Fabric

I used 2 1/2 yards of red Peach Skin(non stretch) because
it was on sale, I would suggest a light weight polyester/cotton

Supplies

yard stick/ruler

measuring tape

pattern board(optional)

iron

thread

pins

freezer/pattern paper

marking utensil i.e. chalk, pencil, sharpie, etc.

pattern weights(optional)

sewing machine

serger(optional)

Tips

* My over garment is 62" long so I use the length of my fabric, if you are  shorter you can can use the width and purchase less fabric

* make sure you purchase enough fabric for your sleeves

*if you are using a non stretch fabric make your front neck line at least 2" lower than the back(depending on how wide/low you want your neck line to be)

*if you use a stretch fabric try a medium weight fabric like a ponte roma so it's not clingy

*for a tighter/fitted t shirt dress measure your waist and hips and mark your pattern accordingly

Watch the video below for the full tutorial or click here if you can't see it.

I received a Smile Bright teeth whitening kit and was super excited to give it a go! I wanted to get my teeth whitened by my orthodontist when I had my braces taken off, you know to kind of complete the look with a beautimous bright smile. When I asked about it the price was just a little to high for me. So this kit is absolutely perfect, the price is only $25 with my discount code Smile99(the regular price is $99).

Smile Bright Teeth Whitening Kit

The kit comes with easy to follow instructions, a professional teeth whitening guide, led light(batteries included), pre-filled syringe with teeth whitening gel and a mouth piece. 

The whitening gel is a peroxide based gel that has a higher percentage than the store bought gels which combined with the led light is why it's so effective. You apply the gel to the mouth piece, place the mouth piece and led light into your mouth. You let them sit for 30 minutes. Rinse your mouth and mouth piece out and repeat the above steps. The first time you do this you want to do 2 treatments back to back. Tip: don't brush your teeth/eat right before you do the treatments so that your teeth and gums won't be scratched or extra sensitive.

Your mouth will fill up with saliva and it is safe to swallow it, although I didn't. It actually says the saliva helps spread the gel  around your teeth which helps make sure all of your teeth get whitened.

After my first 2 treatments I noticed results right away. I continued to use it nightly for the next few days and my results after one week are in the first pic above. From then on you can use the kit as often as you feel you need to. You get enough for 20 thirty minute treatments in one syringe and you can purchase additional syringes from their website.

I wasn't really expecting much from the kit because I drink a lot of coffee and tea and things like that really do stain our teeth. Much to my surprise I got great results and I am beyond pleased with the kit. You can check out their website here

and use the coupon code to your kit for only $25 too!

Check out my video review below or click here if you can't see it.

Have you tried Smile Bright? What were your results? What's your fave way to whiten your teeth?

Thank you guys for reading and feel free to share!

For the top I really wanted a crop but still wanted the coverage in the back. This high low crop top was born. I will be making many more of these tops. They are a new Spring must have for me, perfect for full coverage of the derriere. :-) I used a medium weight knit ponte fabric from JoAnn's. I finshed the look with a royal blue shayla and nude wedges that you can't see. Tut for the pants coming soon to my YouTube channel. Click here to subscribe so you don't miss it. :-) If you would like to try an easy wide leg pants tutorial that's great for beginners click here.

Let's chat! Leave a comment below and let me know what you think of this look? What are some of your Spring must have items? As always, thanks for reading and feel free to share this post. :-)

DIY Tulle Maxi Skirt with a Zipper Closure

Okay guys here is the written(with pics) tutorial for my tulle maxi skirt with a zipper closure. If you are more of a visual person and want to see it in action click here for the video. I made a black tulle maxi skirt a few weeks ago for a formal event. While I was making it I got a request sent to my email for a tulle maxi skirt tutorial with a zipper. This is what I came up with, so here it is! :-)

For this tut I'm going to show you how I made this skirt in toddler size for my baby girl using the same methods. There are only a couple of changes for an adult size skirt. Prepare for this post to be picture heavy. :-)

To get started you will need a few supplies/materials

*measurement listed are for my skirt

Lining Fabric(King size bed sheet)*

Tulle based on your measurements(18 yards for 3 layers)*

check out this link for a great price on tulle fabric

Zipper

Thread

Interfacing

Fabric Softener(optional)

straight pins

sewing machine

iron

ironing board

measuring tape

marking chalk/pen/marker

The very first thing I do, which is optional, is soak my tulle in a mixture of water and fabric softener. I don't have an exact measurement for the mixture I just eyeball it. I usually just put water in my sink, add the softener and then my tulle. I let it soak for at least an hour, rinse it and then put it in the dryer on air dry(no heat). This softens your tulle, gives it a nice flow when your finished and makes it a little easier to work with.

