The work of many artists!

I’ve been asked whether I made my Tribal Fest costume and the answer is a great big NOPE! In fact I did not wear a single thing that I made, which is unusual as I tend to wear jewelry that I created to go with a costume, but not this time. So anyway, I’d like to take a few minutes to acknowledge the talented costumers whose work I combined to put together the look for this performance. We’ll work from the top down!

1. Dreads and hair flowers by Diva Dreads. Not only that, but as I mentioned yesterday, Brandie also styled my hair for me. I cannot speak highly enough of Brandie and her family, they run such a wonderful business. I never thought I would go for dreads because I already have so much hair anyway, but they really added the perfect touch to this piece. I needed ALL OF THE HAIR to create an otherworldly style.

2. You can’t see it in this picture but there’s also a beautiful, realistic-looking leather moth clip in my hair garden, created by Angelic Artisan. I had decided at nearly the last-minute that it would be cool to have moths in my hair and it was surprisingly difficult to find something that looked like an actual moth and would ship from the US. Well, this moth is awesome and it’s made of a really heavy leather so it should hold up very well to years of wear.

3. Super duper amazing faerie crown by The Bold Oracle. I’ve had this for at least a year and had only worn it for a photo shoot. I was going to make an antler crown for this piece but then I was like, duh, I have this beautiful crown by Amy already and it matches this costume perfectly and I love the effect of the tulle around my face.

4. Bindi by Kuhl Jewels. I wasn’t going to wear a bindi but then Niffer bought us “bestie bindis” (matching design, but in green for me and aqua/teal for her) and I decided I had to wear mine. The vine shape and shades of green were perfect with the costume.

5. Silk wings by Firebird Fae Couture. I purchased these wings last year at Tribal Fest to wear when I performed this piece at the Plaza Variety Show. I LOVE them! They were the perfect addition to this costume. I’m sad the artist didn’t return to TF this year so I couldn’t tell her in person how much I enjoyed them and invite her to see me dance in them.

6. Prehnite necklace by Mermaiden Creations. Between the tulle drape and the tie for the wings there’s not a lot of room for an elaborate necklace with this costume. An organic prehnite bead on a simple chain seems like just the sort of bauble a faerie would wear.

7. Bra and belt set by Anaya Tribal. I love this set because it’s awesome for a belly dancing faerie but if I accessorize it differently it can be straight-up tribal fusion or steampunk. The fact that the bra fits as if it was made for me certainly helps!

8. Super Bootie skirt by Snake Church. True story: I was going to wear my olive green Super Bootie that I bought last year, but then I bought this old gold one and I decided that it was even better with the bra-belt set. Also I had learned that I had been buying my skirts one size too big and so my bootie looked even better in this new, smaller skirt. I definitely made the right choice because that gold under the stage lights against the soft colors of the silk backdrop? Magical.

9. Honorable mention: Katherine from Silk Road Tribal didn’t make the bracelet I’m wearing, but she did let me owe her $3 when I decided I NEEDED a bracelet to cover my entry stamp on my wrist and I didn’t have enough cash on hand. She’s a sweet person and sells lots of awesome tribal jewelry, costumes, textiles and DIY supplies.

10. I kept the jewelry really simple because I didn’t want to risk anything on my arms catching on the wings or in my dreads, but I did wear my emerald ring by Janish Jewels and my Mom’s peridot ring, because they were perfect with my costume but low-profile.

So a big THANK YOU to everyone who helped me be beautiful on Saturday!