Burlesque + Rhinestones = Expensive! Right? Not always.
The DIY BurlesKoala competition is all about creating an act on a $100 budget. Adding sparkle seems impossible on such a small budget, but it’s also an eye opener to how much we spend on costumes, making competitors think about bang for buck. It’s always a challenge and many of us instantly want to reach for crystals to make our costumes pop.
I checked in with Foxxxy Curves from WA’s Haus of Sparkle to get some tips and tricks on saving money when blinging your burlesque costumes with rhinestones. Haus of Sparkle was created out of a desperate need for a high grade rhinestone without the high grade price. Who better to go to for the best burlesque rhinestone tips?!
Why did you start Haus of Sparkle?
I may have picked the most expensive hobby, ever! I wanted quality on a budget, and fast – so starting something local, affordable but still glamourous was my goal, and that’s what I did when building Haus of Sparkle!
What’s the most popular product, and what’s your favourite product?
Most popular is EASILY FabriFuse, it’s the best glue for fabric and a lot of other surfaces too. My fave product is Fringe – it give sparkle AND movement, two things I’m a huge fan of!
What’s the difference between different types of rhinestones and how should people choose?
Essentially there’s resin (acrylic / plastic), glass, and crystal. My stones are glass, which give the illusion of expense without sacrificing the quality.
Resin stones have a very lovely coating over them, which is great. As long as you are happy for it to wear off after a couple of uses. Unfortunately this doesn’t give longevity to your costumes, so if you are looking for a costume that is for more than just a grad show, or one that you want to be able to use again you are going to need to upgrade to glass at some stage.
Glass stones, have mostly the same facets as Crystal without the exorbitant price tag. They are a great budget option for those of us who just don’t have crystal lifestyles.
How do you pick rhinestone colours to compliment your costume? And how do you choose colours online to buy?
I get asked this question a lot, which is why I offer a free colour matching service at Haus of Sparkle. If you DM or email me a picture of your costume or the item you are trying to colour match, I am more than happy to not only match but also give you suggestions for complimentary and contrasting colours that could make your costume Pop!
It’s hard to explain but essentially it all comes down to colour theory. So if you paid attention in art class in school, think about your complimentary contrasting monochromatic and triadic colours the next time you are planning a costume!
How many rhinestones are needed to make a dress or costume pieces sparkle?
This is a how long is a piece of string kind of question, but I strongly recommend to everyone that you get onto Manuge Et Toi and her tips on tap because she has a great video about how to calculate how many rhinestones you will need for a project – that way you don’t over purchase and end up with surplus and waste your money.
What’s the best techniques or ways to get a good coverage on a big item?
Start with a sparse, scatter with the stones, 2 to 3 inches apart, and then once you have finished that you can go back through, and add another stone in between each of them to make it more dense, if you want to, and if you have the stones. This is a great place to use different sized stones so that you get even more sparkle and they don’t end up looking like polkadots.
Rhinestones can become expensive quickly, what tips and tricks would you give people trying to embellish on a budget?
Do your research. Ask questions and shop local so that if there are issues or if you need something in a hurry, you have got a relationship with a shop that will bend over backwards to make sure you are as sparkly as possible as fast as possible. And hey if you shop at Haus of Sparkle, you’ll be rewarded with a loyalty card which earns you a stamp any time you spend $40, and you would be surprised how quickly that turns into free rhinestones and free vouchers!
Haus of Sparkle has donated some terrific prizes for our DIY BurlesKoala competitors and winners including:
- Winner: HoS prize pack including discount voucher, rhinestones, FabriFuse and picker pen
- Runner up: HoS prize pack including discount voucher and rhinestones
- Haus of Sparkle gift bag, including discount voucher, Rhinestone pack and gift
Be sure to Follow Haus of Sparkle on Facebook and Instagram for all their specials.
Come and see who will win the DIY BurlesKoala 2023 crown this Friday 27 October at The Red Rattler Theatre. Tickets available online or on the door.
