFT but dumped it in my to-tailor pile since it was a few inches too long. Naturally I started rummaging through said pile when I ran out of clean laundry (and time!), so I grabbed the dress, brought the length up a bit with a gold belt, and headed out!







[ :: LOFT dress (similar) :: ASOS belt (here) :: Michael Kors grayson bag (similar) :: ]
[ :: Luichiny heels c/o Dr Jays (here) :: Torrid and ONecklace necklaces :: Forever 21 bangles :: ]

If you haven't yet, go enter the Thread & Butter giveaway! $250 to spend on anything, including shipping. I love that on top of clothes, they have Yosi Samra flats (perfect for travel!) as well as RGB nail polishes. So cute!
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