While my tulle is soaking I get started on my lining which is a full circle skirt. I have tutorials on circle skirts here and here if you want to see the videos. 

Starting of with my lining fabric cut in 2 pieces for a full circle skirt.  You can also use a bed sheet like I did for my skirt and you will have one piece for the entire maxi skirt lining. Of course if your skirt is much shorter most fabric will be wide enough. For a circle skirt pattern & measurements blog post tutorial click here.

tulle Maxi Skirt Lining

Fold the lining in half once and then again. This makes it's easier to work with and cut. Particularly when your working with a lot of fabric. Set your lining aside.

folding the lining

By now your tulle should be dry and ready to work with. For a full circle skirt I need 6 yards of fabric based my measurements. I used 18 yards of tulle resulting in 3 full circle skirt layers of tulle.  You can add more layers to make your skirt even fuller but I wouldn't do less than 3. I had my fabric cut into 3 yard long pieces(half of 1 circle skirt measurement for me) when I purchased it to make it easier. If your ordering on line just do the cutting yourself. :-)

Fold each layer in half and place them on top of each other. Then fold the fabric over. This makes it easier to work with and cut.

folding the tulle

Now place the lining on top of the tulle and cut around the lining. Leaving about and extra 1.5" of space on each side and 1" on the bottom. Do this because you will be gathering the tulle later on in this tutorial and you don't want your tulle to be shorter than your lining.

place folded lining on top of folded tulle layers and cut

Once you have your tulle cut out you can attach the 2 sides of each layer to make a full circle skirt. I did this by sewing a basting stitch first and then serging down each side. The basting stitch helps stabilize your fabric since tulle can be difficult to serge. You can also use any other stabilizer you prefer. If you don't have a serger just sew down and trim off any access fabric.

serged sides of my tulle maxi skirt

Place your layers of tulle inside of each of other. If you are using different color tulle like I did for both skirt's layer them so it gives your skirt more dimension. Next sew a basting stitch all the way around the top of the waistline and set your tulle aside to finish your lining. For my skirt I sewed 2 basting stitches one on each top half of the waistline.

sew basting stitch along the waist line of your tulle layers

Attach your zipper to your lining and hem the bottom. You want to hem the skirt before you attach the tulle. When sewing the zipper into the the lining I left a 5/8 of inch seam allowance where you do not attach the top of the zipper to the lining. This is important because you will use the seam allowance later on to attach your waistband.

attach zipper to lining leaving a unattached at the top bases on your seam allowance

For the waistband use your waist measurement plus and extra inch on each side. You don't have to add and entire inch but I would add at least add half and inch on each side. Decide how wide you want your waist band and multiply that number by 2 and add 1 inch. For example, if you want your waist band to be 2" wide you would make it a total width of 5". 

Now your ready to attach your interfacing. I use a piece of interfacing that is the exact length of my waist measurement and just short of the width of half my waistband. Place your interfacing on your fabric bumpy side down and press with steam.

iron interfacing down to waistband

Fold your waist band in half, press and set aside.

fold waistband over and press

Working with your tulle again pull on your basting stitch to gather your tulle. This will help make your skirt fuller. Once you're satisfied with your gathers tie a knot in your basting stitch to keep in from coming out.  

gather your basting stitch

Place your lining right sides facing out into your tulle.
Pin your tulle down and sew around from one side to other. Don't sew over the zipper and don't sew the top of zipper down to the rest of the skirt yet.

pin tulle to your lining and sew around

With your tulle lined up nice and neat cut a slit through all of the tulle layers down to the bottom of your zipper. This way you can unzip your skirt. Don't worry the slit won't be noticeable.

cut slit in your tulle layers the length of your zipper

Now your ready to attach your waistband. Pin you waistband down with the skirt facing right side out, the waistband facing wrong side out and the interfacing side on the top. Sew all the way around from one end to other and you still don't attach the top of the zipper yet.

pin and sew waistband to the your skirt

Now your'e ready to attach to the top of zipper. :-) Your going to fold the bottom piece of the waistband up and then fold the remaining fabric over. Lay the top of the zipper down nice and neat, pin it down and then attach it by sewing up to the middle of the waistband. 

fold , pin and sew sides of waistband

Cut off the top of the zipper, fold the waistband over and pin it down. Flip the waistband over and top stitch where you just sewed the zipper down.

trim off top of zipper, fold over waistband and sew  it down

Your final step is to tuck in any fabric under the waistband and fold it over. This is why you added and extra inch to the width. Pin the fabric down and top stitch right in the seam so you don't see it. Take your time and do this part slow. I like to attach my zipper this way so it's hidden and gives a clean finished. If you would like to see a video tutorial for this last part click here. 

tuck in fabric, pin down waistband and top stitch on the right side

Here's a look at my finished zipper.

finished zipper on my tulle maxi skirt

That's it! You're all done and now you have a fabulous tulle maxi skirt with a zipper closure. Well done & give yourself a round of applause! You can do this with any length tulle skirt. Feel free to make any changes and do what works best for you. That is the whole point of a DIY project, right? This skirt is perfect for everyday wear or you can add more layers and gathers to make it perfect for Prom, Eid or any other special occasion. Have fun making and wearing your new super fab tulle maxi skirt. 

Thanx for reading all the way to end. I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial. Feel free to share and leave any questions are comments below. As always remember if I can do it SEW can you! :-)

I am in love with pink right now! Really anything that makes me feel extra feminine and girly. I originally made a formal black tulle maxi skirt to wear to IMFW(an event that ended up being canceled) that I haven't had a chance to wear. So I decided to make an every day maxi tulle skirt and couldn't think of a better color than  bright pink.

I paired this look with a thrifted denim top from Mango that is light weight and perfect for Spring.

I'm wearing one of my bracelets from Twinkory(that I have a giveaway coming for soon), simple white rose studs from Wet Seal and a neon green head wrap. If you would like to recreate the turban/head wrap style check out my tutorial here. 

Click here for my DIY tutorial for this tulle maxi skirt .

Let's chat! What do you think of this look? What color would you love to have a tulle skirt in? How would you style your tulle skirt?

And of course, as always feel free to share this post.

Tutorial for this top is live on my YouTube channel! 

Watch the video below or click here if you cant see it.

A quick OOTD post. I felt like mixing it up a bit so I'm wearing a high low peplum top with gold studs made by me. Tutorial for this top and this red top I made will be up on my YouTube channel tomorrow, click here to subscribe so you don't miss it. 

I paired the top with distressed boyfriend jeans that I customized, tutorial here.

My beauiful hijab is from Afrabian designs. I love the tribal/aztec print.

By now you've probably noticed I have a serious affinity for lipstick.  I chose one of my faves, Wet n Wild's Purty Persmimon to compliment my look

The accessories are from F21, clutch is from Primark and heels are from XOXO.

Thanx for reading! I hope you liked this look. I would love if you left a comment below and as always feel free to share. 

I am so in love with anything peplum right now. The only thing is I'm super tall(6 feet) so most peplum tops don't fit me the way I want them to. So I decided to make one. I made it a high low peplum so I could have the coverage in the back. The great thing about making clothing yourself is you can decided how you want your top to fit. How long, what color or where you want your waist to sit at. That's the beauty of sewing, custom pieces made to fit you perfectly.

I got a great response on Instsagram and Facebook so I will be doing a diy tutorial for this top that will be out on my YouTube channel next week. Click here to subscribe so you don't miss it.

 Turbans and head wraps are every! We've seen every one from Eryakah Badu, Solange and RiRi donning them at one point or another. From celebs to the runways turbans/head wraps are were it's at. I've been wearing them for years and there are endless ways to style them. I thought I would show you 10 quick and easy styles. 

Check out the video below or click here for the full tutorial with 10 different styles. If you try out any of the looks(or come up with your own) I would love if you tag me on FB, Instagram or Twitter so I can see. 

#nadira037 or @nadira037

I would love if you leave a comment below and let me know what you think. As always feel free to share.

With the exception of the base and top coat each polish was only .99 cents from my local beauty supply store. Check out my nail art tutorials here and subscribe for more. Like it, hate it, want a tutorial? Leave a comment and let me know what you think.